Kurt had to get out and take a walk. It had been three years since he finished his rehab and he had been clean since then. He was happy about that, just like he was happy that he had eventually become friends with Grace and Xan. He had such good friends, in fact, that he was visiting them now in Beijing.
Xan and Grace had been amazing hosts, even allowing him to stay at the penthouse suite in Xan's most exclusive hotel. It was just... well, to be honest, Kurt was envious of what Xan and Grace had. They seemed so in love, like two parts that made a whole. It was clear that Xan would die for Grace in a heartbeat, and she would do the same.
"Even their kids were ridiculously adorable!" Kurt thought.
It was true that Edward and Chynna were capable of winning the hearts of everyone they met, including his. Kurt just wanted to find his soulmate and start his own family.
"Easier said than done!" Kurt thought as he turned down a street.
Kurt had tried dating, but they all wanted the same thing—his money and power. Kurt wanted to find someone who loved him like Grace loved Xan.
Kurt was so lost in his thoughts, that he did not realise that the light was fading and, what was worse, he was lost! Kurt got out his phone and tried to find a signal, which had been appalling since he arrived. Xan promised to get him a phone with a local network to try and solve the problem. However, Xan was supposed to bring it tomorrow, which did not help him now!
Kurt looked up as he heard some footsteps coming towards him. He saw a group of five Chinese guys in jeans and pullovers with their hoods up.
"Nice phone!" The leader of the gang said.
"You speak English? I am lost, ..." Kurt said.
"I am lost!" Another man said, in a mocking tone.
"I tell you what... you give me your phone and we will show you the way!" The leader said.
"What if I say no?" Kurt said, with a raised eyebrow, that he was not going to let these young punks bully him. At just that moment, five more guys came round the corner and stopped behind Kurt.
"Shit!" Kurt thought, he could possibly take 5 of them down, but not 10!
"Let's see if you can make yourself change your mind!"The leader said.
One of the gang members threw a punch, and Kurt dodged it before he threw an uppercut. This resulted in breaking the man's jaw.
Kurt then elbowed another gang member in the face, breaking his nose. The gang, sensing that Kurt had some fighting skills, decided to not take any more chances and attack at once.
Kurt threw as many kicks and punches as he could before crouching into a ball. Kurt knew from training that his back could take a lot more punishment compared to the front of his body. Kicks and punches rained down until they suddenly stopped. Kurt looked up and saw a woman who was dressed in a simple pair of black jeans, army boots, and a black hoodie. She was riding a moped, but stopped and got off of it.
Kurt heard a lot of shouting in Mandarin, most of which Kurt did not understand. However, he did pick up a little of the conversation.
"I said, what are you doing ?" The woman asked.
"No business of yours!" The Gang Leader said.
"Let him go!" The woman said.
"I will if you.." Then she made a sucking cock sign. The rest of the group laughed.
The woman sighed and took off her helmet, releasing her ponytail of red curly hair. Kurt saw she had a tattoo of a fox with nine tails on her neck.
"Let's go!" she said, and she indicated for them to attack her.
The first man laughed and tried to slap her. She caught it, twisted his arm, dislocating it, and then slammed her knee into his nose after the man fell to his knees. Knocked out, the man fell lifeless onto the floor.
Two men growled and went to attack either side of her. They tried to grab her, but she did the splits, punching them both in the groin and then grabbing one of their ankles and pulling them up. This made them both fall on their backs. The woman then quickly got up and punched one guy in the face, knocking him out. The other guy was starting to get up, but the woman quickly did a leg chop to the back of his head, knocking him out cold. The women then went into a fighting stance, ready for the next wave.
One of the gang then noticed her tattoo and pointed at it. There was a lot of shouting, Kurt could only make out the words "death" and "fighter". Whatever they were saying, they were spooked and all ran away.
The woman walked over and looked at Kurt before speaking something in Mandarin.
Kurt shook his head and said, "Sorry, I don't speak Mandarin well!"
"Well, it is a tricky language to learn. I said, are you alright?" The woman said, offering her hand.
Kurt accepted it gratefully.
"You are English? You sound like you are from Birmingham! " Kurt said, and the women smiled.
"It has been a long time since I heard a Yorkshire accent! You are looking kind of pale and beat up. Maybe you should sit down before you... " The woman suggested.
But it was too late; Kurt collapsed and the women managed to catch him. She sighed again. Today was not her day!
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When Kurt woke up, his whole body was throbbing, and his eyes took a moment to adjust to the light. He looked around and realised he was in a bedroom, which was a female's.
The corrugated tin walls were covered in fairy lights and pictures. The furnishings looked well used but had been decorated with various fabrics, which gave a homey feel. On the desk was a large tabby with one eye missing, glaring at him intently.
"I don't suppose you can tell me where I am? Kurt asked as he realised he was topless and all his wounds had been attended to. His shirt was hanging on the back of the desk chair.
Slowly getting up and putting on the shirt, Kurt walked out of the room and down a corridor. After a few moments, the corridor came out into a large warehouse space that had been altered. One side was full of training equipment, including a gym, gymnastics equipment, an assault course, and a fight cage. On the other side, there was a kitchen, a dining area and some sofas with a large TV.
Kurt then noticed that four men were standing around the practice mat. Kurt walked closer. He intended to ask one of them where the hell he was. But when he got closer, he instead saw a red-haired woman and a man fighting. Kurt rushed forward to help her, but one of the spectators put their arm out to stop him.
"Woah buddy, trust me, you don't want to get in the middle of this!" The man said, in an Australian accent.
"But she needs help!" Kurt argued as he watched the red-headed woman be slammed on the floor.
"Like heck, she does! She got him right where she wanted him again! " The Australian man said.
Just then, the woman wrapped herself around her opponent's feet and did a corkscrew move. The result was that the opponent landed on his front and the red-headed woman quickly sat on his lower back, pulling his legs at a torturous angle.
"Ok, I give!" The man screamed, and the red woman smiled and released him.
"Who the hell is she?" Kurt was amazed.
"She is Alannah Seaswell, and she is one of the most powerful underground fighters in China. She has more victories under her belt than any other woman and most other men. She is also a member of the top-ranking fighter's family - The Fox of Nine-Tails! " The Australian man explained proudly.
"She is amazing!" Kurt said.
"Aye, that she is!" The Australian man agreed.
It was at that point that Alannah's and Kurt's eyes met. Alannah smiled and Kurt felt butterflies in his stomach. He knew then he was in trouble. Big trouble!