A Tale of Murder, Vengeance and Love

by Delirium3000

AN: New update after a looooooong wait. Let's hope it is satisfactory. Oh, and I'll be interweaving some Tekken 5 elements. The start may be a bit confusing, perspective-wise, but we're not specifically following anyone at first. Oh and one more thing; the story in itself is breeding a life of its own and will most likely screw up the original plotline. Think of it as AU and no-one will get hurt. Domo arigato.

Disclaimer: No, I still do not own Tekken or any of its characters, Namco does.

¤¤¤ change of perspective (3rd person always, following either Bryan or Nina)

"text" Dialogue

text Thoughts

You know the drill. Please R&R.

Chapter 4: Revelations

Kazuya Mishima. Twenty years ago, he was a fearsome man, posessing unknown powers and control over the Mishima Zaibatsu. Then, when Heihachi returned, and Kazuya was defeated, he was thought to have been dead. Now that the truth was known, and it was confirmed that he was still alive, he wasn't just a fearsome man anymore, he was downright terrifying. And what Nina and Bryan had just seen told them something else; Kazuya was severely unstable.

"Kazuya, we need your help." Nina was direct and to the point, like usual.

"Yes. You seek...Abel, am I right?"

Bryan turned towards Kazuya, who was looking more stable now.

"Yeah, we want Abel. But we need his research material intact as well. That is the problem."

"A most severe problem too, Furi-san..."

Upon hearing this, Bryan stepped backwards in amazement.

"How do you know...?"

Kazuya smiled.

"I am a Devil. My genes have been corrupted by Abel. When I was young, he gave me the Devil Gene in its finished product. To this day, he claims I owe him my strength and, in turn, my life too. But he only made my life a living hell. When I gained control over the... Zaibatsu... 22 years ago, I also managed to find a way to contain the Devil Gene... or so I thought..."

"What happened?" Bryan asked.

"My inner demon manifested itself outside my body, and it almost took my own. After Father defeated me in the King of Iron Fist Tournament 2, my Devil Gene spawned my Devil manifestation outside of my body. And when that part died in battle with Father, I was lifeless, left to be thrown into the mouth of a volcano by my own father. When recucitated, I needed my other half to live on. It can give me eternal life... but at what cost? Loss of control. I can not control myself when in my Devil form. It does seem to obey Abel, though. So I need to get the Devil out of me, but I may need a body like yours, Furi-san."

Bryan looked at his hands like his lifeforce had just materialised in them.

"This is no life, at least not until Abel's research material is in the hands of Boskonovitch. He seems like our only hope."

"Then so be it. The last year has changed me, Furi-san. I was once a being thriving on chaos, now that I am aware of the chaos that is inside me, I don't want this anymore. My father is finally dead, partially by my own hand. I have fulfilled my purpose as far as that's concerned. There is no need for power anymore. I will have to take over the Zaibatsu and destroy it. I'll give the money to someone else, for I will not take part in this anymore..."

"You sound like you're in serious regret, Kazuya."

"Death has a way of changing you, Furi-san. You of all people should know."

A smirk crept across Bryan's face.

"Yeah, I should know... But we have a lot of work to do. Let's get to it, Kazuya. We need your help with Abel."

Kazuya looked at Bryan with a gaze that could petrify anything.

"There's something you should know before we head for the Zaibatsu compound."

"What?" Nina said, bordering on impatience.

"I know who is arranging the fifth Tournament."

"Who is?"

Bryan asked this question. He had been watching the developments in the news of the fifth Tournament with great interest ever since the fourth, and since news of Heihachi's death was spreading like wildfire, people were wondering who was arranging the fifth Tournament when no one was officially controlling the Mishima Zaibatsu.

Kazuya took a deep breath. "My grandfather, Jinpachi Mishima."

Nina shook her head. "How?"

"My father overthrew Jinpachi long before my time, but Jinpachi was never killed, but placed in a prison cell where he was in a deep coma. But when I tried to escape the Hon-Maru, I saw that in the ashes after the explosion rose a strange man that resembled a much older version of my father. Returning to Zaibatsu grounds a few days later, not only did I learn that Jinpachi assumed control of the entire Zaibatsu, but my half-brother Lee Chaolan, who seems to have an interest in the Zaibatsu, thinks I'm in charge there and is hell bent on settling things with me!"

Nina got a slight déjà-vu from that name.

"According to what I had heard, a tech mogul running under the name of Violet recently attempted to buy out the Mishima Zaibatsu. Wasn't this Violet character at the last Tournament? Would these two, Violet and Lee, happen to be the same?"

Kazuya picked up a tattered grey shirt and a pair of jeans from the ground.

"Hai, Williams-san. You are correct in assuming that Violet is Lee in disguise. And if I am not entirely mistaken, you have a connection to him you'll wish you never had..."

"What are you talking about?"

Kazuya looked at the puzzled assassin with a sense of amusement.

"You'll find out soon enough..."

Bryan brushed some dust off his trousers.

"Hey Kazuya, no time for mind games! Let's get busy!"

"Indeed. We have a lot to do."

Putting on the shirt, Kazuya found some shades in the chest pocket and put them on as well.

"We should head for the Zaibatsu grounds the day after tomorrow, when security is at its lowest. But it will still not be easy. However, I know the layout of the grounds by heart as well as where to go and where to hide. I'll run through everything a few times with you later, but for now, let's find your hotel and rest. We may not have the chance to do that properly later, and it is vital that we have rested well and feel invigorated when the Zaibatsu is to be infiltrated."

Both Nina and Bryan agreed, and the three walked towards the hotel.

They arrived at the hotel a few minutes later. Nina walked up to the counter and ordered two rooms. One double room with separate beds, and one single room. An effort to save the cash, Bryan thought, and instantly calculated that he and Kazuya, both being male, would have to share room. However when they got into the elevator, Kazuya stretched out his hand to Nina as if he expected her to give him something.

"What?"

"The key to the single-bed room, Williams-san."

"No way. We're dividing the rooms based on genders here, and as far as I can see, I'm the only female. So, the dead guys will have to share rooms."

"Not wise."

"What do you mean?"

"If I morph into a Devil, I can contain it enough to avoid structural damage, but I may trigger firearms by accident, as well as generate some magnetic fields. And in addition to the risk of triggering the guns and killing any of us, Furi-san has a cybernetic implant in his brain which can be ripped out of his skull if I am to have such a seizure."

"But..."

Bryan cut Nina short. "Point taken, Kazuya! I'll share the double room with Nina, you take the single room!"

Kazuya smiled. "Good. Then I can rest a bit easier too. I need both of you alive just as much as you need me that way."

If looks could kill, Bryan would most likely have his spine ripped out of his body by the look Nina gave him.

"Well, here we are. If I scream out in agony or you hear the sound of electric currents, do not, under any circumstance, enter my room."

Bryan chuckled at Kazuya's remark.

"And a good night to you too. See ya in the morning."

Kazuya shrugged and entered his room.

¤¤¤

Nina wasn't exactly thrilled about her roommate, but she realised she had little choice. This was the only companion not being a hazard to her health, after all. Though, she thought, my mind might get scarred from this. God, just looking at him is awkward. He's muscular, fair enough, and that scar over his eye is kind of sexy after all, but he is a real bastard. There is no question about that. She shook her head and unpacked. Thinking about it would only make it all worse. Apart from being a bit pensive as usual, Bryan was not his usual self, as far as Nina could tell. She had, to be honest, never seen him off-guard, and it was strange. He was very quiet, acting unusually professional as he loaded the Mark23 and attached the laser targeting module. Nina had told him earlier on that she liked men who knew what they were doing, and every word was true. As one might imagine, being in the situation she was in now, she was torn between two worlds. On one hand, she had to stay cool and not give in. On the other hand, he was, without knowing, driving her insane.

But after a slight tug-of-war inside her head, she regained her composure and went to bed. She had a lot to think about, regarding the mission and everything.

Oh great, this case is getting stranger by the minute! First, I'm being contacted by a space ninja and a mad scientist, then I have to work with Mr. Dead-But-Not-Really, and now, I am also working with a half-man-half-devil, who has practically forced me into sharing rooms with the dead guy! Just my luck... On top of it all, I'm starting to feel physically attracted to him. What has gotten into me? It shouldn't be like this! I'm supposed to be in control, and still, he makes me so... I'm not even going there! Argh! I cannot deny it for so long, I have to display my affections for him sooner or later... But how?

It became apparent that she could not tell him now, but when the time was right. She figured she would know.

¤¤¤

Bryan was feeling no better, but had his own agenda in this.

Right, quick sit-ref: I am dragged into the entire Mishima power-play by Yoshimitsu, of all people, and now I have to work with a half-demon and Miss Assassin. Though she tries to hide it, I can see in the way she looks at me that she really thinks higher of me than she will let on, perhaps even exceeding what she'll acknowledge to herself. I've been collecting brain data for a long time, she cannot fool me. She may fool herself, but not me. This may be interesting... Bryan smiled to himself as the silencer tightened in his hand and as he cocked the hammer. If she really feels deep affection for me, then I'll just have to push the right buttons, and she'll be mad with desire. That would be a laugh, the great and haughty assassin woman, getting soft on the ol' 'Snake Eye'. Heh, this will do for a good show...

To be continued...

AN: Finally! After a loooooooooooong hiatus, I managed to piece together a new chapter. At this rate, you'll see the next chapter around 2006... but I don't think you'll need to wait that long, TBH. So until next time, sayonara.