Fan Fiction ❯ Fighter's Crusade: Project Epsilon ❯ Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

The days seemed to last forever. There was a general routine that they followed, during those days before the tournament. Hitomi would wake up, cook them breakfast and go wake Lee. After eating her breakfast, which was always delicious although Lee failed to acknowledge the fact, she would take a quick shower. If she took too long Hitomi knew Lee would grow impatient and she didn't want to upset him. It wasn't a big deal though, Lee showered at night, so there wasn't a line to bathe. After her shower, Hitomi searched for something to wear. It was never hard for her to pick out something; she was comfortable in just about everything and looked equally attractive in as well. They walked over to Genzo's grocery, Hitomi clinging to Lee's arm for the majority of the walk. He didn't mind, Lee knew that protecting her was his one priority.

Lee sat on his couch, dressed in his usual casual apparel. A dark red, button up, silk, shirt sat untucked over a pair of black slacks. A pair of black, thick soled, shoes completed his "lazy business man" attire. "Are you ready yet?" he called into his room where the girl had gone to change. There was no answer. He was losing his patience and was ready to burst through the door to check on her, but he knew better. He had more respect for her and himself that to go spy on little girls while they were changing clothes. Besides she would probably knock him flat if he tried anything.

Hitomi came out of his room and presented herself to him, and indication that she was ready. Lee stood to leave but stopped. Something caught his eye. He looked at Hitomi. The dark, stone washed, jeans she wore were matched by an accompanying jean jacket. His eyes trailed toward the floor.

"Those are hella boots," he said.

"What, these?" she asked, turning her foot to display the entire boot.

The brown, semi-work boots bore a circular, brass, buckle on the ankles.

"My father got these for me for my birthday last year."

"I hope you're going to take those off, I don't want to take a hit by them."

"I'll take them off."

x x x x

"Genzo, it's me. Open up."

"I'm coming, I'm coming. I'm too old to have you hassle me, Lee."

The vault door squeaked open.

"C'mon in and make yourselves at home," he invited.

Hitomi followed Lee inside. Taking a seat on the couch she placed her hands in her lap. Lee took a seat next to her; Genzo in his chair.

"I have a favor to ask," Lee said.

"What do you need Lee?" Genzo asked, "I'd be glad to help you out."

"I need some money."

"Money? Money for what?"

"I want to enter a fighting tournament."

"Another one?" Genzo sounded a little surprised, "at the last one you got whooped. And it was a pain having the boys look over your hospital room."

"I know, but I don't plan on losing."

"You didn't plan on losing last time."

"That last tournament was a world tournament, this is just a local muscle match in San Diego."

"Are you going to put Hitomi in it to?"

"Yes."

The old man stopped to think. He took his smoking pipe off the coffee table and placed it in his mouth; but didn't light it.

"Lee, I don't want her fighting," he said, emphasizing his point by using a serious tone of voice.

"I think she could defend herself just fine, haven't you been watching us the past few days?" Lee asked.

"Yes, but I saw her favoring that shoulder."

Hitomi stopped. Maybe she had, without realizing it relied more on her left arm the past few days.

"And I don't think it's hindered her ability to fight at all," Lee argued.

Genzo lit the pipe with a single match from his shirt pocket. Taking a few puffs from it he took the pipe in his hand and exhaled. The exiting of the smoke relaxed him.

"Lemme see your shoulder Hitomi-chan."

She obediently took off the jacket and laid it next to her on the couch. Taking hold of the t-shirt sleeve she pulled it up enough to reveal her shoulder.

"Take the bandage off."

Hitomi unraveled the gauze and placed it on top her jacket.

"It looks bad from here," he told Lee.

"Nah, look at it closer. It's not that bad."

"C'mere," Genzo beckoned.

Hitomi went over to him and kneeled next to his chair. Taking her shoulder he held it gently. The wound had scabbed up. It seemed out of place, marring her smooth, tanned skin. With the care of a doctor he rubbed his thumb across the scab, looking for telltale signs unknown to her.

"It doesn't look that bad," he said.

"Well she fazed out when it happened," Lee told him.

"Huh?"

"Yeah it was really weird. She blanked out and her eyes glazed over like she was in some sort of trance."

"From her shoulder being hurt?"

Lee shrugged, "I think it was grazed by a bullet."

"What!?"

Genzo let go of the little girl's shoulder in surprise.

"What are you talking about, Lee?" he asked.

"When we were coming home from visiting you last week, Shorty ran off by herself."

Hitomi sat on the floor. Putting her hands in her lap she lowered her head. She was ashamed that Lee was talking about her disobedience; it was not something she was proud of. Lee explained the story:

"We were coming home last week and Shorty ran off by herself. When I finally caught up with her she elbowed me in the face and was being chased. They saw me and stopped, but must have recognized me from somewhere. They drew and I took them down, but one of them dropped a gun and it hit the ground and misfired."

"Cheap ass Glocks," he mumbled, "made outta nothing but plastic."

The grocery owner was not surprised by his story. It was all too familiar to him.

"Well, I don't think it'll leave a scar," Genzo informed her, reassuring Hitomi by placing his hand on her shoulder.

"A - arigato Genzo-san."

He adjusted the pipe in his mouth. Lee looked at him and Genzo knew he wanted something. It was one of those looks, the kind that operated on the sub-conscious level of communication.

"I'll let her go," Genzo said, "it doesn't look too bad."

He pulled out a wallet from his back pocket and flipped it open.

"How much do you need Lee?"

"Humm, entrance is a hundred-fifty, bus fare, hotel," he trailed off calculating expenses, "probably around a grand."

It was a sum that Genzo was clearly not anticipating, but he seemed ready to assist anyway. Removing a plastic card from his wallet he motioned for Lee. Standing up and putting his wallet away he took him aside. "Lee," he said in a soft tone putting his arm around the bouncer's thick neck, "I love you like a son and I'll do anything for you." He handed Lee the credit card.

"But don't disappoint me."

"Thanks," Lee said stuffing the card in his pocket.

Lee turned to leave. "Lets go short stuff." Hitomi got up from the floor and joined Lee by the door. "Arigato Genzo-san," she said bowing to him. He waved his hand signifying it was not a problem.

x x x x

Shutting his apartment door Lee walked over to his phone in the kitchen. Picking up the receiver he looked at Hitomi who had taken a seat on the couch. "Go pack," he told her, "there's a suitcase under my bed." She got up and disappeared into Lee's room. Once she had gone out of view he dialed a phone number.

Hitomi pulled a leather suitcase out from under Lee's bed. "Wow," she thought, "this is a nice suitcase, although it's kinda small." Unzipping the suitcase she shuffled around her clothes that had taken over Lee's dresser. Picking a selection of shirts, pants and underclothing she stuffed them into the case. Lee joined her and searched through his closet, yielding a backpack. Taking out his clothes he carefully placed them inside the pack. "Be sure to pack your toothbrush," he told her. Hitomi left the room while Lee continued to pack the items he needed. Hitomi came back and tapped him on the shoulder. "Here," she said, holding out a reusable plastic bag. As he took it he saw she hold a second one that already enclosed her toothbrush. She threw it into the suitcase. Lee went to go find his toothbrush so he could do the same. Hitomi sat down on his bed. It was a little stiff for her liking, probably too stiff to be comfortable for anyone. Her curiosity started to surface again. Lee's room was the first room of the opposite sex she had been in, besides her father's but he really didn't count because he shared it with her mother. She was an only child, not having any brothers to give her a window into that other realm where the members of the other gender dwelled. Taking a look into his closet she wondered if the clothes he wore would give away what kind of person he really was. But all his clothes seemed the same. Lots of dark silk shirts, black slacks and jeans, it was very bland to her. Something caught her eye. In the far corner of the closet hung something different. Retrieving the hanger she held it out in front of her to examine it. A black jacket shone of silk, but it was different from the other garments. This one was lined with white silk on the edges and sown together with white thread. The front did not have buttons or a zipper to keep it closed, but instead large fabric loops on the right side that clasped onto cylindrical wooden plugs on the other side. Hitomi turned the jacket around to examine both sides. Embroidered across the entire back of the jacket a colorful Chinese dragon showed its teeth in defiance. She gently the stroked dragon with her hand. It was soft, nothing like it's angry appearance.

"Kirei," softy escaped from her, unaware of the word.

"Huh?"

Startled, Hitomi turned around. Lee was standing behind her.

"You like that?" he asked.

"Yes, it's very pretty."

"It is," he agreed.

Slowly taking the hanger from her Lee removed the jacket. He seemed to be studying the dragon, as if he was communicating with it. "Kim gave me this for my birthday," he said to himself, longingly looking at the dragon. Carefully folding the jacket he placed it inside the backpack. Reaching into closet he pulled out a pair of pants. They also shined of black silk, but seemed heavy and thick. It too had a dragon embroidered on it. Towards the foot it was wrapped in around the leg in anger, a snarl on its face while flames flickered in the background. Folding them Lee placed the pants on top of the jacket in the backpack. Putting his toothbrush inside he zipped the pack shut.

"Are you ready to go," he asked.

"Yes."

"Is there anything else you need?"

Hitomi stopped to think.

"No, I don't think so."

Lee picked up the suitcase and his backpack and carried them out of the room. Hitomi followed. Setting them by the front door he took a seat on the couch. A second body plopped into the seat next to him. As he stared at the ceiling in though she asked him a question.

"Lee, who's Kim?"

"Huh?"

"Kim, the person you and Genzo-san were arguing about," she reminded him.

"Why?"

"Because I want to know. I want to know why you two were yelling about her."

Lee wanted to answer her question. He knew it would be good for him to at least get it off his chest; besides she would probably just keep bugging him about it.

"A friend."

"Just a friend?"

He paused for a moment to rethink his answer.

"Yes."

"What happened to her?" Hitomi inquired.

Lee did not answer.

"I'm sorry," she said, "if you don't want to talk about it, it's okay."

"No. If you want to know, I should tell you."

He shifted uneasily on the couch.

"Back two years ago, me and the boys were out on a job. I was eighteen, thinking I was invincible. Anyway, we were supposed to go bust up one of Red's deals in south LA. We had gotten a tip off that it was a big one and we wanted to kinda throw a wrench in their plans. We were watching them pull the transfer at one in the morning. Just watching. Then, Kim just casually walked into the whole thing like she didn't see it going on. At first it looked like she was with them, but you could tell she wasn't part of it. They all pulled on her and were ready to shoot her up."

Lee sat up and rubbed his eyes, as if rubbing out the memories to tell.

"I hate to see any woman shot full of holes," he continued, "especially not an innocent little girl like Kim. She had no idea what was going on. I had to stop them, there was no way I was going to let them kill her."

A slight smirk formed on his face.

"We hit them from every direction. They were so confused they didn't have a chance. And they didn't get back up. Turns out that she was wondering around `cause she just lost her apartment."

"How sad," Hitomi contributed, "didn't she have anyone else to go to."

"I asked her, she said that her family had disowned her; something about a fight over money after her parents died in an accident."

"That is very sad," Hitomi added.

Lee shrugged, "Sometimes you get dealt crappy cards. I talked to Genzo and arranged to have her stay with us."

"How old was she?"

"Eighteen, same age as me at the time. She was always happy it seemed, always smiling. She was very popular with the boys, they all had a thing for her. But it was like she had walked in on their deal just to stay with me."

It was a side of Lee that Hitomi had never seen before. The iron-skinned, forever serious, bouncer had a soft spot of some sort and the Kim he talked about had found it. He continued with the story,

"She was always with me. Always, except with I was out on jobs. She was always waiting for me when I got back. Kim knew how we worked, and we trusted her. But she was always there when I came home."

Hitomi looked at him. The grin of happiness on his face left him, leaving an emotionless one behind.

"Until," he paused, "until they started looking for her."

"Huh?"

"Some of them survived our ambush, they must have thought she was the reason for the our little surprise. They wanted to find her. Kill her. Kim always liked to walk, walk everywhere. They tried to get her when she went places. It was a good thing I was with her or they might have gotten her too. But I wasn't able to protect her forever. One night I came back from a job and she was gone. The grocery was trashed, the hinges off the vault door had been melted off. They must have found her."

Lee stopped, deep in memories.

"And two years later, I still haven't found her."

Hitomi placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

"She's probably dead," he said.

"Don't say that," Hitomi whispered, "she's out there, waiting. Waiting for you to find her again."

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation, followed by a call from outside.

"Yo Lee, are you home?"

"Yeah, c'mon in."

The door opened. Roger walked inside shutting the door behind him. He saw Hitomi and Lee on the couch.

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything."

"No, you didn't interrupt," Lee told him.

"Good. Are you ready to go?"

Lee looked at Hitomi for confirmation. She nodded her head in agreement.

"Let's go then," he said standing from the couch.

x x x x

It was a five-hour drive to San Diego. It was an experience for Hitomi, living in Germany and Japan there wasn't many five hour-long car trips. The German public transportation system was very efficient, as Japan's. Her gamily owned only one vehicle, which was hardly used. Japan's public transportation system was like perfect clockwork, and intricate network of bullet trains and subways.

Roger's car pulled into a gas station. "I gotta fill up before we get on the highway," he said, "you got a few minutes to do whatever you want." "Do you want anything?" Lee asked turning around in the front passenger seat, to Hitomi in the back. She didn't reply. "C'mon," he said getting out of the car, "maybe you'll see something you want." He got out and she followed him into the gas station. Lee wandered over towards the cooled refrigerators.

"You want something to drink?"

"Okay."

She opened the glass door and pulled out a bottled drink. Lee took it from her.

"Chocolate milk?"

"Uh huh."

"Do you want anything else?"

She promptly handed him a candy bar.

"More chocolate huh?"

Hitomi gave him a girlish smile.

"Well, if that's what you want," he paused, "but I don't see how you don't get fat eating all this chocolate."

"I'm German. I'm immune to all the side-effects of chocolate," she smiled.

Taking a drink for himself Lee closed the refrigerator. On his way to the cashier, with the little girl following him, he snatched a pack of chewing gum off the shelf and added it to his haul. As the cashier rang up his total he looked out at Roger who was putting the gas pump away. "Add the gas on whatever pump that big blue car is on too," Lee told the cashier. The total seemed a bit steep, especially for Hitomi who was not yet used to the United States monetary system and dollar values. Lee handed the cashier the plastic card. He took it and a moment later handed it back to Lee along with a receipt. Lee took the card, signed the receipt and gave it back to the cashier. Taking his goods he stopped Roger on his was into the gas station. "I got your gas covered," Lee told him, "I want to get there as soon as possible." Roger, stunned, stood for a second to let the information sink in. "Uhhh, okay."

Three hours into the trip Hitomi stared aimlessly out the window. Endless groves of citrus trees in both directions. The same scenery that had past for the last hour. Now she had grown tired of it; she had just grown tired all together. The warm sun through the window and the large, soft, cloth seats didn't help either. Shifting her body so that she was in a comfortable position in the corner of the backseat, she shut her eyes. Just to rest them.

Lee popped a piece of gum into his mouth.

"I appreciate you coming with us, Rod."

"Hey, no problem. I needed a vacation and I want to see this tournament thing. I thought that stuff you do was only in kung-fu movies."

"Heh, nope. Strangely enough a friend of mine taught me Jeet-Kun Do. He was a big fanatic, told me that I needed to learn discipline. So he started teaching me when I was little. I guess I just never stopped practicing."

Roger took a drink from the open soda bottle in the center console.

"I've used it to defend myself for as long as I can remember," Lee added.

"Well, you sure are one scary mutha when you're watching the door."

Lee shifted position in the seat.

"Hey shorty, you alright back there?"

He received no reply.

"Hey are-," Lee stopped as Roger held up his hand.

Confused Lee turned around, looking into the back seat where he'd last known Hitomi to be. She lay sound asleep against the door.

x x x x

The eighty-eight came to a stop in a parking lot. Hitomi stirred from her sleep, the change in momentum had woken her. "C'mon," Lee said as he got out of the car. She stumbled to follow him around to the trunk. Lee handed her the suitcase. Dragging the suitcase behind her she followed Lee and Roger into the hotel. They stopped at a counter. Hitomi caught up to them and sat the suitcase down. A man behind the counter greeted them.

"Hi, I'm Roger Jobes, we have a room reserved."

The registration clerk typed something on the computer next to him.

"I'll be right back Mr. Jobes," he said the disappeared into a hallway behind the desk.

Roger let out a whistle.

"Would you look at this place," he said in amazement, slowly turning around in a circle.

Hitomi hadn't noticed it until now, the grandeur of the hotel she had blindly followed the two into. The white, marble floors shone of a mirror finish. The steady, relaxing trickle of an indoor fountain was another indicator of the financial status of the hotel. Several expensive chandeliers hung suspended from the high ceiling. Everything in the hotel must be expensive, including the rooms. It dawned on Hitomi that it must cost an ungodly amount of money to rent a room. She looked around for a sign. Hotel Intercontinental, San Diego. There was no doubt of the prestige of the hotel.

"Here you are sir, please enjoy your stay."

x x x x

Hitomi stopped as Roger and Lee stopped in front of her. The bar tender fumbled in his pocket and took out the card he had been given. He slid the card through a slot on the door in front of him. A small light next to the slot turned green and Roger opened the door and entered. The other two followed him inside. The room was elegant, which was to be expected. To Hitomi's right was the bathroom; to her left was a countertop. A mini-fridge was recessed into it, while a coffee maker sat on top of it, prepared to be used. The room itself was small, but it did have a bathroom with a shower. The girl pulled her stuff with her.

"Uhh Lee?"

"Humm?"

"Why is there only two beds?"

"It's not my money," he explained, "I can't just go and spend it all."

"Oh."

"We'll figure it out later."

Roger stepped between them.

"You guys wanna get something to eat?"

"I want to go sign up for the tournament." Lee said.

Roger took a look at a clock radio that rested next to one of the beds.

"It's almost six," he informed, "are they still gonna be there?"

"I'm sure."

Hitomi poked Roger in the shoulder.

"Rod, I'm hungry."

"We'll stop somewhere on the way."

x x x x

After piling back into the car and driving for what seemed like forever Hitomi found herself holding a fast food burger, but not quite sure with what to do with it.

"What's the matter?" the bar tender asked, seeing her confusion in the rear view mirror.

"N-Nothing, I've just never had one of these."

"What? You've never had a hamburger?"

"No, I've had one before, just, not like this."

What? It's still a burger. It still tastes good," he encouraged.

She cautiously sandwich the burger and took a bite.

"See, it's not that bad is it?"

Hitomi shook her head.

"It tastes a little funny, but it's good."

From the front seat Lee handed her a cup with a lid and straw.

"What's this?" she asked.

"A shake."

"Eh?"

"Just try it," he encouraged, "it's chocolate."

She sucked on the straw.

"It's not working," Hitomi told him.

"Try harder."

She tried again. A cool, thick, liquid filled her mouth. No doubt it was the sweet taste of chocolate.

"This is good!" she exclaimed.

Lee reached to take his drink back from the girl he had given it to. She saw his hand and held it protectively close to her. "Fine," he said, a little disappointed she had claimed his shake, "you can have it." He turned around to finish eating; Hitomi went back to the shake. As the shake neared a low level the car pulled to a stop. If front of them stood a gigantic building. An arena, convention hall, something of the sort. The bouncer got out, the other two followed him. "Do you know where to go?" Roger asked Lee as they walked towards the building. Taking the shake back from Hitomi Lee took a drink from it. The straw sputtered as it ran critically low on liquid to elevate. Roger laughed at him.

"Did she drink all of your shake?"

"Yeah."

"Well, you did tell her she could have it."

Lee let out a small sigh.

"I know."

When they had finally reached the building Roger looked around. "Uhh, do you know where to go?" "That way," Hitomi pointed, as indicated by the direction of another sign. She started off following the sign, the other two quickly catching up to her. They went with her through a door that had been propped open, the same sign with the directional arrow taped to it.

The inside was busy with people. Hitomi saw a sign labeled `registration' and began a trek in that direction.

"Do you know where you're going?" Lee asked her.

"I'm following the signs," he replied.

As she turned the corner the bouncer casually tossed the empty shake cup into a trashcan.

"You're following them," he said, "but you still don't know where you're going."

"How do you know?"

"Because it's right here."

Hitomi stopped. To her left was a table with two people sitting behind it. A sign labeled `Register Here' was hanging from the front.

"Oh."

Walking over to the table Lee stood in front of a lady situated behind the table.

"Hi," she said, "do you want to register?"

"Yeah."

Sliding him a sheet of paper secured to a clipboard and a pen she said, "Fill this out."

"What's the age limit for entrees?"

"Eighteen, but they need a guardian's signature."

"Can I get another form?"

The lady slid him another copy of the paper attached to the clipboard. Taking the forms he walked past Hitomi to a bench against the wall opposite the table. "Over here," he said once he had taken a seat. Hitomi took a seat next to him. He handed her the paper.

"You have to get someone to sign this form."

"Like who?"

"Like a parent."

"Yeah but, I…I; my parents are in Germany," Hitomi choked.

She was shocked that everything she had worked for in the last few weeks, all her hard work, was about to be taken away by some stupid scribble of a word.

"I know," Lee replied, placing a hand on his chin in contemplation, "what's your last name?"

"Barrens. Why?"

"That'll be my last name too then-"

"Huh?"

"-Just for the tournament anyway."

The conversation was loud enough for Roger to hear.

"What are you getting at Lee?" he asked.

"Well Shorty's parents aren't here, right? And there is no possible way to have them sign the papers, right? I figure if I take her last name, I could pass off as a legal guardian."

Roger gave a slight smirk.

"There's no way you could be her father," he said crossing his arms across his chest, "a husband maybe, but defiantly not a father."

Hitomi looked up. The possibility of Lee being her theoretical husband caused her to call out the bartender's name accusingly.

"He's right," Lee told her, "and it's probably the only way to get you in."

"So you're going to use my last name?"

"Yeah, I'll enter as Lee Barrens, that way, you can enter too. Hopefully without any problems."

He handed her the clipboard.

"Here, fill this out."

After filling out all the necessary information Hitomi handed him back the clipboard. Filling out his form Lee was careful to sign his name Jann Lee Barrens. Taking the papers up to the lady he slid the clipboard across to her. Hitomi got up to follow him but Roger stopped her. "If you want to look like a wife, you'd better take this out," he said pulling on the pink accessory restricting her hair. Hitomi removed it and shook her head to smooth out her hair. Handing the headband to Roger she joined Lee at the table.

"Okay mister," the lady paused to look a the clipboard, "Barrens, your competitor number is one hundred forty-three."

She slid him a packet of papers stapled together.

"This is the fight schedule, find your number and show up to the designated arena. There's a map of the layout of the area on the back page."

Hitomi poked her head around him to look as he flipped through the packet.

"And uhh, Ms. Barrens?"

Ms. Barrens was too busy looking at the packet with Lee to notice her name.

"Ms. Barrens?"

Lee nudged her with his elbow.

"Uh, oh…hai?"

The lady leaned forward on the table and took a second look at the paper.

"We need a parents signature, I'm sorry but your brother cannot sign for you."

"Eh?"

"That's okay," Lee stepped in, "I'm her husband. Surely I can sign for her."

The lady did a double take.

"What?" Lee asked.

He could tell she wasn't convinced. He rolled the packet and stuffed it in his back pocket. Some quick action was needed or they might discover their plan.

Taking Hitomi in his right arm Lee pulled her close. The action was an expected advance, especially from Lee. It caught her totally by surprise. With his free hand he brushed the hair from her face and gently caressed her cheek. She could feel her face getting warm. Her breathing intensified. He could feel her chest moving in and out as it pressed against the side of his body. Lee leaned in towards her. Hitomi's breath was warm. Their eyes met. His eyes were serious, determined; not affectionate at all. Hitomi's eyes widened with anticipation. The distance between their faces lessened and their foreheads bumped softly together. Lee leaned in and lightly kissed Hitomi's lips.

Pushing him away her face developed a sly smirk, along with a bright red color. She placed a finger across his lips as if to hush a reply. "I'll be back," as said and left. "Alright," the lady concluded, "I guess in this day and age anything is possible." She handed him another packet with a number written across the cover page. One hundred, forty-four.

Roger followed the red-faced little girl as she fast walked down the hall away from him. She turned the corner and he followed but stopped abruptly. The door she passed entered had a sign. One that prevented him from entering. Forever. A black sign with a word and a symbol for those indicating which it admitted. Stuffing his hands in his pockets he leaned against the wall opposite the door. He knew she was upset, probably more embarrassed than anything else. Lee joined him.

"Is she mad?" Lee asked.

"Probably."

"Do you think she's crying?"

"Maybe."

"Is she gonna hate me?"

"Probably not."

Lee leaned his head against the wall. A shift in his stance indicated his nervous state of mind. Roger grinned. "Is she a good kisser?" Lee glared him a look not to be joked with. "No, huh?" Their attention went to the door as it opened. Hitomi stood before them. Her face was losing it's red color, but was moist. "Maybe she just went to wash her face," Lee thought; although it occurred to him that crying was a more likely explanation.

Roger knew trouble when he saw it. He knew the look on her face and could tell she was the physical embodiment of all the trouble in a four-mile radius. And it all was going to be projected towards the one that had offended her. "I'm gonna find something to drink," he excused and quickly left the scene.

Lee also knew trouble, knowing he had kissed himself into a corner. "It's okay," he assured himself, "I've taken gangs, thugs, mob leaders. I've been beaten and broken, I'm sure I can handle a little girl." He couldn't have been more wrong. Hitomi slowly approached him, looking away, trying to hide the fact that she was still weak. Her father had tried so hard; she had tried so hard to rid herself of the useless emotions. Embarrassment, anger, sadness, she knew they were all affecting her and they almost prevented her from entering this tournament. Lee had suppressed his emotions, why couldn't she? Hitomi had cursed herself under her breath, telling herself she wouldn't let herself be effected again. She took a step towards the bouncer. He stood as tall and powerful as ever; it was as if he had never preformed the intimate action. It was like it meant nothing to him, as if it was just on impulse, a spur of the moment of thing. He almost didn't even care. Hitomi quickly closed the last few steps between them.

"Why?" she asked, her voice softy almost a whisper.

"Huh?"

"Why?"

"I, erm, well…"

"No, don't," she stopped him.

"Listen I-"

Lee didn't finish his sentence; the wind forcefully left his lungs.

"I was scared," she cried removing her fist.

"I'm sorry," Lee said gasping for air.

Hitomi clenched her fists and slammed them against his chest.

"Why? You didn't have to do that," she cried into his shirt.

"Do you want to fight or not?"

His voice was a serious monotone. She did not answer. Lee pushed her away by her shoulder. Her face shone under the lights. "You shouldn't cry because you get what you want," he told her, brushing a tear from under her eye with his thumb. Hitomi wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand.

"H-hai," she replied with a sniffle.

"Now, go wash your face."

"Hai."

Wiping her eyes with both her hands she retreated back into the restroom. Roger rejoined Lee, with a soda bottle in his hand.

"Where'd YOU go?" Lee snapped.

"Hey, I saw that look in her eyes. I didn't want to get caught up in that."

"Oh, thanks."

"No problem," he said handing the bouncer the soda.

Lee took a drink from it and handed it back to him. The door opened. Lee looked for an angry little girl to come out and annoy him. What he expected did not emerge, but it was something equally annoying to him.

"Hello Dragon."

He closed his eyes. Even without looking, Lee knew who it was. Only a few people knew that acquired nickname. Besides, the voice was all too familiar.

"Hello Leifang," he said, his voice obviously annoyed, "What do you want?"

"Why do you always assume I want something?"

"Because you do."

"No I-"

"Lee, fight me," he mocked, "Hey Dragon, lets go practice, Lee lets go-Lee let's this, let's that. When do you want something?"

"I'm not like that!" she said defending herself.

"Yeah, whatever."

"What difference does it make?" she asked, "You never do anything with me anyway."

"Because you're so annoying."

Leifang's anger was apparent. But then, she had a right to be. All she had done was acknowledge their meeting and he was pushing her away like leprosy.

"Moooouuu!"

She left the two quickly turning the corner in the direction of the registration table. The bathroom door opened again and the one they had expected came out to meet them.

"Leifang was in there," Hitomi told them.

Her face looked much better now. She looked calm. Hopefully she was in a normal, stable state of mind. "We know," Lee said, "she was out here giving me trouble." "Oh." Roger took another drink from the bottle. "You guys ready to go?" he asked. Lee looked at Hitomi. She seemed a lot better. At least she wasn't going to kill him.

x x x x

The trip back to the hotel was long and painful for Hitomi. Her mind was a confused mess. She fought with herself inside her head over Lee's actions. Were they sincere? No. There was a big doubt. He thought of her than nothing more than his job. It was his duty to protect her. It was his duty to provide for her. But something inside her head told her, a little voice that was almost squeezed out by all the doubt. A voice that told her he really did care. It told her that there might be some possibility that he thought of her on a more intimate level than a professional one. She smiled as the she followed Lee into the hotel room and shut the door. The room's clock-radio read ten forty-two. "It's late," Lee said, "I'm tired." "Me too," Hitomi added. Although she wasn't really tired, she just wanted to sleep. Maybe sleeping would clear things up. Retrieving the suitcase Hitomi dug for some sleeping clothes. Finding them she went into the bathroom and emerged back into the room with them on. Climbing into the closest bed she pulled the pillow over her head to block the light and any noise they other two might make. Lee and Roger discussed something for a while, something Hitomi couldn't understand through the pillow. After a while the lights went out and it was easier for her to fall asleep. Slowly reality faded.

Hitomi's sleep was interrupted. She slowly woke, her sleep ended by an event. Not something able to immediately disturb her, but a prolonged event that slowly pulled Hitomi from her slumber. "Unngh, darega denki wo keshinano?" she mumbled. The lights from the bathroom had slowly woken her. Getting out of bed Hitomi stumbled over to the bathroom. Standing in the doorway she blindly groped for the light switch and flipped it off. But there was another thing besides the lights. In the quiet of the hotel at two o' clock in the morning. A alight breathing, a very faint sound, came from the bathroom. Hitomi turned the lights back on. Straddling the edge of the tub was Lee, in a pair of gray boxer-briefs. Confused, Hitomi's initial reaction was to advert her eyes, but it was obvious the he shouldn't be ignored. "What's wrong Lee?" He did not answer her question, unmoving. Hitomi watched his chest expand and contract, his breathing audible. She slowly approached him and took a seat next to him on the tub. "Lee, what's the matter?" Hitomi asked. Her voice had surprised her. It sounded like her mother's. He didn't reply, but continued to stare towards the drain of the tub. She reached out and touched him on the knee to get his attention, but quickly pulled her hand back in surprise. His body dripped of a cold sweat. Taking a towel from a shelf above her head she wet it under the sink. Taking it over to him she wiped his arms. It was like he was in a trance, a state of mind oblivious to all the events around him. Lee's hair was soaked from the sweat and clung to his head. She pushed the hair aside and wiped his face with the towel. With a gasp he snapped back to life.

"Oh God Lee, I was scared. What happened to you?" a clear urgency carried in her voice.

"Huh?"

"What happened?"

"Why'd you interrupt me!?" he snapped.

Hitomi recoiled at the volume of his voice.

"Well…I.."

"You don't disturb people while they're meditating!"

"But, I…"

"You don't understand! You NEVER wake people while they're meditating!"

"Fine!," she yelled back, "Next time something happens, I'll just let you suffer!"

Angry, Hitomi threw the towel in his face and began to leave turning her back to him.

"Wait!"

She stopped. A honed habit her father had pounded into her head since she was a child: The ability to follow commands given to her from an authoritic male voice quickly and without hesitation. But here it was proving to be an undesirable reaction and kicked herself inside her head for stopping.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I realize you were just trying to help. But I was deep, you could of really screwed up my head."

The quick apology was uncharacteristic of Lee. Hitomi turned around to check and see. It couldn't be the same person she knew, the one she knew to be stern, serious, and seemingly unforgiving. "Here." Lee threw the towel back to her. Wetting it again Hitomi wrung it out and sat next to him.

"Why do you meditate?"

"Because it clears my head."

"Do you always clear you head in your underwear?" she asked, tryng to hold back a laugh.

"No, but I didn't pack any extra clothes. I didn't want to ruin the ones I had."

Taking the towel over his far leg she started wiping around his thigh. Bringing the towel back, it was stained with an all too familiar color.

"What's this!?" she asked, her voice carrying a scared tone once more.

"That's nothing," he assured her.

"How is this nothing?"

Hitomi held up the towel so he could see it's color too.

"That always happens. Look."

She stood from her seat and looked at his leg. Inside the tub a small stream of red flowed down to the drain. Hitomi followed it up to his upper thigh. A long six inch cut bled slowly, with no signs of stopping.

"Lee…"

He knew she was concerned about the blood.

"It's nothing really. I got this bad cut the same night Kim disappeared; cut it on a broken metal crate or something. For some reason it never fully healed. When I'm concentrating real hard or when I'm under a lot of stress it bleeds. It bleeds the most when I'm meditating, that's why I was in here. I never really asked Sarah to look at it, I use it as a reminder of what I'm fighting for."

"I'm sorry," Hitomi said, "I never realized-"

"No it's okay really. Now go back to sleep."

"But you must get weak from loosing so much blood."

"Weakness is in your mind. If you are able to clear your head and rid yourself of emotions and pain, you will be strong. If you are mentally strong, physical strength will follow."

Glock - an Austrian firearm company. Known for cheap but reliable guns that use lots of plastic polymer parts.

San - Another honorific like chan, except this is more or less, Mr / Mrs

Japanese- Kirei is a term generally used by girls meaning something is pretty or beautiful

"Moouu" --- an angry expression used in the context of "Ooohh, I'm so angry at you!"

Japanese - "Who left the lights on?"