Chapter VII

I tried to search my mind for any answer that would help me figure out what those noises were. I was thinking of something, but I'm not sure if I was right. I found a piece of steel wire lying on the floor, as if it was there for a purpose. I used my lock-picking powers that I learned from military school to open the knob and find out what those noises are and most importantly get changed for the fight. The knob made a clicking sound and turned. I don't want to startle whoever is in the room or find out my presence, so I sneaked in silently, concealing myself in the shadows cast by the dim lighting and the tall locker shelves. I can make out two figures moving in the weak sunlight trickling from the outside. It seemed that they were the ones responsible for shutting out this area. They needed privacy from what they're doing. Now that I got the first question figured out, I have to know who those two are. I leaned behind the shelf adjacent to them, and peeked from my position. My jaws almost hit the floor when I saw two guys in the middle of their love exhibition, and it wasn't the fact that two guys doing it that bother me (since I do it myself, just not inside a locker room; it seems that we're I'm not the only one having a "third-party" relationship here). I recognized the one on top as my target: Jin Kazama. What a way to encounter him. It seems like he isn't aware that he's just like his father. The one on the bottom is the red-haired guy I keep seeing these past few days. They were rocking it on one of the benches, and holy crap they were so loud. I used the time of their climax to get changed in a jiffy and head out. I succeeded in doing so as I quickly headed out and forget what I just saw. I left them screaming for each other's names.

I met Bruce on the side of the stage, observing around the crowd. He tapped me on the shoulder and gave a thumbs-up sign. "Go and kick some secret agent ass", he said. "Good luck, dude."

"Thanks."

"Whoa, here comes the boss." He suddenly said. Kazuya was walking towards me in a hurry. He was about to kiss me when I held him off. "Not here, devil boy."

"I just wanted to give you a good luck kiss..."

"No way."

"C'mon, you were late anyway."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

The announcer suddenly yelled our names at his microphone. Thank goodness I made it just in time, despite of those weird interventions.

After a fifteen-minute gruelling match with the secret agent who once told me to go back to Russia, he lost to me once again. I guess he focused too much on eliminating people and not on his training. Everybody cheered from Kazuya's camp backstage as he threw me a towel to wipe myself off. Raven snarled as he passed by, "this is not the last of me." He threatened as he disappeared further back in the hallway. "Don't mind him..." Anna said as she clapped her hands. Bruce gave me a high-five and a brotherly hug, like the ones you give people from your ghetto back in his hometown in America. We exited the arena and went back to our suite. Anna and Bruce's fights are scheduled this afternoon, so before we witness their battles we took some rest as the two left to train a little bit more, since they still had some time. Inside the elevator, Kazuya stroke up a little conversation, "why were you late?"

"I told you it was my mother. I had to see her. She got mad at me this morning."

"Why?"

"I only told her to be careful of her stories when I saw her talking to some female contestants, Julia, Christie, and Leo."

"Leo... Emma's silly little girl."

"You know her?"

"Of course I do, her mother was one of those people I killed during my G Corporation one-man siege."

"Oh."

"She hates me for sure." He said as he laughed wickedly. I thought I'm never going to see this side of him again. I smiled and tilted his face to kiss him. "Victory kiss for the most evil man I know." He smirked and held my hand. "Oh by the way, I wanna tell you something I saw in the locker room a while ago." I said.

"Fill me in."

"Your son was there."

"And so?"

"Oh fuck you, you don't even look interested."

"Of course I am... what's he doing?"

"Wrong question... it should be 'who's he doing?', because he was freaking some red-head on the bench."

"What the hell? Are you sure it was my son?"

"Spiky hair, thick brows, yes, it was your son alright."

"I ought to give him a good lecture, when I take the world away from him."

"Like father, like son, I guess."

"I didn't tell Jun to make him follow my footsteps and my preferences."

"Love is a bitch, isn't it?"

When we arrived at the suite, my mother was sitting on the sofa, looking at the pictures while sipping some tea. "Welcome back, my dears. Mr. Mishima, you didn't tell me you had a son. I saw him on T.V." She said. "He's been causing chaos in the world. Not that I'm questioning your being a parent, but what would you do as a father?"

"I did everything, but to no avail. It's a long story." Kazuya replied, smoothing his hair.

"I hope you don't mind if you make that long story short..."

"My father brainwashed him to hate me since my fiancé died, and so he did. We never spent time together, so he continued hating me all the more until now. It breaks my heart, but it's not that easy to discipline a full-grown man."

"He's got a tragic childhood, what do you expect?" I said.

"Who? Jin?"

"Kazuya. So it's better not to make him remind himself of those times."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Mishima."

"S' alright. I'm used to it, and please, call me by my name. You don't have to be too polite, madam."

My mother smiled and took Kazuya's hand. She glanced at me before looking back to Kazuya.

"Are you going to marry my son?"

Both of our eyes widened. What did I ever do to deserve such an embarrassment?

"Oh, by the way son, did you win? I just can't watch you beat each other up, you know, my heart."

"I won."

My mother let go of Kazuya's hand and threw herself over to embrace me. "I'm so proud of you, my dear boy! My baby!" She said as she squeezed me tightly. All I could do is wince upon hearing "my baby". Kazuya sighed and snickered. Now I'm shamed right in front of my own lover.

"Keep up the good work, but… what if it's a battle between you and Kazuya?"

"We can't do anything about that." Kazuya replied, pulling out his tie.

"It will be no mercy, even for us." I said in turn.

My mother laughed and clapped her hands. "I was thinking that you would end up making out on stage instead, and then the crowd would be like 'WTF'?" She exclaimed, still laughing uncontrollably.

I don't know where she got that kind of language, but it sure left Kaz and me speechless.