A/n: This particular chapter is inspired by Damselbinder's "Xiaoyu Shackled" on Deviantart. Please read and review "Xiaoyu Shackled" because it is a great piece of fanfiction.
Please read my fic and also review; it would be very much appreciated.
A fraction of light shone through. No! Too bright. Her eyelids slammed shut. But they had been shut for a significant period of time, thus it was time she opened them. She had to try. The shutters unpeeled, instinctively readying to close when the light became too intense. Nevertheless, despite the pain spreading through her tired eyeballs she pressed for them to be fully open. She was placed directly where the sun's rays poured through the large window.
Her eyes roamed her surroundings. The room had the bare minimum furniture where no expense was made. The only window in the room happened to be the one opposite, the rest of the space was sombre. It was soul-less. A gap between the door and the floor allowed a brisk bit of wind to force its way in. She shivered. That was when she realised...
Xiaoyu stared down. Her only garments were a bra and knickers. Her skin was completely bare, left vulnerable to unwanted touch . A tide of memories swept her up and she remembered being thrown off guard when Anna and her henchmen burst into the flat she shared with Panda and Miharu. She remembered wiping out the armed men with ease. She recalled fighting Anna, deftly trying to evade capture. Anna was too strong for her. She defeated her. But that was not the end. Anna pinned her against the floor. Her knife ripped through her orange fighting attire. Her shredded clothes landed on the floor in shame. But that was not enough.
Hands fell onto her shins and slid all the way up her naked legs, and onto her thighs. Anna commented on the suppleness of them. Hands examined her behind, her hips, her abs and finally her breasts. Cute, perky and womanly were words employed to sum up Xiaoyu's body. Xiaoyu's face flushed with humiliation at Anna's violation. This did not escape Anna's notice, for she enjoyed the shameful rise out of her prey.
'You'll make a fine trophy. Jin doesn't know what he's missing.'
Her heart moaned at hearing that name. Anguished. Closed wounds cried out a being tugged open. Then came the finale.
Thick, rough twisted rope was wrapped around her body, scraping every bit of her clothing-less body until she could hardly breathe. Polished fingernails brought a cloth closer to her face. Her world turned to black. A shudder rocked her weak frame as the images faded from her mind.
The blood had drained from her arms; she could not feel them. Xiaoyu struggled to position her body so that she would not stretch her neck, when confirming her suspicions; she was being held against the wall by her tied wrists. There was no energy within her to struggle. How long had she been there- been like this? Minutes? Hours? Days? Weeks? What of Miharu and Panda? Were they worried about her? Had they been hurt by any extra fiends of Anna's? Did they assume her absence was like before, whenever thoughts of him drove her to excessive amounts of time in parks and wondering the streets?
Xiaoyu's spirited nature died a while ago- three years ago when the King of Iron Fist Tournament exposed something ugly. Many ugly things, in fact. Her only saving graces were Panda and Miharu; although they were only just saving her. Her last year of university was fast ending and the future appeared a bleak and uncertain portrait. Life just felt so meaningless. You live. You die. You experience pain and suffering in between. While she lamented, Xiaoyu drifted in and out of consciousness.
A click of heels thrust Xiaoyu out of her shell and back into reality. Xiaoyu knew that sound particularly well. She spotted their silhouettes as they appeared behind the door. The door opened unceremoniously.
'Ahh, sleeping beauty decided to grace her with her presence.'
Xiaoyu watched her through her heavy eyelids, saunter over, rolling her hips with each step.
'My trophy looks a little haggard but not completely ruined.'
A glare from Xiaoyu was marred by her lack of energy, so it came out pathetically instead of the desired effect. Anna chuckled at Xiaoyu's useless attempt to intimidate. How could she take the Chinese girl seriously with a cute face such as hers?
Anna moved on closer. She reached out and grabbed Xiaoyu's leg. Xiaoyu reacted with a violent thrash which only made Anna cackle more. Her entertainment ceased when a quaint beep came from her mobile phone. A wicked grin painted across her features.
'We have a guest so look snappy!'
Xiaoyu gave a muffled growl. If her lips were not suffocated by duct tape she would have unleashed an almighty roar of curse words in Mandarin. Xiaoyu knew she was the scariest when yelling and cursing in Mandarin, as many others were aware of.
A pair of boots plodded up the stairs indifferently; a swagger that suggested that they knew they had already won. A male figure appeared in the doorway. Xiaoyu could make out their identity before they had even stepped into the light. Her eyes widened.
'So you have her then,' the voice was brusque.
'Of course,' Anna drawled. 'She's quite the catch.'
Kazuya glided across the floor, not taking his eyes off the captive girl hanging from the wall. He expected the girl to put up more of a fight, after all: she spied for him on Shin Kamiya. He agreed because her background in martial arts impressed him. This was the girl that wiped out Heihachi's entire Tekken Force on his yacht. His eyes focused on her semi-naked frame.
'Looks like you had a bit too much fun, Williams,' he remarked. 'You have turned a simple task into playtime by stripping her of her dignity- literally.'
'Oh Sir,' Anna laughed. 'I'm only polishing up our prize.'
'Cut her down and give her a blanket.'
Anna pouted. Nevertheless she acquiesced her master's orders. She grabbed one of the chairs, climbed up onto it, whipped out her knife and used it to saw at the rope.
Xiaoyu collapsed on the floor, choking on the tape. She could barely hold her body up. Her arms still felt as if they never existed; it would take hours before they regained feeling. Kazuya motioned for Xiaoyu to be allowed to speak. Anna peeled the tape off excruciatingly slow, in order to maximise the pain. Xiaoyu winced, but remained resolute in attempting to hide it. She wrapped a thin blanket around Xiaoyu's shoulder; it was hardly a loving gesture though. Hoisting her up, Anna left her and returned to her master's side and taking a seat next to the bland dining table.
Kazuya glanced at the time on his expensive phone before sliding it back in his pocket. Eventually he stood up and took his time approaching her. Kazuya evoked familiarity within Xiaoyu. Not only because of that fact that he was the most notorious man in the world for his deeds, but also because he reminded her of someone she once knew very well. The jet black hair spiked up. The muscular physique. The tall, imposing figure. The dark energy emanating...
Kazuya wore thick, dark combat trousers, boots thick enough to assist him in destroying skulls if he gave it enough gusto, a purple camouflage shirt, a black sleeveless vest and black gloves. He looked as if he had just returned from a battle; he carried an air of someone who had bursts of life as they punched, pounded and demolished someone's home, someone's body or someone's life. The air depicted a love for this activity, and not a moment's hesitation for doing such things. Evil does not know love.
Xiaoyu stared up at him with a blend of fear and curiosity. This was the man responsible for fathering him, although the word "responsible" and Kazuya do not belong in the same sentence. If he had been a proper father, then his son would not have ended up...
'I know everything about you, Ling Xiaoyu,' he began as he peered down at her with those steely eyes.
She shrunk even more under his scrutiny.
'Born and raised in China. Impressed my wretched father so much, that he took you back to Japan and raised him as if you were his own granddaughter. He gave you a room in his mansion, trained your pet to become a bodyguard, enrolled you at his top school and indulged you in your dreams. Who knew he had it in him?'
But Xiaoyu also knew about Kazuya. The man who had displayed such kindness to her had also moulded a young boy into the demonic man that stood before her, thus sparking a chain reaction which was aptly dubbed the Mishima Curse.
'Not exactly a model pupil of Mishima Polytechnic, but was good enough to keep out of trouble for a while. And then we come swiftly to the matter of Jin Kazama.'
Another spasm in her chest.
'Taken in by Saint Heihachi and he become famous as Heihachi Mishima's grandson and heir to his entire fortune. And then you came to live there.'
Memories began to haunt Xiaoyu.
'Accounts tell me that he was indifferent to you only for a few weeks, thinking you would be gone within a month. But then you made Prince Mishima and Saint Heihachi laugh by mixing up your Japanese, and ending up saying something rude. You ran circles around Prince Mishima in a dojo training session and earned his respect. '
'The two of you quickly became good friends, going as far as almost wrecking the mansion. I have records of staff who served you all those years ago. They relayed their suspicions that something was brewing- they felt you were more than friends. Saint Heihachi dismissed it as the two of you just "being teenagers". I thought so too, until I witnessed it at Kyoto Castle three years ago.'
'Despite clever Jin's efforts to ignore you and distance himself from you, I saw it. There was "a moment" which made me delight. A moment between the two of you that helped me discover a way to destroy him- his Achilles heel. And that is why you are here, Ling Xiaoyu. I have no doubt that he will come and prove my theory right.'
Kazuya finished his foray into Xiaoyu's painful past with a devilish smirk. He completed his circling of her.
'Well you're wasting your time,' Xiaoyu replied despondently. 'Jin Kazama died after the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6. But thank you for the trip down memory lane- I loved being reminded of how shit my life has become.'
Both Kazuya and Anna raised their eyebrows. There was some spirit left in her yet; her sarcasm proved so.
'I told you our trophy had the entire package enough to entice Kazama. Beauty, fighting power, a sexy body and spunk. I'm surprised a whole herd of admirers haven't come to her rescue yet.'
Kazuya stared at Xiaoyu.
'We have intelligence that Jin's body was discovered- alive- not far from Azazel's temple. '
She froze momentarily before sinking back into her gloomy depths.
'I'll believe it when I see it,' she mumbled.
'Anyway,' Kazuya said changing his tune. 'I don't intend to wait here for Kazama forever. Until I hear that he has infiltrated this building, I have other places to be.'
'You were his father,' Xiaoyu said suddenly, frowning.
'Anna, you can take "intelligence" off of the list.'
This produced a giggle from the female assassin.
'You shouldn't have treated him the way you did. If you couldn't be a proper father then you should have just left him alone!'
Kazuya turned to face her.
'It's the Mishima Curse- it is tradition to fight each other. Your precious friend and I share a gene which makes us invincible. I will not rest until I have retrieved the other half.'
And with that, his eye flashed a creepy red. An eerie red that unnerved her. The door slammed shut, and was promptly locked. Xiaoyu lay there.
The next day Xiaoyu was woken by the sound of hasty footsteps and jangling keys. Anna hurried in followed by a calm but ready Kazuya.
'Kazama is on his way, just as I predicted.'
Xiaoyu shot up, her body shuddering from the fatigue. No, it couldn't be. He was dead and they were merely toying with her. This was just an elaborate torturing method; Jin was gone and they needed someone to vent on. A restless silence befell them. The sounds of clashing guards on the floor below inspired Xiaoyu to scream; 'Jin! IT'S A TRAP. Don't come-'
'Silence her,' Kazuya snapped.
Anna deftly applied a new strand of duct tape over Xiaoyu's lips. Her slender fingers scraped across Xiaoyu's neck and clamped down threateningly.
'Make a sound and I will silence you myself.'
Xiaoyu could not help but hold her breath when she heard more thuds. Her heart stalled when the footsteps approached their floor. They stopped at the top. A glance in Kazuya's direction confirmed that he was greatly anticipating this moment; his gaze was intent and unbreakable. He was silently willing the door to open.
There was hesitation. All three bodies in the room stilled. The door was opened cautiously. Xiaoyu's sunken heart was instantly lifted upon viewing the very person she mourned. There he stood, strong and handsome. His eyes flew straight to Xiaoyu, concern rapidly heating into quiet fury. Xiaoyu felt his aura and quivered. Kazuya was in for a hell of a fight: something he no doubt longed for.
'Jin,' Kazuya said, folding his arms.
Jin faced him with his fists curling. They glowered at each other; no love lost.
'You want me,' Jin said coolly. 'You have me. She has nothing to do with this, so let her go.'
'How else were we going to tempt you out of hiding?' Kazuya smirked. 'We just had a little talk before your arrival; it turns out she has a lot more to do with this than one thinks.'
Jin's eyes swivelled back to Xiaoyu, eyeing her suspiciously.
'You know what I want,' Kazuya told him, edgily.
Jin glared at him silently, remaining unmoved. This caused Kazuya to click his fingers. Anna's heels clicked towards Xiaoyu. She delivered a blow to Xiaoyu's stomach, earning a muffled cry. A flicker of anger was detected by Kazuya. Perfect. Another look passed between Kazuya and Anna. She produced a series bone-breaking moves which increased Xiaoyu's screams. Jin's body trembled.
'Stop it.'
Jin's words fell on deaf ears. Anna produced her favourite weapon: her knife. Xiaoyu's eyes expressed gross panic. She struggled to shift her bound body away from her tormenter but Anna grabbed her and slid her back, in the manner of a cat toying with a mouse it was not ready to kill just yet. Instead of ending Xiaoyu's misery and plunging the knife into her body, Anna lightly brushed Xiaoyu's thigh with the jagged edge. Xiaoyu gulped. The edge was gently pressed into her outer layer of skin. Xiaoyu only winced slightly.
But then Anna progressed deeper. A line of blood followed but that was not enough. She put pressure onto the knife drawing out a vocal cry of agony from her prey.
'That's ENOUGH,' Jin bellowed.
He lunged forward but was prevented going further by Kazuya.
'Give into your anger, Jin.'
Jin felt his anger boiling inside but fought against the building force. He refused to let Kazuya get to him.
Tears flowed freely from Xiaoyu's screwed eyes. The almond shaped eyes silently pleaded with Jin; both to save her and to not succumb to the devil within. It was a difficult ask, but she did not want him to suffer the devil's power. Plus, she did not want him to give Kazuya the satisfaction. Not getting the reaction she craved, Anna grabbed the rope used to hang her trophy and coiled it around her trophy's slender neck and tugged.
This attack was reminiscent of the time she was caught snooping in her residence when she was Anna's spy. Instinct yelled out to fight for her life. She struggled against Anna's grip. Through her blurred vision she could see Jin shaking ferociously. His eyes turned a hostile colour. Fangs lung over his bottom lip; from what she could make out, he was grinning wickedly. Black wings sprouted from behind. His stare was haunted. Xiaoyu lost her battle to remain conscious.
Spurred on by Jin's motions, Kazuya too unleashed his full potential. Both gained momentum by crouching before taking off, crashing through the wall as if it were made out of polystyrene.
Devil Jin stepped over Anna's broken body without an ounce of concern. On the contrary; he rejoiced upon encountering her in that state. Xiaoyu lay a few paces away, pain still etched on her face. Her dark, luscious open hair spilt across the dirty wooden floorboards. Grabbing hold of the flimsy blanket, he swiftly wrapped it around her exposed body, scooped her up and took off.
