Chapter 52
Lara moved away from the window and looked around in the room. Kazuya's bed was huge, covered with a red duvet. On both sides of the bed were matching lamps. Above the top of the bed was a huge window from where she could look down into the garden again. She could spot a raked stone garden and on the other side what looked like a teahouse within a landscape of beautiful flowerbeds, trees and greenery, all dimly lit by lanterns that were lining the paths.
"Beautiful."
"That's what I was going to say."
She turned towards Kazuya and recognized that he was not looking out into the garden at all, but directly at her.
"Stop that," she said with a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance and then punched him lightly.
"Sorry," he said but continued grinning. Finally he stopped. "If you don't mind, I am going to have a shower now."
"If you don't mind, I'm coming with you," she replied grinning.
"I won't stop you."
Lara entered the bathroom after Kazuya. Her eyes grew wide when she looked around.
"Wow, nice. Why do I suddenly have the need to call home and order new tiles for my bathroom?"
"Thanks for reminding me."
"What do you mean?"
"Ehm..." Kazuya hesitated and then looked away grinning stupidly. "Look at the wall over there," he said pointing.
"What happened?" Lara asked irritated.
"Nothing."
"Oh, I see." She began to laugh. "Does that happen a lot?"
"No. It's my hobby to break phones or noses, not bathroom walls."
Lara grinned. "Oh, before I forget, can I have a towel."
"Certainly. Pick a colour. Well except red, I am using red at the moment."
"Blue?" Lara said irritated.
Kazuya walked towards a cupboard and got out a set of blue towels. Lara took them and inspected them.
"You have your family name stitched into them?"
"Pretty cool, huh?"
"I see, I can learn a lot from you. Matching bedcover, lamp cover and towels, family name embroidered into them, a bear as pet..."
"That's Heihachi's pet, I've got nothing to do with that."
"So which pet would you have chosen?"
"I don't need a pet, I've got Lee."
"You are not very nice to your brother."
"That is mutual."
"So really, what would you pick?"
"I don't know… A cat? All badguys need a cat. Maybe a crocodile, I like them. Or a pack of dogs, to replace those idiots Heihachi keeps. But now let's have a shower or we will never get to bed."
Lara was walking through the mansion, looking for Kazuya, when suddenly she felt a presence behind her. Slowly she turned and her worst fears came true. It was Heihachi. He smiled at her evilly.
"Coming here was a very stupid idea. I swear to you, you will not get out of my house alive and Kazuya cannot help you this time. In fact he will have trouble getting out of his room."
The grin on his face widened as Lara started to get nervous. Quickly she thought about what she could do next. She could run to the end of the hall. She hadn't even finished the thought when Miyoko stepped into the hall blocking that path. She could try getting past Heihachi. Nevertheless, even if that were possible, Nakazo appeared behind him. She felt for her weapons but of course, they were not there. She had to rely on her ability to fight with bare hands, normally nothing that bothered her. However, against a man like Heihachi it was different. The Mishima family had their own Karate style, probably the most brutal one. She could only hope that she was quicker than the man in his fifties. She prepared for an attack but felt that her muscles were stiff, she couldn't really move. Heihachi advanced upon her coming closer and closer. He raised his fist. Lara tried to move but couldn't. His fist went right to her stomach.
With a yell, Lara woke up and found herself in bed next to Kazuya.
"Hey, what's the matter?" he whispered.
"Sorry. I had a nightmare. I was running around in the house and I met your father."
"That's what you get for leaving me alone in bed." he joked and rolled over to the side to look at her. He laid his arm around her.
"He doesn't know you are in the house."
Lara took a deep breath.
"At least as long as you are not yelling that loud..." Kazuya continued.
Lara looked at him shocked.
He laughed. "Lara, relax. It wasn't that loud."
"But it woke you, didn't it..."
"Part of me never sleeps."
Lara rearranged her pillow. "So what's the time?"
Kazuya rolled over to the other side to look at his alarm clock. "Almost 5," he replied and then rolled back towards Lara. She moved closer towards him and lay down on his arm.
"I hate final days," Lara mumbled.
Kazuya nodded. "That's the way it always is. The Sunday is the bad day, where you keep thinking about work and so on... On Mondays you are usually too busy to notice it at all. Why am I telling you this, your schedule is probably less regular than this, but you know what I mean?"
She nodded.
"I won't let you go," he finally said.
"Don't make it difficult." Lara said.
Kazuya slung his other arm around her.
"I am not making it difficult, Lara. I am making it impossible."
Lara turned towards him and rested her head on his chest; her forehead leaned against his cheek.
"I expected you would be struggling to get away by now."
"No. I'll let you think that I won't, so I can take you by surprise." Lara yawned. "Actually I am too tired to fight you right now." She closed her eyes and shortly later she was asleep again.
"Lara, are you awake?" Kazuya whispered three hours later.
"Yes," she replied yawning. She rolled towards him and laid her head on his arm.
"I hope you are not waking me to tell me I have to run!"
"No. Heihachi is gone, he left a while ago."
Lara breathed a sigh of relief. "That means I can finally enjoy spending some time with you!"
"Oh, have I been that difficult so far?" he grinned.
"Not you, but the rest of your family."
"I know. You are not the one who has been living with this for all your life."
Lara wanted to joke about the poor rich guy, who had everything but was still not happy, but she thought better of it and stayed quiet. She had experienced that Heihachi could make ones life miserable.
"Are you hungry?" Kazuya interrupted her thoughts.
"A bit," she replied, just when the grumbling of her stomach gave her away. "Maybe a bit more," she grinned.
"Then I will see if I can get us anything..."
"Ok," she replied getting up into a sitting position.
Kazuya got up and left the room.
He walked down the stairs, on his way to the kitchen. None of the personnel was around, which was no big surprise at this time of day. So he was pretty surprised, when he felt a presence behind him. Someone had sneaked up to him like a cat. Another person probably wouldn't have noticed, but Kazuya did.
He knew it wasn't Lara. First of all, she wouldn't have sneaked up and second he simple knew it wasn't her. Then he remembered that his brother had left with a girl the evening before.
"Anna Williams," he said, turning around.
The red haired girl smiled at him. She was wearing a very short nightdress.
"Yes, it's me. I knew you could feel it." She inspected him from head to toe. "God, how I love to see you in boxer shorts. Although, without..."
"Anna, what are you doing here?" he interrupted her harshly.
"I'm looking for you," she replied and approached him, and then she added seductively "Chaolan is still asleep."
"What a surprise..." Kazuya replied coolly. He had his eyes narrowed and looked at Anna with a cold stare.
"So it's just the two of us," she continued in her sexy voice.
"Wrong," said Lara who had come down the stairs, looking for Kazuya. She had taken in the situation quickly and was now standing behind Anna, who turned around with a surprised look. Lara's fist hit her in the face. She went down. Slowly she scrambled to her feet.
"Bitch." She turned to Kazuya. "I thought you didn't bring home girls?"
Lara grinned nastily at her fallen opponent. "Stay away from him. He's mine now."
Anna jumped up and moved into her fighting stance, but Lara was still smiling.
"I will wipe that silly smile from your pretty face, bitch."
"Sorry, but as long as you are talking I can't do anything else. You are just one big joke."
Anna's face turned red in anger. She drew a small knife from somewhere under her nighty quickly and jumped at Lara. But Lara was prepared, she ducked the knife that was swung at her and punched Anna in the stomach. Anna dropped the knife in shock and just a second later Lara's foot landed at the back of her head. Anna went to the ground again.
"Nice kick," Kazuya commented.
"Thank you."
Anna jumped up, ready to fight again, but at that moment, Lee came down the stairs.
"What is going on here?"
"That's what I was going to ask you. What is she doing here?" Kazuya replied.
Lee held his head. "I think I brought her here."
"You think?" Kazuya replied. "Well whatever, she is leaving the house - now."
"You cannot throw me out. Last time I checked this was Heihachi's house."
"Do you want to wait and see if I can?" Kazuya sneered. "I said 'get out'. Or do I have to force you?"
"Hey, she's here with me..." Lee raised his voice.
"Oh, sure. How naive are you Chaolan? Ask her what she has told me a moment ago. Ask her why Lara kicked her sorry little ass."
All where silent till Anna spoke again. "Chaolan, I am sorry."
He turned towards her. "Get out."
"But..."
"You have used me... Get out. I never want to see you again."
With that said, Lee turned around and walked out of the room. Anna ran after him and all Kazuya and Lara heard was shouting. Kazuya walked towards one of the phones and called the gatehouse to make sure that someone would escort Anna off the estate as soon as she got her stuff.
Since they were now both down by the kitchen, they ordered breakfast and sat down in the dining room, although still in nightgown. Lee did not show up during breakfast and in-between they got a call that Anna had passed the gate.
Authors Note:
This has been quite a while, I know. Sorry, but I did not like what I was writing at all. I felt that I kept repeating myself, and I probably still do, but this is the best I could come up with. And I still could not finish this piece.
I have been busy with a few other pieces, of which I can make none public, because it's all bits and pieces from the middle of the stories. One of them is a sequel to this one here, the other is Part 3. ;-)
