Scarlet Lady: The Toshin Quest
By Indigo Siren
Disclaimer: Tekken is © to Namco, and that all characters mentioned from under this label are only used in this fan fiction for entertainment purposes only. No money is being made from this story; it is just for fun. I do however own the basic concept and characters of my own creation.
Chapter 6
Billowing smoke and high rising flames seemed to burst from the endless black, cracking the darkness of a world that dared to breathe life. The only living thing there was a young man, who stood within the centre of this blank world, trying to guard himself from the thousands of hands formed from a mysteriously blooming fog. A voice cursed and raged, hissed in a foreign call out towards him. It was begging to be heard, echoing an eternal cry of hatred and malice. He couldn't stand it any longer, his hands covering his ears. He collapsed to his knees under the pressure that seemed to collapse over him from the stifling air. It was as if he was being crushed and someone was over him, ready to strike a final blow…
He cried out, lurching and the darkness burst into a new realm. The realm of reality.
Jin Kazama blinked, his eyes stinging as he felt the heavy pour of sweat seep over his eyelids. His hand quickly went to wipe the offending salty water, the touch of his boiling, clammy skin quite a shock to the system.
It was that dream again. No, nightmare… Those vivid images and that voice… it was all so distant, but deep down somewhere, some part of him understood the meaning. Even so, he hated it. He hated waking up with his lungs burning, desperate to suck in the sweet cool oxygen around him. The torturous throbs of splitting a migraine would lock him in a tight hold and make his stomach turn, twisting it into tight knots that it made him close to throwing up. This had put him off going into school.
"What can it all mean?" Jin mumbled to himself.
He rubbed over his forehead, checking his temperature. Still slightly warm. It meant his fever hadn't fully subsided yet. It seemed these reoccurring dreams had something to do with his sudden illness, though he and others insisted that it was just to do with a bug that was going around. He didn't know, but he sure as hell didn't want to be bedridden just because of some stupid incoherent dream that wasn't suppose to be able to hurt him. It was depressing.
Now that he was settled and his mind was in a state of calm, he could finally make out other voices around him, but these were nothing to worry about. It was the thoughts, feelings and open speech of the people around the large mansion he lived in.
He was gifted with telepathy and a great psychic ability; this meant his was able to read minds and hear projected thoughts. Most of the time it was like having a TV permanently on inside his head and he hated it. In worse case scenarios, he'd be asleep and suddenly be overwhelmed by someone else's dream. He had enough problems with his own dreams as it was. His ability was either a gift or a curse, and most times, he opted it as the latter.
He ignored the many voices, blocking them out while he thought about his dream. It had seemed to fade mostly from his mind, but he had latched on to the key things about darkness, voices and hell's fire. What could it all mean?
He was frustrated as he felt things slip away from him. He sighed, finally giving up and shifted to reach the remote on his bedside table, sitting back as he turned on the TV. He decided it was best to keep up with the rest of the world, even though he was sick in bed. The TV set lit up with the latest news report; yet another murder.
Reporter Naoko Miyazaki greeted the viewers to fill them in on the case.
"Local Tokyo resident Ashitaba Kumoi is the latest victim of the murders that have swept across Japan in the last few days. Believed to be connected with the New York murders from across the waters, police and the supernatural investigative unit, IPD, have been rushed in on the case to try and intercept the murderer and known accomplices within this crime."
Jin watched with intrigue. In these few days, he'd managed to catch a report or two outlining these freak murders that suddenly started from nowhere, with no one to blame for the crime. His mind was giving him mixed messages about the case, and it bugged him deeply. He wanted to help out. He felt he had something to say or do. His abilities could help them in numbers of ways. Of course, the downside at the moment was his sudden illness, which could make him unreliable. Though, ironically, he started feeling like this since the day the first murder report became official.
Naoko turned towards a crowd of officers on the scene. "I will try and get a word in with one of the men on site. Excuse me? Please, can I ask you a few questions? Is there a chance I can get a statement for the public's knowledge?"
The police seemed to push her aside without a care. She was nobody to them and they didn't have to answer to her. Naoko was fuming and decided to turn her attentions to a woman dressed in full red attire, whom looked to have been in on the scene as well.
"Please, excuse me, you're an official on the scene, right? Please, a statement for the public. They have a right to have a little insight!"
The auburn haired woman dressed in red turned with cold eyes to Naoko. Jin was quite taken in by this stern face. She was a powerful woman he could tell.
"Most of the information is not for public divulgence," she told Naoko with a harsh tone. "There are just things that can't be said."
"People want to feel safe! They want to know what to do to protect themselves!" Naoko fought back.
The auburn haired woman was going to turn away, but stopped, bit her lip slightly and gave Naoko a condescending look before turning to the camera, pushing the reporter aside.
"Nobody is safe, and you have to be extra cautious now more then ever. Anything can happen. Tighten your routines. Stay indoors when you can. At this present time, its best to try and carry on like normal, but keep yourselves off the streets, especially after dark. The best thing you can do now is pray. I will get to the bottom of this, and if the murderer thinks that they can get away with this, they'll have to face Anna Williams first. Now get this camera out of my face!"
The shot went all over the place, finally settling on a rather disgruntled Naoko, who sighed and turned back to the camera. "Back to the studio."
Jin knew there was more to the situation, he saw it in Anna's eyes, even though she had been a fair distance away, behind a camera. Nothing could hide behind those eyes forever. Certain people were being targeted, but Anna definitely showed a fear for everyone.
He sighed, just wishing to know what was going on around him.
There was a gentle knock at the door, snapping him back to the bustling, loud world he was trying to tune out.
"Come in, Xiaoyu," he said softly, resting back as he could feel a major headache ready to attack.
The Chinese girl peeked round the door with astonishment. "How'd you know it…" She stopped and chuckled, stepping fully inside. "… Should I even ask that?"
"You're a loud girl, even when you're not speaking. You think aloud too much," he told her.
She couldn't help but laugh with that high boisterous voice of hers, begging to be heard by the whole of Japan. Jin winced but said nothing.
"Oh, you're so funny," she broke in to say through her hysterics.
"Xiaoyu, have you been on the sugar again?" She went bright red. "I take that as a yes. No wonder your laughing like a mad woman. Please, slow down."
"Okay," she said, plopping down on the bed, and with her, a horde of books. "Your homework."
"Thank you for getting it for me." He valued of her services and she made it obvious that she was overbearing proud of herself for being able to help out. He looked down at the book cover. Looked like his math book. Not too much of a problem, he already knew most of the answers anyway. He was retaking his last year at high school because of pretty much falling behind in the last year due to severe illness; usually based on his psychic powers, which played up for him. This was why a nineteen-year-old such as himself was still attending school. He ran a hand over his hair and cringed at how sticky it was from sweat. His long bangs seemed to glisten at him to make a point. He knew he probably looked a mess, but thankfully, his companion didn't care.
"I like helping out," Xiaoyu said happily. "I do my best for you, you know that!"
It was his turn to laugh. "Like a little pixie, fetch and carry nurse!"
She pouted playfully. "If you could put it like that!"
"So, do you have homework of your own?" He asked her.
She coughed. "Piles of it." She noticed his disapproving look and put her defence. "I'm so busy! It's such a pain when you hardly know anything about the Japanese culture and stuff. I'm such a newbie… mainly in history."
Could she really be blamed? No, she hadn't long been in Japan since her grandfather shipped her out, no longer being able to take care of such an active girl. Her parents had been dead years and there were very few relatives that she knew or could get in contact with. Jin's grandfather, Governor Heihachi Mishima, had taken her in after talking to her grandfather, an old friend of his. And here she was now, a bubbly sixteen-year-old, undeterred by this whole new world to her, trying her best, though also, trying to slack off too.
"Well, don't fall back. I know what that is like and I can tell you now, it isn't fun," he warned her.
"Okay, okay, I promise I'll try to keep up!" She patted his shoulder reassuringly, though his face gave other impressions, picking at her quite boldly. "Aww, please believe me! Cheer up! You don't have to feel sad for me."
"No, no," he assured. "It's not that at all. I believe you, Xiaoyu. You're a good friend to me." He took a soft breath. "That's why I feel I can talk to you."
"Oh? What about?" She shuffled further onto the bed, batting back one of her bobbing pigtails.
"I've had weird dreams, Xiaoyu, and I don't think they are just dreams anymore. I think they are some kind of warning… or maybe a call. They mean something… and I think it's to do with this murder case that has cropped up recently."
"You think so?" Xiaoyu blinked, looking quite shocked.
"I do. I can't explain it… I just…" A wave of pain seemed to burst in the centre of his head and he leant over, clutching his hands into his hair. He barely felt Xiaoyu's hands come to his shoulders as his mind rolled into a mixture of green and black, tightening a noose of death around him. He was gasping, trying to call out to Xiaoyu, but it was if his voice had melted away. He could suddenly see a face, forming there in front of him. Broken and distorted, it took a vague form of a horrifically malformed facial manifestation. Around it, little white figures were being sucked in to mould with it, their cries going on deaf ears, all but Jin's. He heard each one of their screams, unique to each victim.
"Power…" Was the hissed word that escaped the broken lips of that hideous formed face. Suddenly, it all shattered. As quickly as it had come, it was gone again, and reality was haven once more. Xiaoyu's tearful eyes met his.
"JIN! Are you okay? Please speak to me!" She wailed.
He managed to conjure his voice up weakly, his throat scratchy from his cries of pain. "I… I'm all right now. I think…"
"What happened?" Xiaoyu asked, hugging him tightly to her, offering her comfort.
"Something linked to my dreams…" He said. "It has to be… so much like it. I really do believe that it has something to do with the murders. I only really started having these dreams when the murders began." He took a shuddering breath. "I'm not sure… but I think I saw the face of the murderer."
"You what!" Xiaoyu pulled back, looking like she'd explode with everything that he was saying.
"It was distorted, but I could just sense the evil that came from it." His eyes wandered back to the TV as it played a repeat of the news report from earlier with Anna Williams. He was suddenly pointing to the screen. "I need to talk to her. I need to talk to Anna Williams."
Xiaoyu turned to look at the screen to as Anna's face came up. "Why?"
"She's in on the investigation. I think she works for the IPD. I know I can talk to her," he said determinedly. "I know I can help somehow."
"It would be cool to meet her," Xiaoyu said. "She looks really cool!" She turned back to Jin. "But Jin, you can't support anything you say. It may not have anything to do with the murders. Do you think she will take you seriously?"
"I just know my intuition is right," he said, almost too harshly. "She has to believe me. I have to at least try."
***
Finally, the day was over. Job done, for now. Anna hoped she wouldn't have to be helping mop up another murder while she was there. But saying that, maybe she'd jinxed the situation by even hoping for something like that. She let out the longest, most exhausted groan she'd ever done in her entire life as she stepped off the hotel elevator when it reached her floor. Forest had been lucky and had left the scene a few hours before her to run errands and was probably asleep now in his room. She decided that tomorrow she'd take her frustration out on him.
Her hand fumbled within her bag for her key. After battling against her purse, a small packet of mints and a badly crinkled up map of Tokyo, she managed to fish out her keys and stick them in the lock. She didn't even turn the key as just the slightest push jarred the door open on a small crack.
She froze. She knew she'd locked the door before she'd gone out and housekeeping would always lock up behind them.
Someone else had got in, and maybe, was even still there.
A deep-set frown etched into her face as she reached into the holster hidden under her red suede jacket, and retrieved her handgun. Nobody was going to get away with breaking and entering against her.
She went into a crouching position, hand carefully on the door as she pushed it open slightly more, staring into a dark room. It was too quiet for her liking, or maybe she was just being too damn paranoid about it.
With a deep breath and a little more confidence, she slipped through the gap of the door and kept her back to the wall. She came away from the small passageway she was in to survey the room properly.
Everything was neat and untouched. Even with a slight glance she could tell nothing was missing. She'd check up on that properly later.
It may have been the fact that she was very jumpy, but with a faint click humming just off to her side, she was suddenly spinning instinctively to put a gun between herself and the noise. She was afraid it was going to be Toshin related attack on her, but she found herself a bit more pleasantly surprised.
The redhead Korean had his own gun pointed towards her. A nasty, brain-splattering Magnum was aimed at her head, though she kept her 9mm trained in line with him. For a fact, his gun was much more devastating then hers, but she wasn't afraid, since she had her own weaponry. It was how you used the weapon that mattered most.
He lowered his gun slightly. "I was wondering when you'd get back."
She took a step back, deciding to partly lower her own gun too. Not fully, in case he meant trouble.
"How'd you know where to find me?" She asked.
"I saw you leave here yesterday and then when I saw you on the news earlier, I came on down here. The receptionist was most generous to supply me with your room number and I let myself in with a trusty lock pick."
"Oh my, tricks of the trade," Anna said sarcastically. "It's not unusual that the talents of a bounty hunter are dirty."
"Woah, take a step back a minute. I'm not a bad guy. Just not good, is all," he corrected and smirked.
"So, you know who I am…" She shrugged. "All's fair in love and war. So, who are you then?"
"I don't go by a real name," he told her matter-of-factly. "They call me Hwoarang. Nothing else. Any other alias are fake."
"Okay… Hwoarang…" She managed to pronounce it, though with a bit of difficulty due to her accent. "What were you doing in my hotel room?"
"As I said, I saw the news report earlier and I needed to see you as soon as possible." He walked past her, gun at his side. He decided to make himself at home her bed, not caring how pissed off she was at this. "And you've got to admit, that being around the dead of Toshin just makes you want to kill it just a little bit more. Don't you agree?"
"Were you on that scene at all at anytime?" She asked angrily.
"Hell no! I'm just saying, that being around its kill just tugs on those little dark strings inside your heart. I've been around it's dead before." He sat forward, now laying full out on his front across her bed. "Can you understand my views at all? Whoever or whatever it is, and whomever it possesses, it will still kill with the same notion as before. Can you just let it happen while you're still trying to find a way of putting it down?"
Anna was caught between a rock and a hard place. She wanted to kill it because she had very few cares for the demon half of the population; but then again, the death of Toshin would most likely take her sister with it.
"What can I say? That I'll step aside while you kill it? I'm in a difficult position and I know one thing… I can't straight up kill it. I need to find a way to save my sister. If I can't, then she'll have to be sacrificed; but I'm not willing to sacrifice her unless it's absolutely necessary. It's getting harder with me to keep this plan going with the knowledge of everyone being easily targeted for murder here, but what can I do? Please tell me? See it my way?"
Hwoarang just stared at her, face void of expression. His eyes were empty pools that almost made her melt before him. He was good at hiding behind a mask. She was extra cautious as he got up off the bed, moving towards her. She wanted to back up and cower away, but she was a grown woman with a tough image to maintain, so she stood her ground with pride. With her not moving, he was suddenly now pressed up against her, in a way being threatening, but also, trying to be quite alluring.
"I would do what is best for the majority then the minority. One life means nothing over thousands… even millions…" His voice was soft, a whispering breath against her face. If he had his face any closer to hers, then he would have been kissing her, though in some way, it looked as if he wanted to. That was, until he pulled back suddenly, still looking as blank faced as ever.
"I will handle it," she suddenly said, feeling she needed to fill the gap of silence. "I promise I will."
"I can't rely on your promises because more people are going to end up dead while you try and work things out," he said. "It needs killing, no ifs or buts." He was going to turn to the door, but stopped, eyes trailing to hers once more. "Oh, and Anna…" He trailed on her name, this being the first time he'd used it. "… It's going to be my kill, and I will kill it, whether you are standing in the way or not."
"Just for your money… for your pride…" Her voice was shaking with upset, but mainly with anger.
He didn't respond to that. "Don't get in my way. I won't tell you again." He turned and left the hotel room.
Anna didn't follow him. Her heart beat heavily inside her chest.
Everyone was willing to go against her. Was it now her against the rest of the world?
*********************************************************************************
A/N: Woah, some deep stuff going on. Is Jin Kazama onto something? Will he be able to help? Is Hwoarang going to cause more problems for Anna? The answers to these questions will come in later chapters, so look out!
By Indigo Siren
Disclaimer: Tekken is © to Namco, and that all characters mentioned from under this label are only used in this fan fiction for entertainment purposes only. No money is being made from this story; it is just for fun. I do however own the basic concept and characters of my own creation.
Chapter 6
Billowing smoke and high rising flames seemed to burst from the endless black, cracking the darkness of a world that dared to breathe life. The only living thing there was a young man, who stood within the centre of this blank world, trying to guard himself from the thousands of hands formed from a mysteriously blooming fog. A voice cursed and raged, hissed in a foreign call out towards him. It was begging to be heard, echoing an eternal cry of hatred and malice. He couldn't stand it any longer, his hands covering his ears. He collapsed to his knees under the pressure that seemed to collapse over him from the stifling air. It was as if he was being crushed and someone was over him, ready to strike a final blow…
He cried out, lurching and the darkness burst into a new realm. The realm of reality.
Jin Kazama blinked, his eyes stinging as he felt the heavy pour of sweat seep over his eyelids. His hand quickly went to wipe the offending salty water, the touch of his boiling, clammy skin quite a shock to the system.
It was that dream again. No, nightmare… Those vivid images and that voice… it was all so distant, but deep down somewhere, some part of him understood the meaning. Even so, he hated it. He hated waking up with his lungs burning, desperate to suck in the sweet cool oxygen around him. The torturous throbs of splitting a migraine would lock him in a tight hold and make his stomach turn, twisting it into tight knots that it made him close to throwing up. This had put him off going into school.
"What can it all mean?" Jin mumbled to himself.
He rubbed over his forehead, checking his temperature. Still slightly warm. It meant his fever hadn't fully subsided yet. It seemed these reoccurring dreams had something to do with his sudden illness, though he and others insisted that it was just to do with a bug that was going around. He didn't know, but he sure as hell didn't want to be bedridden just because of some stupid incoherent dream that wasn't suppose to be able to hurt him. It was depressing.
Now that he was settled and his mind was in a state of calm, he could finally make out other voices around him, but these were nothing to worry about. It was the thoughts, feelings and open speech of the people around the large mansion he lived in.
He was gifted with telepathy and a great psychic ability; this meant his was able to read minds and hear projected thoughts. Most of the time it was like having a TV permanently on inside his head and he hated it. In worse case scenarios, he'd be asleep and suddenly be overwhelmed by someone else's dream. He had enough problems with his own dreams as it was. His ability was either a gift or a curse, and most times, he opted it as the latter.
He ignored the many voices, blocking them out while he thought about his dream. It had seemed to fade mostly from his mind, but he had latched on to the key things about darkness, voices and hell's fire. What could it all mean?
He was frustrated as he felt things slip away from him. He sighed, finally giving up and shifted to reach the remote on his bedside table, sitting back as he turned on the TV. He decided it was best to keep up with the rest of the world, even though he was sick in bed. The TV set lit up with the latest news report; yet another murder.
Reporter Naoko Miyazaki greeted the viewers to fill them in on the case.
"Local Tokyo resident Ashitaba Kumoi is the latest victim of the murders that have swept across Japan in the last few days. Believed to be connected with the New York murders from across the waters, police and the supernatural investigative unit, IPD, have been rushed in on the case to try and intercept the murderer and known accomplices within this crime."
Jin watched with intrigue. In these few days, he'd managed to catch a report or two outlining these freak murders that suddenly started from nowhere, with no one to blame for the crime. His mind was giving him mixed messages about the case, and it bugged him deeply. He wanted to help out. He felt he had something to say or do. His abilities could help them in numbers of ways. Of course, the downside at the moment was his sudden illness, which could make him unreliable. Though, ironically, he started feeling like this since the day the first murder report became official.
Naoko turned towards a crowd of officers on the scene. "I will try and get a word in with one of the men on site. Excuse me? Please, can I ask you a few questions? Is there a chance I can get a statement for the public's knowledge?"
The police seemed to push her aside without a care. She was nobody to them and they didn't have to answer to her. Naoko was fuming and decided to turn her attentions to a woman dressed in full red attire, whom looked to have been in on the scene as well.
"Please, excuse me, you're an official on the scene, right? Please, a statement for the public. They have a right to have a little insight!"
The auburn haired woman dressed in red turned with cold eyes to Naoko. Jin was quite taken in by this stern face. She was a powerful woman he could tell.
"Most of the information is not for public divulgence," she told Naoko with a harsh tone. "There are just things that can't be said."
"People want to feel safe! They want to know what to do to protect themselves!" Naoko fought back.
The auburn haired woman was going to turn away, but stopped, bit her lip slightly and gave Naoko a condescending look before turning to the camera, pushing the reporter aside.
"Nobody is safe, and you have to be extra cautious now more then ever. Anything can happen. Tighten your routines. Stay indoors when you can. At this present time, its best to try and carry on like normal, but keep yourselves off the streets, especially after dark. The best thing you can do now is pray. I will get to the bottom of this, and if the murderer thinks that they can get away with this, they'll have to face Anna Williams first. Now get this camera out of my face!"
The shot went all over the place, finally settling on a rather disgruntled Naoko, who sighed and turned back to the camera. "Back to the studio."
Jin knew there was more to the situation, he saw it in Anna's eyes, even though she had been a fair distance away, behind a camera. Nothing could hide behind those eyes forever. Certain people were being targeted, but Anna definitely showed a fear for everyone.
He sighed, just wishing to know what was going on around him.
There was a gentle knock at the door, snapping him back to the bustling, loud world he was trying to tune out.
"Come in, Xiaoyu," he said softly, resting back as he could feel a major headache ready to attack.
The Chinese girl peeked round the door with astonishment. "How'd you know it…" She stopped and chuckled, stepping fully inside. "… Should I even ask that?"
"You're a loud girl, even when you're not speaking. You think aloud too much," he told her.
She couldn't help but laugh with that high boisterous voice of hers, begging to be heard by the whole of Japan. Jin winced but said nothing.
"Oh, you're so funny," she broke in to say through her hysterics.
"Xiaoyu, have you been on the sugar again?" She went bright red. "I take that as a yes. No wonder your laughing like a mad woman. Please, slow down."
"Okay," she said, plopping down on the bed, and with her, a horde of books. "Your homework."
"Thank you for getting it for me." He valued of her services and she made it obvious that she was overbearing proud of herself for being able to help out. He looked down at the book cover. Looked like his math book. Not too much of a problem, he already knew most of the answers anyway. He was retaking his last year at high school because of pretty much falling behind in the last year due to severe illness; usually based on his psychic powers, which played up for him. This was why a nineteen-year-old such as himself was still attending school. He ran a hand over his hair and cringed at how sticky it was from sweat. His long bangs seemed to glisten at him to make a point. He knew he probably looked a mess, but thankfully, his companion didn't care.
"I like helping out," Xiaoyu said happily. "I do my best for you, you know that!"
It was his turn to laugh. "Like a little pixie, fetch and carry nurse!"
She pouted playfully. "If you could put it like that!"
"So, do you have homework of your own?" He asked her.
She coughed. "Piles of it." She noticed his disapproving look and put her defence. "I'm so busy! It's such a pain when you hardly know anything about the Japanese culture and stuff. I'm such a newbie… mainly in history."
Could she really be blamed? No, she hadn't long been in Japan since her grandfather shipped her out, no longer being able to take care of such an active girl. Her parents had been dead years and there were very few relatives that she knew or could get in contact with. Jin's grandfather, Governor Heihachi Mishima, had taken her in after talking to her grandfather, an old friend of his. And here she was now, a bubbly sixteen-year-old, undeterred by this whole new world to her, trying her best, though also, trying to slack off too.
"Well, don't fall back. I know what that is like and I can tell you now, it isn't fun," he warned her.
"Okay, okay, I promise I'll try to keep up!" She patted his shoulder reassuringly, though his face gave other impressions, picking at her quite boldly. "Aww, please believe me! Cheer up! You don't have to feel sad for me."
"No, no," he assured. "It's not that at all. I believe you, Xiaoyu. You're a good friend to me." He took a soft breath. "That's why I feel I can talk to you."
"Oh? What about?" She shuffled further onto the bed, batting back one of her bobbing pigtails.
"I've had weird dreams, Xiaoyu, and I don't think they are just dreams anymore. I think they are some kind of warning… or maybe a call. They mean something… and I think it's to do with this murder case that has cropped up recently."
"You think so?" Xiaoyu blinked, looking quite shocked.
"I do. I can't explain it… I just…" A wave of pain seemed to burst in the centre of his head and he leant over, clutching his hands into his hair. He barely felt Xiaoyu's hands come to his shoulders as his mind rolled into a mixture of green and black, tightening a noose of death around him. He was gasping, trying to call out to Xiaoyu, but it was if his voice had melted away. He could suddenly see a face, forming there in front of him. Broken and distorted, it took a vague form of a horrifically malformed facial manifestation. Around it, little white figures were being sucked in to mould with it, their cries going on deaf ears, all but Jin's. He heard each one of their screams, unique to each victim.
"Power…" Was the hissed word that escaped the broken lips of that hideous formed face. Suddenly, it all shattered. As quickly as it had come, it was gone again, and reality was haven once more. Xiaoyu's tearful eyes met his.
"JIN! Are you okay? Please speak to me!" She wailed.
He managed to conjure his voice up weakly, his throat scratchy from his cries of pain. "I… I'm all right now. I think…"
"What happened?" Xiaoyu asked, hugging him tightly to her, offering her comfort.
"Something linked to my dreams…" He said. "It has to be… so much like it. I really do believe that it has something to do with the murders. I only really started having these dreams when the murders began." He took a shuddering breath. "I'm not sure… but I think I saw the face of the murderer."
"You what!" Xiaoyu pulled back, looking like she'd explode with everything that he was saying.
"It was distorted, but I could just sense the evil that came from it." His eyes wandered back to the TV as it played a repeat of the news report from earlier with Anna Williams. He was suddenly pointing to the screen. "I need to talk to her. I need to talk to Anna Williams."
Xiaoyu turned to look at the screen to as Anna's face came up. "Why?"
"She's in on the investigation. I think she works for the IPD. I know I can talk to her," he said determinedly. "I know I can help somehow."
"It would be cool to meet her," Xiaoyu said. "She looks really cool!" She turned back to Jin. "But Jin, you can't support anything you say. It may not have anything to do with the murders. Do you think she will take you seriously?"
"I just know my intuition is right," he said, almost too harshly. "She has to believe me. I have to at least try."
***
Finally, the day was over. Job done, for now. Anna hoped she wouldn't have to be helping mop up another murder while she was there. But saying that, maybe she'd jinxed the situation by even hoping for something like that. She let out the longest, most exhausted groan she'd ever done in her entire life as she stepped off the hotel elevator when it reached her floor. Forest had been lucky and had left the scene a few hours before her to run errands and was probably asleep now in his room. She decided that tomorrow she'd take her frustration out on him.
Her hand fumbled within her bag for her key. After battling against her purse, a small packet of mints and a badly crinkled up map of Tokyo, she managed to fish out her keys and stick them in the lock. She didn't even turn the key as just the slightest push jarred the door open on a small crack.
She froze. She knew she'd locked the door before she'd gone out and housekeeping would always lock up behind them.
Someone else had got in, and maybe, was even still there.
A deep-set frown etched into her face as she reached into the holster hidden under her red suede jacket, and retrieved her handgun. Nobody was going to get away with breaking and entering against her.
She went into a crouching position, hand carefully on the door as she pushed it open slightly more, staring into a dark room. It was too quiet for her liking, or maybe she was just being too damn paranoid about it.
With a deep breath and a little more confidence, she slipped through the gap of the door and kept her back to the wall. She came away from the small passageway she was in to survey the room properly.
Everything was neat and untouched. Even with a slight glance she could tell nothing was missing. She'd check up on that properly later.
It may have been the fact that she was very jumpy, but with a faint click humming just off to her side, she was suddenly spinning instinctively to put a gun between herself and the noise. She was afraid it was going to be Toshin related attack on her, but she found herself a bit more pleasantly surprised.
The redhead Korean had his own gun pointed towards her. A nasty, brain-splattering Magnum was aimed at her head, though she kept her 9mm trained in line with him. For a fact, his gun was much more devastating then hers, but she wasn't afraid, since she had her own weaponry. It was how you used the weapon that mattered most.
He lowered his gun slightly. "I was wondering when you'd get back."
She took a step back, deciding to partly lower her own gun too. Not fully, in case he meant trouble.
"How'd you know where to find me?" She asked.
"I saw you leave here yesterday and then when I saw you on the news earlier, I came on down here. The receptionist was most generous to supply me with your room number and I let myself in with a trusty lock pick."
"Oh my, tricks of the trade," Anna said sarcastically. "It's not unusual that the talents of a bounty hunter are dirty."
"Woah, take a step back a minute. I'm not a bad guy. Just not good, is all," he corrected and smirked.
"So, you know who I am…" She shrugged. "All's fair in love and war. So, who are you then?"
"I don't go by a real name," he told her matter-of-factly. "They call me Hwoarang. Nothing else. Any other alias are fake."
"Okay… Hwoarang…" She managed to pronounce it, though with a bit of difficulty due to her accent. "What were you doing in my hotel room?"
"As I said, I saw the news report earlier and I needed to see you as soon as possible." He walked past her, gun at his side. He decided to make himself at home her bed, not caring how pissed off she was at this. "And you've got to admit, that being around the dead of Toshin just makes you want to kill it just a little bit more. Don't you agree?"
"Were you on that scene at all at anytime?" She asked angrily.
"Hell no! I'm just saying, that being around its kill just tugs on those little dark strings inside your heart. I've been around it's dead before." He sat forward, now laying full out on his front across her bed. "Can you understand my views at all? Whoever or whatever it is, and whomever it possesses, it will still kill with the same notion as before. Can you just let it happen while you're still trying to find a way of putting it down?"
Anna was caught between a rock and a hard place. She wanted to kill it because she had very few cares for the demon half of the population; but then again, the death of Toshin would most likely take her sister with it.
"What can I say? That I'll step aside while you kill it? I'm in a difficult position and I know one thing… I can't straight up kill it. I need to find a way to save my sister. If I can't, then she'll have to be sacrificed; but I'm not willing to sacrifice her unless it's absolutely necessary. It's getting harder with me to keep this plan going with the knowledge of everyone being easily targeted for murder here, but what can I do? Please tell me? See it my way?"
Hwoarang just stared at her, face void of expression. His eyes were empty pools that almost made her melt before him. He was good at hiding behind a mask. She was extra cautious as he got up off the bed, moving towards her. She wanted to back up and cower away, but she was a grown woman with a tough image to maintain, so she stood her ground with pride. With her not moving, he was suddenly now pressed up against her, in a way being threatening, but also, trying to be quite alluring.
"I would do what is best for the majority then the minority. One life means nothing over thousands… even millions…" His voice was soft, a whispering breath against her face. If he had his face any closer to hers, then he would have been kissing her, though in some way, it looked as if he wanted to. That was, until he pulled back suddenly, still looking as blank faced as ever.
"I will handle it," she suddenly said, feeling she needed to fill the gap of silence. "I promise I will."
"I can't rely on your promises because more people are going to end up dead while you try and work things out," he said. "It needs killing, no ifs or buts." He was going to turn to the door, but stopped, eyes trailing to hers once more. "Oh, and Anna…" He trailed on her name, this being the first time he'd used it. "… It's going to be my kill, and I will kill it, whether you are standing in the way or not."
"Just for your money… for your pride…" Her voice was shaking with upset, but mainly with anger.
He didn't respond to that. "Don't get in my way. I won't tell you again." He turned and left the hotel room.
Anna didn't follow him. Her heart beat heavily inside her chest.
Everyone was willing to go against her. Was it now her against the rest of the world?
*********************************************************************************
A/N: Woah, some deep stuff going on. Is Jin Kazama onto something? Will he be able to help? Is Hwoarang going to cause more problems for Anna? The answers to these questions will come in later chapters, so look out!