The Return

by SomeStoriesDeserveToBeTold

- AFTER TEKKEN 6 – Lars is missing... Heihachi has retired... Jin is dead... And Kazuya knows that those are all nothing but lies. Now, HE is the one in control of the Mishima Zaibatsu, and finally he is on the verge of attaining true power. Everything is going in his favor, until he is visited by the one person he thought he would never see again. KazuyaxJun

25. Blood

(Hello fans of Tekken! It's that time again for my bi-annual chapter posting(sorry lol, insert excuse for being busy here). Anyway, this chapter should be a very interesting one indeed, so I can't wait for you all to read it. As usual I've decided to do a little experimentation with the way I'm structuring it, so you'll notice that the time and location shift back and forth a few times, being both unconnected and connected with each other in unusual ways. Anyway, this chapter is gonna give a lot of life to a certain character that hasn't gotten enough of the attention he deserves, so I imagine some of you will be very excited. Let me know what you think in the reviews, and I'll write a direct response next chapter. Enjoy!)

The Return

Chapter Twenty Five

The wind was cold. Chilling.

Perched like a skeletal hawk high above its prey, a large grey helicopter sat waiting. Rotors quiet, the bird gazed apathetically down upon its passengers below. It was just a machine after all, yet somehow the inanimate hunk of metal seemed more enthusiastic about the mission about to occur than both of them combined.

Kunimitsu and Reike rested at opposite ends of the copter, the man standing diligently at attention before its cockpit door while the woman leaned tiredly against its tail. There was no conversation transpiring, nor had there been all morning. Both arrived punctually at the scene that day, exchanged cautious glances, and settled in. All that remained now as they felt the cool air brush over them, was the arrival of their third man.

Captain Richard Reike wore a heavy grey Mishima Zaibatsu officer's overcoat adorned with endless pockets and zippers. Just at his waist, the coat concealed two carrying straps, each loaded with a military grade Glock 17M handgun. The man also wore a pair of dark green utility pants, as well as solid black combat boots.

In addition to the ever-present fox mask, Kunimitsu wore her standard covert mission attire; a thick, yet fitting dark grey leather combat bodysuit, complete with brown leather shoulder straps and a belt. Over her whole outfit, she wore a large green camouflage poncho. Her red hair was tied back in dual ponytails that flowed down her back until they fell into a pulled-back hood. She also chose boots.

Both individuals were dressed well for the occasion. Or rather, as well for the occasion as they could be expected to. Their mission briefing had been suspiciously incomplete; certain things had clearly been held back. They would just have to wait and find out what those other things were, however, since both people knew that Kazuya would never reveal more than he wanted to.

For the time being, all they knew was that they were headed to the island of Yakushima to search for an unidentified, possibly supernatural, source of power.

Great.

Just as the trio of man, fox, and helicopter were starting to think that their expedition leader would never arrive, the door to the roof was flung aside with a powerful crash.

The man that stepped forth was none other than the deadliest force on earth; Kazuya Mishima.

Black trench coat. Black armored pants. Black combat boots. Black sunglasses.

Kazuya was ready.

"Get in." He ordered, walking with the leaned gait of a prison warden.

Kunimitsu slipped the kunai she had been fiddling with into its strap holster on her thigh. Her expression betrayed nothing, not even a look of boredom or annoyance, simply nothing. She opened the mid-section door and pulled herself inside. Kazuya followed right through the door, flinging it shut as he entered. Reike opened his door and entered the cockpit.

Inside, the helicopter was partitioned into two sections; the cockpit and the holding bay. A metal wall separated the sections with a small opening cut in the middle for communication between passengers and the pilot.

Kunimitsu dropped down and crossed her legs on one of the seats that lined each wall of the interior. Perhaps it was just chance, but Kazuya chose his seat directly across the aisle. Crossing his arms as he sat, Kazuya's face was utterly empty… as usual.

Reike had flown with Kazuya enough to know that a verbal cue wasn't needed for takeoff. As soon as everyone was inside, he fired up the helicopter's engines. Massive rotors, swinging like wild metallic wings, soon filled the air with a cacophonous beat.

And they were airborne. Not a soul moved during their ascent, but the whole time Kunimitsu couldn't help feeling like Kazuya's eyes were trained directly on her. It was impossible to tell though, since the dark reflections that shined back at her from his large black sunglasses were all she could see.

It wasn't every day that Kazuya wore sunglasses, but it wouldn't be a lie to say that most people probably preferred him that way. Anything to prevent those remorseless, eviscerating eyes from turning their horrific gaze upon you…

But contrary to Kunimitsu's fears, Kazuya's eyes were not trained on her, nor were they trained anywhere, in fact.

They were closed, resting in darkness as the man dug through the inner workings of his own mind, searching for some shred of meaning in the conversations of the night before.

…

…

(10:55 PM - several hours earlier)

(Mishima Zaibatsu Tower. Sub Level 9-F)

…

…

Lars didn't move as Kazuya pulled the enormous door shut. His blue eyes were glassed with boredom.

"Kazuya… I didn't expect you back so soon. If I knew that company was coming I would have tidied the place up."

The joke was dryly delivered, and received about as well as one could expect.

Kazuya walked past Lars and grabbed the same steel folding chair he had used during their last visit.

The pair exchanged stoic glances as Kazuya settled in and leaned back with his arms crossed, letting his demeanor grow distant and confrontational.

A long silence passed with neither man caving in. Weathering the cold and suspicious gaze of his half-brother, Lars returned fire by lazily staring back at Kazuya with about as much interest as if he had been watching paint dry.

Finally, Kazuya rose abruptly to his feet.

"Let me see your hands." He ordered nonchalantly.

Lars complied, raising up from behind his chair as far as they could be. This was made quite difficult, of course, by the enormous steel restraints wrapped around his wrists.

Kazuya leaned in and began pressing a series of small buttons which adorned either side where Lars couldn't reach. There was a series of clicks, then one loud beep.

The restraints split apart and Kazuya dropped them to the floor. Then he sat back down as crossed his arms as if nothing had happened.

Lars, who had been observing Kazuya with on odd sense of intrigue as he worked, was very slow to bring his freed hands around. Still maintaining suspicious eye contact, he finally let them fall into his lap, rubbing his numb wrists where the restraints had previously been.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" He asked pointedly.

"I'd be more than happy to pummel you back into those cuffs if you try something" Answered Kazuya calmly.

"You almost seem eager."

"I'm indifferent. Up to you."

Lars nodded quietly. Kazuya was certainly a sharp conversationalist, even if he used half as many words as an average person.

"Alright Kazuya," He began, "I'll pass on the offer today. Let's reschedule once my hands aren't so sore."

Kazuya's lack of a response was confirmation enough.

"So what's the reason for your visit this time?" Lars asked after a brief pause, knowing full well that making small talk with Kazuya Mishima was pointless.

"I want to know your opinion of Anna Williams." Kazuya stated emotionlessly.

"We've already been down this road I believe." Answered Lars.

"I mean her in general, not the capture."

"In general? That's an odd question."

"I know those restraints have a tighter setting. We can talk or you could just spend the night dealing with that."

"Point taken." Lars said with an eyebrow raised in amusement. "I have to say, your blunt conversation style is really growing on me."

"Then let's get back to the question." Kazuya pressed impatiently.

"Fine…"

Pausing to think as he looked around the room, Lars rubbed his chin contemplatively.

"She's a pretty interesting woman. There's serious talent hidden behind that nauseating personality. In fact, I always found it strange that someone as cold and serious as you could stand having such an obnoxious extrovert around. Although now that I've seen what she's capable of, it makes a lot more sense."

Kazuya said nothing, silently agreeing.

"What do you think of her?" Lars replied.

"I came here to ask you questions, not the other way around."

Lars shot Kazuya a disappointed look. "Don't start this interrogation bullshit again. I thought we moved past that."

"I don't have to be here." Kazuya shot back quickly. "If you don't want to play by my rules then I'll just leave."

Lars' defiance intensified. "You didn't come here just to turn right around and leave." He contested. "That's a waste of time, and you wouldn't have come at all if you didn't truly want to talk to me about something. So go ahead and leave. I was having plenty of fun without you."

Kazuya narrowed his eyes.

Lars narrowed his back.

The bluff had been called.

"How bold of you." The devil-man answered with sarcastic awe, displaying a rare hint of tone. "I'm sure that staring at the walls is plenty of fun."

"It's a fascinating wall." Lars shot back pointedly, accentuating the word 'fascinating' with obvious spite.

"Fine." Kazuya finally relented. "I'm done wasting time. You want to know what I think of Anna? Exactly what you said. She's a valuable asset, a woman whose strengths thankfully outweigh her irritating personality."

"So you tolerate her."

"Yes."

"And how does she feel about that."

The question forced Kazuya to pause. His half-brother seemed to be zeroing in on exactly the right subject already. The man was tremendously quick-witted.

Kazuya reminded himself to be careful.

"Anna's no fool. She's well aware that I can't stand her." He answered calmly.

"Hm." Lars thought. "You two have known each other for a long time, right? Since the second tournament?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever worked with someone for so long?"

Kazuya paused to think, but he already knew the answer. There was no one who had been by his side for nearly as long as Anna.

"I suppose not." He answered, then turned. "Why are you so interested in her now?"

"Well aside from the obvious chip on my shoulder since she captured me, Anna's position in the Zaibatsu has always intrigued me."

"Why."

"Officially… she's just your assassin. But as far as I can tell, she does a whole lot more for the Zaibatsu then just hits."

"What makes you think you know so much about the Zaibatsu's structure."

"Your reaction alone shows me that I'm right."

Kazuya paused. Chastising him was pointless.

"What, you don't have anyone in your organization that fills multiple roles?" He asked, pushing the focus away from himself and back onto Lars.

"Of course. I assume you mean Alisa." The man answered.

"Yes."

"Well just like Ms. Williams, Alisa could function quite well as an assassin. Although her social skills aren't quite as… honed, as Anna's are."

"But…" Kazuya pushed, subtly intrigued by any information he could gain on the perplexing robot girl.

"But, Alisa serves me better as a combination of other roles. A communications chief, an intelligence officer, a second pair of eyes watching my back, and a close friend, too."

A silence fell across the brothers.

"Anna is certainly close to you. Is she your friend?" Lars asked honestly, his scarred blue eyes and tone softening past all the earlier sarcasm and reaching a point of simple, legitimate care.

The question entered dangerously uncharted territory.

Kazuya's expression was neutral. He stared back at Lars, almost through him, with eyes that betrayed nothing.

"I have no friends." He answered. "And no one is close to me."

…

…

(8:31 AM - present time)

(Skies over Southern Japan)

…

…

Kazuya reached up and took the sunglasses off.

Immediately Kunimitsu's alerted eye darted out from the corner of her mask and focused on him.

The two made eye contact for several seconds as Kunimitsu refused to turn her head away from the window, each remaining stock still as if nothing were happening at all.

From Kunimitsu's perspective, it certainly helped that the mask made it feel like she had something to hide behind.

Meanwhile outside, a rising sun illuminated the quietly passing landscape below. They had been flying for over twenty minutes now, never having exchanged words or even glances. Through a small opening at the front of the cockpit, the back of Reike's head could be seen calmly focused on open skies.

Finally, Kazuya broke eye contact. Reaching out with one hand, he slid the partition that separated each section of the copter firmly shut. Their contact with Reike, both visible and audible, was cut off.

They were alone.

Kunimitsu felt the familiar rush of a fight or flight sensation subtly fill her blood.

Kazuya double checked that the window was firmly shut, then let an inquisitive expression overtake his face.

"What's happening between you and my captain." He asked, abruptly looking back her way. The calm words carried a terrifying weight of their own.

Kunimitsu was taken back by the question. She certainly didn't want anything to do with that subject at the moment, but there was simply no avoiding Kazuya.

"What do you mean…" She asked slowly, hoping that the man might be asking about something, anything other than what happened last night.

"Last night." He clarified.

"Right…" She breathed. "There was a small incident with some drunkard at a local bar. He caused a scene, then some other thug used the opportunity to make a lunge at Reike. It didn't work."

"I mean between you and him." Came the narrowing response.

Kunimitsu's eyes darted briefly away. "What do you mean..." She diverted weakly, sidestepping the question like a clumsy teenager.

"Don't act dumb. Something changed overnight." Kazuya shot back fiercely.

There was no escaping this. Kunimitsu understood that as soon as Kazuya opened his mouth. But the events were still too fresh in her mind to warrant willing open discussion. She sighed again.

"I don't know why you're even asking this."

"I'm asking because I want an answer."

"…"

"Now."

Kunimitsu looked back and saw the red-grey eyes narrow.

"Alright… nothing is going on with Reike and I. And there really never was. Your captain is a textbook military man, exactly how you like them and nothing more." She answered.

Kazuya's silence was obvious. He wanted more.

Accepting that there was no easy way out of this, Kunimitsu continued. She wasn't sure how much to say, but a sinking feeling in her gut began to tell her that Kazuya was going to get it all no matter what she decided anyway.

"There was a moment last night where the attack psyched him out. He almost got seriously injured and he blamed it on his own lack of focus… But he's over that now. You won't need to worry about a lack of focus coming from that man anytime soon." She added with a hint of bitterness.

"Why the lack of focus."

"I don't know."

"He told you."

"…"

"He told you."

Kunimitsu felt her fear slowly morph to frustration. Of course she was Kazuya's subordinate, but the way he was constantly calling her out on a subject that she still felt sensitive to was really getting old.

"I don't want to talk about this." She said, slowly letting her inner defiance come to the surface.

"I don't even remotely care."

The ensuing silence was rough.

Kunimitsu's frustration faded, then redoubled and grew twice as strong.

"It doesn't have anything to do with you." She finally breathed, decisively turning her gaze out the window.

Kazuya followed her eyes.

Beneath the mask, Kazuya could see that the girl's eyebrows were furrowing. It appeared that his line of questioning was actually making her mad. After spending so much time in the past week around complex and difficult people, he quietly welcomed the opportunity to be dealing with someone whose emotions were easy to read.

Another silence ensued. Kumimitsu, clearly upset, refused to look away from the window as Kazuya's cold grey eye bored into her like a drill.

The outcome of their discussion was already a forgone conclusion in Kazuya's head, so every second spent pouting in silence was simply another second wasted.

"Look at me." He demanded calmly.

With an expression that could only be described at contempt, the fox girl slowly turned her head and looked up.

"Cut this shit out." Came the uncomfortably serene request. It was a simple statement, but it carried the weight of a death threat with every syllable.

Kunimitsu breathed out heavily.

Ironically enough, the outcome of the conversation was already a forgone conclusion in her head too. But that didn't mean that the process of getting there wasn't going to be painful.

Finally she straightened up in her seat and crossed her leather-clad, poncho-covered arms over her chest, that look of contempt never fading in the least.

"Fine. You always get what you want anyway. There's no point in telling you how angry this subject makes me."

Kazuya's silence was confirmation enough.

"You really wanna know what went on between Reike and I?" She asked with a sharp tone that Kazuya had yet to hear from her during any of their time together. "And yes, I said WENT on, in the past tense. As in, I'm done trying to reach out to people like him anymore."

"I just want the truth." He posited, careful to take note of the girl's demeanor changing from defensive and hurt to something more aggressive and provoked.

"You say you want the truth, but I don't know if I believe that." Fired back Kunimitsu. Contradicting the man was a very bold move, especially for her. "You only want to hear the details that concern you, not the real reasons behind why your subordinates act the way they do."

"You'd be surprised how much interest I take in my subordinates." Kazuya replied, his own brows furrowing to a point in response.

Kunimitsu shook her head. "Fine. You say you want to know what's really going on in my head, we'll talk about it. God knows I've had shit bottled up in here for years, and every person I've ever tried to honestly talk about it with these past weeks have only turned out to be either trying to sleep with me or take care of themselves."

That's a loaded statement. Kazuya thought, immediately piecing together that Kunimitsu was referencing her encounter with Anna.

"I grew up in this business." She recalled with a hint of scorn. "Ever since I was a little girl and my mother tried to juggle the responsibilities of being a professional assassin along with single-handedly raising a child. I didn't even realize until I was a teenager that my upbringing was different from anyone else's. But looking back now on all the 'business trips' that my mother would take me along on, yeah, it was pretty different."

The dull hum of rotors could barely be heard as Kunimitsu continued delving into her past.

"Throughout my whole childhood, I hardly talked to anyone but her, and I didn't learn anything that wasn't from her either. And that was fine, honestly. I was happy. But when she passed…"

Kunimitsu paused. Kazuya was reminded that he actually didn't know the circumstances surrounding her mother's death.

"…I'll just say that it left me very confused. No idea how to live, how to talk to people, and especially no idea how to process my own emotions."

Then she paused again and quickly looked up at Kazuya.

"You seem like you might have a similar problem with processing emotion."

"No."

Kazuya's disgust at the statement was obvious.

"Never mind." Kunimitsu said slowly. "Normally I'd be too scared to even say something like that, but forget it. You wanted me to be honest."

"I want you to be honest about Captain Reike. Not go off on a tangent about your childhood, and definitely not make statements like that at me." Shot back Kazuya.

From behind the mask, Kunimitsu's face hardened. "This is what I was talking about when I said you only care about the details that concern you, not the whole truth."

Kazuya scowled. It was usually enough to silence anyone. But the fox girl continued.

"If you want to know what went on with your Captain, then please let me talk." She pushed.

The pair exchanged cold stares for several seconds. The showdown continued, until Kazuya finally breathed out, his arms still crossed.

"When did you develop this bite all of a sudden." He asked with a mix of annoyance and begrudging respect.

"What kind of fox would I be if I didn't bite." Came the stinging reply.

Kazuya was not amused.

"Cute." He mumbled disapprovingly. "Get back to it."

"Thank you."

Kazuya glanced at the partition to ensure that it was firmly closed. Having Reike accidentally catch their conversation would be inopportune. Once he was satisfied, his attention returned to the girl before him.

Kunimitsu took a deep breath. "Once my mother passed, I had no other choice but to become an assassin myself. It was hard to get started, but she taught me almost everything she knew, so I was successful pretty quick. Before I knew it, I was even working for the world-class ninja Raven."

Kazuya raised an eyebrow at the name. Perhaps it is worthwhile to let the girl talk. Especially if her stories involve that man.

"We worked together for a while, but it was always just business between us. We never spoke about anything personal. I mean the man was silent, nearly as stoic as you. So time kept passing and I grew accustomed to the idea that I didn't need anyone. No friends, no family, no one to confide in."

Kazuya couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of relation to Kunimitsu's experience. The feeling was quickly buried though.

"I was fine, but living like that always left me with the feeling that I needed more. That if I actually met someone who I could talk to and relate to, it might actually make me happy. Not just mildly content like how I've always been." Kunimitsu abruptly paused. "Hell was I wrong…" She muttered scornfully.

"You met Reike." Interjected Kazuya, predicting her next statement.

"Yeah." Kunimitsu confirmed quietly. "I really thought he was different from the rest, but that was where I went wrong."

"Different how."

Kunimitsu sighed. "In the simple ways. He was easy to talk to, not just another military meathead like the rest of your men. And I get it, that's how they're supposed to be. But soldiers like that… I can't talk to them. And the irony there is that military meatheads are just about the only people I can ever meet. So yeah, it was pretty surprising to run into someone that could actually hold a conversation. It was pretty surprising to run into someone who acted like they actually thought I was fun. Damn, it was only a couple weeks, but I felt like I was actually starting to get close to someone… Then again, I've never gotten close to anyone in my whole life, so I suppose I'm only guessing what it feels like…"

"Was there a romantic element to your feelings." Asked Kazuya in monotone. It was a loaded question, and one which he already had a suspected answer for.

Kunimitsu paused, then shook her head. "No. I didn't have romantic feelings for him. I usually prefer women."

"What about romantic feelings on his end."

Kunimitsu was silent.

"I don't know…" She finally admitted. "I never thought he did, but some of the things he said last night confused me."

"Like what."

"I can't put my finger on it… but the point is that I didn't want him in that way." She clarified, temporarily losing her focus then quickly forcing herself back. "I wanted to get to know him as a person, as a human being. And that's what we were doing these past weeks. Our conversations weren't even particularly deep or emotional… in fact they almost never were. They were just casual and honest, but it was that honesty that made it so good. I didn't even need to talk about my life, and I still really felt like he was helping me get in touch with myself… and I falsely believed that the same was true for Reike."

Kazuya raised an eyebrow and tilted his head back, trying to put himself into Reike's headspace. "How."

"That's how this all ties back in. The more we talked, the more he seemed to be slowly shedding that ridiculous, uber-rigid military personality. I almost thought that I was starting to see another side of him; the real side of him that was buried deep under his solider mentality. For a while it really seemed like there was more to him. But of course, that changed pretty quick."

"Last night."

"Yeah." Kunimitsu answered as a hint of shame entered her voice. Where the shame came from or what it was directed at, it couldn't be told. "When we were attacked at the bar. He didn't even get scratched, but something about it seriously messed him up. I mean, in a matter of minutes he went from cool and collected to completely unhinged. I think something that old man was saying must have gotten to him."

"What old man?" Asked Kazuya suspiciously, his red/grey eyes narrowing.

"The reason Reike didn't notice the thug's surprise attack was because he was too busy apprehending this crazy old man. Like, as soon as we walked into the bar this guy started yelling and cursing."

"What was he yelling about."

"Well he really hated you, that's for sure." Kunimitsu responded, tossing the statement out like a half-hearted compliment.

"That's great for him." Replied Kazuya with utter indifference.

Kunimitsu's temperament grew more reflective as she recalled the events of the night before. Something about the way she looked almost gave Kazuya the impression that something bad was about to happen.

Finally she spoke. "He said you were a monster, and that Reike was a brainwashed thug. And he was also screaming something about how the Zaibatsu killed his family when they bombed his village and replaced it with a garbage dump… But that one was a little far-fetched, the guy was seriously sounding crazy."

The statement hit Kazuya like a spark of electricity. Instantly he had to catch himself from raising his eyebrows in shock. As soon as he heard the words come out of Kunimitsu's mouth, he was reminded of a lunar operation that had occurred months ago during his failed search for Jin.

It could be… It probably is. He thought darkly. Some things are better left unsaid.

"That didn't actually happen… did it?" Asked Kunimitsu with apparent concern. Kazuya's hesitation to react must have tipped her off that the story might not have been as far-fetched as it sounded.

Kazuya looked down at the girl silently. His mind was still locked on the dark corners of countless lunar projects, each one more difficult to believe than the last.

"You don't get to ask questions like that." He replied coldly.

Kunimitsu's looked into the man's dark red eye for several seconds, then turned away.

"I'm… just going to assume that it didn't happen…" She said shakily.

"You do that." Came the veiled suggestion. Then, "Get back to the story."

"Right." Said Kunimitsu quickly. She almost seemed as eager to abandon the subject as he was. "Whatever the old man was saying, it really started to mess with Reike's head. It almost seemed like he was scared of the guy, as if he was scared of the words themselves. So when the thug with the bottle came up from behind and swung at his head, Reike didn't even realize what was happening until it was too late."

Kazuya listened along silently, meticulously trying to piece together what must have been going through Reike's head as the events occured.

Kunimitsu continued. "Needless to say, I caught the bottle in time. We dealt with the thug, as well as the old man, then headed back to the tower. It was there on the way back where I tried to confront him."

"Tried?" Questioned Kazuya, shuffling his crossed arms.

"Yeah." Came the frustrated answer. "It was like talking to a brick wall at first. All week long he'd been open, and kind, and honest, but then all of a sudden he was a soldier again. Absolutely emotionless. Then he started to explain something to me. I still don't understand it, but he made it sound like he'd had a damn epiphany. He blamed the lack of focus on himself, on his own sloppiness, on the overly-kind personality he grew into… and…" Then she paused. Beneath the fox mask, her eyes were somber.

"And…" Kazuya pressed impatiently, subconsciously leaning forward.

"And he blamed it on me." She admitted.

Kazuya nodded and leaned back again. Now it was all starting to make sense.

Since Reike first joined the Zaibatsu, he's been nothing but a perfect leader. His clarity and focus are his best traits, and those were the reasons I even considered him for the position of Captain of the Mishima High Guard in the first place. I should have known that it was too good to be true. Beneath all of that structure and clarity, Reike is nothing more than confused little man. And what's worse… he's a questioning man. But years of military experience must have pushed that all to the bottom.

Kazuya glanced at the fox.

Years of focus. Years of certainty. And all it took to shake the foundation was the simple mistake of getting too close to pretty girl. What are the chances…

Kazuya was jolted from his thoughts by the sound of Kunimitsu's voice. He could tell that her somber mood had been replaced with that same tone of frustration that she had started the conversation with.

"Anyway." She began in a much clearer tone. "You're not gonna have to worry about Reike anymore. He's done with me, and he's done with the self-questioning too. He's a soldier again.

"What makes you so sure about that." Kazuya shot back condescendingly.

Kunimitsu picked up on his tone and let a condescending taint enter her voice in return. "I could see it in the way he changed. Hell, you wouldn't believe the difference if you saw how we were these past few weeks. But he swore to me there would be no more distractions and confusion moving forward, he was done with it. At the snap of a finger he turned from someone I would almost call a friend right back into a cold, regimented, killing machine. Just the way you like them."

If that last statement was meant as a veiled insult, Kazuya didn't take it that way. Cold and regimented was exactly how he preferred his soldiers to be. In fact, it was how he needed them to be.

Kunimitsu sighed, letting her frustration go. "I can't say for sure who the "real" Richard Reike is, whether it's a cold soldier or something completely different. In fact, I don't even know if people actually have "real" sides of themselves at all. Maybe there's no such thing. Maybe we are the sum of our actions alone, nothing more." She pondered with a quiet tone, eyes drifting.

"But if that's the case," She continued, refocusing her eyes and speaking deliberately, "then there's no question as to who he is. He's a soldier. A simple solider who almost lost track of the things that were most important to him because he let me get in his head."

Kazuya listened quietly. It was the first time he had heard anything even vaguely philosophical coming from the fox girl.

But just as easily as it had come, Kunimitsu was quiet again. After a pause, she spoke. "His career… and his life… are obviously more valuable to him than some stupid friendship with an unreliable assassin anyway. I can't blame him."

Silence and the distant hum of rotors filled the room. Neither person spoke, or moved, for several moments. Finally, Kazuya turned away and looked out the helicopter window.

Calm blue waves, as far as the eye could see, stretched out past the horizon. Far off, a small flock of black-tailed seagulls beat their wings in unison. Kazuya watched the birds carefully.

Suddenly his mediation was interrupted.

"Do you think I really had that much of an effect on him though?" Came the soft, simple question.

Still watching those seagulls, and without even pausing to think, Kazuya answered.

"Never underestimate the effect that one person can have."

…

…

(11:13 PM - several hours earlier)

(Mishima Zaibatsu Tower. Sub Level 9-F)

…

…

"I know what you're thinking. We are not talking about Jun."

Kazuya leaned back in his chair and defiantly crossed his arms. The statement was a warning, a clearly-drawn line that he absolutely refused to cross.

Every time he spoke with his half-brother, the man surprised him with piercing questions and unexpected insight.

But not this time.

As Kazuya narrowed his eyes and stared straight into the man seated before him, every inch of his body language was set to kill.

Lars returned the stare, then nodded.

"You seem pretty serious. Fine. We won't." He surrendered. The acceptance in his voice was meant to sound like he didn't care, but Kazuya could see that Lars felt differently.

I don't blame him for wanting to know. If I were in his situation, the questions racing through my head would be unbearable.

Kazuya chose to say nothing, but continued to stare across the tiny room, subtly reasserting his dominance.

Lars took the awkward silence as an opportunity to look around the room again. The door directly behind Kazuya was nearly shut, and he quickly realized that opening it would require a lot of time. If he were to somehow make it through that door, there was no guarantee that he could even find his way out of the building. The Zaibatsu's security measures, or at least the ones that Lars was aware of, were far too advanced for one man to improvise through.

Even with all that in mind, Lars realized it was dangerously unlikely that he would be able to make it past the most threatening security measure in the Mishima Zaibatsu's entire arsenal; Kazuya himself.

As if reading his mind, the devil-man abruptly scoffed.

"You wouldn't even make it to the door." He warned.

Lars shrugged. "I might. In close quarters like this there's no telling who would get the upper hand. But unfortunately escape just doesn't seem like a worthwhile endeavor. Don't worry about it."

"Worry? I'm just itching for you to make a move."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you."

"Just as much as you would."

Lars smirked. His brother was sharp as always. Tensely reserved, but undeniably sharp. He briefly considered how long it had been since he'd had a truly challenging fight, then pushed the thoughts away.

"Why are you here." He finally asked, taking on a serious tone.

"Strangely enough," Kazuya began. "I want to talk about your blood."

"Interested in spilling some?" Lars quipped.

Even Kazuya had to appreciate the joke. Raising the corner of his mouth, he gave the closest thing to a laugh that a deadly serious man like Kazuya could be expected to give.

"Hah."

Even then, it still somehow managed to come off as intimidating.

"Tempting." Kazuya returned. Then, his face hardened. "But that's not what I meant."

"What do you mean then…" Asked Lars cautiously.

"The same blood that flows through your veins and mine." Kazuya breathed, each word full of darkness. "Mishima blood." He growled.

Lars raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. The subject was clearly a surprise.

Kazuya was a statue. Like a vulture his eyes bored straight into Lars, reading every inch of his body language in an attempt to glean the tiniest morsel of insight. However it was a useless want, Lars' composure was nearly perfect.

Nearly as perfect as his own.

I have to be careful. Lars doesn't have any idea why I'm asking about this, and the longer that I keep it that way the more of an advantage I'll have. He's obviously trying to read me just as much as I'm trying to read him, so it's only a matter of time until someone slips.

Kazuya pushed the thoughts out of his head.

"Do you remember what I said to you last time we met." He asked flatly.

Lars was silent for a second. Kazuya watched carefully, unable to gain anything from his blank expression. It was just starting to appear that Lars didn't know. Then suddenly…

"It is the fate of our family to fight and betray each other. It's in our blood. You can't escape it." He recited, locking eyes with Kazuya as he did so.

Kazuya uncrossed his arms and leaned forward, returning the stare with a bemused glare of his own. "You do remember." He said.

"Of course I do." Lars affirmed. "It was the last time we met… and the first."

Pausing from their conversation, the pair remembered their fateful meeting that day in the desert. It occurred underground at the hidden temple of Azazel, and just like every other meeting that had ever taken place between two individuals with Mishima blood, the meeting was anything but amicable. A heated battle immediately broke out, which unfortunately ended with no clear winner.

The mere thought of drawing a fight, especially with a previously unknown competitor, was enough to drive me mad with fury. But once the secret of his blood was revealed… things made a bit more sense.

"How have you known about your lineage." Asked Kazuya pointedly.

"Part of me always suspected it." Came Lars' slow explanation. "The more that my power grew, the more likely it began to seem. But during the war, a blast from one of your damn soldiers left me with amnesia, and I couldn't remember at all. It wasn't until I finally met him face to face, and I looked into those cold, ruthless eyes, that I knew I was truly the son of Heihachi Mishima."

*crack*

A tiny spark burst to life from the back of Kazuya's neck. All it took was hearing the name spoken out loud, and Kazuya's blood was already warming.

Lars noticed the spark, and the fact that Kazuya was silently grinding his teeth in anger, but said nothing of it. Instead, he uncrossed his arms and placed one hand at his side, pausing to see if Kazuya's pang of frustration would lead into anything more.

That name… Thought Kazuya darkly, but no more words came to his head. Only images.

An uneasy silence enveloped the room. Both men's eyes were still focused like lasers aimed straight at each other, but their thoughts were clearly elsewhere.

Kazuya sat like a stone tiger, hunched and ready to lunge. His red eye glowed brightly, punctuated by signature bushy eyebrows that angled downwards into a furious V. Sitting up, his arms stretched straightly to his knees, where each hand sat tensely clenched around his kneecaps. The usual frown that adorned his scarred face was now curled even further into an animalistic scowl.

Lars' cool demeanor betrayed a heightened sense of tenseness. With one arm resting on his leg and the other planted firmly on his hip, the man braced for the possibility of being challenged. As difficult as it was to meet each furious red and deathly grey eye, Lars refused to look away. With his hands now free for the first time in days, he could feel his muscles just begging to be put to the test.

It didn't matter how many times the two said that they weren't going to fight. The possibility was always there, only milliseconds away from becoming reality.

Unwilling to continue their showdown any longer, Lars broke the silence.

"Where does it come from." He asked confidently, but cautiously.

Kazuya blinked, and his scowl softened into an angry frown. The anger in his eyes didn't relent a bit.

"The lightning." He spat.

"Yes."

"Before even Jinpachi." Kazuya answered quickly. "The lightning has been one with this blood."

"When did you first realize you could use the electricity?" Lars asked curiously.

Kazuya's frown hardened back into a dangerous scowl.

"I want to know how it affects your mind." He snarled, trampling past Lars' question as if it hadn't even been asked.

Lars narrowed his eyes, then returned to a normal stance. He knew there was no point in contesting. If Kazuya didn't want to talk about something, there was no changing his mind.

"The electricity?" He asked, unsure what to make of Kazuya's counter-question.

"No." Came the fiery response. "Your blood."

Now Lars was starting to get interested. Looking into the fury-filled eyes of his half-brother, the Swede could tell that something dark was brewing. Indeed it was something dark, but more importantly, it was something uncertain.

"You want to know how the Mishima blood has affected my mind." Lars reiterated carefully.

Silence.

"Very well…" He conceded slowly. Apparently Kazuya didn't feel inclined to say anything more.

Pausing to think, Lars knew he needed to choose his words carefully. There were a million different avenues that this line of questioning could take them down, none of which immediately seemed to make sense for Kazuya to want to explore. Until he could get a better grip on what Kazuya wanted out of him, Lars chose to play it safe. But at the same time, he wanted to see if he could bait something out. It would require him to walk a razor's edge, but then again, dangerous negotiations had always been his forte.

"It's been said that the blood of a Mishima will always cause us to fight one another." Lars began. "Given the public's perception of our bloodline, it's not surprising to see how this rumor started. How many times have the three of you attempted murder against each other?"

Again, silence.

Kazuya's furious scowl was now replaced with an indifferent frown. That, coupled with his increasingly narrowed eyes that bored into Lars' own, made Kazuya's face seem somehow even more intimidating with a terrible, calm malice.

Lars accepted the silence and tried again. "I don't know if I believe that the blood actually causes us to fight." He retreated, then considered a different approach. "Do you think it makes us stronger?"

Kazuya still said nothing.

Lars was starting to get frustrated. Kazuya had abruptly changed the topic of their conversation, then completely shut up. It was as if he had purposely led Lars to this subject, then left him alone to deal with it on his own. But what was the purpose for it all?

Lars shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Keeping one hand on his side in the ready position, he strained to understand what the man before him was getting at. Clearly, Kazuya wanted to talk about the Mishima blood. But what about it?

Lars thought back to what Kazuya had said earlier.

It is the fate of our family to fight and betray each other. It's in our blood. You can't escape it.

Suddenly, he understood.

"The urge to fight… to betray… to kill… You want to know if I've escaped it." Lars breathed, his eyes narrowing in suspense.

Kazuya relaxed the tension in his arms, then let out a short breath.

"Not quite." He returned. The answer was negative, but something about Kazuya's tone and demeanor seemed to indicate that something was close.

"Then what do you want." Came the pushback from Lars.

Kazuya grunted in disapproval. "I don't want to know if you've escaped it. I already know the answer to that question; You haven't."

As the last two words exited his mouth, Kazuya's eyes narrowed fiercely.

Before Lars could respond, Kazuya spoke again.

"You think I'm wrong." He declared offensively. "You actually think that you've escaped it. As if the cool red hatred that pulses through every inch of your veins, the same blood that courses through mine, my father's, and my son's, has somehow spared your mind from a torment of venom and malevolence. You're a fool for even thinking it. You're a fool for even suggesting that it's possible."

Lars leaned back in his seat and narrowed his eyes cautiously. Kazuya was speaking more now than he had during their entire conversation. And he wasn't done yet.

"I can see it in your eyes, Lars." Kazuya challenged with a voice of pure spite. "You know the history of this family. You know the history of six consecutive Tekken tournaments, each one tailor-made to bring the three greatest fighters of human history directly in contact with each other. That's always what it's been about. That's always been the ultimate goal."

"What about the Zaibatsu, the title, the other competitors?" Lars interjected confusedly.

"Worthless distractions." Kazuya jeered. His mouth curled into a dark grimace as he spoke the next sentence. "The only reason I've ever entered a Tekken tournament, aside from dealing with my son, was to take my shot at getting Heihachi's head on a fucking pike."

Every word was painfully deliberate.

Lars was astonished. Knowing his half-brother, the statement made perfect sense. Yet for some reason, just hearing him say it out loud was deeply troubling.

"You look surprised." Observed Kazuya calmly, eyes still narrowed.

"I guess I shouldn't be…" Answered Lars, mirroring the exact thoughts that had just been running through his head. "You, Jin, Heichachi… Killing each other seems like it's the only thing you care about."

Kazuya said nothing. His bemused expression was all the confirmation needed.

"Why do you do it?" Lars pressed, a hint of genuine concern tainting his voice. "The rumors about this family are… they're maddening. People are convinced that every one of us is pure evil, hell bent on destroying the others first, and then the world itself. Why must death and destruction be our legacy?"

Kazuya smirked for a split second, then returned to a blank expression of disapproval. He said nothing.

Lars started to get frustrated.

"Kazuya." He asserted strongly. "Why do the Mishimas want to kill each other so deeply?"

Silence.

"Kazuya."

Silence.

"Kazuya!"

"Look at you." Said Kazuya finally. "You actually think you're different." He hissed.

Lars opened his mouth to speak, but found nothing. Locking eyes with his half-brother, the Swede was alarmed by how much knowing contempt filled each colored pupil.

"It's the blood. It's always been the blood." Kazuya finally answered.

"But what does the blood do?" Lars asked desperately. "It doesn't outright make us want to kill each other, that's not possible."

Kazuya nodded slowly. "In a sense, you're right."

Lars was surprised to hear the words at all.

Before he could speak, Kazuya continued.

"Mishima blood is one of the most complex substances on earth. My attempts to understand it through scientific research have yielded nothing. I accepted long ago that the only way to understand it is to look inwardly."

"Look inwardly? What are you talking about?"

"You want to know more about the blood, right? Stop asking me. Ask yourself."

"I don't understand where you're going with this."

Kazuya grunted loudly and rolled his eyes in clear annoyance.

Lars didn't know how to respond. To him, the conversation was just going in circles. And somehow, it seemed like Kazuya felt the same way.

Leaning back in his chair, Kazuya closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Well. There's only one way to do this now.

Silence filled the room.

Both men stared at each other with reserved patience as tension slowly overtook them both.

Lars, with his hand still firmly planted on his waist, refused to let his confusion show. Since the moment that Kazuya entered the room, he had been mentally preparing himself for anything the master fighter might throw at him. But even with all that preparation, Kazuya's strange questions still managed to confuse him and leave him on edge.

Kazuya, on the other hand, appeared to be the epitome of calmness. With his eyes closed and his arms crossed over his chest, the man looked like he could have been sleeping. But beneath those closed eyelids, something darker and far more complicated was brewing. His suggestions were getting nowhere, and his patience was running low. As he sat there quietly taking long breaths in and out, Kazuya knew what he needed to do. It wasn't his first choice for how to handle the situation… but deep inside, he was more than happy to try it out.

The brothers hadn't moved for what felt like hours.

Lars couldn't stand the silence any longer. If Kazuya refused to say something, then he would.

But before he could speak, he heard a tiny, nearly indistinguishable sound. He narrowed his eyes and listened closely.

Looking around the room, Lars heard nothing. He turned his head and checked the empty space behind him.

Then the sound dawned on him. It was familiar, something he had heard many times before, in many different forms.

The sound of distant thunder.

As fast as he could, Lars spun his head around and focused back on Kazuya.

The man was sitting exactly as he was before, but something was different.

His eyes were open.

And they were both blood red.

…

Kazuya exploded, jumping to his feet and hurling a fist directly at Lars with the speed of a truck.

Lars saw the first motion and immediately his mind went blank. Every sound in the room died, and silence enveloped him as the mental image of Kazuya's fist came hurtling towards his face.

In the blink of an eye, and purely on reaction alone, Lars raised the hand that had been resting on his waist and curled it into a fist.

Lars' counterattack didn't have nearly the same power as Kazuya's punch, but that was fine, it wasn't supposed to. His hand collided with the side of Kazuya's wrist milliseconds before the fist made contact. The force of the hit was enough to alter Kazuya's trajectory inches to the left, parrying the blow and sending it sailing past Lars' head, over his left shoulder.

The parry was so close to failing that Lars felt Kazuya's fist rip past his ear and brush the empty cartilage with a force that surely would have knocked him unconscious, had it landed on his forehead as intentioned.

*VOOOOOOOOSH BOOM*

The sound of crackling electricity pounded Lar's eardrums as the fist flew by, louder than a gunshot. Before he could process the sound, however, he noticed Kazuya's face out of the corner of his eye.

The twisted smile that sat upon his face was enough to make Lars' blood run cold.

But it didn't.

In fact, the opposite happened. Seeing that face, the smile, the red eyes, Lars' blood began to warm.

In mere moments, it was boiling.

Kicking at the ground with his right leg, Lars leaned back and let his momentum carry him into a full tumble. Head over heels, Lars rolled backwards with the chair and immediately somersaulted onto his feet. Sticking the landing, he felt his back push up against a cold steel wall.

The room was tiny. No space for maneuvering.

One punch in and Lars was already back against the wall.

Kazuya recovered from the attack and stepped forward quickly, closing the space between them and suffocating Lars against the wall.

The look of bloodlust in his eyes had not faded in the least.

Lars raised both fists and prepared for another parry. There was no way he could lunge now, not with the spacing disadvantage that he had been forced into.

As expected, Kazuya attacked first. Two quick jabs, both with the left hand, came sailing in fast and high.

Lars raised his arms in a cross and blocked both punches, feeling the sheer force and power of each punch as it pummeled his wrists, nearly knocking them backwards and away.

Lars had seen this combo before, and his reaction was immediate. Two left jabs followed by a heavy right lunge, it was textbook Mishima-style karate.

Anticipating the lunge, Lars lowered his guard and searched for Kazuya's right hand. Once he found it, all that he needed to do was dodge the blow and counterattack quickly. It was his only hope for getting off the wall.

Immediately, Lars noticed something was wrong. Kazuya's right hand was hanging limping in the air, raised defensively in a fist where it had been only seconds before. No windup, no lunge, no punch.

Damn it!

A fakeout.

Kazuya had begun the combo only to end early, not only anticipating that Lars would recognize it, but also that he would try to counter it.

Desperation flooded Lars' mind. Where was the next hit? Straining every muscle, Lars raised his guard again and scanned Kazuya's body with his eyes.

Time was moving at a crawl.

The entire exchange had only taken four seconds at the most, but to Lars, entire hours passed in every moment. His combat instinct, finely trained from years in the military, was firing on all cylinders.

Suddenly, Lars noticed that Kazuya's right leg was swinging directly towards him. It was going to be a high kick.

Before he even tried to raise his arms, Lars knew that the kick was coming too fast. The fakeout had worked, and although it had put him at a disadvantage of mere milliseconds, Lars knew that milliseconds might as well have been hours when fighting a foe as dangerous as the great Kazuya Mishima.

Before another thought could even enter his mind, Lars saw the kick come flying up from below and strike him directly in the left shoulder.

The pain of impact came immediately. It staggered him, pushing Lars off balance and making him instinctively throw a foot out to catch himself. Instead of finding solid ground, however, he only collided with the wall again.

Damn it! I can't move with my back to this wall!

Staggering against the wall, Lars shrugged off the kick and desperately regained his balance. Again, it cost him valuable milliseconds.

And a few milliseconds, less than the blink of an eye, was all the time that Kazuya needed.

Swinging his fist horizontally in a cross-cut motion, Kazuya capitalized on Lars' imbalance and slugged him directly in the gut.

"Oof!" Lars couldn't help but cough out in pain as he felt the air get knocked clean out of his lungs. It was going to be a hard hit to recover from.

Kazuya smirked.

With another scoff, he pulled back and fired a flurry of attacks at his staggering, heaving opponent.

High jab. Hit.

High jab. Hit.

Mid hook. Hit.

High jab. Blocked.

Mid kick. Hit.

High kick. Miss.

Mid jab. Miss.

Low kick. Block.

Low kick. Block.

Right uppercut. Hit.

High Jab. Hit.

Mid hook. Hit.

Roundhouse kick. Hit.

Recovering from the roundhouse, Kazuya raised his guards and eyed Lars carefully. Even after landing so many consecutive hits, Lars' defense remained unbroken. His balance was off and his breathing was slow, but even then, he was blocking far more of the attacks than Kazuya had expected.

Truly… you are Mishima.

Between quick breaths, and from behind his raised fists, Lars stared angrily back at his half-brother. For the entire duration of their engagement, Lars had been haphazardly on the defense, pushed with his back against the wall like an animal in a cage.

It was the last place in the world that anyone who was fighting Kazuya Mishima would want to find themselves, but somehow he had survived. And now was his only chance to get out.

Taking one more quick breath, Lars honed back in on his combat instinct and stepped aggressively forward. Instead of contesting where he easily could have, Kazuya took a step back.

The move seemed odd to Lars, who knew Kazuya maintained the advantage by trapping him in the corner, but there was no time to consider it further. Before he could even realize, Kazuya was firing off jabs again.

Lars blocked the first three, then successfully anticipated a hook from Kazuya's right hand before it had landed. Using his newfound room, Lars took a miniscule step backwards and avoided the hook, letting it sail past and open the room between them for counterattack.

NOW!

Summoning all his strength, Lars hurled a punch at Kazuya's upper body.

Despite having just missed a hook, Kazuya was more than ready for his half-brother's counterattack. Stepping to the side, Kazuya reached out with both hands and grabbed Lars' outstretched arm at the wrist and the elbow. Before Lars could react, Kazuya pulled forward as hard as he could.

As expected, the unorthodox move was a complete surprise to Lars, who instantly lost his balance and staggered forward, pulled along by both his own momentum and the momentum of Kazuya's parry.

Kazuya let go of Lars with his right hand and tilted his elbow upwards, raising it like a spike.

*WHAM!*

Colliding with Lars torso, Kazuya's elbow slammed into his opponent like a train smashing into a brick wall. Lars' head was whiplashed forward by the force of the blow in obvious pain.

Kazuya released his other grip and used both hands to push Lars forward, towards the wall once more. Now completely off balance, Lars was a sitting duck… ready to be put down.

Kazuya stepped forward and leaned his upper body back. With another half-smirk that mirrored the rush of adrenaline coursing through is veins, Kazuya raised one foot for a powerful strike.

But before he could attack, Kazuya noticed something interesting. Lars eyes were open, and they were fiercely pointed. Given the force of Kazuya's last hit, it was surprising to see that Lars was even awake, much less alert. Ignoring the odd look of awareness that filled his half-brother's face, Kazuya tightened his muscles and lunged.

With the force of a hurricane behind his strike, Kazuya threw his tensed leg forward and slammed it directly into Lars' midsection with a thunderously powerful Oni front kick.

The kick slammed into Lars and sent him hurtling backwards, straight into the hard steel wall behind.

*WHAAMMM!*

The wall nearly buckled with the force of Kazuya's attack, pinning Lars violently against its' cold, hard surface. The sound echoed throughout the tiny room, then slowly faded away.

Kazuya, with his foot still pressed firmly against Lars and pinning him to the wall, waited carefully to see how Lars would handle the blow.

The Swede was silent at first, completely unmoving and buckled forward with his head hanging down in apparent defeat.

Kazuya scoffed. Lars looked pathetic. And if this was truly the end of the fight, then his brother was leaving him sorely unsatisfied.

Perhaps I was too quick to commend you. You are no Mishima at all, falling this easily.

Then, something he hadn't noticed before caught Kazuya's eye.

He initially thought that the Oni front kick had hit Lars in the mid-section, but upon closer inspection, Kazuya could see that something was different.

There, sandwiched in between Kazuya's foot and the limp body, were Lars hands. His arms were outstretched in either direction, but bent at the elbows so his hands came to a point right under the impact zone. Palms open, facing Kazuya, the fingers began to move.

Before Kazuya could even react, his gaze was met with two powerfully fierce blue eyes. Lars had raised his head, and was now firing a stare back at Kazuya with a steely, sober grimace of pain and pure determination.

There wasn't even enough time for Kazuya to register his excitement at seeing that Lars wasn't defeated, before the man sprung to life again.

Lars clenched his hands around Kazuya's shoe and heaved upwards as hard as he could.

Unable to pull his foot away, Kazuya felt his entire leg lurch upwards in an awkward, off-balance angle.

As Kazuya's foot swung wildly into the air, Lars used the opportunity to step forward and close in for a direct tackle.

But before he could lunge, he was alerted to sudden motion out of the corner of his eye. It was Kazuya's foot, swinging downwards in a pendulum motion. His foot was headed straight for Lar's back, and if Lars continued to lunge, it would surely hit.

Lars cursed his brother for coming up with such a quick counter-move, and spun around to dodge. Kazuya's foot swung through the empty space and landed on the ground with a metallic thud.

Completing the spin, Lars regained his bearings and raised both fists into the ready position. Directly in front of him, no more than six feet away, Kazuya did the same.

Their eyes locked, and for a moment, they seemed to communicate something.

Deep within his body, Lars felt a rush of adrenaline. The warm feeling in his blood was gathering strength with every second that passed looking into Kazuya's eyes. The room was silent for a moment, then came the dull crackle of electricity.

"HUAHH!"

Lars felt the warm feeling in his blood explode into a fiery rush, and lunged forward with both arms, yelling out in determination.

Kazuya's eyes caught the move and responded with a heavy crossed block to intercept Lars' attack.

The two forces collided, and the impact echoed loudly throughout the room. Kazuya quickly recovered and swung his elbow upwards, towards Lars' face, which was easily sidestepped. Kazuya anticipated the dodge and flung out a leg as a follow-up, catching Lars blocking yet again.

Lars took the hit and converted his stance. With a quick shove, his face turned fierce and he began throwing a flurry of blows in Kazuya's direction.

High jab. Blocked.

High jab. Miss.

Mid jab. Blocked.

Low sweep. Miss.

Raising one leg in the air to avoid Lars' sweep, Kazuya slammed his foot back down and swung forward with a crushing right hook. Lars barely avoided the punch as it whizzed along inches from his mid-section, then resurged his attack.

Mid jab. Blocked.

High kick. Blocked.

Lock kick. Miss.

Mid hook. Miss.

Left uppercut. Blocked.

Kazuya pushed the uppercut away and returned fire by swiftly bringing his knee up and crashing it into the underside of Lar's arm. The hit connected, and opened his opponent up, which Kazuya quickly capitalized on.

Mid chop. Blocked.

High jab. Miss.

Low kick. Blocked.

Low kick. Miss.

Mid kick. Blocked.

Lars parried the last kick and swung downwards to try and knock Kazuya off balance. The move was anticipated, and Kazuya quickly dodged by spinning on one heel and turning away.

With his back momentarily facing Lars, Kazuya carried his spinning momentum and brought up his arm in a ninety-degree angle. The back of his fist collided with a well-timed block from Lars, who shoved off the attack and hurled a punch right back at Kazuya's torso.

Stepping back, Kazuya avoided the punch, and immediately blocked a follow-up hit from the opposite hand. He was about to counter-attack when he noticed Lars drop low to the ground and catapult himself upwards, using his shoulder as a battering ram.

Kazuya could see the move coming, and had a few split-seconds to react, but immediately realized there was nothing he could do. There was no way he could block the unorthodox attack fast enough.

*WHAM*

Lars' shoulder collided with Kazuya's midsection and sent him staggering backwards. The hit wasn't particularly hard, but it came at such an unexpected angle that Kazuya's balance was completely thrown off. Taking two steps backward, he quickly regained his footing and raised both fists in a defensive position.

Several feet away, Lars stood in a similar stance, breathing heavily but tensing himself for the next attack. His eyes were dark, stern and alert.

Then, as quickly as the action had enveloped the room, silence fell.

The pair locked eyes, and Kazuya's face twisted into a bemused half-smile.

"You have no idea how long it's been since someone actually landed an attack on me…" He breathed.

Lars said nothing.

His expression was stone solid, completely unmoving.

The distant sound of thunder and crackling electricity, which only moments before had been quietly building, suddenly erupted into a cacophonous explosion.

*CRACK!* *CRACK!* *CRACK!* *THOOM!*

In perfect unison, blue and purple electricity engulfed the bodies of Lars and Kazuya, casting a blinding light throughout the room.

Kazuya closed his eyes and smiled deeply. The warm blood, the cold hatred, all of it was coursing through his body in a mixture that he hadn't felt for months. Slowly, he opened his eyes and checked to see if his half-brother was sharing the same euphoria.

Sure enough, looking out from behind the blue lightning bolts that danced across his body, Kazuya could see a distinct expression overtaking Lars face. Whereas before, Lars had been deadly serious and concentrated to a T, his demeanor told of something completely different now.

Those piercing blue eyes, surrounded by purple lightning, seemed to shake. They couldn't stay perfectly open or closed, as if Lars were somehow fighting between conflicting emotions, and the dance was being played out right there across his face. His mouth as well, usually unreadable, suddenly seemed to shake with the same terrible uncertainty that had overtaken his whole body.

Kazuya laughed out loud.

I knew it. I knew it! Earn your Mishima name!

With thunderous shouts, the brothers rushed forward and let their lightning explode from within.

"HYUUU- HYAAAHH!"

"DORYA!"

*BOOOM!*

A bright flash of light engulfed the room, then lightning everywhere.

The sound echoed throughout the tiny room, bouncing off all four walls and crashing around the two men that stood stock still in its center. As the sound of the explosion began to fade, it was replaced by the rumble and crackle of coursing electricity.

The combined might of their strikes could have been enough to level a building.

Yet still, once the dust settled and the electricity receeded, both brothers remained standing.

With their feet planted firmly on the ground, Kazuya and Lars stood directly next to each other, their faces mere inches apart, vicious eyes staring fiercely across at their reflections.

Kazuya's Wind God Fist had collided with Lars' Zeus Strike directly over the center of the room, creating enough kinetic energy to send a sonic shockwave whizzing past them both.

Their arms pushed tightly against one another, each one raised in the final position of a thunderous uppercut. Fists clenched and back to back, purple and blue electricity shot through the air in all directions. A bolt would appear on one man's arm, then shoot through their hands and fly across the other's body before finding its way back to where it started, all the while crackling with raw power. Even as all of this went on, neither man spoke a word, nor moved an inch.

Kazuya's dual red eyes had faded away, leaving him with one dull red iris and another simple grey one. Lars eyes had changed too, ever so slightly, returning from their darker state back into classic bright blue hues. Staring intently at each other, both men seemed to have found a calm center of gravity. Of course the moment was tense, but something about the way that their expressions formed seemed to indicate that their fighting had finally been finished.

The stillness went on for longer and longer. Finally, Kazuya's mouth opened.

"Do you feel it." He asked darkly.

Lars didn't respond. His eyes were tight with concentration.

"The rush." Kazuya added temptingly, looking deep within his brother's soul to see if he could confirm what he already knew to be true.

Lars seemed like he was deliberating, but finally gave in.

"The Mishima blood." He whispered.

"Exactly."

Lars breathed out deeply, then struggled to regain his composure.

"Why did you do this." He demanded.

Kazuya let the hint of a smile overtake his face. He blinked, and felt a pang of electricity jolt through his body. Words came to his head, and then more, and then more.

"I wanted to see the truth about this blood." He answered calmly. "I wanted to see if the rage and exhilaration that fills my veins is the same rage and exhilaration that fills yours. And now that I've seen your face, and tested your will, I know that I was right. You see, this blood is the answer to everything. It's what started these wars, and some day, it's what will end them. Long ago, before Jinpachi and our ancestors, something dark got into this blood, something that hasn't left it for hundreds of years. A burden, a blessing, a curse, it can be anything you want it to be. It gives us the power of lightning, but do you really think the advantages end there? Of course not. There's so much more. It changes the way we think, the very fabric of our minds. Haven't you noticed the way that your reactions have always been leagues ahead of the rest of the Tekken fighters? Haven't you noticed the way that you're able to push through incredible, inhuman amounts of pain, fighting through on pure determination alone? Haven't you felt the hot rush of exhilaration from fighting a truly worthy opponent? Haven't you felt the urge to dominate overtake your body, flooding your mind with the insatiable, unrelenting need to prove the might of your will above all others? I know you have. In fact, you just did. I could see it, and I could sense it, and I can feel it now too. That's what this blood does to us. It makes us crave true, meaningful combat more than any addiction ever could. It gives purpose and beauty to a world otherwise completely devoid thereof. There is so much to this blood, so, so much, and yet you foolishly refuse to embrace it. You refuse to embrace the hatred and the anger that flows through your veins, all because of some misguided moral superiority complex. That's why you're a fool, Lars Alexandersson. You've never accepted the full power of the Mishima bloodline, and until you do, you will always be one step behind me. You'll always be one step behind Jin, and most of all, you'll always be one step behind Heihachi. You carry the Mishima bloodline, so you carry the entire Mishima legacy through every victory you take, and every mistake you've ever made. It never leaves your side. It never stops helping you. It never stops tempting you. It never lets you escape."

Malignant and restless, the dull crackle of electricity was the only sound that filled the room.

Lars narrowed his eyes and stared intently against the glare of his half-brother. But Kazuya's eyes were untouchable. Completely stoic, they carried the dark and quiet will of a man utterly devoid of weakness.

The words came as a shock to Lars, but deep inside, he was even more shocked at how sensible they sounded. Almost… familiar.

Neither man wanted to speak. Kazuya, who only moments before was articulating with perfect confidence, now seemed mute.

Lars looked inwards. The longer he spent processing Kazuya's words, the more and more disturbed that it was starting to make him.

Could his brother's omen be true? Was it the fate of all Mishimas to crave death and destruction like an addiction? Was it the fate of all Mishimas to live their entire lives with a second voice inside their heads? Was there no way to escape the blood that flowed through his veins?

And worst of all, what really was the blood? A burden… a blessing… or a curse?

Without pausing to carefully choose his words, Lars began to speak.

"I understand now why you attacked me…" he admitted slowly. "That conversation we were having was going nowhere. And it was because I refused to see things in the way you do."

Kazuya's expression remained untouched. Lars continued.

"You and I had very different experiences in life, so I'll never truly see things the way you do. I must stay true to myself and the values I hold. But that doesn't mean I can't see the world through your eyes for a moment. I wish I had done it willingly so we could have avoided everything that just occurred, but what happened, happened. And yes, it showed me a part of myself that I'd been questioning for a long time."

"You've felt it before." Filled in Kazuya.

"Yes… I have." Lars confirmed slowly, almost painfully.

"Why are you ashamed of it." Kazuya pushed, reading his brother's face with shocking precision.

Lars looked away, then back to Kazuya.

"… It's not right."

Kazuya scowled.

"What's not right about it." He countered with aggravation.

"It's not right to feel that way about violence… about domination." Lars replied. His words were slow, seemingly figured out one sentence at a time. "Those things are nothing but evil, selfish wants. For all of human history, men and women have fallen into their love of war and it's only brought death to the world, never good. Why does the blood affect me like that? Why do I have to have to be so careful of it when I fight? I don't want those thoughts in my head. I don't want to crave it."

"Yet you do."

Lars didn't respond. His outstretched fist, raised in the air only inches away from his opponent's face, tightened. Kazuya waited. He could see the turmoil in Lars head growing stronger with every passing second.

Finally, Lars closed his eyes and let out a loud breath. He didn't move for several seconds.

Suddenly his fist pushed off hard against the back of Kazuya's, and sent both of them falling backwards. Each fist fell through the air until they hung limply at the men's sides. Lars took a step back, then Kazuya did the same.

One loud crack of electricity could be heart when Lars pushed off, then the sound faded. And with the fading sound, so faded the dull blue and purple bolts that had been bouncing between them.

Kazuya's eyes hadn't moved an inch, and even after stepping backwards they remained locked onto the reflective face of his younger brother.

Lars took another deep breath and opened his eyes. Straightening out his back, Lars stood tall and returned Kazuya's glare with a strong stare of his own.

"I do." He declared. "I hate how much I crave it, but I do. Every punch, every kick, each one of them is another fresh opportunity to prove my will through domination and obliteration. And you're right. It's damn near the most addicting feeling I've ever known. I've never admitted this, but I've never stopped trying to fight it off. I'll never stop resisting the person that this blood wants to make me."

As he spoke, Lars seemed to display a mix of shame and acceptance. The words were deeply personal, reflecting a level of conflict that had never once seen the light of day, much less been openly discussed.

Kazuya, on the other hand, found his brother's conflict to be asinine at best.

You're never going to surpass me, my father, or my son if you deny the bloodlust within… it will always be a part of you.

As if he could hear Kazuya's thoughts, Lars shook his head.

"Maybe embracing that mentality could make me stronger… I don't know for sure." He posited in honest reflection, then turned fierce. "But what I do know for sure, is that embracing them will wreak a havoc on my mind that far surpasses any benefits."

Kazuya's eyes narrowed, and he scoffed in frustrated disapproval. "There you go again with the misguided moral superiority." He attacked. "You think you're better than the rest of us because you reject the fabric of your own blood. As if your ideals give you real autonomy, whereas I'm controlled by the Mishima blood. Please. What an asinine joke. Here's the irony in it all, Lars. I'm not a slave to my blood, I make my blood work for me. But when you let questions of 'righteousness' and 'truth' get in the way of becoming the greatest you can be, you're nothing more than a slave to your ideals."

Lars' scowl deepened.

Kazuya returned it with a masterful scowl of his own.

The tension in the room was growing, approaching levels similar to right before the pair came to blows.

"I think I know why you really came down here." Lars declared aggressively.

Kazuya's eyes narrowed.

"It wasn't because you wanted to find some kind of 'truth' about the Mishima blood." Lars pressed. "It was for YOU. Because YOU needed to hear me say that I felt the bloodlust. You needed to hear me say that I crave violence and that I crave destruction just as badly as you do, because ever since you've met me, you've been afraid of the possibility that I don't."

"I'm not afraid of you." Kazuya rejected furiously.

"No. You're afraid of the way I think." Lars fired back fiercely, refusing to back down in the face of Kazuya's anger. "All your life you've been drawn to violence and death like a moth to a flame. And every time you've dared to question whether that was right or wrong, you've buried the doubt by doubling down on your hatred. You're right, the blood affects my mind just in the same way that it affects yours, and Jin's, and Heihachi's. But no matter how hard you try, you can't use the blood as an excuse for the way that the three of you choose live your lives."

"You think I'm trying to excuse the way I live?" Kazuya pressed in disbelief. "Utterly pathetic. You have no idea what you're talking about. I haven't felt regret since I was a child."

"Because you never let yourself feel it. You kill those feelings the moment they approach you, always telling yourself that you're the one in charge, that you alone, Kazuya Mishima, have complete control over your mind."

"I do!" Kazuya yelled.

"Do you!?" Returned Lars. "Then why do you need to come here and force me to admit that I feel the urges of the Mishima blood too? I'll admit it! This damned legacy has made me crave bloodshed and violence since the day I was born! I've spent my entire life denying that fact because that's not the person I want to be, but it's always going to be a part of me! There. Are you happy now? Are you happy now that you see your brother isn't the perfectly righteous and pure warrior he makes himself out to be!?"

Kazuya couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I'm not the one who needed to see that, you are!" He shot back. "You're a Mishima! And no amount of suppression or self-imposed morality will ever change it!"

"Maybe I did need to see that. But you wouldn't come all the way down here and fight me for such a pointless reason. You needed something more..."

"And what might that be."

Lars paused. His eyes, clear reflections of his mind, were racing.

Finally, something came to him. It was just a guess, the faintest hint of a possibility, but as soon as the thought entered his mind, Lars knew he needed to see if it was true.

"You wanted to see what the difference was between us." He stated calmly.

Kazuya said nothing.

Lars took the silence and continued. "We share the same blood, but not the same mind. It doesn't matter how we were raised or how we spent our time, something is just fundamentally different between you and every other person on earth… Something you haven't been able to put your finger on since you were eight years old."

Immediately, Kazuya knew what Lars was talking about. It dawned on him like a terrible black wave eclipsing the sun.

No.

"I admit it, Kazuya. Our blood makes us think the same, dark, exhilarating thoughts. But the blood isn't the only thing affecting your mind. The blood isn't the only thing driving you insane."

No.

Lars took a step back, subtlety aiming to diffuse the tension and give Kazuya room to breathe. With every word, his voice was gaining confidence.

"Just now, right after we fought and you spoke to me about the Mishima blood… You weren't just talking about the blood. You were referencing something else as well. 'It never leaves your side. It never stops helping you. It never stops tempting you. It never lets you escape.'"

"I know what you're doing Lars. Don't go any further." Kazuya breathed. His voice carried a cold, mighty terror with every syllable.

But he didn't stop.

"You were talking about the Devil."

Kazuya looked deep into Lars' stare. He didn't need to see a mirror to know that his dull red eye was glowing bright. Lars' face had softened, peeling away levels of stern caution to reveal compassion underneath. For a split second, Kazuya almost felt his guard diminishing against the possibility of accepting genuine care. A feeling of vulnerability, a feeling like someone might actually care about his wellbeing, a feeling he had never ventured to accept.

Immediately, the feeling was shoved down and pushed out of his mind. In the space of a second, it was completely shredded.

Kazuya took one more look into the blue eyes of his half-brother, and turned for the door. Walking quickly over to it, he placed one hand on the metallic lock.

"Kazuya wait." Called Lars.

The plea was ignored. Kazuya turned the door's lock.

"Kazuya please. Listen to me. I know you don't want to hear this but what if somewhere, deep inside, you actually do. What if that's what you needed to talk about this whole time, and you've just never been able to? You don't need to let the Devil control you like this."

Kazuya finished adjusting the lock and pulled the door open. With another loud creak, it swung slowly to the side.

"Pick the chair up." He said flatly, not even turning around to look as he spoke.

Still, Lars refused to give up.

"The blood is one thing, but Devil is completely another. I don't understand what it really does to you but god damn, something is WRONG with it. I've seen Jin. I've spoken to him. This thing is a plague on the two of you, making you tear yourselves apart from the inside. But it doesn't need to be that way! You can reclaim your mind if you truly want to. You can lose the Devil within!"

Kazuya stepped out of the door and reached back into the room, grabbing the handle and pulling it close to him, all the while still refusing to turn around and look at Lars.

But just as the door was about to shut, just as their connection was about to end, he spoke.

"I can't lose the Devil. And even then, I never want to."

"You're lying." Came the immediate response.

*SLAM!*

…

…

(8:49 AM - present time)

(Skies over Southern Japan)

…

…

The birds were gone.

Kazuya had been staring for so long, lost in his thoughts, that he hadn't even realized the horizon was empty. He couldn't recall how long it had been that way.

Slowly, he turned away from the window and looked in front of him. Kunimitsu was still, gazing quietly out the window, perhaps reflecting on a flock of her own.

Kazuya tilted his head to the front of the helicopter and located the partition slider, which remained firmly shut. Reaching out with one hand, he opened it.

The soft hum of electrical equipment and rotors grew louder as the partition moved aside, revealing the back of Reike's head and more open skies.

"ETA." Said Kazuya emotionlessly.

"About two hours and twenty minutes to the landing site. Conditions are perfect." Came Reike's immediate, immaculate response.

Kazuya pulled the partition shut. Turning his head back to the middle of the bay, he noticed Kunimitsu's white mask pointed directly at him.

The two locked eyes.

Silence.

Finally, Kazuya looked away and re-entered his window.

Somewhere far off, he hoped that the birds were flying alone.

End Chapter Twenty Five

(Mmmmmm I love those minimalist-type encounters. They can be so beautiful if they're done right, and hopefully my writing here help me get better at them. Yes I know, just looking at the rest of this story, I obviously have a track record of writing entirely too much at one time. But recently I've really begun to grow fond of those shorter moments, and using less words to express more. It's a skill that I'd really like to learn, so maybe you'll see more of them in the future! Anyway, what did you think of this chapter? Kunimitsu was incredibly fun to write about when I first introduced her, but somewhere in the middle of the story she became a little harder to channel, and I'm not sure why. Thankfully, this chapter was a bit easier for me to get in her head, and I'm mostly satisfied with the way it came out. But where the hell are they going? Why did Kazuya specifically choose to bring Kunimitsu along on this mission that's seemingly being carried out for Jun? Only time will tell, although some of you have given me some VERY interesting theories and ideas in the reviews… Lars, on the other hand, has always been a bit of an enigma for me. When I first got into Tekken my opinion on him was somewhat confused, since his character seemed oddly perfect and heroic. Especially in Tekken 6, it seemed like Harada just wrote Lars to be the stereotypical hero-guy, which I felt was a little lazy. That said, he's definitely grown on me in the meantime. I've already spent plenty of time going over my hatred of the Tekken 7 story, but at least Lars came off as a kindof interesting character(although he was horribly underused). Anyway, in writing this chapter, I mainly wanted to focus on reflecting Kazuya against his younger brother by having them duke it out not only with fists but also with words. Lars is special from the rest of the cast because he alone, next to Heihachi and Jin, has the same familial connections and blood that Kazuya does. Kazuya recognizes this, and his encounter with Lars was meant, among other things, to give Kazuya a chance to truly explore what the Mishima blood means to him and his family. But did Kazuya actually get any answers for his questions? A lot of questions were asked, but it seems to me like many more were raised… And lastly, what did you think of the fight between Kazuya and Lars? It's been a while since The Return featured a true fight, so I took special care to throw a good, equally-matched slugfest in there. Let me tell you, it was downright FUN to write. Kindof makes me wonder why I didn't put more fights into the story honestly, lol. Anyway, let me know what you thought in the reviews down below, and I'll be sure to respond to you next time. Here's to 2018!)

A Forgotten Place- I don't think Heihachi's (or Kazuya/Jin, for that matter) goal in life was ever truly amassing wealth and building a big enterprise. Yes, it must have taken a ton of work to create the Zaibatsu and build it to where it is now, but how much of that was actually accomplished through legitimate gains? It's certainly helpful to be the most intimidating man on the planet when you're negotiating for business deals. Your comparisons between Heihachi and Kazuya's mindset(despising weakness, etc) are spot on, and I think it's very interesting to see how similar Kazuya is to his father even though he clearly despises the man with everything he can. I also really like what you said about Lars, Jin, and Heihachi each representing a different facet of Kazuya's weakness. That's something I kindof hoped to explore in this chapter's confrontation between Kazuya and his brother, so I'd be interested to see what you thought of it.

Step of Death- Thank you so much! Hahaha I can't believe how long it must take you to read this gargantuan story, the damn thing is enormous! But if you really appreciate the detail and the development that much then that makes me incredibly happy. I often feel like I write a little too much for my own good, but all of it is done with the intention of building a deep, intriguing world for other people to explore along with me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

Hammer Bro- First, thank you for the thoughtful review. Seeing readers ask questions like yours is always so intriguing because it makes me approach my writing in completely new ways. I like to think that Jun sees Kazuya primarily for what he could be, or perhaps what he used to be when they met during the second tournament. I agree that my wording there might be a little confusing though, and I would probably tweak it a tiny bit if I could go back and rewrite the story. Your thoughts on Anna are very spot on. I used to be one of those people you just described who always saw Anna as nothing more than a bimbo, and I'm so thankful that I accidentally made myself appreciate her deep character so much more as a result of writing this story.

Bonesaw McGraw- Well, attempted murder might be a little overkill for an average boss' reaction to his employees sleeping together, so there's that. But Kazuya is no average boss by any means. His reaction was par for the course when you consider his personality, but that doesn't mean Jun can't still disagree with it. Like, just because Kazuya reacted in the way that he was expected to doesn't mean that he's automatically entitled to act that way. To me, it might be Jun still trying to help Kazuya better understand himself and potentially see things in a new way. Thank you for reading!

Eastman High- I hate to say this, but I think Harada just doesn't give a shit about continuity or building a good story for his games. It really tears me up to see the guy treat his characters with such apparent disregard, but that's just what I've come to expect. Aside from my frustration at the fact that it was never explained, I actually really like the way Kazuya looks in T7. I think his look is incredibly intimidating, and it especially reminds me of how he looked in the blood vengeance movie, which is of course one of my favorite pieces of the Tekken world. In fact… I think I'm gonna go watch that final fight on youtube right now hahaha. Thanks for the review! And aside from saying it looks diabolical, do you like how his devil form looks?

Celes res- Honestly you're right. For some reason, I've always had the tendency to overwrite whenever I do anything. Hey, if you think this thing is too long, you should see some of my essays from school. Literally every essay I've ever written has either hit or exceeded the maximum page/word requirement given by my teachers (pro-tip, usually just seeing that you hit the upper limit is enough to get the teacher to grade you well;)) Thanks for reading and giving me honest criticism!

maiko nadeshika- Wow. Until you said that, it's actually never hit me that the people reading this story have been growing up alongside it just like I have. That's… incredible. I've always been so acutely aware of the fact that I was growing up and changing as I wrote this story(which is now pretty much 4 years old, damn) but I never actually realized that my readers were going through that too. It's amazing to think that your perception of the story changes just like mine does, cause I completely know what you mean when you said that certain parts of it caused different reactions now compared to how I reacted to them before. It's crazy. I can't even begin to explain how foreign and different the 2014 me seems compared to the current 2018 me. Honestly thank you so much for bringing this to my attention, it makes me really happy :) As for your question about Lars and Alisa, I think this chapter might have given you a tiny bit of resolution on that front hahaha. But in general, my thoughts on them are mostly uncertain. They definitely have a unique bond that I respect, but like I said in a few of my ANs in the past, I've always had a bit of difficulty getting inside Lars' head. Not that I haven't been able to do it, but it just never comes to me quite as easily as it does when I sit down to think about Kazuya or Jun or Anna or Kunimitsu. And Alisa is similar, except maybe even a bit harder than Lars. Idk why, but I just have a hard time figuring her out, maybe that's because she isn't a human being lol. Anyway, thank you for being such a dedicated reader and a nice person to talk to!

M.g- Hey, you're in luck! Who would've figured that I'd update the story days after you posted that review? Haha anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think about it and if you have any questions, you're more than welcome to ask!