Description: For K' and Chun-Li, assistance can come from the strangest of places. Chun-Li, once thwarted by K' in her attempts to identify the Syndicate's leader, now finds him at her door offering her the information and the shot at the Syndicate she wants. And K'-- wounded from his fight with Yamazaki and bereft of his flames-- is forced to admit he needs help to recover his sister, and discovers Chun-Li willing to give aid.
It had not been difficult to go from a number to an address: merely the work of an intense and meticulous hour. Living with Whip had taught K' a lot of things, not least of which was getting in where he didn't belong and finding out a lot he wasn't supposed to know. Actually getting into the building was child's play, after that. Your average apartment building, even the most posh and fancy, wasn't usually built with assassin-proofing in mind.
K' had scaled to the third floor without much difficulty. The fire escape had helped, but it hadn't been all that'd got him up there: for the other thing about well-kept buildings is that all their ornamental projections haven't usually had time to weather away. Getting to the right front door was simple, after he was in. He just walked as if he belonged. Cocky confidence was far from being something difficult for him to affect.
No, the hard part is yet to come. He knows exactly when it'll be, and he's bracing for it. Stopping in front of the door, he shoves the slip of paper he'd written the address on back into a pocket of his jacket, runs a tired hand through his hair. With any luck she'll be in...
The young man looks terrible, to put it lightly. The past twenty-four hours have been hell on him, and he still smells of blood and way too much disinfectant from where he'd intervened to preserve Hotaru's life, not too long ago. He looks fine enough when standing still, but the way he walks instantly gives away the heavy injuries in his side. He hasn't got much more than an interrupted two hours of sleep, and he looks it. But most of all, he just looks harried and nervous.
Hissing in a breath past his teeth, he hits the doorbell. Now, that aforementioned hard part? It'll come when and if she opens the door.
While the past twenty-four hours have been unforgiving to the former NESTS agent, things have been relatively normal and sane for the World's Strongest Woman. The day came and went without any hitch, day became night and now Chun-Li has essentially begun to wind down for the evening. Warm dinner, a few shows and a fresh shower later, the woman is content with the idea that her night will soon draw to a close, and tomorrow another, fresh day will begin.
At least that was the PLAN.
Nestled on a cozy white leather sofa in front of her television with an apple in hand, she idly pays attention to the drama rerun airing on the screen. Instead, she pays more attention to a folded newspaper at her side, quietly reading it as she bites on occasion into the Granny Smith she's slowly but surely working on. It's comfortable and cozy, like the tank top and loose pants clinging to her hips.
Unbeknownst to the Chinese woman, an 'intruder' has begun the slow and delicate process of breaching her humble abode--well, sort of, anyway. So while she enjoys the high-quality dramatics of well-paid actors playing the part of crime scene investigators in their small, fictitious world, the rouge NESTS agent is scaling her apartment complex and sneaking inside. Fortunately, the hallways remain relatively empty and devoid of life at this time; most people have long-since begun winding down.
People like Chun-Li.
Stifling a yawn, the woman folds the newspaper once again and grips it, giving the article a sloppy toss toward the coffee table currently supporting the weight of her bare feet. Kicking off, she rises up and lets her body stretch out a bit before she wanders to the kitchen. Disposing of the apple core, a hand reaches up and absently goes for the light--and that's when the door's bell chimes.
A glance is spared to a wall clock. Guests at this hour?
Curious--if not a bit apprehensive and concerned--Chun-Li wanders to the door and gives it an open. Peeking beyond the two-inch wide crack in the door, an odd odor of blood and medicinal products hits her like a wall. Recoiling slightly, the Chinese woman's eyes peer closely at the person beyond.
And it earns the young man a really, REALLY confused look from the woman.
The door closes, the sound of locks moving out of their place before it opens wide, Chun-Li's dressed-down form standing beyond the threshold. There's an expression of hesitation and uncertainty on her soft face, almond-brown eyes giving K' a looking-over twice before her gaze fixes on the man's yellow eyes. For a moment, the World's Strongest Woman is silent. Then--
"You are the last person I would expect to see at my front door." She offers a lopsided smile.
"Er... Your boss didn't send you to finish the job, did he? If he did, do you think you could wait until after my show is over? I really don't want to miss it..." The door in her hand slides a tiny, almost unnoticeable fraction toward the frame.
"Your door was the last one I expected ever to be at," comes the swift, wry rejoinder. The young man's voice rasps in an ugly way, like one that's lately been strained beyond its customary use, and has yet to recover. "Not unless I -was- sent to kill you." He tries a step forward, but it aborts; his hand goes quickly to the wall. The scent of blood strengthens as he leans heavily forward, as if a wound had reopened. "And who'd send me to kill -anybody-, in this kinda condition? I'm trusting you not to kill ME."
He focuses, for a few moments, on his breathing. His eyes don't lift to hers, but the complete seriousness in his voice is clear. "I'm not here to kill you. Nobody but Hotaru Futaba even knows I'm here. I got kinda... a problem with the Syndicate now, so I figure that puts us on the same page. So: I tell you what you want to know, you fuck around with them a little so I can get back what I want..."
He trails off to catch his breath. Getting in might have been easy in that the way was clear and open for him, but it sure as hell wasn't easy in a mechanical sense, given his injuries. The bandages holding his in his blood-- and probably most of his organs in his belly-- aren't visible past his clothes, but it's pretty obvious -something- mauled him pretty good.
And the fact that even somebody like K' got mauled is probably a bad sign.
When he talks again, his voice is heavily sarcastic, a dry amusement in every syllable. "...fuck." He wasn't expecting the exertion of getting in here to be catching up with him so fast or hard. Blood loss is a bitch. "Let me in and I'll answer whatever you want. I'll even sit on a fuckin newspaper for you if you don't want me to mess up the damn floor."
The wry response draws a thin eyebrow upwards, her lips absently pursing as she just...well, observes the man. Not unless he was sent to kill her? The hand upon the edge of the door grips a little tightly, palm pushing against the heavy wood before she simply drops it to the brass knob below. Slowly her lips give way to the faintest of smiles, her head tilting discreetly to one side.
"Now why would I do something like that?" she asks, a touch amused. Hidden, however, is the faintest bit of concern. The stench of blood is a bit much, overpowering the sharp, pungent stench of medicinal chemicals that clings to leather. Exhaling softly, Chun-Li just shakes her head lightly, adding, "I really have no reason to kill you anyway, so--"
Revelation comes like a slap to the face. He knows Hotaru..? And, perhaps more importantly, he has a problem with the Syndicate..? Stunned, to say the least, Chun-Li stares with disbelief at K', lips slightly agape out of surprise. The last time they met outside of Saturday Night Fight he seemed contented with his lot. But now?
Giving her head a light, fleeting shake, the woman begins to speak, but again cuts herself short, little more than an airy breath slipping past her lips. His movements and the awful stench, obvious signs of injury...it's rather disheartening, to say the least. So much so the woman frowns lightly, a sympathetic expression haunting her soft features. Where once she seemed inclined to shut the door in K''s face, now the door opens just a tiny bit more...
"Don't worry about newspapers or information; just please, get inside and sit down anywhere," the woman states, stepping to one side and holding the door open. "I'm far more concerned with what on Earth is going on." Frowning sharply, Chun-Li cuts a look of scrutiny at the young man, eyes giving him another looking-over before she asks, perhaps bluntly:
"Why on Earth have you not gone to a hospital yet..? Are you even going to be /okay/??"
Why would I do something like that, she asks. "Cause it's probably something I would do," is the very honest reply. Probably the only redeeming feature of that reply is the fact that K' grins through it, albeit tiredly. If he's embarrassed or abashed at all by how suddenly he's interjected into Chun-Li's life-- and how he's no doubt just confused the hell out of her-- there's no indication of it on his features.
What she feels isn't really his concern right now. He has need of her. He will use her. It's as simple as that. He's been used all his life; and now, he doesn't know any better than to do the same to others. Perhaps one day, he'll be taught that such behavior isn't /right/.
For now? He just steps silently inside when bid, moving slowly and with a clear hitch in his steps. He heals fast, but Yamazaki isn't something you just walk off. "I don't have time to go to a hospital. This'll fix itself with a little rest, anyway, I wasn't made to break easy." Odd choice of words, that. And despite the fact she's told him he can sit anywhere, he still opts to avoid anything that'd get stained; he sits himself on the floor, and breathes out a long breath.
"You wanted to cause trouble for the Syndicate," he starts eventually, cutting to the chase. "I'm gonna give you a chance. My idiot sister got herself caught by them, and I need to get her out." Perhaps anticipating the inevitable question of why he doesn't just demand her release, he adds swiftly, "They don't know she's my sister. I want to keep it that way. But I know what they do to people like you and her, and I will not let it happen to her."
He pauses. "I'd be in better condition than this... but I just came from Hotaru's. You know her, don't you?" His voice goes wry again, as it always does right when he's about to say something terrible. Like, for example: "She was getting a visit from Yamazaki when I showed up."
"Well," Chun-Li is swift to reply. "Not everyone is you, are they?" The tired grin on K''s face is met with a little smile of her own, her expression harboring no ill will toward the young man and his (former?) associations with the Syndicate. Certainly his presence has drawn a bit of concern from the woman; after all, his former ties plus his condition has made for a rather awkward situation--likely for them both.
When the former assassin makes his way past the threshold the Chinese woman goes to shut the door--but not without briefly peeking into the hallway, a cursory and cautious measure before she shuts it fully and slides the lock into place. A hand rests flat against the door, eyes drawn to her feet before she exhales deeply.
"That may be the case," the World's Strongest Woman replies, finally turning to face the rogue NESTS agent with a small, uncertain smile. "But you're still just as human as the rest of us, you know. You can't really accomplish much if you're not in one-hundred percept top shape." A briefly confused look crosses her features as he takes a seat on the floor.
...interesting choice.
Folding her arms, the woman's back leans against the door, her form propped up as she listens to him speak. Closely and carefully she hears him out, nodding her head absently before brown eyes draw to a close. So family got involved..?
"Let me first start out by saying it wasn't really wanting to cause trouble for the Syndicate so much as I wanted to ferret out its elusive and 'mysterious' man in change. Or woman; whichever." An eye opens, fixed on the floor-bound man before she sports a tiny smile. "The only real way I knew how was to shake things up a bit, perhaps." None of her efforts have paid off, sadly. That remains her secret.
Drawing a breath in, Chun-Li's arms drop, looping behind her back as she lightly pushes off the door with her shoulders and paces a few steps forward. "As for the rest...well." She paces forward a few more steps, pausing a foot and change in front of the yellow-eyed man before kneeling. "I don't understand. Are you asking me to save her for you? What do you plan on /doing/?"
His pause is met with an odd look, and the words that follow draw her utmost attention. Blinking as he makes his confession, she offers a light nod. "Yes, I do. Why--?" And then the awful truth is brought to light: Ryuji Yamazaki.
Soft features flush almost instantly, her jaw setting tightly and her eyes cold and unforgiving as she just stares at K'--rather, right THROUGH him. Her thoughts race a mile a minute, mulling over every possibility and reason before she shakes her head grimly, eyes drawing to a painful close as she murmurs, "Miss Futaba is all right, isn't she?"
Because if she wasn't, would K' really be that bad off..?
"No choice," K' grunts in reply, as he eases himself into a more comfortable position and rests his head in a hand. He's quickly breaking down from lack of blood and rest. "I have no time. And I'm -not- as human as the rest of you. I wasn't made," he repeats, now holding his head in both hands as the totality of his existence as an experiment comes crashing back into his recollection, "to be like you." No, even though he wishes he was-- even though he claims he is-- he knows, in the end, he's just not perfectly human.
But as Chun-Li clarifies what it was her intent to achieve, K' lifts his head to look at her. He shakes it, slowly, with a sigh. "He wouldn't come out. Not for all the trouble you could cause. He has too much to lose."
He stiffens a little as Chun-Li comes closer. And when she kneels in front of him, speaking in those warm, kind tones he's so unaccustomed to, the young man actually shies back infinitesimally, pulling away as if nervous of the closeness. The movement is reminiscent of a dog that has been struck one too many times, and now expects every forward advance to herald a kick.
But his reply, when it comes, is anything but shrinking. "No! Not to save her for me. I won't sit and wait. But now..." This is extraordinarily hard for him to admit. Especially to a relative stranger like Chun-Li. He lapses into pained silence, and it is a long time before he finishes. It's only through thinking of Whip that he can get through the words, though his pride is falling to pieces throughout. "...the way I am now, I can't do it alone."
He doesn't just mean the physical wounds, either. Though he does not yet reveal that he has lost command of his flames.
It's also implied by his actions, though it goes unsaid, that he could honestly think of no one strong enough-- no one actively opposed enough to the Syndicate-- to come to: except Chun-Li. Which begs the question of why he didn't ask Hotaru. That question, however, is soon enough answered with one name. Yamazaki. He knows she knows it the instant her expression changes.
She's all right, isn't she? K' doesn't answer the question right away. His yellow eyes slowly avert, settling on the far wall. "No. A lot of this blood is hers. I fought him. I did what I could for her. Then I left her in the care of the hospital." His eyes slowly shut, as if thinking about it gives him a headache. "I killed him. I did my best to."
He's shivering, just a little bit. He's a wreck, and if there were any more blood available to his brain to feed his mind beyond utter essentials, he'd be horrified at how he's letting himself be seen: even by somebody as kind as Chun-Li. He never wanted to look so weak and desperate. "I need my sister back. And I'll give you the name you want, to get her back."
Not as human..?
The response draws a bemused look over Chun-Li's soft features, brown eyes clearly curious and uncertain at what precisely his words mean. She mulls briefly, her gaze averting to one side as she lingers. He wasn't made to be like her. Then...what was he made to be, precisely?
Her head shakes once, eyes drawing closed before the woman merely sighs. Where once her lips were pulled in a thoughtful line over her face, now she smiles as she's wont to do, a sincere and genuine display even as K' rests his head in his hands. Crouched before him, she seems to hardly heed his personal space in that moment, as a finger reaches out and lightly pokes the center of K''s forehead the moment he looks back up. The finger withdraws fast enough; she wouldn't want to really provoke him, after all. Immediately her arms fold over her crooked knees.
"You seem just as human as I do, you know," she quietly explains. "What kind of 'not as human' would be this worried about someone? Or even the capacity to /have/ someone near and dear to them?" Glancing aside, Chun-Li considers her words for a moment, lightly gnawing at her lip before she looks back and smiles sincerely.
"Don't write yourself off so easily."
As for the mysterious Syndicate leader, Chun-Li nods her head soberly, a quiet sigh slipping past her lips. She knows he won't come out if she barks around the tree. She's come to accept this fact. Even harassing his lieutenants have yielded nothing; his men are far too loyal. It almost seems like a lost cause...
Almost.
Blinking slowly, the World's Strongest Woman regards K' thoughtfully before--slowly--her head leans to one side. "I don't understand," she admits, the tiniest hints of a frown on her lips. "You don't want the Syndicate to know she's your sister, but you want to save a woman you want them to believe a random stranger?" Glancing toward the yellow-eyed man, she continues to look perplexed. "And what of the repercussions of /your/ actions in all of this..?"
But the truth of Hotaru's well-being...sobers her up considerably. Chun-Li's gaze wanders, eyeing the stains still haunting his being from nearly head to toe before she lifts her attentions back onto K' directly. His words are of some comfort; if she's at the hospital, things may very well be all right. She knows that girl is a lot tougher than she looks.
But she also knows--personally--how deadly the Orochi-blooded mercenary is.
A hand lifts, resting assuredly on the young man's shoulder, whether he abhors the contact or not. For all that's been confessed, Chun-Li offers a gentle, albeit weak, smile in response. "Right now," she explains calmly, "you need to let your body rest." Fingers curl lightly, giving the shoulder a light squeeze before she retreats her hand, her body slowly rising from the crouch.
"And right now, you don't need to worry about details or bargaining. I'm not some heartless Syndicate lieutenant or a sellout to the highest bidder." Smiling down upon the former assassin, she offers a hand. "Right now, I see a young man who has done more than his fair share of proving he's not the cold-hearted bastard he wants people to /believe/ he is. Right now I see a human being...
"Who needs to rest."
The hand remains as she lightly chides.
"There's nothing we can do if you're like this. The Syndicate's top men are formidable- -even I have trouble with them. If you're in this state, I cannot focus and fight to the best of my capacity." Pausing, she winks lightly, adding, "I'd be too worried about you, you know."
K' doesn't have the presence of mind to answer the curiosity that clearly crosses Chun-Li's expression at his words. It was uncharacteristic enough for him to speak them at all, the mantra usually little more than an internalized sort of self-castigation, but injury and exhaustion alike are taking their toll on his rationality and restraint. And Chun-Li is so easy to trust...
"I didn't think," he admits, when she points out the flaws in his reasoning, "so far ahead. I just need her back. By any means. I knew that if he found out she's my sister, he'd use that against us... so I didn't want him to..." He won't put Whip in additional danger just on his account. He's certain the likes of Geese or his subordinates would have little problems hurting her just to get at him.
The word 'repercussions,' however, rouses him out of some of his daze. His yellow eyes sharpen slightly, some semblance of cognizance returning. "I don't give a fuck what he does to me, as long as I get her back. I'll run if I have to. I'm used to it. I've run from NESTS over a year. What's one more criminal syndicate."
But that momentary resurgence of will doesn't last long. It drains out of him again long before the woman lays a hand on him, which is probably why he doesn't shrug it off. The thought of lying still and resting while God knows what is happening to Whip is abhorrent, but K' is already beginning to register, in a hazy sort of way, just how fucked up he is. So fucked up that he let his usual masks fall. He's already starting to feel the acute shame and anger of having shown others any sort of weakness-- of having sought help from others in the first place. He'd always wanted to believe that he was enough to handle everything. That he alone was all he would ever need.
He's just now starting to learn how untrue that is. And it's fortunate he's too tired to think too hard about it right now-- or, for that matter, to think too hard about Chun-Li actually being -worried- about him: a shocking statement if ever there was one. He just lets his head dip wearily. "Then let me rest here," he finally gives up. "Just for a little while."
But his tongue and his pride are still sharp. He isn't entirely insensate quite yet; he heard Chun-Li's gentle words, and he has an answer for them. "I haven't proved shit yet," he cautions, quietly but resolutely, even as his eyes half-lid. "You don't know what I'm really like." And from his tone, he seems to believe that the reality of him is something ugly.
He needs her back, he pleads. By any means necessary.
A frown briefly graces Chun-Li's lips, brown eyes hooding discreetly as she looks upon the wounded man before her. Obviously, whoever this young woman is she means a lot to him--so much so he'd dare bite the hand that feeds him, as it were. He would risk his very being to pluck her from the grip of the Syndicate. It's admirable yes, but...
"It's foolish," the woman softly replies. But she swiftly amends.
"To not think ahead. You have to consider the repercussions, if not for yourself, than for your sister." A light breath slips past the woman's lips, shoulders lightly sagging as her lips pull into a soft, lighthearted smile. "For one thing, if the Syndicate wants to hurt you, I suspect they will go after your sister, not you directly." They're dirty like that, after all.
"I'll do what I can to help you out, K'," she offers, perhaps reassuringly. "As much as I hate to admit it, this gives me a chance to strike good at the Syndicate, while helping you as well. But, mind you, I do not see it as that sort of opportunity. My priorities are more vested in helping you get an innocent person back from the Syndicate's clutches." While from most it would perhaps be a bold-faced lie, the kindly and sincere look on the Chinese woman's soft face is genuine. She means every word.
At his cautions, Chun-Li offers a lopsided grin. "Oh, I think you've proven enough," she replies, letting her arms stretch high overhead before she offers a hand out to the rouge NESTS assassin. "But no sense in pressing matters. Come on, let us get you up so you can rest someplace a bit more comfortable." Pausing, the woman tips her head to the bedroom.
"You can sleep on my bed tonight. With your apparently condition, you need all the rest and relaxation you can get." Pausing briefly, she smiles broadly and adds for clarification, "I'll stay on the couch--and don't you insist otherwise, okay? My apartment, my rules!"
K' is silent. He has no real rebuttal for her insistence that his lack of forethought is foolish. Thinking ahead had never been his strong suit. It's already impressive enough he's managed to learn to plot in combat, planning several steps ahead when fighting; to expect him to learn prudence in emotional matters as well is to ask too much of a mind that still only bears three years of experience with the world.
But at the suggestion the Syndicate would go after Whip, K' reacts suddenly; trying to force himself back to a stand. "She'll be killed -now- if I don't go for her. She--" His body finally gives out. Sagging back to the floor, one hand bracing him upright, he hisses out a breath: palpably hating himself for his perceived weakness.
He doesn't interrupt further as Chun-Li explains she will help him. It -is- reassuring to hear. To have help would be invaluable now, while he lacks so much of his strength. "Come with me then," he grinds out, unable to look at her while he asks. His eyes stay on the floor as he finds himself forced to let his pride fall under the wheel for his sister's sake. "Who knows?" A sardonic laugh just barely makes it past his teeth. "You might walk out with some Syndicate boss in custody..."
It's pretty clear he still thinks he has to bargain in order to get anything good out of others; his ability to trust the kindness in her face is only able to go so far. And that matter-of-fact cynicism shows exactly what the people who've surrounded him all his short life have been like.
It's Chun-Li's final offer, however, which starts to hits home the truth that people -can- be kind solely for the sake of kindness. K' finally looks up at her eyes at the words, completely confused by her continued kindness. He moves-- slowly, at first, in the manner of an animal that finally trusts an outstretched hand enough to lean into it-- and pulls himself back to a stand. He doesn't try to argue.
"I... I'll make sure you get something out of this," he repeats, a little lamely, as if still unable to trust that altruism exists. After all, if it were -him-, he'd want something in return for his effort.
"We /will/ get your sister back, do not worry," the World's Strongest Woman firmly assures, a hand reaching out and gently pressing to his shoulder, silently demand he stay put for now. Almond-brown eyes narrow gently, her soft jaw setting a little as she regards the wounded man on her apartment floor. "I don't know how exactly, but we will think of something. I cannot promise, though, that the results will be to anyone's liking, however..."
Her eyes drift, peering off to the side as she considers her thoughts briefly. Her thin lips softly purse, brows lightly knit before her brown eyes draw to a gentle close. She nods softly.
"We will see to it that everyone gets out of this in one piece. I won't have it any other way." The woman smiles once again.
But as the rouge NESTS assassin mentions coming out of this all with something, the woman shakes her head softly, her smile fading just a touch. "The important part is getting your sister back from the Syndicate. I am not concerned about how /I/ wind up after all of this, so long as everyone who deserves it comes out happy and safe."
Again, her gaze drift, instead peering at the ceiling before she looks back onto K' with an impish smile.
"But, hey. If a few goons get arrested and apprehended along the way, I can't complain!"
Her hand offered, the man reluctantly takes it; this very gesture earns him a sincere smile from Chun-Li, her soft gaze meeting his before she gently shrugs. "No need to worry about it," she offers softly, offering a shoulder before carefully guiding him toward the adjacent bedroom.
"If anything, I want you to rest up so you can fight to your fullest. I will go with you and I will help you, but even I need all the help I can get." She chuckles lightly thereafter, eyes drawing shut as she shuffles along, pausing only at the threshold of the bedroom. "But I'm sure you don't need /me/ to tell you that, do you?
"In any case, the bathroom is yours if you need to clean up your wounds. Please; my home is your home, so don't be shy." Grinning broadly, the Chinese woman adds with a soft laugh, "Besides, it's not every day I get company."
Log created on 23:49:46 10/02/2008 by K', and last modified on 13:47:35 10/08/2008.