Tekken Fan Fiction ❯ The Stone Lotus ❯ Chapter Thirteen ( Chapter 13 )

Chapter Thirteen

It seemed impossible that the crowd could get anymore revved up, however as soon as the announcer's voice bellowed throughout the arena, the cheering swelled up to nearly deafening.

". . .And in the blue corner, hailing from the United Kingdom, Britain's favorite son, Steve 'Iron Fist' Fox!"

The crowd roared as Steve's name was called, and heavy hip-hop music blasted from every speaker as he and his entourage made their way down the ramps from the outside halls and through the crowd towards the ring. Steve still had the hood of his sequined red and blue robe over his head, which hid his eyes, and he scanned the crowd carefully as he approached his post; his opponent had already entered the ring and was waiting.

Near the back, where Lewis had entered, Steve noticed the man that had confronted him in the shower room standing with another man dressed similiar to him. The young boxer quickly averted his eyes and glanced in the opposite direction; as he excepted, another suit was standing in the back with his arms crossed. However, standing next to him was a blonde woman in a black catsuit covered by a calf-length black leather jacket , and on her face, she wore dark glasses. She had her arms crossed, and was watching Steve closely; she turned and said something the man she was standing next to, who nodded in respose. Steve shuddered and looked foward again, then pulled down his hood before tugging down the sides of the ring to enter.

The lights were too bright, and everything blurred; Steven squinted as he tried to make out his opponent's face. Around him, the noise dampened under the ringing in his ears. When his robe was lifted off his shoulders by Smart, Steve looked over his shoulder at the elderly man, his face blank. And though he couldn't make out the words of the older man, the young boxer nodded as his trainer guestured and continued speaking.

Finally, Steve heard, "Let's do this!" and felt a pat on his back, and instinctly he shot up from where he was sitting his corner; His opponent, Lewis, hopped up as well, fisting the air furiously as he and Steve both approached the center ring where the referee was waiting.

From the crowd, Christie and Jaime stood together. Jaime wasn't as excitable as most of the people surrounding him, and he was only standing to see better and cranking his neck as he tried hopelessly to look over the heads of two tall men standing in front of he and Christie; his female companion, however, didn't seem to be as bothered from the obstruction, and she even cheered and clapped as soon as Steve had taken off his hood.

She grinned, turned, and nudged Jaime, "Hey, Steve's kinda cute!"

"What? I can't hear you," he replied, raising his voice a bit, honestly not able to make out Christie's comment over the noise.

"Nevermind!" She turned her attention back to the ring, where the two fighters were getting ready to shake. Jaime, on the other hand, threw up his arms in frustration and plopped down into his seat. He then pulled off his hooded sweat jacket and flung it over the back of his seat before turning around and crossing his arms, not at all amused.

He sighed with relief when the two men in front of him sat down after the first bell rang.

*****

Lee awoke to find himself still spread out on the couch with Anna curled up peacefully on top of him. He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and middle finger, then lifted his head slightly to look at his watch. He then softly nudged Anna; she moaned softly then shifted, snuggling closer to him and still not getting up. Lee felt a small grin creep across his lips; she wasn't asleep.

"Anna," he said softly, "I have to go, it's getting late." The older man then carefully pulled himself out from under her, forcing Anna to have to sit up as well. She rubbed her eyes after she sat back on her legs, then stared up at Lee as he stood up and stretched with his back to her.

It was still early afternoon, and she frowned as her eyes adjusted to the dim light streaming in from the storm door. Outside, it still rained softly, and the sky had brightened from a dark grey to a blank white from sun hidden by the storm clouds. For a moment, she allowed herself to take in the scene, and found herself recalling spending rainy afternoons stowed away with Lee when they were teenagers. Those were some of the memories she charished most. Even after he had broken off their relationship, somehow she managed to forgive him. She cursed herself for her blind adoration, for her sentimentalism, for perhaps her loneliness.

He didn't even have to ask. All it took was for him to crack one smile, one slight knowing smile, and she forgave him. Much like she forgave his brother.

Anna stood up as well, yawning and stretching a bit before crossing her arms.

They were both silent, taking care not to look at each other.

She spoke first, "When do you fly back to Chicago?"

"Wednesday." The redhead's frown deepened with that, and she looked towards the older man.

"That's tomorrow." Slowly, she sat back down, "...Today was nice."

He looked over his shoulder, "Huh?"

"It felt like old times."

"Oh." Lee turned around completely to face the younger woman, "I guess it did." He managed an uneasy smile; the far-off look on Anna's face alarmed him.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"I was just thinking," she looked away at the open storm door at the rain pattering softly outside. "I know you've told me not to dwell on the past, but I don't think I loved him."

Lee sat down, "Loved who?"

"Your brother." Anna sighed heavily and leaned back in her seat, resting her hands on her abdomen. "I know I felt something for him. Gratitude, perhaps."

The older man frowned, "Well, he was your knight in shining armor. I know that doesn't necessarily mean you loved him, but I know at least he was crazy about you."

"I always found that odd...," Her voice trailed, and she closed her eyes. For a moment, the redhead was silent and listened to the sounds of the rain tapping on the glass of the windows and door. "Well, not odd. I guess, doubtful."

Lee shook his head, "I'm not sure what you mean."

"He never loved me, Lee." She reopened her eyes, only to see him staring at her in mild disbelief. "Maybe he felt an obligation to me, maybe he was fond of me, but he didn't love me."

"Anna..."

"Actually, I'm wondering if he possibly hated me."

The silverhaired man shook his head, "You saw what he was going through. Kaz had no control over his actions most of the time. You know...during that time when you two were seperated, he went through this terrible depression. I mean...I can't really explain why, but it was one of the last times I know he was entirely himself."

Lee sighed heavily and continued, "He was genuinely happy with you. I hadn't seen him that way since we were kids." He glanced over at the storm door then back at the younger woman; he then smiled weakly at her before lightly patting her thigh as a sign of reassurance.

"You're so strange," Anna murmured as she closed her eyes when his hand rested on her leg. However, as he tried pulled his hand away from her leg, she gently grabbed his hand and placed it back on her bare thigh then opened her eyes.

"Lee, you don't have to keep acting like you're my father," she said.

He stared down at the dainty hand over his, unsure how to respond. Slowly, she slid her hand off his, and she shifted and leaned back further, gracefully laying her legs over his lap and crossing them as she stretched out; his hand remained on her leg.

She smiled slowly and waited.

*****

The fight seemed to be going slowly; Steve easily out-maneuvered Lewis, swaying in and out of every punch, but not really retaliating. Occasionally, the blond boxer would swing back, again outperforming the other boxer, however each punch that connected came out of reluctance. And it was quite evident to the crowd.

There were moments of booing when the young boxer wouldn't fight back, which was difficult for Steve to tune out. However, he eventually did, and danced rhythmically, putting up his fists to block when he couldn't back away fast enough. Around him, the world blurred out, and his only focus was on the other young man in front of him. The sounds around him faded away, he continued to dodge and duck, his mind cleared aside from the very mechanical orders his brain spouted out.

Yet, lingering dimly in Steve's thoughts, was the notion that he couldn't keep this up. It was just going to have to be long enough. Though, how long, he didn't know.

A left hook swung out of nowhere, and Steve flinched and pulled back, suddenly snapping out of the groove he had kept up. Instinctly, his left fist revved back, sped towards Lewis's jaw, and connected. And without missing a beat, Steve's defensive strategy switched to offensive; he came at the other man with a barrage of swift yet solid punches. Lewis covered his face with his gloves and ducked unsuccessfully as Steve continued to let out on him relentlessly with precise, timely hits.

His focus was suddenly became locked on downing Lewis for the first knock-out of the match. The blond then backed off to save his energy, though he was far from tired out. He sensed that his opponent, however, had worn himself out a bit with the misses from earlier and the defense he was using in vain. Faintly, he could hear the sounds of the spectators cheering, their voices starting out far away then growing and growing to near deafening, feeding his ambition.

Steve hopped back, his arms up to protect his chest; and he bobbed up and down as he waited. As soon as Lewis dropped his guard, the blond boxer nailed him again in the jaw with a clean uppercut and sent the other man flying backward onto the ground. The crowd went into a frenzy as Lewis hit the ground and was still. A referee scurried out then slid down next to the fallen boxer, beating the ground with his palm as he shouted out each number, his voice lost in the sudden rise of chanting and hollering; Lewis finally stirred and stood up, struggling a bit.

"Seven!" the ref yelled as he stood up, and he signaled to sound the bell before bowing out of the ring. Steve relaxed and dropped his guard then scanned the crowd again, his eyes fixated for a moment on Jaime, who was still seated and wasn't cheering. When his eyes locked with the other man, Jaime frowned and stood up slowly, gaze still on the blond.

*****

Lei quietly shifted through his files that morning; both he and Paul were up, though Paul had been set on watching the boxing championship, and did so quietly as not to bother Lei. The detective pulled out another milla folder and flipped through it, not sure what he supposed to be looking for, though he was quite familiar with most of the notes; he had taken a good deal of them, and the rest by Bryan. Lei frowned, knowing that he was eventually going to have to read everything, and for a split second, he regretted not taking up Wenjun's offer.

However, as soon as he heard Paul yell with delight from the other room, he chuckled and smiled to himself before returning to his work.

A moment later, the door opened and the blond poked his head in, "Hey, sorry, I hope that didn't bother you."

Lei looked up and smiled, "Not at all. I'm not really doing anything, just sorting things." He then looked back down at the piles of papers in front of him then sighed heavily. "I'm thinking I'll probably be joining you out there in a few."

"Getting frustrated?"

"I don't even know where to start," the detective admitted sheepishly as he looked back up at the biker. "And I'm reluctant to call this new guy I'm supposed to be working with. He's just not...Bryan, you know?"

Paul leaned in the door away, crossed his arms, then nodded sympathetically, "Yeah, I've been kinda the same way with hiring new mechanics. I'd gotten so used to Hwoarang and all, and there's not many professionals 'round here with his know-how and talent. Jesus, I miss that little shit sometimes. He's a damned good kid." Lei cackled, turned back, and glanced over at his tub, remembering exactly how Hwoarang had ended up under Paul's care four years ago.

"It's amazing how probation can change a person," the detective smirked.

Paul smiled, "Maybe. I think he would had came around, whether he was convicted or not. I don't say this about a lot of those little punks that Baek took in, but Rang has a good head on his shoulders. Just needed some guidance."

"I guess. I don't usually hear people talk so fondly about conartists though."

"I know," the blond shrugged, "but I try to give people the benefit of a doubt."

Lei's smile softened, "Yeah, I know. That's one of things I really like about you." Paul felt his grin grow at that remark, though not entirely sure why he was particularly happy to hear that coming from Lei of all people. He then frowned when he heard the commentators for the match chattering idiotically again; with a heavy sigh, he glanced over his shoulder towards the television playing down the hall then back at the detective.

"Hey, wait up," Lei said as he closed the top to the tub. He then stood up and stretched. Paul moved to the side as he was joined by the other man at the door, and the two of them headed down the hall way together to the living room.

*****

". . .Well, you still could had called," Xiaoyu pouted; she then playfully nudged Hwoarang, who turned his head towards the younger girl and chuckled. Xiaoyu Ling was a tomboyish yet pretty girl, her black hair pulled back into two pigtails. She was still dressed from softball practice from the previous evening in an oversized white t-shirt, and black shorts. The sleeves of her shirt were rolled up past her shoulders, and she was tanned from being out in the sun all that summer; her running shoes and socks were off, and she pointed her toes then wiggled them, though for a moment wishing she had at least painted her toenails. She then chuckled a bit when she compared her feet in size to Hwoarang's.

Like Xiaoyu, Hwoarang sat on the floor in the living room, his back resting the front of the couch. He was barefoot as well and still dressed in his clothes from the day before, though his shirt was unbuttoned and the top of his jeans were undone. They were watching the fight on a small, portable television; Michelle had left for work a few hours earlier, and Julia had offered to go get breakfast and had only just left.

"Sorry, Babydoll. You're right, I should had called," he chuckled softly, nudging the younger girl back before shifting onto his stomach, resting his head down on his folded arms, and closing his eyes for a moment. He glanced then over at the front door and the window; it was clouding up outside, and the sunlight would disappeared periodically, darkening the room a bit. With a heavy sigh, he reclosed his eyes, half asleep.

"I'm so glad you're home," she said, her voice dropping. "Really, I wish you would had stopped by the boarding house or called or something, though. There's something that's been bothering me for awhile..."

He frowned, eyes still closed, "Couldn't talk to Jules?"

She was silent for a moment, but finally, she took a deep breath and looked down at the older boy, "So...I guess it was about a month ago, I got this really weird email... No return address, couldn't track the IP or anything."

Hwoarang opened his eyes, "Happens alot with spambots and shit--"

"--It wasn't spam. The message attached... Whoever sent it knew me. Like really knew me." She sniffed once then looked back at the television; her face stormed over as a thought came to her.

"Ling?"

"I'm sorry," she said replied quietly, turning her attention back to the older boy. Again, she was silent for a moment before continuing, "You know, Jin considered you his best friend."

"That's news to me," Hwoarang mumbled. He shifted a bit, laying on his side. The older boy then rested his chin in his palm and peered up at the girl. His brows furrowed, and his frown deepened as he waited, irritated that he wasn't going to escape talking about Jin with the younger girl. Xiaoyu smiled down at him, "No, really. He told me that, I guess...it was sometime after you two had stopped talking for whatever it was you guys were bickering about."

"And that has to do with...?" he gestured cynically with his free hand for the younger girl to continue.

"Did you two ever start talking again?"

"Nope," Hwoarang replied, shrugging a bit. "The last thing he ever said to me was 'fuck you'. And that was good three or four months before--" He stopped himself from finishing and sighed heavily, almost wanting to laugh.

He flattened out on his back, gazing up at the ceiling, and repeated himself with a smirk, "Yeah, 'Fuck you,' he said. I wanted to punch his goddamned teeth in." Xiaoyu remained silent, nervously wringing her hands together as she waited for the older boy to continue. He didn't, however, and just continued to stare up, his mind suddenly fixated on the photo in his backpocket again.

She looked away and finally replied with a disappointed, "Oh."

"'Oh' what?" he chuckled glancing over at the younger girl.

"Then it wasn't you."

"Wasn't me what--Wait, that email?" He frowned, "What did it say?"

"Don't worry about it."

Hwoarang sat up slowly, "Jesus, Ling, you know you can just tell me. I get enough of this cryptic shit from Julia--" He cut himself off then sighed heavily; his expression melted into hurt.

Xiaoyu looked towards the tiny television screen; the second round had started, and Steve was clearly dominating Lewis now.

"Can you keep a secret?" she asked quietly, gaze still fixated on the screen with mock interest.

"Yeah, I'm good at that." Hwoarang grinned wearily at the younger girl, despite that she refused to look over at him; Xiaoyu continued to wring her hands as she watched the ongoing bout. Outside, the sky darkened, and the last bit of morning sun was lost behind rain clouds that swept in from the east, and over the tinny whine of the little t.v., soft taps of rain on the window panes drummed.

She listened as the sound of the television was drowned out by the sudden downpour outside; Hwoarang found himself idly wondering if Julia was alright, and he looked over at the door as he waited for Xiaoyu to continue.

Finally, she began, "I...well, that email, it kinda alluded to that summer. I thought maybe Jin had said something to you about it, but...I guess not."

"What's the big deal?"

"The night before Jin went to Mexico, we...um..." Xiaoyu glanced over at Hwoarang, blushing from shame; her nails were digging into her lap and stretched the cotton of her shirt.

Hwoarang blinked and sat up slowly, "Ling, tell me you didn't." Xiaoyu nodded meekly and cringed as the older boy threw his hands up in disgust. "You fucked him, didn't you?"

"Well, that's not exactly how I was going to say that, but...uh, yeah, we slept together."

"Nice," Hwoarang mumbled. "Not that I can really hold that against you, but, holy shit. You and him, it's just--" He paused, and his frown deepened, "You do know he was probably using you, right?"

Xiaoyu nodded once, keeping her head down, "Yeah, I kinda got that vibe from him. I don't know exactly what was going between him and Julia, but he was upset about that." She smiled to herself, "I guess...I liked the attention. I hadn't ever had a boy pay that kind of attention to me. Even if he really wasn't thinking about me." She only looked up when she felt a hand on her shoulder, then when she looked into Hwoarang's eyes, she quickly averted her gaze downward to her hands again. The older boy then wrapped an arm around her and hugged her, patting her on the shoulder once. Xiaoyu rested her head on his chest, her shoulders hunching up as she started weeping quietly.

"There's no reason why you should be ashamed," he replied softly as he continued to cradle the younger girl.

"But I...I...wanted it to happened. I had for the longest. But then when he left, I felt--"

"--Terrible. Believe me, I know how that feels."

She looked up at Hwoarang and sniffed, "...Yeah."

The front door opened, and Hwoarang lifted his head. Julia stepped in holding a fast food bag; she was drenched just from the short jog from her car to the front door, however she managed to cover their food in her jean jacket and saved the paper sack from ripping. The older girl blinked, confused, as Xiaoyu pulled away from Hwoarang and cleared her throat.

Still facing forward, Julia reached behind her and closed the door, "So, did I miss anything from the fight? The radio konked out as soon as it started raining." She frowned and joined her guests on the floor.

"Eh, Fox knocked out Lewis for seven counts, and it's pretty much been Fox's match now," Hwoarang replied as he straightened up and leaned back against the couch; Julia nodded, her head down as she dug through the bag. She then handed Hwoarang and Xiaoyu a sweet roll each.

"I rather like Steve Fox," she commented as she pulled out a roll from the bag for herself. "He kinda reminds me of Jin."

Xiaoyu glanced over at Julia, "How weird. Why is that?" She took a bite out of her breakfast.

"I don't know," Julia smiled wearily. "It was just all those interviews before the match. He has Jin's demeanor. And the same intense look in his eyes."

"Yeah, except instead of being an asshole Japanese guy that hates everyone, he's a pasty white boy that boxes," Hwoarang mumbled half under his breath. "I'm really seeing the similarities."

Julia narrowed her eyes, "I'm going to tell you this again: you're an asshole."

"Thanks." He bit out of his roll, "Oh, and before you say anything else, yes I know. That's something Jin would had said."

"I wasn't even going to say anything," she hissed; Xiaoyu blinked and was silent as the exchange went on.

He chuckled, "Sure, of course not. You never talk anymore anyways."

"...Xiao, do you want something to drink?" Julia asked, ignoring Hwoarang's comment.

"Um, sure," the younger girl squeaked. Julia jumped up and stormed into the kitchen; Hwoarang glared over at where Julia had exited. From the kitchen, the sounds of cabinet doors being slammed and ice being thrown into glass clanked over the noise of the television. Xiaoyu looked over her shoulder then back at the older boy.

"So, that's what happened between the three of you, huh?" she said thoughfully.

"What?" Hwoarang lifted a brow. Xiaoyu shook her head ruefully and took another bite of her food.

*****

Round five, and Lewis held on desperately as Steve danced around him, poking with careful jabs. The blond showed no signs of slowing down. The three men and the woman were forgotten, and his thoughts stayed entirely on his opponent. He just needed one more knock-out to win by a TKO. However, he was stretching out this match as long as he could. Steve hit Lewis with another right jab then jumped back, bobbing up and down with his fists close to him as he waited for a retaliation.

Just a couple more punches could end it all, yet Steve hesitated. It would all be over, and he would be just plain old Steve Fox again, waiting on a plane to fly home and sleep. He would watch the footage of the fight and wouldn't believe that was him on television, then go and read a book. He would go back to being his boring self, then the cycle would start all over again in a few months. Training, fighting through the circuits, the possibility of not making it as far as he did this season. Steve pulled back as Lewis swung clumsily at him and missed. However, instead of fighting back right away, he went back to dodging and weaving to wear Lewis out more before deciding to make his final move. However, his mind went blank as he tried to think.

"The boy's useless now. We proved that we could isolate that gene and correct the defects like he asked, but what now?"

"Adoption."

"Heh, Steven's almost five now, and that arm is a mess. Who'll want him?"

"Who cares? We won't have to waste any more funding on this one."

He suddenly realized that the blonde woman was staring straight at him. Lewis hit Steve with a hard right in the jaw. The blond boxer staggered back, realizing that he had let his guard down. Quickly, he shook off the shock and recomposed himself before the other man could get anymore hits in.

"Concentrate!" he screamed at himself in his head as he went back to blocking and ducking.

Everything went silent, and he moved out of the way of each incoming attack. He wanted the bell to ring for the round to be over, though he wasn't worn yet. However, his concentration was waning.

Lewis' rhythm slowed tremendously from fatigue, and he dropped his guard just for a moment. But a moment was too long. Steve's mind snapped back into focus, allowing him to quickly exploit the small opening that Lewis had left. The blond pulled back his right arm.

The last punch felt so concised, so timed, and otherworldly. The blond could almost see himself slamming his fist into Lewis's jaw and his reaction of disbelief as the other boxer fell for one last time. His arm dropped to his side, and Steve relaxed.

His surroundings faded back; the sounds of fans cheering and booing filled his ears over the blaring ringing.

"Now what?" he mumbled to himself as he looked out into the crowd.

The three men and the woman were gone.

*****

Forest stood outside the pub on a payphone, Grant by his side arms crossed as he waited for Forest's call to go through.

The American shook his head, "Fuck, Dean's lines are tied up too. This isn't good."

Grant frowned, "Try Lex's cel phone. Someone from our unit has to be taking calls." He grabbed the sides of his head and squatted. "Christ, this can't be happening. This is the most important event of the year, and everything's a mess. I knew I shouldn't had--"

"--Shut up, Grant. I'm getting a ring tone," Forest snapped as he cradled the phone between his ear and shoulder to free his hands. He then dug into his back pocket, pulled out his wallet, and flipped it opened. "...Great, I got his voice mail." With an angry sigh, Forest hung up the phone, and his phone card popped out. He grabbed it and shoved it back into his wallet.

"What's going on? We shouldn't be having problems. All the bets are going accordingly," Grant whined as he straightened up. After Forest pulled his tabagan off his head as he walked away from the phone and back towards the bar. Grant jogged to catch up, "Hey, aren't you worried?"

"Of course I am," the other man sighed. "But, look, we can't really act like we are around Derrick. We'll worry after the fight is over. If anything, everyone's probably making sure Freedman didn't skip town."

"...I hope you're right."

Forest stopped at the door and fixed his hair in the glass, "I hope I am too." Having said that, he pulled open the door and held it open for Grant, who walked in, semi-composed.

"Do me a favor, Grant," Forest whispered as the other man passed him.

Grant stopped and looked over his shoulder, "What?"

"Go finish off that dimebag or something. Just anything. Your hands are shaking." Grant looked down.

Sure enough, his hands were trembling.

*****

He wasn't sure if whether or not he was enjoying himself, however Lee's hands dutifully wandered around Anna's body as he kissed her. Reluctantly, he was able to admit to himself he had missed doing this with anyone, not just Anna in particular. However, he was also very aware that he was probably going to hate himself later on.

Yes, but she started it, he reminded himself as his hand slid down to undo the front of her dukes, then underneath them and her panties. He shuddered as he felt his own pants unfastened and pulled down; a hand curled carefully around his erection.

"Shit, I can't do this," he said as he hastily pulled away and sat up on the couch. He kept his head down as he recomposed himself; his erection went limp immediately, and he readjusted his clothes and zipped up his fly. He looked up, and his eyes met Anna's; she looked dejected, and carefully straightened up as well.

Lee frowned, "I'm sorry, I just..."

"I know," she replied softly looking away at the door; Anna almost wanted to laugh when she realized that she had left the front door opened. However, her eyes teared up from embarrassment, and she glanced down. She looked up only when she felt Lee's hand on her shoulder, however she couldn't look at him and stared at the storm door again.

"I'll call you," he said before standing up to leave; his hand remained on her shoulder for a moment after he stood. The silverhaired man then turned and walked over to the door.

"Have a safe trip." Her gaze was still forward.

He nodded once sadly then exited.