Shattered
Chapter Two: The Girl from Yakushima
"Absolutely not! I won't let you!"
"Please keep your voice down. You'll wake her up."
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you do this, Wang. It's too dangerous."
"Please reconsider this, my friend. Think of what it can do for her."
"It will do nothing for her!"
The girl sat from her bed clutching her blankets to her chin. She rocked back and forth gently as the argument between her father and her mentor ensued from the living room. She could hear her father weeping and that made her want to run to him and comfort him. She had seen him this upset only once before, and that was when she was two years of age. To hear his anguish was enough for her heart to cry out to him.
"There is something strange about her, something that she herself is unable to comprehend-"
"Nothing is wrong with my daughter!"
"I never said anything was wrong with her. However, you know as well as I do that she is not...normal for a child her age."
"And what is 'normal' defined as? Is a child normal when she talks and acts like the other children do? Is she normal when she draws the same pictures as them and plays the same games as they do? So my daughter is not social with the other children of the village. All that mattered to my wife and I was that she was a caring and honest girl, not how many friends she had!"
"And you raised her well; she is a loving child with a good heart. Still, do you not see the torment in those eyes of your daughter's? Can you not see that there is fear and confusion in them, even though she refuses to tell anyone?"
Her father was silent for a few moments. His sudden quietness frightened her a bit, but she concentrated on Wang's words. "I know it is frightening, but you cannot go on like this. As her father, you should be willing to help her."
"...but what can we do, Wang? How are we supposed to help her when she sees and hears things that we cannot? It's as if she is being haunted by something terrible, something that can't be explained...and there's nothing that I can do to help her..."
"I know, I also do not know how she was destined with these kinds of abilities at such a young age. Even so, the fact of the matter remains. This ability of hers might be seen as a curse to you, but it can be a gift if she is able to take control of it. That is why I propose that she should come to Tokyo with me."
"And let her be teased by the kids over there?" Her father interrupted. "Wang, you know how unfairly the children in the village treat her here. It could be worse in Tokyo."
"Children must discover the cruelty of humanity sometime in their life. You cannot keep sheltering your daughter like this because it will do her no good. Tokyo is an extremely large city, I will admit. But she just cannot stay on Yakushima forever. I think that after what has happened in the past years, spending time away from this village will calm her nerves. In doing so, she will be able to have some sort of restrain on her ability."
Once again, her father did not argue with Wang. It seemed to the girl that he was slowly beginning to agree with him. "Are...are you certain?"
"Tokyo is a city that if constantly busy with activity. If she is introduced to such surroundings, she might be able to take control of her own powers instead of living in dread of them while she stays cooped up in her home. Please, do not worry too much. An old friend of mine owns an estate in Tokyo and he has agreed to allow your daughter to stay there."
"For how long?"
"It will be quite a long time, perhaps four or five months. If anything comes up, I will contact you. But you have to be strong for the child, for both your sakes."
The girl felt the warm tears rising in her eyes as she laid back down onto her bed. She gripped her blankets even tighter, doing her best to hold back her urge to cry.
"Daddy...why are you sending me away? Do you hate me like everyone else does?"
* * * *
"Jun-chan," the calm voice of her mentor beckoned her from the lulls of sleep. "We are landing soon. Look outside of your window."
Jun did as the elder told her to, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. She peeked at the sky outside of her circular window as she had done for the majority of the flight. It was her first time on an airplane and she spent the first hour or so staring at the scenery outside in awe as the machine glided gracefully through the sky, as if it were a great bird composed of metal.
She felt gravity tug the plane as it began its descent. She saw the sea of clouds surround it like an endless sea of white fluff, and after a few minutes Jun saw the world below her. She could the grand metropolis known as Tokyo, which ironically appeared to her like a toy town that was meant for children's play. The plane dipped lower, cutting the air as it landed. She saw the complex structure known as the airport as the plane was inches away from making contact with the runway. Suddenly, she felt several jolts as the machine's tires had touch the gravel. She was nervous at first, but she was relieved when the plane had decreased in speed. Soon thereafter, the airplane came to a complete stop, and Jun was able to see the airport better.
"Welcome to Tokyo International Airport. It is now 1:15 in the afternoon. Please make sure to gather all belongings and carry-on luggage as you leave. Thank you for flying with us today and please have a nice day." The stewardess' voice sounded over the intercom. After she had spoken, the passengers shuffled down the aisle in a long line to leave the plane. Wang took Jun's hand and they too began exiting off the machine. For some reason, she did not want to leave. Something in her wanted to jump on another flight after she had experienced flying for the first time in her life.
They went down a long dimly lit corridor, which led into a larger area in which many seats were located. Jun saw more people rushing to the passengers, most likely loved ones or friends that came to greet them. She wondered if there was someone here to greet Wang and her.
"Wang, my old friend!" Someone greeted cheerfully, and she saw a middle-aged mans with twin peaks of black hair on both sides of his heads and stern eyes approaching them. Jun hid behind the old man, her shyness overcoming her as the stranger came nearer.
"It is nice to see you again, Heihachi," Wang responded with enthusiasm in his aged voice, and both men shook each other's hands heartily. The man known as 'Heihachi' noticed the small girl taking cover behind the elderly man and he chuckled.
"Your granddaughter, I assume?"
"No, no. This is my student, the one that I have told you about. Jun- chan, please introduce yourself to Mishima-sama."
Jun obeyed and slowly came out of her hiding place. She bowed low before the CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu, her short raven hair spilling over her shoulders as she did. "It is a pleasure meeting you, Mishima-sama."
A broad smirk appeared on Heihachi's face as he placed his coarse hand on top of Jun's head. "Such a polite young girl," he praised. He patted her hair and his attention then directed itself towards Wang. "Come, we will get her luggage and leave. The limousine is waiting for us."
As she followed the two men by clinging around Wang's wrist though the vast sea of passing people, Jun had decided that there was something off about Heihachi. The way he patted her head was quite rough and uncomfortable, although she did not admit openly as a trait of her introverted character. There was a harsh look in his eyes and a strictness in his manner that made her uneasy.
They arrived at a strange contraption on which suitcases and bulging knapsacks were circulated on a wide belt. Jun looked up and saw that luggage slid down the ramp onto the revolving table from a dark elevated opening. By looking at how recklessly the luggage slid down the ramp and bumped against the walls of the revolving table, it appeared to Jun that there was a hidden monster shoving down all of the passengers' bags from the obscured opening. After standing in awe of the machine, Jun recognized her brown suitcase with a nametag bearing her name on the handle. Wang picked it up for her and they started out towards an exit. With an automatic whoosh of the opening doors, Jun stepped into the bright sunlight. There waiting, as Heihachi stated, was a sleek black limousine. The chauffeur greeted his master and opened the door for them to enter. Jun hesitantly got in with Wang following her. After Heihachi had done the same, the doors were shut and the chauffeur went to the driver's seat. The limousine began to move swiftly onto the street past the other automobiles. Jun tried to catch one more glance of an airplane taking off into the sky, but the tinted windows limited her vision. Slightly disappointed, she sat back in the leather seat with her suitcase in her lap.
"How is young Kazuya nowadays?" Wang politely asked, stirring up a conversation.
"He is getting no better," Heihachi replied with a touch of scorn to his voice. "I train everyday with that boy and he fails to make much progress."
Jun was listening now with a bit of interest, but she continued to look out the window. "Well now, that is not entirely true. Kazuya is quite a skilled fighter for someone who is twelve years of age."
"But that is not good enough. He needs to put more effort if he ever wants to be worthy of his family name."
Wang did not say anything about the one named 'Kazuya' anymore. Jun realized his sudden silence, which led her to believe that the boy was a sensitive topic to talk about. She could see a sadness appearing in Wang's aged eyes and that made her all the more uncomfortable around Heihachi. There was certainly something about this man that Jun did not like. She did not know what it was, but Jun could detect it. Even if she did not really know the boy named Kazuya, her heart already felt sympathy for him for having a father like Heihachi.
She sat quietly at her seat while the two adults proceeded to make friendly conversation, although Jun considered it to be strained at certain times. She sensed a true friendship that existed between the two men, however this bond could easily be broken. Feeling a little uneasy, she tuned out the conversation as if she did not exist. Time passed so slowly as the car drove that Jun was tempted to take a little nap. But when the limousine arrived at the Mishima Estate and she stepped out of the car with the help of the chauffeur, her suitcase nearly slipped from her hand.
She gaped at the great mansion before her: she did not think such foundations existed. Even though it was modeled mostly after the influences of Western architecture, the manor was as expansive and glorious as the castles that she had read about many times in fairy tales. She would have still been standing there in complete amazement if Wang had not brought her back to her senses and led her towards the door. As soon as Heihachi opened it, a butler was there to greet all three of them. The powerful CEO casually allowed his coat to slip off of his broad shoulders and into the hands of his servant as if it were a daily routine. Not wanting for the butler to go through the trouble of doing the same to her, Jun took off her own canary yellow jacket and carried it in her arms.
"There is no need to do that, my dear," Heihachi told her in the same matter-of-factly way of a teacher would correcting a student's mistake on an assignment. "The butler will take your jacket for you."
Jun felt her cheeks turn a bit red in her bashfulness. "No, it's okay. I can do it."
The butler, a bit surprised in the girl's shy behavior rather than offended by it, smiled. "Please, miss, allow me to take your suitcase for you. It looks rather heavy for such a little girl to carry."
If her hands were not shaking so much from being nervous she would have denied the butler's request, but she concurred and handed it to him.
"Nairusu, show our guest the room where she will be staying in," Heihachi ordered. The servant bowed and gestured for Jun to follow him. For the first time, the girl noticed that the floor of the foyer and the extensive staircase consisted entirely of smooth, beautiful white marble. She immediately slipped off her shoes and took them with her as she went after the butler up the stairs. She noticed that a magnificent chandelier suspended from the wide ceiling above her, the innumerable crystals casting light in the form of small prisms about the vast walls. She took one more look back at Wang who was watching her with a comforting smile on his face as to assure her that there was nothing to be worried about. She followed the butler to the east wing of the mansion, passing the walls that were lavishly decorated with invaluable works of art. There were doors to the left and right of her as she walked down the corridor. The butler stopped after they went by three pairs of doors. Nairusu pushed the door open to reveal the room and once again Jun was awe-stricken.
Although it was a guest room, it was still the largest room Jun has ever been in. Light blue draperies adorned the tall window that overlooked the courtyard in the back of the mansion. The walls were a glossy white and in the center of the room was a lofty full-sized bed which was covered with silk sheets that were also light blue to match the curtains.
Nairusu placed Jun's suitcase on the bed, the weight causing it to sink slightly into the blankets. "There is a dresser over there, miss," he said pointing the right of the bed. As he said, a gigantic dresser was settled against the wall with a grand vanity settled securely on top of it. "You can use that to put your clothes in or you can use the closet right next to it. Over there," his index finger pointed to the top left of the bedroom to a door, "is your bathroom. If there is anything you need, please don't be afraid to ask."
Recovering from her astonishment of the room and the mansion itself, Jun smiled at Nairusu. "I'll be fine. Thank you though, Nairusu-san."
The butler bowed, again surprised by the girl's behavior. He had never been addressed by his masters in the way that this child had. He left the room and Jun was left with her thoughts as her only company.
She stood in the middle of her room for a while, streams of yellow light pouring in from the windowpanes. The sunlight's touch was warm, and yet, there was a frigidness that surrounded her like an invisible blanket of frost. She was so immersed by this strange emotion that she did not notice Wang coming into the room.
"Jun-chan," he addressed her, his calm voice bringing her back to reality. "It is time for me to leave."
Her almond brown eyes widened in fear. "You're going?"
He nodded, his beard trailing off of his chin like a sheet of white snow. "Yes. I am leaving to make arrangements at a hotel."
"Can't I stay with you?" Jun urgently asked.
"I'm sorry, child. But Heihachi was already kind enough to set up your room for you."
"Why can't you stay here?" Jun questioned, doing her best not to shout at her mentor. "Wang-san, Mishima-sama has all these rooms in his house. Can't you sleep in one of them?"
"I do not want to trouble him at such short notice." Wang realized the alarm and sorrow in the young girl's soulful eyes and lowered onto his haunches so that he was at her height. "There, there, Jun-chan." He allowed her to wrap her arms around him for comfort. "I will be back in three days. I would stay, but I have other affairs to take care of."
Jun held him tightly, as if he was the only savior that she had left. "I'm scared..."
Wang patted her small back in consolation. "I know that you are scared, but do you remember why you are in Tokyo in the first place?"
Jun backed away from him, wanting more than anything to allow herself to release the tears that eagerly wished to drip down her cheeks.
"You are here to face your fears and conquer them. You must be able to be continue to be strong Jun-chan, even if you are left alone. You do not have to be frightened of anything if you do not let yourself be. That is what your father wants."
She winced at the mention of her father and immediately felt a longing for her home back in the heartland of Yakushima. Wang patted her tiny shoulders with an reassuring smile on his aged face. "You can do this, child. Even in the blackest depths of fear, there is always a glint of hope if you are willing to look for it."
Jun was a bit astonished by the profoundness in her mentor's words. As a child of six years of age, she did not exactly understand the insight of Wang's speech because she did not share his years of experience. But in a sense, she comprehended the sage's encouraging statement. She smiled slightly and gave him another tight hug. "You promise that you'll be back?"
"I promise. Here, take this," Wang instructed her to open her palm to receive a hard spherical object. "This is a seed from your garden at home. Your father thought that it would make you happy to bring a piece of Yakushima with you."
A glow of joy appeared on the girl's cherubic face, and she cupped the little seed in her hands. "Do you think that Mishima-sama will let me plant it?"
"I am sure that he has somewhere for you to take care of it. Well, I must be off," He gave Jun's shoulder another pat of his aged hand, and departed for the staircase where Heihachi waited for him.
Jun watched his retreating figure, desperately restraining the desire to follow alongside of her mentor. As much as she wanted to catch the next flight back to Yakushima, she remembered the purpose of her long sojourn in Tokyo. "I...I have to be strong...I don't want to be scared anymore--"
An unnatural breeze swept around the room, its cold touch causing goosebumps on the girl's frail skin and tousling the curtains from where they hung on the window. It was as if an invisible cyclone of ice was taking place where Jun stood, sending the glossy strands of her raven hair flying against her cheeks. Her lithe form trembled from the shivering cold, and she swore that she saw her breath dissipating in a small cloud of heat.
"...it's happening again..."
Her heart pounded in her chest like an incessant drum as she fled from the room with the frantic manner of a fearful mouse attempting to make an escape from the fatal claws of a starving feline. She breathed in large amounts of air as if she had stayed underwater for an eternity, inhaling and exhaling sharply in a frenzied attempt to calm down. She took a look at her surroundings and to her dismay found no one in the hallway. Only the stoic paintings were the witnesses of this alarmed and bewildered girl.
"Why are you doing this?" She questioned outloud in a strained whisper, as if there had been someone in front of her. "What do you want?"
A door swung open suddenly, breaking the heavy silence of the hallway. Her wide eyes caught it and saw that it was the last door located in the far reaches of the corridor. She saw it as an invitation and for some inexplicable reason, she was walking towards it. Her feet slowly took her away from the ribbons of sunlight that drenched the hallway from the lattice windows, away from the still paintings that hung from their places on the walls. A part of her wanted to stop and run for the nearest adult, but she did not. She continued walking and eventually, she arrived at the opened door. Her eyes searched what the door had hidden from view, and saw an rather large, but empty, chamber. The faded paint was peeling off of the walls in little curls and a blanket of dust covered everything in the room. An old dresser stood against the left wall of the room and the draperies acted as a barrier to prevent any sunlight from entering. An empty bed with discolored sheets was set beside the window. Darkness infested the place like an unwanted plague and Jun felt an indescribable presence of decay here. She felt as if there was once beauty in this room, but all there was now was despair...
"Hello?" Jun nervously asked as she entered the room, the floorboards creaking from underneath her sneakers. She examined the gloomy chamber, her almond brown eyes darting towards the ceiling, on which cobwebs hung from like thin curtains of gray lace. Her eyes went from the ceiling and towards what she believed was an empty bed. What she saw next nearly gave her another shock of fright.
A woman, clad in a plain light purple kimono sat upon the sheets. Her hair was tied back in a traditional bun, but some loose strands of auburn fell elegantly against the sides of her pallid, but beautiful face. Jun gaped at her, completely caught off guard by this woman's sudden arrival. However, she did not seem angered by the girl's fear. She held out a frail hand towards Jun's direction, beckoning the child to come to her. Jun stared back at her and examined her chestnut brown eyes and saw that there was something glistening in her eyes, realizing that they were tears.
"You're crying..." Jun approached the woman and took her hand, feeling its warmth against her own skin. The woman led her to the bed, on which Jun sat herself next to her. The woman's hands rested onto Jun's face, their palms settling delicately against the girl's rosy cheeks. She then pushed back her raven hair from her face, save the few strands that hung from her pink ribbon above those large ebony eyes. A single tear escaped from the corner of the woman's eye, a small river of silver streaming down her cheek.
"Why...are you so sad?" Jun asked in pure concern, not caring that she had never seen the woman before.
She smiled in response, tucking away another lock of sable hair behind the girl's ear.
* * * *
Kazuya hastily left the confines of the limousine, not waiting for the chauffeur to open the door for him. As he entered his mansion he nearly threw off his expensive dress shoes, ignoring the greetings of the butler. He marched into his room, thankful that another day of school and a meaningless session with his psychiatrist was done with. He was about to go right into his room, until something had caught his attention. A door from the far end of the east wing was opened. The room that was once inhabited by his mother...
He immediately rushed down the end of the hallway and reached the opened door. Infuriated that one of the servants might have carelessly walked into a room which had been forbidden for seven years he stepped into the chamber expecting to see the culprit changing the sheets of the bed or dusting off the old dresser. But what he found to his utter surprise was a small form of a young girl huddled upon the sheets of the bed. He stood there motionlessly in his shock, but quickly brought himself to confront the child. He went to the bed and took her by her tiny shoulders and shook her.
"Wake up!" He demanded. The girl awoke in his grasp, her eyes flickering open to reveal almond brown depths. "Just what do you think you are doing?"
She met the eyes of the boy who had awoken her, her senses still dulled by slumber. "Who...who are you?"
"That's what I should be asking you!" Kazuya shouted at her. "You are not supposed to be in this room, it's off limits! How did you get into my house anyway?"
"Your house?" She looked around the room and suddenly remembered where she was. "That woman...where is she?"
If Kazuya was not dumbfounded before, he certainly was now. "Don't change the subject! There was no one except you when I came in here!"
"But I saw her," Jun timidly answered. "She was right here, she was wearing a purple kimono. She-"
Kazuya's hands dropped from the girl's shoulders. He felt his anger alter into utter bewilderment after what he heard. "...what did you just say?"
Chapter Two: The Girl from Yakushima
"Absolutely not! I won't let you!"
"Please keep your voice down. You'll wake her up."
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you do this, Wang. It's too dangerous."
"Please reconsider this, my friend. Think of what it can do for her."
"It will do nothing for her!"
The girl sat from her bed clutching her blankets to her chin. She rocked back and forth gently as the argument between her father and her mentor ensued from the living room. She could hear her father weeping and that made her want to run to him and comfort him. She had seen him this upset only once before, and that was when she was two years of age. To hear his anguish was enough for her heart to cry out to him.
"There is something strange about her, something that she herself is unable to comprehend-"
"Nothing is wrong with my daughter!"
"I never said anything was wrong with her. However, you know as well as I do that she is not...normal for a child her age."
"And what is 'normal' defined as? Is a child normal when she talks and acts like the other children do? Is she normal when she draws the same pictures as them and plays the same games as they do? So my daughter is not social with the other children of the village. All that mattered to my wife and I was that she was a caring and honest girl, not how many friends she had!"
"And you raised her well; she is a loving child with a good heart. Still, do you not see the torment in those eyes of your daughter's? Can you not see that there is fear and confusion in them, even though she refuses to tell anyone?"
Her father was silent for a few moments. His sudden quietness frightened her a bit, but she concentrated on Wang's words. "I know it is frightening, but you cannot go on like this. As her father, you should be willing to help her."
"...but what can we do, Wang? How are we supposed to help her when she sees and hears things that we cannot? It's as if she is being haunted by something terrible, something that can't be explained...and there's nothing that I can do to help her..."
"I know, I also do not know how she was destined with these kinds of abilities at such a young age. Even so, the fact of the matter remains. This ability of hers might be seen as a curse to you, but it can be a gift if she is able to take control of it. That is why I propose that she should come to Tokyo with me."
"And let her be teased by the kids over there?" Her father interrupted. "Wang, you know how unfairly the children in the village treat her here. It could be worse in Tokyo."
"Children must discover the cruelty of humanity sometime in their life. You cannot keep sheltering your daughter like this because it will do her no good. Tokyo is an extremely large city, I will admit. But she just cannot stay on Yakushima forever. I think that after what has happened in the past years, spending time away from this village will calm her nerves. In doing so, she will be able to have some sort of restrain on her ability."
Once again, her father did not argue with Wang. It seemed to the girl that he was slowly beginning to agree with him. "Are...are you certain?"
"Tokyo is a city that if constantly busy with activity. If she is introduced to such surroundings, she might be able to take control of her own powers instead of living in dread of them while she stays cooped up in her home. Please, do not worry too much. An old friend of mine owns an estate in Tokyo and he has agreed to allow your daughter to stay there."
"For how long?"
"It will be quite a long time, perhaps four or five months. If anything comes up, I will contact you. But you have to be strong for the child, for both your sakes."
The girl felt the warm tears rising in her eyes as she laid back down onto her bed. She gripped her blankets even tighter, doing her best to hold back her urge to cry.
"Daddy...why are you sending me away? Do you hate me like everyone else does?"
* * * *
"Jun-chan," the calm voice of her mentor beckoned her from the lulls of sleep. "We are landing soon. Look outside of your window."
Jun did as the elder told her to, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. She peeked at the sky outside of her circular window as she had done for the majority of the flight. It was her first time on an airplane and she spent the first hour or so staring at the scenery outside in awe as the machine glided gracefully through the sky, as if it were a great bird composed of metal.
She felt gravity tug the plane as it began its descent. She saw the sea of clouds surround it like an endless sea of white fluff, and after a few minutes Jun saw the world below her. She could the grand metropolis known as Tokyo, which ironically appeared to her like a toy town that was meant for children's play. The plane dipped lower, cutting the air as it landed. She saw the complex structure known as the airport as the plane was inches away from making contact with the runway. Suddenly, she felt several jolts as the machine's tires had touch the gravel. She was nervous at first, but she was relieved when the plane had decreased in speed. Soon thereafter, the airplane came to a complete stop, and Jun was able to see the airport better.
"Welcome to Tokyo International Airport. It is now 1:15 in the afternoon. Please make sure to gather all belongings and carry-on luggage as you leave. Thank you for flying with us today and please have a nice day." The stewardess' voice sounded over the intercom. After she had spoken, the passengers shuffled down the aisle in a long line to leave the plane. Wang took Jun's hand and they too began exiting off the machine. For some reason, she did not want to leave. Something in her wanted to jump on another flight after she had experienced flying for the first time in her life.
They went down a long dimly lit corridor, which led into a larger area in which many seats were located. Jun saw more people rushing to the passengers, most likely loved ones or friends that came to greet them. She wondered if there was someone here to greet Wang and her.
"Wang, my old friend!" Someone greeted cheerfully, and she saw a middle-aged mans with twin peaks of black hair on both sides of his heads and stern eyes approaching them. Jun hid behind the old man, her shyness overcoming her as the stranger came nearer.
"It is nice to see you again, Heihachi," Wang responded with enthusiasm in his aged voice, and both men shook each other's hands heartily. The man known as 'Heihachi' noticed the small girl taking cover behind the elderly man and he chuckled.
"Your granddaughter, I assume?"
"No, no. This is my student, the one that I have told you about. Jun- chan, please introduce yourself to Mishima-sama."
Jun obeyed and slowly came out of her hiding place. She bowed low before the CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu, her short raven hair spilling over her shoulders as she did. "It is a pleasure meeting you, Mishima-sama."
A broad smirk appeared on Heihachi's face as he placed his coarse hand on top of Jun's head. "Such a polite young girl," he praised. He patted her hair and his attention then directed itself towards Wang. "Come, we will get her luggage and leave. The limousine is waiting for us."
As she followed the two men by clinging around Wang's wrist though the vast sea of passing people, Jun had decided that there was something off about Heihachi. The way he patted her head was quite rough and uncomfortable, although she did not admit openly as a trait of her introverted character. There was a harsh look in his eyes and a strictness in his manner that made her uneasy.
They arrived at a strange contraption on which suitcases and bulging knapsacks were circulated on a wide belt. Jun looked up and saw that luggage slid down the ramp onto the revolving table from a dark elevated opening. By looking at how recklessly the luggage slid down the ramp and bumped against the walls of the revolving table, it appeared to Jun that there was a hidden monster shoving down all of the passengers' bags from the obscured opening. After standing in awe of the machine, Jun recognized her brown suitcase with a nametag bearing her name on the handle. Wang picked it up for her and they started out towards an exit. With an automatic whoosh of the opening doors, Jun stepped into the bright sunlight. There waiting, as Heihachi stated, was a sleek black limousine. The chauffeur greeted his master and opened the door for them to enter. Jun hesitantly got in with Wang following her. After Heihachi had done the same, the doors were shut and the chauffeur went to the driver's seat. The limousine began to move swiftly onto the street past the other automobiles. Jun tried to catch one more glance of an airplane taking off into the sky, but the tinted windows limited her vision. Slightly disappointed, she sat back in the leather seat with her suitcase in her lap.
"How is young Kazuya nowadays?" Wang politely asked, stirring up a conversation.
"He is getting no better," Heihachi replied with a touch of scorn to his voice. "I train everyday with that boy and he fails to make much progress."
Jun was listening now with a bit of interest, but she continued to look out the window. "Well now, that is not entirely true. Kazuya is quite a skilled fighter for someone who is twelve years of age."
"But that is not good enough. He needs to put more effort if he ever wants to be worthy of his family name."
Wang did not say anything about the one named 'Kazuya' anymore. Jun realized his sudden silence, which led her to believe that the boy was a sensitive topic to talk about. She could see a sadness appearing in Wang's aged eyes and that made her all the more uncomfortable around Heihachi. There was certainly something about this man that Jun did not like. She did not know what it was, but Jun could detect it. Even if she did not really know the boy named Kazuya, her heart already felt sympathy for him for having a father like Heihachi.
She sat quietly at her seat while the two adults proceeded to make friendly conversation, although Jun considered it to be strained at certain times. She sensed a true friendship that existed between the two men, however this bond could easily be broken. Feeling a little uneasy, she tuned out the conversation as if she did not exist. Time passed so slowly as the car drove that Jun was tempted to take a little nap. But when the limousine arrived at the Mishima Estate and she stepped out of the car with the help of the chauffeur, her suitcase nearly slipped from her hand.
She gaped at the great mansion before her: she did not think such foundations existed. Even though it was modeled mostly after the influences of Western architecture, the manor was as expansive and glorious as the castles that she had read about many times in fairy tales. She would have still been standing there in complete amazement if Wang had not brought her back to her senses and led her towards the door. As soon as Heihachi opened it, a butler was there to greet all three of them. The powerful CEO casually allowed his coat to slip off of his broad shoulders and into the hands of his servant as if it were a daily routine. Not wanting for the butler to go through the trouble of doing the same to her, Jun took off her own canary yellow jacket and carried it in her arms.
"There is no need to do that, my dear," Heihachi told her in the same matter-of-factly way of a teacher would correcting a student's mistake on an assignment. "The butler will take your jacket for you."
Jun felt her cheeks turn a bit red in her bashfulness. "No, it's okay. I can do it."
The butler, a bit surprised in the girl's shy behavior rather than offended by it, smiled. "Please, miss, allow me to take your suitcase for you. It looks rather heavy for such a little girl to carry."
If her hands were not shaking so much from being nervous she would have denied the butler's request, but she concurred and handed it to him.
"Nairusu, show our guest the room where she will be staying in," Heihachi ordered. The servant bowed and gestured for Jun to follow him. For the first time, the girl noticed that the floor of the foyer and the extensive staircase consisted entirely of smooth, beautiful white marble. She immediately slipped off her shoes and took them with her as she went after the butler up the stairs. She noticed that a magnificent chandelier suspended from the wide ceiling above her, the innumerable crystals casting light in the form of small prisms about the vast walls. She took one more look back at Wang who was watching her with a comforting smile on his face as to assure her that there was nothing to be worried about. She followed the butler to the east wing of the mansion, passing the walls that were lavishly decorated with invaluable works of art. There were doors to the left and right of her as she walked down the corridor. The butler stopped after they went by three pairs of doors. Nairusu pushed the door open to reveal the room and once again Jun was awe-stricken.
Although it was a guest room, it was still the largest room Jun has ever been in. Light blue draperies adorned the tall window that overlooked the courtyard in the back of the mansion. The walls were a glossy white and in the center of the room was a lofty full-sized bed which was covered with silk sheets that were also light blue to match the curtains.
Nairusu placed Jun's suitcase on the bed, the weight causing it to sink slightly into the blankets. "There is a dresser over there, miss," he said pointing the right of the bed. As he said, a gigantic dresser was settled against the wall with a grand vanity settled securely on top of it. "You can use that to put your clothes in or you can use the closet right next to it. Over there," his index finger pointed to the top left of the bedroom to a door, "is your bathroom. If there is anything you need, please don't be afraid to ask."
Recovering from her astonishment of the room and the mansion itself, Jun smiled at Nairusu. "I'll be fine. Thank you though, Nairusu-san."
The butler bowed, again surprised by the girl's behavior. He had never been addressed by his masters in the way that this child had. He left the room and Jun was left with her thoughts as her only company.
She stood in the middle of her room for a while, streams of yellow light pouring in from the windowpanes. The sunlight's touch was warm, and yet, there was a frigidness that surrounded her like an invisible blanket of frost. She was so immersed by this strange emotion that she did not notice Wang coming into the room.
"Jun-chan," he addressed her, his calm voice bringing her back to reality. "It is time for me to leave."
Her almond brown eyes widened in fear. "You're going?"
He nodded, his beard trailing off of his chin like a sheet of white snow. "Yes. I am leaving to make arrangements at a hotel."
"Can't I stay with you?" Jun urgently asked.
"I'm sorry, child. But Heihachi was already kind enough to set up your room for you."
"Why can't you stay here?" Jun questioned, doing her best not to shout at her mentor. "Wang-san, Mishima-sama has all these rooms in his house. Can't you sleep in one of them?"
"I do not want to trouble him at such short notice." Wang realized the alarm and sorrow in the young girl's soulful eyes and lowered onto his haunches so that he was at her height. "There, there, Jun-chan." He allowed her to wrap her arms around him for comfort. "I will be back in three days. I would stay, but I have other affairs to take care of."
Jun held him tightly, as if he was the only savior that she had left. "I'm scared..."
Wang patted her small back in consolation. "I know that you are scared, but do you remember why you are in Tokyo in the first place?"
Jun backed away from him, wanting more than anything to allow herself to release the tears that eagerly wished to drip down her cheeks.
"You are here to face your fears and conquer them. You must be able to be continue to be strong Jun-chan, even if you are left alone. You do not have to be frightened of anything if you do not let yourself be. That is what your father wants."
She winced at the mention of her father and immediately felt a longing for her home back in the heartland of Yakushima. Wang patted her tiny shoulders with an reassuring smile on his aged face. "You can do this, child. Even in the blackest depths of fear, there is always a glint of hope if you are willing to look for it."
Jun was a bit astonished by the profoundness in her mentor's words. As a child of six years of age, she did not exactly understand the insight of Wang's speech because she did not share his years of experience. But in a sense, she comprehended the sage's encouraging statement. She smiled slightly and gave him another tight hug. "You promise that you'll be back?"
"I promise. Here, take this," Wang instructed her to open her palm to receive a hard spherical object. "This is a seed from your garden at home. Your father thought that it would make you happy to bring a piece of Yakushima with you."
A glow of joy appeared on the girl's cherubic face, and she cupped the little seed in her hands. "Do you think that Mishima-sama will let me plant it?"
"I am sure that he has somewhere for you to take care of it. Well, I must be off," He gave Jun's shoulder another pat of his aged hand, and departed for the staircase where Heihachi waited for him.
Jun watched his retreating figure, desperately restraining the desire to follow alongside of her mentor. As much as she wanted to catch the next flight back to Yakushima, she remembered the purpose of her long sojourn in Tokyo. "I...I have to be strong...I don't want to be scared anymore--"
An unnatural breeze swept around the room, its cold touch causing goosebumps on the girl's frail skin and tousling the curtains from where they hung on the window. It was as if an invisible cyclone of ice was taking place where Jun stood, sending the glossy strands of her raven hair flying against her cheeks. Her lithe form trembled from the shivering cold, and she swore that she saw her breath dissipating in a small cloud of heat.
"...it's happening again..."
Her heart pounded in her chest like an incessant drum as she fled from the room with the frantic manner of a fearful mouse attempting to make an escape from the fatal claws of a starving feline. She breathed in large amounts of air as if she had stayed underwater for an eternity, inhaling and exhaling sharply in a frenzied attempt to calm down. She took a look at her surroundings and to her dismay found no one in the hallway. Only the stoic paintings were the witnesses of this alarmed and bewildered girl.
"Why are you doing this?" She questioned outloud in a strained whisper, as if there had been someone in front of her. "What do you want?"
A door swung open suddenly, breaking the heavy silence of the hallway. Her wide eyes caught it and saw that it was the last door located in the far reaches of the corridor. She saw it as an invitation and for some inexplicable reason, she was walking towards it. Her feet slowly took her away from the ribbons of sunlight that drenched the hallway from the lattice windows, away from the still paintings that hung from their places on the walls. A part of her wanted to stop and run for the nearest adult, but she did not. She continued walking and eventually, she arrived at the opened door. Her eyes searched what the door had hidden from view, and saw an rather large, but empty, chamber. The faded paint was peeling off of the walls in little curls and a blanket of dust covered everything in the room. An old dresser stood against the left wall of the room and the draperies acted as a barrier to prevent any sunlight from entering. An empty bed with discolored sheets was set beside the window. Darkness infested the place like an unwanted plague and Jun felt an indescribable presence of decay here. She felt as if there was once beauty in this room, but all there was now was despair...
"Hello?" Jun nervously asked as she entered the room, the floorboards creaking from underneath her sneakers. She examined the gloomy chamber, her almond brown eyes darting towards the ceiling, on which cobwebs hung from like thin curtains of gray lace. Her eyes went from the ceiling and towards what she believed was an empty bed. What she saw next nearly gave her another shock of fright.
A woman, clad in a plain light purple kimono sat upon the sheets. Her hair was tied back in a traditional bun, but some loose strands of auburn fell elegantly against the sides of her pallid, but beautiful face. Jun gaped at her, completely caught off guard by this woman's sudden arrival. However, she did not seem angered by the girl's fear. She held out a frail hand towards Jun's direction, beckoning the child to come to her. Jun stared back at her and examined her chestnut brown eyes and saw that there was something glistening in her eyes, realizing that they were tears.
"You're crying..." Jun approached the woman and took her hand, feeling its warmth against her own skin. The woman led her to the bed, on which Jun sat herself next to her. The woman's hands rested onto Jun's face, their palms settling delicately against the girl's rosy cheeks. She then pushed back her raven hair from her face, save the few strands that hung from her pink ribbon above those large ebony eyes. A single tear escaped from the corner of the woman's eye, a small river of silver streaming down her cheek.
"Why...are you so sad?" Jun asked in pure concern, not caring that she had never seen the woman before.
She smiled in response, tucking away another lock of sable hair behind the girl's ear.
* * * *
Kazuya hastily left the confines of the limousine, not waiting for the chauffeur to open the door for him. As he entered his mansion he nearly threw off his expensive dress shoes, ignoring the greetings of the butler. He marched into his room, thankful that another day of school and a meaningless session with his psychiatrist was done with. He was about to go right into his room, until something had caught his attention. A door from the far end of the east wing was opened. The room that was once inhabited by his mother...
He immediately rushed down the end of the hallway and reached the opened door. Infuriated that one of the servants might have carelessly walked into a room which had been forbidden for seven years he stepped into the chamber expecting to see the culprit changing the sheets of the bed or dusting off the old dresser. But what he found to his utter surprise was a small form of a young girl huddled upon the sheets of the bed. He stood there motionlessly in his shock, but quickly brought himself to confront the child. He went to the bed and took her by her tiny shoulders and shook her.
"Wake up!" He demanded. The girl awoke in his grasp, her eyes flickering open to reveal almond brown depths. "Just what do you think you are doing?"
She met the eyes of the boy who had awoken her, her senses still dulled by slumber. "Who...who are you?"
"That's what I should be asking you!" Kazuya shouted at her. "You are not supposed to be in this room, it's off limits! How did you get into my house anyway?"
"Your house?" She looked around the room and suddenly remembered where she was. "That woman...where is she?"
If Kazuya was not dumbfounded before, he certainly was now. "Don't change the subject! There was no one except you when I came in here!"
"But I saw her," Jun timidly answered. "She was right here, she was wearing a purple kimono. She-"
Kazuya's hands dropped from the girl's shoulders. He felt his anger alter into utter bewilderment after what he heard. "...what did you just say?"