(Hello fans of Tekken! GOOD NEWS! This chapter is going to be a hugely important one! Jun Kazama returns after last chapter's cliffhanger, and engages Kazuya in a very heated discussion. And when I say "heated" I mean HEATED. In the words of one of my favorite reviewers; "things will be hot!" Now, before you jump to conclusions… the answer is no. Jun and Kazuya are not going to spontaneously start having sex. Okay, that's not how I roll. If you're looking for some crazy sex story, then I'm sorry but you're in the wrong place. There is a lot of back story explanation here, a lot of screaming, and a lot of emotionally charged moments too. The wall of dialogue may seem intimidating and uneventful when you first see it, but trust me, it's all really interesting :). I spent weeks writing and revising this chapter, so everything in there is there for a reason. I think it's one of the best chapter's I've written so far, however in the end it's not my opinion that matters, but yours. So please enjoy! And review! And thank you very much! Oh, and a few quick things. Some of you may have noticed that I've started naming my chapters instead of just 1,2,3 etc. This is in the hopes of creating some quick, intriguing summaries for each chapter. Hope you guys agree with the words I used to summarize each chapter. Also, I know I already spoke about this, but I think I might be changing the cover image for this story again. I already promised that I would stop, but lately I've been coming up with some pretty cool ideas. Don't expect me to change it any time soon, but in the future, I might do just that. Thanks!)
J. - I totally agree. Both of those animated movies really stayed true to the Tekken storyline, and created accurate representations of the characters. The fight scenes in Blood Vengeance were pretty awesome too :)
Kara- I'm making an official degree. From now on, the official slogan of The Return is "it will be hot". I don't know why, but that phrase just sounds so funny to me, and you've used it like three times in the past reviews. Keep it up! And thanks for telling me about Gwendy and her stories. I read The Mishima Kazama Connection part 1 all the way through, and I really liked it. Currently I'm halfway through part 2, but I had to stop to work on school and this story. Gwendy really does a great job of capturing Jun's personality, which I think is paramount to any story involving her. And I agree with your movie preferences too. The 2010 live action movie was completely ridiculous. Thanks for reading and for reviewing!
Anoonimos/guest-I totally agree with your opinions about the movies. The animated motion picture had the best storyline by far, but animation and fight scenes could have used a little work. Also, Blood Vengeance did have a bit of a strange storyline, but I enjoyed when it all culminated in the Mishima family battle. Say what you will about Blood Vengeance, it is impossible to deny that it had some amazing animation and fight sequences. As for the chapter, I have a feeling that you're going to like this one :) Jun returns, and her and Kazuya have a seriously deep and emotionally charged series of arguments. Things get REALLY intense towards the end. Thanks for reading and for reviewing!
The Return
Chapter Ten
Immediately, the door slid open.
Kazuya watched as it moved to the side silently, ready to see the woman he knew would be standing behind it. As the door slid into the wall and out of view, however, he noticed that something was clearly wrong.
There was no one behind the door.
What the hell?
Kazuya stood up from his chair and slammed his hands down on the desk in front of him. He stared straight at the spot where the door had previously been, shocked at what he saw. The empty hallway was the only thing that greeted him as he looked, which was a sharp contrast to the vision he had been expecting to see.
Where is she?
Then, just as Kazuya's surprise turned to anger and disappointment, he was shocked for the second time that night.
He felt a pair of hands grab his shoulders from behind, and clamp down on them tightly.
"Boo." Said a feminine voice from behind him.
Kazuya spun around, and in the process, knocked the hands off of his shoulders. Years of combat training had taught him how to respond in situations like this, so he instinctively raised his fists and prepared to strike.
While normally the sight of Kazuya's fighting stance would instill fear into those who viewed it, the woman standing behind him was not scared in the least.
"Hehe… oh calm down. You're not seriously going to punch me, are you?" Asked Jun Kazama in a playful voice.
"Jun?!" Stammered Kazuya in surprise.
The simple sight of her was enough for Kazuya to break his instincts and lower his guard. She looked exactly as she did at the gala, expect for the clothing. Now, instead of an elegant white dancing dress, Jun wore a more comfortable and dark one-piece. It was predominantly white, but had many small blotches of black on it which, upon closer examination, were found to be shaped like flying birds. Particularly, they resembled a flock of black ravens taking flight.
Her dress had two pant-legs, with one being entirely white, and the other being covered in the ravens. The one-piece dress rose all the way up her body, until it reached her chest and wrapped around her neck. The dress did not cover her shoulders, but instead hung loosely over them like a low cut tank-top.
But her shoulders were not entirely bare, for Jun also wore a black shoulder wrap that resembled a woman's cowl of some sort. The wrap also had spots of a different color on it, but this time the color was white. Several white flowers adorned the cowl, giving it another contrast between black and white. The wrap was tied together in the front of Jun's chest with a single knot, and hung delicately there in the center of attention. In total the dress looked beautiful, giving Jun an appearance of grace and beauty, while still managing to give off mysterious and dark vibes.
She was wearing the same headband that she had been wearing at the gala, which was perfectly white and gracefully strung around her head. The headband, in addition to looking chaste and elegant, also held Jun's hair in place, which was short, dark, and smooth. Her face looked just as beautiful as Kazuya remembered it looking, if not even more so. Those same hazel eyes, surrounded by soft white skin and immaculate features returned to his memory once again.
But then, as he was admiring Jun's face, something odd struck him. Her face… the face of the woman he once loved, looked different. He could not put a finger on exactly what it was, but something about her appearance seemed inherently wrong to him. She looked perfect.
Too perfect…
Her voice jarred Kazuya from his thoughts.
"Kazuya, is something wrong?" Asked Jun sincerely as she noticed Kazuya's expression.
Kazuya quickly pushed the strange thoughts out of his head and focused back on Jun. "No." he said flatly.
Jun smiled and stepped backwards, giving Kazuya some space to come out from behind the desk. "Well you sure seem to be looking at me in a strange way…" She asked.
"It's nothing." Replied Kazuya.
Jun's face returned to a more neutral expression, and she blinked once. "Very well then. Whatever you say..." She agreed. "I suppose I should probably say hello, right?"
Kazuya said nothing.
Jun smiled. "I'll take that as a yes." She said.
Kazuya scowled at her. This was not the way he had wanted the conversation to go. Instead of remaining serious and dominant throughout it, Kazuya was taken by surprise and removed from his position of power.
Whenever Jun appears, she always seems to do this to me. Take me by surprise, defuse the situation, ignore my presence… It's almost as if she finds enjoyment in messing up my plans.
Jun, seemingly oblivious of Kazuya's thoughts, held out her hand, offering it to Kazuya for a handshake. "Pleased to meet you," she said. "Myname is Jun Kazama. I believe we've met before."
Kazuya looked down at the hand in disgust. He was silent for a moment before speaking. "You don't expect me to shake hands with me. Do you." He said defiantly as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Jun looked surprised. "I'm just trying to be formal," she argued. "Isn't that what you wanted? You said you wanted me to stop acting childish, so here I am. I figure we could have this conversation like two grown adults. That's all."
Kazuya glared at Jun. "This isn't what I meant. You're just trying to mock me."
Jun sighed and retreated her hand back down to her side, where it hung limply. "Well, I guess you're not in the mood for fun after all…" she said in a defeated tone.
"Of course I'm not." Said Kazuya. "What on earth would possibly make you think that I would enjoy being visited in the middle of the night just so I could sit around playing games with a ghost."
Jun suddenly looked at Kazuya with an offended expression. "Kazuya please. Don't call me that." She pleaded.
"Why not." He asked, intrigued by her sudden emotion.
"Because…" began Jun slowly. She looked down at the ground, then briefly around the room as she timidly tried to find the right words to complete her thought. "… that just not… that's just not who I am." She said as she looked back up into Kazuya's eyes.
"If you're not a ghost, then what are you?" Asked Kazuya, who viewed Jun's hesitation as a sign of weakness.
Jun's eyes turned in a way that made her appear almost sad. "I'm… I'm Jun Kazama. That's who I am."
"Is it really though?" Shot back Kazuya, who took a step forward towards Jun, closing the gap between them, and clearing himself of the desk he had previously been sitting at.
Jun timidly stepped backwards, showing how quickly she had lost control of the conversation, and how truly unprepared she was to answer Kazuya's questions. "Yes…" she answered quietly.
Kazuya looked at the woman, and briefly considered ending his questioning right there. However, something deep inside him told him not to stop. He listened, and continued. "If you are truly Jun Kazama, then where is your body?" He asked.
"This is my body!" Shot back Jun, who lightly clenched her fists as she spoke.
The faintest, tiniest smile crossed Kazuya's lips as he took another step forward towards Jun.
Reaching out with one hand, he grabbed Jun's right arm around her wrist, which was the same arm she had tried to get him to shake just a few minutes ago. Kazuya fit his whole hand around Jun's wrist, and lifted it until her hand was now held directly in between them both. Kazuya never looked away from Jun's eyes as he did this.
"This?" He asked devilishly, referencing Jun's hand, which was now held up directly in front of his and Jun's eyes.
"Yes." Replied Jun, who tried her best to seem confident, but could not help giving off slightly scared vibes.
"This is nothing." Said Kazuya insultingly. As he said this, Kazuya began to squeeze Jun's wrist with his hands.
Jun looked back at the man holding her wrist with a look of confusion and fear on her face. She could not understand why Kazuya was gripping her wrist so tightly.
"You were gone for almost a week, Jun. That gave me time to think. Time to prepare…" Said Kazuya darkly as he continued to clench Jun's wrist tighter and tighter.
"Kazuya please, let go of my wrist! You're hurting me…" Pleaded Jun quietly as she struggled to appear calm and confident, despite the uncomfortable circumstance she was in.
"No I'm not." Said Kazuya dismissively. "During that week, I learned a lot of things about you. I learned, for instance, that you are not the one in control."
"What are you talking about? Control of what?" Asked Jun desperately.
"I mean…" he began. "This is MY mind, Jun, not yours. And the only person in control of my mind is me. Not Angel, not Devil, and most definitely not YOU."
Jun looked back at Kazuya with a look of fear on her face.
Kazuya continued to grasp Jun's wrist tighter, to the point where he could almost break her bones. "The only reason that you appear to me like this is because I let you, Jun. It's because I was too unfamiliar with the realm of spirits, and too weak to do anything against you. But now…" He smiled slightly. "The tables have turned."
"Kazuya please. Whatever you're doing, we can just talk about it first, okay?" Pleaded Jun desperately.
"You are a ghost, Jun. Nothing more."
And with that, Kazuya's hand went THROUGH Jun's wrist.
He did not break her bones, not puncture flesh nor harm her arm in any way. He simply went through Jun, much like a solid object passes through a heavy fog or a cloud. His hand was entirely inside Jun's wrist, clamped tightly in a fist, now that there was no solid matter to hold his fingers apart. Jun's wrist simply appeared like a fog, enveloping his wrist, but not touching it in any way.
This strange effect was similar to imagining a hologram projection, and a human hand passing through it silently and never making actual contact, because the hologram is not solid matter and has no mass. That was exactly what was happening between Jun and Kazuya.
For a second, Jun looked down at Kazuya's hand in shock, then she regained her composure and instinctively backed up a few steps, taking her nearly-transparent hand with her. She opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by Kazuya before she could speak.
"Just as I thought, you are nothing more than a specter. If I want to move through you, you cannot stop me. And if I want to control you, you still cannot stop me…" He said mockingly.
And with that, Kazuya suddenly turned to the side and held up his hand, pointing to the far side of the room. As if possessed by a dark force, Jun was suddenly lifted off the ground and flown across the room to the spot that Kazuya was pointing at. She stumbled and fell when she landed.
Kazuya let out a sharp, gruff laugh. "Do you see what I mean, Jun? This is MY mind. And as long as you choose to live within it, I am the one in control."
Jun's expression was a mix of confusion and anger, both caused by Kazuya's suddenly confrontation and violence towards her. Slowly, she picked herself up and stood up to face him. Again she tried to speak, but was cut off by the man, just like before.
"And now that we have laid down the ground rules, there are a couple other things we need to discuss." Kazuya said as he took one big step forward.
Finally Jun got the chance to speak. "Kazuya please, you need to understand that my return was in no way intended to be an attempt to grab power from you. I would never do something like that and you know it!" She said powerfully, trying to appeal to his emotions.
"Don't try to change the subject." Shot back Kazuya as he took another step forward, putting himself only a foot away from Jun. "Now listen to me."
"Fine… I will." Conceded Jun, trying to sound unafraid.
"Good." Replied Kazuya, who crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly downwards as to look straight in Jun's eyes. "Firstly, I have been thinking over the tale you told me a week ago at the gala, and I found a few areas of the story that just don't add up..."
"What are you talking about?" Asked Jun defensively.
"I need you to clarify a few things, specifically, the details around your death." Demanded Kazuya.
For a split-second, Jun's face almost showed fear. "What- what do you not understand?" She asked. "I thought I made it pretty clear what happened."
"Well you didn't." Said Kazuya condescendingly. "Tell me again, the events leading up to your death."
Jun was slightly confused and irritated by Kazuya's questioning, but she complied nonetheless. "Well… it was shortly after your death in the volcano that I found out I was carrying a child. I knew it was yours, because you were my… well, you know. Anyway, it was obvious that Heihachi would come after the boy once he found out it was yours, so I went into exile. I also knew that the spirit of your devil had failed to perish in the volcano, and would probably be heading for the boy as well. I had to escape."
Kazuya listened intently as Jun spoke, never making a sound, but simply standing there with his arms crossed.
She continued. "I took a few some of my belongings, and headed into the woods. The Kazama family owned a small house in the wilderness that had not been occupied for over ten years. When I arrived there, I found that it was in perfect condition, virtually untouched by the outside world for almost a decade."
"What woods were this." Asked Kazuya suddenly.
Jun looked at him with an expression of surprise and confusion on her face. "Why do you want to know?" She asked.
"Just tell me."
"Why do you need to know?" Asked Jun again, in defiance of Kazuya's power.
"Tell me now." Demanded Kazuya angrily, apparently unhappy with Jun's defiance.
"I can't remember." Replied Jun, looking straight into Kazuya's eyes. His eyes narrowed as they met.
She knows damn well… she's just trying to hide it.
"Does that answer your question?" Asked Jun impatiently, well aware that Kazuya thought she was lying.
"Continue." Said Kazuya.
"Fine." Said Jun. "Once we arrived at the cabin, I was all alone. I went about tidying up and preparing the house, and so after nine months of isolation, I gave birth."
Kazuya sneered at the mention of his son.
Ignoring Kazuya's apparent dislike of Jin, Jun continued. "He was a good young boy, but always getting himself into trouble. I tried to teach him to be a kind nature-lover, but for some reason all he wanted to do was learn fighting… Well, after holding out for as long as I could, I finally gave in and taught him some of the old Kazama-style karate that I had learned from my family. He was a gifted fighter, and learned the techniques faster than I anticipated."
"Get to the point." Prodded Kazuya impatiently.
"Yes… well after fifteen years of raising Jin alone in the wilderness, I started to receive premonitions. They were omens of a dark and mysterious force that would soon come to kill me. I decided to make Jin escape to Heihachi, because I knew he was the only one who would be able to protect Jin from the monster coming after me. And, just as I predicted, Ogre came."
Kazuya said nothing.
"We were eating dinner when he arrived. Jin told me he heard something moving outside, so when I went to check what what making the sound, I was picked up and thrown by a creature of monstrous proportions. He was shaped somewhat like a man, but was still far too large or unsightly to be considered a human being. We fought, but after only a few minutes it was obvious who would win. Jin tried to help me, but he was knocked unconscious after Ogre's first punch."
Kazuya's fists clenched together in anger.
Jun, unaware of Kazuya's spike in anger, continued her story. "We continued to fight, destroying the cabin and much of the wooded area around it. Almost two hours later, we were still fighting. I was no match for the beast, and finally it defeated me. I remember being knocked down, then dragged around for a bit. I think it tried to burn my body too…" Jun looked up at Kazuya with a sad expression on her face.
Kazuya did not return the favor. "How did you die, specifically." He asked.
"Umm… I'm not sure." Answered Jun. "It might have been burning, it might have been mutilation, it might have been anything."
"And what happened to your body?" Asked Kazuya.
Jun's face turned white. "Wh-why do you want to know about my body?"
"Just answer me." Demanded Kazuya, well aware that Jun was hiding something.
"I… I don't know." Answered Jun timidly. "I guess it was destroyed."
Kazuya took a menacing step forward. "Tell me the truth."
"I am!" Shot back Jun, who sounded much less confident than she wanted to.
"I think you're lying…" Said Kazuya slowly. "I think your body wasn't destroyed at all."
Jun's face turned even whiter than before.
"And…" He continued. "I think that you know what ACTUALLY happened to it."
"That IS what happened!" Said Jun in reply.
Kazuya stared at her intently.
You're not fooling me. I can see from your body language that something is clearly off. Your face is white, your hands are trembling, you're panicking… You're hiding something.
"Kazuya!" Pleaded Jun. "I seriously don't know what you're talking about! My body was destroyed by Ogre. That's it!"
Kazuya scoffed at Jun. "Please." He said. "How about you go back and answer those questions honestly, Jun. You and I both know that you're not telling me all you know."
Jun was now practically frozen in fear. "I… I… really don't…" She stuttered.
"No." Said Kazuya suddenly. "Don't even bother talking. I already know what you're going to say. And since it's pointless to continue these questions any further, I think we can move on now."
Jun practically heaved a sigh of relief at this news.
Meanwhile, Kazuya was slightly irritated by the discussion. Just as I expected, she isn't going to tell me what I want to know. This is, of course, only a minor setback. I have a contingency plan.
If Jun isn't going to tell me, then I'll just ask her brother; Asukon. I'm sure he'll be willing to comply once I "convince" him to talk…
He glanced at the clock, then back at Jun. "Now, listen up Jun, I'm going to make a few things perfectly clear to you."
"Fine…" Said Jun begrudgingly.
"First of all, there will be absolutely no more surveillance of my activities." He said matter-of-factly.
"I wasn't even doing that in the first place!" Shot back Jun.
"I do many things that are not meant to be seen by anyone else. Whenever you intend to awaken yourself, you will inform me of it ahead of time. Understood?" Said Kazuya, clearly ignoring Jun's pleas.
"Fine!" Said Jun angrily, who was starting to feel less afraid than she was before.
Ignoring her, Kazuya continued. "You will never appear before me unannounced again. That means your days of leaving cryptic phone messages and little notes are through. We are adults, and it's about damn time you started acting like it."
Jun said nothing.
"Yes… and you will not refer to me as "Kazuya" anymore. My name is Mr. Mishima, understand?" Kazuya's last demand might not have seemed like much, but to Jun, it was a very serious matter.
"Kazuya," she said, instantly breaking the rule. "I refuse to do that."
"You do?" Asked Kazuya menacingly.
"Yes." Answered Jun defiantly.
Kazuya cocked his head to the side, and looked at Jun carefully. Jun stood silently as he looked her over, completely aware that this was a test of wills and a method of finding out if she would back down or not. Of course, Jun was very familiar with Kazuya's ways, so the mind games did not work on her.
Kazuya continued looking at Jun for another few seconds, before slowly nodding his head and lowering his arms. "You WILL do as I tell you." He said.
And with that, Kazuya took another step forward, directly into Jun's body.
Again, like a hologram, Jun's body held no resistance to the solid object passing through it. She simply stood in place and held her breath as Kazuya walked through her. Taking another big step, Kazuya passed directly through Jun and came out on the other side.
Once Kazuya had passed all the way through her body, Jun exhaled loudly and closed her eyes. The experience did not hurt her at all, but the emotional pain was starting to become too much to bear. Every time Kazuya passed through her or spoke about her weaknesses, she was reminded of her depressing existence, and the fact that she would truly never be human again.
Kazuya kept walking once he had passed through Jun's body, over to the large window on the far side of the room. Crossing his arms again, Kazuya completely ignored Jun by facing towards the window and looking out over it. Then, in contrast to his apparent ignoring of her, Kazuya addressed the woman.
"Jun… do not make me do that again. The experience doesn't affect me at all, but it's obvious that you don't enjoy it." Taunted Kazuya.
Jun said nothing, but simply breathed heavily, recovering from the unnerving ordeal.
"Now that you are reminded of your condition, let me ask you again; do you really think you have any say in this matter?" He asked degradingly. "You are only a consciousness, harboring itself inside a mind that it is not familiar with. The sooner that you come to terms with who you are, the easier it will be for you to deal with yourself."
Jun slowly turned around and faced Kazuya. She was rubbing her wrist with her other hand, the one that Kazuya had not grabbed. Despite the harrowing experience she had just endured, Jun seemed to be gaining a resurgence of confidence.
Kazuya stared into the window, which was giving off perfect reflections of the whole room behind him. By looking into the window, Kazuya was able to see Jun perfectly without even having to turn around. Stoically, he watched as the woman looked up to face him, then raised her chin high.
"Kazuya…" She whispered.
Kazuya was silent, then finally responded. "You mean Mr. Mishima." He said.
"No." Said Jun, much louder now. "I mean Kazuya." She let go of her wrist and took two steps toward Kazuya, apparently consumed by a new, revitalizing energy.
Kazuya said nothing, but frowned angrily.
"I refuse to refer to the man for whom I bore a child for as anything but his true name." She said powerfully, well aware that any further mention of Jin Kazama would lead to a heated argument.
Just as Jun predicted, Kazuya's eyes narrowed at the mention of his son. Spinning around, Kazuya crossed his arms and faced Jun directly.
"That boy has nothing to do with this." Said Kazuya, preparing to enter a long argument.
"YOUR SON has everything to do with this." Shot back Jun, putting emphasis on the fact that Jin was Kazuya's son as well as hers.
"My son? Woman, I was not the one who raised him, I was not the one who turned him into the devil he is today."
"Jin is no devil. He possesses the same gene that you do, and he is able to control it as well."
Kazuya shook his head slowly, and then stopped. He could tell that they were about to enter a heated discussion. The topic of Jin Kazama was a particularly powerful pressure point for both Jun and himself.
"I am in control of the devil gene. Clearly he is not." Shot back Kazuya.
"I am sure that Jin would say the exact opposite." Replied Jun.
"He would be wrong."
"You give him less credit than he deserves."
"He deserves nothing."
"He deserves the love of his father, if nothing else."
"As if he would accept it…"
"I bet that he would."
"You would be wrong, just like him."
"He is not always wrong."
"And yet somehow he continues to kill innocent people every day."
"That war was fought for a reason. He saved us all."
"Or so he says."
"You saw Azazel with your own eyes, Kazuya. You know what it was capable of."
"I could have handled it. And I probably could have survived as well."
"Jin survived the fight. We are both aware of that."
"Barely."
"So what? You barely survived the volcano. No wait, you died."
"I didn't die. The only person in this room that has ever died is YOU, Jun."
"Barely."
"Still dead."
"Ogre was a different story."
"How so."
"He was destined to kill me. There was no way out of it."
"Yes there was."
"It was inevitable."
"Someone could have saved you."
"Jin…"
"Yes, Jin. The stupid boy failed to protect you. And in the end, he didn't even pay the price. You did."
"Jin was not responsible for my death."
"He was."
"He was not!"
"He was!
"He was not!
"HE WAS!" Screamed Kazuya.
Jun was shocked by Kazuya's sudden anger. Normally when Kazuya got mad, he controlled the hatred and turned it against his foes, but this was different. It seemed that his anger was out of control, as evidenced by the way Kazuya leaned inwards towards Jun and gritted his teeth. Truly, this was a side of Kazuya that Jun had rarely seen before.
Kazuya took a deep breath and then stepped towards Jun, ready to vent his anger.
"He was the son of a madman! Born to a family of hate-mongering psychopaths and murders! You knew from the moment he was born that he was destined to be an evil man, and yet for some reason, you still chose to raise him. You still chose to take that demented product of a hate-filled man under your wing and raise him as your son. You didn't have to! Nobody around was forcing you to do it! And yet you did it regardless… You raised that child in peace and serenity, gave him the childhood that a normal boy deserves, that a normal boy ought to get. The charity of your act, it was unbelievable! How could you go through the pain of betrayal, the pain of exile, the pain of loneliness, and still come out of it ready to care for a child?! A normal girl of your age under those conditions would completely lose her mind! But somehow… somehow you came out of it even fuller of grace and serenity than you were before! How could you do it, Jun?! HOW CAN ANYONE BE THAT SELFLESS?!"
Jun was speechless. With eyes wide open, she watched as Kazuya screamed to her, venting years and years' worth of anger in her direction.
"AND THEN YOU WERE KILLED! Murdered in cold blood by a monster that knew nothing but how to hate. You, the most selfless, most honest, most graceful, most innocent woman in the history of humankind, was chosen out of the seven billion people on the earth to be the one who died. Why couldn't it have been someone else? Why couldn't it have been some filthy gang lord in an urban wasteland? Why couldn't it have been some damned rapist living in the ghettos of a third world country? Why couldn't it have been the tyrant leader of a militant group responsible for genocide in some hellish jungle? WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE YOU!? WHY DID OGRE, WHY DID FATE, WHY DID GOD HIMSELF CHOOSE TO KILL YOU, OF ALL PEOPLE! YOU, THE SINGLE PERSON ON EARTH WHO DESERVED DEATH THE LEAST, WERE CHOSEN TO RECEIVE THE MOST PAINFUL AND VIOLENT DEATH IMAGINEABLE!"
Kazuya's entire body shook with rage as he spoke. Everything he said, all the terrible thoughts and emotions he had been keeping down for years, were suddenly coming to the surface.
"For the longest time… I wondered why he was even born in the first place. Neither of us wanted to have a child, and yet there he was. We were too young, too immature, and yet there he was. The world was so perfect, we were together and we were safe, and yet there he was. Jin… It took me years to realize WHY the fates allowed him to be born at all. And now I know. I know why he was born. And it has become the true reason for my hatred of him…"
"Why…" Whispered Jun, in complete awe of Kazuya's speech.
"It was to save you." He said quietly. "It was to protect you and save you from Ogre. He was the only person around you when the monster attacked, and he was the only one with enough power or skill to intervene. You said that you were destined to be defeated that day, but your destiny said nothing of Jin. He was supposed to be your guardian! He was supposed to protect you and defeat Ogre! He had Mishima blood in his veins, he had the training of Kazama-style karate, he had every possible weapon in his arsenal to defeat the monster! And then the time came for him to prove his worth. It was the sole reason for his existence. It was the entire reason he was born in at all. It was his destiny to save you. So the moment came, and Ogre appeared…"
The room was silent for a split second. Jun was already aware of what happened next.
"AND THEN HE LET YOU FUCKING DIE!" Screamed Kazuya at the top of his lungs, clenching his fists in pure rage and hatred. "THE ENTIRE REASON FOR HIS EXISTENCE AT ALL WAS TO SAVE YOU, AND THE FIRST THING HE DOES WITH THE GIFT OF HIS LIFE IS FAIL! FAIL TO SAVE THE LIFE OF THE WOMAN WHO DESERVED TO LIVE ABOVE ALL ELSE! AND HE WAS THE ONE WHO SURVIVED! NOT YOU, HIM! THE FAILURE! THE WEAKLING! THE MISTAKE! HE WAS THE ONE WHO WALKED AWAY UNHARMED, WHILE YOUR BODY WAS CARRIED INTO THE WOODS TO BE EATEN BY WOLVES! TELL ME JUN, WHERE IS THE JUSTICE IN THAT!?"
"I…" Began Jun, who had no idea of what to say. In all her years of knowing Kazuya, he had never been this open or passionate about anything.
"Don't even bother answering…" Said Kazuya. "I'll answer for you. There is NO justice in that. There is no such thing as justice in the world. If this world can produce a woman of complete and total selflessness, then have her struck down in a gruesome death, there simply is no justice. And there is no karma either. The world is a cruel place, and it wasn't until I heard about your death, after my own resurrection, that I realized what kind of a world I was living in." Kazuya looked Jun in the yes one more time, then abruptly turned around and crossed his arms, facing the window.
Jun stepped forward, towards Kazuya.
"That night… Jin should have died. Not you. Him. Jin should have either fulfilled his destiny by saving your life, or he should have died in disgrace. But neither of those things were what happened. Instead, he walked away from the whole ordeal unharmed. That…. is why I hate him, Jun. That is why I hate my son so much. Because he failed to save the life of the one woman I ever cared about, and instead went on to live a life of freedom and violence. Just imagine how many less innocent people would have died, had you survived the attack instead of him, Jun. Just imagine how much better off the world would be, if Jin had been the one that died."
Kazuya felt Jun place her hand on his shoulder, trying to get him to turn around. He ignored it, and continued speaking.
"And I know you want me to turn around, Jun, but I won't. Because I know what you're going to say. You're going to say that Jin wasn't responsible for your death. You're going to say that it wasn't his fault. But we both know that those statements are lies. He could have saved you, because he had my strength with him. He had my abilities and my power. And if I were the one who was with you at the time of Ogre's attack, I would have been able to save you. I would have done everything in my power to stop that monster from killing you. I would have even laid down my own life, if it meant proving that justice still existed in the world…"
Jun pulled more on Kazuya's shoulder, clearly trying to get him to turn around. After considering ignoring her inevitable counterarguments, Kazuya decided to give in.
I know she is just going to start shouting at me when I turn around…
With that, Kazuya turned around slowly.
There, staring back at him, was the familiar face of Jun Kazama, looking just as beautiful as he remembered. But instead of the angry, defensive face Kazuya expected, he instead saw Jun smiling thoroughly, her eyes lit up with passion and love.
Then, before Kazuya could react, Jun threw her hands behind his neck, and leaned in as far as she could. It all happened so quickly, Kazuya didn't even have the time to react.
Finally, Jun closed her eyes as she brought her face right up against Kazuya's…
… and kissed him passionately on the lips.
End Chapter Ten
(Hey guys! How did you like that one? Did you expect it to end that way? Did you see that kiss coming at all, or did it catch you off guard? Hahaha, hopefully it turned some heads out there :) Anyway, this chapter obviously has some hugely important impacts on the rest of the story, so you can expect this one to come up a lot later on. There was a lot of ominous and suspicious activity going on besides the kiss, though. Like, for instance, why does Kazuya want to know where Jun died? And why does he think that she wasn't killed by Ogre? Why does he intend to "convince" Asukon to talk? What could his plan be?! If you think you know the answer to any of these questions, let me hear what you think in the reviews section down below. I'll give you a shout out next chapter. As always, thanks so much for reading! And please review!
-SomeStoriesDeserveToBetold