Author's notes: This story is mostly based on Tekken 4 and the currently (2004) released information on Tekken 5 and its characters. Though some infos were taken from Tekken Official, some situations, events and characters are all fanmade. This is also the sequel to my previous fanfic, Tekken 5: The Kazama-Mishima Connections. Rated G
Disclaimer: Kazuya Mishima, Jun Kazama, Jin Kazama, Asuka Kazama, Ling Xiaoyu, and all Tekken characters referred in this fanfic are the property of NAMCO. This is only a fan fiction from the imagination of an obsessed fan. No copyright infringement intended.
Chapter 8: More Questions
"Really, Asuka. I ought to be the one pushing you in a wheelchair," Master Kazama complained for the second time. A day has passed since the fire at the Kazama temple. Asuka, though still a bit weak, was well enough to be sent home.
"Stop worrying about me too much, Father," Asuka giggled. "I survived, didn't I?"
"Asuka...I thought we had already talked about this," Master Kazama sighed sadly. "I'm not your father."
"I know," Asuka smiled. "But that's not going to stop me from calling you Father. You're the only father I've ever known and you're the best father there is!" she leaned over and gave her uncle a hug. When she let him go, there were tears trapped behind Master Kazama's lids and a strange smile was on his face.
"That's good to hear..." Master Kazama whispered but Asuka noticed something else in his voice. Was it guilt?
"Come now," Master Kazama shifted his eyes away. "Everyone's waiting for you."
Sure enough, when they entered the gates, the students greeted Asuka and her uncle very warmly. They even had some streamers, balloons and flowers to welcome Asuka's return.
"My gosh, guys! This is all too much!" Asuka chided, a wide smile on her face. "You should've spent more time and money rebuilding the temple!"
"Just like Asuka to think of our beloved temple more than herself," one student quipped, making everyone laugh.
"Okay, now," Master Kazama clapped his hands twice. "We'll adjourn to the dining hall in five minutes for the celebration proper. Now, off with you. Prepare everything."
"Hai, Kazama Sensei!" the chorus of voices resonated through the soft morning breeze, the students scampering off to their tasks.
"Celebration?!" Asuka gasped. "Father! You shouldn't have!"
"Oh, but I have," Master Kazama laughed. "I want to celebrate your return, not only to health but...your return, not as my daughter, but as my niece."
"Father..."
"All lies and deceptions should be unveiled, my dear. We need to start anew before it's too late," Master Kazama patted her hand. "Everyone will understand...just as I hope you have."
"I have," Asuka nodded. Then, she pretended to pout. "But it's still not stopping me from calling you Father."
"If you insist," Master Kazama laughed. "Let's go to the dining hall."
Asuka pushed the wheelchair along the grounds but she stopped when they reached the burnt down temple. The structure was practically non-existent and in its place, was a massive heap of smoldering charcoal. Several people, which she assumed to be the clean-up crew, surrounded the rubble. But what surprised her the most, other than the extent of the damage, were the police officers that were inspecting the scene.
"Ohayo, Kazama-san," one police officer, an elderly looking gent, walked towards them and bowed.
"Ohayo, Detective Takamura," Master Kazama bowed back. "This is my daugh---niece, by the way. Asuka. She's the one who survived the fire."
"I see," Detective Takamura bowed at Asuka. "Uhm...please. Come with me."
Asuka and her uncle looked at each other and followed the officer towards the ruins.
"May I ask what you are doing here, sir?" Asuka queried.
"Well...yours is an unusual case," Takamura explained. "Normally, the fire department's investigating team is the one to examine the damage but they called us. They were right to do so."
"Why?"
The detective didn't answer. Instead, he just waved at some of the clean-up crew, who nodded and began shuffling some debris away from a large chunk of the charred floor. When Asuka and Master Kazama saw it, they both gasped. At the center of the scorched mass, was the clearly un-burnt outline of a human being, seemingly sprawled on the floor.
"That's where the firefighters found Ms. Kazama," Takamura declared, looking at Asuka. "They found you unconscious on that exact spot."
Asuka opened her mouth out to speak but no words came out. She looked at the debris again. It was clear that the form of the outline was hers. She reached down to touch it, smoothing her palm over the wood. Not a single scratch or scorch mark was on the unscathed surface.
"How could the fire not have reached me...?" Asuka thought out loud.
"We still don't know," the detective replied. "We're thinking it may have something to do with your clothes, but we can't be certain. This is all too perplexing. What's even more bizarre is that...we have ruled out the torches as the source of the blaze. The oil from it just wasn't enough to instigate such a large fire. We're leaning towards arson."
"Surely, you're not implying that I--"
"Oh, no, no. We don't think it's you," Takamura assured her. "But we may have to ask you questions about this man...uhm...Feng Wei."
Asuka silently stood up, her eyes still wide with shock. She pressed her palm against her forehead and closed her eyes.
"Asuka? Are you alright?"
"I...I'm fine, Father. Just...just a bit dizzy," Asuka smiled weakly.
"You've been having these dizzy spells since your school's donor program," Master Kazama noticed. "I still think we should sue them. They took way too much blood from you."
"Father, that was like...almost a month ago! You'd think I would've replenished by now," Asuka let out a hearty giggle. "In fact, I might even have donated more."
"Father...?" Takamura arched an eyebrow. "I'm sorry to pry, Kazama-san. But I thought you said she was your niece."
"She is but she grew up calling me that."
"Oh."
"Uhmm...Father? May I be excused?" Asuka asked.
"Why? Is something wrong, dear?"
"I just need to do something before the banquet."
"Very well. But don't take too long!" Master Kazama called to the already running Asuka. Her feet pounded on the wooden floor as she ran at topnotch speed before she reached her room. She flung the sliding door open and flopped down on her unused futon. She raked her fingers over her brown hair, her thoughts in a tangled web of confusion. What exactly happened in the temple that night? Did someone, probably Feng Wei, deliberately set the fire to kill her? But why was she unharmed? What would be the point if he had killed her? And what of her frequent periods of lightheadedness?
"Maybe Father's right," she thought, rubbing her palm over her right arm. "I shouldn't have let those medics take that much from me. I'm probably on my way to anemia or something..."
Slowly, she stood up to take a picture frame from her shelf and stared at the photo behind the thin glass. A smile rippled across her lips. Days ago, this picture of Jun Kazama would've soothed and comforted her. Now that she knew that this woman was her mother, it brought an even deeper sense of contentment and happiness within her. And the fact that Jun was alive tripled that feeling.
"Alive, but gone," Asuka reminded herself sadly. Then, her thoughts fleeted back on Jin...again.
Jin. Her brother, Jin. It seemed very strange to know that their blood ties were thicker than they had anticipated. What would his reaction be if she tells him? Or rather, when she tells him? And Jin's father...Kazuya. Was it wrong to hope that that man could be her father too? Recalling the things Jin had revealed to her before the tournament, it seemed far-fetched. Jin had presented Kazuya as a cold-hearted, uncaring and insensitive man: a man who couldn't possibly father two children with a single woman especially since he had deserted Jun when she was still pregnant with Jin. But if Kazuya was her real father, her journey to find her true identity would hopefully be over.
"I have to know..." Asuka took her cell phone and called someone.
"Moshi moshi?"
"Ling! It's me, Asuka."
"Asuka! How've you been! I heard you were in a fire! Are you alright? Are you still in the hospital?"
"I'm fine, Ling. I just got home, actually. Hey, listen. I need to ask you a favor..."
Chapter 9