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 fanfics, Tekken 5: The Kazama-Mishima Connections & The Kazama-Mishima Connections 2. Rated G
Disclaimer: Kazuya Mishima, Jun Kazama, Jin Kazama, Asuka Kazama, Wang Jinrei, Ling Xiaoyu, Hwoarang, Steve Fox 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 15: Devil Within
Kazuya's back hit what remained of the glass doors so hard that it broke, causing him to fall inside the building, shards of it following in his wake. He sat up and watched as his children ran towards him with apologetic eyes.
"Dad! Are you okay?" Jin asked, stumbling inside. Asuka was quick to sit down beside Kazuya.
"Dad, we should stop," she stated firmly. "This is all stupid. We're wasting our time and our energies."
Kazuya stared at them, but not exactly at their faces. His eyes were fixated on Jin and Asuka's shoulders. Unbeknownst to them, their tattoos had been glowing all throughout their fight. Jin's was even glowing through his jacket.
Kazuya silently stood up and took something out of a nearby vending machine. He tossed it towards his children, who instantly caught it. It was a small bottle of strange, luminous, orange liquid.
"What's this?"
"Drink it," Kazuya opened his own bottle and drained it in five gulps. "It's one of G Corp's most effective tonics. It'll replenish you in no time."
Jin and Asuka reluctantly drank theirs. It was clear by their faces that it didn't taste great. However, their expressions quickly changed to surprise when they found themselves rejuvenated. They hurried to the vending machine and pocketed more of the tonic.
"You've proven your worth. Now, let's go," almost hesitantly, Kazuya led them inside the building. They trudged along the empty hallway, traversing through the broken glass, debris and pieces of wrecked Jack models.
"First line of defense," Kazuya muttered, indicating the fallen robots. "One of the guards must've triggered it when your mother arrived."
Suddenly, a loud alarm reverberated through the vicinity, startling the siblings.
"What the hell was that?"
"Didn't I tell you to stop using profanity, Oni-chan!"
"Shush!" Kazuya took on a fighting stance. "They're coming. Get ready."
Out of nowhere, several Jack 5s materialized along with some smaller androids. In an instant, they charged.
"That was easy," Jin declared while running to keep up with Kazuya, who had now stopped to enter the security code to another locked door.
"Didn't even break a sweat," Asuka bragged with a smile. They've gone through most of the upper levels of the facility and thanks to the tonics, they breezed through it.
"Don't be too sure," Kazuya mumbled as the glass door slid open. "It gets harder from this point. Get in."
Once inside, the door sealed itself once more. When they got a good look around, they stiffened.
"Where's the next path?" Asuka's voice started to grow shrill. "There's no door! We're trapped!"
"Don't get yourself worked out. I designed this supposed dead end," Kazuya motioned for his son to come closer and pointed at a large, square container. "Get that thing out of the way. The floor beneath it is made out of glass. We'll have to break it to get to the lower levels..."
Kazuya's fingers hesitated over the keys to a door's security lock. Jin and Asuka were quick to notice his indecision.
"What's wrong, Dad?"
"Nothing. Just get yourselves and the tonics ready. This may be tricky," came Kazuya's quick reply. He typed in the code and ushered his children inside. Just like before, the door shut itself automatically. They were now in a circular room, similar to the one they entered about an hour ago.
"Oooh...I'm starting to hate these kinds of rooms!" Asuka whined exasperatedly. "Last time, we had to fight that huge robot. What do we have to fight now?"
"What the hell!"
"ONI-CHAN! Stop using pro"
Jin silenced Asuka when he put his palm on her head and forcibly swerved it to the same direction he and his father were staring. At the very center of the room, stood a man, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
"Who in the world is that old geezer?" Asuka swatted her brother's hand away.
"That's Heihachi Mishima," Jin began shaking with anger. "He's Dad's father; our grandfather."
"So, that's him," Asuka took on her fighting stance and elbowed Jin slightly. "You wanna go first? Or...huh! Dad! Chotto matte!"
Too late. By the time the siblings got to Kazuya, he had already broken Heihachi's neck.
"Come on, Dad! Quit hogging all the baddies!" Asuka wailed and kicked babyishly at the corpse on her feet. "I wanted my shot at that old fart! I may not have experienced it first hand, but he ruined my life too!"
"You'll get your chance," Kazuya readied his fists, which confused the siblings for a moment...until several more Heihachis materialized around them.
"Did you see how hard he landed, Oni-chan? Haha! I kicked him so hard on that big fat nose of his that"
"Will you stop talking about that, already? My ears are starting to bleed!"
The Kazamas threw furious looks at each other as the platform they were standing on descended lower and lower until it came to a halt. Kazuya, already infuriated with his children's lack of seriousness, was the first to step out.
"No question about it: this is Ogre's temple," Jin confirmed when he got a good look at the surroundings. They were now walking at a slower pace, mainly due to Kazuya's sudden cautiousness. "Same walls, blocks, torches and cobble paths. The artifacts are a little creepier though..."
"Oh, Dad! I forgot to ask you," Asuka came up to her father's side. "How come the G Corporation has Heihachi clones? I thought they were rivals with the Mishima Zaibatsu."
"It wasn't always that way," Kazuya replied without looking at her. "Like Jinpachi said in the video: those two companies used to be partners. Most of the research from the Mishima Labs were actually collaborations with G Corp. Heihachi had his clones made so that he'd be immortal, in a way. I, on the other hand, used those hideous duplicates as training dummies.
"The rift between them started twenty years ago. Though not intentionally, I was the one who caused it. G Corp took my body and kept me a secret from the Mishima Zaibatsu. Imagine Heihachi's surprise and rage..." Kazuya sniggered, "...when he found out they had me. He was so angry, he sent mercenaries to ransack the G Corp's labs and that added fuel to the fire."
Kazuya made an unexpected stop and whipped around, his eyes narrowed into slits.
"How are you two feeling?" he asked, which was an obvious surprise to the siblings.
"You better tell me the truth," he added coldly when they didn't speak.
"A...a bit dizzy," Asuka squeaked. "But I can still do it! Really!"
"You, Jin?"
"Just a little," he shifted his eyes away. "But we have been going for a while. Even with the tonics, the stress was bound to creep up on us."
"Hmm..." Kazuya pressed his lips together and walked further ahead.
Jin and Asuka looked at each other in confusion before following their father, still oblivious to the start of a light blue glow around their tattoos.
"Come on, Asuka! You can do it! JUMP!"
"I...I can't! Oni-chan, I really can't!"
"We've gone too far to back out now! You saw Dad and me do it!"
"It's...it's too far away!"
Several hours had passed since the family started their journey deep inside Ogre's temple. Jin and Kazuya had successfully jumped across, though both of them had almost lost their footing. Asuka, on the other hand, was still at the opposite side. In her weakened state and with a few tonics left, she felt that she couldn't possibly pull off the same stunt her brother and father just had.
"Oh, man! This sucks! This sucks big time!" Asuka began stomping her foot and chewing on her lip. They were very close to their goal. One more jump would bring her closer to the distant door on the other side. But still...
"Stop with your whining you little brat!" Kazuya finally scolded, his temper and impatience, flaring. "I've had just about enough of you! You're making us waste too much time! Either you're going to jump or your brother and I are leaving you there!"
Asuka and Jin both froze in their spots. Kazuya's chastisement still echoed within the confines of the inner temple. It was expected of him of course; but he hadn't scolded Asuka like that before: almost like scolding a disobedient five-year-old.
Asuka tried to keep a straight face but quickly turned around when she couldn't. She stormed away, pounding each of her step. Jin whipped around to face his father.
"Why'd you go and do that!" Jin fumed. "Now, we're one person short! And you yourself told us that we'll need all the help we can get!"
"I never said anything like tha"
"BANZAAAIII!"
Startled and wide-eyed, Jin and Kazuya snapped their heads towards the direction of the scream. They found Asuka, in mid-air, her legs stretched out as she tried to reach the platform they were standing on. However, it was clear that she wasn't going to make it.
Without the slightest hint of hesitation, Jin and Kazuya made a dive for the edge of the platform, both of them, grabbing each of Asuka's hands in the nick of time. Using all their strength, they quickly pulled her to the safety of the platform.
"Banzai! BANZAI!" Jin recurred. "That's all you can say while doing something as idiotic as that! Banzai!"
"Good job," Kazuya gave his daughter one short pat on the back and stood up. His children looked up at him, shock written on both their pale faces; shock, because he wasn't being sarcastic.
Dusting themselves up, the siblings walked over to Kazuya, who had stopped to stare at the strange, large door beyond the vast hallway. For a long time, they wallowed up in silence, stress, adrenalin and anticipation all wreaking havoc with their fatigue-stricken bodies. Even though they have yet to open it, something was telling them that this was the last door.
"Let's go," Kazuya spoke solemnly and proceeded along the hallway. Jin and Asuka followed suit, a feeling of apprehension trickling down their spines. Each step brought them closer and closer until they covered over half of the lengthy passage.
"Stay where you are!" a voice hissed menacingly; but it wasn't the harshness of the tone that caused the family to heed: it was the familiarity of the voice.
Sure enough, Jun Kazama appeared from behind a pillar beside the door, her golden eyes blazing with that same characteristic fury brought upon by her mutated genes.
A/n: Like the title said: Devil Within. This part is of course, inspired from that Tekken 5 sub-game. I just put teeny bits of the puzzles and such. And the orange tonics? Inspired from the orange flames you'll have to get to increase your life. I'll leave you to wonder about the aoi glow. As for the thing about G Corp and Mishima labs, made that up. It seemed like a good way to explain the Heihachi clones, plus, I mentioned the G Corp+Mishima Z. partnership in Kazama-Mishima Connections 2, remember?
Chapter 16