Author's notes: This story is mostly based on the Tekken Anime movie and is set right after Heihachi flew off on a jet plane and the Tekken fighters escaped the island via a submarine. It is also based on Tekken 2 endings of specific characters, as well as a few opening sequences from Tekken Tag Tournament. This fanfic is in Kazuya Mishima's point of view. It is also a sort of version 2 of my first fanfic, "As Purity Lay in the Arms of Evil". Rated NC-17
Disclaimer: Kazuya Mishima, Jun Kazama, and all Tekken characters are the property of NAMCO. This is only a fan fiction from the imagination of an obsessed fan. No copyright infringement intended.
Chapter VI : No Turning Back
I had a hard time putting on my sleeveless black shirt, possibly because of the muscles I gained after all those days of manual labor. After putting on my sneakers, I zipped up my pants and walked over to my backpack.
I looked at my watch. Fifteen minutes more before the six o' clock bus arrives. I was leaving. My business here was done. My injuries have healed and my lust for Jun has been satisfied. There's no other reason for me to stay. She probably wouldn't want me hanging around with her anymore. But what if she doesn't want me to leave?
"Stop thinking about that you idiot!" I slapped my forehead and slung the backpack over my shoulder. "Of course she wouldn't want to be with you! Who does, anyway?! Plus, you had your fun with her. It's time to move on!"
Yes, move on. I shook my head and opened the sliding door slowly, careful so as not to wake Jun from her sleep. I didn't need confrontations of any kind right now. I took a step out...
"Kazuya..."
I froze at the sound of her frail voice. I slowly turned my head towards her direction. I let out a grunt of surprise. She was still fast asleep. Had I just imagined it?
"Kazuya..."
She called me again. I was sure of it. I saw her lips move. I watched her stir a bit before settling on her side. She's talking in her sleep. Could she have been dreaming about me?
"Shit..." I grumbled, dragging my palm roughly across my face. I pocketed my wallet and threw my backpack inside the closet. I walked out the room and closed the door.
"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" I mumbled repeatedly while pounding my forehead with my closed fist. I couldn't believe what I was about to do. I must be going nuts!
I ran through the house, doing a chore or two to distract me from my outraged mind. I was absolutely angry with myself but I really couldn't do much to stop this compulsive force that prevented me from leaving.
After an hour of running errand after errand, another non-obligatory task dawned on me. I exited the house and jogged the rest of the way to the main road. By the time I got there, the next bus was already boarding a few passengers.
"Where to?" the ticket inspector asked after I had seated myself behind the driver.
"The nearest town," I gave him some yen, took my ticket and relaxed as the bus began to move.
"Uh-huh...Uh-huh...Uh-huh..." the old man muttered after looking at the price tags of my purchases. I impatiently drummed fingers against the wooden counter. This is taking forever to finish!
"Are you done yet?!" I asked for the third time.
"Hold yer horses..." the man replied. "Ma eyes ain't what they used ta be..."
"Look!" I brought my fist down hard. "It took me an hour to get to this freakin' town and another hour to find a store that knows what an ATM card is! You're lucky I even bothered to come here! Now, hurry up! I need to get back as soon as possible!"
"Eh? The missus gonna throw a fryin' pan at ya fer comin' home late?" he let out a toothless grin. Then, he whistled. "That there's quite a load. Ya sure ya gots the dough ta pay fer this?"
I quickly shoved the card in his hand. He adjusted his glasses and inspected it.
"Kazuya Mishima?" he raised an eyebrow at me. "Got anythin' ta do wit' da Mishima Zaibatsu?"
"Shut up and get on with it!" I snarled. Why are the people in this area so nosy? When I arrived in this town, the locals kept gawking at me and whispering behind my back. Some even had the guts to ask personal questions and this old store owner was one of them.
"Sorry, laddie," the man apologized. "Jes' curious ya know. Not too many strangas come in this here parts. We gots ta be careful 'coz 'em poachers usually come up dis mountains."
"I'm not a poacher," I snapped. "D'you see any rifles on me?! I'm just a paying customer!"
"Alright, alright, no need ta shout," he handed my card back while a bagger boy packed the groceries. "Give ma regards to da missus."
"I don't have a missus!!!"
"Ow? I jes assumed dat yer wife ordered ya ta buy--"
"SHE DIDN'T ORDER ME TO BUY THESE STUFF!"
"Ah, so ya do have a wife!"
I grabbed my purchases and stormed out the store. Why some people can be so incorrigible is beyond me! I walked past the residents who again, followed me with their eyes. I hastened towards the waiting bus and took a seat by the window. After half an hour of traveling through endless winding roads, my eyelids began to droop.
"Where to, mac?" a ticket inspector who looked about the same age as I am disturbed me from my lethargic state. The bus started to take up speed.
"Yakushima Forest."
"Ah, good 'ole Yakushima," he gave me a ticket after I paid my fare. He eyed the large plastic bag beside me. "What you be doin' at the forest? Your no poacher, are you?"
"I'm not a poacher!!" I snapped again. "Why do you people immediately assume strangers to be poachers?!"
"That's exactly it," he shrugged. "Your a stranger. In this here parts, everyone who's everyone knows everyone so they're gonna be freaked out by strangers. Either your just passin', a tourist, or a poacher," he looked at my purchases again. "And by the looks of it, you ain't just passin'. So you're either a tourist or a poa--"
"I'm a tourist! There! Are you happy?!" I snarled, wanting to end this nonsense conversation.
"Tourist?" he contemplated on my answer. "That there town's the only place that provides a bed and breakfast for tourists. You gonna sleep in the woods? Camp out? Well, let me tell you that the forest is a wildlife sanctuary. No one should light a campfire there and--"
"I'm not camping out and I'm not lighting a camp fire," I said through clenched teeth. "I'm staying with someone."
"Oh, you mean the Kazamas, right?"
I turned my head sharply towards his direction. How did he know that?!
"The Kazamas are a very well-known family here," he explained. "And they're the only family living in those forests. You look like a student in their dojo. Ah! You've gotta be a student!"
I refused to speak but he idiotically took that as a yes.
"Their fightin' style is legendary," he nodded. "The best fighter of the family who's also the heiress of their fightin' style's Kazama Jun."
My lips twitched when I heard him speak Jun's name. All those times of solitude had led me to believe that I was the only other human being she has in contact with. And now I learn she has a whole bunch of family and friends!
"That Jun's sure gettin' to be a looker," he whistled through his teeth. "I mean, she's the prettiest woman anyone's ever saw! No one could believe she be fightin' real good! She's better suited for Miss Japan if you ask me. It's a wonder she hasn't upped and married yet. I know of a lotta guys who'd risk their lives just to have her smile their way. She don't go to towns much but when she does, she's got her protective relatives around her."
I kept my lips sealed. I wanted to hear him talk more about Jun.
"I tried to make a move on her once...ya know, flowers and stuff...." he sighed. "But her granny beat me with a stick! Darn, iffen the boys had a good laugh at me after that."
"Maybe that's the reason you can never get her. You're boys, not men," I scoffed, an arrogant smirk on my face.
"So...talkin' now, are we?" he raised an eyebrow. "You're a student, right? You must've seen Jun Kazama. Don't tell me those lovely curves don't turn you on! Boy...if I can only get my hands on those---"
"SHUT UP!!" I yelled, not wanting to hear the rest of his sentence. "You're a ticket inspector! Go do your job and leave me alone!!"
"Okay, okay. Easy," he held up his hands and walked away, muttering, "Some people..."
Some people indeed! I stared out the window and watched the drizzle slowly evolve into a thunderstorm. It was raining just like this, the night I came here to end my life. It's strange how thoughts of suicide had completely vanished from my mind. What's even stranger, was the surge of jealousy I felt when that ticket inspector talked passionately about Jun. I should be the only one thinking about her! Only I should be able to look at her, admire her and touch her!
An unexpected hard jolt shook me from my possessive thoughts. As with the other passengers, I opened the window to investigate. The front wheel of the bus was stuck in a muddy depression at the side of the road. The driver stepped hard on the gas pedal but to no avail. The mud was too slippery. The pouring rain wasn't helping either.
"Kuso!" the driver cursed. "Ryuji! How bad is it?!"
"Real bad," the ticket inspector answered, putting a coat over his head to shield himself from the rain. "Looks like we're gonna gave to push, or call a tow truck."
"Hey! Anyone out there wanna go push?" the driver called. His eyes soon fell on me. "Hey, you! Muscle man! You wanna help us out little?"
"Why should I?!" I spat. "I paid for this ride! I didn't pay you to turn me into some sort of slave!"
"We got us a stuck-up city boy here, Ryuji..."
"Tell me about it. Like a while ago..."
"If you ladies are gonna start gossiping about me, you might wanna start by making sure I COULDN'T HEAR YOU!" I fired, startling both men. The ticket inspector cleared his throat and took out an out of date cell phone.
"Moshi moshi? Towing service? Yeah. This is Yakushima Tours bus 7689. We're stuck here on route..."
It took forty-five minutes for the small tow-truck to arrive and almost three hours for it to pull the bus free of the ditch. This made me deeply regret my decision to stay put. I didn't want to be away from Jun any longer than I already was. What if she's desperately looking for me? Or...what if she's deliriously happy that I'm gone?
"This is all fucked up! That's what it is!" I raked my fingers across my scalp as I finally disembarked from from the bus. I ran down the path, the thick rain obscuring most of my vision. I secured the bag of groceries to my arm, careful not to drop anything along the way. I didn't know how Jun would react to me now that I've stepped beyond the boundaries, but I knew I would have to find out soon.
When I got to the cottage, I decided to sneak in through the back door. That way, I might have a better chance of avoiding an uncomfortable altercation. I walked around the house and entered through the door which led to the kitchen. I put the groceries on the kitchen counter and flailed my hands free of the cold rain drops.
Through the heavy downpour, I heard Jun's small footsteps hurrying towards me. I took a deep breath. This was it. I have to be confident...act as if nothing happened.
"Damn rain!" I stated when I felt her presence. I turned around. Sure enough, she was there. I let out a smirk. "Makes you feel a sense of déjà vu, doesn't it?"
"Kazuya!"
"Who were you expecting, anyway?" I started taking the canned food, meat, fruits and vegetables out from the bag. That's when I really got a good look at her. Her nose was quite red, her eyes watery. My brows furrowed to the middle of my forehead as I moved in closer to her. I reached my hand out to wipe a fugitive tear from her cheek.
"Why are you crying?" I asked softly.
"Oh...uh..." she quickly wiped the rest of her tears away and gave me a weak smile. "T-this...it's nothing, really."
"Nothing?" I crossed my arms across my chest. I was afraid to ask her this question, but it's something that can't be avoided. "You're not...regretting anything...are you?"
Her silence said it all. I tucked my lips in and looked down at my mud streaked sneakers.
"If you're thinking I should leave, then--"
"No, Kazuya," Jun immediately cut me off, shaking her head vigorously from side to side. "I...I didn't make you do anything I didn't want for myself in the end."
I was quite relieved by her answer but another question needed to be cleared.
"So why are you crying then?" I queried, maintaining my calm tone.
"I...thought you left me..." she broke away from my gaze straight away, her cheeks turning crimson. Her answer left me stunned. She was crying...because I left her? So that means...she really doesn't want me to go. That awareness caused me to become light-hearted but I dared not show it. Instead, I focused my attention back on the groceries.
"I bought these from town," I started my brisk explanation. "Don't worry 'coz I used my card. The bus got stuck in the mud for a while. That's why I'm late."
"Why did you take that much effort to buy these?" she came up beside me, the feel of her elbow grazing against mine causing my stomach to churn.
"Just thought you could cook something special for tonight," I shrugged. I ignored the way she stared intently at me.
"I better take these," she took the meat and ambled towards the icebox.
Chapter VII