My hand at a Tekken story. It ain't great. But I like it.

I don't own Tekken, but if I did... I probably wouldn't change much.

Read and Review....

Lili shivered as she stepped outside of the small ruined bar, and into the stormy night. A small party for the King of the Iron Fist Tournament combatants (hosted by the Mishima Zaibatsu of course) naturally erupted into a series of bar fights and broken limbs.

As much as she loved fighting, it was getting too uncivilized in there. She suspected Lei's drunken stumbling must have bumped Paul a few times too many, leading to an all out brawl.

Lili sighed, opening up her small white umbrella to shield her from the heavy rain. It was freezing outside to the point where her knees were shaking and her breath was clearly visible. The fact that she was in her usual small white dress wasn't helping either.

She lowered a shivering hand and dug into her purse for her phone.

Flipping it open, she quickly went from cold to angry. The battery was dead. "Ooohhhh now I have to take the bus!" She stomped her heeled foot into the sidewalk.

Luckily the hotel she was staying at was only a few blocks away.

The weather was still too bad to walk there though.

She quickly sprinted across the empty street, umbrella in hand and turned the corner, spotting the bus stop through the thick sheets of rain. Making a blind dash for it, she cried out in frustration upon discovering it wasn't a covered bench, nor was there a tree above to mitigate the rain.

There was however, a certain man dressed in a formal brown military suit sitting on the bench, as soaked as anyone could possibly be.

Lili quickly recognized him as Sergei Dragunov. The Russian SPETZNAS from the tournament.

Dragunov was a man who both frightened and interested the Monaco princess. His eyes were a rare shade of blue, looking almost completely clear. They held a look that was both cold and calculating, but yet at the same time managed look completely relaxed, even during a heated fight.

Lili was certain she'd never heard him speak. Not a single word. She couldn't help but wonder what his voice really sounded like.

On top of it all, the blond had to wonder if the man had an off switch for his military personality. Dragunov was always alert, standing rigid and inflexible, as if his superior officer was constantly regarding him. She couldn't help but wonder what he was like before his life in the armed services, or even if he ever relaxed when he was alone.

Lili ran up to the bus stop, and slowly approached the bench. She had no intention to sit, but was curious about it's occupant.

Dragunov recognized her and greeted her with a polite, but barely noticeable, nod of the head before resuming staring off blankly into the buildings on the other side of the street.

"Hey there Mr. Dragunov." Lili smiled, all feelings of cold discomfort forgotten and overwhelmed by interest.

"Aren't you cold?" She asked.

The man slightly shook his head negative, continuing to sit stoically.

Lili noticed him give a slight shiver, and giggled. His single bang was plastered pathetically to his face. She felt a little bad for him. Who knows how long he's been out here?

"Here." In an uncharacteristic act of kindness, she held out her umbrella. "It looks like you need this more than I do."

Dragunov turned to look at her. Eyes meeting, Lili couldn't help but feel a little intimidated. Despite him sitting and her standing, she still felt tiny compared to him. He had an aura about him that she couldn't describe. She was sure that she isn't the only one who noticed.

The Russian man raised a hand as if saying "No thank you," but his cold look softened a bit.

At least he doesn't see me as a threat... Lili thought.

"Are you sure? Well.. here.." Lili walked around the bench and stood next to him.

"At least now we can both get out of this run, huh?"

Dragunov looked up in surprise. Most people didn't extend this kindness to him. No one even got this close to him outside of a fight. He tentatively raised his hand and took hold of the umbrella, just over Lili's hand.

She girl 'eeeped' as he stood up and gently pried her hands from the umbrella.

Several moments passed, with him holding the umbrella for the both of them. With the pelting rain, it was anything but silent. Lili was thankful; if it were silent, she was certain the man beside her would hear her heart beating in her chest.

Suddenly, it was as if the world turned silent. Despite the rain, wind, and puddles splashing, Lili heard something that she never thought she'd hear from the Russian. The faintest of whispers...

"Thank you."

She looked up at him surprised. He still stared straight ahead, but there was something different about him.

His eyes were a little warmer. His posture was a little more relaxed.

Most of all, the tiniest smile could be seen at the edge of his mouth.

I guess tonight wasn't all that bad after all...