I don't own Tekken.
Thanks to the readers.
Asuka-kazama-mishima: Thank you once again. Michelle will hang around in some more chapters. About Asuka stay tuned because she is now one of my main characters.
Krappkarmin: Things will be funnier once they all meet again in Fuji for the IF5. Steve will arrive in chapter 9 and I hope you like it. Thanks for your review.
Skylight Angel: Hi Sky! It's ok, I know we all have other things to do, besides I'm pretty busy myself. Thanks for spending some time writing a review to this story, I really appreciate. Continue with yours too.
MooNTeARZ: Hey, thank you so much for your kind words. I always try to include every character in a conversation because I don't like to be partial, but if you pay attention, I'm more devoted to Hwoarang (he's my favourite character), though I'm trying to change that. Thanks again.
Chapter 6
Silent Jealousy
(This chapter title is the name of a song by X-Japan, therefore I don't own it.)
EAST-OSAKA
13th APRIL 2014
Michelle laughed big time when Mario woke up that morning, complaining about hangovers. He wasn't used to that.
-'I should never have listened to Hwoarang…he fooled me!'-Mario said drinking black coffee.
-'Don't blame him…'-Michelle defended.
-'I know…I know…'
-'Good morning…'-Julia said entering the kitchen.
-'I hope he's worse than me…this is all Hwoarang's fault.'-Mario said.
-'Don't worry, Mario, he is!'
-'Did he throw up?'-Mario asked.
-'No…he's still sleeping. But when he wakes up, I'll make sure he learns a lesson!'
-'What will you do?'-asked Michelle curious.
-'Lets say that I'll tell him exactly what he missed!'
-'No fun last night, huh?'-Mario said.
-'He passed out.'
Michelle looked at Julia. Her sister had changed so much in those three years she had been in coma. Now she had a life and she was happy; as for her, she hadn't change at all. In the States she was still working for the White Pureness, and she was still confused about her feelings for Mario and now Hwoarang.
Mario had been her first boyfriend and the last as well until that moment. She knew he still loved her, but she wasn't sure if she felt the same. He was a great person. Always there for her and his friends, he was responsible and caring, and he had never hurt her. The only reason they had broke up was because Mario wanted to tell Lao that he didn't want Julia to be his fiancé, but Michelle. She thought it was too soon to do that. It was comforting to know he had waited for her for three years, but things were confusing.
-'I think I did a big mistake coming to Japan again!'-Michelle said suddenly.
-'What?'-asked Julia.-'They only got drunk…no harm done!'
-'I'm going back to the Hotel, alright? I'll see you later!'
-'Wait for me!'-Mario asked getting up.
Julia shrugged.
OSAKA
KANSAI AIRPORT
16th APRIL 2014
Michelle had asked Mario to go to the States sooner than it was expected. She couldn't stay in Japan anymore. The nightmares had stopped; she had even visited the place where Anna Williams had shot her and she didn't feel frightened or anything. But she couldn't stop thinking about Hwoarang. When she was near him she could feel her face turn red and her hands shaking. And she couldn't bare the idea of betraying her sister. Mario knew that was something wrong, but he couldn't find what was it.
Julia was also sad because she was starting to think she had done something wrong.
-'It wasn't your fault!'-Michelle said hugging her sister.
-'Are you sure?'
-'Yes. I guess I wasn't ready to come…I have too many memories to put in order…'
-'We'll see each other again soon, right?'-Julia asked.
-'Of course!'
-'Don't be like that!'-Hwoarang said to his girlfriend when she was watching the plane leave.-'I'm sure she'll be alright soon!'
-'Yeah…I just wish I knew what was wrong!'
By leaving Japan, Michelle was hoping she could leave all the troubles behind too. She was feeling so confused. How could she love someone who she hardly knew? How could she love her sister's boyfriend? She always thought that Mario was the one for her, was it possible that she was just feeling a physical attraction and nothing else? Or was it more?
SHIZUOKA
20th APRIL 2014
Kazuya was living in a monastery since the last two weeks. Now he knew who he was and what he was doing, but almost a month ago his brain was blank, he had no recollection of who he was.
Kazuya had escaped from some kind of laboratory, though he didn't know yet who was behind that lab. Maybe Lee, his brother, or Dr. Abel, since he had escaped from Fuji, or maybe someone else.
The truth was that when he escaped he walked in the woods for hours, until he fell on the floor exhausted. When he woke up it was morning and he kept on walking. Days passed and he couldn't even remember his own name, but then, slowly, his memories came back.
First he remembered a woman and a child. He didn't know their names but he knew they were important to him. A couple of days later he remembered that she was Jun Kazama, the only woman he had been with, and the child was his son, Jin Kazama. But someone had taken them from him.
Kazuya managed to get to Shizuoka, and on his way he had found a group of monks who were returning from Nagano. Seeing that he wasn't in his right state the monks offered him a place to stay in their monastery in Shizuoka. Kazuya accepted.
Now, after almost a month after he ran away, he had finally remembered everything. The tournaments, Jun, Jin, Lee and Heihachi. Everything was fitting into places.
Jin was no longer a little boy. He was a grown man now, and even though he didn't know what his son was doing, he could sense he was alright. As for Jun, she was probably dead. He remembered the explosion in Fuji.
And, once again, the devil gene had saved his life, when the only thing he wanted was to die with Jun. For some reason, that stupid gene had saved him again.
That night Kazuya felt he had to do something, he wanted to revenge Jun and he had a strange feeling that Heihachi could also be alive, so he would find him and kill him and no one would interfere. In the meanwhile, that monastery was the right placefor hismeditation and for his trainings.
BRAZIL
SÃO PAULO
25th APRIL 2014
Christie was visiting her grandfather for the third time that week. He was in a special clinic and he was being treated by the best doctors in São Paulo. Since Eddie had arrived, things were much better.
When Eddie realised that the Syndicate wasn't interested in chasing him anymore, he had returned to his homeland, because he had promised Christie that he would.
Christie had waited patiently for his return.
First, Eddie bought a new apartment for Christie and her mother. He was living as a guest with them.
When Eddie realised the state of his master, he decided not to leave. His life had now a routine that Eddie was starting to enjoy.
He was used to get up very early in the morning. The rest of the day was dedicated to visit his master or to practice with Christie or the kids from the neighbourhood. He was becoming a master too. Many kids, from different places wanted to learn capoeira, and Eddie couldn't refuse that.
Christie was happy to see that Eddie was enjoying his life in Brazil again, so she was a bit preoccupied because she hadn't still mentioned that she was going to enter the next Iron Fist.
That night, after dinner, she decided it was time to do it. Her mother accepted the news well, but Eddie didn't answer.
-'Why are you going?'-he asked her, after Christie's mother leave.
-'I promised the others…they're counting on me!'
-'You will never win that tournament!'
-'You can't know that…and besides, I'm going to see my friends…I don't want to win!'
-'The media will be there.'
-'So…?'
-'Never mind…'
-'Look…I know you are still worried about the Syndicate and all that, but you have to believe that they are not after you anymore…'
-'No one knows for sure!'
-'If they were after you, you would probably be dead by now!'
Eddie knew Christie was right. Maybe he should go with her, just to see how things were going now that Heihachi was dead.
-'Ok…then we go together…'
-'That's perfect for me…thank you Eddie!'
Christie hugged him, but he pushed her away.
-'Don't forget that once we arrive in Japan, things will be different!'
-'What do you mean?'
-'The Mishima case will never stop hunting us! Whoever got in Heihachi Mishima way…will never have peace…we are two of those people…'
-'Geez…Eddie…that sounds really creepy! Are you trying to scare me?'
-'I don't want to scare you; I only want to alert you. Prepare yourself to live again with the memories of the last year…'
-'I'm sure things won't be that bad!'
-'For some of us…things couldn't be worse.'-Eddie said thinking about Jin, and all the things he had lived through.
MOUNT KOYA
29th APRIL 2014
When Yoshimitsu woke up, he was on the floor, on a dark room. He remembered what had happened to him. He had returned after more than a year to the lands of Koya, a sanctuary and the headquarters of the Manji Party. He was their leader. The Party was composed by ten different clans, which were composed by many families.
Yoshimitsu was the leader, but he had to follow orders, those orders were coming from the Mishima Empire. Heihachi Mishima was for many years, the Supreme Lord of the Manji Party.
Suddenly he had vanished and Yoshimitsu wasn't willing to wait for more orders, so he had left Koya, in order to learn the truth about what had happened to Heihachi, and also to achieve the Manji Party's freedom.
But the Party was divided when Yoshimitsu suggested his departure. Some were against that decision, because not even the leader should leave the sanctuary without the Lord's orders. So he left without permission.
On his trip, Yoshimitsu had learned many things. He had always thought that the Manji Party was following orders from a good person, someone who was trying to make a change in the world by helping the most needed ones. But the truth was that Heihachi was using them to do his dirty work.
The tekken forces were Heihachi's personal army, but the Manji Party was his most important elite. They were warriors, who still believed in the Bushido, the code of honour of the samurais. They were following the ancient ways to try to change the world into a better place, but by doing someone else's dirty work, they were doing something that they had sworn not to do.
The Manji Party was a closed community and they had always lived under Heihachi's orders without arguing. But before Yoshimitsu, Yoshimitsu's father had also followed Heihachi's father's orders, and the Manji Party had been linked to the Mishima family since always.
They had killed people, thinking that those people were corrupt or evil men, when the truth was the opposite.
Yoshimitsu couldn't believe that they had been used for so many years. But there was a problem. He couldn't just go back and tell everyone what he knew. They would want proofs, and he didn't have any.
Now that he was back, he had been taken into custody into a cell. He knew that would happen and he also knew that his friends had turned against him. But he was expecting some support from his older friends, so when he heard a knock on the door, he smiled. His friends were going to let him go and he would tell them the truth.After thatall of them would have to convince everyone from the Manji Party to stop being loyal to the Mishima family.
When the door opened, Yoshimitsu was blinded by the light, so he only recognised who was there when he heard a voice.
-'Aki? Is that you?'-Yoshimitsu asked surprised.
-'My name is not Aki…'-a woman's voice replied.
-'I'm sorry to hear that…Aki.'
-'Don't call me that! I'm Kunimitsu now…'
-'What are you doing here? I thought you and I were over…'
-'And we are…I'm in charge now…since you left!'
-'Did the councillors chose you? Or did you become the leader without permission?'
-'They trusted me your job…I was the most qualified warrior.'
-'I doubt that…but it's fine by me!'
-'Why did you come back, Yoshimitsu? Didn't you know this would happen?'
-'Yes, I did…but I'm the leader…and I'm loyal to my people!'
-'You were away for one year and six months. Do you still consider yourself the leader?'
-'Of course.'
-'Very well. I'm going to speak with the councillors and I'll be here tomorrow…'
-'Wait Aki!'
-'Don't call me that!'
-'How's Kenji?'
-'My brother is fine…'
-'Good.'
-'You're lucky…in this moment I think Kenji is the only one who might believe you!'
SOUTH-OSAKA
3rd MAY 2014
Asuka was in the woods, she was hearing someone whisper her name. She didn't know why but she was scared. Suddenly she felt someone behind her and when she turned around to face him, she was blinded by a white light coming from all directions.
-'Dad? Is that you?'-she yelled, closing her eyes.
-'Can't you see, Asuka?'-a voice said.
Asuka stopped shivering and opened her eyes to see who was speaking to her.
She saw a woman dressed in a white and long dress.
-'Who are you? Where are we?'
-'You're safe…but I'm here to tell you that you will face pain very soon…'
-'Pain? What kind of pain?'
-'The kind of pain that you feel when you lose someone you love! Have you ever felt that way?'
-'I lost my mother when I was a child…'
-'Did you suffer?'
-'Of course I did…but I can't remember…I was very young. Are you trying to say that I will lose my dad?'
-'No. You will lose much more than that if you don't do something!'
-'What?'
-'There's a burden you must carry…'
-'What burden?'
-'Are you ready to die for a cause?'
-'Depends on the cause…'
-'You need to help your family, Asuka! You need to protect him.'
-'My father? But I always helped him…I'll never leave him.'
-'I'm not talking about your father. I need you to save my son!'
-'But I don't know your son!'
-'Yes…you do…'
-'How?'
-'Because you are a Kazama…and so is he!'
Asuka looked to her left side and saw a shadow. Someone was there watching her. It looked like a tall man, at least he was taller than her, and he seemed strong. But she couldn't see his face, only his dark hair.
-'Is that him?'-Asuka asked. There was no answer. She was now alone again. Surrounded by trees and an intense fog.-'What's going on?'-she asked yelling.
Then everything started moving and she woke up.
It had been a dream. Asuka sat down on her bed and in that moment her father came in.
-'Are you alright?'-he asked sitting besides her.
-'I had a strange dream…'
-'What about?'
-'There was a woman…with black hair and dark eyes…dressed in white.'
-'Maybe it was mum…'
-'No. It wasn't her. It was someone else. She was asking for help!'
-'Help?'
-'Yes, she wants me to save her son!'
-'It was only a dream, Asuka!'
-'Yes, I know…but...'
-'Try to sleep, ok? Tomorrow it will be a busy day.'
-'Ok.'-Asuka watched her father leave but before he could close the door she asked one last question.
-'Dad? Are we the last of the Kazama family?'
-'Yes…we are…'-he said closing the door.
Asuka didn't know why, but she felt that her father was hiding something from her.
USA
ARIZONA
5th MAY 2014
Michelle was now working on two jobs. She was working for the White Pureness, but she was going to start working on weekends in the natural reservation, along with Mario.
The reservation wasn't very far from her grandparent's ranch, so she was spending the night over there.
Since she had returned from Japan, she was feeling a bit numb and distant. She was thinking about Hwoarang a lot, and that was bothering her.
Only her grandmother, Lily had realised that.
-'Are you in some kind of troubles?'-Lily asked her granddaughter that night.
-'What?'
-'Do you need the money this badly?'
-'What?'
-'You're working too hard, Michelle. Why do you need two jobs?'
-'I don't need two jobs…I just need to…'
-'Get some thoughts off your head?'-Lily suggested.
-'Sort of…'
-'What's troubling you?'
-'Nothing…'
-'Is it the bad dreams?'
-'No…they stopped. What happened to me was an accident…'
-'If you know that, why are you blaming your sister?'
-'I'm not!'
-'You can't lie, Michelle…now tell me the truth.'
-'I don't know what to think anymore…'
-'About what?'
-'She changed…everyone changed but me!'
-'That's not true!
-'Come on grandma…look at her…living in Japan, with Hwoarang…I mean a few years ago she couldn't even stand him…'
-'Is this about the boy?'
-'I don't know!'
-'Do you have feelings for him?'
-'I think I do…but I never meant this to happen!'
-'What exactly do you feel?'
-'I felt jealous when I saw them together…I mean why couldn't it be me instead of her? Don't I deserve a chance as well?'
-'Of course you do…'
-'She has been with him ever since I was in coma…and I never had the chances she got. Look what happened while I was in coma…she went to Japan, she found herself a boyfriend, who seems to love her for real, she has been in two tournaments, she has done so many things that were taken from me! Julia has a life…and I have nothing!'
-'Your sister had suffered a lot since the accident. Do you think her life was always like this?'
-'No…but…'
-'She would give everything to be in your place…she felt guilty.'
-'It wasn't her fault!'
-'She knew that, but she couldn't stop feeling that way. I don't know what would happen to her if that boy hadn't been there for her…'
-'I know…'
-'After what happened to you, Julia was in shock. Hwoarang gave her a reason to live…and even knowing that he's not a saint…I mean, I know he's an outlaw…I'm glad that he met her. You need to search deep inside of you and decide what you feel…'
-'I don't know…I'm not sure!'
-'If you love that boy…things will be complicated…but one thing I know for sure…'
-'What?'
-'Your sister loves you. She had never stopped blaming herself for what happened to you and it was hard for her to decide what to do after the Iron Fist, when she returned.'
-'What do you mean?'
-'She wanted to stay…by your side. She wanted to give up her life to take care of you and be with you every day, even knowing that you could never wake up!'
-'She is an idiot…why would she sacrifice herself?'
-'Because she loves you…'
-'I never wanted her to suffer…'
-'When she left the country again…to be with Hwoarang, she was confused because she wasn't sure she was doing the right thing…'
-'I guess she was. He really loves her.'
-'And you…do you love him? Do you even know him like you know Mario?
-'No…I don't…'
-'What do you feel in your heart then?'
-'I think I was feeling jealous of her life…of the way she dealt with things…'
Lily smiled back to her granddaughter.
-'You need to find a way to forgive your sister. It's not her fault…she only followed her heart.'
-'I think I already forgave her. This jealous thing…won't happen again. Besides, I'll have to pay more attention to the people near me…'
-'Like Mario…'
-'Yes, like Mario.'
A/Note: In case you are wondering about Yoshimitsu's physical appearance, in this story he is human, but he wears a mask (a symbol of the leader of the Manji Party).