War of the Roses

By: Mako-chan

(Don't own Tekken characters. If I did, would I be a desperate writer?)

Chapter 2: The Two Kingdoms

Tokyo

Jin stood up from his lavish leather seat, stretching his long arms and legs. Ever since he sat there, the papers to be reviewed and contracts to be stamped or signed never seemed to end. He let out a bored sigh.

Outside, rain started to pour.

"Here are the files you requested for."

Jin turned around quickly and approached his desk, albeit somewhat distractedly.

"I knocked, you weren't answering," replied Takuma Hashimoto, Jin's staff director. He tossed the thick manila folder with a plop. "Profile, history, and everything you need to know about Ling Enterprises."

He uncrossed his arms and picked up the file. He skimmed through the first page and nodded as he did so. "Good work."

"You'd be a cripple without me." Tak added, "And one more thing. Have you read the papers today?"

Jin shook his head. Tak shook his head also, but it had more to do with dismay.

"It's obvious I haven't the time." Jin pointed at the stack of papers on his desk. "Although it is highly unbecoming of me."

"Seems their people pick up fast. Here, another seatwork for you." He tossed the Nihon Keizai Shimbun onto the table.

He eyed Tak suspiciously, then placed the folder down and picked up the folded broadsheet. Once opened, the words greeted him:

Ling to Mishima: It will not happen

Jin looked at his director, his eyebrows meeting halfway. He was starting to feel furious at the blatant refusal, but he would have to deal and read through the article later. Besides, it wasn't like his company didn't have the guns.

"So they're being a prick about it, huh? And that's just working with speculations," he remarked.

"Speculations which are true."

Tak leaned, placing his hands on the table. "Considering it was none other than Mr. Wang who engineered the alliance that dates back all the way to his younger days, highly unlikely. In case you've forgotten—"

"He and my great grandfather Jinpachi were best of friends. I know, I know," Jin said, he voice dripping with boredom.

"And in case you've also forgotten," Tak paused purposefully, making sure he had Jin's attention, "It's his granddaughter who's calling all the shots now."

"A GRANDDAUGHTER! Okay, I'm letting you go on for the hell of it."

Tak ceased the opportunity and talked, like a prophet giving a public sermon, "All those in that company's executive board are more or less contemporaries of Mr. Wang. They're older and more conservative. Classic people, you could even say. They fully supported the tie-up. It would take something colossal to make them reconsider. And it helps to be a Harvard graduate. Oh, did I forget that it also helps to be the granddaughter and the 'anointed one'?"

"New blood, eh?" Jin asked; his voice laced with sinister fascination. He suddenly pictured a badly dressed woman, her face older than her actual age, wearing an impossibly thick pair of spectacles. Jin suppressed a snort.

The director nodded wordlessly. "No different from you."

"Or maybe this has something to do with other issues. You know, it must be a 'girl thing.' We get that a lot nowadays."

"One way or another, either one of you has to lose. If you win, you get to absorb them then the semi-conductor biz is in the bag. Plus, you get to penetrate the Chinese market. Imagine the cheap labour and big revenues! If you lose to her, I have no doubt we'd be seeing much of our own products in the days to come, we lose money, we lose the China factor, we are going to be a LOSER in the field.

Not only do we lose. But we lose to a company that's 1/16 our size."

"You're right. If they're that small, tell me again why we need them so much?"

"Tell me of a time when my instincts failed me. I'm giving a scenario here. And I'm telling you these things also as a friend. Two words: prudently and cautiously. We may think – even them – we are they're money tree, but no one says it's not easy to plant a new one."

"Funny, I haven't met her yet."

"Who? Mr. Wang's prized granddaughter?" Tak asked casually.

"Y-yeah."

"It's their Tokyo reps who do it for the people back home. Never really goes up past the divisions. Besides, you have more than enough people to handle the smaller things for you."

"Except for now. And how do you explain the pile of papers sitting on my desk?"

"Well, they're neat."

"At least," Jin began, turning back to watch the city below, "this one's worth having a headache over."

Guangzhou

Xiaoyu drank her steaming cup of espresso when her assistant burst through the door with a "don't-mess-with-me" look.

"You should read this. Your life depends on it."

She blew the puff of steam emanating from her coffee then glanced up at Mei with a blank look.

"Don't look at me, look at this!" Mei pointed at the paper she placed on top of her boss's desk.

What Xiaoyu saw almost made her spit out her drink. With one hand, she lifted the newspaper up to read it.

"Mishima proposal impossible to resist" – Dr. Chen

She went onto read the article out loud. "When asked about the rumours about a bigger venture between Ling Enterprises and Mishima Group of Companies, renowned economist and former Minister of Finance Dr. Chen Yu said during the Sixth Annual International Investment Conference in Malaysia, 'The prospect of a full partnership will do the Ling Enterprises very good. In fact, the Mishima proposal is impossible to resist.'"

Mei chimed, "It just gets better and better. Believe me."

"So, what does he know that we don't, and why on earth does he know what he knows? Obviously, our 'partner' is telling something that we don't know but we're supposed to know."

"Er, yes," the secretary responded, tolerating her superior's use of words.

"Mei, call in Vice-President Hua for me. And contact the ticket sales."

Mei stopped on her tracks the moment she heard "ticket sales". Stupidly she asked, "Ticket sales?"

Xiaoyu stood up and bit her nail. I knew getting my Japanese visa and language lessons would come in handy one of these days. "It could have been at least for a vacation."

Yep. You read it. Guangzhou. Apparently, my mind has taken another twisted path, aside from the fact that I virtually overlooked the fact that Xiaoyu's hometown is Guangzhou. If you read the prologue and first chapter, Beijing has been replaced. I did a little research and the place is awesome… Makes me want to go there for a vacation.