Hello everyone! What omg, she updated this 10 year old fic!? Yes I did! I renewed my interest in Tekken again with Tekken 8 and the anime on Netflix. No matter how old I get I'll probably never let go of my nerdy writing habit. Who knows maybe I'll be a real writer someday. Anyway for my old readers, I rewrote this fiction to be less bad and more good and true to what I actually want Jinx Xiaoyu to be. For new readers welcome and thank whoever you pray to that you didn't experience the old one. You'll be happy to know I actually wrote this whole fanfiction out so I'll actually finish this, this time around. So enjoy, leave a comment if you like and let me know what you think!
-The Bonafied One
Chapter 1: After School Special
The same decision that plagues me every day— iced tea or lemonade. For some reason, I always feel torn between the two, taking a few extra minutes during lunch to try and make up my mind, and yet I always end up making the same choice: lemonade. "Xiaoyu, come on, we're waiting for you!" Miharu calls for me from up the hallway. I quickly put in my 120 zen and purchased my drink.
"Coming!" I yelled back, quickening my pace to not keep the girls waiting any longer. I grabbed my bag of snacks from my locker and headed back into the classroom to join the rest of the group for lunch. I emptied the bag onto the table, showing my assortment of chips, cookies, and a singular fruit cup. I usually never have time to make my lunch, so I just buy a bunch of random treats from the convenience store on the way to school.
Miharu laughed a little. "What are you eating today?"
"Koikeya Chips, the ume flavor kind, these chocolate chip cookies, tangerine jelly fruit cup, and of course my signature lemonade."
"Don't you eat regular lunches? You know, cute ones like these?" Asami asked, opening her homemade lunch box in front of me. It had adorable cat-shaped onigiris, vegetables, and a little bit of fruit. Very fitting for her feminine demeanor. Asami always seemed cute and put together. Perfectly long, thick hair, sophisticated makeup, and was always on top of fashion trends, even in her school uniform. She's the type of girl that somehow managed to be everybody's crush. Akari, Asami's minion chimed in with a compliment, "Your lunches are always the best. Do you make them yourself?"
"Yup," Asami answered proudly. "Every morning right before coming to school."
"Well, between school and work, I don't always have time to make lunch in the morning." I retorted, trying to take the attention away from my lunch.
"Ah, working and school. I can't even imagine, I'd be so tired all the time," Asami started whining. "Even the thought of having to work once we graduate college just seems like too much." The Mishima Polytechnic School might be renowned for its academic reputation and also isn't too shy about attracting the more pompous students.
"We don't all have CEO parents Asami," Miharu interjected, trying to ward off any more of Asami's teasing towards me.
Miharu and I have been friends since freshman year. Easily bonding over our love for animals and anime, we were inseparable until recently. I noticed at the beginning of the year that Miharu wanted to branch out more; her interests changed. Not drastically, but enough for me to feel a little bit of distance growing between the two of us. She's become more interested in dating and beauty, not unusual for girls I suppose, but those things aren't on my top list of priorities. However those interests brought Miharu into the Asami and Akari's world and reluctantly pulled me into the fold as well.
"I wanna talk about our plans this weekend." Asami started off the conversation. "My friend from West High invited me out to her party. They rented a lounge in Shibuya, so there's going to be a lot of people there. And she said, of course there's going to be a lot of cute boys there, and she told me to bring some friends along. You guys are of course coming, right?"
"Of course," Asami answered excitedly. "This'll give me a new excuse to wear that cute top I bought two weeks ago. How about you guys?"
"I'll go, sounds like it could be fun." Miharu looked over at me, waiting for an answer.
"Maybe I can go, although I don't know what I would wear," I answered reluctantly, trying not to give away my uncertainty. I've never been good at being in large crowds or dressing up for fancy parties. All my casual clothes are pretty traditional or very sporty. I'm not really the party girl type. The room continued to fill with chatter as students returned to the room as lunch was winding down. The girls started exchanging beauty tips and this was the moment in the conversation that I needed to leave. "I'm gonna go pee."
Instead of going to the bathroom, I wandered the halls, trying to waste the last few minutes of lunch. I checked my cellphone to see if I had any messages, just from Grandpa about his doctor's appointment and to pick up some groceries on the way home from work.
"You're going to have to pull up your grades." I heard a voice from around the corner and slowed down my pace a little bit, feeling a little uncomfortable since that was the corner I wanted to turn. "Do you hear me?" the voice continued.
"Yeah, I hear you," a male student replied.
"If you don't pull your grades up, you're going to have to take remedial classes. And I don't think your grandfather will be happy about that." I could tell the student in question was the infamous Jin Kazama. He wasn't in my class but everyone in school knew who he was. He won the Kanto Regional Karate tournament last year and and there's rumors about him entering the next King of Iron Fist Tournament. I never really see him hangout with too many people, but everyone at school seems to like him. All the guys want to be him and all the girls want to be with him.
I will admit, he is good-looking. He's tall, muscular, strong jaw-line, and a light tan. But, he always had this cold air around him that kind of made it hard for people to talk to him. Almost as if he doesn't belong to this world. The teacher who was reprimanding him was my homeroom teacher Mr. Lee. He had a gaudy appearance—always in designer dress attire and always had his hair dyed silver. I wonder why Mr. Lee knows anything about Jin's grades?
My phone started ringing, interrupting their conversation and revealing my presence in turn. I quickly silenced my phone and stayed quiet, hoping that they didn't hear me. "Hello, is someone there?" Mr. Lee called out.
I reluctantly revealed myself to them both and apologized, "Sorry, I didn't know my phone was still on. I'll turn it off right now."
Mr. Lee smiled and stood up straight. " It's okay, young lady. I think it's about time for you both to head to class." Then Jin scoffed and walked past the teacher into the nearby classroom. I made a slight bow and turned to walk back away. "Oh, and young lady," Mr. Lee called for my attention again.
"Ye- yes, sir?"
"Remember, no cellphones allowed in school."
The school bell chimed signalling the end of the day, and I could feel the sense of freedom once more. At least, I felt it for a little while before I was reminded of my supposed weekend plans. "Xiaoyu, are you going to meet us on Saturday?" Miharu asked before I could rush out of the room and avoid this conversation.
"Ah, right. I'll have to let you guys know. My grandpa might need me to help out this weekend, depending on how he feels." That was a lie, but Miharu doesn't have to know that.
"You're always working, you can't sneak away. I hardly ever get to see you."
"Maybe. But I also don't think it'd be any fun for me. I'm not really good being around a lot of people. I kind of just feel like a fourth wheel sometimes…"
"C'mon, I think it'll be fun this time," Miharu kept pleading with me while pulling my arm. A party sounds like a good time. And I know you don't think so, but Asami and Akari do want to get to know you more."
"It doesn't really seem like it most of the time."
"They just don't know how to relate to you is all. We can't all be kung fu masters. But I promise they do like you. It just takes some time to get to know them. You had a great time when we went to Mishima FunLand, right?"
Miharu was right, I had a great time when we went to Mishima FunLand but that was mostly because I enjoy going to amusement parks. But I was extremely annoyed at everyone that day.
"I had fun on the rides, but Asami and Akari barely wanted to get on anything because they didn't want to mess up their hair. And Akari tried to get me to hook up with that guy with the short hair. I gave him my number reluctantly, and he kept calling me for a month until I blocked him."
Miharu stood in front of me and did a quick bow, "Please Xiaoyu, do this for me, and I promise I'll make you a bento for Monday." She clasped her hands together to give a little extra emphasis on the please.
I really don't want to go, but I hate to see her beg like this. "Okay, okay, you don't have to beg. As long as you help me pick out an outfit, I'll be there."
I said my goodbyes to the girls and rushed out the classroom to get my shoes to go home. I pull my phone out again to text my grandpa that I'm on the way home. I bump into a stern, steady body and fall back onto the ground, dropping my bag.
"Oww," I groaned, rubbing my butt from the hard landing. I open my eyes and see the stern-faced Jin standing above me. There was a moment that felt like a dark energy was surrounding him, but it quickly dissipated as he bent down to lend me a hand.
"Are you okay?" He asked, trying to show a little bit of concern. He caught my attention in his deep dark eyes. I've never seen eyes as dark as his before; they were pure black. No hints of brown anywhere in there. Jin had the type of eyes that made you feel lost the longer you looked into them.
"I'm fine," I shortly replied, trying to regain my balance. "I was looking at my phone and didn't see where I was going." He leaned down again to pick my loose papers and bag off the floor. "That's the second time your phone's gotten you in trouble today," Jin stated.
"Um, excuse me?"
"That was you also in the hallway today right? Cause of your phone?"
"Oh right, heh. Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."
"It's okay, I appreciate it actually," Jin stated while handing my bag to me. "I wasn't really in the mood for a lecture." He handed my bag to me, and for some reason I felt a bit shy taking it from him.
"Ah, thank you…ah sor–"before I could finish my apology a tall red-haired guy called out to Jin. "Yo! Are you ready? They're waiting for us."
Jin gave him a slight nod then turned his attention back to me, "it's okay, try to stay off your phone. At least while you're walking, okay?"
"Sure," I agreed in embarrassment and watched as the two boys walked off towards the school gate.
My usual train commute home takes me about 30 minutes: a 15-minute train ride plus another 15 minutes of walking. I live in a small townhouse in north Sugamo, big enough for my grandpa, myself, and my panda bear pet. "Grandpa, I'm home!" I called, leaving my shoes at the door and tossing my bag on the ground. My parents died when I was very young in a hit-and-run car accident in Beijing. There wasn't much information about the person who caused the accident, but I was told my parents died on impact. Since then, I've been living with my grandpa, who runs a traditional Chinese herbal medicine store in Tokyo.
"Welcome home Xiaoyu," Grandpa called from his room. He laid on a futon on the floor as his favorite movie was playing in the dimly lit room. I brought him a new pot of tea and laid the tray on the floor beside his futon. "Did the doctor give you any good news?"
"He said it was just cold. With some rest, I should be on my feet by Monday."It's difficult seeing Grandpa suffer, even if it's just from a cold. Although he looks small and feeble, he could take out an entire army if he needed to. "Well, get some rest, okay. I don't want you overexerting yourself. Is Li still at the store? I can help look after the store this weekend too."
"No, I sent him home and closed the store for the weekend. I know you're both capable, but you know everything, and I don't want you guys to ill-advise the customers. You should have some fun this weekend. Maybe go out with your friends or take Panda out for a while. I'm sure a young girl like you has a lot to do."
"I did get invited to go out this weekend with some girls from school, but I'd rather stay and help you."
"Nonsense, a young lady should enjoy her life. Go have fun, date boys, your grandpa can take care of himself, I promise. I know your parents aren't here but they wanted you to have a good life. Your mom and dad weren't able to go to college, but they'd want you to. Have a different life, become someone. When you got into that fancy high school, I was so proud, and I know you're going to go on and do something amazing."
"Thanks, Grandpa, and I know. It's just a little hard to make friends sometimes or think about going to school. People just don't understand."
"I know, but you'll find the people who do someday." Grandpa touched my face lovingly before laying back down in his futon. "Did you bring back the crackers and tea I asked for? It's almost time for my medicine."
"No, I forgot. I can go out in a bit and pick them up for you."
"That'll be 2500 zen." The store clerk checked me out and gave me my change. I opened up the melon cream bread I had just purchased to enjoy on the walk home. I walked past a dark alley and saw some guys talking to each other.
"Looks like trouble," I said under my breath. I took cover in the corner and peeked out to try and get a better look. There were two big guys in black sportswear standing on either side of another guy– Jin from school. "I don't think anyone will bother us," one of the guys started talking.
"No one will be able to hear you scream," the second guy chimed in while drawing a switchblade. My heart sank a little as I prayed that everyone would stop and just go home. The first thug pushed the student up against the wall, and my body instinctively leaped into action. I did a running jump and kicked the thug with the switchblade in his back, knocking him to the ground.
"You, what are you doing?" Jin asked, surprised by my sudden appearance.
"Keeping you from getting killed," I answered back swiftly.
"Who the hell is she?" I ducked out of the way as the second thug threw a punch at my head and swiped his leg. The first thug grabbed me from behind while the other one recovered and pulled another knife on me.
"Hold her still." The thug was soon knocked unconscious by Jin. He tossed the guy to the side and stood in front of us, smirking.
"Let her go, and I won't hurt you." The thug tossed me to the side and charged at Jin, but he was punched so hard in the gut that he fell over from pain. I looked up at him from the ground to see Jin standing over me. He grabbed my wrist, pulled me off the ground, and ran out of the alleyway. We stopped at the park a few blocks down to catch our breath.
"Are you crazy? You could've gotten yourself killed," the Jin yelled at me.
"Me! You're the one fighting weirdos in a dark alley."I tried speaking through my huffed breaths. "I saw someone who needed help, so I came to help. You're welcome by the way." I was still hunched over my knees, trying to catch my breath. "Shit I dropped my bag…"
I heard a bag shuffle in front of me. I looked up, and Jin handed over my bag of groceries. "Thanks," I straightened myself up and took the bag out of his hand.
He walked past me without saying anything. "Hey, where are you going?" I shouted after him.
"Don't follow me." He shouted back while turning a corner.
He could've at least said thank you.