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The Angel Within
Chapter Seven: Emotional Breakdowns
[Day 7]
Sunday, 21:02 UTC (16:02 in local time)
Somewhere in the state of Amazonas, Brasil
Although a rainy and cloudy sky would be the usual norm in the great Amazon forest by this time of the day, today the sun had been blessed by the absence of clouds. The vast turquoise sky caresses Julia's vision tenderly as she follows the other trackers by the stone riverbank. The temperature is warm, as the sun shines brightly and the forest echoes the heat, but the air is humid, just as it should be.
The explorers are following a sound trail for about a few minutes now. I wonder how the world is reacting to the news, Julia thinks, holding the urge to smirk as she maintains her pace. According to our plans, the announcement must've been done yesterday morning. She almost trips on a rock, thanks to her distraction. I don't remember Anna, or anybody for that matter, warning Kazuya about it. Strange. She frowns, both because of her thought and the sun that she is looking directly at. She changes her gaze to the floor, aiming to avoid any more rocks. Maybe we're not able to be contacted here. I don't see why there would be a mobile signal reception antenna in the middle of the forest, though. At least not here specifically – there aren't any cities near this area.
Suddenly, Kazuya and the other man in front of Julia stop, and she follows suit. She sees that they have reached a waterfall. However, under there, beside the continuation of the river, there are some indigenous people fighting. Julia and the group hides behind some rocks to see that instead of fighting each other, the members of the opposite tribes are all being massacred by a single person.
Frowning slightly, Julia leans a bit more to get a better view, only to see that the individual is a woman, identifiable thanks to the body curves. Julia frowns further as she sees that the person is not wearing any clothes, and her body parts are covered in what could only be described as mud, that sometimes seems to be blue, and in others purple. At least in the back, the part visible to Julia in the woman's current position, the mud covers the individual from the feet until just above the butt, besides the forearms.
In the woman's upper right arm, there is a black tattoo of a drawing Julia is sure that she has seen somewhere else, but she can't recall where. The woman also has shoulder-length raven black straight hair, which floats freely as she moves, matching with the perfectly executed fighting techniques that go from exotic cartwheels to spinning punches and kicks.
If all that wasn't odd enough, there is some sort of light blue fog behind the woman, like it is a hologram. At first, Julia is not able to understand what exactly it is, but as the woman keeps on attacking the indigenous people, she is able to percept that the blue fog seems to be some sort of creature that moves similarly to the woman. Paying further attention, it actually seems to be the opposite – it is as if the woman is being guided by the fog, like she is a dead puppet controlled by invisible strings. The woman doesn't look far away from dead though, at least on her skin color – it is paler than what is considered healthy.
The woman performs several strong attacks on the natives, regardless of tribe, and it doesn't take long for them all to be either dead or running away. In front of Julia, a tall black man nods to Kazuya as Kazuya nods back over his shoulder and then turns to eye the woman again.
Suddenly, taking everyone aback, the woman comes to an abrupt stop and rapidly turns directly to see the group, with a maniac grin on her face. Her googly eyes are piercing gold. In the front part of her body, now visible, the purple mud covers her all the way from her feet until her breasts.
What happens next is even more frightening. At the woman's gaze, Kazuya instantly falls to his knees and screams as his hands are holding his head. The rest of them cover their ears instinctively, including Julia. Although Julia is scared, she forces herself to keep her eyes open, and realizes everybody else is doing and feeling pretty much the same. Kazuya screams like there is no tomorrow, no voice box, no one else around, no universe, nothing. Describe the scream as 'deafening' would be underestimating it. The volume is absurdly loud and… inhuman. Julia widens her eyes as she comes to this realization.
It is not Kazuya who's screaming – it is the Devil. As each second passes, more dark purple, blue and green scales grown on the creature's body as he writhes himself on the ground. He seems to be in severe pain. The woman down the waterfall doesn't move for a second, and watches it all like a statue, with her wild smirk intact. The Devil then, suddenly, simply rises and flies always as fast as he can.
After a second of mutual astonishment coming from everybody, the tall black man in front of Julia speaks up with an authority-like voice. "What are you waiting for?! Go!" As he says so, all of the soldiers behind Julia promptly jump down. Julia is taken aback and falls on her butt. She is still too much in shock from what has just taken place.
As she starts standing again she sees that the fellow archeologists have also gone and are holding guns. She frowns. Wait a minut… Then it hits her. It has never been about a stupid treasure. It has always been about… this! She angrily curses herself on her mind for being so stupid and blind as she watches the soldiers confront the woman. She is strong, way too strong. Probably the strongest person Julia has ever seen. That is, if that thing is human.
Julia spends the following very long minutes in astonishment, hiding behind the rock. Below, the only ones standing right now are the black man and the purple mud woman. Julia starts breathing heavily, trying to gain her focus back. I have to do something. Carefully putting her backpack aside, she slowly gets closer to the waterfall border, still crouched. She waits for a good opportunity. When the woman is right below her, she jumps and his the woman with all her body weight.
The woman is quite affected by the attack, and looks around confusedly after getting up. That is a window of opportunity for the black man, who angrily punches the woman's face and head with all his strength many followed times. Although the woman is very fast herself, the surprise element helped Julia and him enough.
The unknown woman falls on her back, but gets up quickly and charges instantly, running in the direction of the black man. Taking a closer look, Julia is able not only to see that the fog behind the woman is some sort of wolf, but also that it looks very, very angry. Oh-oh.
The unknown woman hits him with a strong flying kick that sends him away. Julia takes advantage of the fact that the woman's back is facing her and performs two spinning kicks with the right leg, one being high and the other being low, closing the combo with a left hand slash uppercut that sends the woman flying.
By that, the black man is already beside Julia. "Sorry, but do I know your name?" She says.
"Bruce Irvin." He finishes the dialogue as they quickly prepare to attack the woman who has just gotten up.
The unknown woman comes running at Julia's direction, but Bruce performs his Cyclone Kick and sends her backwards again. The unknown gets up and runs towards Bruce this time, only for Julia to make a Triple Spinning Kick, once more sending the unknown backwards.
This time, after Unknown gets up, she doesn't run after any of them. Instead, she starts circling them, and the duo does the same. After a while, Julia attempts to make a Palm Explosion, a move consisting of a spin followed by strong hit of the palm. However, the woman makes a Saiuntsui, which is pretty much a frontwards somersault, hitting Julia with her feet as they come down.
Following Julia's fall, Bruce comes running after Unknown, but before he's able to try anything, he is paralyzed by… the air? He is floating, and around him there seems to be some sort of rush of air raising him. He is not able to move much, but manages to slowly turn his face to the direction of the woman again, only to see some sort of giant hand, made of the same purple mud of the woman's body, raising from the ground and coming down at him with mighty power.
Julia gets up, there is a small window for her to attack Unknown as the latter gets back on her fighting stance. Since there is not much time, Julia performs the first technique that comes to her mind. It is rather a simple one, a combo of both hands that results in three high punches, the last one pushing the enemy away.
Julia gets back on her stance in front of Bruce, in an attempt to protect him as he struggles to get up. Unknown in front of her also gets up, and both ladies study one another.
Julia takes the opportunity to try to distract the enemy. "Well woman, who are you?!" She asks loudly. The woman grins widely, just like she had done before, but doesn't give an answer.
"Who are you?!" Julia asks louder, eyeing the blue fog behind the woman.
"I am the Forest Demon, and you shall get out of my way!" The voice actually sounds like many put together, and the result is low and distorted. It is clear that it is actually the wolf spirit talking, and the result voice is his 'interpretation' of the woman's original tone, whatever it originally sounds like.
After saying that, Unknown does a combo of four hits, consisting a low roundhouse kick of the right leg, followed by a hit of the left hand as she completes the spin, then a punch of the right hand and finished by a right-legged roundhouse kick as she suddenly starts spinning in the opposite direction – although Julia doesn't know, the technique is named White Heron Dance. It sends Julia backwards.
During their dialogue, Bruce had already gotten up, but was hiding behind Julia. As she flies, he sidesteps and simply makes a very strong kick with his right leg, hitting the unknown woman on her face, a move called Cobra Sword. Unknown falls at his feet.
Julia comes by his side and makes a move that raises Unknown in the air. As if they had previously combined the move, both start makes series of combos, never letting Unknown go back to the ground. They harmoniously perform many punches and kicks pushing her in the same direction, until both finish it by sending her flying backwards. The outcome is strong and she only comes to a stop when she hits a tree on the other side of the river. The sound echoes in the forest, and she collapses on the ground right after.
Bruce gets out of his fighting stance, and Julia was about to do the same when she confusedly stopped on her tracks. The wolf creature is nowhere to be seen. Unknown puts her hands on the river and starts raising herself. By that move, Bruce and Julia are on their fighting stances again. Unknown suddenly raises her head and smirks as the water around her turns dark and her raven black hair turns white, the color spreading through her bangs as if someone had dropped paint on a cloth. She quickly gets up on her own fighting stance, and the once blue-purple mud is now bronze.
Slowly, the duo walk towards Unknown, and she walks towards them, until they all stop when everybody is closer, yet with a safe distance still present, as they stand on some rocks disposed over the river. The only hearable sound now is the waterfall.
All of a sudden, Unknown performs two punches – each of her hands striking one of her opponents – and about three or four enormous thorns raise from the ground, hitting both.
They struggle to get up and Unknown allows them to do so. However, she gives them no time afterwards and instantly performs a backwards cartwheel and raises thorns of the same fashion again.
The process repeats itself for a while, with Unknown always starting a combo and finishing it with the thorns.
The process is only broken when Julia lets Bruce rise first, and as Unknown starts an attack against him, Julia crouches and makes a Slow Power Punch Combo, consisting of a right hand punch in the stomach and a left hand uppercut. The technique sends Unknown up in the air. As she raises, Unknown has no time to do an attack and meets both of Julia's hands as she does the Angry Bull, which is simply a hard push. The strike sends Unknown too far away for Julia to attack again, so she keeps herself in her position as Bruce gets on his fighting stance beside her.
Unknown comes running to their direction, and both start a back attack. However, that was exactly what Unknown wanted, and she simply stops in the middle of the run, leaving a safe distance between her and her opponents. As they take their time to go back to their stances and tentatively take a step backwards, she performs the Shinki on Julia, quickly followed by a Minazuki on Bruce.
Although none of them know the names of the techniques, they experience their power. The Shinki is a hard punch on the stomach, as some white luminous balls circle Unknown, sending Julia backwards. The Minazuki is a middle kick of the left leg after she spins and crouches, doing the strike with her back facing the opponent, a hit that sends Bruce flying as well.
Julia, as the first to be hit, is the first to get up, only to meet with Unknown's feet as she performs the Double Lift Kicks followed by a series of strikes, the combo never letting Julia land until it is properly finished with a harder blow. Unknown senses the other opponent charging at her with full speed, to which she responds by simply crouching and doing a Sumiregari, hitting him in the calves with both palms as she takes one of his legs and pushes it as she walks frontwards, taking him of his feet, and now she is standing behind him.
Bruce quickly gets up and performs a Triple Kick Rush, followed by his classical and very strong Gatling Kicks on her face, taking Unknown's balance. Unknown gets up making a Moon Scent and raises some thorns. He proceeds to stand and performs a combo of his own, and the process repeats itself, each time with difference techniques coming from both.
Julia is fallen a bit far away from both now. She is facing the waterfall, and notices that her backpack has fallen, and is now completely opened over a rock by her right, a couple of steps away. What has made her notice it was her pendant, actually. It's like it is… pulsing. That's the only way it could be described. And that's what made Julia turn her head. She crawls to its direction and grabs it. Putting it on her neck, but hiding it under her shirt, she stands and discreetly walks towards the fight, semi-crouched.
As Unknown is distracted attacking Bruce, Julia cuts her opponent's combo in the middle by performing a Double Sweep, hitting her twice with the leg while spinning in a crouch. The spots hit by Julia stay white for a millisecond before going back to the bronze color. However, it goes unnoticed by both Julia and Bruce, as they concentrate on the enemy rising from the ground.
Unknown gazes at Julia with a bitter expression and charges at her full speed, making series of furious combos that seem to never stop. After longer than Julia wished, they stop, thanks to Bruce who finally gets a suitable window for him to hit the enemy with a strong right knee in the face.
Unknown forces herself to get up rather quickly, but instead of attacking Bruce, she charges against Julia again. Before she is able to start a combo, however, Julia makes a Heaven Shatter Kick, a simple roundhouse kick of the right leg, hitting Unknown on the face and sending her backwards. Since Julia is too weakened for now and too far away from the woman, she keeps herself on her spot. Bruce, however, takes the lead and performs a Slash Kick, creating distance between the woman and Julia.
He keeps on trying to distract Unknown, but she always seems to aim Julia, only to be taken off balance again by Bruce. She grows angrily tired of it and makes quite a gracious looking technique, a backwards cartwheel-alike move called Moon Scent, hitting him with her feet as she lays on the ground again, only to make four Leg Cutters, which are basically spinning kicks while crouched, proceeding then to finish the attack with two semi-cartwheel high hits named Twin Cloud Kicks.
As Bruce is taken off balance, Unknown turns to Julia's direction, only to be met with Julia's feet instead of attacking her, flying backwards thanks to the air kick. As Unknown hits the tree she had hit earlier, Julia performs series of combos to keep her on the tree, never letting Unknown move, pinning her to the dark wooden trunk. Julia starts to grow tired quite quickly, but that's because she's doing all of her faster combos aiming not to give Unknown not even a millisecond of window to attack, besides the fatigue accumulated from the whole battle plus the whole day of forest trekking.
She only forces herself to stop when she finally realizes that every hit leaves a temporary white mark on Unknown's bronze mud, as if it had been burned. Julia is astonished to see such a thing, and she can't help but kneel in tiredness when she stops, and Unknown falls at Julia's feet. Since it is a demoniac being, or at least controlled by one, the woman does not look like she is going to faint or die – because as Julia had already noted, the woman already appears to be dead somehow – but she is clearly to beaten to make any reaction now.
When Unknown's head touches Julia's knees, the pendant starts pulsing even stronger. Sensing it, she takes it out of her neck, since it was practically hurting her, the object beating almost like a heart on her right hand. As she brings it closer to Unknown, it manages to pulse even harder, repeatedly and unstoppably. Julia frowns and does the unthinkable – she puts the necklace on the woman.
When she does so, some sort of shock pulse is emitted by the collar, sending Julia backwards and, at the same time, raising Unknown to her knees. The woman releases a cry as white luminous balls leaves her through her mouth and revolve around her, each of them portraying different and not understandable images. Julia and Bruce watch in astonishment. The woman then releases a stuttered half-gasp half-cry noise, then a haunting growl of agony as her eyes lose their glow, quickly followed by a close of eyelids, and she falls hard on the river, facing the waterfall as her right ear touches the ground, her black tattoo disappearing.
Gradually, the water washes the bronze mud of her body and the white color of her hair away. When she is completely nude, a very torn and dirty short once beige dress appears on the woman's body, accompanied by some grimy white bandages on her legs.
Bruce and Julia are sitting on some rock, breathing heavily, eyeing each other, then the woman. The process repeats itself for a long period until Julia speaks up. "What do we do now?"
After a minute, Bruce answers. "We take her." After another minute, he speaks up again as he gets up. "Keep an eye on her."
After the pain in the ass she was, I would never keep my eyes off of her. Julia curses on her mind. That was definitely the strongest person and most skilled fighter Julia has ever seen. Julia is sure the woman is/was a fighter. I mean, okay, she was being controlled by a demon, but I'm sure it was the 'Forest' Demon, and not the 'Fighting' Demon. Those are probably the woman's moves, whoever she is, or was. Julia knows they were lucky, though. The things that led to Julia and Bruce's victory were only three: firstly, the fact that thanks to basic math, two is a bigger number than one; secondly, they are quite skilled fighters themselves as well; thirdly, Julia managed to pin the woman against a goddamn tree. Yet, they had been beaten up bad as well. The Mishimas? Pfft, baby's play close compared to her, she continues her thinking.
After what she has assumed to be a few minutes, Bruce sits beside her again, throwing her backpack rather carelessly towards her as she gets a cellphone in what she presumes is Bruce's backpack. He moves his arm around for a moment, trying to find service on his mobile phone, but fails miserably. He puts it back on the bag and searches for something else, eventually getting a paper map out of it.
"We'll have to carry her until a nearby town." He says in a monotone voice.
"What?!" Julia gasps loudly.
Before she's able to ask him if he's kidding, he speaks up again. "There is no other way."
They keep eyeing the unconscious woman on the ground for some minutes. Although completely beaten, messed up and motionless, her beauty still overshadows it all. Under the dirt, there is a porcelain white face of gracious features, accompanied by dusky bangs and a delicate skin. One could say there are many pretty woman in this world, and if that's really so, this woman must be from an outer planet, because her beauty is extraordinary. Not even Bruce, a man who's not of such attitude and personality, can't help but look at her rather dreamily. However, he suddenly gets up as he realizes something: none of them checked if the woman is really dead.
He searches for pulse, and is surprised to feel one. He allows himself to widen his eyes a bit before speaking to Julia, although not turning to her as he does so. "She's alive."
Julia widens her eyes as well, also frowning. She gets closer to the woman and leans her body on the tree she had been beaten on, pulling some strands of hair away from her cheeks. As both analyze her face, something inside Bruce, most likely his guts, try to tell him that he has already seen that woman somewhere, but the idea is so absurd and ridiculous that he ignores it without any doubts, pushing it aside completely.
"We should tie her up." Julia says in low volume, a slight tone of guilt on her voice. She doesn't like cruelty. However, self-defense should always come first, and if the woman had been dangerous once, she easily could be again.
Bruce doesn't answer. He simply takes some steps backwards, and comes back after short seconds with a rope. "This is all I have." He says as he starts biding her limbs.
"It's still better than nothing." Julia says as she gets her backpack. When Bruce finishes, he puts the woman leaned on his right shoulder. Instinctively, Julia picks his backpack. He nods once to her, and turns, walking through the riverbank, followed by Julia, leaving the dead bodies of natives and soldiers behind them without thinking twice.
Although they're beaten to the core, they force themselves to travel as much as they can before the night hits the sky. Bruce would keep a compass on his free hand as the other would be holding the woman on his shoulder. Every now and then, they would make a quick pause only for Bruce to sit for a minute to rest his back as he would eye the paper map again, marking it with a simple pencil in every of their stops. Julia would also rest her back – although the bags were lighter than the woman, that didn't mean they weren't heavy – and also calmly clean her glasses every now and then. Now it was safe to use them, anyway. Whenever they would get up to continue, Bruce would always put the woman on the opposite shoulder, and hold the compass on the other hand.
The process repeated itself for a while until the bright blue above them was replaced by a pitch black view full of stars. Around that time, they couldn't take it anymore. Both were close to faint. Bruce tied up the woman on a tree in a last effort to keep themselves safe as both were too tired to guard during the night. They use their hard bags as something to elevate their heads from the ground, although it is very uncomfortable. In the current situation, however, it feels like floating on clouds, and they instantly fall asleep, embraced by the fatigue and the darkness.
…
Julia opens her eyes, and the blurry sight burns her pupils. Good morning, sun, she thinks angrily, referring to the sun as if it was an enemy of hers, as she lazily scratches her eyes. She then stretches her body in a silent yawn, although an unconscious gasp leaves her mouth. She slowly gets up and puts her back on a tree by her left, and let her eyes adjust as she looks to the ground. When they do so, she picks up her bag and grabs her glasses, placing them carelessly on her face. She is stinky and sweating, thanks to the hot temperature of the equatorial climate zone the Amazon forest is situated in. She unties her braid and makes a bun to avoid having her hair glued on her neck. Her shirt is almost soaking. But she couldn't care less about that. Shower is not a basic need.
That instantly leads her to think of how much her mouth and throat are dry. She gets the small bottle out of her backpack and lazily gets the map from Bruce's bag. He's still asleep. The last point marked on the map is where they are now, and she realizes that they're actually not too much far away from the town. She sighs in relief. There is also a nearby lake, which should be about ten minutes of walking from here.
Since going there alone would be a completely imprudent decision, she puts the items back on their respective bags and touches Bruce's right arm, shaking it to wake him up. As she does so, she realizes she is not the only one awake.
She stares at the tied up woman in complete shock, and she slowly stops moving Bruce's arm. She is frozen at her spot, and Bruce starts waking up only to freeze as well. The woman looks… scared. It's quite ironic since she gave them quite a hard time.
"Water…" She says in a faint whisper of Japanese, with the intonation of a question, looking to the bags and then back to Julia. She's struggling to keep her eyes open, and seems very weak.
"We're going to get some." She answers, and although she leans her head to Bruce's direction, she doesn't take her eyes out of the woman.
Bruce gets up as he hears that, pushing the shock aside instantly. He starts untying her of the tree as Julia gets the bags. When Bruce puts the woman on his right shoulder, she doesn't complain.
The way to the lake is silent. The snap of the many branches, leaves and plants on the ground is the only sound that reaches their ears as they step, combined with the wind mildly shaking the trees that surround them and that cover them from the hot sun. Their view is that of many brown wooden trunks and green treetops that look just like the ones they saw five minutes ago, until it finally changes as they arrive on their destination – the lake.
Bruce gently puts the woman on the ground beside the water and leaves, mumbling "I'm gonna search for phone service." He doesn't wait for Julia's answer.
Both ladies eye each other briefly, and then Julia grabs the bottles, gets the water and purify it with a special substance – only a few drops of it is enough to make it drinkable. The woman waits patiently, with eyes full of need as she stares at the bottles. Her features contort slightly every now and then.
Julia notices that, and says "You should lay down. You must be in pain." as she gives one bottle to her.
The woman drinks it so fast that Julia decides to give the other bottle to her, instead of drinking it herself. The process repeats itself until the woman has had seven bottles in total, and only after that she lays down as Julia suggested, her limbs still tied up to each other.
Julia drinks the amount of water she needs, and Bruce has yet to return. "Who are you?" The woman breaks the silence suddenly, speaking English. Now that she is speaking louder, Julia can hear the woman's sweet yet mature tone of voice clearly.
Julia looks at her with a slight expression of disbelief. "The real question here is who you are."
The woman looks intently at Julia for a long moment, but she simply looks away afterwards.
Julia frowns, but then decides it is better to talk about such things on a more proper time. "You should rest."
The woman looks back to Julia and nods, then turning her head to face the sky above, falling asleep almost instantly afterwards. Bruce gets back, mumbling that he wasn't able to get phone service and that they'll have to keep walking as he drinks water himself.
"We should get going." He says as he gets up, and then puts the woman on his left shoulder. Julia grabs the bags.
"Let's go."
[Day 8]
Sunday, 00:12 UTC (09:12 in local time)
Kyoto, Japan
There is a small interrogation room of four gray stone walls. The floor has probably the same tone of the walls, but it is so dusty that it has acquired a brownish color. The count of how many rats, cockroaches, flies and moths that have come and gone here through the tiny window of the room, which is simply a square-shaped open hole high above the wall, has already been lost. The aforementioned window is the only source of light and fresh air of the space, turning the room into a stuffy and gloomy torture.
There is a rusty iron door in one of the walls, but it is locked. A person is sitting on a chair of the same dusty iron in the exact middle of the room. Actually, rather than sitting, that person is stuck in the chair – thanks to the silver steel chains binding her to it. Differently from the iron-made furniture of the room, the chains are shining new. In front of the person, there is a very old wooden table and also another chair on the other side, this one wooden like the table.
The door is suddenly opened, and the other chair is occupied. Both people silently stare at each other, although their masks prevents them from seeing each other's actual expressions. Not even their breathing can be heard. There are no nasty animals around to make a sound.
The room is pure and literal muteness for a long minute, before the person in chains speaks, in Japanese. "I wonder if there's still a man down under." The feminine voice says emotionlessly, rather sharply, with a tone that sounds mature. Although a white fox max covers most of her face, her red lips are visible, alongside with a brown small spot under them in the left side.
"There has always been a man down under." Comes the stern answer. The voice is distorted, but it is definitely male. His disfigured red and grey skeleton mask covers all his head.
"I disagree."
"You always do."
After another long minute of silent staring, the man speaks up. "Why have you been attacking dojos?"
"I thought it was very clear already."
"Things are never clear with you."
The woman allows herself to scoff slightly. "Being unclear is what you do. Do not put words in my mouth."
"You've always known where to find me. There was no need to make those attacks."
"That doesn't matter." She breaks off, showing no sign of emotion.
"What does matter, then?" He asks in the same emotionless tone of the whole conversation.
"We have unfinished business."
"Our issues have been resolved a long time ago."
"If that helps you sleep at night." She smirks.
There is a brief pause before the man continues the dialogue. "What do you want?"
"To settle things properly, once and for all." She answers. "And maybe use the opportunity to cut off those tentacles."
The man has four light grey tentacles on his body – two on his head and another two coming from each of his shoulders, all of them falling to his back – and the limbs move once in a wave-like manner at their mention, but the man himself doesn't answer at first. After a second, however, he does. "You don't seem to be in advantage."
"Do you have any regrets?" The woman asks right after, completely changing the subject.
"Bringing you into the Manji Clan." He answers without hesitation.
"And I regret allowing you to go alone at first." She says without being asked.
"That wasn't a decision that concerned you."
She controls the urge to scoff. "Of course it was. Family is always a concern."
"There is no such a thing between the Manji. The Clan always comes first."
"For you." She says bitterly, the only emotion expressed in the dialogue so far.
"For everyone." He ignores her bitterness and maintains his sternness. "And that's where you've failed."
"I did not fail." She says sharply, intonating each word slowly.
"How did you not?" He puts his elbows on the desk and slightly leans forward.
"You failed me." She changes the course of the dialogue. She would have leaned forward too if the chains didn't prevent her from doing so.
He goes back to his previous position. "I have never owed you anything."
This time, once again, the scoff comes out. "Yes, you have!" She says, a little louder and a bit angry. "And that's where you have failed."
"Your stubbornness deceives your honor."
"A similarity we share on blood." She says. "Don't we, Yoshiro?"
The man simply gets up and walks towards the door, but he stops before opening it. After a silent second, he speaks, with his back still facing her. "If you were open with me, Kuniko, maybe indeed our business could be finished."
He then leaves. The door is closed only to be opened again by a fellow Manji Clan member, bringing her traditional Japanese food. He simply puts it on the table and leaves, giving no mind to the fact that she can't move to eat.
[Day 8]
Sunday, 09:09 UTC (10:09 in local time)
Barcelona, Spain
Josie is alone watching as the gravedigger buries her grandmother's coffin. The darkness of her pitch-black maxi dress matches the lightless of her heart now. Her usual vivid tanned skin is now reflecting the paleness of the cloudy sky. The drizzle gently lays itself on her skin and match her silent yet unstoppable tears. Her brain is completely focused on taking the blame instead of releasing the pain.
She feels like all her family's effort was in vain – they used all their resources to save her grandmother, yet it all went to waste. And mostly, she feels that she has failed her grandmother. She can't stop the thoughts that tell herself she could have done more, she could done better.
And if all that wasn't enough, she's trapped in a country foreign to her. She has no idea of what to do now – after all, the reason of her coming to Spain had been her grandmother, but now she's passed. What am I supposed to do now? She thinks. Leave Spain? To where? Back to home? What home?
As the white casket is completely under the ground, she passes both her hands once on her face, drying her eyes with the single move. She releases a sigh, nods to the gravedigger and turns on her heels, leaving the place.
I may be sad, but I'm not one to give up, she thinks. I'll get right back up. En honor a mi abuela.
[Day 8]
Sunday, 21:10 UTC (16:10 in local time)
Cancún, Quintana Roo, México
Zafina has just gotten inside a simplistic airplane which is going to take the volunteers back to where they've come from. She's now sitting by the window, watching the pinkish sunset sky through the window. The glass material is fogged thanks to its dirtiness, but the big round sun still shines bright through it. The light matches the white of her knee-length pants, but contrast with her black shirt and her many deep blue bracelets and necklaces.
Everybody is getting prepared to take off the country. The Red Cross withdrew with all the volunteering camps after the Mishima Zaibatsu announced they would be offering help themselves.
Besides, after the unknown man Zafina fought was electrocuted by a man even more mysterious than the former, the American dominance started to decrease, because they weren't expecting such a thing to happen, therefore they were not prepared to send a substantial army to the place to maintain their control. They were depending on that man only.
She is full of scratches and bruises, thanks to the fight she had, but they're the least of her concerns now, as her thoughts are far away. Her body forgets the pain as concern overcomes her.
As not only an astrologist, but also as someone with a bit of psychic powers, she senses things better than anybody. And she can't deny she has bad feeling that something is about to happen. The Mishima Estate's broadcast was not surprising to Zafina as it was to most people. For her, actually, it was suspicious. 'They're up to something' was the first thought that crossed her mind when Jin said he'd be getting married. The Zaibatsu is the world's most meticulous corporation, and no matter who's in charge, everything they do has a very specific (and malignant) reason behind.
She wish she could understand better what is happening right now. Although, the last time I wished that, a vision brought very bad news, she thinks. She recalls the vision, which she deciphered with the help of her village's guru, who told her of an ancient prophecy that said that 'when two evil stars clash, the seal of the tomb will be broken and the one captive will come out, leading the world to an inevitable end'. She can't help but think that the prophecy didn't happen at all – the evil stars did not clash, the captive awakened but it didn't end the world. What's supposed to happen now?
And as if on cue, the stars give her a new vision. Rapid flashes cross her mind, but it is as if she's watching a screen, and the scenes are bright and blurred on her sight. And just as sudden, she snaps out of it, and she gasps involuntarily. Her head aches and the wondering that had been inside her has now been replaced by a mix of fear, shock and worry.
She's feeling some sort of chest pain – a strong bad feeling of what's about to come. She keeps breathing hard trying to calm herself. When someone sits beside her, she turns her face to gaze intently at the window. She closes it instinctively, as if the sky was going to give her another vision.
Calm down, Zafina. The solution is always focus. After two or three minutes, she feels calm enough to open her eyes – she hadn't even realized she had closed them in first place.
I need to seek the guru. I may not understand the message, but I feel like it has come with a red alert. There's no time to lose.
[Day 9]
Monday, 07:01 UTC (15:01 in local time)
Somewhere above the Asian continent
Analyzing the few fluffy white clouds spread out on the vast deep blue sky through the window is all she has done since she got inside the plane. The news are still echoing on her mind in an infinite loop.
Xiaoyu watched Saturday's broadcast by the Mishima Zaibatsu. During the rest of her Saturday, she was still trying to process it. Jin is getting married. Her best friend, Miharu, tried to comfort her, but it was useless. But not because she was sobbing – in fact, because she was static. The most surprising thing, and even she could admit it, was that she didn't cry at all. She did not have even the force to let tears fall – she was dry. It dried her.
On Sunday, it was time to go back home. During the first flight, a connection one from Milan to Moscow, she was still trying to process it all. Since their second flight would only be on the following day, Miharu dragged her to the city at night. However, both girls knew that the cold city of Moscow, on that day, was not gelid because of the weather. On her mind, Xiaoyu was desperately trying to find someone to blame.
During the second flight, in which she is currently in, she has finally managed to deduce who is the one to blame: herself. She believed for too long when the whole situation was wrong. She shouldn't have taken a school crush to such a high level. And it was bitter to admit it.
Perhaps, if she has at least realized that, it means she has grown up. It was about time already. She has just turned 19, and she should start facing the world with a bit more realistic eyes. Xiaoyu slowly closes her eyes and breathes deeply.
"Xiao." Miharu says with a low volume voice, tired of seeing her friend in such a state. "Please talk to me." Her tone is full of concern.
Xiaoyu opens her eyes and turns to face her friend, who's sitting beside her wearing a piercing white blouse and bright red round skirt that are hard to miss. "I'm fine, Miharu." She says in a sad sigh.
"No, you're not." Miharu says, but Xiaoyu doesn't answer. "What's on your mind?" She asks, gently stroking her friend's fringe and putting it under ear. Xiaoyu's hair tied up on her trademark ponytails, and she's wearing an orange T-shirt covered by a light blue denim jumpsuit that ends in a mini skirt.
"I can't believe I've done this to myself." Xiaoyu says.
"What?" Miharu's tone is of disbelief. "You've done nothing."
"I did, Miharu. I did." Xiaoyu says looking down for a second. "We've always been only good friends. We've never actually had anything besides friendship. He simply doesn't owe me."
"Oh, Xiao." Miharu sounds just as sad as her friend. "Don't do this to yourself." She puts her right hand on Xiaoyu's left shoulder.
Xiaoyu faces Miharu again. "And what can I do, then?"
Miharu's answer doesn't come. She knows too that there is nothing that can be done. She simply raises the inner part of her eyebrows. "I just hate to see you like this." Miharu says after a second of staring.
Xiaoyu chuckles lightly. "Am I looking that horrible?"
"Yes, you are." Miharu jokes, making an exaggerated expression to emphasize it playfully.
Xiaoyu cracks a faint smile, and hugs her friend. "Thank you."
[Day 9]
Monday, 07:02 UTC (16:02 in local time)
Seoul, South Korea
Hwoarang gave up on trying to find the criminal who invaded his master's dojo. It was something impossible to do without any clues. He tried his best, of course, but, in the end, it just wasn't possible. He returned to Seoul on Sunday so he could take care of his master, who was going to be released from the hospital.
Although Baek insisted that Hwoarang should keep up his training, he disobeyed. There was no way he wouldn't cater to his master's health needs. Eventually, Baek simply gave up on trying to make his pupil do otherwise. Hwoarang's stubbornness, at least this time, is a result of concern.
Baek is currently taking a nap, so Hwoarang is free for now. He's currently in the kitchen, sitting at the table, silently sipping a glass of cold water as he thinks about the events that took place in the last few days.
Of course, the weekend's biggest news were Jin Kazama's wedding. It was impossible not to know about it. It was being talked about everywhere: on the television, on the newspapers, on the streets. When it was announced, Hwoarang was in a coffee shop having breakfast. The first thing that crossed his mind was 'Kazama, you motherfucker' as he smirked to himself – he was quite surprised. But it was quickly replaced by complete astonishment when he realized the bride was none other than Nina Williams.
He instantly thought of his friend, Steve. Although Nina and Steve are not close, they're still related by blood. Regardless of anything else, one thing is for sure: it's all complicated.
After wondering about that for a longer while, he came to another realization. He thought of his recently made friend Ling Xiaoyu. It must be hard for her – it was very clear that she liked Jin as more than a friend.
And now, here Hwoarang is, thinking of them again. Maybe I should check up on them. Leaving the kitchen, he goes to Baek's office. After the police did everything they had to, they gave permission to put things back in place. He gets the phone and tries to call Xiaoyu first, but her phone is out of service. He then calls Steve. After a few moments, there is an answer.
"Hwoarang! My pal!" Steve says in the other side of the line.
"Hey, man." Hwoarang greets him back. "What's up?"
"Not much. Just the usual training." He answers. "And the usual clubbing, of course!" They laugh. "You're lucky I'm a party guy, otherwise I wouldn't have been awake."
"Oh!" Hwoarang makes a facepalm. "I always forget those stupid time zones!" He says frustrated. "Sorry, man."
"Eh, relax, it's fine." Steve says dismissively. "Being awake at 2 a.m. is the usual business for me." They chuckle a bit again. "So tell me, have you had a change of heart and wants to come to Miami?"
Hwoarang laughs. "Damn man, I only wish."
"What is it?" Steve asks in a more serious tone.
Hwoarang sighs. "Some bastard invaded my master's dojo. Things didn't end up well for him, and now he's confined to bed."
"Oh, that's not nice. Is he alright?"
"Yes, he's getting better." Comes the answer. "Thanks, man."
"Is there anything I can do?" Steve's British accent is so thick this time that Hwoarang almost laughs.
But he doesn't. "No, we're good." He answers. "What about you? I mean, are you alright?"
"Yes, I am." Steve says confusedly. "What do you mean?"
"Well, your mother is getting married, you know." Hwoarang is terrible with soft approaches – even he can recognize that.
There is a silent second, which is broken by Steve's sigh. "I can't deny that I feel a bit uncomfortable. But it's not like I can do something – actually, it's not like something needs to be done. It's her life, I guess, and I'm not a part of it."
Fair enough, Hwoarang acknowledges. "I get what you mean." There is a brief pause. "Well, I just called to check up on you. Good to know you're good too."
"Thanks, man." Steve answers, bringing back the casual tone the conversation had on its beginning. "You still owe me that rematch." He says laughing.
Hwoarang chuckles back. "When things settle around here, I might visit you. Save some of Miami's tequila for me."
Both friends laugh and proceed to say their goodbyes, and Hwoarang puts the telephone back on its place.
Time to check up on Master again, he thinks as he heads towards Baek's room.
[Day 9]
Monday, 22:04 UTC (23:04 in local time)
Barcelona, Spain
"HEY!" A mid-aged man of greyish brown hair screams, bringing his fist to the bar counter. His white shirt is covered in sweat – he's the usual 'bar alcoholic guy'. "Where's my drink?!"
"Perdón, perdón!" A woman answers in the other side of the counter, and hurries to the man's direction. "Could you please tell me what was it again?" She sounds and looks completely lost, and tired. She is wearing the place's simplistic clothes for employees: a pale purple T-shirt, black pants and a white apron.
"Oh, whatever!" He says in half-anger half-frustration. "Just give me a bottle of beer."
"Yes, sir, in a minute!" The waitress answers in a hurry. Not long after, she comes with the bottle of beer, but she can't even say 'Here you are' as another angry customer calls from the other side.
The bar is full of people. The usual bar alcoholics, just as that man, are sitting on the stools by the bar counter, as they usually do. The other kinds of clients are on the tables, being loud and having fun.
"Josie." A female voice calls the name of the tired waitress who's in charge of the bar.
Josie turns in a hurry, already expecting it to be another furious client. Upon seeing a co-worker, she sighs in relief. "Carla. It's you."
Carla is also a waitress, but she's always in charge of the tables only, while Josie always serves the bar. Her hair is a chobby black bob with blue ends, and her uniform is the same as Josie's.
"Are you okay?" Carla asks.
"Sí, sí." She says heaving out of tiredness.
"No, you're not." Carla insists. "Let me take the bar for a few minutes. Go get some fresh air."
Josie doesn't really decide anything. When it dawned on her, she was already outside, not wearing her apron, staring at the grey floor of the sidewalk, a few steps away from the bar entrance.
Breathing deeply, she slowly raises her head, until her nose is directly pointed towards the sky. During the process, her eyes were kept shut, and she feels the gentle breeze caress her once vivid face.
The best way to describe Josie's current state of spirit is as a 'wilted flower'. The petals of her heart sank deep in the cold waters of sorrow, and drowned in despair etched in the numbness of her mind.
With a wilted heart, comes a heavy mind. Any feeling she had simply died and turned into the zombies of her worries and fears currently haunting her thoughts. Her distress makes it impossible for her to forgive herself. The path for redemption is simply inexistent. She is out of reach and out of reality. Her body is there, but her mind is away, immersed on her own subconscious.
It is not usual of Josie to be in such a state. In fact, she has never been like this before, regardless of all the difficulties that have crossed her life. However, her grandmother was her safe haven.
But a little flame within her wants to come back to life. Her usual sassy and good mood wants to be brought back up. Her hope is crying for a place in her mind, and determination is screaming to bring her heart back to life. And with that, something crosses her mind. Mi abuela wouldn't want me to be like this. She taught me to be strong, and that's how I should be.
Although still upset, Josie gathers enough will to go back inside and continue working.
[Day 10 or 11]
Either Tuesday or Wednesday, daytime
Most likely a rainforest in somewhere unknown in South America
Kazuya has been wandering lost for some days now. He has crossed mostly forests which were simply a green blur, but also some villages abandoned because of the war – those also a blur. Whenever the Devil within took over and flew just as lost as him, it would also be a blur. None of them could stop thinking about what took place back in Brasil.
Logical explanation is by far useless in this situation. When the woman turned, Kazuya had no time to actually look at her – that millisecond glimpse of her face was enough for Devil, who took the lead and flew away. And for the first time in years, that was not what Kazuya wanted to do. For the very first time since his return in the cloned body, his desires are no longer the same as the Devil's.
Kazuya had become the Devil made flesh, in the literal sense: they were the same person. The Devil's needs were Kazuya's needs, and there was simply no need for distinction.
When Kazuya was cloned, he was only able to recover his memories because the Devil made himself present again. Of course he did, it is genetic after all. But the Devil is no fool, and the memories he brought back to Kazuya were only the ones he deemed necessary. He would never bring back memories that, in his point of view, are unwanted.
Memories could be unwanted simply because they could, somehow, prevent his domination. Most things were intact – Kazuya indeed remembered Jun, Angel and the conflict within him during that time. However, he did not remember his feelings and how he actually doubted about the worth of the darkness he had been embracing so far at that time. All he would make out of those memories was that anything besides the need of doing the evil is complete nuisance and that the ultimate goal of life is to achieve power, and he rather despised himself for being so weak at that time.
And Kazuya had no reasons to contest such a thing. How could he? It was the only thing he knew of. He had no recollection of experiencing otherwise, thanks to Devil's manipulation, which he was obviously oblivious to. But now, he remembers. Now, he knows. Kazuya is disliking this whole situation. But so is the Devil.
Devil and Kazuya only had their consciences separated because of the only thing that had been able to weaken their evilness before: Jun. Just her existence is enough to do so, although they had thought it was the Forest Demon, an entity they aimed to dominate.
Forest Demon present or not, the Devil doesn't care anymore – now he just wants to destroy Jun. He can't afford to lose his power again to her. Not now that things had been going so well for him.
Kazuya, however, is at a complete loss of himself. He doesn't even know what to make out of all this. He doesn't even know if he should think or do something, actually. And his full indecision is probably keeping him alive – the Devil might be just as lost, but he would be enraged if he sensed that Kazuya is becoming soft again.
Deciding that he has had enough of this, he speaks aloud, calling his counterpart. "Devil." His voice is low and deep.
There is a moment of silence before the Devil appears in front of him, as if it is a ghost. Devil has scales through the body, and the ones that are still there are now smaller. Also, he doesn't have dark green or dark blue colors through his body anymore; now there's only dark purple, although a bit lighter than it used to be. It is as if Devil has been weakened – and he indeed has been, in a sense. "Kazuya."
After a silent second of staring each other, Kazuya talks. "Tell me."
"What exactly?" Devil says in a monotone voice, which is a haunting version of Kazuya's.
"Don't play dumb with me. You're in my mind, you know what I want to listen."
Devil's expression is a mix of anger, frustration and tiredness. He doesn't answer.
"Don't make me repeat myself."
"She has to die." He says bitterly. And it wasn't what Kazuya asked.
"It doesn't matter anymore."
"How doesn't it?" Devil asks rather mockingly. "After all this time, you still remember her lovingly." He says, saying 'lovingly' in the most despising tone ever.
Obviously, 'lovingly' is Devil's insulting way to say that Kazuya doesn't think of her with hatred, as he does to everything, but rather with nothing, actually. That's because Kazuya can't even make anything out of the whole revelation.
Or at least he couldn't. "It doesn't matter anymore." Kazuya repeats himself, this time even more certain than before. "There are still things that need to be settled." He has made his decision, regardless of what his mind tells himself. Unlike last time, now he knows that killing Heihachi, the primary goal, is more important.
Devil smirks. "That's what I like to hear."
Kazuya sighs silently and turns his back to the purple guy, taking a couple steps. Kazuya is aware that he has loved Jun sometime in the past, or at least that's what his brand new memories tell him.
Besides, Jun is not even conscious – she is simply possessed by some spirit. What could she actually do to stop them? Her existence may be strong enough to separate them, but that's all. There's no point in wasting time with her when there are another things to be done. She's a nuisance, Devil 'thinks' on Kazuya's mind.
To Devil, that's already enough. They may not be morphed anymore, but they're still very alike – and that should just do it. Unlike last time they were separated, this time Kazuya has no wishes of doing something besides the evil.
Kazuya starts walking again, now determined, although keeping his pace slow. He evokes the Devil within and flies away, heading back to the direction he presumes G Corporation is.
[Day 10]
Tuesday, 01:02 UTC (09:02 in local time)
Chengdu, Szechwan, China
Xiaoyu, instead of going back to Tokyo, where she currently lives with Miharu, has decided to spend some time with her grandfather, Wang Jinrei. It's been a while since she hasn't seen him.
And rather conveniently, spending some time at her former residence might be good to her – she feels like needing to put her mind in order.
Besides all that, she would need to make a stop here regardless, since she needs to get Panda, who's been staying here since Xiaoyu's vacation to Italy started.
She has taken a cab from the airport, since her grandfather's place is a bit distant from the downtown. Now, she has been walking for about five minutes, pacing through relatively large stone pavement alleys, which work pretty much as a larger passage for pedestrians, as she carries her bags. She is surrounded by traditional restaurants, with wooden fronts full of red and golden yellow lamps, although they're all closed by this time of the day. The cloudy sky above is of white color, and the floor is a bit wet, which indicates that rain has poured some time ago.
Between two restaurants, there is a single wooden door with a bronze door knocker. Xiaoyu gently puts her bag on the ground and uses the rosy alloy implement with her now free right hand, making three loud sounds.
After about a minute, she hears a few steps approaching and a male voice speaking. "I'm coming!" She smiles as she recognizes whose voice it is.
The door is opened to reveal an old man dumbfounded to see her. "Xiaoyu! My dear." His face is now full of happiness.
"Grandpa Jinrei." She says, also smiling, as she bows. Jinrei does the same, and then they hug each other.
"Come in! Let me help you with the bags." He says.
"There's no need, Grandpa. I can handle it." She says reassuringly.
He nods once, acknowledging her insistence, and takes the lead. They go through a series of stairs and then reach the actual home, fully situated on the second floor. The place is mostly wooden and has a very traditional decoration. It smells like incense – like home, she notes nostalgically.
"Your room is still intact, although a bit dusty, I can't deny." Jinrei says and chuckles slightly as they walk through a corridor.
"It's okay, Grandpa. I'll be accommodated." Her sweet smile is intact.
They stop in the end of the corridor. In the wall in front of them, there is a window and a small and rustic lowboy, consisting of two of the same dark greyish brown wood of the rest of the place. Jinrei grabs an old key out of the first drawer, and uses it to open the door on the right wall. It opens to reveal a child's room full of pink – contrasting drastically to the rest of the house.
"There you are, dear." Jinrei says as he gives his granddaughter some space to pass through the door with the bags. "Oh, and we have company. A friend of mine is spending some time here, training with me."
Xiaoyu frowns for a second, and then turns to her grandfather again. "Really?"
"Yes." He answers. "Breakfast is going to be ready soon." He drops the previous subject.
"I think I'm going to rest a bit, Grandpa. But I'll join you for lunch."
"Alright." He says. "You're already pretty grown to make your decisions." He chuckles lightly. "I'll let you accommodate yourself." He bows once as to indicate he's going to leave. "It's good to have you back." He says smiling before closing the door.
Xiaoyu smiles to him as he does so, giving a short bow. Deciding that not only she doesn't need, but also doesn't feel like putting all her clothes in the wardrobe, she simply puts her bags inside there.
After doing so, she gets a towel and goes to her suite's bathroom. She looks at herself in the mirror. She looks different. For the first time in her life, her hair has grown more. She unties her low ponytails as she remembers she'd always cut her hair shorter while growing up. She'd also always straighten it, but while her vacation to Italy, she didn't do it – not even once. And she actually likes it curly, the thing is that she used to be too lazy to take proper care to it, so straightening was always the quickest option.
Also, her wardrobe is now renewed, thanks to the shopping she did with Miharu and Lili, she continues thinking as she takes off her garment, which are indeed new clothes – a beautiful dark blue dress, and puts it on a basket for dirty laundry. Xiaoyu smiles faintly as she remembers her new acquaintance. It was very kind of her to do it. She wonders what might have gone through the girl's mind as she gets in the shower and turns it on.
But more than any of that, she doesn't only look different – she is different.
[Day 10]
Tuesday, 03:23 UTC (12:23 in local time)
Kyoto, Japan
Kunimitsu is still at the same dusty dark room somewhere in the undergrounds of Kyoto, where of the Manji Clan's installations is situated. Her head is hanging low, and through her white fox mask she is able to see her light purple short kimono and also the knee-length white boots on her legs.
Talking about legs, they're paler than usual – thanks to her current health state. Even though she's been given food, she is unable to move because of the silver chains tying her to the iron chair. According to her estimates, she has been locked for 6 days straight.
And talking about being locked, the iron door is suddenly opened and someone occupies the free chair in front of her. She already knows who it is, even though she hasn't looked up. She's pretty sure only he can enter this chamber to talk to her. If she was healthier, she would have looked up– actually, she wouldn't even have dropped her head in first place – but she's too weak to care about looking weak right now.
A male and distorted voice calls her name. "Kunimitsu." It is indeed who she thought - Yoshimitsu. She doesn't bother to answer, she knows him too well, and she's very aware that he'll notice her state and do something about it.
And as if he has read her mind, he gets up and calls someone through the now opened door. Kunimitsu hear some noises until the door is closed one more time and he sits again, putting a tray on the table.
"Kunimitsu." He calls again in his distorted voice. This time, she looks up, sensing the smell of food. He helps her eat, and after about 10 minutes, the foods of the tray are over and he simply pushes it aside.
"You said you want to settle things. Tell me about it." He says after a silent minute.
Kunimitsu keeps herself silent for some time, and then speaks. "There's nothing left for me to say. I'm an open book."
"Written in an alien language."
"I'm not the space ninja of this room."
He brings his closed right fist with all his might on the table. "Stop it." He says in a monotone, contrasting to what he has just done. "Stop evading."
This is a very rare moment in which he demonstrates anger – Kunimitsu can count those on her fingers. She rises her head a bit more before she speaks. "How can I not evade?"
There is a silent second before he answers. "By being logical."
"Not everything is a result of logic." She says calmly. "You, of all people, should know that." She makes a pause. "You are the leader of a Clan that has acts of good faith as a primary objective, even if through sinuous ways. And goodness is far away of being logical, after all, the easiest way to survive in such a sleazy world is to be corrupt."
"If you know so much about logic and corruption, why have you done such immoral acts?"
"As I've said, sometimes it is necessary to go through sinuous ways to achieve a greater good."
"I understand that. I simply don't understand what greater good you were fighting for."
Kunimitsu stops talking. Yoshimitsu waits patiently for about a minute, until he breaks the silence. "I thought you were an open book."
"You thought right, then. I am. Simply read me."
They stare at each other intently, although neither faces are visible. Taking a more attentive look on Yoshimitsu, she is able to see how his outfit is more exotic than ever. It is where a skeleton structure on display meets bright red muscle-alike armor.
"You're not going to say it." He concludes.
"Not like this." She adds.
"So you want to be released?"
"That's not what I meant." She answers. "Although I wouldn't complain about it."
"What did you mean, then?"
"It's simply something I would never tell Yoshimitsu."
"Stop evading."
"I don't trust you."
After saying it out loud, the heaviness of its meaning actually hit the room. So far, she had only been indirect about it. Silence falls upon them as Yoshimitsu's tentacles move slightly before going motionless again.
"I don't see a way out of this." Yoshimitsu's voice echoes over the long muteness that had been dominating the room.
"I do."
"Things don't work like that."
"It's about time they do."
The quietness accommodates itself between them, for once more. This time, however, it takes less for a voice to take its place, as Kunimitsu speaks rephrasing the other. "Stop evading."
Yoshimitsu turns his head to look away. He is either emotional, hopeless or pondering, – most likely the last one, Kunimitsu deducts – but it is impossible to actually determine it when there is a mask covering his face. After a couple minutes, he faces her directly again and talks. "There is a way, indeed." He says. "As the Yoshimitsu, I will give you one last chance of mercy." He makes a brief pause. "But it's not what you think it is."
[Day 10]
Tuesday, 04:09 UTC (12:02 in local time)
Chengdu, Szechwan, China
Out of all the clothes Xiaoyu has bought in Milan, this is by far her favorite. She looks at herself in the mirror proudly of such a fashionable result.
Even though bought in Europe, the garment is very Asian. It is a darkish orange sleeveless button Cheongsam, a Mandarin gown, made of silk, tight in the torso, and then falling loosely from her waist until the ground, but fully exposing her legs in the front. It has black and yellow outlines the edges, and also black faux feathers on the shoulder holes and the skirt edge, with a deep red interior visible behind her legs. It is accompanied by black leggings with gold line designs on her left thigh and her right calf, and flat shoes of the same orange of the dress, also with gold outlines. As accessories, she wears a black and gold bracelet on her right wrist and a fingerless glove of similar design on her left forearm.
If it wasn't for her ponytails, even though they're hanging lower than usual, and also even though they're curly, it would probably be impossible for someone to recognize Xiaoyu. She spins on her heels to see the whole garment one last time, the skirt and the ponytails flying graciously, before she leaves her bedroom aiming the dining room for lunch.
When she gets there, she happily bows to the two men who are by the table. One of them is her grandfather, sitting by the end of the table. The other must be the guest Jinrei talked about, and he's sitting by Jinrei's left.
She takes a seat by her grandfather's right side, and her grandfather starts talking. "Dear, I want you to meet Feng Wei, the guest I've told you about." Then he turns to said guest. "Wei, this is Ling Xiaoyu, my granddaughter."
"Nice to meet you." Xiaoyu nods to him, smiling discreetly. Wei nods back politely, in silence, with a stern face.
The three start serving themselves, and Xiaoyu takes a glimpse of Wei. He is quite scary, in lack of a better term. His face reads as pure roughness and, most notably (at least to Xiaoyu), he's got some weird eyebrows. He wears a golden yellow qipao shirt with red and green kung fu pants and shoes.
"So dear, tell me about your vacation." Jinrei starts a conversation, in his good mood, as always.
Xiaoyu takes a second to swallow and then answers. "Oh, it was very nice. We had a lot of fun. Italy is a beautiful country."
"How is it there?" Jinrei asks.
"Oh, historical architecture is everywhere, but the country is also very modern." She answers forcing herself to look and sounds as excited as possible, just as she has been doing since her arrival. She's still quite saddened, and would rather like to be alone with her own thoughts, but since that is not an excuse for rudeness, she's acting as kind as she can in the moment.
But she has forgotten her grandfather knows her too well. Jinrei has sensed something wrong with her since she stepped in. She wasn't overly excited as she usually is, mainly on such a situation in which she just went on vacation. She would have started talking about the trip herself, just to say the least. "I'm happy you had fun." He says, ending the subject.
The room goes silent, and one by one, they finish their meals. Wei is the first to do so, and bows politely before leaving. As he does so, Jinrei speaks again. "Xiaoyu, my dear, tell me what's wrong."
"Nothing's wrong, Grandpa." She responds flatly.
"How many times have I told you not to lie? That's not something morally correct. Besides, you have no reasons to lie to me."
Xiaoyu sighs and takes her eyes out of her plate to look at her grandfather. He has a point. She decides to just spit it out. "It's Jin."
For a second, Jinrei looks as if he doesn't know what she's talking about, but then he seems to have a sudden click. "Oh dear, don't let him take the best out of you." He says concerned.
"He could never." She says, this time with a sincere smile, as she gets up since she has finished her meal. "I'm just a bit upset, that's all. It's still sinking in, I guess."
Jinrei senses the truthfulness. "I see." He smiles back warmly. "Why don't you train a bit with us? It might help you focus."
He's right. I should focus on something. And it's about time to take it my fighting a bit more seriously. She smiles sincerely one more time. "I guess you're right. I will, Grandpa. Thank you." Jinrei automatically gets up and they hug each other.
"Training always starts half an hour after lunch, in the dojo, of course. Be ready by then." He says as they release each other. Both start cleaning the table, but Jinrei stops her from doing so. "There's no need. I can handle it. Take some rest before the training."
She smiles faintly, bows and leaves. Xiaoyu gets inside her bedroom, locks the door and lays her back on the bed. She stares at the dark colored ceiling as she thinks. This is so much like the time Grandpa wanted me to get closer to my parents, she recalls. When she was 14 years old, she started seeing her parents in Hong Kong during some weekends and school breaks. She remembers that they knew how she loved amusement parks, so they'd always take her there, to compensate for their absence in her childhood. But their relationship was still strained regardless, so when they revealed she was going to live with them because Jinrei was getting too old, she got very upset and ran away.
She decided that if she could build her own amusement park, she would be able to live on her own. When she took a glimpse of a Mishima Zaibatsu ship, she realized that Heihachi Mishima, Zaibatsu's CEO at the time and also a fighter, was rich enough to help her achieve her dreams, so she invaded it aiming to challenge him.
Even though he was not there, he learned of her presence and as he arrived on the port, he offered her a deal that if she was able to win the upcoming Tekken tournament, she would get the amusement park of her dreams. She accepted it, but since she was 15, her legal guardians, her parents, had to be contacted. They accepted without thinking twice, although her grandfather was very apprehensive. Shortly afterwards she moved to Tokyo and lived there under Heihachi's guidance.
At first, one may think such a situation has nothing to do with what's going on with her right now. But it does, really – the thing is that something sad took place, and she decided to release it through fighting. She did it then, and she's about to do it now again.
She turns her head to see the pink alarm clock on the nightstand. It's time to train. She allows herself to smirk, and finding a bit of excitement and determination out of nowhere, she gets up and goes through the corridor aiming the dojo room.
[Day 10]
Tuesday, 23:54 UTC (18:54 in local time)
Miami, Florida, United States of America
"50 bucks Paul's next." Marshall says hitting the surface with his right palm, and everybody on the table laughs loudly.
"Hell no, man!" Paul says, just as loudly, shaking is hands dismissively.
"50 bucks on me too! That's definitely something I'd literally pay to see!" Bob says, and they all chuckle once more.
"Hey Uncle Paul, I'm gonna be your best man, right?" Forest says, and they all laugh again.
"Fuck off, Forest!" Paul says angrily. They only laugh again.
The five friends – Steve, Forest, Marshall, Paul and Bob – are on a bar having some liquor, talking and laughing loudly as they usually do while getting wrecked. The night is young, the place is crowded, the atmosphere is lively, and the booze is cool.
Forest and Marshall keep joking as Paul keeps giving angry replies and Bob only laughs. Bob had come with Paul back from New York City, and was well-accepted quickly in the group – there weren't any reasons for him not be, anyway. While that, Steve calls a waitress. When she comes over, Steve is quite surprised – he knows her.
"Katarina? You work here?" She is wearing all black simplistic clothes, but also her signature white high-heels.
"Not really. But it's a long story." She lies. She's here specifically tonight for a very specific reason. "You know, you said you'd give me a call." She changes the subject, analyzing him from head to toe. He wears a long-sleeved white button shirt and red faux leather pants, matched with a white pair of sneakers.
"Yeah, sorry about that, I was outta town." He says, and it is really the truth.
She narrows her eyes playfully, but there's no reason for her not to believe him. "Well, wanna go out tomorrow night?" She asks quite seductively. "I'm gonna be free, you know, and there's a nice place I want to take you to."
He smirks. "Sure."
She smirks back. "I presume that, as a British guy, you've never been to Red Lobster, have you?" (Beyoncé's "Formation" reference – YAASSS!)
"Well, you're right, I haven't." He shrugs.
"That's where we're going, then." She raises a playful eyebrow. The smirk is still there.
His smirk also hasn't left. "I'll call you tomorrow." He says. "And this time's for sure."
She then drops the subject since she's at her 'working' place. "Well, can I take your order?"
Steve asks for another round of beer and she leaves. He turns back to his friends. Paul's embraced by a black leather jacket and dark blue jeans, contrasting with Marshall's bright orange button shirt and black slacks. Forest wears a dark green polo shirt and grey shorts, and Bob has a white T-shirt on, combined with beige slacks. Now, Paul is the one mocking Forest and Marshall, for whatever reason, as Bob continues on watching and laughing only.
Forest, however, gets out of the conversation and starts another one with Steve only. "Is this love what I'm seeing here?" He jokes as he makes a sign with his head, pointing to where Katarina was just a minute ago.
"Hell no." Both laugh. "Just some fun. It doesn't kill, does it?" He raises his shoulders jokingly.
Forest taps Steve's shoulder twice. "You're such a player." He says with a mischievous tone of voice and takes a sip of beer from his glass.
End of Chapter Seven
Author's notes: Ladies and gentleman, chapter 7 with 13300 words! YAASSS!
SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG TO UPDATE! I TRIED MY BEST, I SWEAR, BUT SCHOOL FUCKS ME UP EVERYTIME! *cries in despair*
** I feel like it's important to warn you that minor edits have been done in the previous chapters. If you have already read them before the changes, you do not necessarily need to re-read the story – they do not affect the plot, only the formatting – but it is up to your decision. It's just that I realized a few typing errors and some stupid mistakes of my own.
(Hey, just wanted to say I'm working on another Tekken stories - In fact, two of them even have already been uploaded - just in case you guys have any interest. :))
Introducing: Unknown/Forest Demon and Jun Kazama (YAAAAAASSSSSSSSSS! ! ! ! !), Yoshimitsu, Wang Jinrei, Feng Wei, Doctor Bosconovitch (now in person!), and Mr. Nobuo Kazama (Asuka's guardian – his first name chosen by me, meaning 'faithful man').
And also Carla, a minor OC.
By the way, I've finally decided which turn to take with Kunimitsu (quite a few hints have already been given in this chapter). Be prepared for future plot twists – not only regarding her, but other characters too.
The last part I wrote of this chapter was Josie's. I was inspired by Kelela's song "A Lie". The vibe of it really matches Josie's spiritual state, so I'm leaving the song's name in here. If you're fond of alternative music, I assure you'll like it. :)
*ANSWERING* alwaysdoubted – Thank you! It's good to see you around here again. :)
The Secret Judge – Thank you! I mean yeah, it was a surprise for the public, but it had been previously planned by 'the allies' (Jin, Nina, Lars, Raven, Lee, etc.). And I can't wait to see you make a 'globe-hopping' fanfiction! I like your writing.
Wyatt B – Thank you very much! It really means a lot. I'll try my best to update as soon as I can. :)
Tre cool, Hoewre, Fred, Mix, Ships, and Tips – Although I'm pretty convinced you're all the same person, well, just relax, because yes, Kazumi is going to be in here. As I said in an answer to a review in a previous chapter (but it was in Portuguese, because the reviewer was a fellow compatriot), I'm attempting to be as canonical as possible in this story and she's definitely going to appear, just as Akuma. The thing is that, for now, I have to focus on another factors and make ground for a few characters.
giovanna21d – Nossa discussão ideológica sobre Tekken tá ficando muito grande KK, então te mandei uma PM pra gente continuar a conversa (na verdade, a gente já trocou umas boas PMs bem antes desse capítulo sair, mas enfim KK, finge que é novidade -n).
Obrigada pelas reviews, elogios e por acompanhar a minha história! s2
ZZ Eclipse – Great to see you again! I'm trying my best to keep up. Hope you liked this one! There hasn't been much of Miguel as I need to focus a bit more on Josie right now.
Reibun – You wouldn't believe how anxious I was to read your review! I had become worried after a while, but I'm glad to see you again. :) I'm sorry to tell you that there won't be much of Xiaoyu/Miharu/Lili for now, because another direction had to be taken (as you can see in this chapter), but perhaps something more can be done in the future, depending to where the story goes. "You're Nina Williams. You can do anything" has to be one of my favorite lines of my own story (:P), really, and I'm happy I'm not the only one who loves the impact and meaning of it. About the rest, well, many things you've mentioned have been dealt with in this chapter, and another ones will be dealt with in the following ones.
Thank you guys very much and see you next time! :P