Author's Notes: I actually made a somewhat fast update on this. What are the odds?! I was going to update two chapters, but this one is kind of long, so I figured people wouldn’t like it if I did. I’ll probably come back and update tomorrow, anyway. I’m really trying to finish a lot of these fics before the T5 tsunami hits, LOL. I apologize prior for any spelling errors, etc... with this chapter being longer than some of the others, I was lazy and didn’t read over it as much...
In the Shadows
Chapter 3 - Reflections of the Past
Lei stood blankly for a few moments, just staring at mirror house before him. However, there was bright yellow tape around it, saying ‘under construction, do not enter.’
Fuck it.
Lei was entering.
He took off running forwards in a rushed saunter of hastily taken steps, and when he reached the warning, yellow tape surrounding the mirror house, jumped right over it. Lei then slowed down when reaching the hollowed entrance, once again raising his gun. There were only a few, exact places where Fury could be shot and actually have an effect. The majority of his body was shielded right beneath the skin by a very thin, yet enhanced layer of near to impenetrable metal.
Almost no light whatsoever was present at all within the mirror house’s confines. The few lights that were on were neon violet, giving everything a certain glowing effect. In the many mirrors that were abruptly on every side of Lei, he could see the reflection of his dark, purple pants and navy blue shirt shining as if with luminous radiation, his hair also glinting brightly where the light was hitting it.
Wulong stepped further still through what seemed like an endless maze, taking quiet and steady steps.
“Lei...”
Lei heard the whisper of his name, as his breathing involuntarily picked up. The paths before him split three ways at this point. He swore the whisper had come from his right, so right he went.
The steady steps continued down a rather short path, until the detective reached what seemed to be the center of the house. Several more steps, and he was in a large square, bordered by endless mirrors.
Lei heard a dark laugh and turned holding his gun high, then hearing a noise from behind before jumping to turn around again.
“I know you’re in here, Fury. Now show yourself, you fucking coward.”
“Coward, am I?”
The raven-haired fighter gasped in startle.
Bryan Fury.
But in so many reflections.
Lei made rapid turns as he moved from side to side. The dark laugh was heard still more, and Lei found himself taking an educated guess as his gun fired...
Glass shattered, exploding in every which direction in a spurt of ongoing glass shards.
“Fuck!” Lei exclaimed at the exact same moment he was pulled to the side from behind. Everything happened so fast, as Lei felt himself lose his footing right before crashing to the ground.
His breathing was rapidly taken in spontaneous breaths. He looked up, and could see where his gun had skidded to land only a foot or so in front of him. Lei reached his right-arm forwards, but soon let out a squint of pain when his hand was harshly stepped on.
Lei looked up, facing the man above him beneath the gaps of his cascading raven tendrils.
“Congratulations, Wulong Lei. You found Bryan Fury,” the taller man laughed darkly, whipping a large razorblade knife out from inside of the long trench coat he wore. The neon lights in the mirror house showed the blood covering the knife all too clearly in a freak fest of glowing cerise, showing in endless reflections all around.
“If you’re going to kill me, just do it... Spare me your fucking shit lecture...” Lei murmured, facing Bryan through one of the mirrors.
“Why Lei, if I wanted you dead, I would have let the glass impale you just then,” Bryan casually stated, bending forwards to pick up Lei’s fallen gun in hand before tucking it into one of his interior coat pockets. “I could have killed you many times. I’ve been watching you, my little Lei. Watching you for quite some time.”
“You don’t think I know that?” Lei remarked. “I elucidated this sick game of yours sometime ago, but I’m not playing it. All these lives, Fury, and yet you still don’t have one of your own. You’re a lifeless bastard both literally, and figuratively speaking.”
Bryan kicked Lei in the stomach, causing the fallen fighter to gag viciously. Specks of blood flew from Lei’s mouth upon impact of Fury’s ferocious hit.
“You little bitch. Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?”
Lei continued to wince in pain, holding his stomach in a tight grasp as blood drained in a small trail from the corner of his mouth.
“You’re so fucking stupid,” Bryan said in a loathing manner. “Just like you were all those years ago. Always had to be number one, eh Lei? Always had to have all the credit. That’s all that matters, right? You were so worried... so worried that I’d take just one piece of that precious limelight of yours. Is that why you saved me, Lei? Saved my life only to demolish it?”
“No...” Lei whispered, pain still in his voice. “You were my partner,” he tried to say louder, but then coughed yet again. “It wasn’t my fault. How many times will I have to tell you this? The gangs were about to fire at you. They were vital enemies and angry that you had crossed them only to save time in dealing your drugs. I wasn’t trying to end your life, Bryan... I was trying to save it...”
“You little shit. If you knew this before it even took place, then why didn’t you bother filling me in on it, huh?” Bryan smirked with anger.
“Be-because I was angry... You were my partner on my police force, yet you were dealing drugs, damnit. How was I supposed to react?”
“Answer the fucking question, Wulong,” Bryan growled, razing his razorblade higher in the air. “You wanted the credit.”
“I—”
“ANSWER ME!”
“Yes! I... I wanted the credit... But I didn’t want your death...” Lei murmured, before looking up to face Bryan directly, rather than through the mirror in front of him. “Yet you died, and to this day, you still remain dead to me...”
“But I am not. I may have an engineered heart running this body of mine, but I assure you everything else including my mind is just the same as it was,” he spat. “I am quite alive, and feeling better than ever.”
“You can’t be human without a heart, you sick bastard,” Lei growled, knowing he was more than likely asking for his own death at this moment. “Maybe that’s why you have no emotions.”
“Hate is an emotion,” Bryan growled in retort. “Or if you wish, you can look upon me as death itself, for that’s what I’m here to give.”
“You’re sick...” Lei whispered, struggling to raise his body up.
“Don’t even think about making one move, or I assure you it will be your last.”
“You think I care if I live or die, Fury?”
“No, but I think you’d care about those little friends of yours out there,” Bryan snickered, waving his long knife around in a few slicing motions.
“Gods I hate you...” Lei stated in a whisper.
Bryan’s grin faded, as he stared down at Lei’s form. “Even if I now have no conscious. No emotional feelings. I can still remember what it was like to feel them. It was my thirst for revenge which led me to a life serving the Interpol.”
“You wanted to kill...” murmured Lei. “That is not the right reason to become a detective... It is not about ending lives, but saving them...”
“That’s where you’re wrong, dear Lei. It’s about giving people what they deserve.”
“You slaughter innocent people every day now. What do you think you deserve for that?” Lei angrily criticized.
“Maybe a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records?” Fury mockingly spoke, with that same hint of derision a brew. “Unless you want some form of credit for it.”
“Just kill me already. I’m tired of hearing your sick words.”
Bryan laughed in his naturally low voice, lowering his stance to a kneel. Fury grasped Lei at the throat, raising his upper body off of the hard floor until held at face level.
“As I previously spoke, if I wanted you dead, I would’ve let the glass impale you.”
“That’s only because you want me to die by your hands...” Lei struggled to emit.
“I would’ve done that earlier, too.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” Lei whispered.
“I wish to stretch your death out over time, just like my own...”
Lei’s eyes involuntarily closed as Bryan’s lips met his own. Time itself seemed to take a pause, freezing this moment as if it were a gap there to be stilled, and yet extended at the same time. However, the American’s tongue soon plunged into Lei’s mouth in a rapid motion, and it was this that helped the long-haired fighter to snap back into reality...
He began to struggle with all of his might to end this right now, but Bryan’s grasp on his throat was so tightly inflicted that the detective couldn’t even aim to attempt in closing his mouth. He could taste the cigarettes, the alcohol.
The blood.
The death.
In just the prime timing, Lei’s right-leg shot forwards, knocking Bryan smack dab in the center of his torso. Bryan released Lei as he groaned in reaction to the hit, giving Lei all the opportunity he needed to fully stand. Once accomplishing this, however, Wulong found it wasn’t so simple. That one hit Bryan had earlier presented him with was still taking its toll, and Lei could already tell just from the feel of things that his ribs were bruising.
No matter, though. Lei stood, and took off. Thankfully, his memory was still fresh enough to enable his remembrance of the proper way out of this square of reflectional nightmares. Without that remembrance, you would naturally not have a very good chance of picking a right exit out of here on the first try, or even run right into a mirror. That’s all there was. Mirrors. One after the other. Everywhere.
Lei turned the first corner and proceeded to speed off, yet something already wasn’t quite right here... The paths. They seemed... different than they had been earlier... But how was this possible? Oh well for now... Since staying in one place long enough to even so much as attempt in the configuration of this sudden mystery was not exactly an open option. Without a second ponder on this issue, the Chinese once more took off in a saunter of swift steps. Even a fast-paced jog wasn’t open for consideration here. One wrongly taken step, and rather than going right around a mirror, you would go right into one...
The detective continued his quest to hopefully find the right set of paths to lead him out of this horrific place, but once again, it still wasn’t so simple. Lei turned one sharp corner after the other, and every new path was, in lamen, a mirror image of the one before.
Wulong hated this place.
“You know Wulong, in most cases, this is where the bad guy always says you can run, but you can’t hide...”
Lei jumped, and as before, began turning in rapid motions.
Bryan’s reflection appeared just as it had earlier; in numerous and seemingly incessant mirrors.
“But in my case, it’s different...” Fury darkly laughed. “You can’t hide, but you can’t run, either.”
For Lei, it was as if Fury was coming at him from every direction. The kick-boxer’s reflection began growing in the endless mirrors, which was a definite signal that Fury was heading right for him.
Focus, Wulong. Just focus... Lei thought to himself, standing still as he gave an exhale of meditation. Without so much as the slightest turn, Lei’s left-leg went flying outwards and back slightly, before a groan followed by a loud crash was heard. Bryan didn’t hit the wall of mirrors behind him too hard, but it was still rather surprising to him. He’d never expected Lei to be capable of getting in a hit like this in the first place.
Lei’s right-fist shot forwards as he turned in a swift movement, which unfortunately enough for the detective, Bryan caught the arm of on the first try. Wulong followed by attempting to deliver a firm punch to Fury’s face with his left-fist, but then Bryan used his right-hand to catch Lei’s left-arm as well.
Bryan turned, and slammed Lei hard enough against the mirrored wall to cause crack upon crack to surface about the reflecting layer of glass. Lei tried to break free, but Bryan had either of his wrists pinned above his head in a painful and twisting hold.
“Did you seriously think you could escape me?” Bryan smirked in his derisive voice.
“It seems to be you who can’t escape thoughts of me.”
“You’ve always been such a smart-alecky bitch,” Bryan spat, hearing the glass crack more when he pushed Lei even harder against it.
Lei didn’t want to allow Fury the pleasure of seeing the fear in his eyes, yet it was there. Fury was right. If he had wanted to kill him, he would have done so already. Hell, he’d had years. This is what Lei feared. The reasoning behind this motive.
Bryan knew it was time to stop fooling around, and get down to business. He couldn’t risk a reoccurrence of what had just happened when Lei managed to get away from him the first time.
Fury lowered his right-hand, able to easily hold both of Lei’s arms in place with only one of his. Bryan’s grin resurfaced as if it had never left, while his hand ran its way down Lei’s left-arm until it reached the side of the detective’s face.
“I hate you,” Lei whispered.
“Good,” Bryan said upon lowering the level of his voice, nearing his lips to Lei’s ear, “Say it again.”
When Lei felt Fury’s lick upon his ear, his knees nearly gave way to the point where it felt like Bryan’s hold was the only thing keeping his body at a ninety degree angle.
“Stop it, damnit!” Lei verbally exploded, once again starting to struggle more intensely.
“The memories are coming back now,” Bryan continued in a lowered voice. “How everyone just wanted to know you. Everyone wanted to be you. I wanted to have you.”
“Stop it!”
“And then it happened, that night following the one where I nearly lost my life for the first time. We took the meaning of being partners to whole new level.”
“I said stop it!!!”
“I know why you hate to be reminded of us being partners in the past so much, for this is what you think of, and yet no one but the two of us ever knew.”
“Please...” Lei whispered, “I don’t want...”
“Don’t want to remember?” Bryan finished off. “Though I suppose being so much less of importance myself when compared to you, that would be rather easy, huh?” he sarcastically spoke in a harsh voice. Directly after these words were spoken, Bryan’s free arm encircled its way around Lei’s waist as the detective was flung down to the ground. Fury followed right there with him.
What was Lei supposed to do, now? Continue to struggle like a worm on a hook? Plead for Fury to kill him? Not kill him? Fuck him? Not fuck him? Did it matter? For no matter what Lei did, Bryan would be amused, and it was this that angered Lei to such levels he couldn’t describe.
“I awoke feeling as if my memories from years ago had happened yesterday, you little bitch,” Bryan spoke as he held Lei to the floor. “How could I forget anything?”
“I...”
“It still feels like it was just yesterday. All of it. I may no longer be Detective Fury of the International Police Organization or the Hong Kong International Police Force, but that’s one thing I can be grateful for. Now it’s you who’ll be taking orders from me, Wulong Lei,” Fury clarified.
“I will do nothing of the such,” Lei retorted while looking back into Bryan’s icy stare.
“Just like everyone else, I always thought you were so beautiful,” Bryan whispered, tracing the side of Lei’s face with his hand. “And I still do. You may have continued to age during my absence, but you still manage to captivate me just as before with your elegance. It gives me such a feeling of unrelenting power to know I could crush something so frail using no strength at all.”
Lei turned his head to the side, not saying a single word.
Bryan growled, grasping Lei’s face just below the chin. “You’re going to look at me. Don’t you dare look away again.” Directly after this order, Bryan’s left-had reached downwards to right-hand side of his own, navy pants, before returning to Lei’s view holding that damned razorblade knife yet again. “Or else...” the American warned. “Don’t think for a fucking second that I won’t do it.”
Fury elicited another growl of anger at the expression painted across the other fighter’s face. It wasn’t of fear just yet, but Bryan was determined to make him show it. Holding the blood-covered knife, Bryan’s hand lowered inch by inch, until its tip rested against the top of Lei’s chest, just above the heart. Bryan could automatically tell Lei’s breathing was beginning to pick up, but this still wasn’t near enough to satisfy the disreputable Fury. No sooner, the thin material of Lei’s shirt began to slice. His flesh along with it...
“Ah...” Lei emanated in pain, yet with the thought in mind that this wasn’t even a single flare of the amount of pain Fury could, and more that likely would, cause him before this was over.
“A little cut too much for you?” Fury mused, raising the knife upwards. No sooner later, he ran his tongue along the edge of the blade freshly coated with Lei’s crimson blood, obviously loving every moment of it.
“Just stop it,” Lei half-demanded following this. “Whatever you’re going to do to me, just fucking do it. Just stop teasing me.”
Fury placed the long blade on the floor, the long fingers of his left-hand releasing its base before mimicking those of his opposing hand, taking Lei’s wrist into grasp. He leaned his body further over Wulong’s, pressuring their thighs together. Lei gasped.
“Since you know damn well what I’m going to do to you, I’d say that makes you quite the little whore,” Bryan stated in a domineering manner.
“You’re sick...” Lei whispered. “And one day, you are going to pay for all the pain you have inflicted upon your victims, no matter who they be. It may not be today, but that day will come. This is veracity.”
“Judgment day already came for me,” Bryan smirked with his usual grin. “I suppose I was just too much for hell to take. No matter. We are in hell.” This was it for Fury. As Lei had said, enough with the talk already. In an abrupt motion, Bryan rapidly tore the navy shirt right from Lei’s body. Lei yet again gasped in alarm, his breathing once again taking on a faster pace when Bryan’s hand moved to the base of his dark-violet jeans.
“Looks like you’re about ready for me to wrap things up by now,” Fury guffawed with conniving undertones. “Though I think you were quite some time ago,” he added on, his hand then disappearing from view as it slid underneath the material to Lei’s jeans. Lei’s eyes widened, but the hand was quickly in view again before Bryan quickly snapped the clasp free of the detective’s black belt.
Fury then took a slight pause, once again hovering his full form over Lei’s as he moved to look Wulong face to face. “As I said, I remember everything just as if it were yesterday. I remember yesterday I loved you,” Bryan whispered against Lei’s lips, before then forcing him a deep kiss to the mouth right afterwards.
A tear streaked its way down Lei’s cheek at the same time, and he soon found himself kissing his worst enemy back...
“Lei?!”
Bryan quickly broke apart from Lei, turning his head to the right.
“Lei, answer me!”
“Fuck...” Bryan growled, before looking back down at the man underneath him. “Soon enough, dear Lei,” he darkly whispered under his breath, and next thing Lei knew, Bryan was gone.
Just like that.
Though obviously, Bryan had just appeared to have taken off in tune to the sudden, intruding voice. Lei knew that voice.
The sound of rapid steps began to grow, clarifying that this person was indeed getting closer. No sooner later, the many mirrors were filled with the foreign individual’s reflection.
“Jin?” Lei whispered from his spot on the floor.
“My gods...” Jin muttered, on the road to shock.
As Lei began to raise himself from the floor to at least a sitting position, Jin was quick to kneel at the long-haired fighter’s side after hurriedly stepping the rest of the way forwards. Lei looked down, and covered his mouth with a hand while facing the floor.
“Lei, what the hell happened in here?” inquired Jin, taking a few things into notice. Broken glass, a broken belt, partially opened pants, and an apparently torn-off shirt already didn’t add up to the most pleasant recipe, from the looks of things... Not to mention a blatant slash right across Lei’s upper chest.
Lei didn’t answer, and continued to remain in his current, petrified state.
Jin raised his hand to Lei’s shoulder. “What happened, Lei?”
The detective only shook his head ever so slightly. “N-nothing, Jin... It’s nothing...”
“What?” Jin near to exclaimed, grasping Lei by either of his shoulders. “Do you actually think I’m that stupid?”
Lei looked away.
“Look at me, damnit,” Jin ordered.
“Maybe I don’t WANT to fucking look at you!” Lei snapped, then feeling Jin’s grip upon him tighten. “And don’t touch me!”
“I agree with Wulong here.”
Jin and Lei both turned, to see yet another new visitor.
Hwoarang smirked. “Alright. Five seconds to explain what the HELL is going on, before I start kicking ass.”
“Hwoarang, I don’t know what’s going on here either. Lei won’t tell me,” Jin replied, looking at the redhead.
At this moment, Lei roughly shook himself free from Jin’s grasp as he made his way to stand.
The Korean blinked. “If he came here to jack-off, I seriously don’t think this is the best of places.”
Jin sighed with a shake of the head at this rather stupid statement, while Lei at this moment just began his walk out of this place. One he now wanted to forget very, very badly.
“Are you sure you’re giving me the whole story here, Kazama?” Hwoarang questioned with suspicion.
“I was with you only two minutes ago. I doubt that’s enough time to do anything,” Jin remarked in annoyance.
“Wait a minute...” Hwoarang stated, taking a closer look at Lei as the detective sauntered further down the aisle of mirrors. “Have you been crying? What the fuck? And is that blood? Shit, and I just thought you were itching to land a beef injection.”
Lei shoved himself past the redhead, who scowled as the detective passed.
“I can’t believe you just said that,” Jin scolded, sounding utterly disgusted.
“Well what the fuck did it look like to you, then?”
“I don’t want to say this,” Jin began, adverting his gaze to the side before once more looking back into Hwoarang’s. “I think Lei was about to be raped when I came in... If he wasn’t...”
Hwoarang’s jaw near to dropped. “Holy shit...”
“And it must have been whoever he was chasing after. We saw Lei was holding his gun, and from the looks of things, I’m guessing whoever this mystery person was had this whole occurrence premeditated...” Jin stated in a trail, the thought itself very unpleasant. “I also noted Lei no longer had his gun anymore...”
“We better go find the others,” Hwoarang sighed, though still in contemplation on this whole ordeal. “They’re still looking for Lei.”
Jin nodded in agreement. “This isn’t turning out to the ideal break to fun, after all...”
“Got that right,” agreed Hwoarang, “Though I still can’t believe something like this could happen... It’s just... weird...”
Jin elicited a long sigh, as both he and Hwoarang turned to make way in exiting the house of mirrors. As the two fighters passed their way through the entrance, someone watched from afar...
“Soon enough...” Bryan Fury smirked. “Soon enough...”