Knife Shine

Disclaimer - Beat me down all you like, babe, but my scooter will always ride; long after you die, long after I die, long after everyone dies, my scooter will be riding still

Author's Note – Well, if anything is a bad idea, then writing a sequel to something you finished two years ago is up there with feeding a lion with your own hand.

Also a bad idea; waiting to update until the document you've been working on for quite a while goes poopy. Yes, it's another fic that you'll rarely see updates for, because my absolute bastard of a machine isn't playing fair. To be fair, it was only one more chapter than this, but god knows how long it took to write... Rant over, I'm sorry, just a little bit bitter. sigh

So, this is how it's going to work.

For those not in the know, this is a sequel to a previous work of mine called Stockholm Syndrome. However, I want this to be accessable to new readers, partially because this way it's more appealing but mostly because Stockholm Syndrome is kind of shit. I'll leave it up, but I'm going to be taking major liberties, so be warned. Nothing is written in stone.

Anyway, so people aren't left out not knowing what happened last time, I will be putting introductions for each OC and the events of Stockholm Syndrome at the end of the first few chapters, but not in this one because otherwise it will be so long no one will read it (too late OH SNAP). I may be asking people around (mainly Razer Athane and SeungSeiRan, the only people who read and enjoyed the original) for help with the summaries, but the majority are already written and thank god they were saved elsewhere because they've taken a long fucking time too.

Anyway, I'm rambling now, and this chapter is already uninvitingly long, so I'll shut up and let you enjoy.Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Barren

The Remains of the Hon Maru

Four Days after the Explosion

Cold swept along the grey sand as it whipped up dramatically and easily into the wind. The day was equally murky, with the clouds too strong for even the sun to break, forcing the rays of sunlight to retreat into the sky, leaving the barren wasteland alone for the time being. Barren was an appropriate word. There was nothing for miles around, as if the landscape had been systematically destroyed, as the theories of various investigators supposed, but the man who stood in the centre of this monochrome crater knew what had happened and only needed to know why and more importantly how. After seen what he had seen, the dancing flames, the great blasts, the continued and rapid spread of purple lightning Raven was sure that this was the last place to be 'barren' but everything must end, he supposed.

Even the grandiose inferno that took place here. He ran through the video files over and over again whenever he could, but his recordings revealed nothing new. He had seen everything. There was nothing else, and there never would be. Six went in. Four left. What didn't make sense to either Raven or his superiors was not that four left. It was that three didn't. No matter how Raven saw it, it just didn't add up. His white teeth dug slightly into his ebony lips as he pressed the side of his sunglasses, pushing the Play-Back-Recording button lightly.

2234, Jin is taken to the Hon Maru by an unidentified Hawk Rank Tekken Force solider. The soldier was colossal, but that was his only defining trait as far as evidence went. He could've known everything that there was to know, but chances were that he didn't, what with his blank stare of gormless idiocy and the fact that he had accidentally bumped into nine trees while looking directly at them. However, he left as soon as he came. Two go in. One leaves, one still in the Hon Maru.

2341, two more, Heihachi and Kazuya Mishima, father and son, go in. They are followed silently and carefully by another, a Hawk Tekken Force soldier, but not the same one as before, shorter and probably smarter, not really saying much though. Now three go in. Four in the Hon Maru.

2342, a third Hawk Soldier, taller, goes in. Now there are five, Jin, Kazuya, Heihachi and two Hawk soldiers. Then the Hon Maru begins to explode, with Jin and Kazuya escaping hastily. That's three inside when the Hon Maru bursts into a grand flare, and three who have left beforehand. Three dead. Three alive.

So where did the other one come from?

It was a little later after the explosion started when Raven saw… it. The figure that rose from the very middle of the flame. He couldn't get a good look at the figure, only able to decipher the facts that he was huge, bigger even than the large Hawk soldier than before, and that he seemed to be fuelling the flames, even turning the nearest to him purple and pink and blue and all the coldest colours you could imagine, which oddly enough had the greatest heat. The figure vanished as soon as he came, and both Raven and his superiors were curious. They had attempted to come back earlier, but the site was under a complete lockdown for the next three days.

The Tekken Force was bigger than the rumours, some two hundred, and the elusive acting CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu, the ultimate commander of the Tekken Force, a certain 'Mr Drive', was avoiding both questions and indeed anyone, revealing only that he would take over the Zaibatsu until a suitable CEO could be found. When reminded of Kazuya Mishima, Lee Chaolan and Jin Kazama, Mr Drive ignored the subject like the plague, going so far as to claim that all three were long dead. The Nest, as the heads of Raven's operation were called, did not take kindly to this news. They had dealt with Mr Drive before. It was said that he once was one of them. Whether it was true or not, Raven had heard many stories about him. He was not one to be trifled with lightly. Heron and Cranehad set out personally to 'convince' him that it was in both their best interests to let Raven investigate the site. That was three days ago. Finally, the lockdown lifted, and though Raven thought it'd be redundant to go seeing that if there was anything of any important, the Tekken Force would've already removed it, he obeyed the orders to go investigate. He stood with uncharacteristic ease. He was bored with this work. Nothing was going to occur or be discovered, he knew this, but here he was.

"Agent Raven."

Raven's head whipped around, recognising the stern voice. A young woman stood there, her arms crossed and her face covered by a face-mask, though her green eyes weren't covered by the standard sunglasses, instead free to pierce right into Raven with a cold glare. Her red hair remained unhampered, in a short ponytail that just reached her neck and spikes along the fringe that stayed just above her crown. She wore the same clothes as Raven did, if a little smaller to accommodate to her short and stocky stature - a sleeveless black top with matching trousers. Simple. Efficient. Just like her, really. Though why she was here, Raven couldn't decipher. She wouldn't accompany other agents without prior acknowledgement. This caused Raven to tense up slightly, excited by the prospect of actually having something to do. If he had to leave, the Nest would've contacted him, but sending her? Something was up, and Raven was curious. "Glad to see you too, Sparrow." Raven finally answered. "Nice to see that the youthful still have a modicum of tact."

"Spare it, Raven." Sparrow said. "The Nestsent me here, with Crane." Raven was surprised.

"Crane and Heron are back?" He asked. They had been gone for three days. He was sure that Mr Drive had them 'disappear', otherwise they would've gone so long. But they were back? After so long? What new developments are coming, Raven asked himself. "What did they discover?" He asked this question aloud rather than introspectively. Sparrow began to walk over.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. He's just looking for a CEO, just like he said. His Tekken Forces were looking for bodies. He mentioned that Heihachi wouldn't allow any of his three heirs to actually take over, but it doesn't take a brain surgeon to work that one out. Crane said that Mr Drive was being too crafty to be innocent, but absolutely nothing that we didn't know already was discovered."

"It took those two three days to find that much?" Raven asked. "What were they doing? Sitting around in Mr Drive's office playing cards? Why couldn't they get us clearance to come here?

"That's what Crane was worried about. He asked Mr Drive over and over and over, but from what he's told us about the guy, he must be some kind of machine. Every question, every query, he just seemed to have a pre-prepared excuse. No matter what he brought up, even about what was underneath the Hon Maru or what caused the explosion to grow so large from what seemed to be just one bomb, he'd simply give a complex excuse. He just would not slip up."

"Didn't they simply check his computer files or get any top secret information?"

"Oh, they did. Plenty of B and E, hacking… they were considering simply beating Mr Drive to near death until he talked

"And?"

"Corporate sales and heart surgery research." Raven's eyebrows raised.

"Heart surgery?" He asked. Sparrow nodded.

"Apparently, Mr Drive's nuts about it. Even asked Crane what his blood type was…" Suddenly, a loud beep emitted. Sparrow's eyes pulled away from Raven for a second. "Speaking of Crane…" Raven looked around, his ears picking up a distant banging. "Crane, this is Sparrow, I read you…" He heard gunshots. He was certain of it. "… what do you mean…" He looked to the north, walking over slightly as the gunshots became more frequent and energetic, the sounds once only penetrating the silence slightly, but now he was listening, he could hear accompanied screams and some frenzied commands. "… who's shooting at what…" Raven looked to Sparrow. "Could you repeat what you… what… Crane, come in! Crane! For fuck's sake, come in… shit…" She murmured under her breath, before looking back to him. "He's stuck in a fire-fight."

"I heard." Raven said. He looked to the north, following his ears more than his eyes. "This way." The two ran as quickly as they could, their footsteps silent as they sped to the scene. The gunshots became louder with each step, grand blam-blams that made Raven's ears ring. The two came close to the scene, hiding behind some rubble. They looked to each other. "We observe. We only intervene if Crane is in mortal danger." Sparrow nodded, before looking up.

It was a messy scene already, with about ten or so dead bodies in the black armour of the Tekken Force soldiers, though about four or five of them with red helmets. The helmets of Owls, the best soldiers there were. Crane wasn't among the dead bodies. He was in the centre of a slight crater, a tall, grey haired figure who was trying to avoid the crossfire as much as possible, but it was the blonde haired man that caught the attention of Raven and Sparrow. He didn't stand still, running around like a freight train, while six Tekken Force soldiers backed away, firing their rifles in a vague direction, hoping to hit the moving figure. He moved much faster though, and he caught up with one of the soldiers. The soldier threw his rifle at him in desperation, hoping to buy some time to prepare a commando knife. The blonde haired man spun as he moved forward, suddenly punching the floor, as a great scything object soared over his head and straight through the gun, splitting it in half. As he rose, he threw another of the same object into the approaching soldier. As it embedded itself into the soldier's chest, Raven saw that it was a knife, and an unusual one at that. It was custom-made, made from a simple kitchen knife, but it had a small slit carved into it, that let the soldier's blood run along it with eased. The end without the blade was serrated, and the handle was connected to a large rope that the blonde haired man pulled vigorously on. The knife escaped the soldier's now dead body as it dropped to the floor, with the knife already trailing behind the moving figure as he began to approach the next soldier in a zigzag pattern. The soldier panicked, dropping his gun and running. The blonde haired man sent one of his knives into the nearest calf. The man tripped, falling on his stomach. He turned to the blonde haired man as he sent his second knife into another soldier.

The other three stopped firing, all collectively realising that running away from this madness was the last option. They all turned, but the blonde haired man was two steps ahead, throwing his arms across his chest, sending the knives into all three of them, slashing across their necks and heads, splitting through helmets and armour and killing without mercy. Crane stood up slowly, but he dropped to the floor as soon as he did. Sparrow seethed as she saw Crane's leg wound. She looked to Raven.

"We have to help him." She said as the blonde haired man approached Crane, dragging the live Tekken Force soldier, a green helmeted Falcon, behind him by the calf using his knife. Raven shook his head.

"I think I know that man…" He murmured, pressing the Play-Back-Recording on his sunglasses. He rewound the tape until he got the information he wanted. He looked to the third Hawk to go into the Hon Maru, and compared.

The hair was certainly different. In the film, it was light brown, reaching the shoulders but only just. The man who now threw Crane onto the floor next to the Tekken soldier had incredibly short hair, but Raven could quite clearly that it was clumsily cut. He had obviously done it with his knife as it jutted out awkwardly, and now he had stopped running around and fighting, Raven saw that the hair had been dyed with equal lack of understanding of how hair works. Everything else was simple and easy to see. It was quite clearly the same man. The face was darkened quite a bit from burn marks, tans and scars, but that only seemed to amplify the fatigue and weariness of his scowling face. His eyebrows were heavy and dangerous, and his left eye was a cold calculating blue. His right eye was covered with a black eye patch, while before both eyes were fine. He stood quite short, not much taller than five foot, but he seemed a lot taller with his dominating and slow walk. He was also thin, his bones easily visible through his skin, but he still looked strong. The clothes he wore were shredded to the point of ridicule. They could've been black, blue or even a bright pink before, but currently they were all a dull and dirty grey. His jacket barely hung on his shoulders like a rag, his shirt was missing both sleeves and much of his chest, revealing his scarred abdomen. His trousers were also ripped apart, with the right leg simply burnt completely away and the left looking little better. His boots weren't really boots anymore, looking more like thick sandals. If it weren't for the fact that he had just killed at least fifteen armed gun-toting soldiers with just his knives, or for the expression on his face, one that was regularly associated with bears, he would've looked absolutely absurd. Raven looked to Sparrow.

"I don't think he's going to kill Crane." He told her. "Not yet, anyway. We'll let him interrogate Crane, see what he actually wants, then we go in before he has a chance to escape." Sparrow was about to object, but she sighed. She knew that it made sense. They looked over the rubble they hid behind cautiously, as Crane and the Falcon were forced into a seated position.

"Right…" Came the voice of the blonde haired man. It was an incredibly low growl, a typical Mediterranean rumble. He pulled the Falcon to his knees. ".. you. How long has it been?"

"Since… s-s-since when?" The Falcon stammered.

"Oh, I don't know, just pick a date!" The blonde haired man answered. "Like, I don't know, Christmas, or July the third, or how about the explosion?" With these words, he pulled the Falcon off the ground, effortlessly lifting him off the floor with one arm.

"F-four days…"

"And who's taken over the Mishima Zaibatsu in Heihachi's place?"

"Mr Drive! He's taking orders from some guy! He won't say who!" The Falcon screamed. "PLEASE LET ME GO! I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ELSE!" He was tossed away without effort, slamming onto the cold grey floor. He rolled in pain as his leg bled heavily. His eyes were hidden behind the helmet; though he was sure his attacker still looked through the visor and could see his eyes with the one eyed glare.

"Tell Mr Drive that Heihachi Mishima is alive, if only just." The blonde haired man ordered, barking like a drill sergeant. "He's in capable hands. Tell him that J sent you. And tell only Mr Drive. Go!" The Falcon nervously hesitated at this demand, before leaving as hastily as his wounded leg could take him. Crane moaned in pain.

"J…" He moaned. "… I remember you." J's gaze rested on him now.

"And you. Who do you work for?" He asked. Crane looked up.

"I saw you in the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4…" Crane murmured wearily. "I won a lot of money thanks to you." He suddenly got a hard smack as J's fist whirled around and slammed into his cheek.

"Answer the question." He stated. Crane tried to stall for time.

"You lost to your sister… Liz, isn't it?" He asked. He braced himself for the next fist, closing his eyes and turning the hardest part of his cheek to J, but it didn't come. Crane opened one eye. J squatted to his level, reaching his hand out to Crane's face. "…dinner and a movie first, alright?" J sneered, before suddenly slamming the hand straight onto Crane's ear, pulling at the earpiece he wore. He snapped it away before standing at full height. He held the earpiece like a microphone, curling his fingers around the tiny electrical sphere.

"Sparrow, wasn't it?" He asked. Sparrow gasped from behind the rubble. "You don't know me, but I have your friend with me. I've politely asked him a few questions, but he's being rude, and I'm guessing that he and therefore you both know what happens when somebody isn't being very cooperative, so I want you to tell me who you are working for." He scanned the surrounding area, before turning to Crane. "You better hope your friend is in a better mood than you, other you'll have to pay for it." While he said this, Sparrow looked to Raven.

"I'm giving you full control of the situation." She told him. "I'm going to answer his questions, on condition that he answers mine. He'll be listening to me, so you can get him without worry of him attacking you. I'll only tell him about what us three are doing here. I'm schdum about The Nest, Heron and Crane." Raven silently agreed, looking to J. He was turned away. Raven moved slowly, silently, as Sparrow began her conversation. "What do I call you?"

"J, for now." Came the answer. The voice was slightly taken aback. "I really shouldn't be surprised…"

"By a woman?" Sparrow asked. "I get it a lot."

"Surprised by how much you sound like..." J glanced in Raven's direction, but Raven had seen this coming and was behind another, closer piece of rubble. "… it doesn't matter right now. Right now, I want to know who you two are." He continued to idly scan the grey scenery.

"We are investigating the Hon Maru explosion." Sparrow began to explain. "We were observing Heihachi Mishima and his heirs when the explosion occurred. We saw something emerge from underneath the Hon Maru, however. Something that caused the explosion to grow rapidly. The Hon Maru was only the size of a standard building, and was only one storey high, while the explosion sight has eradicated all trace of life and is miles across. That's dangerous, and we want that danger leashed." She paused, looking as Raven came within leaping distance of J. "I've answered your question. Now you can either answer my questions, or let Crane go."

"Don't I get two questions?" He asked. Sparrow sneered slightly.

"Why do you want two questions?"

"Because I have two of your friends." Unexpectedly, J's knives slashed around in a dangerous arc, striking at a stunned Raven like scorpion's tails dancing together. "Next time you formulate a plan, you should make sure your comm isn't still on." He threw the knives back towards him, catching them between his fists. "So shall I take a wild stab in the dark and assume you're named after another bird? And I'd like to know a bit about this 'Nest' of yours."

"Maybe you should answer one of her questions." Raven warned J. "You may live to see your sister again if you do." J's hands wrapped tightly around the hilts of the knives. "Even if you've incapacitated Crane, you're still outnumbered." As he said this, Sparrow revealed herself and approached. "You will surrender now."

"In case you didn't notice..." J gestured to the collection of dead bodies. In total, fifteen, just like Raven's estimate. "What makes you think that two of you will make a damn bit of difference?" As he said this, he flung his left knife towards Raven at blinding speed. Raven pulled himself onto his shoulder, spinning under the rope and slicing it with his own knives, sending the deadly tip hurtling harmlessly away. "OK, I suppose that's a start." J murmured. He then stamped onto his left foot, having spun on his right, escaping Raven's path as a flying kick was sent to him. He kept spinning, bringing his left knee into Raven's chest. Raven winced as his lungs leapt to his throat, and staggered back avoiding J's wild stab.

Damn it… Raven seethed. … I forgot he had two of them. "So, J, I suppose you know who was in the Hon Maru when the explosion occurred." He deflected two quick jabs, before suddenly having a knife forced against his neck. He moved backwards, but J's feet imitated his own, sidestepping and twisting hither and thither. He even managed to imitate Raven's slight stumble with an eloquent mastery, always keeping that blade a centimetre away, closer if need be.

"Haven't the slightest." He answered as he moved, keeping a firm concentration on Raven's body pattern, his steps, the twists of his legs, the bends of his knees. "Though, I should tell you that there was more than one floor."

"It was a one-storey high building…" Raven began.

"Underground, bird-breath." J told him. "Surely you could've pieced that together. Along with your imminent fall."

"What are you…" Suddenly Raven was fed into J's bony fingers as he tripped on a suddenly advancing foot. The left hand caught the back of Raven's neck and spun him, feeding his knife back onto Raven's windpipe. The arms had curled under Raven's and pulled back, locking them out has his legs did the same. The left knee pushed onto the inside sharply, both an immature and painful insult and a method of making Raven didn't just drop his weight and cause to move his guard.

"You should've remembered that I learnt how to trip people up like that in Moscow."

"I didn't know you had in the first place."

"Well… how would 'enjoy your trip' be, then?"

"Cliché, but at least it makes sense." Raven said. "I know something you should've remembered." He watched with some smugness as J's eyes widened in shocked recognition.

"Way ahead of you." He shouting, forcing Raven away and throwing his hand in a great scything motion, just catching Sparrow's side. However, this was too long to allow Raven to prepare an attack. J learnt this when a foot cracked harshly into his forehead. He stumbled backwards, leaving himself open for another attack as both Sparrow and Raven kicked out at him. He was flung back, dropping his second knife. Raven pushed his foot onto the rope, making sure the knife was out of his reach.

"Give up, J." He said as J stood to full height, spitting onto the grey earth. "You lost your weapons. Come with us and we will not hurt you." J looked to each fist, before clenching them and taking up a new stance.

"Have I now?" He said, raising his fists. Raven and Sparrow showed their own fists. Suddenly, J put his mouth to his throat to cough. An unconscious movement, a habit he hadn't noticed he had picked up. Raven prepared to run and attack while J was so open.

"Raven, this is The Nest. Withdraw with Sparrow and Crane and go to the Mishima Zaibatsu Main Offices. Repeat. Withdraw from the premises. Go to Mishima Zaibatsu immediately. Over."

The voice pierced the tense noise as Raven stood in shock at these commands. Withdraw? Now? With a possible lead within his grasp? He activated the earpiece to respond. "Nest, this is Raven. Please verify commands. Over."

"The Nest to Raven. The Tekken Force Soldier mentioned Mr Drive was taking orders. Investigate immediately. Over." Sparrow looked to Raven.

"What are you doing?" She asked, but Raven silenced her.

"Raven to The Nest. What of this J character?"

"Leave him. We've ran an ID on him in the Tekken Force Data Logs Heron brought back. He was never in the Hon Maru except on that night. Anything he knows, another Tekken Force soldier will know, and be more co-operative. We know where to find relatives if we need to communicate. Obtain a Tekken Force Armoured Vehicle and leave immediately. That is an order. Over."

"Raven to The Nest. Understood. Over." Raven looked to J reluctantly. "Lucky you." He spat each word with indignant anger. "Somebody's looking after you." He turned to Sparrow. "We're leaving." Sparrow nodded, gave a quick scowl to J, and the two ran off into the distance, as low to the ground as possible, silently and quickly. J watched the two pick up Crane, with Raven supporting the wounded man. J watched as the three disappeared onto the horizon. He raised his hand to his mouth, seemingly to cough and expertly hiding Crane's earpiece.

"This is The Nest to Raven. Time is of the essence." He said, imitating a dull mechanical voice as well as he could, picking up his knives. "Good luck. Over." He placed the earpiece in his pocket.

"Nice work. You almost got yourself killed and you had to bluff your way out of a fight. I see what I pay you for." Came an irritated voice. J's head lazily turned as Heihachi emerged from behind a large block of rubble. He was, like J, greyed from ash and burn marks, and his black gee was ruined. He was actually sad about the mess. He liked the gee with the tiger on the back, even more than his wife or his son or his father. More than much of all else the world had to offer. A symbol of his vanity and narcissistic greed. J cracked his knuckles.

"We learnt a lot from that expedition. Much more than you or I had to tell them." J said. "Like it or not, we're stuck together now. And seeing as Mr Drive's new employer has had people scanning this area, I'll assume that he's no longer your friend or my superior. He is the enemy, and you are no longer my employer either. We are equals now." J plucked up one of his knives. It was one he had made himself. The beloved knives he had wielded before, his mother's custom blades had been lost in the explosion. This new one he had carved himself was flung just an inch to the right of Heihachi's ear, causing harsh steel air to brush his balding head. "I brought you back from the brink of death when I myself was about to die, out of the goodness of my own heart, so if you think I'm going to take one solitary minute of your bullshit, I can easily change my tune."

"I'm sorry, Julius, but I can smell lies as well as I tell them." Heihachi replied. "You wouldn't try to kill me unless I was about to do the same. I know why you kept me alive. It was because of Kazuya." J scowled at the name. "I want my son dead. You want my son dead. Two people going after him is always better than one, and luckily for you I do not mind whether I kill him or somebody else does, so long as he dies. I know you too well to know that you actually give a damn about anybody other than yourself."

"I know plenty who hate Kazuya as much as you do." J said. "So don't push your luck." Heihachi smiled rather suddenly. J was taken aback as Heihachi began to laugh quite heartily. He approached the blonde, patting him on the back with the force of a punch.

"You know what, J?" He said, a grand king greeting a kindred spirit. "You're a man after my own heart. You care for nothing but revenge. You live for nothing but chaos. You desire nothing but pain upon those who do you wrong. Morals are merely a convenience to be dropped when they outlive their usefulness. Maybe after all this, you could be the heir to my empire." J notched an eyebrow.

"If a complete lack of morals is what you want from me, you'll be disappointed."

"Oh, please, you're no quintessence of virtue; you're just a cold bastard who happens to stab bad people." Heihachi waved his hand dismissively. "What good deed have you ever done that was not motivated solely by your quest of revenge? Your sister? Your friend Fritz? Your last target, Ling Xiaoyu? All simply steps on your personal ladder; I am right, am I not?" J glared back, not answering for a good moment.

"If I'm as evil you say, I might consider cutting out your tongue." He said. "You don't need that to defeat your son." The response? More laughter.

"Why couldn't I have a son like you?" Came Heihachi's humoured bark.