Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken
A/N: Alright, this chapter is rather short. To be honest , I could have put this chapter on the last one, but that would have made it too long. Also, this chapter is the tonal shift, so it's probably better to take up a clean slate. Anyway, I hope you like it.
The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6: Where Souls and Hearts Clash
Fall and Rise: The dust finally settles
Hosti-Lee Taking Over
He was exhausted, bruised, battered, beaten, and bloodied; his body was screaming bloody murder in torment and felt like it was made of lead. As he flew through the air, Kazuya could barely keep himself in flight; with his strength waning, he continued to sink before struggling to rise and not plunge into the ocean. Kazuya realized he couldn't fly for much longer, but soon he noticed a black spot on the vast expanse of blue water. It was a ship, and, by the obvious 'G' emblazoned on its side, it was a G corporation vessel. Not waiting to think anything over, Kazuya quickly descended to the halted ship, and collapsed on its deck, his wings retracting almost instantly. His face resting against the cold deck, Kazuya laid in silence, too tired to move or even think about much of anything. He even ignored the increasingly louder footsteps … until they stopped and he heard an all-too-familiar voice.
"Tsk tsk tsk. That's just like you, Kazuya: always showing up unannounced," the person said.
It was quite possibly the last person Kazuya expected or even wanted to see. Hearing that voice, he immediately looked up, half-hoping that his mind was playing tricks on him, and saw the undeniable proof; there was no mistake now. Kazuya recognized this man all-too-well, from his silver hair to his amused smile. Standing across from him was Lee Chaolan with an unlit cigarette in one hand and a briefcase in the other.
Surprised to say the least, Kazuya asked with slight annoyance, "L-Lee?! How did you … how did you even get here?"
Of course, Lee knew how he got here, how he tracked Kazuya, and determined the best place to wait for him. But Lee wasn't about to tell his adoptive brother that. Plus, Kazuya looked so vulnerable, Lee figured he'd just mess with him.
Half-laughing to himself, Lee replied with a smile, "Let's just call it Deus Ex Machina."
Not even hiding his annoyance any longer, Kazuya , though it didn't sound strong because of his fatigue, growled at him, "Lee, what the h-- do you want?!"
Lee almost burst into laughter at how Kazuya sounded; clearly, he was trying to intimidate, but his bark was just not frightening especially in his present state. However, Lee tried to maintain himself; he was still there for a reason after all.
His smile still present on his face, Lee replied, "Surprised to see me, are you? Well, I guess you were so focused on your enemies that you never checked to see who your allies were."
Kazuya didn't understand that statement at all. Very slowly, Kazuya started to lift himself up. Again, his body felt like lead, and was seemingly in utter defiance of being forced to move again. Willing himself up, Kazuya stood with a slump as he inquired about Lee's statement.
"What … what are you talking about," Kazuya questioned his adoptive brother.
Explaining, Lee plainly replied as he put the briefcase down beside him, "If you'd actually checked, you would know that I'm a major shareholder in G Corporation, meaning a rather large part of the company belongs to me."
Kazuya was stunned silent. Was Lee lying? Or was he just trying to rattle him? Nevertheless, Lee was telling the truth about one thing: Kazuya really hadn't checked who the company's allies were, and Lee knew it right away. Just by the look on Kazuya's face, Lee knew he caught him off-guard, and that look was worth it all.
Lee, deciding to get to the point, further explained as he flicked the cigarette aside, "I own so much of the company in fact that I would become full owner and CEO if something were to happen to you like … I don't know, you fell into a coma."
Kazuya definitely caught that implication, and, despite himself, quickly became enraged.
"Lee, you bastard! You wouldn't dare …" Kazuya roared before Lee interrupted him.
Not waiting any longer, Lee ducked low to the ground, gathering a silver aura around his lower body, and unleashed his power in a jumping spinning kick, a 'Silver Cyclone', that connected squarely with Kazuya's face. The attack sent Kazuya spiraling backwards through the air until he again was flat on the deck. This time, Kazuya was out cold. Lee, after taking a moment to relish his attack, grabbed up his briefcase and approached Kazuya's lifeless body. After kneeling next to him and rolling him over, Lee then flipped open the briefcase and pulled out a clear face mask with a long aerosol-sized gas canister connected to it.
"You'll like this, Kazuya. It's a special compound my company has been developing; it really puts you to sleep," Lee said mockingly as he placed the mask on Kazuya's face and activating the canister.
Noticing a storage crate nearby, Lee quickly dragged Kazuya over to it, flipped opened the top, harshly flung Kazuya inside, and closed it again. Lee had to take a moment afterwards; his plan had worked to perfection, and now, for really the first time, Kazuya was now at his mercy. Although he did it indirectly, Lee had finally got the best at Kazuya. A smile crossed Lee's face with this realization as a cool breeze of fresh, ocean air washed over him, provoking him to turn in its direction. Lee's silent moment of triumph ended as the distinct sound of a woman in heels walking across the deck towards him. After an instant, Anna appeared from around the corner. Confused to find Lee there, she wondered his reason.
"What are you doing out here, Lee," Anna inquired.
"Just getting some fresh air," Lee plainly replied with a smile.
Suddenly, with Anna's arrival, Lee remembered he asked Anna to do him a favor, and figured now was a good time to ask about it. Calming himself down, Lee turned serious as he asked about it.
"So did you find her," Lee questioned.
Anna took a moment, pondering what Lee was asking, and then, recalling, replied, "Yes. They're holding her at the hospital overnight."
Lee quickly turned toward Anna with that revelation; he went from triumphant to concern in just few moments. For a moment, Lee even surprised himself at how quickly his mood changed because of this. Nevertheless, Lee had to know more.
"Oh. How is she," Lee asked, unable to completely hide the worry in his voice.
Anna, concern slightly evident in her own voice, explained, "She has a few broken ribs. She also had a slight partial tear of her spleen, but they managed to repair it in time to save it. She did take quite a beating, but she'll be fine."
Not the best news, but it was still better than expected. The report also brought Kazuya back to Lee's mind as it was he who actually put the subject of the report in the hospital. However, Kazuya was being dealt with at that time, so getting upset wasn't really needed. At least she was fine Lee recognized.
Lee then replied, "Alright; thank you, Anna. I think I'll pay her a visit," Lee said.
With that, Lee began walking across the deck, and, as he walked past her, Anna followed behind him. Though she wasn't sure if it was a good idea, Anna decided to go with her gut, and made a quick decision.
"I'll go with you; I want to see her too," Anna said as she followed Lee.
Lee, not minding and just focused on the visit, plainly responded, "Fair enough."
--
First Step Forward
Xiaoyu felt Jin's hand release and quickly pull away from her neck; Asuka, no longer glowing and feeling Jin's body relax, slowly let go of him, releasing her choke hold. Xiaoyu then opened her eyes in time to see Jin's change; both young women stood in stunned silence and wonder as they witnessed this sudden physical metamorphosis. Every material relic of Devil Jin didn't just retract, they disappeared entirely; from the sharp canine teeth to the talon-like fingernails to the bull-like horns became intangible and blinked until they vanished into nothingness. In contrast, Jin's wings merely retracted, but not without significant change; just as the wings withdrew, it could clearly be seen that the feathers were slowly turning white, beginning at the tips. Finally, Jin's eyes changed back to their normal color, the final reform and symbol of Jin's return, before a look of remorse and regret washed over his face. As if noticing the change, the storm clouds above Ground Zero Isle separated and drifted away just as quickly as they rolled in, breaking away to let the sun shine.
Seeing all of this with a smile growing on her face, Xiaoyu asked as if confirming it in her mind, "Jin-kun … is that you?"
Jin simply replied, "Yes … It's me."
Asuka, having not really met Jin before and therefore not as sure as her friend, questioned, "Are you sure? Are you my real cousin now, the real son of my aunt Jun?"
Jin turned slightly to Asuka and humbly answered, "I promise you; I'm in full control of myself now. It really is me."
Realizing just how Asuka referred to Jin, Xiaoyu inquired with surprise, "Wait. Jin is your cousin?"
"Yeah. My name's Asuka Kazama," Asuka replied before making a realization of her own and asking, "Wait. So that means the friend you were talking about … was Jin."
Quickly filling with nostalgia, Xiaoyu blissfully answered, "Yeah. Jin and I have known each other since we were in school together.
Reacting to the revelation, Asuka scratched her head as she expressed her confused disbelief over the implausible coincidence, "So when we made our deal, we were talking about … Wow that is too weird."
Jin, moving on, then said, "In any case, Asuka-chan, Xiao, Thank you … for everything."
Xiaoyu could barely contain herself, and she didn't. Without warning, Xiaoyu tightly wrapped her arms around Jin's neck with ecstatic enthusiasm, grabbing him in a euphoric embrace. Jin, unable to match Xiaoyu's happiness, hesitantly returned the gesture, slightly hugging around her waist.
"I'm so glad to see you again, Jin-kun; I missed you so much," Xiaoyu merrily exclaimed.
Asuka, still a little skeptical, added, "I don't know. I mean how do we know you're back to normal, whatever that is? I don't know if I'm convinced."
"I understand; you have good reason to distrust me," Jin solemnly replied to Asuka's doubt.
This brought Xiaoyu out of her blissful trance and into one of concern. She'd been so happy to see him to that point that she failed to notice his demeanor. Jin's reply to Asuka, however, made it all too evident. Xiaoyu easily sensed the hint of sadness in Jin's voice, which made her recognize the unrest in his return of her gesture. Fearing something, anything, Xiaoyu released him and backed away slightly to see Jin's face.
"Jin-kun, is something wrong," Xiaoyu asked with concern heavy in her tone.
Jin slightly looked away as if he couldn't look her in the eyes, and answered, "Yes, Xiao, something is very wrong."
At that moment, Jin turned away from Xiaoyu and Asuka, hiding his face from them. Immediately, after he was set free, Jin couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened while he was imprisoned. He became burdened with regret and guilt by all the crimes committed in his name, by his leadership.
Voicing himself, Jin released in a remorseful tone, "What have I done, Asuka-chan, Xiao? I was only controlled for a few months, but, in that time, I caused so much pain and suffering; it's my fault the world is in such shambles now. So much bad is going around and much of it is because of me."
Xiaoyu didn't enjoy this at all; she knew she had to try to comfort him somehow. Also, she knew he was taking on more blame than he actually deserved. Without hesitation, Xiaoyu attempted to calm Jin; she approached him, and tenderly held his hand in her own, causing him to turn back to her.
Xiaoyu reassured him in the most comforting tone she could muster, "No, Jin-kun. That wasn't you, but you fought what was controlling you and you won. If you can do that, I know you can make everything right again."
Jin accepted this, which brought some ease to him, but he still slowly pulled his hand away from Xiaoyu's; he now had to face what had to happened next.
Again voicing himself, Jin replied, "Yes, but I only overcame it because of you, both of you. You're right; I have to make things right again and I will. Still, just like you, Asuka-chan, I'm not sure. I'm not sure I have totally won this fight, and I'm not sure I can maintain control. I have a lot of work to do, but I'm going to need some help, some special help."
Jin paused a moment, getting his words together and bracing himself for a possible rejection, before continuing, "So, I guess I'm asking… Asuka-chan, Xiao, will you please help me while I fix what I've done?"
With absolutely no hesitation and without a second thought, Xiaoyu quickly replied, "Of course. Always."
Taken aback by how fast Xiaoyu responded, Jin couldn't help but wonder aloud, "Really? Just like that."
Xiaoyu, expecting the question, confidently answered. "Yes. It's not even a question."
Jin, still a little stunned by such a speedy acceptance, further inquired, "Are you sure? It won't be easy."
Asuka, remembering one of Jun's sayings, then interjected, reciting, "Life never is, but all things worth having are worth struggling for."
Jin chuckled with recollection, said, "You sound like my mother; it's good that one of us does.," and then went on to ask, "So does that mean I can count you in too, Asuka-chan?"
Asuka let out a small smile, and replied, " Sure. I got to look out for my cousin, don't I?"
"That settles it then," Jin said before switching gears, "Well, there's no use wasting time; I have to start taking care of things. Are you both ready?"
Jin then reached out his hand to them. Xiaoyu quickly placed her hand on top of his, and Asuka quickly followed, approaching and placing her hand on top of Xiaoyu's. With that gesture, the three entered into a silent pact and formed something much stronger. Signified in that moment, their connection grew; their minds, their spirits, their hearts aligned. They were now a close-knit group, one that would be almost impossible to break up. Finally, they dropped their hands and began to exit together.
"Come on, Jin-kun; we have a boat we can take," Xiaoyu merrily cheered.
"Alright," Jin responded before remembering something much earlier and inquiring, "By the way, what was this deal you two made about me?"
End Chapter
Next Time: "… Yes, it's true. I always have, and I'm sure I always will."
A/N: Okay, that was it. Again, this is a transitional chapter, so I apologize for its length. Well, the end is near, and I'm getting on that as we speak. Anyway, please R&R, and, as always, Rant, Rave, and Review.