.
(Enemy of my Enemy)
Heads turned whenever she walked; it couldn't be helped. It was her revealing outfits and the natural sway of her hips, it was the confidence that the Irish beauty radiated from her core to her stunning exterior. Anna Williams stepped through the doors of the Mishima Building and removed her sunglasses then slowly put them inside her black, leather purse as the security guards watched her with slight impatience.
"I hope you speak English." She said as she rummaged through her purse without bothering to look up at the guards. "Because I didn't bring my English to Japanese dictionary."
"I do," one of the guards responded. "What business do you have here."
"Oh!" She exclaimed as she found what she was looking for. "I have a lifetime pass." She handed the guard her Mishima Zaibatsu ID.
The man took it and sighed as he examined it. "This expired over a year ago, miss." As he handed it back to her, his partner picked up the receiver of the telephone on a small desk behind them.
She scoffed impatiently and pushed the ID into his hand. "I'm on the list," she didn't want to hurt them, but she was going to get into that building one way or another, she was sure that Kazuya would understand. "I'm going to be your new boss within the hour, so don't make a fuss and let me in."
The man looked as if he didn't know whether to be annoyed or cautious, but he turned to the other and said something in Japanese. The other man put down the receiver and pushed some keys on a computer that looked brand new. They whispered to each other in Japanese as they attempted to enter her badge number into a database. Neither of them looked proficient with the machine.
"My apologies, Miss Williams." The guard handed her back the ID and bowed deeply after finding her name on the list, she assumed. "Please," he opened the door for her, "see the receptionist if you need any help."
"Good boy," Anna smiled and winked eliciting a nervous smile and another bow from the man; she was sure she saw him blush.
Nothing had changed since the last time she had set foot in the lobby, except for the receptionist, who was younger and prettier than the last.
"Good morning, darling." Anna set her purse on top of the desk and opened it to put her ID back inside. "Do you speak English?"
"Yes, how may I help you?" She had an accent but seemed to speak the language well.
She looked the girl up and down, it was a habit she had of checking out potential competition. The girl had a nice figure and judging by the tight, hot-pink dress she was wearing, she was well aware.
"I like your dress," Anna said with a genuine smile, nice figure or not the girl was no competition, if she were she would see it in her eyes.
"Thank you." She bowed deeply exposing an almost excessive amount of cleavage.
Insecure. Anna smiled again as she tucked a strand of short, brown hair behind her ear. "Is Kazuya in?"
"Mr. Mishima?"
And not super bright. "The one and only."
"Yes, Mr. Mishima is in today."
Anna picked up her purse. "Great."
"Wait," the girl began sounding somewhat anxious, "you need an appointment, do you have one?"
She laughed lightly. "Sweetie, I don't need an appointment, but call him and tell him Anna Williams is on her way up, and that I want some coffee. The good kind." She ordered as she began to walk toward the elevators.
She felt a sense of accomplishment as she watched the wide-eyed, young woman pick up the phone. It had been her suggestion that Kazuya hire more English speakers and more attractive personnel wherever they were visible to the public. She entered the elevator and as the doors closed she realized that she forgot to ask the receptionist if Lee was still working from the front of Kazuya's office.
It was strange, he could have had any office in the building to himself but had chosen to remain at a desk without walls to shield him from prying eyes or from Kazuya's outbursts. She had asked him why he didn't just take an office on the same floor, Lee's answer had been that he wanted Kazuya to see that he could trust him, that he was loyal to him. But she knew the truth, it wasn't difficult to guess; Lee wanted to be witness to every visitor and client that Kazuya saw and to hear every phone call that his secretary made. She had always wondered if Kazuya knew, or if he cared. He had a tendency to underestimate people, the lengths at which someone could go if they were pushed too far.
Whenever he perceived a threat he dealt with it swiftly and efficiently, but he was of the mindset that few, if any would dare oppose him or go up against him or that anyone would consider him or herself to be his enemy. He thought they simply feared him. He was right, they did fear him and no, they would not call themselves his enemies...not openly.
Lee was his enemy.
There were no more warm feelings between Lee and Kazuya than there were between Anna and her sister Nina, the only difference was the show of civility that the two brothers put on for everyone, including each other. She hoped that Lee would not act against Kazuya, it would put her in a very unenviable position.
When the elevator arrived at the top floor Anna stepped into the hallway and extracted her compact from her purse. She had not seen Lee or Kazuya in over a year, she wanted to make sure that she looked perfect.
"Sir?" Kazuya heard Sayuri's voice when he picked up the telephone. "I just received a phone call from the receptionist in the lobby, apparently there is a Miss Anna Williams asking for you. She's on her way up right now."
"...Send her in." Kazuya said after a slight hesitation.
He was not expecting her, he had not heard from her in more than a year. For a brief moment he entertained the idea of sending her away; after all she had put him in a difficult position with her sudden resignation. But as he remembered what Bruce had said about hiring a woman he thought that perhaps it was not the best time to hold grudges. And if she was only there to pay him a visit it was best to be civil with her, who knew when one of his missions might require the delicate touch of a woman?
Shortly after Sayuri's phone call, there was a soft knock on the door.
"Come in."
Anna opened the door and stepped inside looking stunning in a short, black skirt, red silk blouse, and black high-heeled boots with fishnet stockings. Only Anna could pull off such an outfit and not look like complete trash.
"You know what I missed the most about Japan?" Anna set her purse on the floor next to the black, leather couch before closing the door, she slowly scanned her surroundings and took a seat without waiting for an invitation.
"What?" Kazuya closed the gray folder on top of his desk that he had been looking through.
"Everyone bowing to me, it makes me feel like a princess."
"What brings you here, your highness?"
"I got a phone call from my Sumo Teddybear." She crossed her right leg over her left in a very lady-like manner. "He said you need me."
He straightened in his chair. "Ganryu called you? When?"
"Yesterday."
He was somewhat bothered knowing that Ganryu still kept in contact with Anna. Granted, he didn't care what he did or who he did it with during his personal time, but the fact that he had spoken with her about Zaibatsu business didn't sit well with him.
"And you were in Tokyo? Why?"
"I was in India last week, but then I thought that your tournament might attract a certain blonde, bitter bitch and I thought, why not fly down to Tokyo just in case?"
He should have known, he was actually surprised that he had not anticipated Anna's arrival since the tournament's announcement.
He relaxed his posture and leaned back in his chair. "Nina hasn't registered."
She sighed. "Well, the tournament is still a few days away."
"What did Ganryu say to you."
"He said that I should come down to see you and ask you if you're in need of my services."
It occurred to Kazuya that Bruce must have mentioned something about needing a woman on the team to Ganryu, he couldn't imagine the sumo having the foresight to contact Anna without getting the idea from someone. It was somewhat irritating to imagine them whispering about him, he wondered what else they said amongst themselves.
You really can't trust anyone.
Kazuya did his best to ignore Devil and focused on Anna once more.
"You're offering your services again? Why?" He wanted her on his team again, that was certain, but he couldn't let her see it.
She shrugged and spoke in a tone that was matter-of-fact. "Because shooting unsuspecting targets in the back of the head gets boring after a while."
"What about your fiance?" Fiance...what a joke. Anna never struck him as the marrying type, he was almost certain that she had only gotten engaged as an excuse for her breakup with Lee. As to whatever really happened between them, he didn't know and more importantly, he didn't want to know.
"That's history," she said dismissively as she examined her red-polished fingernails. "It turns out that the rockstar lifestyle isn't as glamorous as magazines and movies make it out to be."
"So tell me what you want, exactly."
They were interrupted by a knock on the door.
Kazuya sighed in irritation. "Come in."
Sayuri opened the door and pushed a food cart with a stainless steel coffee pot and cups.
"I was told that Miss Williams asked for coffee." She bowed slightly to Anna. "Please let me know if you need anything else." She said before leaving the office.
"That's disappointing," Anna said staring after Sayuri, "I thought for certain that your secretary would speak English."
"She's my secretary, not yours." He laughed lightly, unable to help himself.
"What?"
He gestured toward the door. "The old meets the new."
"You're kidding." Anna furrowed her brow. "He's just sleeping with her, right?"
The fact that she had known exactly what he was talking about meant that it had been on her mind, she had been thinking about Lee the entire time. If there was a fault that he saw in Anna it was the soft spot that she had for Lee.
"Yes," Kazuya said somewhat condescendingly, "just sleeping with her, in their apartment." He wanted to see her reaction, he wanted to make sure that the reason she was there wasn't Lee.
Anna stood up. "I'm glad he moved on." She walked up to the food cart and poured herself a cup of coffee. "I thought he knew better than to shit where he eats but…" She shrugged as she made her way back to the couch.
He chuckled slightly, he genuinely liked Anna, she never minced words and always spoke her mind. "I guess he didn't learn his lesson with you, did he?"
"That's not fair, it doesn't count." She sat delicately on the couch keeping her cup perfectly balanced. "I was with Lee before I started working for you."
"Why are you here, Anna?" He had never been keen on smalltalk or pointless conversations and was beginning to grow tired of taking the long way to get to the point.
She gave him a confident smile. "I want my old job back."
"You can't have it." He wanted to know her motives before agreeing to anything, if there was any possibility that she was there for Lee he didn't want her on his team, no matter how much he needed her.
Yes, Devil hissed, go with the feeling.
She looked taken aback. "Why?"
"Your resignation left me in a very vulnerable position, I was damn lucky that I found a suitable replacement."
Anna raised an eyebrow. "So you need me," she confidently stated.
"No." Kazuya folded his arms over his broad chest. "I needed you and you left me so that you could chase your dream of marrying a rockstar like you were some naive twelve-year-old girl."
Her shoulders visibly fell. "I'm sorry, I regret leaving, what do you want me to say?"
"Regret? I'm disappointed, Anna, I thought you were better than that."
"Yes, you know that human feeling that surfaces when we've made a mistake, haven't you ever felt it?"
"No."
"Never?"
"No."
She scoffed. "Don't sit there looking all superior, it pisses me off. I know for a fact that you regret at least one thing."
"What is that?"
She slowly sipped her coffee then spoke with a smug look on her face. "Not strapping a .45 to your leg and putting a bullet in your father's skull before you threw him off a cliff."
Always telling it like it is. Kazuya shook his head. "There is no honor in that."
Her lips tightened as she shook her head. "Honor, you Japanese and your fucking honor." She sat up straight. "I can be your .45, just like old times. I can do anything that you want me to do, offing that old man won't bother my conscience whatsoever and trust me when I say that you need me."
"What do you mean?"
She sighed as she slightly furrowed her brow. "There are rumors…"
"From?"
"My clients, their friends, it doesn't matter, they're all around. The point is that you're pissing off a lot of people, burning bridges… Now it turns out that your old man isn't dead, who do you think they'll side with? Even if they weren't friendly before they'll side with him if it means taking you down. And do you honestly think that any of them including your father are going to come at you with honor?" She rolled her eyes as she sipped her drink.
"And you want me to what? Apologize to them? Send them a fruit basket?"
"Apologize is a really ugly word, I'm thinking more... make amends, offer a truce…"
She was partially right, Bruce was just one man, he could only be stretched so far, Ganryu could be trusted, but he was not smart enough to be trusted with too much. He had disposable men who could take on his enemies, but those disposable men needed leaders. He did need her.
Yes, add another traitorous bitch to your life.
Anna isn't like that, you know that.
"Fine," Kazuya said despite Devils objection, "I will take you back but only as Bruce's second in command."
"Hmph." She fixed her gaze on the large window behind the desk. "Fine, I'll show you that I'm better than your bitch, by the end of the tournament I'll be your right hand again and he'll be my bitch."
"We'll see." Kazuya picked up the phone and pushed the number to Sayuri's desk. "Call Yamada and tell him to meet Miss Williams in the lobby and give her whatever she needs; she is the acting head of security effective immediately." He hung up after hearing her confirmation.
"Yamada…" Anna mused as she finished her coffee. "He's married, isn't he?"
"I don't care," Kazuya said dismissively. "He'll give you all the access codes you need and will fill you in on what you need to know. Bruce and Ganryu are out of the country for the next couple of days, so I'll expect you to be in charge until they get back."
"Bruce, Bruce, Bruce…" Anna shook her head as she stood up and put her empty cup on the food cart. "He can't be that great." She gracefully bent her knees and picked up her purse. "Admit it, boss… I'm the best you've ever had." She winked seductively and walked slowly toward the door.
Kazuya sighed. "Why do you always have to make everything sound so-"
"Because of that look on your face," she smiled, "like it bothers you, but you don't really know what to say. It makes you… human." She opened the door and stepped out of the office closing it softly behind her.
You are just full of good ideas lately, aren't you? Devil sounded impatient, irritated. Bringing in another woman who loves your brother... When she finds out that you are planning to ruin him, who do you think she'll side with?
She isn't here for him.
Do you honestly believe that she is here for you?
She's here for the unmatched paycheck.
And for the opportunity to be near your brother.
For the opportunity to face off against her sister, to prove that she's better than her at something. Trust me, she loves her rivalry with Nina more than she ever loved Lee.
But she did love him…
Kazuya felt Devil grow quiet, but the quiet left an unsettling feeling in his body, it made his shoulders tense and he felt a slight tingling in the back of his head. He decided to ignore it and tried to focus on his work.
After a strange day at work Sayuri decided to go for a run shortly after returning to her apartment. It was her morning ritual, every day she would wake up at five-fifteen in the morning and begin her jog at five-thirty. On particularly difficult days, which lately had been nearly every day of the week, she liked to go for a second run before dinner to clear her head. Today had definitely been one of those days. She dressed in her running shorts, shoes and a white sweatshirt and she took the elevator to the ground floor. The apartment was in a five story, white, brick building, it was only a few years old and had a very modern design; it was upscale, expensive and in a very desirable and safe neighborhood. The streets were exceptionally well-lit and it was in close proximity to a park, she always felt safe during day or night.
She was fast, but she paced herself as she ran, she saw a couple in jogging gear up ahead of her and a young woman walking her dog as she passed a coffee shop on the right and a grocery store on the left. There were a few more businesses and apartment buildings to pass before she saw the park and made a right turn toward it.
She didn't know how she had been able to get through an entire day of work at such close proximity to Kazuya. She didn't know how she had been able to talk to him and make sure her work was up to his standards without mentioning what she had done the previous night. He had barely looked at her, had not even asked her about Lee's whereabouts; he completely discounted her, did not see her as any type of threat.
Looking at him made her feel sick, especially after hearing about the aftermath of the protest. Four protesters and one officer had been hospitalized and nearly two dozen men and women had been arrested. There had been damage to public and private property and to top it all off construction on the exterior of the airport had been halted indefinitely. Kazuya had not looked bothered by it, she doubted if he even knew. The protesters were nothing to him; they were only there to be utilized and forgotten about… Just as she had been. Insignificant…
Nothing.
She abruptly stopped and forced herself to think of something else. She focused on her breathing, made sure it was even, she had been running faster than she had intended and realized that she had circled the park already. Settling for a slow jog she decided to circle the park once more before heading home.
She switched her thoughts to the strangest event of the day; the return of Anna Williams. The woman had strutted into the office with the same confidence of someone walking into their own living room, not only that but she had arrived practically unannounced, Kazuya didn't let anyone get away with that not Bruce or even Lee. And to name her acting head of security on the spot, she couldn't imagine her doing Bruce's job, but knowing Kazuya he would not have done so if she were not as capable as Bruce. Still, she didn't' know what to make of it, she had thought about telling Lee the news when she spoke to him after her run but decided against it.
There were rumors already. Minori, the cafeteria manager had warned her during her lunch hour that they would start. She had told her that Lee had dated Anna when Kazuya first took over the Zaibatsu and to brace herself for the onslaught of falsehoods and half-truths that she would be hearing soon. Sayuri didn't know what to think, she wanted to say that it wouldn't bother her but…
"Lovely night for a stroll."
She gave a start as she heard a man's voice behind her and turned to look over her shoulder. The man was of Japanese descent, but his accent said that he had been born, or at least raised outside Japan. She nodded curtly and sped up. She looked to the opposite side of the sidewalk and saw two young men walking as well as an elderly woman leaving one of the apartment buildings. Still, she felt a tightening in the pit of her stomach as she continued to run, she considered turning back but she spotted a woman walking briskly ahead of her. She was obviously a foreigner, she could see a long, blonde ponytail bouncing over her dark, leather jacket. She would slow her jog and keep a short distance behind the woman, then turn back when she reached the intersection. She no longer had a desire to circle the park.
"Not only is it a lovely night for a stroll," she heard the man's voice behind her again, "it's perfect for a chat."
The woman in front of her stopped suddenly and turned toward her. Sayuri didn't know what to make of the man behind her, but knew that this was her chance to turn around and so she did. The man stood in her way with a blank expression on his face, Sayuri gasped when she felt a hand on her arm and instinctively shrugged it away and turned to the person. She did not expect to see the young, foreign woman. The woman's light-colored eyes were cold and authoritative as she took Sayuri by the arm again and guided her in the direction of the park.
"Don't make a fuss, we're all friends here." The man spoke with a smile that did not reach his eyes.
The woman was roughly the same height and body shape as sayuri and her hands looked small and delicate, but her grip was tight. She reminded her of Bosconovitch's bodyguard and she began to feel a slight tingling on her temple. With her heart racing and her throat tight, Sayuri walked into the deserted park with them knowing that she had no choice.
"Let's have a seat." The man gestured toward an empty bench and the woman pulled Sayuri to sit with her as he casually stood next to the bench lighting a cigarette. To passersby it would look like nothing more than a man chatting up two pretty girls.
"Who killed Desmond Mullen?" He asked nonchalantly after taking a long drag from his cigarette.
For an instant she wondered if they were working for Kazuya, testing her somehow, but quickly realized that it was impossible.
"...Kazuya Mishima." She hesitated not because she didn't want to say his name but because her mouth and throat had gone dry and she found it difficult to speak.
"Are you certain?" He asked through another false smile.
"Yes."
"Who else?" She was startled to hear the woman ask in English, her voice was soft, almost gentle. The streetlight above them gave the woman's face a subtle glow that accentuated her beauty… There was something familiar about her.
"Um…"
The man took another drag from his cigarette then exhaled. "Who was the triggerman?"
Sayuri assumed that he must have mistaken her hesitance with a lack of understanding of the English language, but in reality she was trying to figure out what to say. She knew that it had been Ganryu, it was what she had surmised after hearing him talking to Bruce outside the locker room...but she couldn't bring herself to name him.
"I don't know," she met the man's eyes, "he has so many men to do his bidding that it would be impossible for someone like me to know."
The man shrugged seemingly accepting her answer. "She says she doesn't know." He told the woman in English.
"I suppose you're here on behalf of…" She hesitated unsure whether or not she should ask, "...of Mr. Mullen?" The man nodded as his eyes narrowed slightly. "How do you know who I am? How did you find me?"
He chuckled lightly. "You work for the most powerful man in Japan, you're his secretary, not his hired assassin, it's public knowledge. As for where to find you, the address was easy, your exercise habits...let's just say you might want to hire a cleaning woman who doesn't like to talk quite so much. She said that you've been running almost every night, which means you're stressed."
"But she only cleans our apartment on Mondays, how did-"
"We're professionals."
Sayuri sighed, not wanting to know any more she decided to cut the conversation short. "Is that all you wanted to know?"
"Tonight, yes." He dropped his cigarette butt onto the grass and didn't bother to crush it, Sayuri fixed her gaze on the tiny orange embers and watched as they were quickly snuffed out by the breeze. "There will be a banquet the night before the tournament, is that correct?"
"...Yes." Sayuri herself had been charged with overseeing the preparations.
"Have blueprints of the Mishima Building as well as Mr. Mishima's tournament schedule ready for us on the morning of the banquet when you go out for your run." He said it as if he were asking for an extra printout of a tournament flyer.
"How am I going to get that?" Sayuri felt nauseous, there was no way to obtain blueprints of the building with arising suspicion.
He shrugged. "You're the one on the inside."
"What if I'm not able to-"
"Miss Yoshida," The man interrupted, "Mr. Mullen truly appreciates this closure that you are about to bring him. I know him well and I know that he would like the innocents in this, people like you and like me, to come out of this unscathed. And the only way that it will happen is if you give us what we need so that we may enact justice."
Sayuri's heart beat faster and louder than it had while she was running, she was almost certain that the woman sitting next to her could hear it, could feel her fear, and she didn't dare look at her.
Does that mean she's here to kill Kazuya? "...Un-unscathed?" She asked for lack of something to say.
"Yes, once this is all over we all go home and move on with our lives, with the exception of Mr. Mishima, of course."
"What about me?"
"What you do with your life is not my concern."
"N-no...I mean…"
He chuckled slightly. "You mean, what will Mr. Mullen do to you?" She cast down her eyes. "He will give you his utmost gratitude for helping bring the man who murdered his brother to justice. This isn't the movies, Miss Yoshida, and we aren't the mob, Mr. Mullen is just trying to right a wrong and make the world a better place in the process. As long as you keep quiet you have nothing to fear."
"Are we done?" The woman's impatient voice beside her took her by surprise.
The man nodded and the young woman stood up. "Please have those items ready on the morning of the banquet. And this goes without saying, but if we see each other, you don't know us and we don't know you."
Sayuri felt a chill run through her as she watched them walk away. The innocents in this, the man's words rang in her head. She wondered if he said that to make himself feel better or if he truly believed it, but she didn't know the man, maybe he was only a translator. She on the other hand… She was going to be complicit in a murder, there was no way to put a positive spin on it.
She felt dizzy for a moment and closed her eyes. Lee would be home in less than twenty-four hours, everything would be better then; he always made her feel better no matter the circumstances. But if he knew that she was plotting to have his brother murdered…
I'll take it to my grave.
No matter what happened between her and Lee, whether they broke up as soon as he returned or spent the rest of their lives together it was something that he could never know.
"This is utterly embarrassing." Heihachi shook his head as he looked at a photo of Sayuri Yoshida with a sparkling crown on her head and a bouquet of roses in her arms. "This little girl has bigger balls than my own son." He flicked the picture onto his cheap, wooden desk where it landed face down.
"Someone like her," Rei Nakano set her notepad on the desk and reached over to pick up the photo, "she was undoubtedly backed into a corner, she used the only weapon she had. It doesn't make her bold or brave, it only means that she's desperate."
He believed it. Desperate was definitely the correct word. Still, the fact remained that a young woman who was not trained in any fighting art, was trying to find a way to rid herself of Kazuya, for whatever reason, it didn't even matter. It was not something that he knew for a fact, but after connecting all the dots it was the conclusion that he had come up with.
After being on the phone with his contacts in Dublin the entire day, they had informed him that Braden Mullen had received inside information confirming his suspicions; that Kazuya had been responsible for the murder of his older brother Desmond Mullen. The younger Mullen had mobilized his men and sent his best to Tokyo immediately with the task of eliminating Kazuya. If Heihachi had to guess he would wager that they would make their attempt during the tournament, that the assassin would take advantage of the distraction to make his move.
"That is what Lee should be doing," Heihachi slammed his fist on the desk, Rei didn't blink or flinch. "I told him that if Kazuya took over he was to take the Zaibatsu back from him using any and all means, and what does he do? Not only does he betray me by siding with his brother, he sits back and watches as Kazuya runs the Mishima empire into the ground." He threw his arms up in frustration. "Not only that, but he's starting his own company knowing full well that Kazuya's days as CEO are numbered."
"With all due respect," Rei began gently, "you don't know for a fact that Lee knows his brother's days are numbered, if this new company he's starting is only a backup plan-"
Heihachi pointed his finger at her. "That, in and of itself is the problem. If he wants to entertain himself with that little robot hobby of his he should be able to use the Zaibatsu's resources to do it. If Kazuya refuses to let him he should make sure that Kazuya is no longer a problem." He sighed wearily. "But no, his girlfriend is taking care of the problem for him, whether he's aware of it or not isn't the issue."
Rei picked up her notepad and pencil, he knew that she was as tired as he was; it was already dark outside and she had been at the office with him since six in the morning. "What is our next course of action then? Do you want me to look into Lee's investors?"
Heihachi waved a hand dismissively. "There's no need."
Rei straightened herself in her seat. "But he's leaving Hong Kong tomorrow. If you want to sabotage his new company this is the perfect time to strike."
"How many new companies conceived and led by twenty-somethings do you think are able to survive the first year?"
"I don't know."
"The answer is not enough for me to worry about." He chuckled. "Mark my words, by this time next year Lee will have filed for bankruptcy. I actually relish the thought of him seeing his dreams crumble slowly, it's the least he deserves. I want the feeling of failure and powerlessness to eat him alive, I want him to watch everything that he worked for, everything that he's worth evaporate in front of him." Rei shifted uncomfortably in her seat and cast down her eyes.
One son dead and the other destitute… Possibly dead as well. Not a good track record, Heihachi knew, but at least he would be leading his empire into a new age of greatness. It would be a monumental task. His first order of business would be to purge every employee that had been loyal to either Kazuya or Lee, while launching an aggressive PR campaign that would restore the honor to the Mishima name. The people would want more than empty words and promises, they'd want action, they would want to see the Zaibatsu involved in charitable work and education programs. Maybe he could build a school. He would have to get the board of directors on his side before his take-over…
"Well, then," Rei's voice interrupted his train of thought. "If you're not interested in interfering with your son's plan, what's next step?"
"Call the hotel where Lee is staying, I want them to deliver a message to him, then we'll go home for some well-deserved rest."
On the morning of his last day in Hong Kong Lee stepped out of the shower feeling a combination of euphoria and anxiety. Everything was ready, his company was set to begin production on industrial robot arms. They already had a few contracts with local companies and once they were able to build a reputation the contracts would be coming from international companies as well. Perhaps by then he would be able to merge his company with the Zaibatsu; if he could win the tournament and… If he didn't have his father or brother trying to sabotage him. That was the part that made him anxious, he had not been able to stop thinking about it since his meeting with Wang Jinrei, that even after he won the tournament he would have the two Mishimas to contend with.
Maybe they'll kill each other. He thought as he dressed in a light gray suit and immediately shook his head at the thought, it was awful, no matter what they had done they were his family, the only family he had.
He would have to do something to keep Heihachi and Kazuya at bay, tighten security first of all, hire an elite few who could help guarantee his safety and a goddamn army to guard every piece of property that was under his name. Perhaps he could hire Anna, put the past in the past and rely on her contacts and her skills. It was true that she had been loyal to Kazuya as his head of security, his employee, but Lee knew that if she had to choose only one of them to help he would always come out the winner. The fact that she had ended their relationship didn't matter.
He buttoned his white shirt and walked to the closet as he finished tucking it into his waistband. He removed the gray jacket from its hanger as well as a lavender tie and laid them out on the bed. He glanced at the digital clock on his bedside table and saw that it was ten after five, he had time to eat before leaving for the airport. As he walked over to the desk to use the telephone and order breakfast, something on the floor in front of his door caught his eye.
It was a sealed, blank envelope. Someone had obviously slid it under while he slept, maybe while he was in the shower. After some trepidation he picked it up and opened it, there was a seemingly blank sheet of paper folded inside, but as he pulled it out and unfolded it he saw that it had a sentence written in Japanese script.
Kazuya Mishima will not live to witness the conclusion of the King of Iron Fist Tournament.
There was nothing else written, no heading on the paper, no signature...nothing. Panic ran through him and he rushed to the telephone quickly picking up the receiver, ready to dial Kazuya's number. He watched his finger hover over the first number, seconds passed and he had not moved a muscle. A very strange feeling had wormed itself into his very being, though he couldn't say what it was. After a very short contemplation he set down the receiver, then with slow, heavy steps made his way to his bed and sat on the edge.
He wanted to think logically about the situation, he had no way of knowing if what the note said was true or if it was someone's twisted idea of a joke. It was certainly possible that someone was trying to kill Kazuya, he had no shortage of enemies, his rise to power had been at the expense of many ties and partnerships that had once been vital to the Zaibatsu. If it was true, who would warn him? Why? And why leave a note for Lee and not warn Kazuya himself?
He had no answers, the only thing that was certain was that he possessed the most powerful piece of information he'd ever had.
He suddenly identified what he was feeling; yearning. He saw himself as head of the Zaibatsu, it was something that he had longed for since Heihachi had signed the papers that gave him the same rights as his biological son; it was what Heihachi had groomed him to do. Heihachi had planned for him to lead the Zaibatsu, and he had wanted it too, not because it was his father's desire but because it was his. He wanted to lead, he wanted the world to see that he could be a better leader than both his father and his brother, that he could restore honor to it, stop the illegal activities and begin a new era of excellence. The Zaibatsu was meant to be his and Kazuya had taken it away.
This was his opportunity to take it for himself.
That was the entire point of entering the tournament, for Lee to come out the victor so that he could take ownership of the Zaibatsu. It was what Wang Jinrei wanted and was willing to help him do, Jinpachi Mishima himself would have approved. Heihachi's own father had asked his best friend to kill his son for him so that the Zaibatsu could be steered in a different, more benevolent direction.
If Lee kept quiet, he wouldn't be complicit in a murder, he would be letting nature run its course; karma get its due. He would do the world a favor.
He took his cigarette lighter from the top of the bedside table and picked up the empty ice bucket from the floor. He then put the note back in the envelope and flicked on the lighter, he lit the corner of the envelope and dropped it into the bucket. As he watched it burn he realized that he was more of a Mishima than he would ever admit.
A/N: First of all I want to say thank you to everyone for reading and especially to those of you who have taken the time to review. Blackwings and PinkRedRose, I'm glad to have you on board, Carolina, thank you so much for your continued support. Thegirlwhocriedsheep, thanks for reading, I share your hatred for Heihachi :) Lethal Lollipop, I really appreciate your constructive criticism, part of why I'm doing this is to improve, so I'm grateful that you took the time to let me know that I need to work on something. I've doubled my efforts to find those pesky typos, so I hope there are less.
Yes, that was Nina that met with Sayuri, I know she's a favorite, but unfortunately I can't delve into her story, she will play her part, but I really can't afford to add any more characters. I feel that if I do, the story will lose focus and become too big for me to control.
I hope you all enjoyed it, please let me know what you think. Thanks so much!
