Chapter Two: Dark and Stormy
Xiaoyu stared up into the darkness, chewing her lower lip. "My last night in the Mishima household," she mumbled to herself. With a frustrated sigh she turned over, pulling the blankets around her shoulder and thought about her predicament once more.
After Kazuya Mishima's declaration Xiaoyu had stormed from his office and straight to her room. Her first thought had been to run to Panda and cry out her frustration. Realizing that Panda was in China and that she would be rejoining her furry friend shortly helped somewhat. Then she thought about Miharu and the tears welled up again. Xiaoyu hadn't realized how much of herself she had planted in Japan until the reality of Kazuya's words sunk in. The thought of seeing her family again after so many years was comforting, but honestly, Xiaoyu knew she didn't want to return. Reluctant as she was to admit it, being spoiled by Heihachi was one of the things Xiaoyu would miss the most. The fancy clothes, toys, the freedom to breathe, to be alive and to have fun -- that was something that was missing in her life in China; all that would wait for her in her homeland was hard work. Xiaoyu also knew that was the true reason her grandfather had ignited her curiosity about the Mishima family on her fateful vacation to Hong Kong two years ago. But it wasn't just the material things that made Xiaoyu regret her confrontation with Kazuya. She thought of her first year at Mishima Industrial College, her friendship with Miharu and most of all, of Jin.
"I just can't go back to China!" Xiaoyu moaned, grabbing her pillow and throwing it across her room. "Sleep is just not an option right now." With a tired sigh, she rolled out of bed. Yawning loudly, she pulled her hair into a messy ponytail and rolled up the sleeves of her bright pink pyjamas. Sliding into her fuzzy slippers, she stumbled towards the door, briefly sparing a reflexive glance into the darkened mirror. "At least there's no way the guards are going to think I'm a thief," she said dryly before padding out.
Xiaoyu squinted and gave an irate sigh as she looked into hallway. "One thing I won't miss is living in this stupid office building," she mumbled, making her way down the dark corridor. "But if this is going to be my last night here, I'm going to make the most of it," she vowed, stomping determinedly in the direction of the communal kitchen. "Double cream cheesecake, here I come!" Her mission to intercept the remaining sweets in the Mishima kitchen was forgotten, however, as the sound of splintering glass echoed through the hallway, followed by a low moan. Xiaoyu froze, her eyes widening as her heart began to thump wildly in her chest. No guards came running to investigate; then again, this was Kazuya's company now, and it was well-known how little respect he had for Heihachi's Tekken Force. She wouldn't have been surprised if Kazuya left only a skeleton crew on guard during the evenings; sometimes she could swear that man enjoyed being ambushed, probably because of his unbelievable confidence in his ability to defeat any potential attacker. But no guards and no Mishimas meant no knowing what might happen to her if it really was a break-in.
"And," she whispered excitedly to herself, "if I catch whoever it is, Kazuya will have to let me stay!" With that, her mind was made up. Sucking in her breath, Xiaoyu crept towards the door from where the noise had emanated. With a loud yell, she kicked it open and rolled into the room, rising to a phoenix crouch. "Whoever you are, you better give up now if you don't want to get hurt!" she yelled shrilly, scanning the room. There was no sign of the intruder, but the remains of the shattered window covering the floor and the cold evening breeze confirmed her suspicions. Xiaoyu carefully stayed away from the jagged opening, not wanting to be overwhelmed by vertigo from the sheer drop to the ground below. "Who's there?" she called uncertainly, squinting into the darkness. Moonlight reflected off of the myriad shards of glass, bathing the room with an unearthly silver glow. The seconds ticked by, and Xiaoyu's leg began to cramp as she strained to hold her position, but she didn't dare move a muscle. "I know you're there," she called out again, clenching her teeth. "Stop hiding like a coward!" A slight movement to her left caught her eye, and she was already in motion, moving to block the dark form.
"Haaaah!" she yelled, launching herself into a round kick aimed to stun whoever it was in hiding. To her surprise, her heel only caught on air as the hunkered form ducked back swiftly. Her surprise increased as the hooded figure spoke. "You always were fast," he mumbled.
"Jin?" Xiaoyu's eyes widened. "Jin, is that you?" Time seemed to slow down as the hooded figure straightened. Her heart beat faster and heat rushed to her face as he turned to face her. The spiked hair, the burning stare and the finely chiselled contours of his face… she knew them by heart. "It is you!" she breathed, launching herself into his arms. "I missed you so much Jin," she cried in a rush, "why didn't you try to call or write? I was so worried after the last tournament…" Her excited buzz died down as she noticed the stiffness in Jin's body, and she felt a chill as he gently grasped her wrists and pushed her away.
"You shouldn't be here," he murmured darkly, turning his face away from her questioning stare.
"Jin?" she asked once more, looking more closely at him. A sheen of sweat covered his forehead, and he seemed to be breathing heavily. "Are you sick? You don't look too good," she began, but he cut her off brusquely.
"Where is he?" he said roughly.
Xiaoyu's mouth opened and closed in soundless surprise. It was true that she hadn't seen very much of Jin since she was sixteen, even though they both participated in the fourth Iron Fist Tournament. Even then, he had always been at the least polite to her, and she liked to imagine perhaps something even more. But the Jin before her tonight seemed changed, impatient and uneasy. She could almost feel the energy coming off of him in waves. Worried, she took a cautious step backward. "Jin, you're scaring me," she said nervously.
"Where is he?" he repeated, his tone turning dark and ugly. "Tell me now!" Jin whirled on Xiaoyu, his eyes burning with feverish intensity.
"W-who?" she answered, taking another step back. "I don't understand!" This only seemed to infuriate him more.
"Kazuya Mishima! I want to know where he is!" Jin growled, reaching forward and grabbing her arms painfully. Xiaoyu hissed as his fingers dug into her flesh through the thick material of her pyjamas, bruising the tender skin below.
"Jin, you're hurting me!" she cried, tears of pain and confusion springing to her eyes. "Let me go!" Her soft cries only seemed to agitate him more, and for the first time that evening, he focused fully on her. Suddenly Xiaoyu was scared. This wasn't the Jin she remembered. As much as she had dreamed of the moment when she would finally capture his attention, this was definitely not how she imagined it happening. The burning stare he was directing at her was not filled with love or affection; it was hollow and hungry. With a sinking sensation, she realized that she was familiar with that gaze. "You look just like Kazuya!" she blurted out. It was definitely the wrong thing to say, and Jin's features began to contort with rage.
"Don't compare me to him!" he roared, pushing her away. "I'm nothing like that bastard!" Another low moan tore from Jin's throat and he sunk to his knees, gasping for air.
Just as suddenly as it had appeared, Xiaoyu's fear vanished, replaced by concern. Stupid, stupid Xiaoyu! How could you compare him to Kazuya? she asked herself. It's like comparing the sun and the moon! He was obviously in pain, and she rushed to his side, grasping his trembling shoulders. "You're hurt! Please, let me help you!" A surprised blush crossed her face as Jin turned, pale and drenched in sweat, but looking at her with his own eyes, the eyes she knew and loved.
"It's dangerous here," he ground out, panting. "You have to leave, now." Xiaoyu opened her mouth to protest, but Jin silenced her. "I don't have time to argue with you." Seeing her concerned expression, his own softened slightly. "I'm sorry, Xiaoyu, but you wouldn't understand," he added.
"But I want to!" she protested immediately, kneeling next to him. "I've thought about you every day since you left. Can't you tell how I feel? Can't you even trust me?" she pleaded. She saw Jin pause, and waited anxiously for him to reply. Before he could, however, another voice interrupted them.
"So you came." Kazuya's smooth voice rolled across them like a splash of cold water, and Xiaoyu instinctively cowered behind Jin's figure as his father stepped into the room. "Ruining my offices again? I should charge you for this sort of destructive behaviour," he said with a smirk. The light comment didn't hide the evil energy that was radiating from his body in dark waves. Again Xiaoyu felt herself choking, paralysed by the consuming fear that Kazuya's demonic powers could evoke when he called upon them. But to her shock, the oppressive pressure she felt was also coming from Jin himself. With a gasp, she fell onto her butt and scuttled backwards as Kazuya approached them.
"Yes… I can feel it," Kazuya said, grinning. "Give in to the taint," he coaxed the trembling young man. His grin widened as Jin's form tensed, and a painful cry tore from his lips.
Xiaoyu watched, dumbfounded, as black wings unfurled from Jin's back with a popping sound. Black patterns blossomed over his chest and arms, and horns sprouted from his forehead. As she watched the transformation, the first thought that came to Xiaoyu's mind was that it was breathtaking. She might have even gone so far as to call it beautiful, had it not been for the choking evil that radiated from Jin's body. When his eyes finally opened, they glowed with an intense inner light, and she could only think how wrong it looked to see Jin's features twisted by his demonic transformation.
Kazuya, on the other hand, was smiling. "Now I will finally be complete!" he gloated, before rushing towards Jin.
Xiaoyu screamed as the two slammed into each other and scrambled behind the first barrier she could find, which happened to be a large desk. Peeking out from behind her shelter, she watched in awe as father and son fought. With their red glowing eyes, spiky hair and mirrored fighting styles, it would have been hard to tell the two men apart in the darkness, but for the horns and huge black wings extending from Jin's back. Even as she watched their awe-inspiring battle, however, her initial panic was subsiding into something quieter. "It's that evil power that makes me seize up," she rationalized. She had always chalked it up to Kazuya being a plain old creepy guy. Now that she felt the same sensation from Jin, though, she realized it was something more. "Maybe there was something to all those lessons grandpa Jinrei tried to show me after all," she murmured. Despite the discomfort the evil presence had on her physically, realizing that it came from Jin helped break the paralysing fear that had held her before. "Hey, now that I know what it is, I'll be able to beat Kazuya next time!" she told herself with a small smile, focusing on the battle once more.
The smile faded as she watched the fluid fight between the two, and somehow she knew it wasn't just the thick, oppressive aura surrounding the men that prevented her from taking action. Their fighting was smooth, flawless and, she realized as she watched them, completely out of her league. A sense of despair welled up in her chest as understanding bloomed. They're not just fighting; they're fighting for their lives! The knowledge crashed over her in waves. This is the real reason I've never succeeded at the tournaments, this is what Heihachi always knew! For Xiaoyu had never fought to kill before, had never even considered why Jin and the other participants carried the haunted look in their eyes when they fought. A small part of her screamed in anguish as the veil of innocence dropped away from her mind. The epic battle between father and son she was witnessing was no longer a work of art, but a horrible nightmare. Suddenly, she couldn't stand watching them anymore, and sprang out of her hiding spot.
"Stop it, both of you just stop it!" she cried, balling her fists under her chin as tears sprang into her eyes. Kazuya ignored her completely, but Jin's head snapped around at her cry, his eyes glowing with their unearthly hue. Xiaoyu gave a tiny scream of dismay as the father capitalized on the son's momentary distraction, landing a spinning backfist across Jin's face. To his surprise, however, the movement didn't stun Jin as he had hoped.
"You will not defeat me!" Jin roared, his voice echoing strangely across the room. With an anguished cry, light erupted from his forehead and lanced through Kazuya, knocking him to the floor in a stupor. There was a moment of silence as the dust settled, and then, slowly, Jin stalked over to the prone figure of his father, wings swaying slightly. Wordlessly, he reached down and pulled up Kazuya's weakly struggling form by the throat. "Fear the wrath of God," his voice echoed monotonously as he prepared to land the killing blow.
Xiaoyu watched in horror as Jin raised his clawed hand, knowing fully well what he intended to do. "Jin!" she yelled. "Don't do it! Don't kill your own father!" she pleaded desperately. Jin's hand paused, and still holding Kazuya, he turned to look at her.
This is it, Xiaoyu thought suddenly, her breath catching in her throat. Thunder roared in her ears, and distantly she realized it was the beating of her own heart. He heard me! He actually listened to me! He really does care! Her eyes lit up with hope as she searched Jin's twisted features for a hint of recognition. Instead, however, he only began to laugh, his voice deep and booming and tainted with an unnatural echo. "Jin?" Xiaoyu whispered, even as her dreams began to crumble.
"There is no longer 'Jin,'" answered the winged creature before her. "There is only Devil!" Forgotten, Kazuya fell to the floor in a heap as the demon turned and advanced on her.
This time, Xiaoyu was sure she felt her knees knock together as the glowing-eyed devil advanced. "This isn't how it's supposed to happen," she panicked, looking around the room desperately. "The beauty tames the beast, and they fall in love and live happily ever after!" she screeched, backing away as the demon hunched down and extended his wings. Again, reality revealed another unpleasant surprise as she quickly dodged the demon's first lunge, splintering her former barricade into firewood. This isn't a fairytale, she thought in despair. As if to confirm the nightmare, dark laughter echoed behind her. Gasping, she ducked and rolled backward, aiming her feet at the demon's chin, hoping to catch him by surprise. He dodged her attack and growled lowly. He's better than me, Xiaoyu thought with desperation as cold, clammy sweat beaded on her brow. "I'm too young to die!" she squeaked as the demon advanced on her again. He's better than his father, and I couldn't even beat Kazuya before… isn't this when my life is supposed to start flashing before my eyes?
It did, in a manner of speaking. Instead of reliving all of the things she would miss the most, though, a jumble of voices began to echo through her head.
" – and you'll kick their asses!" Miharu laughed, sipping at her coffee.
"… the ability to focus, something which you lack," Jinrei scoffed.
Panda's deep black eyes, searching, questioning, begging her not to enter the tournament-
"I personally find you to be a pathetic excuse for a fighter," Kazuya said with disgust.
Jinrei's frail voice explaining "Strength is not power, Xiaoyu."
And finally her own voice, haunting her even as the devil approached to claim his next soul.
"I'm too weak to be a good fighter!"
Something inside of her broke free as the devil reached to strike her. Focus, Xiaoyu! It was as if she was thirteen once more, and could hear Jinrei coaching her as they sparred in the yard of her mother's house in China. Watch him carefully. He's reaching for you… now! A quick cartwheel spun her to safety, and the devil glared after her furiously. She took the moment to congratulate herself, and quickly regretted it as his fist suddenly made contact with her chin with a vicious uppercut that launched her into the air. The breath rushed out of her body when she slammed into the ground, and she barely managed to escape from the splintering kick that the demon would have landed on her head.
He's definitely stronger than me, she thought as she rolled to her feet. But I'm faster than him! She watched Jin carefully for any sign of weakness, but without success. It was all she could do to continue dodging his aggressive manoeuvres, occasionally striking him to knock him off balance. He just seemed to absorb every hit she landed without even losing a feather. As if to add insult to injury, he was also tireless, as though the demonic energy warping his body was also unnaturally sustaining him. "I want to live!" she moaned to herself. And then, as despair began to cloud her vision, the solution appeared before her. Excitement caused the adrenaline to course through her body, giving her the strength to face him once more.
His weakness, I can see it! Even as she recognized the opportunity, another part of her cried out silently. I want to live, but he doesn't, not like this. It was true; no matter what the Devil might say about Jin being gone, his fighting was too aggressive, too confident. He was taking too many risks because he wanted to be defeated. She could almost hear Jinrei congratulating her, but it brought her no happiness. "Jin," she breathed sorrowfully. "If there's a way to save you, I'll find it!" It was the only farewell she could think of to give him as he dove at her once more. Stepping to the side, she avoided his lunge and latched onto his arm, using his own momentum to drive him to the floor. Dropping to the ground beside him, she swept the floor with a fast round kick, giving his body just enough momentum for her to send him flying upwards with a powerful lash of her foot. The devil roared in pain as his limbs flailed haphazardly, unable to control his flight.
Now's my chance! Spinning around, she fell into the familiar and comforting stance of the rain dance. Fluidly, she leaned back and lashed out with both of her fists, striking Jin twice quickly and driving him towards the open window. She followed with her back kick, using the powerful launcher to send him sailing out of the room and into the moonlit sky. Well, I didn't exactly beat him, but I think it counts as a victory, she thought to herself as he fell away. Her breath hitched as the demon's wings extended, and for a moment she feared he would sail right back into the room and finish her off. Her body relaxed as she realized he was not returning, and Xiaoyu was filled with a sense of both overwhelming relief and loss. "I'm sorry, Jin," she gasped, her eyes filling with tears again.
A rasping cough spun her around quickly and her chest tightened once more. "Kazuya!" she yelled. I forgot all about him! Her mind raced, panicking. Is he going to attack me now? Should I throw him out the window too? Will that work? No wait, can he fly? She bit her lower lip uncertainly and watched him rise unsteadily to his feet.
"You," he ground out, the hatred rolling off of him in waves. "You drove him off!"
Xiaoyu sucked in her breath and calmed herself. The evil energy radiating out from Kazuya's body was still intimidating, but it no longer froze her like a deer caught in headlights. She gathered herself together and shot back at him with anger. "Don't you mean 'Thanks for saving my life, Xiaoyu?'" she yelled with a glare. She almost swore she could hear Kazuya's teeth grinding together before he looked up.
"If you're expecting my thanks, you're not going to get it," he spat out. "You can stay in Japan if you choose to," he added as an afterthought.
Xiaoyu knew it was as close as Kazuya Mishima, or any Mishima for that matter, would come to showing gratitude. Normally, hearing something like that coming from Kazuya's mouth would have had her doing ecstatic cartwheels. Things had changed, though, and her face scrunched up angrily as she heard his reply. "It's not enough!" she cried out, planting her hands on her hips. Kazuya stopped, turning his head slightly and glaring at her with his red eye. She sucked in her breath and pushed forward bravely. "I want to be in the tournament." Seeing his shoulders stiffen, she lowered her eyebrows in determination. "I know you can do it!"
Tension wound its way around the air as they both remained silent, locked in a battle of wills. Finally, Kazuya resumed his walk out of the demolished room. "Do what you want," he called over his shoulder irately. "I won't stop you."
Xiaoyu was left alone, shivering as the cold air blew through and the adrenaline kick wore off. She relaxed for a moment, shaking out her sore muscles reflexively. "I did it, Grandpa," she boasted into the empty room. "I won!" Her face dropped as another thought struck her, and she moaned and slapped her forehead. "Oh no… and I have to do it all over again in the tournament!"
Much later, the night guard would claim it was a high feminine wail of despair that echoed through the building which finally summoned them to the room, not the sound of any fight that might have occurred within.