Payback
Author's jibberish: It is September 24th and in honor of this joyous day (Tekken 4's release) here is a fic. Hope you all enjoy and please review.
"A job you say…" the old man pondered.
Ling Xiaoyu sat in his office, in front of the man's desk. The name plaque was in pure gold: Heihachi Mishima CEO. Her hands were folded in her lap and she crossed her ankles. "Yes, I think…I believe that if I work, it will be a good opportunity for me to get my feet wet…or so the saying goes."
Heihachi looked at her from across the desk. "What about the tournament?"
"Well, if you have any light jobs, like getting coffee, I am your girl," Ling said with a smile.
"Are you going to kiss ass?"
"No sir."
Heihachi picked up the gold pen lying on his desk. He was silent for a few moments. Ling started looking at her short fingernails; light pink nail polish with sparkles. Silence consumed the room, until, "Anaka Sango, the head receptionist downstairs, will need assistance. You can help her do tasks, such as file papers, imputing data and so forth. However, all business concerning the tournament belongs to her." He stood and held out his hand. "You can start working Tuesday, tomorrow morning. Welcome aboard, Ling Xiaoyu."
Ling stood and shook his hand.
Jin adjusted his blue collared shirt, straightening it. He was planning to wear a hooded sweatshirt but since it was a hot day, he wore a simple dark blue collared shirt and loose fitting khakis. Sunglasses hid his eyes. It was around 2:30 in the afternoon when he walked in the Mishima Office on 21st street.
The receptionist, Anaka Sango, was at the computer, diligently typing when she saw the door open. A 21-year-old stunningly glorious man stepped into the building. His chiseled features and body would make Michelangelo's David green with envy. Anaka stopped her work as the god-like creature walked her way. God, she loved Monday afternoons.
"Hi," the breathtaking specimen greeted her.
"Hello," a flirtatious smile curled on her face.
"Do you have the fight lists ready?" he asked.
"In a few minutes, Mr. Kazama," she answered. "You can wait here and I'll finish yours up."
Jin really didn't like staying in a place where the name "Mishima" was scrolled on the gray wallpaper and tan carpeting. However, it was only for a few more moments, so he sat down at a chair, the farthest away, near a plant where he could hide behind. He picked up a magazine with the cover story printed across the cover: "The Mishima Empire at Stake!" All the other magazines had articles about Heihachi Mishima being Businessman of the Year; Jin steered clear from that.
Anaka watched the man from the corner of her eye. An awful idea began to turn the wheels in her head. She 'accidentally' knocked over a cup on her desk, letting her writing utensils spill on her workspace and floor. "Oh damn," she sighed in the most fake exasperated tone possible. Anaka stood and got to the other side of her desk, her back facing Jin. Then, she bent over, rear end in the air, picking up the pencils and pens scattered on the floor. Anaka hoped her little maneuver would get his undivided attention.
And yes, it did get Jin's attention. For a second, at least. Jin lifted his eyebrow as he saw her bend over, butt in the air. She had been hitting on him starting two years ago and she's doing it now too. He was perceptive; he noticed each time she gave her phone number, asked him to dates and bearing her female assets. He noticed every move. But Jin never gave his attention to her. He had other things on his mind. Jin lifted the magazine over his face and sank behind the plant; not to hide from Anaka's scantly clad rear end show. Someone had just entered the building.
"Excuse me," a deep male voice asked.
Anaka turned and saw a well-dressed older man with jet-black hair. Sunglasses sat on the strong bridge of his nose. He wore a dark black coat, blue collared shirt and black pants. Anaka stood up to face him. She recognized him right off the bat. He was the older version of his good-looking son. An assistant stood behind him.
"Oh, why hello there, Mr. Mishima," Anaka smiled. She rested her bottom against the edge of her desk and reached behind her, chest popping out. "I have your fight list right here," she said, pulling out the top envelope from a pile on her desk. She held it towards him; his assistant snatched it and placed it in a leather portfolio he was carrying around.
"What floor is Heihachi Mishima's office?" Kazuya casually asked.
"On the top, but…" Anaka ran her hand on his coat, straightening his collar. "I believe he's in a meeting right now. How about--."
Kazuya ripped off his sunglasses, red eye beaming. Thank you." He put back his sunglasses and stomped away with his assistant in toe.
Anaka took a deep breath. She was on the verge of passing out, her face pale with fright. Jin bit his lip, trying with all his might not to laugh. However a disturbing thought entered Jin's mind: Kazuya and he were wearing the same colored shirt.
A few minutes later, the elevator opened and a girl stepped out. Her hair was in two pigtails and she wore a light pink ribbed shirt, black capris and magenta mary janes. She made her way to Anaka's desk, where Anaka had settled down. "Whoa, I just had another scare."
Jin lowered his magazine. The new voice was very, very familiar.
"Why is that Ling?" Anaka asked.
"I just ran into Kazuya Mishima again."
"Yah, he is scary."
"Unbearably scary…" Ling shuddered. "By the way, starting tomorrow, I'm your assistant."
"Really? Great!"
"Yah, I'm just doing this to get the ball rolling." Ling propped her hands on the desk. "Do you have the fight lists done?"
"Yours was done a while ago. Just a second," Anaka fished through the pile of envelopes. "Here you go."
"Thanks," Ling pulled things out of her purse, trying to slide the envelope all the way inside.
"Are those pictures?" Anaka asked, seeing Ling's red picture wallet. "May I look?" When Ling nodded, Anaka opened it up. She flipped through the pictures before she stopped at one right in the middle. "Is this you and Mr. Kazama?" Anaka asked.
Ling peered over to see the picture she was referring to. It was Jin and Ling, standing in front of a large Christmas tree. She wore a red dress, hair in pigtails while he wore a dark forest green long sleeve shirt and black pants. Ling smiled. "That was our first Christmas together. I remember it like it happened last week…"
~*
Ling watched Jin hand her a small box. It was white with a gold ribbon around it. "For me?" she asked.
Jin nodded. "Yeah. Look who it's addressed to."
Ling took the box in her palm. On it was a tag that said 'To the Little Phoenix, who wakes me up every god-forsaken morning. Merry X-mas, Jin.' Ling smiled and opened the box. Inside, the present reflected the Christmas lights. It was a pearl pendant, in the shape of a lily. A diamond was in the center, dark peridots were the leaves and it hung off a gold chain. Ling gasped. "Oh my god, Jin! It's beautiful!" she stuttered on her words, not knowing what to say.
"You like it?" he asked.
"I absolutely love it! Put it on me!" she exclaimed.
Jin gently took the necklace out of the box and wrapped it around her neck. He fastened it in the back. "There."
"Geez, my present sucks," Ling looked at the sweater draped over his shoulders.
"Don't worry, I like it. It's warm," Jin smiled. "So, you in the mood for hot chocolate or egg nog?"
"Egg nog!" Ling jumped to her feet. "Although I don't know what that is…"
They stood up and headed to the kitchen. As they stepped through the doorway, Panda, who was behind them, began to growl. Ling turned. "What is it Panda?" When Panda pointed to the top of the doorway, Ling and Jin realized there was mistletoe dangling from the top. Ling's eyes widened and her cheeks became red, like her dress. "Who put that there?" she growled.
"Yeah, who did?" Jin asked, puzzled. "Well, 'tis the season or whatever."
"But--."
"Don't worry. It's just a kiss."
Ling nodded. "O-ok." Ling closed her eyes as Jin leaned forward.
~*
"And then Kuma came in and tripped over his herd of presents for Panda. He fell on her, she smacked him and he flew against the tree, causing a small fire." Ling finished her story. "The east wing of the mansion smelled like a burnt forest."
"Oh, that's a shame," Anaka sighed. "So you didn't kiss him?"
Ling shook her head. "No."
Meanwhile, Jin sat in his quiet corner. He prayed Anaka forgot he was there. The last thing he needed was Ling to think he was stalking her. He sank in his chair, covering his face with a magazine.
Five minutes had passed. Soon, the elevator open and Kazuya Mishima, with his assistant, walked out. His head turned to Ling, noticing her presence, then stalked away out of the building.
Ling turned away. "Well, I better go now. I'll be here tomorrow morning, ok?" she left the desk and headed out the door.
Jin returned his eyes to the article. Then, as if his legs were moving on its own, Jin stood. He dropped the magazine on the seat behind him. He quickly ran after her, as if he were drawn to her like a magnet. He quickly ran after her and blurted, "You never wear that necklace, Ling."
Ling froze, and then turned around. Her heart skipped a beat and she took a deep breath. "Yeah, but I'm afraid to wear it anywhere."
"I gave it to you to wear, though, Ling. I bought it for you and you don't appreciate it…" Jin said, shaking his head, tisking. "I'm hurt."
"If I remember correctly, you didn't give me a kiss that night, remember?"
"Well, I guess you gotta wait 'til next Christmas," he shrugged.
"Ok, here then," she said. "If I see you while I wear the necklace, you have to kiss me."
He blinked. "What?"
"You heard me."
"I hope I didn't."
"Well, you did."
Jin was silent, not knowing how to respond.
"No objection? Ok, deal, Jin Kazama!" she skipped up to him, her mouth close to his face. "I'll get you to kiss me," she said as she walked away.
Jin sighed. "Why didn't I just say no?" he asked out loud. Why didn't I?
A pair of eyes from a parked limo watched Jin as he re-entered the building. Kazuya Mishima rolled up his window and looked at the driver's window. "Go," he snapped. The limo zoomed away.
Jin sat in Mari's café, alone. He took a sip of his tea. He never really tried coffee; he was afraid the caffeine would keep him from sleep.
Ling Xiaoyu had a certain thing to her that couldn't keep him away. It extremely bugged him and he had no idea why in hell he couldn't help but be around her. She had a weird pull on him whenever she was around. What was it?
A young woman took the liberty of taking the seat across from him. He looked up. She styled her hair loose. She wore a nice Chinese collared, short sleeve purple top and khaki colored flares. "Ling?"
"Yup," she nodded. "And…"
His eyes fell down. Around her neck was a pearl pendant of a lily. His eyes returned to her gaze.
"Remember our deal?" she asked.
"I never agreed to it."
"You never objected."
Jin sighed. "Look, Ling. It's getting kinda late."
"I'm not leaving until I get your kiss."
"Then you'll be here forever," Jin said, tossing 500 yen on the table. He stood up and walked out the door.
Shocked, she ran after him. "Jin wait!" she said, grabbing his hand.
"Ling, your games can be cute but they get old quickly," he said as he turned away.
Ling's eyes turned to the ground. "What if this wasn't a game? What if kissing you wasn't a game?"
Jin turned to her. He stared at her again, noticing the physical changes she made that night to her hair and makeup. Jin remembered how nice she looked when she dressed up for dinner that time he just returned to Japan. She wasn't the girl he first met those years ago. So maybe… he thought.
Jin stalked up to her and held her by the side of her arms. He pulled her to him, leaning close to her. Ling held her breath as she closed her eyes. Her heart thundered in her chest as she felt his warmth coming closer.
But…
Ling's eyes flew open as she felt his lips brush her forehead. Jin turned carefully, avoiding eye contact with her. Quickly, he crossed the street to get to his car and drove away.
…fin
Jibberish: Ok, so maybe Japan doesn't have mistletoe…who cares? Tekken and all its characters are property of Namco. Well, I hope that was enjoyable. Thank you to everyone who read it. Thanks to my beta-reader, my one and only little sister. Thanks also to my older sister for long talks on the phone; inspiration is at its best when we talk Tekken. Please review, I'd love to hear from you!