Chapter 11: Forever

Jun woke up with a start. Her body was covered in large beads of sweat, her chest heaving. Another vision. It was the most disturbing one she had. She saw herself running in a dark forest barely able to see anything. There were some bellowing sounds behind her and every time she would turn around as she ran she could see a dragon inching close to her. In the end she came to a dead end. The dragon came in full view and attacked her mercilessly, knocking her down with one swing of its clawed hands. The image shifted and she was now in the arms of a large demon. She froze over in fear but he smiled kindly at her and took her far away towards the moon. The image shattered again and she saw Heihachi shooting a young teenager whom she initially mistook for Kazuya. That image too disappeared and then she was surprised by another image—Nina stuck in a large block of ice, frozen to death.

Zaibatsu Throne room—next day, morning

"Lord Kazuya, I'm afraid that you are expected to be in Nepal tomorrow," Lee said as he walked up to him, holding some papers.

"Nepal? Tomorrow? Why on such a short notice?" Kazuya asked.

"Business matters," Lee said mockingly, "I know it is annoying to have business bother you during a honey-moon but…"

"One more word out of you and I'll break your neck. And for sure this time!"

Lee gulped.

"Now shut up and answer my question: why am I wanted in the Nepal?"

"The G-corporation, it seems, are looking forward to a joint operation with your Zaibatsu. They want a partnership going with you and claim that the benefits for you will be great—you specifically. And they want it to be a secret meeting…in other words you should come there alone."

Kazuya thought for a bit.

"G-corporation wants a partnership? My rival company in biotech? And benefit for ME? What are those bastards up to?"

Kazuya kept musing for a long time.

"How long am I expected to stay?"

"Well, you will be there for two weeks."

"But Jun's match is after two weeks!"

Lee just shrugged. Kazuya strolled around, thinking for a while but then made up his mind.

"I don't know what those goons want…but this one has gotten the best of my curiosity. But I am not leaving this place. If they want to meet me the will have to come here!"

Kazuya's room—evening

"Where are you going?" Jun asked as she saw Kazuya dressing up in a black suit (the guy could use black for once).

"Business stuff. Pretty important," Kazuya said simply.

Jun looked at Kazuya suspiciously.

"Two weeks ago you couldn't wait to leave all this…and now you have to go to 'very important' meetings?"

"This is different, Jun."

Kazuya had his back to her as he combed his jet-black hair. Jun sighed, her mind going back to her vision in the morning. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his torso. Kazuya felt her anxiety and looked at her in the mirror.

"What's wrong?"

Jun closed her eyes and surprised Kazuya with a question he had never expected from her.

"Where is Nina?"

Jun felt Kazuya's body tensing up in rage…and something else.

"Why the hell are you asking about that…that bitch!"

Jun stood face to face with him, looking into his eyes again.

"Where is she?"

"Why do you care!" Kazuya barked, tearing himself away from her. "Why do you care!"

"You put her in that cyrosleep experiment of yours? As a guinea pig! Didn't you?"

Kazuya was stunned. He slowly turned around to look at her, his face sufficed with confusion and shock. Silence tore through the room and between them. The silence grew and grew till it became poison to Kazuya's ears, his heart beating in his ears.

"How…how…did you…know?"

"You know how, Kazuya."

Kazuya slowly sat down on the bed—he was too stunned to even move properly. Jun walked up to him and sat down next to him.

"Why are you so interested in that. In sleeping forever?" she asked gently, placing her hand on his. For a moment the same silence washed over the room like a cold shower. It faded away as soon as Kazuya's slow, deep sigh resonated weakly in the room.

"Respite…" he said simply.

Jun understood.

The answer was pretty straightforward in its own way:

Disgusted with the world, disgusted at himself and his life, waiting for a salvation that was elusive, waiting for the peace that he had ached for all his life—when all these became too much to bear even for him, and like every other delinquent soul, he had sought refuge in immortality…in eternity…trying to buy himself time. Time, so he could lurk more in the wasteland and find that peace at all costs, wherever it was. Be it in the times he woke up or in the everlasting slumber itself. This buying of time was his last bet at the peace that was never his. That was why he wanted the cyrosleep.

They both sat in silence for a long time. Jun was angry with Kazuya for trying to 'buy time' but the more she thought about it the more she realized she couldn't blame him. But now…now she was with him. Why now?

"Why now, Kazuya? I'm with you now. Why do you still want this? Didn't I give you that peace?" Jun finally asked, her curiosity and insecurity getting the better of her.

"I want to live with you forever. I realized that the peace I seek is in being with you. There is no other peace for me but you. We will wake up in a world better than this one. In times better than this one. That's why."

Jun listened in silence. Every action of his from the day they fell in love to this day all of Kazuya's actions told her one thing—he loved her with every thread of his existence. And he was one who was willing to go to all lengths for her. Romantic as it was, Jun realized the potential hazards this aspect of his nature carried—not only for himself but those around him.

She kept on thinking about what he said. Eternity? Different times? New times? Better times?

The sound of Kazuya fixing the creases in his pants brought her attention back to him. She looked at him as he straightened himself up and walked towards the door.

"I have to go now."

Fighters' rooms

Heihachi sat quietly in his room, meditating like always when he heard a knock.

"Come in," he said standing up.

Cole came in, smiling.

"The young Lord is being visited by some members of the G-corporation today!"

Heihachi smiled slyly.

"Hmm. Good. Set the plan in motion!"

Night

Jun tossed and turned in the bed restlessly. Her intuition told her something terrible was going to happen. Her heart continued racing as she sat silently on the bed, the more she tried bracing it the more it rebelled. Tired with all this restlessness, she got out of the bed and paced the room, hugging herself to shield herself from the cold. She kept walking around aimlessly when she heard some footsteps and a light commotion outside her room.

She opened the door slightly and saw some of the guards coming stealthily towards the room. Jun cringed a bit. They were four in total Jun realized. They all had electric stun guns with them and one of them was carrying a silenced handgun. Jun realized they were up to no good and it was then that she noticed them all being led by the guard captain, Cole—him being the one with the handgun.

"Cole! I knew he was up to no good!"

At his nod they moved stealthily towards Jun's room. Jun swallowed deeply, tensing up as she saw them inch closer. She had to think of something…and fast.

"This is not good…"

Mishima Zaibatsu Throne room

Kazuya sat in his chair, his powerful and thoroughly prominent presence catching all the G-corporation members' attention. From the corner of his eye he could see people staring at him intently and buzzing comments to each other.

"Hmph…"

He didn't care. He looked around at the neat and richly decorated building lobby.

"Greetings, Mr. Mishima!" a man came up to Kazuya and offered a handshake.

Kazuya simply reduced him to dust with his iron gaze.

"I hope you didn't travel miles to this country just to shake hands with me! What do you want! Answer me!"

The man just swallowed hard—stunned. He looked around bewildered at all the other people who stood there as stunned over Kazuya's no-nonsense nature as he was.

"Well!"

"Ah, you're reputation precedes you! I see you're as direct as they say you are, Mr. Mishima!" a rather old man said as he walked up to Kazuya. "I would've shaken hands with you but seeing how you tore Mr. Johnson down I figured I just might not bother you."

Kazuya just stared at him. The old man continued.

"I am Doctor John Griffith, CEO of the G-corporation…"

"I know," Kazuya droned. It was pretty obvious he would know everything about the CEO of his rival company.

"Yes, yes, of course," Griffith said quickly with a laugh, "I have some interesting propositions for you!"

The door swung open.

The guards immediately ran towards the bed and grabbed at Jun. They electrocuted her with the stun gun but suddenly they all panicked slightly.

"It's a pillow, man!" one of them shouted to Cole.

"What!"

Jun struck out fast and deadly.

In an instant she put the sleeper on Cole with a quick backspin that sent the man spinning in the air and his gun even further. Before the other three knew what happened, Jun rolled towards the gun, picked it up and took aim at the three baffled guards.

"Stop!"

The guards stood still staring at each other. One of them tried stepping forward but Jun pointed the gun at him.

"I said stop!"

They all stood still again.

Jun was tensed, the gun quivering in her hands. She had always hated guns but time had forced this on her…just like everything else for the past few weeks. Slowly tears filled her eyes. She never wanted to use one ever. She never wanted to be in this tournament. She never wanted to be the chosen one. She never wanted to be the 'Lady' of this house. She never wanted to be with someone like Kazuya…she never wanted any of it. Tears trickled down her face, her chest heaving as the frustration and tribulations since the day she arrived on this wretched island started to assault her.

The guards saw their chance. They charged her all at once.

Jun was startled for a split second before taking aim at them.

"STAY BACK!"

Mishima Zaibatsu Throne room

Kazuya was standing by the large window, staring outside. The Doctor's proposal was sending waves of anxiety, ambitiousness, power hunger, horror and hope. Jun's face kept flashing before his mind, her beautiful face, her ebony hair and eyes. And then dark and coaxing voices of Devil in his head.

Griffith sat in his large chair, staring at Kazuya with a sly smile on his face.

"So what do you think of this proposal, Mr. Mishima?"

Kazuya stared at the moonlit night, and heard the two voices in his heart—Jun's and Devil's. He turned around sharply and looked at Griffith, grinning.

"So if I let you experiment with my so called 'mutated' body, you say you can turn me into the strongest man in this world?"

Griffith nodded.

"If you cooperate with us, then yes, we can turn you into the most powerful creature in this universe!"

Griffith was speaking with so much excitement that Kazuya could see the vein between his forehead throbbing.

"And what do I have to do?"

"Nothing. Like I said, all you have to do is cooperate. Our professional personals will carry out a few tests on your blood to see the mechanism of t-this Devil in you. Once we figure that out you cannot only harness all its power…you can also control it. The duration of the process, however, can be potentially long…maybe even years. But I'm sure that will seem negligible once you compare it to the benefits! Right, Mr. Mishima?"

Kazuya stiffened when he heard the 'control' part. Deep inside him he felt Devil's anxiety and the new insecurity.

"Kazuya, you bastard!" he hissed from the same dark corners of his mind as always.

"I ask you again, Mr. Mishima: what do you think?"

Kazuya stood where he was in a pensive pose. Power. More power. Absolute power. That was what he wanted. Something he would use to ensure a long sought riddance from his bastard father. And then he would be able to live in peace with Jun…

No.

He was going to leave it all behind. He had promised her. He turned around and looked at Griffith straight in the eye.

"No. I am not interested."

Griffith paled.

"I-I beg...I beg your pardon?"

Griffith looked around at the other members of the G-corporation in utter disbelief, flailing his arms around in a mix of frustration and disbelief. Kazuya simply repeated what he said.

"I said no."

Griffith couldn't believe his ears. He got up sharply, pushing the chair behind him.

"Mr. Mishima, do you realize the potential advantage of all this!" he yelled, smacking his hands roughly on the table.

"Yes. As a matter of fact I do."

"Then why! Why do you turn away from such power!"

Kazuya looked outside, utterly ignoring Griffith.

He looked at the moon again and felt every inch of his body and soul craving for Jun. Her touch, her eyes, her smile.

"Have you ever loved somebody, Mr. Griffith?" Kazuya asked in a low voice, almost a whisper, surprising Griffith. Griffith was irate but replied.

"No. I don't believe in love."

"That's why you will never understand," Kazuya said slowly, uttering each word with deliberation as if trying to rouse Griffith from his ignorance. He grimaced a bit when Griffith didn't respond. Kazuya turned towards the door. Before leaving he looked at Griffith one more time, his eyes shiny with nothing but pity.

"For your own sake, I hope you do."

Griffith brushed his hand in front of him in a rejecting manner.

"You're a fool, Mr. Mishima. That is all I can say."

Kazuya paused. Without turning around Kazuya opened the door and walked out. He paused, slowly turning his face towards Griffith.

"I hope we never meet again…"

With that Kazuya disappeared. Griffith watched Kazuya leave, following him with burning eyes. The desire to crush Kazuya further fueled Griffith's wild ambitiousness of using Devil for his purpose.

"Oh, we will…trust me we will! Even if I have to bring you back from the dead!"

Mishima Mansion hall

"Jenny!"

"Brandon!"

"Joseph!"

"Where are you people!"

Kazuya fumed in irritation. They should be attending to him. He had been standing there waiting for his coat to be taken away. He looked around and finally tossed it aside and walked, deliberately planting his feet hard so the servants would here him. Normally they would be rushing up to him in a matter of seconds.

Kazuya paused, his face shadowed in shock.

"Yes…normally they would…normally…"

Without wasting even a second, Kazuya darted past the long hall and up the stairs to his room. He kicked the door open and felt his heart stop the moment he saw Jun.

"J-Jun…"

The room was severely dark but he could see Jun sitting, reclined against the wall. She wasn't blinking, her glassy eyes staring ahead, the night sky reshaping itself into her eyes. A pistol was shivering in her hands, its metallic rattling echoing slightly in the suffocating silence that hung onto the room like moss. Kazuya felt his mind going blank, his heartbeat slowing. The next few seconds felt like an eternity of suffering. Like drowning forever.

"J-Jun…"

Finally a tear streamed down her face. She sank her head forward shaking violently, a muffled scream of utmost frustration rising from within her and tearing through the stillness of the room. Kazuya felt his breath return, a mix of relief and anxiety that drained his heart. He rushed up to her but she pointed the gun at him.

"Stay back! D-Don't come near me!"

Kazuya was stunned.

"Jun?"

"Shut up! I said don't come near me!"

Through the distinct moonlight Kazuya could see the look in Jun's eyes—she was on the verge of going crazy. Kazuya looked around him as if trying to figure out what caused her to be so. It was then that he noticed three dead bodies slumped on the ground with blood oozing out of lethal wounds in their chest and head.

Jun had killed them. His beautiful angel.

Kazuya understood why she was reacting like this. She, someone who was so pure, sensitive and innocent could never handle death…especially one that was by her own hands. Kazuya looked at Jun with pity, hanging his head low.

"How she is suffering because of me…once again I wish I had just disappeared before she ever met me."

He sighed deeply and took a step forward. He had to help her, at all cost. If she shot him then it would be a worthy death for a wretch like him. Jun didn't say anything but tightened her grip around the gun, her black eyes betraying the conflict within her. Kazuya kept staring at her eyes and took another step forward, his hands slightly raised.

"Jun…"

Jun started shaking like a leaf, her eyes enlarging as the conflict within her grew. Kazuya finally stepped up to her and gently lowered the gun away, his eyes never once leaving her tormented ones.

"Jun, please…"

The gun finally fell from her quivering hands. More tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Jun…"

All of a sudden she slapped Kazuya. Kazuya's eyes widened in shock. She slapped him again and started hitting him on the chest with her fists all the while crying her heart out.

"Its because of you…you…its all because of you…I…you…"

Instinctively his hands tightened into his infamous fists. But his senses returned just in time. This was Jun. His Jun. He could never hit her. Never. Kazuya didn't do anything, tightening his own fists to suppress himself. Jun continued beating away at his chest and torso before sinking to the floor, tears and sobs choking her voice, the bereaved innocence that she once had now lost.

comments: Kazuya talking about the cyrosleep above isn't official. It's just that I thought the above two things were probably the only plausible reasons why someone like Kazuya would be interested in such things. Maybe its lame...but that's what i think.