He sat in his dark office, silence surrounding him. It was sunset, but he refused to reach over to snap on the small desk lamp that took up a small portion of his work area. He had come a long way to be where he was. It had not been easy putting his life back together again. After that monster threw him into a volcano, during the deep pits of despair, he knew that things would change forever. And yet, by some miracle of modern science, here he was, sitting in this very room, still, observing the quiet sounds.
It had taken a lot of hard work to bring him back to life. And it had not been easy. When he had first awoken, he had been incoherent, incompetent, unable to understand anything. And slowly, bit by bit, memories of his life haunted his dreams. Eventually, he was able to piece everything together. He remembered everything. The day his father threw him off a cliff, the day that arrogant Lee Chaolan first came into the Mishima household, the day he left home...and the day he threw his father off the very same cliff where he had suffered and sold his soul to live an empty life. He remembered everything.
Kazuya Mishima opened his desk drawer, reaching for a small folder that he kept well-hidden. He made sure that no one, absolutely no one, knew about the contents of the folder. He had to pull plenty of strings to obtain the items within it. Besides the objects within the folder being difficult to retrieve, they held some personal feelings for Kazuya Mishima. Feelings that he had long buried. Feelings that no one should see. He prided himself in being a strong man, a man who went after what he wanted, a man who showed no weaknesses.
Kazuya opened the folder. The first item was a black and white photo of a woman with shoulder length black hair. A gentle smile lit up her delicate features. Even on paper, she was beautiful. His eyes darkened, his mind filled with the memories they had shared. Brief memories, indeed, but many were pleasant ones. There had been a time, long ago, when she brought light and joy into his dark life. She had been his angel. Even now, the image of her seemed to illuminate the room.
A soft knock interrupted his thoughts. Scowling fiercely, Kazuya closed the folder before shoving it into its hiding spot. "What is it?" he demanded.
"Mr. Mishima, sir," a voice carried through the door. "I have the information you requested."
Ah, he thought. Good. "Come in."
His employee stepped into the room, a manila file folder in his hands. "Here is the information on that man you saw near the restaurant yesterday."
"Put it on my desk. I'll look at it later."
The aide cleared his throat. "If I may speak freely, sir...it is probably best that you look now...and in private."
Kazuya glared at him. The aide merely hurried out of the room. Kazuya shook his head, sighing. He prided himself in having a loyal staff who took any means necessary to obtain any information Kazuya needed. He always liked to know who his enemies were. It gave him the opportunity to discover their strengths and weaknesses. Which was why he had arranged for someone to obtain information on the young man he spotted outside the restaurant. Kazuya had received withering glances from many people during his time as CEO of the Mishima Financial Empire...and many had their reasons. Which one was the young man's?
He reached for the folder, opening it. "Jin...Kazama..." he murmured, his dark eyes narrowing. Would the past always come back to him? He rifled through the contents, finding a small color photograph. He fought the shock that coursed through him. It was as if he was looking into a mirror. It had taken him several moments to recover, but he quickly skimmed the personal information that his aides could find on the young man. "Twenty-one years old. Former student of MITC. Mother, Jun Kazama, died under mysterious circumstances six years ago..." He set the folder down, unable to look anymore.
He had a son? A son...
If he had not battled against his father, he would have been able to have a normal life. He would have had a family of his own...a family who loved him...a family he would have loved. Kazuya grimly pressed his lips together. He could have been a husband...a...father. He released a breath, examining the notes again, his eyes narrowing to slits. The boy had gone to the private school that the Mishima Financial Empire founded many years ago. And the only way he could have done that was through Heihachi Mishima.
Was this boy on Heihachi's side? Kazuya had been looking forward to fighting his father in the tournament, but he hadn't counted on possibly facing his son...a son he never knew existed. His aides had noted that Jin was staying in a hotel on the outskirts of Tokyo...far from Heihachi Mishima. Interesting, he thought. A most interesting turn of events, indeed...
It had taken a lot of hard work to bring him back to life. And it had not been easy. When he had first awoken, he had been incoherent, incompetent, unable to understand anything. And slowly, bit by bit, memories of his life haunted his dreams. Eventually, he was able to piece everything together. He remembered everything. The day his father threw him off a cliff, the day that arrogant Lee Chaolan first came into the Mishima household, the day he left home...and the day he threw his father off the very same cliff where he had suffered and sold his soul to live an empty life. He remembered everything.
Kazuya Mishima opened his desk drawer, reaching for a small folder that he kept well-hidden. He made sure that no one, absolutely no one, knew about the contents of the folder. He had to pull plenty of strings to obtain the items within it. Besides the objects within the folder being difficult to retrieve, they held some personal feelings for Kazuya Mishima. Feelings that he had long buried. Feelings that no one should see. He prided himself in being a strong man, a man who went after what he wanted, a man who showed no weaknesses.
Kazuya opened the folder. The first item was a black and white photo of a woman with shoulder length black hair. A gentle smile lit up her delicate features. Even on paper, she was beautiful. His eyes darkened, his mind filled with the memories they had shared. Brief memories, indeed, but many were pleasant ones. There had been a time, long ago, when she brought light and joy into his dark life. She had been his angel. Even now, the image of her seemed to illuminate the room.
A soft knock interrupted his thoughts. Scowling fiercely, Kazuya closed the folder before shoving it into its hiding spot. "What is it?" he demanded.
"Mr. Mishima, sir," a voice carried through the door. "I have the information you requested."
Ah, he thought. Good. "Come in."
His employee stepped into the room, a manila file folder in his hands. "Here is the information on that man you saw near the restaurant yesterday."
"Put it on my desk. I'll look at it later."
The aide cleared his throat. "If I may speak freely, sir...it is probably best that you look now...and in private."
Kazuya glared at him. The aide merely hurried out of the room. Kazuya shook his head, sighing. He prided himself in having a loyal staff who took any means necessary to obtain any information Kazuya needed. He always liked to know who his enemies were. It gave him the opportunity to discover their strengths and weaknesses. Which was why he had arranged for someone to obtain information on the young man he spotted outside the restaurant. Kazuya had received withering glances from many people during his time as CEO of the Mishima Financial Empire...and many had their reasons. Which one was the young man's?
He reached for the folder, opening it. "Jin...Kazama..." he murmured, his dark eyes narrowing. Would the past always come back to him? He rifled through the contents, finding a small color photograph. He fought the shock that coursed through him. It was as if he was looking into a mirror. It had taken him several moments to recover, but he quickly skimmed the personal information that his aides could find on the young man. "Twenty-one years old. Former student of MITC. Mother, Jun Kazama, died under mysterious circumstances six years ago..." He set the folder down, unable to look anymore.
He had a son? A son...
If he had not battled against his father, he would have been able to have a normal life. He would have had a family of his own...a family who loved him...a family he would have loved. Kazuya grimly pressed his lips together. He could have been a husband...a...father. He released a breath, examining the notes again, his eyes narrowing to slits. The boy had gone to the private school that the Mishima Financial Empire founded many years ago. And the only way he could have done that was through Heihachi Mishima.
Was this boy on Heihachi's side? Kazuya had been looking forward to fighting his father in the tournament, but he hadn't counted on possibly facing his son...a son he never knew existed. His aides had noted that Jin was staying in a hotel on the outskirts of Tokyo...far from Heihachi Mishima. Interesting, he thought. A most interesting turn of events, indeed...