.
(Unfamiliar Territory)
Sayuri sat in her chair for over an hour waiting for her hands to stop shaking and her heart to stop racing. It had been an entire hour of constructing scenarios and forming conclusions, an hour of creating solutions only to strike down each one. Nothing would work, nothing would help her in her plight.
She glanced at the clock above the door, it was a very simple and elegant design, a large black circle with silver numerals; she wondered how much it cost. She sighed heavily as she slightly shook her head, she was thinking about inconsequential things again, her brain was trying to shut out the recent traumatic events. Seeing that it was past five o'clock she decided to leave for the day.
She looked at the file folders that were stacked on her desk, the obsolete files that should have been taken down to the archives; the one she needed was on top. She opened it and began to look for a phone number, when she found it she wrote it on a notepad, tore the off the sheet and put it in her purse. She closed the file, gathered her things and locked Kazuya's office, then walked down the hallway and into the elevators. Although she was feeling emotionally drained and shaken by Kazuya's threat she tried her best not to show it. She kept repeating to herself that she was in the eye of the storm, but it was such a blatant lie that it quickly began to irritate her rather than calm her.
She stepped off the elevator and into the lobby, on her way out of the building she smiled at the security guards and wished them a good night the same way that she always did. The cool, evening air felt good on her face when she stepped out onto the sidewalk, but she felt strange. She was surrounded by people; they walked around her, behind her, beside her… but she felt as if she were an alien in their world. In her mind she didn't belong in the same vicinity as normal humans; law-abiding men and women who didn't doom other people to be imprisoned or murdered.
Don't cross the line, Bruce had told her. It had been good advice, but she had heard it too late. She was becoming a person that she didn't know, mired in a situation that had absolutely no hope for a positive resolution. Luring Dr. Bosconovitch and his bodyguards into the trap had been her point of no return. She should have confessed, gone with them to the Russian Embassy and called Lee to warn him, to tell him everything; even if it meant that he would hate her. What Kazuya was planning to do to Lee had nothing to do with her, she should have let it be instead of trying to fix things; she had only succeeded in doing more damage. She had single-handedly doomed three men, herself, and possibly her family while Lee's fate remained the same.
Consumed by her dark thoughts she walked past the metro station, when she finally realized, she had left it nearly a block behind. She found herself at a bus stop and decided that it would do; it would be better to take a different route home anyway. It was rush hour and the benches were full, but a man who looked to be in his fifties smiled politely and stood up offering her his spot on the wooden bench. She was exhausted, so she thanked him and sat down to wait for the bus.
She sat gazing at the building across the street from where she was, her eyes unfocused. Her thoughts were once more on the conversation she'd had with Bruce. You damn well better be sure you know where your line is, because if you cross it, you can never step behind it again. It will change you. There was no way to change the past, no way to step behind the line; all she could do was continue forward into a place she had never been. Walk further and further away from her morals and good judgment. She had changed. The person that she had been just twenty-four hours earlier would never have been sitting in that bus stop; the person that she had been didn't hate anyone, the person that she had been would have been horrified if she knew what she was about to do.
After leaving the Mishima Building at six thirty-five in the evening, Kazuya's brain was a whirlwind of muddled thoughts. He couldn't believe it; he couldn't fucking believe it. An android had registered itself for the King of Iron Fist Tournament. It had registered itself. It had happened during the commotion of the airport mission, with Kazuya busy and Bruce and Ganryu out it had been a concerted decision between the security guards, the martial arts masters administering the physical tests and the legal department. The abomination had presented a valid identification card and had a legitimate purpose for seeking entrance into the building, and so it was granted admittance and been given the contract to sign, which it did.
After seeing it perform the physical tests everyone from the martial arts masters to Kazuya's overpaid lawyers was worried. The masters were debating whether there was honor in fighting a machine and the lawyers were worried about all the legal gymnastics that would be required to avoid a lawsuit if the machine killed or maimed one of the participants. Every single member of the legal team had been replaced after Kazuya's takeover, so no one knew how Heihachi's team had handled the situation during the first tournament.
Heihachi was an entirely different matter, Kazuya had been told that he had finally signed up but it didn't bring him the satisfaction that he thought it would, all it did was make him angrier. He immediately realized that he needed to focus on the issue at hand, the last thing he wanted was Devil surfacing if he lost his temper.
He had left the lawyers scrambling, making phone calls and looking through archived files to figure out what to do about Jack-2, the newest and least welcome participant. Kazuya went to see Dr. Bosconovitch, seeing as the thing was Russian it was the next logical step. It had a nationality… Kazuya wouldn't confess it to anyone but he found sentient machines utterly disturbing.
He had gotten absolutely no useful information from the doctor, who claimed that he knew nothing of the robot. To make matters worse Kazuya's plans of having the Kangaroo ready to fight in the tournament had to be put on hold so that Bosconovitch could focus on getting the dusty piece of junk called Prototype Jack up and running. He was not about to let the Russians one-up him by having a robot, cyborg, android, or whatever the correct term was for it, enter itself into the tournament; he had to have one too.
Kazuya was on his way to meet with Jun Kazama as those thoughts ran through his head. He didn't even want to see her anymore, he didn't want to sit with her and listen to her flimsy reasons for quitting her job and entering the tournament or to answer her stupid questions when there was a crisis happening in his building. Not only was he on his way to a meeting that he had no interest in attending, he was running late; it was something that he detested. And although he could have decided to stay at the Zaibatsu or to go home to rest after one of the worst days he'd had at work he decided against it. Jun Kazama was a participant in the tournament, which meant that he could not ban her from the building, which meant that being as meddlesome and stubborn as she was she would make his life a living hell until the end of the tournament. He had decided to show up in person and demand… He didn't even know what.
If Lee was there none of that would be happening. If Lee was there he could be the one repairing the robot and dealing with the legal team while Bosconovitch focused on the genetic experiments. He should have looked into what Lee was doing from the beginning, but now it was too late. Bruce and Ganryu were leaving the country and the men he could trust were on a plane on their way back from Moscow. Too goddamn late.
As Kazuya walked toward the entrance of the Park Hyatt Building he had the urge to pay Sayuri a visit. To break down her door if he had to so that she would get Lee on the phone and he could tell him to get his ass on a plane immediately and stop shirking his responsibilities. He had to will his body to continue walking forward telling himself that he'd get rid of Jun first and deal with Sayuri after.
As he approached the entrance of the building a doorman stepped out of the foyer and held the door open after bowing deeply. An elderly couple looked scandalized as they attempted to exit the building, Kazuya had pushed his way past them and into the building, they had undoubtedly expected him to step aside to let them through. Inside the foyer, another employee in a uniform bowed to him. Beyond he saw the lobby in its gaudy glory, the decor was tasteful in a way, but too much for his taste, too many plants, too many lights and too much gold-plating. Well-dressed men and women walked in and out of the elevators or made their way to the information desk. As his gaze followed an attractive woman in a pantsuit his eyes were drawn to the ridiculous metal sculpture in the middle of the room. And that was where he saw her.
Jun Kazama was walking around the sculpture; she wore a sleeveless, white silk dress that was understated and elegant at the same time. She had a curious expression on her face and a slight smile on her lips. At that moment Kazuya thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.
"...God damn it…" He cursed under his breath as he realized that he wanted to be near her, that he wanted to hear all the stupid questions that she was going to ask even if he knew he was going to ignore half of them and scoff at the rest.
Almost as if she sensed him she turned to look at him with a genuine smile adorning her face.
"Hello." Her white, high-heeled shoes clacked on the marble floor as she made her way to him.
He nodded. "Are you ready?"
"Yes, it's the fortieth floor," Jun gestured toward the elevators.
"Yes, I've been here before," Kazuya said, then followed her in silence. There had been so much running through his mind just minutes earlier and suddenly all he could think about, all he wanted to think about, was the woman walking in front of him.
Devil is right, Kazuya thought, she makes me act like a damn teenager. But at that precise moment, he simply didn't care.
It was past rush hour when Sayuri exited the subway car. She looked at her watch and saw that it was nearly seven o'clock, she had to hurry if she wanted to be home before eight for Lee's phone call. She had taken the bus that went in the opposite direction than she would normally go, she then got out near a metro station that she rarely used and had taken the subway to somewhere in the city where she had never been, but it didn't matter; she wasn't planning to exit into the street.
She walked with her eyes cast down, clutching her designer purse tightly in front of her, the clicking of her high-heeled shoes sounded much louder than usual, but no one else seemed to notice. Bruce was right again, she realized, she was the perfect mark for a mugging. She looked down at her red shoes and frowned as she saw the scuff marks that reminded her of her ordeal and she felt the urge to take them off and throw them into the garbage.
She stopped when she spotted the green, public telephones mounted on the white, brick wall. They were next to the stairs that lead up into the street, well away from passengers exiting and entering the subway cars. She moved quickly to them and found the one that would allow her to make an international call. She looked around nervously, her heart pounding loudly in her chest and her mouth and throat feeling dry. There was a man wearing black slacks and a brown suit jacket sitting on the bottom step with his back against the wall. His clothing looked faded and his hair somewhat disheveled; he was eyeing the people waiting for the subway and did not seem to pay any attention to her.
She took the note with the phone number out of her purse as well as the amount of change she would need to make the call; she inserted the coins into the slot and dialed the number then looked around again, no one was using the other telephones. When she began to hear the ringing at the other end of the line she turned to face the subway and put her back against the telephone.
"Mullen Aviation." She was startled to hear a male voice answer in English.
"Um…" Her chest felt tight as she struggled to form the foreign words. "...Someone speak Japanese? My English is not good."
"Not until after two o'clock today," the man answered in a thick Irish accent, "you can call again then."
She was more accustomed to hearing American accents, but she didn't find him too difficult to understand.
"Is this Mr. Braden Mullen?"
"It is."
"I need to talk now, to you." She said resolutely.
"Well, if it's not something too complicated I'm sure we can understand each other, miss," the man said in a pleasant tone.
"...I…" Sayuri hesitated as she quickly surveyed the crowd waiting for the subway. "I know who kill Desmond Mullen."
There was a long pause at the other end of the line. "...Who?" Mullen's voice was hard, she could hear the anger behind it.
"Kazuya Mishima." She said without hesitation.
"Are you certain?"
"Yes."
"Who are you? Why are you telling me this?"
She didn't know what to say, it was much easier to understand the language than to speak it, she was afraid that she would not be able to explain herself properly. She was also afraid of the consequences that might follow if she identified herself, but in the end, did she have much more to lose? What could this foreigner do to her that Kazuya wasn't already planning to do himself?
"I...I work for him." She finally answered.
"We need to meet." The man's voice was tight.
"No… It is too much danger." Her lungs felt heavy in her chest, it was suddenly difficult to breathe.
"I would risk much more than you, how do I…" She didn't understand the last part of his sentence, it was a combination of the accent and the wording that he used. "Tell me who you are."
"...Secretary." She said hesitantly.
"Kazuya Mishima's secretary?" His tone said that he had not expected her answer.
"Yes."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"He…" She struggled to find a word in her limited English vocabulary that would convey her ordeal. "...He will hurt me, maybe my family."
"I will meet with you." He persisted.
"I cannot."
"I will be in contact with you," Mullen said before hanging up.
Sayuri stood with the receiver in her hand, her heart threatening to push itself out of her chest. She wondered how the Irish man would get in contact with her if he didn't even know her name. As she put the receiver back on the cradle she saw that her hands were shaking. She didn't know what consequences her actions would bring, but she hoped that they would be dire for Kazuya. From what she had been able to put together it seemed that Ganryu was afraid of Mullen's men or his connections, she didn't know which, but it seemed that Braden Mullen was someone who could do some damage. She suddenly wanted to cry, not because what she had done could potentially cause Kazuya his life, but because she realized that she didn't care if it did. She wanted to cry for the person that she used to be, she wanted to cry for the woman who had woken up that morning oblivious to the changes that she would undergo that day.
"Hey, rich girl." She was startled to hear a rough male voice behind her. She turned quickly toward the source and saw that it was the disheveled man sitting on the step. "You got any change you can spare?"
She eyed the man cautiously. He looked to be close to forty years old, of average height and weight. He had not moved from his spot on the bottom step, she noticed that he was clutching a bottle wrapped in a brown paper bag.
"That's an aggressive way to get someone's attention." She smiled slightly, amused at the fact that less than a day ago she would have been too frightened to speak to someone like him. "I can't imagine many people respond or even acknowledge you."
"No," he said as he rubbed his stubbled chin. "Just lost, rich girls."
"What makes you think I'm rich?" She asked as a young couple walked past her and up the stairs into the street.
"Your shoes." The man explained. "Believe it or not I had a job a few months ago, my boss's wife was a rich bitch, she always wore expensive shoes and had a pair just like yours."
"...They're ruined." She said sadly as she looked down at her red footwear.
"Let me cry a tear for the rich girl who had a bad day while a find a bench to sleep on." He said sarcastically.
"I did have a bad day." She suddenly wanted to say everything out loud, she figured he was the perfect confidant, a homeless nobody who didn't know who she was and who she would never see again. She decided that it would be the last time she would speak about her ordeal with anyone. "I did something awful today and then a man tried to kill me... He put a gun to my head." She said as she gingerly put her fingertips to her temple.
"Are you fucking serious?" The man asked as he sat up straight.
She nodded. "He was rough, he pushed me and pulled me around... I fell, twice, maybe three times... That's how my shoes were ruined. I did something horrible just now," she said looking the man straight in the eye, "something that will guarantee my place in Hell… and I don't even regret it."
The man gaped at her for a few seconds. "...Fuck...I thought beautiful, rich girls didn't have problems."
"We're not supposed to," she said sadly.
"You need to talk to like a therapist or something, that shit will mess you up."
She shrugged. "I'm talking to you."
"I'm your source of comfort?" He laughed. "Damn, from now on whenever I have a bad day I'm going to remember you, remind myself that sleeping on a park bench is better than being rich sometimes."
"Why did you lose your job?" She asked him.
He pointed to the bottle. "My true love beckoned and I had no choice but to heed her call."
Sayuri walked up to him and took her wallet out of her purse, she immediately detected the sour smell of alcohol, it was almost as if it were oozing from his pores, invading the air around him and making her feel light-headed. She pulled all the cash out and handed it to him. "Here, go get a hotel room."
A small group of people descended the stairs from the street, she noticed a few giving her looks of admonishment.
"You know I'm just going to drink it all away." The man said as he took her offering.
She put the wallet back in her purse and shook her head. "Here," she said removing her gold watch from her wrist and handing it to him, "take this, it's a few days of sleeping on a warm bed and eating hot meals."
"Damn, that's a nice watch," he said as he examined it. "I'm just going to drink it away too." He shrugged as he pocketed it.
She sighed and turned toward the subway. She didn't know if what she had done was a good deed or if she had just doomed the man further. She wondered what time it was and instinctively raised her wrist to check her watch then shook her head as she realized that it was gone. She joined the crowd waiting for the subway hoping that she would make it home before eight o'clock.
As she entered the subway car she did not notice the young, Japanese man depart from the crowd and walk toward the public telephones.
He watched as the subway doors closed then turned toward the wall. He noticed a sign that read 'out of order' on one of the telephones, he removed it and adhered it to the only phone programmed to make international calls, the one he had seen the young woman use. He watched the drunk sitting on the bottom step; he waited until a man in a suit walked up the stairs and disappeared into the street to approach him.
"Hey, man," the drunk addressed him once he noticed him, "you got any change you can spare?"
"What did the girl say to you?" The young man questioned.
"What girl?" The drunk asked dismissively.
"The one in the black dress."
"What?"
The young man sighed in annoyance. "The one who gave you the cash."
The drunk laughed as he patted his pocket. "She didn't say anything much, just that she had a bad day, some guy tried to kill her."
"What exactly did she say?"
"I don't know…" He seemed to be trying to remember. "That the guy was rough with her and that she did something terrible just now."
"Did you hear what she talked about on the phone?"
"No, man, I can't hear anything from here… Oh shit!" His eyes suddenly widened as he pointed a shaky finger at the young man. "You're not the guy who wants to kill her are you." He didn't respond. "Fuck… Just don't do it anywhere near here where I might find her, follow her home or something, and make it quick, she seemed like a nice girl."
The young man shook his head in disgust and walked up to the telephones on the wall again, he picked up the receiver of the nearest one and inserted his payment before dialing the number.
The lights were dim inside the upscale restaurant. It was fancy, too fancy for Jun's taste but she did her best to enjoy it nonetheless. She subtly glanced at the well-dressed couples conversing quietly around them and discreetly took notice of the expensive wood that was covering the floors and walls as well as the ritzy, but tasteful decor. She tried her best to look pleased, but not impressed; she didn't know why, she figured it was an insecurity that she had not been aware of before.
She turned her attention away from the interior of the restaurant and gazed out the fortieth floor window. "The city looks so beautiful from here."
She was sure that was a comment everyone who had a table next to the window would say, everyone except for Kazuya Mishima. He did not look the least bit impressed and unlike her, she was sure that he truly wasn't, he was undoubtedly one of the only people who didn't notice or cared how magnificent Tokyo looked from their vantage point.
He finally spoke. "Tell me the truth."
Kazuya's voice was even, there was a hard edge to it, but she knew that he wasn't angry. He had been when he entered the building. She had felt his dark energy immediately but had decided to wait a few seconds before turning to look at him. As he saw her she had felt his mood lighten considerably; that had given her a feeling of victory and had made her heartbeat quicken.
"The truth about what?"
"Why did you enter the tournament? Why did you quit your job?"
Jun took a sip of water from her glass, she set it down then focused on the small, spherical lantern at the center of their table. How to be truthful without sounding like a teenaged girl who has a crush. She hoped that the waitress would arrive with their food quickly so that she could have more time to think of a coherent response. She decided to begin with the easier question first.
"...I quit my job because I asked to be assigned a different case and my supervisor refused."
"Which case was that?"
"Yours," Jun answered even though she was sure he knew.
"Which was?"
Jun was momentarily distracted as she noticed how well the purple shirt fit his muscular frame. Though men were required to wear a jacket inside the restaurant no one had dared mention anything to Kazuya.
Jun inhaled deeply. "To gather evidence to arrest you."
"I thought it was only about a missing kangaroo," he said crossing his arms over his chest, "but you were trying to arrest me?"
"Um...I was only going to ask questions, get a confession maybe. I was really just trying to see if we even had a case."
He cocked his head slightly as his brow furrowed. "So why did you ask to be taken off the case?"
"Because it became a conflict of interest." She felt a warmth spreading from her cheeks to the back of her ears.
"How?"
"You should know." She took another sip of water knowing full well that her blush was unmistakable now. She was also beginning to feel irritated at the way he was making her answer those embarrassing questions.
"I don't."
"Why do you think I'm here?" She avoided his eyes, fixing her gaze out the window again, looking at the countless points of light that tried to push back the night.
"I don't know, why?" Kazuya folded his arms on the table behind an elegant red and black, round platter. He leaned slightly forward, she could sense uncertainty in him and it somehow made her feel more at ease.
She looked into his eyes and felt her heart flutter. "I… want to get to know you…" She said surprised to hear herself say it. "I want to spend more time with you, I…" She stopped as she felt the need to ask her own question. "Wait, why are you here?"
Kazuya leaned back in his chair, a slight smile adorning his face. "Don't turn this around on me."
"That's not fair," she said playfully.
Jun suddenly felt relieved, though somewhat surprised that he didn't seem upset after learning that she had been trying to arrest him.
"Fine," his smile faded again, but his mood remained light. "Answer the other question, why did you enter the tournament?"
She was willing to tell him, planning to tell him, but realized that it was not the right time. It was not a good night to tell him that she was trying to help him rid himself of the demon damaging his soul. She needed to spend more time with him first, she needed to get to know him better, to learn how to best approach the subject.
"Those are my reasons and mine alone. Please respect my answer." She wasn't willing to lie to him, not to anyone if she could help it, but especially not to him. She knew that if he pressed her the night would be ruined, her opportunity to get closer to him perhaps, and that she would have no choice but to accept Angel's aid.
Kazuya sighed. "Fine." She sensed uncertainty again, but his mood didn't darken. She knew that the creature was leaving him be for the moment, it was obvious. "But I want to be clear that this isn't the Olympics, there is no referee and no protective gear, don't blame me if you end up getting hurt, which will undoubtedly happen."
Jun had to use all her willpower to not roll her eyes after being lectured. "I signed the documents, I'm aware of the risks."
"Where did you learn to fight?" He asked her somewhat disinterestedly before taking a sip of water.
"It's more of a self-defense style of martial arts, I wouldn't really call it a fighting style."
"You won't win by blocking." He said with a small shrug.
"It's not blocking, it's-" Jun stopped herself and smiled as she realized how easily he was able to get under her skin. She knew he was doing it intentionally, whether to test her or simply because he liked to annoy her she didn't know. "My father and grandfather taught me," she began again in a calm, pleasant tone, "it is a style unique to our family, it has been passed down from generation to generation, taught to men and women alike. Very few of us have used it to fight, but believe me, just because I don't look for fights it does not mean that you should underestimate me." She looked at him with a confident smile. "I know most will, it will be their mistake and my victory."
She wasn't someone who liked to brag, but at that moment she felt that it was something Kazuya needed to hear. He looked intently at her and she felt her heartbeat accelerate and her cheeks flush again. She wanted to look away, take a sip of water, push a strand of hair behind her ear…anything; but she willed herself to continue to look into those dark eyes. She sensed something different in him, he respected her. There was something else that made her heart flutter yet again, that made her feel confident and self-conscious, elated and scared. It was his desire for her. She had hoped that he shared the same feelings she did, but now that she knew she wasn't sure how to proceed. It was a situation she had never encountered before.
To Jun's utter relief the server, a pretty girl about Jun's age wearing a black and red kimono, arrived with their food. She watched the young woman as she put the tray on a stand next to their table and began to set the two main courses before each of them, beautiful scallops with mushrooms and steamed rice. She began to arrange the small, ceramic bowls and plates with dipping sauces and sides around their plates. Everything looked colorful and too pretty to eat, but what caught Jun's attention was the vegetable side that the waitress set directly in front of her.
"The spinach is lovely," Jun said looking up at the woman, "who's your supplier?"
The young woman smiled, "We get all of our vegetables and beef from small, family farms." She set a black and red teapot at the edge of the table.
Jun suddenly felt that she could enjoy the food without guilt. "I'm very glad to hear that, I wish more restaurants would follow suit."
Kazuya rolled his eyes and scoffed lightly. "They only do that so they can have an excuse to charge higher prices."
The young server looked nervously at him. "Is there anything else I can assist you with at the moment?"
"No," Kazuya said shortly.
"Please let me know if there is anything you need." She said as she bowed deeply, then left them to their meal.
"They don't buy from small farms so that they can charge more." Jun defended.
"Then why?"
"I admit that the prices are a bit higher," she wished that she had not said anything, she realized that she was hungry and she wanted to start eating, "but what you are paying for is high-quality food, not subpar vegetables like the ones I'm forced to buy." The protests at the airport came to mind. "I wonder if their suppliers are being forced to relocate due to the airport construction."
"Does it matter?" Kazuya asked offhandedly. "They'll just find new suppliers."
"It matters." She was bothered by his indifference, by the fact that he gave no thought to the plight of the men and women who worked so hard to provide for their families, for the ones who toiled to serve the expensive food that he ate every day. "It may not affect you, but it's displacing dozens of families."
He sighed, clearly irritated. "They aren't being displaced, they are being relocated, every single one of them is being paid to move."
Jun huffed in annoyance. "They are being forced, forced to leave their homes. It doesn't matter that they are being paid-"
"That is all that matters." He shook his head. "If they don't leave, the airport can't be upgraded and then other protesters will show up to bitch about how overcrowded and inefficient the airport is."
"No," Jun insisted, "these people have been stripped of what was theirs by birthright, of their legacy." She could not believe that their night was about to be ruined by vegetables, but she suddenly felt that she should continue rather than stop. "Someone, an entity, who holds more power than any of them, than all of them put together, decides that it wants or needs what is theirs and they're forced to relinquish it. Yes, I know that a few welcome the change, that they want out of that life, but most were looking forward to passing it on to their children or to receive it from their parents."
She sensed something in him; anger, then guilt, then...sympathy. He had a blank expression on his face but was looking at her, almost as if expecting her, perhaps daring her to continue. "That land should stay in their name, their ancestor's legacy should continue where they want it to continue, it should not be given to someone who will defile it." They were both silent, staring at their food. His mood was slowly darkening and she felt that she had to say something, anything to salvage the evening. "So...where do you buy your vegetables?"
He suddenly looked at her with his brow furrowed, but she was pleasantly surprised that he was keeping the darkness at bay. "That is the second stupidest question you have ever asked me."
"Second stupidest? What was the stupidest question I've asked?"
The slightest of smiles graced his handsome face. "You asked me what I knew about lizards when we first met."
As soft laugh escaped her. "You never did answer," she said as she delicately covered her mouth with her hand. "So what do you know about lizards."
He shrugged. "They're ugly, slimy creatures."
She laughed again, "Please, please open an encyclopedia once in a while, lizards are not slimy."
"I do open encyclopedias quite often," Kazuya defended, "but not once have I ever done so to learn about something as insignificant as lizards."
She picked up her chopsticks and used them to point at him. "You are trying to rope me into another argument, I'm not falling for it. Now let's eat before this amazing food gets colder than it already is."
"After you," he said as he picked up his own chopsticks, she sensed that his mood was light once more.
Jun felt more hopeful than she had since she decided to help Kazuya. Not only had she been able to help him sympathize with the farmers and protesters but now she was certain her feelings for him were not unrequited. And if he cared about her there was the possibility that he would be willing to let her help him. She could do it without Angel's help she was almost certain, she just needed a little more time.
Heihachi Mishima nursed a glass of brandy as he gazed at the city below him from the balcony of his penthouse apartment. Although he would not admit it to anyone he was more irritated than he thought he would be after knowing that Kazuya's kidnapping plot had been successful. The only thing he was able to do was imagine Kazuya seething in his office when he found out that there were over a thousand protesters threatening to ruin his plans. He pictured him brooding at his desk with his brow furrowed and smashing the occasional object against the wall as Lee paced the length of the office… He was still confident that he would win in the end, that had not changed, however, he had been looking forward to seeing his son fail. To see him publicly humiliated or at the very least scrambling to sweep the incident under the rug.
That would have been Lee's job, he was in charge of public relations; it would have been amusing to see him trying to come up with excuse after excuse as he smiled for the cameras. But he knew that behind all of Lee's smiles lay an insecurity that the boy himself didn't know existed, the thought made him chuckle slightly; he knew his sons better than they knew themselves and they weren't even aware.
He turned when he heard the sliding, glass door open behind him. His secretary, Rei Nakano stood wearing very short shorts and a tank top, he swept his eyes over her body before looking at her face.
"There's a call for you from the man who was following your son's girlfriend, and I have some news for you when you're done."
He nodded and entered the luxurious apartment, just because he had been believed dead and was currently working from a cheap, rented office space did not mean that he had to live like a peasant. He walked up to a desk that had various papers and documents scattered about it and picked up the receiver of the telephone nestled between stacks of files.
Heihachi put the receiver to his ear. "Yes, Toshi?"
Toshi got straight to the point. "The girl made an international call from a public telephone."
"Why is that something I need to know?"
"Because from what I was able to find out about her this isn't her usual route, it's actually on the opposite side of the city from where she lives. She just got on the subway that will take her back to her usual stop."
"Anything else?"
"Yes, she told a homeless drunk that someone tried to kill her today and that she just did something terrible."
"Give me the number to the public phone and the address where this happened." That was interesting, Heihachi decided and was curious to know who she had called. Could the young woman be doing something that she didn't want Kazuya to know about? "Call me again if you notice anything else." He said after acquiring the phone number and address from his informant, then hung up.
He turned to his secretary who was sitting on a chair with her legs crossed looking patiently at him. "Find the number to my contact at the telephone company and get him on the phone right away, I think he works the night shift, if not call him at home. I need to know what my potential daughter-in-law has been up to."
He handed Rei a notepad where he had written the address and phone number, she took it and nodded then handed him a paper, Heihachi examined it and saw that it had the name of a hotel and a Hong Kong address.
"What is this?" He asked her.
Rei stood up. "It's the hotel in Hong Kong where your son Lee has been staying for the past two weeks." She said sounding quite pleased with herself.
Heihachi took the chair in front of the desk as a smirk formed on his face. "Nicely done, Miss Nakano, I don't suppose you know what he's doing."
"Not yet," she said as she walked behind him, "but I will tomorrow. I'm going to call the phone company now." She bent down and put her arms around his broad shoulders as she kissed him softly on the back of his neck. "I hope you know I'm charging you overtime for this."
Heihachi chuckled. "I already bought you this apartment, what more do you want?"
"Paid overtime," she smiled as she picked up the receiver and dialed a number.
Heihachi watched her as she made the phone call, amused by her comment. It was not something that he would usually let a woman get away with, but Rei was useful and she knew her place. He wondered if Lee's girlfriend knew her place as well but shook his head as he realized that it was doubtful if she was making secret phone calls in odd parts of the city. Not the type of woman that he would want giving him grandchildren who would one day inherit his empire. Though now it would never happen because Lee was about to pay for his betrayal.
He downed the rest of his brandy as he realized that as much as he would like to blame his current position on Lee, Heihachi himself was responsible for everything that had transpired at the first tournament.
Heihachi had warned Lee that Kazuya had planned to take over the Zaibatsu by killing him and that he was going to use the tournament as a means to achieve his goal. He didn't know if Lee had thought he was serious, but the only fact was that the boy had been too arrogant, he had truly believed that he could beat Kazuya and had thoroughly underestimated him. He would be a hypocrite if he blamed Lee for his arrogance when he was guilty of the same, worse perhaps.
Heihachi had lost himself in the daily ins and outs of running the Zaibatsu and had grown overconfident. He thought that Kazuya's sudden disinterest in acquiring the Zaibatsu was nothing to worry about, that it meant he wanted to separate himself from the Mishima name. All the while Kazuya had molded himself into a hardened warrior for years, competing in martial arts tournaments against the world's best fighters… He had been biding his time and Heihachi had not even suspected. That was it, the part where he went wrong.
He grew too soft and at the same time fed Lee's arrogance to the point where it became a weakness. But his thoughts circled back to the fact that Lee had betrayed him, that was what infuriated him. He would have expected it from Kazuya, they did have their history, but Lee owed him his life, he owed him everything and still, he had betrayed him. Why? Because the boy adapted to survive, it was what kept him alive on the streets and what had helped him to thrive under his wing. In the end, he should have seen that coming too.
"She called someone in Ireland," Rei's voice pulled him out of his thoughts, "Dublin to be exact."
"Dublin is not what I would call exact," Heihachi said irritably.
"Forgive my poor wording," Rei sighed softly, then bowed her head politely. "He will call me within the hour to let us know."
Heihachi looked into the bottom of his empty glass. "Very good."
A father to traitors, to ingrates who had left him for dead. He would take everything back, everything. Even if it meant taking the lives of his sons.
After finishing their meal Kazuya and Jun continued to talk, about high school of all things. It was a somewhat one-sided conversation as Jun did most of the talking with Kazuya asking a few questions here and there. It was the first time in a long time, maybe ever, that he had sat after a meal and simply enjoyed being with another person. He learned a little more about Jun, that she had been involved in the school newspaper and in the gymnastics team. He enjoyed hearing her stories, enjoyed hearing and watching her talk.
He didn't know when it had happened exactly, but ask he watched her tell one of her stories, watched because he was too distracted to hear what she was saying, he had noticed that she had perfectly shaped lips. He blamed it on the sake that he'd had to finish by himself because Jun informed him after he had ordered an entire bottle that she didn't drink. He honestly wasn't surprised.
He admired her courage for entering the tournament and her conviction as she had looked him in the eye and had kept her reasons for entering to herself. He was willing to let her get away with that, but it was something that he wasn't willing to simply ignore, he couldn't trust anyone, not even her… Especially her, someone who made him feel and behave so differently was someone who needed to be watched. He hoped that she had entered the tournament to prove something to herself or for some other misguided reason; he would hate to know that she was lying, planning to betray him… What would he do if that was the case?
"It's getting late." Jun's voice interrupted his train of thought. "I should start heading home."
It wasn't very late, it was close to nine o'clock, but he decided to make no comment and stood up from his chair, she picked up a small, white clutch purse from the table and followed suit. Having already paid for the meal they made their way out of the restaurant and into the elevator in silence. He pushed the button for the lobby and moved to the back of the elevator where Jun was standing.
"So…" She looked at him and smiled shyly, a soft blush gracing her cheeks. "...Do you mind if I stop by your building sometime?" She quickly looked away, he thought it was...cute. He realized that it was the first time that word had entered his thoughts in a context that had nothing to do with sarcasm.
"Why?"
She crossed her arms and fixed her gaze on the panel next to the elevator doors. "I don't know...maybe to have some coffee or...I don't know. You can say no, I'm sure you'll be busy with the tournament preparations."
It amused him to see how she blushed so easily, he had the sudden urge to touch her cheek but remained immobile. "Just call my secretary ahead of time to make sure I'm available." He said casually as the elevator chimed and the doors opened.
"I like her," Jun said as she stepped into the lobby, "she's always very helpful and polite."
Kazuya did his best to bite back a remark about Sayuri. "How are you getting home?" He asked instead. "I can have someone drive you."
She cast down her eyes. "I drove here, I borrowed a friend's car, but thank you." She walked toward the exit and he followed after her. "What do you think that is?" She asked stopping next to the metal sculpture in the middle of the lobby.
He stopped and narrowed his eyes as he looked at the…whatever it was. He wondered if Jun was testing him, but she didn't seem the type to do that.
"The molecular structure of...something," he said shaking his head.
Jun gave a short quiet laugh. "Oh, good," she turned to him and smiled, "I was afraid that it was something only the wealthy could appreciate, some sort of test to see if the rest of us fit in."
Cute. The word popped into his head for the second time; he blamed that on the sake too. "You are much too insecure."
"I'm not insecure," she defended. "Would you mind walking me to my car?" She crossed her arms lightly over her stomach. "It's a couple of blocks down."
"Lead the way."
He followed her out of the quiet, elegant building and into the bustle of the neon-lit street. Though it was late there was no shortage of pedestrians walking on the sidewalk, crossing the street or standing to the side conversing with each other. But Kazuya didn't see them; he only had eyes for her.
He watched the way her white dress changed color with the red, yellow and green lights around them, how it changed from pink to blue as it was bathed in light from a storefront and then another. He watched as her jet-black hair swayed slightly in the breeze. He noticed the goosebumps on her arms and was immediately made aware of the chill that the night had brought with it and wished he had a jacket to offer her. At the same time, he was glad that he didn't because he didn't want anyone to see him doing such a thing. He wanted to take her hand, but that was something else that he was not willing to let anyone see him do.
Jun turned to look at him. "This way." She smiled as she gestured toward the right, he remembered there was a parking lot a short distance away.
It was darker there, no neon, just street lights shining down from poles high above them. Her dress stood out in contrast with the subtle light. Try as he might he was not able to take his eyes off her. She suddenly stopped and he realized that they were in the parking lot next to an old, white, Nissan sedan. There were a few people exiting or looking for their vehicles, but none were within hearing range.
"Here we are," Jun said as she set her purse on the roof of the car and rubbed her arms. "Thank you for agreeing to the meeting, I'm glad we cleared up-"
Kazuya shook his head and laughed lightly. "Meeting?"
"Umm…" Jun shrugged. "What was this?"
"I have meetings every day of the week," he said feeling amused, "not one has been like this, or ended with me walking anyone to their car."
He couldn't see it in the dim light, but he was sure that she was blushing. "...Um…" She looked away as she smoothed down her bangs, he didn't know why, and then adjusted her white headband with her right hand.
He watched his hand reach for hers, but could not believe that he had done it. Her skin was smooth and delicate and he had a hard time imagining someone like her passing all the physical tests required to enter the tournament; he wished that she hadn't. He felt his heart beat faster as he laced his fingers with hers, like a damn teenager, he thought, but he didn't care.
She looked up at him and he met her eyes, those chocolate-brown eyes that made him wish he could stop time and just look at her, hold her. He took a step forward, half expecting her to move away, but she remained still. With his other hand he caressed her silky, black hair, slowly ran his fingers through it and moved closer. He could smell a hint of vanilla in her hair and on her skin and moved his face nearer to hers until her perfectly shaped lips met his.
It began slowly, with him enjoying the closeness, her scent and the softness of her lips; but he soon found himself pulling her against him and running his left hand down her back. He felt her lips part slightly and her fingers move lightly up his arm and onto his shoulder, he responded by kissing her deeply. He felt her take a step back and he moved with her, pulling her body as closely as possible to his. All too soon she broke the kiss and with the palm or her hand against his chest signaled for him to stop.
"I need to go home," she said as she put her forehead lightly on his shoulder.
"You need to go?" He had to ask, though he knew it was for the best.
She nodded against his shoulder then stepped sideways and let go of his hand. "I should." She took the purse from the top of the car and extracted the keys. "Can I come by tomorrow."
"You can, just, like I said, make sure I'm available."
She unlocked the car and opened the door. "Thank you for dinner and…" She cleared her throat. "...Um...Good night."
He nodded then turned and began to walk. It was too bad that she had cut things short, but again, it was for the best. He found himself looking forward to seeing her again, to hearing her defend futile causes, to touching her again.
You can't have both her and power. Devil's voice surprised him, he had not even felt him stir. I'll never allow it.
I already know that. Kazuya was suddenly infuriated.
Then what were you thinking tonight? What exactly are you trying to do? She's already changing you.
She is not! I just want some time. He hated having to negotiate with Devil, as soon as the tournament was over finding a way to suppress him would be his priority. Give me until the end of the tournament.
And then what? Devil asked angrily.
I'll forget about her.
Fine. Devil huffed, But if it goes beyond that I'll be forced to interfere, and trust me when I say that you do not want me to do that.
As he walked back toward the Mishima Building he could feel her touch lingering on his fingertips and a faint tingling on his lips. Until the end of the tournament, and then I'll forget about her. Even in his head it sounded wrong, he knew that he would never be able to forget her...but he would be forced to push her away.
A/N: And finally the day is done! I am actually really excited, I feel like I can move on with the rest of the story, I honestly thought that it could all be tied up in one chapter, boy how wrong I was.
FYI: The errors in Sayuri's phone call are intentional, are meant to convey her difficulty speaking English. If you see others, I apologize for those, I do my best to edit, but I'm sure I miss many of them.
Thank you for reading and thank you so, so much for taking the time to leave your reviews.
