Tekken Fan Fiction ❯ The Stone Lotus ❯ Chapter Six ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter Six

The phone rang, and Hwoarang shot up alarmed from where he had finally nodded off that morning in the living room, still sitting up on the couch from the previous night. He rubbed his eyes and painfully cranked his neck to look over his shoulder towards where the phone was ringing, and he saw Michelle pop out of the family room to pick up the phone. The young man then sighed heavily and looked forward towards the front door and the windows.

It was past noon, he could tell, since the sun light was coming through the windows and hitting him, hard white light that caused him to squint. And he listened to Michelle as she repeated faintly "yes" and "I see" in a solemn voice. Again, he felt out of p lace there, as kindly as she treated him.

Hwoarang looked back again when he heard the clunk of the phone being slammed down then Michelle's footsteps as she entered the living room where he sat.

"You're finally awake?" the older woman began, forcing a small grin at the boy. He nodded once, and his eyes followed her as she came into the room and sat down next to him. "Good."

He rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry...I didn't sleep well at all last night."

"No, that's okay, Robert." She glanced over at the windows then back at the younger man. "I need you to do me a favor."

"Sure."

"Julia's stepmother just called to tell me that Blackwolf's going out to Nebraska. They want Jules to come out so she can see her father before he leaves."

Hwoarang blinked, "Is everything alright?..."

"I don't know," she sighed heavily as she looked forward again. She narrowed her eyes as the bright light shone into them, and her view blurred and faded into a near blinding white before darkening again to show the room in full clarity. She was silent for quite some time, and Hwoarang waited patiencely.

Finally she whispered, "Go with her."

"I can't," he said, shaking his head. "I don't know why, but she has this thing where she doesn't want me around her father's family."

"I know," the older woman replied quietly as she turned her attention back to Hwoarang. "That's almost entirely my fault. The divorce was so messy--" Michelle stopped and let out a heavy huff. In response, he nodded once and leaned back in his seat to listen.

"Michelle?"

Again, silence.

He sat up and repeated himself, "Michelle?"

"Can I tell you a story, Robert?" she blurted finally.

Hwoarang blinked and leaned back in his seat again, "Yeah, sure." Michelle glanced over at him and flashed a grin, a genuine smile, and she turned in her seat to to fully face the young man.

"When I was around your age," she began, still smiling, "I spend a year or so traveling with my boyfriend. I had went to Chicago to spent Christmas with him. My mother knew where I was at the time. It's just, well, I guess I had no desire to come back here after I saw what I did. And I loved my boyfriend. He needed me. He really did."

Hworang leaned forward towards Michelle, "What did you see?"

"Do you believe in God?" she asked.

"No."

"I see." She stopped and glanced over her shoulder at the hallway, as if expecting someone to enter the room. She then looked back at Hwoarang. "What do you believe in?"

He shrugged, "Nothing, I guess. After the way I've been treated most of my life, I have no reason to believe that there's someone looking over me." He then frowned, "But what does that have to do with your story?"

"What do you believe in, Robert?" she asked again.

"I don't understand what you're asking me."

"What do you believe in?"

Hwoarang awoke with a start and sat up that morning in the living room, still on the couch from that night. The sun hadn't risen yet, however he could hear song birds already singing, and he could see the sky was a dark green already from behind the thin curtains. His heart was racing, and he glanced around the room, troubled by the dream he had just. He then stood up and crept down the hall to Julia's room.

Cautiously, he pushed the door open, stepped inside the room, and reached behind to carefully latch the door shut. He then went over to the bed, slowly lifted the comforter that Julia was sleeping under, and slid into bed next to her.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. Then he waited.

For what, he wasn't sure, though in his head, he played out different situations: Julia jumping out of bed and hitting him, Julia murmuring Jin's name, Julia not responding at all, and so forth. His hands affectionately stroked her stomach as he lay next to her. She finally shifted and turned her body to face him, he closed his eyes and began kissing her neck.

"Hwoarang?" she asked softly when him laid flat on top on her, his response only his fondling and kissing as he moved lower on her body. He paused only to nip on one of her nipples through the cotton of her tank top until it was hard and erect. She groaned softly and ran her fingers through his hair, and he moved lower to between her legs, like he had just a few hours before, and tugged off her panties before parting the swollen lips with his index and middle fingers then leaning in to start suckling her clit.

"Hwoarang?" she repeated in a gasp. "Can I ask you something?" He remained silent and rubbed his tongue against the ripening piece of flesh. Her hands clasped to the sides of his head, and she arched up into his mouth as he licked and sucked faster until she orgasmed.

The only sound in the room was her heavy breathing, and she lovingly stroked his hair, he laid on her stomach, still wondering why he came into her room. Her breathing slowed eventually and was in unison to his. He moved up to kiss her on the lips, which again, she didn't object and even kissed him back, their mouths moving together lazily. He pulled away and rested his head on her chest.

"Do you believe in God?" she asked. He looked up at her, confused. When he saw Julia's face, Hwoarang sat up, alarmed.

She was smiling up at him sweetly, and she reached a hand out to touch his cheek.

His eyes narrowed, "I don't understand what you're asking me."

"What do you believe in?"

The phone rang. Hwoarang rubbed his eyes and saw that it was morning. He was stretched out on the couch, where Julia had left him the previous night. And he sat up slowly and listened to the phone ring over and over again as he waited for Michelle or Julia to pick up. However, after the seventh ring, it stopped. He stood up and went down the hallway to Julia's room.

Her door was ajar, and so he poked his head inside. She wasn't there, and her bed was neatly made up. He glanced around the room then walked over to his duffel bag to grab a change of clothes. However, he stopped in front of the vanity mirror.

He hated all of the pictures that Julia had left up there. He hated looking at himself then, at her and Jin together, anything that dealt with life before Jin had died. Yet, he found it harder to look at his own reflection than at the photos. He had spent so much time being defiant, trying desperately to be a free spirit. But now, he couldn't stand looking at himself. So, this was supposed to be bettering his life? Being miserable, being meek, conforming. She had broken his spirit.

No, Jin Kazama had broken his spirit.

"Rang?" He glanced over at the door at Julia, who leaned fully dressed in the door. She looked as tired as he did, however. "I need you to do me a favor."

"Sure," he said as he fully turned around to leave the room.

She smiled painfully at him, "My father's leaving for Nebraska today, and well..."

"Can I come with you?"

"Please," she said softly. "And...I want to go to Jin's grave today."

He let out a heavy sigh and nodded, "Of course. I want to visit him, too." She nodded and turned to leave, and he crossed his arms and watched as she walked away.

*****

A suffocating sadness, that was almost the only thing Hwoarang noticed as he sat on the rough carpetted floor of the Blackwolf home. He hadn't said a word the entire time he was there, aside from introducing himself and hellos. Instead, he just watched.

Navajo and Spanish were being thrown around, probably because he was present. He hated not knowing was was going on and being deliberately left out, and aside from some of Julia's younger half siblings, everyone paid little mind to him. Even Julia's attention was taken fully as her father spoke to her in a hushed tones from inside the kitchen. Hwoarang rested a hand on his cheek.

Being an outsider. That was something he was used to. He had only felt like he belonged once, when he had been taken in by Doo San Baek and his little hoods. Even after he left, thinking he had found friends, Hwoarang still wished he could speak to Baek about what was going on.

"The important thing is to better yourself in the end," the older man had said to the boy. "I want nothing more for you to find a way out. No one should have to spend their rest of his life the way I am."

"Rang?" He looked up at Julia. "Are you ready to go?" He nodded and leaned against the hard carpet to stand up. He then stretched and yawned. And, like always, he followed her obediently.

When they got in the car, he asked, "So, what was wrong?"

"I'm not sure," Julia replied in a frank voice; she started the car. "I guess they got some kind of phone call from Mishima saying that they were going to reward my dad's family some money because of the G-Tech scandel..."

"Well, at least someone's offering to pay compensation..." The car rolled carefully out of the driveway.

Julia put the vehicle in gear, "Maybe, but... no one in our family was sent to Nebraska. Everyone's confused, but they keep getting letters and phone calls regarding the whole thing. They wanted me to ask my mother to look into it, since she's an attorney and all."

Hwoarang lifted a brow, "And you say people just keep insisting that your father's family is going to be rewarded?"

"Yeah...My dad is going to go to Nebraska to speak to some reps from Mishima about it, and he wanted Mom to help out..." She frowned, "Sometimes, I just wished he'd ask her himself. I'm tired of being his messenger."

Hwoarang was silent at that remark and looked forward at the rows of run-down houses that they drove past, though in most of the lawns, there were children playing and sprinklers going to salvage what little grass was still green. The world beyond his window slowed as he watched. His eyes followed a little girl in a pink sun dress chasing a hula hoop with a stick in her pudgey little olive hand, and her long dark hair flapped behind her as she ran. He watched her grow further and further away, until not only could he not see the girl any more, but the houses receded away in the distance, and Hwoarang cranked his head back.

He knew that he would never go on the reservation again.

The ride to the cemetery was silent, though Hwoarang found himself wanting to scream on the top of his lungs. He wanted to kick the glove compartment in front of him until the door fell off. He wanted to roll down the windows and climb up on the roof. He wanted to turn the radio up full blast. Just anything to end the unbearable quiet.

After what felt like an eternity, black iron fence of the cemetery came into view, as did the large grotesquely beautiful sculptures of the older, more elegant tombstones. They were surrounded by the small, modern headstones, all of which were mechanical looking. Somehow, it looked more like cement garden to him than a cemetery; he didn't remember it being so carefully laid out when he last visited two years ago. His eyes were fixated on the huge crypt that was ahead; there was a huge statue of angel in front of the doors, protecting the entrance. Hwoarang swore he saw Julia tense up at the sight of the sculpture from the corner of his eye. Massive stone wings that spread out and the weathered face of the angel, a little boy with the heavy burden of wings and guardianship.

She parked the the car near the gates.

Neither made an attempt to get out right away. Hwoarang didn't want to see Jin's grave again. It seemed like once enough, and now, he was only there to be polite. However, he could sense the same reluctance in Julia. That ended up making him take the initiative to get it all over with , and he opened his door and stepped out.

She did the same.

They walked together in the garden of stones, all the newer headstones polished like gemstones, and light reflected off of the smooth surfaces; Hwoarang found it hurt to even keep his eyes open. He couldn't close his eyes for a bit, however, even to keep out the burning sunlight. The visions of stone angels and gargoyles that surrounded him and her wouldn't let him close them.

She stopped in front a red granite stone and kneeled. Hwoarang shoved his hands in his pants pocket and waited.

"Do you believe in God?" she asked quietly, as she gingerly traced the etched letters of the name chiselled there with a finger; her eyes never left the glassy surface of the speckled stone.

"No."

"What do you believe in, Rang?"

"Nothing."

She hesistated before continuing, "I know...you hate it when I talk about Jin."

"No, it's not that at all," he murmured; his hands dug deeper into his pockets. "It's just because...you really don't talk about him. I don't either, though."

She nodded, gaze still fixated forward. "He was afraid of dying."

"Aren't we all?"

She looked over her shoulder and up at Hwoarang. He was startled by the fact that she wasn't crying at all; she looked more angry if anything.

"I'm sorry," he said. Another apology.

"I'm not angry at you," she insisted before turning her back to him again. "That's something I want you to understand."

He squatted down and stared at the stone before him.

The lettering was simple, yet elegant. Hwoarang's frown deepened when he noticed his reflection on the tombstone. It was faint, almost blurred out from the colorful refractions from the flecks of stone, and his face was carved into by the letters of Jin's name. He huffed angrily and stood up.

She stood up, though she kept her gaze on the headstone, "You're ready to leave, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

They sat in the car for a few moments in silence, as usual taking care not to look at each other, eyes locked forward. It was starting to get dark, and sky was reddening. Hwoarang watched the shadows shift and stretch on the angels that seemed to take flight in the fading light. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

"You think Kazama's laughing at us up there?" he mumbled, eyes still closed.

"He's not."

Hwoarang let out a chuckle and opened his eyes, "You sound pretty sure about that, Jules."

"You said you didn't believe in God," she responded. "So, what do you believe in?"

"Do you believe in God?"

She looked over at him, "I don't know. I know...that I can't just say I don't believe in anything. But I don't know what I'm supposed to believe in."

He sat up and blinked, "Wait a second...what did you see?"

She was silent and turned back; her hands were gripped the stirring wheel tightly, and her knuckles turned white.

"Jules? What did you see that night?" He placed a hand on her shoulder, "You saw more than just him getting killed, didn't you?"

She started the car.