A/N: One, I don't own Tekken, of course. Second, this prologue is just to set up canon that isn't in the game. Please Rant, Rave, and Review!!

The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6: When Souls and Hearts Clash

Prologue

Asuka Kazama

"No. Not fighting seriously is disrespectful."

These were the last words Asuka heard Feng Wei, the mysterious Chinese man, say before she fell unconscious, her run in the 5th Iron Fist tournament now decisively over. Asuka had done well for her first time in a tournament, advancing through two rounds even defeating a blond-haired French girl, but, even though she wanted it, she ended facing the Chinese man who attacked her father. In the very beginning, Asuka held her own, even winning the first round, but, thinking him to be easy pickings, she let up on the pressure, and he made her pay for it. Feng Wei went on to fiercely beat her in the second round, and viciously defeated her in the third round; she didn't even touch him in the last round. Lying on the ground, her body racked with unreal pain, Asuka saw him stand over her, and heard him laugh to himself as he called her, "Pathetic." He didn't even look tired, Asuka thought.

"How could I lose? How could I lose so badly? How could I … disgrace my father, my whole family like this?" These questions keep repeating through Asuka's mind as she returns to her native Osaka, her ego shattered and her confidence crushed. Seeing her coming toward the house, her father greets her with a hug, causing her to wince and groan with pain. He then notices the bandages on her arm, the therapy patch on the back of her neck, and the heavy wrapping around her ribs, and quickly releases her.

"My daughter, how are you? How bad are your injuries," asks the older man, and she tells him what the tournament medics told her: she had a muscle strain in her neck, a bruised femur in her right arm, and several cracked ribs which she got from the man's last attack (Feng Wei's Avalanche throw). The elder Kazama just smiles at his daughter and says, "Well, all wounds heal with time."

Asuka, not even able to look her father in the face, only mutters, "Maybe; I'm not so sure," before entering their home.

Later, her father talks to her about her loss. "I saw your fight with that man, and I also saw what you did wrong. It's nothing that can't be addressed. I'm sure you will be victorious next time."

Asuka, much to her father's surprise, quietly responds, "I'm not so sure there'll be a next time."

Completely taken aback, the elder Kazama asks in confusion, "What? You're thinking of quitting?"

Asuka drops her head in shame as she replies, "I was considering it. Dad, the only reason I entered the tournament was to defeat that man, but, when I finally faced him, he defeated me. Not only that, he didn't just defeat me; he destroyed me. I didn't even touch him in the last round. I thought I could defeat him, but I just ended up disgracing myself and you."



The elder Kazama shakes his head in seeming disappointment, and says, "No. My daughter, the only way you would disgrace me is if you do quit fighting because of this."

A single tear forms in Asuka's black left eye and rolls down her cheek, but the elder Kazama quickly wipes it away, causing his daughter to look him in the face. He then continues, "You know, it may be best that you lost the fight. I've noticed your arrogance for a while now, but neglected to confront you on it. It's the reason you lost that fight so emphatically. But now you have a real test on whether you are a true fighter. You see, now you must prove that, instead of just throwing punches, you can recover from them, learn from them, and come back stronger, wiser, and better from them."

Asuka understands but is still unsure about what her father has said; "Can I? Can I learn from my mistakes," she thought to herself.

Sensing her uneasiness and uncertainty, the elder Kazama begins to use something he never had to before. "Did I ever tell you about my sister, your aunt," asked the older man, causing Asuka to look at him with curious confusion. Asuka had never known her mother, so, as she shook her head to display her lack of knowledge, she wonders why her father would bring up her aunt instead of her mother. The elder Kazama then brings out a number of mementos as he tells his daughter of her aunt, the 'Kazama's Chosen One', his older sister, Jun. He tells her about Jun's kindness, her care for others, her fighting prowess and how, even in defeat, she made the name Kazama proud. Asuka, although she wonders why her father barely mentioned her aunt before, is nonetheless inspired by her father's account, the sincerity in his voice, and the many mementos her father showed her, and thus begins to train harder than before in anticipation for the next tournament. Then, the invitation for the next tournament arrives…

Ling Xiaoyu

Ling lands hard on the ground from a stiff kick; as the announcer voices the judgment, her run in the fifth Iron Fist tournament is over. Ling slowly sits up and looks at the African-American ninja that defeated her, and says, "You're really strong, Raven," the name the announcer called him by.

Raven only turns his back to her, and asks in a serious tone, "Tell me. Why are you in this tournament? Why do you fight?"

Not one to bite her tongue when someone asks her something, Ling quickly answers, "I'm fighting to find my friend, Jin Kazama, and to save the Mishima family."

Raven scoffs at her response, and coldly says, "Then, you're lucky I'm the one that defeated you, as I have no reason to kill you."

Ling is greatly confused by this comment, and asks, "What? What do you mean?"

Raven, who still doesn't turn around, coldly replies, "If you were to face any of those three people you just mentioned you wanted to 'save', you would probably be killed."

Shocked, Ling is speechless as Raven continues, "Give up your little quest and go home. It's obvious by how you fought today that you don't take the goal seriously enough to achieve it."



Still shocked but now offended, Ling, in a desperate attempt to defend herself, retorts, "But I can't just give up especially not on Jin. If anyone can still be saved, it's him."

Raven again scoffs, and comments, "Your naivety and innocence are amusing, but will probably lead to your own demise."

Ling, again trying to defend herself but obviously upset by the man's comments and cold demeanor, says, "But I have to save them, especially Jin. I believe he can change; I know he can change, and he just needs someone to help him."

Raven finally looks back at the girl, sensing the unrest and conviction in her voice, and asks, "You're really that set on this?" Ling quickly nods her head as she lifts herself to her knees, wondering what the man would say next. Raven is silent for a moment, but folds his arms across his chest and turns so that he is only looking over his shoulder at her. He then says, "I still don't advise it, but, if you were to try to save them, you would have to give up everything to do so; you must grow up, little girl. You would have to abandon all your petty hopes and dreams, surrender every vision of the future you planned for yourself, and renounce all fear within you. Then, you must struggle to become stronger than you have ever been, and do whatever it takes to achieve you goal. But, after all that, you still may not give the Mishimas and Jin Kazama the salvation you wish for them." Ling just sat in silence as she absorbed everything the man had said, and Raven, now knowing that he'd said enough, unfolds his arms and turns his back to her once more as he says, "Think about what I said. Be sure to make the right decision," With that, Raven jumps high into the air, and disappears, leaving Ling alone where she sat.

Ling returns home and begins to heavily consider everything Raven said because deep down she knows he was right; she realizes that she would have to give up everything if she wanted to do what she said she would, and eventually decides to do everything in her power to save the Mishimas and Jin. With the decision set, Ling goes to her 'grandfather' Wang Jinrei, and begins to train in anticipation for the next tournament. Meanwhile, she also follows the news, and notices Jin's slow yet evident descent into evil. Several times, she tries to reach Jin, but, because recent military action, she is turned back every time, and simply returns to her training. With added intensity and fervor, Ling trains furiously in order to make herself strong enough to help Jin. Then, the invitation for the sixth King of the Iron Fist tournament arrives…

Let's get ready for the next battle

The time was set and was now here. Every challenger was now inside a secret Mishima Zaibatsu stronghold, the base for the upcoming competition. The tournament was underway. Deep within the compound, the sponsor of the tournament along with his bodyguards watched every fighter from the comfort of his control room.

"They fall in line, one at a time, ready to play."

Eddy, surprised by the comment, looked at his fellow body guard Nina, who simply shrugged. Then, he turned his attention to the man who said the comment and hesitantly asked, "Waxing poetic, sir?"

Jin Kazama, in full combat attire, simply replied, without turning around, "No, just a song I heard; It seemed appropriate. I forget who made it though; 'something Benjamin' I think. Anyway, you two better get dressed. The tournament proper is about to start."



In the main gathering room, Kazuya looked over the competition with an evil smirk on his face; "They have no idea what's in store for them, do they," he thought to himself. Then, his eyes caught a sight that made him freeze and tense up inside. There she was standing across the room, with her back to him. Her physical build, her brown hair, the white ribbon adorning her head, the strong spiritual aura coming off of her, Kazuya remembered it all. Then, she turned around and revealed that while she did have a distinct resemblance to her, this young woman was not her. Kazuya finally relaxed and made a mental note, "That girl could be trouble … especially if she gets involved." Asuka, wearing one of her aunt's ribbons in her own hair as a memento, scanned the room. She had noticed the Chinese man Feng Wei enter the building, but she didn't see him in the room. Still, she noticed the new fighters including a rather large American man and scruffy looking Spanish man. She even noticed the French blonde that she'd defeated the last time, Lili, sitting rather close to the orange-haired Tae Kwon Do master. Ling had been one of the first to enter the room, and watched almost everyone entered. Eagerly, she waited to at least see Jin, but he never showed. She did see his two bodyguards enter the room, but he was nowhere to be found. Ling smiled a little when she saw 'old man Heihachi' enter the room, and slowly began to look around at the other fighters. She noticed a new young 'man' with blonde hair and blue eyes that she thought looked 'pretty' for some reason, and noticed the kind Chinese police officer and the ninja in the funny-looking who helped her in the fourth tournament. She even noticed Hwoarang sitting really close to a young blonde girl. Then, Ling's eyes caught sight of a young woman with a white ribbon in her hair that she thought looked just like …

Just then, the large video screen in the front of the room came on, and a female voice over the stereo system filled the room, saying, "Welcome, participants," causing all the competitors in the room to snap their attention to the screen. As every competitor's profile flashed across the screen, the voice continued, "First, allow me to congratulate you on getting this far. Your mere presence speaks to your ability, and says that you are among the top fighters in the world. However, in spite of whatever accolades you have claimed, you all start at the bottom in this tournament. You all will be pushed beyond your limits in your collective quest to be named the tournament champion." As the last fighter profile disappeared from the screen, every fighter's name appeared on the screen simultaneously, shuffled on-screen, and then aligned on one side of the screen in the bracket form. The voice then continued, "This is the official tournament bracket. Study it carefully as it will determine your fate in this competition. Plan ahead for what you expect, but be sure to not overlook your current adversary." The competitors looked around as the voice paused, and they simultaneously studied the bracket and each other. The screen began to show different venues across as the voice continued, "Be sure to rest tonight as you will all be transported to your respective fighting arenas first thing in the morning." Finally, the screen changed for the last time into the tournament logo and the Mishima Zaibatsu logo as the voice finished, "Fight hard, and fight to your best abilities. Finally, welcome to the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6!"

End Chapter

NEXT TIME: "So, once again, it's father against son."

"Yes, only this time, the son has truly surpassed the father."

song lyrics from Breaking Benjamin's "Blow me Away" from the Halo 2 Soundtrack

A/N: please R and again Rave, Rant, and Review!