Chapter Twenty Two: Toshio
Author's Note: Howdy! Um…oh, I'm soo happy that Karisan has written a sequel! Plz read and review much love to all! Oh, and I'm trying to get this chappie to be a little longer!
Jamie woke up to the sound of drunken laughter…all around him he could hear it spill from rooms like pennies out of a jar…he smelled the acrid stench of cigarettes, stale beer, salt, sake and incense…the unlikely combination culminated together to make a rather unpleasant odor…and made him feel sick. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked around.
He was standing in a traditional, Japanese tea house…he had never been to one, and remembered vaguely that he had always wanted to go. The Nephilim surveyed his surroundings and found that he was standing in the waiting room. It was packed with Japanese men wearing loose, and comfortable kimono.
Jamie knew that nowadays, kimonos were a rarity, and most of the culture wore western style clothes…so…if he wasn't in 2005…then where in the hell was he? Where was the helicopter? And where were Xiao and the others? His head was killing him, and the combined odors weren't helping to alleviate the malady.
It was strange, he felt like vomiting…but he couldn't. Jamie felt cold and clammy, yet warm and sweaty. He looked down, and found that his form fitting "spy outfit" was gone…and instead, he wore a simple, white kimono. His feet were enclosed in socks, and he wore a pair of lacquered sandals.
What was going on? He had touched the transience orb…and he had been transported…but to where? Jamie shifted uncomfortable in his new outfit, and realized that the people were ignoring him. Normally, if someone with Jamie's blonde hair and blue eyes walked into any kind of Japanese establishment, he would be asked if his hair could be touched.
He had dealt with it during the tournament, and had dealt with it when he was little…so, why wasn't it happening now?
"Wait a second…they're not ignoring me…they…they can't see me…"
Upon coming to this startling revelation, he then began to wonder once again, why he was here…true, this was a vision…but what was its purpose?
"Look," Jamie looked towards the ceiling. "I really don't have time for this…I've got an apocalypse to stop…so, why don't you send me a sign or something?"
Behind him, the entrance doors slid open, and two beautiful geisha stepped into the room. They looked delicate and ethereal in their white makeup and beautifully decorated kimono. They giggled lightly to themselves and spoke in whispers to the seating hostess.
Jamie couldn't catch all the conversation, but he managed to hear one important word: "Mishima"
It seemed that these geisha were looking for someone named Mishima…stood to reason that if Jamie followed them, they'd take him to where he needed to go. He mouthed a thank you to whatever higher power was listening, and followed the two geisha through the halls.
Like the ocean, the laughter came in waves as he walked. Most likely, everyone at those parties were either drunk, or getting there.
"Hey," Jamie smiled. "At least they're having a good time."
Finally, the two geisha slid open the door to the very end of the hall…Jamie followed them, and into the party. He looked around at the table and saw that some of the men were wearing military uniforms…from World War II.
"Guess this means I've been transported to the '40's…oh well, guess it could be worse…"
The air in the room was humid with bodies…the room, relatively cramped for the party they were trying to have, but they didn't seem to mind. The hair was hung with a thick curtain of cigarette smoke and the stench of body odor. Out of all the party goers…Jamie was drawn towards the head of the table where an imposing man sat…he was tall…and well muscled…he had the physique of a body builder and seemed to be busting out of the kimono he wore.
He wore a relatively grim expression, and his skin was so tanned that it looked like leather…his hands were knotted with veins and bore several scars…his hair was what gave him away…it was white, and stood out in white tuffs…similar to devil's horns.
At first, Jamie thought that it might have been Heihachi Mishima…but he realized that it couldn't have been…afterall, Heihachi couldn't have been this old in the early 1940's…so who was it?
"Jinpachi…" He murmured to himself.
Jamie immediately dropped into a fighter's stance…but realized that it was relatively pointless to do so…so he stood up straight again…only this time, he shifted his weight into his back leg, ready to kick if need be. One of the businessmen was apparently, in the middle of telling a dirty joke, and when he finished, the whole room, including Jinpachi burst out laughing.
As Jamie surveyed the room he saw a young man sit at Jinpachi's right side. He wore a simple, red and white kimono…and stared intently at his small cup of sake. Good looking, in that sort of "intense, zen-like" way…his hair was kept in a traditional samurai knot…which seemed a little strange to Jamie…because the feudal era had long since ended.
He did look a little silly with it…but it seemed to work for him…besides, Jamie had a feeling that whoever had the guts to make fun of him for it would be worm food in a second. Jamie also noticed that the young man (he looked about Jamie's age) had a wakazashi tucked into his belt.
He must have been Jinpachi's bodyguard or something. A geisha was speaking with him, telling him a story meant to catch his interest, but he wasn't listening...there was a window outside, which, judging by the smell of fish, led to the back alley. Suddenly, Jamie heard a sound outside…a trashcan hitting the alley…to the real world…the world where demons and the forces of darkness it meant nothing…but to Jamie, the sound could mean a number of things…none of them good.
On instinct, Jamie was about to leave to investigate…but stopped in surprise to watch the young man do the same. He whispered to Jinpachi, who nodded…the young man downed his saki and placed the cup gently on the table. He excused himself to use the bathroom and walked out in a rush of voluminous kimono.
Jamie followed him to the bathroom where, with Nephilim speed, he changed into a black ninja outfit that was neatly folded underneath a sink…he also grabbed the decorative kitana off the wall of the bathroom and through the night, leapt out the window.