Transience:
Author's Note: Okay dokey artichokies! Ready for the next chappie? I hope so…this one will star Toshio and the wonderfully dysfunctional Mishima family…ENJOY! AND PLZ READ AND REVIEW! Oh…and if you need to know, this is a dream sequence…only Jamie has become "one with Toshio" rather then being like…next to him…anyway…yeah…
The light from the candle sputtered in the dimly lit room. A slight breeze filtered in, heavy with the scent of the cherry blossoms. Toshio Iwamura shivered in his sleeping kimono as he sat at the lacquered desk. The Second World War had been over for almost five years now, and his beloved Japan was changing. Already, the city of Tokyo was building humongous sky scrapers, and people from almost every nation littered the streets.
Toshio found himself excited with these changes…and yet, he felt saddened that the Mishima Manor in which he lived at still looked like a mansion from the feudal ages. He sighed in disappointment as he read the letter sitting on his desk. It was a simple one, and written with the traditional Via de Angelus crest on the envelope.
"Your tenure as Jinpachi Mishima's bodyguard is over. Please return to England to further your training. Jinpachi has become the enemy."
He read, and re read the letter again and again. It had arrived only just this afternoon, but he had read it so many times that he feared it would crumble in his fingers. It had been five years since he started his job as Jinpachi's bodyguard…he was twenty now, a grown man…and lately, he had begun to feel a disturbing change within the manor.
In the last month, servants began disappearing from the grounds…at first he didn't think anything of it, as Jinpachi's son Heihachi always had a penchant for being cruel to them…but when he would find their mutilated bodies during patrol, or finding limbs in the forests, he began to get suspicious. Heihachi was cruel, but he was certainly never that brutal.
He was determined to find the culprit in these murders…they weren't vampire deaths…they never mutilated and disemboweled…the goriest thing they ever did was rip a throat out. There were other oni that might have been the perpetrators, but Toshio didn't feel any demonic presence at night.
So what could it have been?
The young Nephilim had trouble believing that someone with a soul did this…after seeing the mutilated corpses of children and defenseless maids he was drawn to that conclusion.
Still, he tried his best to protect the remaining servants and Mishima family. He brought up with Jinpachi before…but he just dismissed it…no surprises there…
Ever since he had embarked on finding those wretched Chakra Orbs he had changed…at first Toshio only thought that he was preoccupied with his work…but then, in a stunning move, he had given up most of the command of the Zaibatsu to his son Heihachi!
Toshio never liked Heihachi…the two were the same age, and never really got along. Toshio knew that Heihachi was jealous of the Nephilim…the young heir knew what Toshio was, and wanted his power so badly that it was scary. Toshio never liked Heihachi because he could never trust him.
And lately, it seemed as if Jinpachi and his son were planning something…and they were keeping Toshio out of the loop. Aside from the actual Mishima family, Toshio was the most powerful person in the house. He had his own spacious quarters, and was given command of the entire Tekken Force.
His official job (which he had since he was fifteen) was "Chief Commander of Defense Arms"…and of course, Jinpachi's personal protector.
He had always wondered why he was given this task…Jinpachi was a strong man…a man who could snap a man's neck as easily as snapping his fingers…Toshio had seen his fighting prowess, and he imagined that even the head Mishima could kill Toshio in a fight.
The Via de Angelus had assigned Toshio to him because, or so they said, his company was making revolutionary advances in the field of pharmaceuticals…weaponry…and so on…but lately, Toshio began to realize that he wasn't sent here to protect Jinpachi…he was sent as a spy!
Unfortunately, the realization came to him a little too late…and now, Jinpachi had the orbs he needed…and Toshio had to leave…to train harder…in hopes of defeating his former boss, mentor…and friend.
"I will leave tonight…" Toshio glanced at the shut door. "But I'm taking Sakuya…and Kazuya with me…"Toshio read the letter one more time, got up, and shut the window. These weren't actually his living quarters…it was actually Jinpachi's grandson's nursery. Kazuya wasn't that old…he was about nine months…his mother, a kind woman named Utsuki, had been one of the first to disappear from the premises. Sakuya, was his nanny.
Heihachi didn't seem too torn up over his wife's death…neither did Jinpachi…Heihachi claimed that his way of grieving was to bury himself in his work…and Toshio didn't believe it.
In Heihachi's defense, he did put many hours in the Zaibatsu…but what about Jinpachi? Essentially, all he did lately was wake up, and go into the caves for hours at a time…in fact, he often didn't come out…even after Toshio would come back from patrol.
Toshio pleaded with Jinpachi not to go out with all the disappearances…or at least let him accompany his ward, but he blithely ignored the Nephilim. Toshio had caught Jinpachi muttering to himself at times, or staring off into space, before violently reacting to the servants at the breakfast table.
There was no point in dwelling on it anymore, he would be leaving tonight…and he was taking the two with him…but first, he needed to go to the Hon Maru temple…and pray…he stood up, armed himself with a ceremonial wakazashi, and placed his feet into a pair of wooden traveling sandals…or zori as they were known. For warmth, he let his hair fall from the Samurai top knot, and put on a long, crimson kimono as a sort of overcoat.
He lit a small votive candle and picked it up by the delicate chain…the light would help him through the suffocating darkness of the forests that surrounded Mishima manor…he longed for a flashlight that he saw many of the soldiers in teahouses use…but they were dreadfully expensive, and Toshio didn't have the funds sufficient enough to get one.
Silently, and with practiced stealth, Toshio opened the door to Kazuya's room, and found the child asleep in his crib. He looked a lot like his father and grandfather…which was sad, because, even at a young age, you could tell that he was going to be a very icy person…his features would always be hard and sharp…he didn't have any of the soft, beautiful qualities of his mother.
"I'll come back for you…I promise…" Toshio whispered.
The baby whimpered…and shivered slightly…Toshio pulled the blanket up to the baby's chin and he stopped shivering. Sleeping next to the crib was Sakuya, Kazuya's nanny. Toshio knelt down and kissed her on the cheek.
"Soon my love…soon…" He murmured.
Silently, he closed their door and placed a sacred spell card on the door…if any demon tried to enter, that mystical barrier would blast them straight back to hell. He left the room, and noticed the sweet rice cake and sake that he had asked for from the kitchen staff…they were wrapped in a basket, and would be perfect gift to offer to the gods.
(Fifteen minutes later…)
Toshio knelt in the Hon Maru temple…he prostrated himself at the Buddha statue and prayed…he prayed for guidance, he prayed for the departed…he prayed for himself…but most importantly, he prayed to the dead. He lit the incense, and the temple smelled vaguely of sandalwood. He had offered his gifts, rang the bell, lit the incense…but it didn't matter.
Nothing happened.
"Even the gods themselves won't answer me tonight."
An overwhelming sense of dread filled up inside of him…perhaps the god's knew of the goings on at the compound and refused to visit because of the sacrilege done here…the Mishima family history was quiet a colorful one, and rites and dark rituals had happened in this very temple for hundreds of years…Jinpachi used to act like it was an embarrassing family secret…but lately…
Toshio wondered if the Nephilim before him knew when they would die…not necessarily if they were psychic…but if they got themselves in a situation, and realized that they did not seeing themselves survive the encounter.
Toshio was feeling that way…even if he left with Kazuya and Sakuya…he knew that the Mishima's would get a hold of them somehow. He knew he shouldn't think that way…it was unproductive…true, his people believed that warriors were often told to look upon themselves as already dead…that way the thoughts of dying would not seem so terrifying.
However, the first rule the VDA taught him was that a "Dead Nephilim is no good to anybody! If you're in a dangerous situation then you assess it, and get the hell out!"
Essentially, if he was in a battle he wouldn't survive, then he was to get out if he could…if he couldn't then he was to die trying…still, Toshio couldn't just leave the chaos of Mishima Manor behind him…true, he would be back…but Nephilim training was intense, and by the time he did get back, Jinpachi might have grown twice as strong.
"Just a quick sweep of the area one last time…then I'll leave…" Toshio murmured.
He left the temple and walked through the chilly night sky. He wrapped his red kimono tighter around him, and it offered meager warmth. The light from the candle began to sputter as he walked. Suddenly, he heard a scream reverberate through the forest…it sounded like a woman's!
Quickly, the Nephilim ran towards the noise…it was off the trail so he had to leap over twigs and brambles as he made his way through the dark forest…the screams continued to shatter through the nightsky and Toshio dashed towards them…he wished that he had worn his ninja gear…as the kimono and the zori were making it difficult for him to run.
However, the life of a Nephilim was a life of adjustment, so he sucked it up and continued. The mad dash through the brush lead Toshio towards a cavern inside the mountain…he looked around, wakazashi at the ready, and his light source in a defensive position. At first he didn't see anything…but upon further investigation, he noticed a bloody trail leading into the caves.
Something about them filled Toshio with dread…but he knew he had to press on…it was strange, he thought he knew the Mishima compound backwards and forwards…but he had never seen any place like this before…it worried him, and he could feel a demonic energy coming out of the cave.
It was thick, like moisture on a hot day, and he saw it raising to the sky in waves…perhaps the monsters that were causing all this pain and suffering resided here? Either way, Toshio intended to find out. He could end this all tonight…all he had to do was keep his wits about him, and stay calm.
He mentally prayed to the Buddha asking for the strength and inner peace to succeed in this mission…and slowly, he walked into the mouth of the cave. He was about to enter when he heard something crash through the bushes.
Toshio whirled around and, using his senses, brought the wakazashi down on the mysterious shadow…he was amazed that the shadow blocked it back with such a force that it hindered the Nephilim's balance. He glanced towards his attacker and found that it was…Heihachi?
"Toshio?" He asked, his slicked back black hair gleaming in the light (Heihachi's like 22 now).
"What! Heihachi!" Toshio replied breathlessly.
The young heir wore a pair of lacquered zori, and a pair of rather ornate kimono pants…the pants had a scene of a beautiful lake and koi leaping across the fabric. He didn't wear a shirt despite the cold night air.
This doesn't make sense…if he was at work all day…I would've heard him come home…
"What are you doing out here!" Toshio hissed.
"I went to pray at the temple for my beloved Utsuki," Heihachi feigned emotion. "But then I heard the screams and I came running."
Toshio didn't believe the story at all…Heihachi had something to do with this…but he wasn't sure what.
"I'm going to investigate…stay here." Toshio warned.
"Let me help, it might be the oni that's been attacking the grounds…I brought my kitana." He said.
There was no use arguing…besides, Toshio figured that the worse that could happen was that Heihachi would turn on him…Toshio had practically taught Heihachi martial arts, and while he was a great fighter, the Nephilim knew that he could beat him.
The two entered the caves…and of course, it got colder. Somewhere, Toshio remembered reading a theory that hell consisted of many realms…and in fact one of them was not full of fire and brimstone…but ice, and a frigid climate.
"I've never noticed these caves before…" Toshio said.
"They go all over the mountain…but one tunnel leads to the basement of Hon Maru." Heihachi explained.
"You know about these?"
"Yes…father too…he says that an ancient race of people lived down here."
"What? What ancient race?"
Heihachi smiled a deep, cruel smirk, he loved knowing things that Toshio didn't.
The trail of blood led toward an ancient stone door…the symbol of the temple carved deeply into it…
"Somebody was…dragged here!" Toshio asked in disbelief.
Quickly, he opened the door and peered inside…the foul stench of blood and death lingered and he had to suppress a gag. The meager votive candle didn't offer much in the way of sight…but he thought that something was…moving in here…
"It's-"
Toshio didn't finish before Heihachi laughed and shoved him roughly into the room.
"Stupid…stupid little Toshio! You are as dumb as my father! Enjoy eternity together!"
Toshio struggled to get up and through the door in time, but Heihachi shut it….desperately, Toshio tried to grab the handle, but the door was indeed sealed…sealed with a barrier.
Eventually, his eyes adjusted to the darkness enough to wear he could make out the surroundings…first, he noticed that half the wall was covered in a sort of…diamond…crystal substance…to his horror, he saw the seven Chakra Orbs placed in the holes.
"TOSHIO!" A creature howled in the room.
Quickly, he turned and saw a…creature…chained to the wall! Its skin was multicolored…scabbed all over, but generally a deep purple. Its eyes were red, and bulging out of its sockets…it's teeth were filed down to points and it had razor sharp claws…but perhaps the most hideous thing about it was a…mouth…in it's stomach!
The mouth was a huge, gaping maw with disgusting teeth…and a tongue!
"Oh my…" Toshio suppressed the urge to gag as he stared at it.
"TOSHIO!" It howled again.
This time, it successfully broke its chains and came after the Nephilim. It stomped its feet towards the ground, and Toshio found himself paralyzed…taking advantage of the situation, the monster shot it's claws out…Toshio felt blinding pain as his spine was ripped to shreds…the bloodstained claws appeared through the Nephilim's back…
The pain was intense, and he stared at the demon's face.
"Jin…Jin…pachi?" He murmured.
The furious creature that once was his mentor screamed again and flung the Nephilim off his sopping claws.
"The blood of the fallen shall open the gates to power!" Jinpachi said. "The Orbs have blessed me with Amenes blood! And you shall open the gates to give me the power I need!"
Crawling pitifully, Toshio reached into his pocket and pulled out a spell card…his final one…he was dying…he knew it, and he only wished he hadn't been so stupid…this wasn't Jinpachi anymore…it was something else…something evil…he mentally murmured the incantation of enclosure…followed by the spell of teleportation…it was a tough spell to work, but Toshio offered what meager life he had left to fuel power to his spell.
"BANISH DEMONS AND ALL EVIL SPIRITS!" Toshio bellowed.
He placed the spell card on the gates and the orbs vanished…scattered again across the globe…he felt a heavy presence enter the room…and a glowing sigil appeared on the door…locking it…this abomination would never get out…
Kazuya…I'm…sorr…
He didn't finish as a blinding flash of energy from the creature's hideous "chest mouth" hit him directly in the face…all went white for a split second…and then, everything mercifully…went…black…
Author's Note: Jeez this was a tough chappie to write! All right, I'm sorry if it sucked and it's rushed but it's really late here and I'm exhausted…PLZ READ AND REVIEW!