Chapter 6: Keeping it Real
Six days of intense training had passed. Saturday evening Jun declared the following:
"As God rested on the seventh day, so shall we! Tomorrow we take the day off!".
"Ooh, thank god!" Miharu said.
"Hey, I've got an idea," Xiaoyu exploded.
"Why don't we have a slumber party. Girls only of course,"
"Hm, I don't know about that," Asuka said reluctantly.
"Come on, Kazama!" Miharu encouraged, "It'll be fun."
"Hm, okay then," Asuka said slightly less reluctant.
"But if any of you try to grab my butt, I'm kicking you back to where you came from," she threatened.
"I'm sure you've got nothing to worry about," Xiaoyu assured.
Orange, purple, pink and blue where the respective colors of Xiaoyu's, Miharu's, Alisa's and Asuka's pajamas.
Together with Panda they were all seated on the ground beside the bed.
"Haaa, I'm so beat!" Miharu complained.
"Your aunt Jun is a real pain in the butt, you know that?"
"I'm sure she only wants us to get better," Asuka replied.
"Asuka, as the newest friend to our group. We girls are obligated to ask you some questions," Xiaoyu said.
"Yeah, like are there any boys you like in Mishima Polytech?" Miharu inquired.
"Hey, none of your business!" Asuka yelled.
"Nu-uh" Xiaoyu said, "it's the rules."
Asuka's mild frown quickly turned into a smile as she said:
"Well, I've been getting signals from Kenji..." Asuka admitted.
"The boy with the brown hair?" Miharu asked.
"Hey, I've been getting signals from him!" Miharu said.
"I'm sure you get signals from every boy in school," Xiaoyu reassured.
"Yeah, I'm sure you've even gotten signals from the boys here," Asuka teased.
"Eew, you mean men... they are all way too old!" Miharu said.
"All of them?" Asuka asked.
"Well... Hwoarang is... hey, you're not trying to steal Kenji away, are you?"
"Nope," Asuka replied. "Just wanna know what think you about the Korean boy."
"Well, he's ginger!" Miharu yelled.
"Yeah, but?" Asuka continued.
"Oh, okay, he is kinda hot."
"I know, right?"
"Yeah, so hot," Xiaoyu added.
"Uhu," Asuka nodded.
"Yeah, definitely... but that doesn't mean I'm into him!" Miharu blushed.
"Ha, now who's lying?" Asuka remarked.
"Hey!" Miharu said as she smacked a pillow in Asuka's face.
A giggling pillow fight between the four girls ensued.
All laying down on the king sized bed Miharu turned to Asuka:
"What do you think about the Korean boy?" she asked her.
"Well... I admire his passion. It feels familiar somehow," Asuka replied.
"Yeah, you two seem to have some similar traits," Xiaoyu remarked.
Miharu's mouth contorted into a vague, but visible condescending smile.
"That's it!" Xiaoyu yelled. "Oo, this is too exciting," she said with enthusiasm.
"You two will have to have a race to see who can win Hwoarang's heart first!" Xiaoyu proclaimed.
"May the best girl win," Miharu smiled the same with an added piercing gaze towards Asuka.
Asuka turned her head down and smiled seemingly worried.
The grown-ups where all seated on the living room's sofa enjoying glasses of warm sake.
Lars and Angel were seated side by side holding hands.
"I'm not so sure leaving the faith of the world in the hands of an eighteen-year-old girl is the best course of action, Jun," Raven remarked whilst sipping from his cup.
"She is wise beyond her years," Jun rebutted.
"Besides it's not only up to her. It's up to all of us.
I'm sure that if Jin has to face off with all of us, the emotional wall he built for himself will begin to crumble.
I'm sure that he'll be surprised to learn that I'm still alive. I wonder how his reaction will be if he sees me.
If he has even an ounce of humanity left he'll probably collapse out of sheer shame. After all who could face their mother after doing what he has done.
I understand, though. But he's also partially to blame for giving in to this weakness he perceives as strength. Time to give that boy a good spanking."
"If we fail, it could potentially cost all our lives," Yoshimitsu pondered.
"Better than doing nothing," Jun answered.
"Still all of these inexperienced girls though?" Lei asked.
"You certainly had your hands full with a couple of them earlier," Jun said.
"Look, everyone... I understand your concerns. But I truly believe this is for the best.
This is why I'm being so strict. I can't allow myself a single slip-up.
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. I will not move before I am certain the time is right.
"Is that why you aren't drinking?" Raven inquired.
"I feel I have let loose enough today.
Maybe once this is all over I will allow myself a small beverage."
"Lady Jun... if I may. Say we succeed in retrieving your son. What are your plans afterwards?"
"Once we've saved Jin it will once more affirm my strong conviction that it is never too late for someone. I shall then focus my attention on Kazuya.
I want my man back as well," Jun declared.
"What are all your plans, when this is done?" Jun asked the group.
"You know I'll always be with you, milady," Zafina answered.
"Long vacation on the beach," Lei blurted out.
"A vacation does seem nice, even though I don't have much use for sunlight," Yoshimitsu said.
"You know, I've always wanted to see Paris," he added.
"Aren't you like centuries old, man? You've still yet to see Paris?
What have you been doing all that time?" Lei asked.
Yoshimitsu scraped his throat and said: "A gentleman ninja never reveals any personal information.
And to answer your other question; I've been busy sabotaging the corrupt and helping the poor and needy. What have you been doing?"
"Busting various drug- and crime lords," Lei boasted.
"What will you be doing, agent Urtica?" Jun asked Lars.
Lars pulled his puppy-eyed gaze away from Angel's face.
"After all this is over I will confront Heihachi," he said determined.
"Revenge?" Jun queried.
Lars looked away for a moment and sighed; "I know you don't approve, Jun."
"No way, I support you to the fullest, that old bastard needs to be stopped.
I'll never forgive him for almost killing Jin after the third tournament."
"Lady Jun?" Zafina asked worried.
"Revenge and justice aren't always necessarily, mutually exclusive.
Still if we could somehow make him see the error of his ways I guess that would be the better option," Jun explained.
"Hey, what are you all talking about?" Hwoarang asked entering the living room.
"Agent Ginger! You've been in your room for hours. Where have you been?" Jun asked.
"Uhm... taking care of business... I mean resting, of course!" Hwoarang said as he blushed.
"Yes, this week has been very hard!" he said whilst nervously sitting down.
Lars got up to go to the bathroom and Raven soon followed after him.
As Lars opened the door to exit the upstairs bathroom he encountered a waiting Raven.
The ninja leaned against the wall, eyes set to the floor and arms crossed.
As Lars passed him the ninja asked: "Hey homie, watchu playin' at?"
"Pardon?" Lars asked.
"Don't play dumb. I's axin' bout you and miss Moonflower over there."
"Well... isn't it obvious?" Lars asked rhetorically.
"Well, it's certainly obvious she's not your shorty."
"Really?"
"Yeah, you do know one of these days she'll be gone, right?
She'll be off fighting some super-unstoppable force of evil.
Or maybe once her mission on this plane ends, her existence in this dimension will end.
And where she goes then, you can't follow."
"That won't happen. I'll follow her wherever she goes," Lars said calmly.
"Man, are you really telling me your in love with this girl? Come on, dog. Obviously you's bein' played. I mean, she can't even speak."
"She doesn't have to speak. Makes things a lot simpler, to be honest.
You know, for once in my life I'm somewhat content. Can't you grant me that?"
"Fine... but don't come crying afterwards," Raven said as he went inside the bathroom.
"By the way, how far have you gotten?" Raven asked.
"Well, I guess you can imagine what sex with angels might feel like," Lars replied.
"Heh-heh," Raven laughed understated, but with a big smile nonetheless as he closed the door.
"Yeah... just heavenly," he whispered to himself as he started peeing.
"We were just discussing our plans once we've retrieved Jin," Jun told Hwoarang.
"Man, I want to bike with Jin again!" Hwoarang said unwittingly.
"Hey, you be careful now, young man. I don't want to bring my son back only to have him brake in half because of some stupid accident," Jun lectured.
"We'll be careful, ma'am," Hwoarang said calmly.
"I find that hard to believe," Jun said stern.
Hwoarang smiled sheepishly.
"Hmm, maybe I should have a talk with your teacher once this is all over?
If I can't help you clean up your act, maybe he can," Jun said.
"Master Beak?" Hwoarang swallowed.
"No, I don't think that will be necessary. We'll be good. I promise."
"We'll just have to see about that," she said.
"Hey, why don't you join the police force?" Lei suggested.
"What? Me, a cop? No way, man. I'm a rebel to the very end," Hwoarang said as he caught a fell glare from Jun.
"Or you know, I might think about it," Hwoarang laughed nervously.
"Your knowledge as a former street gang leader might come in handy if you want to bust some real baddies," Lei said.
"If you don't like that you could also join the Manji Clan if you want to," Yoshimitsu invited.
"What? This loudmouth, a stealth ninja?" Zafina remarked.
"You will have to undergo some stealth and weapons training first," Yoshimitsu added.
"Hm, see that's more my style!" Hwoarang said confidently.
"Don't worry about the weapons though. I've gotten plenty of armed training back when I was in the military."
"Lady Jun?" Xiaoyu asked as she entered the room holding a panda teddy bear in her one hand.
"What is it? Xiaoyu, honey?" Jun asked concerned.
"I've been thinking... It's just..."
"Yes?" Jun nudged.
"It's just impossible! Even if we get Jin back..." A tear formed in her eye and rolled down her cheek.
"Even if we get him back it won't be the same! We won't be the same people as we were before...
We might understand that he did all those bad things because it was necessary and he had little-to-no choice, but the world won't!
They'll see him as an other evil dictator, the one who's to blame! They'll all want a piece of him.
I can just imagine it. That devil, that destroyer of loving families, the bringer of death and misery.
We'll never be safe as long as we're with him. Even if we fight it will never be enough and it won't be right either!
I mean what's the point? What are we... ?" Xiaoyu sobbed increasingly hysteric.
"Shush, shush," Jun's whisper interrupted softly as she embraced Xiaoyu.
Hugging Jun felt as if Xiaoyu had fallen into the softest bed known to man.
It felt like a solid cloud, in which one could sink deeper without end.
It felt like floating without weight. Like a feather caught in a continuous upward gust.
It felt like a gift that kept on giving, never withholding, always comforting.
In this moment Jun was like a goddess of mercy and the blissful boon that engulfed Xiaoyu's physical body instantly alleviated her worries, though they were still there.
"Wise beyond her years, but not quite grown-up" a telepathic message sounded in Raven's head.
Xiaoyu calmed down.
"Why couldn't the time machine have worked? Why did it have to end up this way?" Xiaoyu sobbed over Jun's shoulder.
"Once we have Jin back," Jun said looking Xiaoyu in the eyes, "we'll just have to disappear."
"Disappear? I don't want to leave everything behind..." Xiaoyu said.
"Oh, honey," Jun said as she kissed Xiaoyu's forehead. "You knew this wouldn't be easy..."
"But I'll have to leave all my friends, family and dreams behind!"
"Listen to me, Xiaoyu," Jun assured as she wiped the tears of Xiaoyu's face.
"Nothing in this universe is permanent. We'll have to lay low for a while, but that will also change.
Who knows? With the right circumstances everything might fall back in its place."
"We can't restore the lives Jin's war has cost," Xiaoyu muttered.
"That's true. But we can do our best to end the current suffering...
I'm sorry, Xiaoyu. You'll just have to... learn to cope."
"I'm scared," Xiaoyu confessed.
"Don't be... You have a bright future ahead of you."
Xiaoyu remained silent for a moment. A sudden faint smile surfaced upon her face.
"Thank you, Lady Jun," she said and walked back to her room.
"Are you okay?" a concerned Miharu asked.
She had been following the exchange after Xiaoyu had rushed out of the chamber.
"I'm okay..." she said softly
Asuka, Alisa and Panda gazed concerned at Xiaoyu.
"Your aunt should really start a free-hugs campaign," Xiaoyu told Asuka.
"I know, right?" Asuka smiled softly.
Xiaoyu leaned over to embrace Miharu.
She turned towards Alisa and said: "I'm sorry, Alisa. This must all be very confusing for you."
Alisa nodded politely: "Everyday I'm learning more on what it's like to be human... it's interesting."
Xiaoyu laughed and leaned over to hug Alisa who smiled and awkwardly reciprocated.
She looked at Panda over Alisa's shoulder.
"Aaw, okay! You, too!" Xiaoyu sang as she went on to hug the bear.
"Hey Zafina," Raven said.
"Whatchu say you and me bust some crooks together after all this is done?"
"Ugh, unbelievable," Zafina sighed annoyed.
"What's a matter, girl?" Raven asked with a higher tone.
"Could you have picked a worse time to ask me this?" Zafina spat as she went to her room.