Breathe Into Me
"It's suicide to go alone; let me come with you."
"Why? This is my fight…"
I heard howling and the sound of something rustling through the trees. I am so sick of this bullshit!
"Xiaoyu, get back…"
She hid behind me, but not all the way. "What is it?"
I took a step forward and analyzed the figure that stepped out before us; it was a dog.
"It's…a dog?" I asked. "Why's it here?"
"There's something taped to the side of him," Xiaoyu said, pointing. "Check and see what it is."
I walked over to the dog and peeled off the note. It was another riddle…
"This is another companion that will aid you on your journey; his name is Jack. He is a demonic dog and will be of great use. Use him wisely."
Jack ran around Xiaoyu and I; he seemed like a nice dog so far…
"He seems nice," Xiaoyu said, petting him. "Aw, he's so cute!"
"There was a riddle attached to him; who's sending these riddles? It's just not adding up…"
"Let's go see Kazuya and Jun! Maybe they'll shed some light on this whole situation."
It didn't seem like a good idea, but we don't have any other choice.
"Alright, we'll go to them when we regroup with the others. Jack, let's go."
I grabbed onto Xiaoyu's hand, almost expecting her to slap the shit outta me for making her wear a too tight panda suit. But instead, she just sighed and cuddled close to me. Uh…I like this.
"What's wrong?" I asked. She doesn't usually do this unless she was scared. "What do you see?"
"I don't see anything wrong," Xiaoyu said, getting closer. Why-why is she so close to me? "You're still trembling."
I hadn't noticed that; my body was still trembling, and she had noticed. Damn, I was that angry?
"I guess I'm still angry. Look, just ignore it; I'll be fine."
She didn't listen; she stepped out in front of me and put a hand on my chest. "Lars, stop. Why'd you snap like that?"
I held out my insignia and she took it. "Why did Anna have this? Do you know why?"
I didn't say a word; if I had said something, I think I might've went back and finished what I started.
"Okay, I'll just drop the subject. You have your insignia now, so let's just go back."
Some impulse inside of me just made me grab her and pull her in close. Goddamn, I really hated this; okay, I'm lying. I totally wanted that body, regardless of her relationship with Jin.
"L-Lars, what are you doing?" Xiaoyu said. "Let me go!"
I just couldn't; something inside of me kept nagging at me. I kept wondering if it was my devil, but I could've been wrong, which I am.
Just let her go, I said to myself. Nothing will happen. Just let her go so you can continue on with your journey.
I reluctantly let her go with a brush of my hands. "Don't question what I just did. Let's keep going."
(Asuka Kazama)
I was talking to Alisa; she was calm and collected, even though Nina's battered form barely had a heartbeat. Her smile never wavered as she returned fully to her original form.
"So, you were programmed to protect Xiao?" I asked. "Wow; Jin sure was being cautious."
"Yes, he was," Alisa said. "I was originally programmed to protect Jin, but he gave me a direct order to protect Xiaoyu."
"Do you know where he went?"
"No; he never told me. He deliberately put me in a capsule and left me in the building for Lars. I did not question his motives, and I do not have access to the Mishima Database at the moment."
I wondered for a minute; did Jin deliberately shut down her network link? I hope its temporary…
"Alisa, have you ever wondered if Jin's motives were pure?"
"I do not know why he left like he did," She said, cocking her head to the side. "But someone or something is leaving unknown riddles behind. We just have to trace its source."
"True…"
Hwoarang came back outside and hugged Alisa and I; I really hope Lee's fully clothed…
"Did Lars and Xiaoyu come back yet?"
"We're right here."
Before I could answer, Lars and Xiaoyu came out of the bushes. Something about Lars' body language and appearance just made me feel reluctant about approaching him, but I did it anyway.
"Hey, what happened?" I asked.
"He doesn't really wanna talk about it," Xiaoyu said, slowly letting go of Lars' hand. Okay, that was enough incentive to let me know that something horrible happened.
I grabbed onto his arm, almost shaking him. "Lars, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing; look, we need to…"
He looked down at a dog that seemed to be following them. Aw, it's so cute…
"What's the dog for?"
"It was part of a riddle; this dog seems to be part of our adventure."
I kneeled down and petted the dog on his head. "He's so cute! What's his name?"
"His name's Jack," Xiaoyu said. "And we're heading to Kazuya and Jun. You guys ready?"
"Of course we are."
Xiaoyu walked over to Jack and whispered something into his ear. The dog howled and transformed into a large, black wolf. Both Xiaoyu and Lars jumped on his back, along with Alisa. I looked back at Hwoarang, and he was a little skeptical.
"Do you wanna get on?" he asked me.
"I don't have any other choice…"
I jumped onto Jack's back with Hwoarang and we flew off into the night.
(Ling Xiaoyu)
All these riddles…where do we get our final answer? Nothing makes sense…
I laid my head against Jack's soft fur, which was comforting to the touch. I closed my eyes, deep in thought about where Jin could be…
(Flashback)
"Jin…Jin, wait for me!"
He stopped and turned around with a smile on his face. I guess I was moving a little too slow for him.
"Come on Xiao," He said. "Or we're gonna be late for the festival."
"Sorry; I was trying to make sure my festival dress was finished before we actually left!"
"It looks fine, Xiao. Come on."
We both walked on towards the festival down the street. Even though we were far away, the festival looked overwhelming. I couldn't wait to get down there!
(A few minutes later-the festival)
When we entered the festival, it was more overwhelming than before. People walking around, filled up with joy. Jin and I were both excited; my sparkly festival dress showed it.
"Wow, everything's so beautiful," I said. "What do you think, Jin?"
"It's nice," He said. "But not as nice as you in that festival dress."
I blushed; I didn't expect him to say something like that, but I didn't mind. I just giggled and hugged him.
"Thanks, Jin…"
(End flashback)
I opened my eyes slowly as I felt Jack land on the ground. I lifted up my head and jumped off of Jack's back.
"Okay guys; let's see if they're home."
I knocked on the door; Jun opened it with a bright smile.
"Hello," She said. "How may I help you?"
"Hello Jun," I said. "Is Kazuya there?"
"No; he went to the G Corporation to perform a search on Jin. You guys can come in if you want to."
"Of course; thank you."
We all stepped inside and she shut the door. There's more than just one question on my mind…