Chapter 3: Letter

It's just after half three when I arrive home, tossing my backpack unceremoniously into the corner of the room and slipping off my slingback shoes, then padding into the kitchen with sock clad feet. My mum, who is sitting at the table flicking through Cosmo, a cup of coffee in front of her, glances at me briefly and a corner of her mouth lifts in a faint smile. She doesn't say anything, though, just turns the page of her magazine. I don't expect anything more from her anyway. Mum's always been a quiet woman. I guess I'm truly my father's daughter, since he's excitable and outspoken like me. Unfortunately, it's led to many disagreements between him and mum, because he's also as prone to bouts of foot-in-mouth syndrome as I am.

Walking over to the cupboard and stifling a yawn, I get out a mug and flick the switch on the electric kettle. I can't have coffee - it's a one-way trip to Migraine City if I do - so instead I have green tea. It doesn't really taste like anything, but I like it. I must have an acquired taste or something. There's shuffling from the living room, and Grandpa Jinrei appears in the doorway.

"Hello, Xiaoyu." he says, smiling at me. I gesture to the kettle.

"Want some tea, Grandpa?"

He shakes his head.

"No, thank you."

"More for me, then!" I say cheerfully, making a cup for myself and stirring it slowly as my mind wanders back to this afternoon. I look down into the mug thoughtfully, then turn my gaze to Grandpa.

"Kazama?" I ask simply. He looks taken aback, but I see the ghost of a smile pass over his face.

"It has been a long while since anyone mentioned that name."

"What is it?" I ask, my voice rising in my excitement. Perhaps now, Jin and I will have something proper to talk about. Maybe even enough to warrant an actual conversation. Now that really would be something, hm? I usually break the ice with something like 'So, what did you think of the latest B'z single?' (Since moving to Japan, I can't get enough of them.) but Jin doesn't strike me as the type to listen to that particular genre of music. For some reason, ambient comes to mind. Don't ask.

"Do you remember the stories I used to tell you about the old Tekken - King of Iron Fist tournament?" Grandpa sits down at the kitchen table, and I pick up my mug and do the same, draggingout a chair clumsily and wincing as it scrapes along the tiles, making a horrible squealing noise.

"Mm-hmm." I murmur, resting my elbows on the table. "So, was there a Kazama at the tournament?"

"Yes. A most enigmatic young thing." I almost ask why he couldn't just say 'a very mysterious girl' like a normal person would, but catch myself. I don't think he'd have heard me anyway, considering the look on his face at present. His eyes have taken on that faraway look he always gets when he's reliving his glory days.

"She could be proud and opinionated to a fault." he continued. "But I doubt there was anyone on this earth with a heart purer than hers. Her name was Jun. Jun Kazama. It was truly a great loss when she died."

I cup my chin in my hands as Grandpa continues, hooking my ankles around the chair legs.

"She told me that she entered the tournament because she wished to confront Kazuya Mishima about his animal experimentation projects. Jun held a great love for nature, and being an officer of the WWWC, it was her duty to take action."

I listen, but don't say anything. There's no need, because I know he hasn't finished yet. I wait for him to carry on, since interrupting him only serves to make him draw out a pause even longer. I swear he does it on purpose. Attention seeker. There's a comfortable silence as I look at him expectantly, only broken by my mum turning the pages of Cosmo, and the faint ticking of the living room clock.

"Jun had a sixth sense." he says eventually. "She discovered things - terrible things - about the Mishimas that no one else could fathom. Her reason for participating in the tournament was not simply work-related."

"Terrible things?" I repeat. "What kind of ..." Grandpa interrupts me as he starts getting up from the table.

"It is time I was going." he says softly.

"Grandpa, wait. What did she know?"

He says nothing, and begins shuffling over to the door. I shove my chair back hastily, rising from my seat and following him. My curiosity has been well and truly sparked. What did Jun know about the Mishimas? How is she related to Jin? And on the subject of Jin, does Grandpa know anything about him?

"Goodbye, Xiaoyu."

I glare at the floor tiles, realizing I'm not going to get any more information from him. He clasps my hand, presses something into the palm before he leaves quietly. I watch him make his way out of the garden, frustrated, but Mum distracts me before I have the chance to chase him down.

"Xiao, do you have any work to do?" she asks, arching a thin brow when I hesitate to leave my position in the doorway.

"Creative writing project." I mumble, annoyed, and she nods.

"I'll call you at dinnertime. Get started on it, okay?"

Annoyed, I leave the kitchen, grabbing my backpack and heading into my room. I'm still holding whatever it was that Grandpa gave me, it feels like paper. My fingers tingle as I put down the backpack and unfold it, smoothing it out on the desktop. The face of a young woman with raven hair smiles up at me. The caption under the picture reads: 'Jun Kazama, 22.'

I stare at the image in awe. Gentle, brown eyes, just like Jin's. She's beautiful. Her hair falls just above her shoulders, and there's a white Alice band keeping it out of her face, though some strands are loose, resting against her forehead. I can tell she's related to Jin. The resemblance is there, in her eyes, the soft curve of her lips... His mother, maybe?

I sit on the bed, staring down at the worn photo sadly. I can't imagine what it must be like to lose your mother. I couldn't begin to imagine a world without mine. For starters, who would I snarl at in the morning when I was in a bad mood?

I stop myself from thinking of Jun, and Jin, any more. It's nothing to do with me, right? Plus, I don't think Jin would take kindly to me delving into his personal life. I don't even know him very well. I've only known him a day, for goodness sake! I should stop this nonsense.

But as I try to concentrate on my writing project, my mind keeps on wandering back to Jin. For some reason, I'm drawn to him. I have to get closer to him, find out what happened to him before he moved here. I feel like there's a reason we met. And all that aside, there's no harm in being inquisitive is there? I can almost hear Grandpa's voice; "Curiosity killed the cat, Xiaoyu." Eh, what does he know?

Trying to get my mind back on my work, I pick up my school folder, and a white envelope slides out from inside it. The Mishima Industrial High Logo stares up at me, must be something about my schoolwork. Gawd, I hope it's not from my maths teacher. I meant to do the homework, I really did!

The letter reads:

Ling Xiaoyu,

Due to your exceptional talent in the field of martial arts, we are pleased to enclose this invitation to a meeting with Mr. Mishima, on the subject of the upcoming third King of Iron Fist tournament. Your meeting is scheduled in two weeks' time, on May fourth. Please present this letter when you arrive.

I blink, confused. I guess that's why we've been doing self-defence in P.E instead of our usual netball/badminton combo.

So, the Heihachi Mishima is holding another tournament? After what happened at the last two? Maybe he's a believer in 'third time's a charm'. Hwo's good at fighting, I wonder if he got a letter? And Jin? After a few moments, a smile spreads across my face. Finally, the extra-curricular activity I'm looking for! And best of all, there's no pencil required.