Here we are again, and this chapter felt kind of odd to write. Anyway, here's hoping you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: Own nothing.
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Miguel and Asuka jostled through the doorway to room 5 directly into Yoshimitsu. Ieyasu, bringing up the rear, slipped in behind them. Miguel heard the door bump shut.
"Get in the closet," said Yoshimitsu instantly.
Miguel blinked. "Excuse me?"
Yoshimitsu pointed to where Leo was standing by the far wall. A slat, clearly thin enough to conceal the compartment's presence when closed, had been pressed open to slide back a section of the wall and reveal a walk-in partition.
"Get in the closet." He repeated.
Miguel looked from Leo to Ieyasu, then back to Yoshimitsu. His eyebrows came up. "Okay, so this must be some sort of ninja joke I don't understand. Hilarious."
Yoshimitsu didn't so much as smile. Miguel kept his condescending grin, but now he could feel the humour surging out of him as adrenaline once again started to pump. He glanced to Asuka. She was tight-lipped, waiting.
"What's happening here?"
"We'll explain everything later," said Ieyasu from behind them. "Just trust us for now."
He reached out to urge Asuka forward but she brushed his arm away. "Tell us what's going on here!"
The sound of footsteps on the stairs made Yoshimitsu visibly tense. Miguel was shrewd enough to know the action was involuntary, a fear response. He glanced back at the door of room five, now closed, and wondered what could be hid behind it, at that very moment.
"What do you think, Asuka?" His voice was a whisper. She thought for a moment, then clenched her jaw and nodded.
"Let's do it. If they'd wanted to do something they would have done it already."
"Good choice," said Yoshimitsu, relieved. "That may have just saved your life."
"Open up!"
The shout from outside made them all jump. Hands went to swords. Miguel saw the actions- saw the nervousness- and by instinct put a hand in his jacket, feeling the calming cold of the pistol barrel
"Ladies first," he said humourlessly. Asuka looked at him and, to his surprise, smiled thinly. There was a crescendo of banging and shouting now, and Yoshimitsu stood with one hand on the doorknob. He returned her smile without comment; the action on her part had baffled him, and he had no time to consider. He gestured and she clambered into the secret partition, and he followed her swiftly.
When the section slid back into place they were plunged into a claustrophobic darkness. The room was tiny, and Miguel had struggled to press himself in as the slat closed. The tight space forced him chest to chest with Asuka, who was already backed against the wall.
"Ah! Miguel! You're right on my breasts!"
Faced with her indignation he didn't know whether to laugh or cower. Instead he made some effort to disentangle his face from her hair.
"I'm sure the experience wasn't quite so terrible as you make it sound," he replied, finding room to step off her.
Miguel heard Asuka shuffle in the dark; possibly she had folded her arms. He smiled- it was so easy to picture. So like his sister had been.
"I only met you yesterday. Now I'm sharing a closet with you after almost getting killed. It's you, you know. How do you find this sort of trouble?"
He smiled to himself. "I'm sorry, my dear, but it seems that trouble has me electronically tagged."
"What's happening out there, anyway?"
"Let me just find the slat…"
Miguel, tracing the wall with his fingers, found the place where the section met the wall. The gap was so tiny it appeared not to let any light in. Pressing his eye against it gave him a hairline view of the room. In the darkness Asuka didn't see him tense.
"What's happening out there?"
"It's Kazuya."
"Let me see."
He felt her against his arm but didn't budge. Kazuya's ferocious form filled his narrow vision, the length emphasising him like a stage light. His corner-of-the-mouth smirk gazed out of view of the slat; by twisting, Miguel could just see Yoshimitsu's left side.
The conversation was already in full swing.
"Naturally I'm just honoured that you and your flunkeys have decided to come visit me, Kazuya, but I don't see the reason. Why would whoever you want be here? Looks like you've wasted a journey. Dangerous journey at that, considering… street violence has experienced such a sharp rise recently."
Kazuya threw him a bemused look. "Angling for information? I have no hesitation in telling you- because I imagine you've already guessed- that this entire thing is of my planning."
At that moment sudden darkness swamped Miguel's eyes, making him flinch and recoil. But it passed quickly.
Cautiously Miguel returned to his position of observation. Twisting as far as he could to the right revealed a slither of black fabric- a thug was directly in front of the compartment.
He returned his attentions to Kazuya, who was now looking to Yoshimitsu's side.
"Who's the guppy fish?"
The ninja glanced briefly in the same direction. "Don't gawp, Leo. It doesn't work on you."
Kazuya paused, then smirked suddenly. "Leo? Leo Kliesen? Ah yes… I believe I've heard the name."
From the hideaway Leo was out of sight; but from Kazuya's expression of cold delight Leo's could only have manifested sheer, violent loathing. Kazuya returned Leo's stare for some time, then turned nonchalantly away. Yoshimitsu shifted a little, clearly frustrated, as Kazuya disappeared from view.
"What's the point of this, anyway?" Yoshimitsu queried, "For a guy of your intellect it seems awfully stupid. What does it achieve?"
"Well," came Kazuya's voice, "firstly, the violence is sure to give me more or less total control of the media. But also- more importantly- it makes it much easier to weed out the dissidents."
He came back into sight with a memory stick glinting in his hand. There was a flare of anger behind the cold control of the eyes. "Things like this," he said, holding the memory stick in view, "are the reason that so many leaders of history have failed. When I take command once more there will be no such rebellion."
Yoshimitsu shifted tersely; the tension was evident just from his stance. "You talk like you've already won this tournament."
This time there was only the slightest smirk in reply. Kazuya gave one final glance to his left, presumably at Leo, then started to walk for the door. "If you truly refuse to give him up… I suppose I'll have to settle for you two. This memory stick should be all I need to make an arrest- shall we say predictable? After all, the police will probably be interested in dissidents after the tragic events of tonight."
He gestured to his thugs. "Now are you going to come quietly?"
"Not today!"
The thug closest to the compartment barely had time to spin before Miguel, erupting from his hiding place, struck him a savage blow to the neck. He toppled like a bowling pin. At the same instant, Yoshimitsu, acting with breathtaking recklessness, threw himself at the second thug. His adversary, reeling in surprise, brought up his gun, but the ninja turned the barrel away and delivered a straight kick to the chest that crashed him to the ground. As he fell Yoshimitsu tore the weapon from his hands.
In a matter of seconds Kazuya found himself outnumbered five to one. Ieyasu, who with similar cunning had flanked him during the fight, closed the door and stood ready, sword drawn. Before him stood Asuka, Miguel, Yoshimitsu and Leo, fanning into a tight half-circle. One by one he observed their hatred and smiled.
"What now? A fight? To what end?"
Miguel recalled his conversation with Kazuya that very same day; the image of the red eye, piercingly angry, weighed on his mind and he held back. Just as he had over the hospital bed, Kazuya stood tall and straight, arms folded. The five of them watched him cautiously but moved no closer.
"Give back the memory stick," said Yoshimitsu finally, breaking a fierce silence. "Even you couldn't take us all on."
"Perhaps so," Kazuya agreed. "But how do I know you won't simply attack me as I leave?"
"Why would we want to?" said Miguel suddenly.
He hadn't intended to speak. But faced with this figure of pure brooding chaos it was the simplest explanation that could be given. What indeed could they hope to gain from such a fight? The Spaniard thought briefly of the carnage this man had inflicted tonight already. He thought of the dying old woman, her broken body bleeding against the wall of her house. He thought of all that violence and wondered if a little more would make any difference whatsoever, and started to lower his stance. Asuka, watching him, begrudgingly followed suit.
Kazuya seemed satisfied by this answer. He grinned, said "Why indeed?" and put one hand on the doorknob. Taking the memory stick from his pocket, he tossed it to Yoshimitsu.
"It makes no difference anyway. The person I wanted isn't here." His gaze moved to Miguel. "See you in the finals, Spaniard."
As Kazuya began to open the door, Miguel caught a rush of movement from the corner of his eye- suddenly he was swaying and staggering away, and cursing himself for his lack of awareness. But it was too late.
Kazuya, with one hand still on the doorknob, turned back slowly but didn't so much as flinch- even as the barrel of the pistol Leo had snatched from Miguel's jacket came level with his chest.
"Fire that gun and there'll be ten or twenty armed men down here in a millisecond. I would love to see that fight-"
"You wouldn't be alive to see it," Leo hissed; but Kazuya shook his head and leered.
"I would survive. I have survived things you cannot imagine."
The hands on the pistol shook with rage. "Are you daring me to shoot?"
"I am indeed. It would fill me with joy to see the look on your face as you pull that trigger."
Leo was like a taut wire. Every part of him was shaking. A nerve twitched in his locked jaw, and as his eyes narrowed he took on an image of almost animalistic viciousness.
"You killed my mother."
His finger came to rest on the trigger, but Kazuya's smirk didn't so much as waver. "I did."
"Think about what you're doing, Leo," said Yoshimitsu, in a tone that was half command, half plea. All eyes were on the boy now, tensed for the crack of the gun, barely daring to breathe. Kazuya alone was unshaken.
"Shoot me," he said suddenly. "Go on- it would be such an honest revenge. I would do it. By now you would be dead. Why are you waiting?"
"Give me the gun," Miguel demanded, holding out a hand; but without movement there was nothing to back his words.
"Leo, we all want something here." That was Asuka. "But you can't take this now! If you fire we're… we're all going to die." Leo glanced at her but didn't shift; the gun in his hands seemed to shake now of its own accord, as though struggling to fire itself, to rip flesh and organs. A bead of perspiration dripped from his chin.
Asuka stepped forward.
"Don't move!" Leo cried, and suddenly the gun swung on her; she froze.
Kazuya, standing straight as ever, chuckled at the sight. The gun immediately swung back to face him. The hammer began to creep back.
"Fire," Kazuya dared, "just fire. I promise you I will live- whatever you want to believe."
"You'd die like anyone else! You will die! You wanna test that?"
"I would be happy to. When you have seen what I have, death loses its brutality. To me it's just another lie of many. I know I will survive."
"I will shoot!"
"Put the gun down," said Miguel again, fiercely. But even Leo sensed the note of desperation.
"Give it to me," Miguel repeated- always the same words. "Give me the gun. Don't think about what he's saying."
Under Miguel's gaze Leo wavered, and the hammer crept back into the lock.
"That's it," said Miguel, encouraged. "You're disoriented. Now hand it over." He reached out a hand.
"You haven't got much of a chance left," Kazuya mocked. "Think of your poor mother!"
The gun came back up, forcing Miguel to step back- he had been just inches from Leo's shoulder.
"What about my men?" Kazuya continued. "They will be back soon. Then you will be dead regardless."
"Listen to me Leo, for Gods sake!" Yoshimitsu cried. "If you've ever listened to me, listen to me now! If you pull that trigger we're all going to die! Against twenty armed men… we don't have a chance. You're going to kill us all! Is that what your mother wanted? Is it, Leo?"
"Ah, the responsibility argument," Kazuya pondered. "How interesting. Will you listen, Leo? You will never have this chance again."
"We could escape," said Leo faintly, "we would escape…"
There were noises now from outside the door- people descending stairs. Kazuya, smirking as ever that infernal smirk, put one hand back on the doorknob, his impassive eyes never leaving Leo's. A person outside called his name.
"Last chance." he said, softly. "If you're still thinking about shooting. If you're still deliberating… I want you to know something. I killed her myself. Personally. I killed her with my bare hands."
There was a flinch of movement, and a click, faster than a blink.
Miguel threw out his hand and grabbed the barrel of the pistol, using it as a lever to twist it from Leo's grip. As it slid free the hammer fell back into place, its dull click almost a lament that it hadn't had the momentum to cause a shot.
The gamble over, Miguel allowed himself to breathe out. Leo stood there, shocked, for a full second, then threw himself at Miguel; but Yoshimitsu and Asuka, anticipating it, had stepped forward and grabbed him. He fought them, quietly and furiously.
Miguel threw Kazuya a dark look- a look of unbridled enmity- and Kazuya returned it with the red eye hot as blood.
"Get out," Miguel muttered. "Get out now or I'll shoot you. And you know I would."
Kazuya only nodded. "Very well. You won't see me again tonight. But after that… I would be somewhere else. You know, after all, that you've made an enemy here."
"Oh yes. Willingly"
To this Kazuya only nodded once more, swung the door open, and left. The room was silent.
"Great," said Yoshimitsu grimly. "Just great." He looked around the room briefly. "Now… what are we gonna do with these thugs?"
--
The remainder of the night passed in uneasy silence. Yoshimitsu hit the net, surfing constantly, neither speaking or moving. In his own mind he kept turning over the attack, trying to make sense of it. Kazuya's explanation didn't hold up- it had been a move out of all proportion or expectation, and its mysteriousness galled him. At one point Miguel approached him.
"Shouldn't we be leaving? Kazuya is sure to come back at some point tonight."
"Nah," replied Yoshimitsu, without looking round. "Kazuya's a lot of things, but he's honest. He'll keep his promise. We'll be out by tomorrow."
"An honest psycho?" Miguel chuckled. "At least that's something." There was a moment's awkward silence as Miguel hesitated.
"Thanks for helping us," he said finally, with no little effort. Yoshimitsu shrugged in response.
"It wouldn't have helped to let you get killed. Besides… you know Lars Alexandersson. I need his help."
"You think Lars was who Kazuya was looking for?"
Yoshimitsu glanced up from the computer screen and raised his eyebrows. "You know any other rebel leaders in the city?"
"True. By the way… I want you to know that what I said on the street still stands. I didn't cheat my way to that win. Whatever Bruce did, I had nothing to do with it."
For a moment something of their old animosity surfaced, and Miguel felt his muscles tense in the familiar preparation for combat. But Yoshimitsu returned his gaze to the computer screen. "It doesn't matter now. The important thing is that if Lars is operating in the city with you, we may still have a chance. I need to know everything that has occurred to you since you arrived in Tokyo, right up to that meeting tonight."
Miguel, sat on the bed, allowed himself a moment of thought. The situation he now found himself in was, he was grimly aware, exactly what he had feared. He was a soldier now as much as a contestant. It had finally come true. The war truly was his business now; and, much as it sickened him to admit it, he wasn't surprised that it had happened this way.
"Fine." He said eventually. "I'll tell you all I know. But remember one thing- I would never have entered this tournament except to get to Jin Kazama. I'll help you if I can; but don't try and stop me."
Meanwhile, Leo sat on the bed, clutching his hands together- they wouldn't stop shaking. Asuka noticed, and sat by him.
"It's ok," she said gently. "You'll get him someday. I promise, you'll get him."
He looked at her and forced a smile. "Thanks."
She smiled back, then put a reassuring hand on his wrist. "What did he do to you? Do you want to talk about it?"
"He killed my mother. At least… he organised it."
"I'm so sorry."
"You don't have to be sorry." He looked back at his lap. "It's just that until I saw him today, I was sure all I wanted was justice. Then when I saw him… all I could think about was killing him- pumping bullets into his body again and again, and watching him fall. I guess… I guess I never realised I hated him so much."
"I understand. I know what it feels like to lose someone."
He looked at her, surprised. "I'm sorry. That must have sounded so selfish- I didn't realise he'd killed someone you knew too."
"It wasn't him… it was the war. At least I think it was."
"So you don't know he's dead? That's something."
"He's not dead." She closed her eyes. "But he might as well be."
--
At six in the morning Yoshimitsu put on the T.V. A broadcast had been announced for ten minutes ago, but so far there was only static- most channels were already out. The five of them sat round the screen in tense silence. Then, at six-thirty A.M, they picked up a live feed of Jin Kazama himself, speaking from the MFE headquarters. At that time he shocked the world by announcing that, despite the 'riots'- despite all that had happened and all who had died- the King of Iron Fist Six would continue. Just as scheduled.
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End of Chapter 11
Any good? I'd especially like feedback on the point where Leo pulls the gun on Kazuya? Tense? Tell me you thought he's do it…
Oh yeah, and I was thinking of changing the story summary to be more in line with what's actually going on now it's developed a little. Anyone got any suggestions on what I should include (because I suck at summaries)?
