Tekken5:DRfic

-insert disclaimer-

Enjoy. Another piece based on a real experience.

Try to Fly

True strength is being able to hold it all together when everyone else expects you to fall apart.

Hwoarang loved teasing her. And when he teased her, she got worse and worse. Each time he teased her, she got closer and closer to breaking down. Was it her fault she wasn't good at dancing? She isn't as skilled as Christie and she isn't as composed as Lili was. She's only Asuka. All brawl. "Asuka plus dancing equals a total disaster." That quote was etched in her little heart. She could never forget that quote because it was the very first thing that Hwoarang told her when they first became dance partners.

Asuka tried desperately to get the steps right. Even if it cost her her recess and lunch time. She was eager to impress her dance partner and twist every snide remark he makes when they dance. She wanted everything to be precise. Perfect. Flawless. She wanted to much to bend Hwoarang's point of view about her dancing. She wanted him to know that she wasn't all brawl and that she could dance like all the other girls.

She wanted it so much that it broke her heart.

But in the end, she would fail. He would give her a left-sided remark and tell her what a disaster she is. Heck, he even had enough guts to tell her that he'd rather dance with Xiaoyu than with her.

And it goes again. The never-ending cycle. She strives to reach perfection. She fails. He speaks. And so on...

In the end... In the end of all her practices and sessions, she knew that she was going to fail again.

When she dances with Hwoarang, she'll fail. He'll laugh at her.

It vexed him. From his point of view, Asuka was perfect. He sees the grace in her every twirl. Each spin. From his point of view, he sees perfection. He sees her wings.

Of course she couldn't see what he saw because she's too blinded by Hwoarang's crap comments. All she sees are mistakes. She was completely convinced that she was wrong.

Steve wanted to prove her wrong.

This time, she would do it right. She will do it right. When she and Hwoarang were face-to-face again, Asuka wanted to wipe that stupid smirk on his face and finally prove to him that she can dance.

She fumbles and trips.

She loses control.

The beat wasn't there anymore.

The rhythm was gone.

She struggles to get back and start all over again.

She'll show him. She had to. That thirst to prove herself to Hwoarang pushed her to dance. It forced her to move.

But no matter how much she tried to succeed, she would fail. Just like now.

"Lost the beat of your drum, Asuka?" Hwoarang asked her, snide and spite leaking off his voice. Asuka failed, again.

She sacrificed her time for herself just to dance. Just to dance. She failed. Failed again. Again and again and again.

In the wee hours before class, Asuka would lock the classroom door and dance.

"Hey there, Aka," Steve said. She spun and saw her charming British classmate seated at the teacher's table.

"Steve... Why are you here?" she asked him. He got off the table and approached her.

"I'll be your dance partner this morning."

"Dance partner?" she repeated. "Wait... How did you know that I... dance every morning?"

He chuckled. "Aka, I watch you every morning. That's why today, I wanna dance with you to prove that you aren't wrong at all."

Asuka had something to prove. And so did Steve.

"Come on," he said, holding out his hand to her. "Let's try to fly."

Her wings... Why did she refuse to use her wings?

Better yet, why did she refuse to see her wings?

Who knew that underneath her brash exterior, Asuka had a soft and sweet side? She stepped on Steve's foot a few times as they practiced. She looked at him apologetically, bowing down repeatedly. It was a Japanese culture, Steve thought. Asuka looked like a innocent little girl who stepped on a stranger. Which he was. Which he is.

Asuka neede to defend herself. Not only herself, but the people around her as well. It's because her arrogant front is her shield from the world.

It was her shield. Her arrogance as tough as tempered glass and newly-heated steel. A simple defense mechanism that activates automatically when she senses danger, and when there are things that pose threats to her.

But Hwoarang... It was like his words were poison daggers that busted her shield. She does her best to fix and mend her shield back to 100 percent... But his bitter comments seeped into every crack of her shield. His venomous remarks penetrated deep into her shield and got into her system.

Hwoarang managed to cut through her shield. The toxic poison reached her core.

"There you go, Aka," Steve said as the two of them did the dance's final pose. Their dance ended perfectly.

"I... I did it..." Asuka said, still in disbelief. "I DID IT!"

"It looks like you're ready for the presentation tomorrow. I wish you luck, Aka."

"Steve, wait a sec," she called him. He was halfway out of the classroom. He paused.

"Why do you call me Aka?"

"Aka... It means red in Japanese, right? And red is beautiful... Like fire... Like power. For me, though. For me, Asuka is beautiful like red."

"Steve..."

He turned to face her. "Do your best, Aka. I'll be watching you fly tomorrow."

And with that, he left her.

And the day of the dance presentation came. This time, Asuka will succeed. She can't fail now.

She and Hwoarang were face-to-face for the last time. "Ready to dance, Miss Metaltoes?" he sneered at her.

"You'll see. You'll never insult me again. EVER." she said, grinning wickedly.

"I'll dance just like how Steve danced with me..."

This time, she will fly.

"Come on," Steve said, holding out his hand to her. "Let's try to fly."

The crowd goes wild. Finally, she did it.

"You're right, Asuka," Hwoarang said, smirking. "I can never insult you again after that performance."

No more venom in his voice.

At long last, she finally proved herself. She didn't have to listen to Hwoarang's let-down testimonies. All she needed to do is to believe.

She couldn't have done it without Steve.

"Hey there, Aka," Steve said, grinning at Asuka. She just got out of the auditorium. "You did great."

"I was flying, Steve," she said. "I was flying... with you. You taught me!"

"But Aka... You had your wings all along. You were just afraid to unfurl it."

And in the end... In the very end, Asuka finally got it right. She finally succeeded.

She succeeded. She learned how to fly.

End