SURRENDER by Tina
A Note from Tina: All right, here's the sixth chapter, a little slower than my previous updates, though. I had a bit of writer's block about halfway through this chapter. Once I got started again, however, I just sort of zoomed through it, and as a result I fear it'll seem a little too rushed and not as well written. Oh, well. I'll let you dears be the judges of that. By the way, I want to thank you all for the wonderful reviews. They've truly encouraged me to continue writing, and it really pleases me that you enjoy my work.
6.0 – Chasing Shadows
"What are you still doing alive?" Kazuya heard Heihachi's gravelly voice inquire through the phone's receiver.
"Oh, Dad, you know the answer to that question," Kazuya replied, grinning. He'd caught his father off guard. He could hear the confusion and worry evident in his voice. Good.
"But—Jin—I saw him kill you."
"You shouldn't always rely on your senses," Kazuya said. "What you see and hear may not always be what really is."
"Fair enough. You've survived worse from me," he said with a sort of self-satisfactory smugness.
"Yes, but remember it for what it was, Dad, a failure." He'd be damned if he let his father forget that.
He didn't hear it, but he could feel Heihachi's anger boiling on the other end. "So…" he said, "you're alive. That's…wonderful news—" this bit, of course, was said with bitter irony "—Now, what exactly is it that you want?"
"The same thing you want," Kazuya said, unfazed by neither his father's tone nor choice of words, "my other half to the Devil gene."
Kazuya heard a deep intake over the receiver and guessed that Heihachi was inhaling from his pipe. "You and I are enemies in this game, Kazuya, or have you forgotten? The reason I had the forth tournament was to lure you and Jin out so that I could take one or the other down."
Kazuya sighed into the phone. "Yes, and how successful was that plan, hmm?"
Heihachi said nothing.
"You should've known, old man. You should've known that you couldn't—can't—take either of us down alone."
"What are you saying?" Heihachi snarled, clearly not liking where this conversation was going.
"You've tried killing us numerous times—all attempts failed, of course. Haven't you learned anything from those?"
Heihachi grunted in response.
Kazuya grinned. "Apparently not, as, I see, you're still going about the same tactics."
"Get to the point, Kazuya. I don't have time for this."
"Why is it, do you think, that you've never been successful in taking either of us down?"
There was silence on the other, save for the faint whisper of smoke being inhaled from Heihachi's pipe.
"Because you've had both of us working against you," Kazuya answered his own question. "Think about it, Dad, the two of us combined—we create the Devil. Now, how can a silly mortal stand against the Devil, hmm?"
He felt Heihachi registering all this information.
"He can't," Kazuya continued. His smile broadened; now was the part where he'd flip Heihachi's top. "But what if the stakes were changed?"
"What do you mean?" There was a hint of hope in his voice.
"Think about it."
"Are you—" he sounded almost fearful to say it, "—are you saying that—you'll help me…?"
Kazuya shrugged, well aware that Heihachi wouldn't be able to see it. "Mm, more like I'm requesting you help me."
"What's the difference?"
"The difference is, old man, that we both want Jin for two different reasons. However, I believe the product can be shared." Kazuya realized how sick this proposition sounded, but didn't really care. "I want my other half, and you want enough DNA to complete your bio-genetic experiments."
"But—if you want—"
"Let me finish." Kazuya paused for effect. "I give you enough for one experiment, enough so that you can produce more in your labs, and I get the rest for myself."
He could tell Heihachi didn't like the sound of Kazuya getting more. Though this proposition fit both their needs, he knew Heihachi still wanted to reign supreme over him, and, by letting him receive the majority, he was automatically letting Kazuya have the upper hand.
"One question," Heihachi said, "why are you doing this?"
Kazuya hesitated to reply. "For the same reason you need me: I can't take on Jin by myself."
Heihachi contemplated this for a while. After a few moments, he sighed, clearly having come to his decision. "Fine," he said. "You've got yourself a deal."
* * * * *
When Xiao woke later that same morning, she found that her buttocks was numb with cold (from having spent a few hours out in the early morning air with no covering from her sleeping bag). The rest of her was, however, nice and toasty warm beneath the thick, plush blanketing—so warm, in fact, that she could feel a heated flush burning up her neck and cheeks.
Xiao made to push the bedding down some, to give herself some air, but came to the startling conclusion that she couldn't, as something heavy was weighing her arms down.
Blinking her eyes open, she scanned down towards her midriff, where the…thing…weighing upon her lay. A long, jacket-covered arm was curling leisurely around her waist, loosely holding on to her through the sleeping bag. Xiao nearly panicked, until her eyes darted beside her and she recognized the design of Jin's jacket. Sighing her relief, she flopped her head back down against her pillow—
Only it wasn't her pillow. It was Jin's chest. She gasped, bolting upright in her sleeping bag and whirling around to look down at him. Jin lay sound asleep across her pillow, his body at an angle where, clearly, it'd been made for her to comfortably rest against him. His hood was pulled up over his head, though she no trouble seeing his face in the morning light, even with his dark hair falling haphazardly across his handsome brow.
She remembered now—last night. How he'd lain beside her to comfort her while she'd slept.
A small smile spread across her lips, despite herself. He looked so peaceful sleeping, almost like an innocent child. She hated to wake him, but, from the looks of it, it was well into the morning—the sun was filtering in through the forest, tree leaves bright and vibrantly green with the intensity at which it shone. And, remembering their current situation, she doubted Jin would want to stay here.
"Jin," she whispered quietly. The smile never left her face as she shook him gently, tapping the tanned skin of his smooth cheek with her fingertips. "Jin, wake up."
Jin moaned deeply, a frown crossing his features. Xiao felt a pang of guilt, but, regardless, she had to press on.
"Jin," she tried again. "Jin…"
Jin's eyes opened, a deep, deep brown color—almost black. His brows knitted as his frown deepened and he glanced around at his surroundings. He apparently, too, was surprised to find himself in this intimate position with Xiao, with his arm still casually draped across her middle.
"Xiao?" he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He grunted as he adjusted his position, sliding his arm away from her. Xiao felt a sense of loss. "What time is it?"
Xiao glanced down at her wristwatch. "Almost eight thirty," she said.
"Shit," Jin cursed. "How long have you been up?"
Xiao was quick to reply, "I woke up just a few seconds before I got you up."
Jin grunted again, this time with the effort of standing up. "Shit," he said again, once planted firmly on his two feet. He glanced around the area, as though searching for something.
"What's wrong?" Xiao asked, confusion and worry suddenly welling up inside of her.
His eyes fell on her. She watched him study her, a blank expression written on his face. She wished he'd tell her what was wrong.
"Nothing," he said. He bent over, picked up his sleeping bag, and began rolling it up. "Come on. We've got to get going."
Xiao obeyed without argument. She rolled up her sleeping back, took both hers, Jin's and the pillows they'd used last night and threw them into the back of the car, while Jin stomped on the embers that still glowed in the black ashes that were the remnants of their fire, and then covered the evidence with fallen leaves and shrubbery.
And then they left.
* * * * *
Miharu walked about the campus grounds of the Tama Art University in Tokyo. She'd been searching everywhere for Xiao this morning. Not only did they have classes together, but she also wanted to find her so she could apologize for her behavior at the grocery store on the previous night.
It'd taken her several hours to come to this conclusion, but she'd rationalized that she'd been—well, irrational. Xiao was, after all, her best friend, and she should respect her privacy if she truly felt she needed to keep it.
However, she hadn't been able to share this revelation as of yet. Ducking through hallways of one of the school buildings, milling her way through the sea of people rushing to classes, Miharu searched for a certain head of black hair that might just belong to Xiao.
"Xiao!" she called out randomly, rising on her tiptoes and scanning the area.
No sign of her.
Maybe she wasn't here today, she thought. Turning on her heel, Miharu headed to the main office to see if Xiao had checked in at all today. As unlikely as it was, Xiao might be sick—though she rarely ever was.
There was a line of students already at the front desk. Miharu checked her watch impatiently; she was already late for her first class.
When it was finally her turn, she approached a stoutly woman clicking away at a computer behind the desk. "Excuse me," she said politely, dragging the woman's attention away from the computer monitor. "Um, I was wondering if you could possibly tell me whether Ling Xiaoyu has signed in at all today?"
The woman blinked up at her through a pair of rectangular spectacles. "Just a moment please… What was the name again?"
"Ling Xiaoyu."
"Mm, nope. I'm afraid she hasn't. We've already received the attendance and she's been marked as absent."
Miharu blinked, surprised. So she wasn't here. Very strange, Xiao hardly missed a day of classes.
"All right, thank you," Miharu said, bowing slightly and then turning to leave.
She'd seemed fine yesterday, she couldn't help thinking, aside from her obvious discomfort at being drilled by Miharu. Other than that, though, she hadn't seen any signs of illness.
What could have happened to her?
* * * * *
"Sir, your son is here to see you."
"Send him in."
The metallic doors swooshed open and Kazuya stepped in. He looked exactly the same as he had during the forth tournament, the only difference was that he'd lost the conservative suits and instead donned a casual pair of faded jeans, black T-shirt and a deep brown leather jacket.
"Kazuya," Heihachi said, his tone of voice anything but welcoming. "You're late."
An arrogant smirk played across his son's face. "Sorry, Daddy-O, there was a lot of traffic down town."
Heihachi ignored his statement and gestured to one the chairs situated in front of his desk. "Sit," he said. "Let's get started."
Kazuya lingered by the door. "Whoa, whoa. Is this the kind of greeting I deserve? I mean, it's been, what, four years since you've last tried to kill off your dear son?"
"Where is he, Kazuya?" Heihachi asked, plowing right through his bullshit. "You said you saw him last night. Where was he?"
Kazuya's expression hardened. He walked over and took a seat in one of the chairs. "He was on top of an old apartment building in the west part of the city. I couldn't see what one it was because it was so dark."
"Would you be able to track your way back there if needed?"
Kazuya shook his head. "No point. He won't be there. He'd fled."
Heihachi glared. "How do you know?"
"He saw me too. Trust me, he won't be there."
"Do you have any idea where he might've gone?"
Kazuya was silent. Heihachi watched as his son's face screwed up in thought. It was easier, he imagined, to figure out Jin's whereabouts when you had someone in the same seat as him. Kazuya, too, had spent years hiding from him.
"No," Kazuya said finally.
Heihachi growled. "Why not?"
"What do I look like, a frickin' mind reader? I know my son as well as you do. The only thing I can guess is he's headed for the hills."
Heihachi clenched his pen hard on the surface of his desk, squeezing it 'til the point where it threatened to burst. "There are plenty of 'hills' around here, Kazuya. You have to be more specific."
"Small populated towns. He'll want to go to places where he'll attract as little attention as possible, places that aren't directly connected to the city."
Heihachi nodded. "What do you recommend we do?"
"Bring out some maps. Get your best men up here and we'll send them in different locations."
Heihachi pressed a button on his telephone, paging his secretary. "Hana, get me the Tekkenshu. Pronto."
* * * * *
Jin couldn't believe he'd allowed this to happen. It had to be her—she was his weakness. It'd taken him a damn long time to realize just how strong of a weakness she was, though—in fact, it hadn't even been until this morning, the time of which his source of distress had taken place, when he'd discovered that he'd over slept with her in his arms.
He gripped the steering wheel tighter in his hands, his eyes glaring straight ahead at the seemingly endless miles of marked pavement and trees. Beside him, he could feel Xiao's timid eyes watching him curiously from the passenger seat. Silence filled the air between them, the only sounds being the gentle murmur of the engine and the wind blowing against the windshield of the car.
That is, until he heard a strange growling noise beside him.
Jin turned to look at Xiao, who now shared his gaze with wide, embarrassed eyes. At first she said nothing, and he quirked a corner of his mouth up in a semi-lopsided smile. "Hungry?" he asked.
Xiao nodded her head slowly, almost shamefully, but said nothing.
Jin glanced at the clock on the dashboard. 12:47 p.m. Goodness, no wonder. They hadn't eaten anything since yesterday.
"All right, we'll stop to get something to eat then."
They took the next exit to the smallest town Jin could find, despite Xiao's many protests that they stop at one of the larger ones, claiming that—from the food sings posted on the highway—they'd have a better chance at finding something good to eat.
Jin got off the exit and pulled into the parking lot of a small diner. He knew it'd be safer just to stop at a deli or a gas station and pick something cheap up there, but Jin was having a guilty conscious and felt the need to make up for all the shit he'd put her through by taking her to a nice breakfast.
A small waitress with a hard-not-to-notice large ass and short, curly hair took them to a small booth at the back of the restaurant—upon Jin's request, of course—in the corner, where they'd be hidden by other customers from the windows.
"What are you going to order?" Xiao asked, already in greater spirits as the waitress handed them their menus.
Jin shrugged, burying his face in the contents of his menu. Xiao ordered drinks, two cups of tea, one plain and one loaded with sugar and cream.
And while Xiao scanned the menu, mumbling the choices softly to herself, Jin took the opportunity to look around. From the looks of things, it appeared they were all right. There weren't very many people in here, and most seemed too immersed in their own business—either gossiping with a friendly neighbor, watching the weather report on television, or reading the news paper. Every now and then he'd catch a curious local peering over their shoulders to take a gander at the newcomers, sometimes turning to a buddy and whispering something to them.
Jin felt a little more on edge than what was normal, since, of course, now that he wasn't traveling solo any longer, it'd be more difficult trying to keep a low profile. He had no doubt either, the spectacle the two of them made together either: a dark, hooded man sitting with a young, pretty girl. He'd admit that it must look a little odd, at least on her part.
"Xiao," he whispered softly to her across the table. Xiao looked up from her menu. "Don't order too much. We've gotta eat quick and be back on the road."
Xiao looked at him for a moment, though he saw the understanding in her eyes. She nodded.
The waitress came back and she took their order. When she left, Jin drank greedily from his cup, savoring the sweet, warm liquid that trickled down his throat, easing the tension he felt in his muscles.
Neither said a word to the other while they waited for their food. It was an uncomfortable situation, he imagined, especially to Xiao. She'd never been in a position like this before and she wasn't sure how to go about it. As far as he was concerned, she was doing very well, though he wished she'd talk to him, make it look like they were there enjoying themselves rather than hiding from dangerous pursuers.
Jin slid a hand across the table, taking hold of one of hers, feeling it tremble beneath his touch. He brushed his thumb across her knuckles, giving a little squeeze of reassurance to the back of her palm. Xiao's eyes met his, and she gave him a weak smile.
Since business was apparently running slowly, their food came in short time. Jin eat his food at a steady pace, not too quickly so that the food wouldn't settle in his stomach, but not so that he dawdled, either. Xiao, on the other hand, was shoveling hers down as fast as she could manage.
"Whoa," he said, placing a hand over hers to stop her from scooping another spoon full into her mouth. "Take it easy."
Xiao blushed, her mouth too stuffed with food to comment.
Jin finished before she did. When his plate was cleared, he pushed it aside.
"I'm going to go the bathroom quick," he told her.
Xiao nodded over her cup of tea.
As Jin stood from the booth, the front doors opened, and two men came walking in. They were dressed in dark business suits and carrying similar brief cases—lawyers, by the looks of them—clearly not from around these parts, either. Taking precautions, Jin ducked his head and pulled his hood farther over his face. The two men walked past him without so much as giving him a glance, though it was hard to tell since their eyes were covered with sunglasses.
Jin turned to watch them go as he headed to the men's room. No wires, no devices sticking out of their pockets, no weaponry of any kind that he could see. These men appeared to be safe.
With a sigh of relief, he finished his venture to the bathroom.
After using the toilet and washing his hands, Jin headed back into the diner. However, as he was closing the door to the bathroom behind him, he heard a loud scream erupt throughout the little diner. Looking towards their booth, Jin found Xiao standing with the two men he'd seen enter just moments before. They were both on her, grabbing her from either side, and she was struggling to get free, screaming and wriggling within their grasp.
Small and agile, a trait the two large, lumbering men holding her lacked, she was able to slip free from one of them. She delivered a roundhouse kick to one, knocking him hard from his feet, and went to attack the other, twisting her body in his arms and using him as momentum to jump up and kick him with both feet in the chest. The other man released her immediately, crying out in pain from her powerful assault and falling down beside the other.
Xiao made to escape, turning quickly and bolting down the rows of booths. However, the first man recovered quickly, leaping to his feet and chasing after her.
Jin acted quickly. With a speed he could only achieve with the Devil genes that coursed through his blood, he charged at the two, skimming past Xiao and, before the other man could even react, lunged at him with a bone shattering twin thrust to the chest and middle. Sure enough, Jin heard the satisfying crunch of a rib—or several—being broken.
The man screeched, falling back, clutching at his injured torso. Jin shook both fists, pain swelling through his knuckles at the intensity of his attack, but he ignored it.
The other man came up from behind. Being more prepared than the first, he flew at Jin, delivering a series of quick punches and kicks at him. Jin gave the man credit for moving as quickly as he did—figuring his size—but he wasn't quick enough. Jin was able to sufficiently dodge and kick them all with little effort.
It wasn't long before Jin tired of this, and he ducked, taking the man by surprise during a mid-blow punch that had been aimed for Jin's middle, instead hitting nothing but air. Using this to his advantage, Jin performed what he called a Rising Lancer, followed by a hard Backfist that sent the man spiraling through the air before he landed with a painful smack against the tiled floor, but not before the man gashed his head on the sharp edge of a table.
With both men temporarily down, Jin turned to look for Xiao, finding her standing a few feet behind him, hands covering her mouth, her eyes wide and fearful looking. Jin turned back to the two men.
"Who are you!?" he demanded.
Both men had lost their sunglasses somewhere during the scuffle. They stared at him blankly. The first man stayed closer to the back, eyeing Jin cautiously, still protecting his wound with his hands, occasionally letting out a grunt of pain. The second looked up at him with only one eye, the other shut tight so as to keep the blood from spilling into it.
"I said who are you!?" Jin repeated, seething with anger. "Who sent you!?"
"You know very well who sent us, Kazama," the one sprawled on the floor finally answered in a hiss as he attempted to wipe the flowing blood from his brow.
And then he saw it. In a gap between the man on the floor's jacket and his shirt he saw the Tekkenshu emblem, the Japanese symbol for their organization sewn in black against a red, six-sided diamond shaped background.
The same man who'd been talking smirked. "And we're not leaving until we've finished the job," he said, as he reached for his brief case, popping the lid open.
Jin's eyes widened. They were armed. He knew even before he saw the shiny, dark metal glint up at him in the diner's lights. Turning fast, he grabbed on to Xiao's arm and made a dash down the aisles.
Xiao tripped, not expecting the suddenness of his actions, and fell to the floor.
Rounds of gunfire sounded throughout the whole diner. Xiao screamed and covered her head while Jin dove on top of her, folding his arms around her head and his own and using his body as a shield to protect her from harm. He chanced a glance upward, peeking over the edge of his jacket to see bullets flying everywhere, ricocheting off stools, counters and metal lamps hanging from the ceiling, blasting holes into the backs of booths, an explosion of wood and cushion covering.
Even the man whose ribcage was damaged, who'd apparently recovered from his shock, was firing too. He fired one shot directly at Jin, who ducked his head back under his arm just in time, as the bullet whizzed right past his forearm, cutting through the material of his jacket and skimming the flesh there.
Jin cursed. Customers and staff members were screaming like mad. He heard people falling from their seats, jumping under counters and tables to get under cover.
Suddenly, the gunfire stopped.
Jin looked up. Someone had been actually crazy enough to try and stop the shooters from killing everyone in the diner. Now was their chance to escape. Pushing himself up and standing on his feet, he helped a quivering Xiao do the same.
"Run for it," he whispered to her loudly. Xiao nodded her head, her eyes red with unshed, frightened tears.
They bolted for the exit. However, before they could make it, gunfire erupted once again and they both dove behind the safety of two empty booths, Xiao shrieking a loud, "Jesus Christ!" as she did so. Jin reached behind himself and grabbed her wrist, which was shaking so badly now that he found it difficult to hold on to her, and together they crawled the rest of the way to the double glass doors leading outside.
Once safely outside, Jin stood and scanned the parking lot. They had to find some sort of transportation out of here. There was no way they could take the same car.
He spotted a man climbing out of the front seat of his truck at the back of the lot. Still maintaining a firm grip on Xiao's wrist, he sprinted over to the man.
"Whoa, whoa, where's the fire, kids?" the man asked, turning a concerned eye to the loud racket coming from the diner.
"Excuse me, sir, I need to borrow your truck," Jin said with all the calmness and tolerance he could muster.
"What?" the man said, averting his gaze to Jin and blinking at him in disbelief.
Jin growled in frustration, releasing his hold on Xiao so that he could grab the man in front of him and shove him out of the way.
"Hey! What's the big idea!" the man cried, dropping his keys and jacket to the ground.
"I told you, sir, I need to borrow your truck," Jin said, all the while checking out of the corner of his eye for the men who would undoubtedly be coming out of the diner at any moment.
"What? This is my truck! You can't—"
But Jin had had it with him. He grabbed the man by his collar, hoisted him up over his shoulder, and brought him down hard on the pavement so that it rendered him unconscious.
He heard Xiao's sharp intake of breath over what she'd just witnessed.
Jin's heart was hammering so hard he could hear it ringing loud and clear in his ears, the cursed Devil's gene pumping darkly in his blood. He picked up the man's keys, climbed into the front seat, and turned to Xiao. "Get in!"
Xiao shook her head wildly, her face pale.
Guns blasted outside of the diner and Xiao screamed again. The men where now outside.
"GET IN!" Jin shouted once more.
Xiao let out a frightened whimper, running over to the other side of the truck and hopping inside. Jin started the truck and threw it into reverse. The two men were already running across the parking lot, making their way over to them.
He stopped to switch the truck into drive, then slammed on the gas pedal, steering the wheel directly at the two men. They jumped out of the way, throwing their guns aside and rolling across the pavement to escape from harm's way.
The truck's tires peeled off the gravel as Jin and Xiao sped off down the road, making their way for the highway one again.
