Chapter 8: Wang and Lee's Plot Unfolded

Sometimes he thought of his mother. He thought of her as if he really knew her. In reality, he knew very little. His memory of her that had before been fuzzy was now more like supposition. He supposed that she must have been a nice person. He supposed that she had wanted him to have a good life, but it wasn't as if he could be entirely sure. He remembered vaguely that he had not been very happy after her disappearance, but that was all. Still, he thought of her. He imagined her as he wanted her to be: kind, pure—everything he wasn't. He imagined that she'd be horrified by now at what he had become. He wondered if she was the kind of woman to continue to support him even if she didn't approve or the kind of woman who would break off all contact. Kazuya wanted her to be the latter. He didn't want her to be the kind of woman who would willingly take B.S. from someone even if the evidence told him otherwise. Any woman who could marry his father and also have his child was obviously someone who was more or less a pushover, but Kazuya didn't want to think of it that way. Perhaps there was some other reason that forced her into such a situation. Maybe the entire marriage had been arranged and his mother had had no choice in the matter. That was what made sense to Kazuya.

Maybe she wouldn't be as horrified as he first thought. She spent years with a man she probably did not love and she could do little to change it. If he could somehow explain to her how this had all happened, she'd understand him. They could sit down and further discuss how sucky their lives had turned out to be. She could rant about Heihachi's disgusting behavior and he could pine about the days when Devil wasn't even a twinkle in his eye. They might laugh about it…even when there was nothing funny about it. He'd at least have someone to talk to no matter the situation.

If he could meet his mother now, he'd speak on many things. He'd tell her in detail about his life with Heihachi and then his brief stay at the orphanage followed by the rest of his upbringing by Jinpachi.

He reclined a little in his office chair in exhaustion. For four days now, he had physically stayed awake waiting for Jun's return. Even if they weren't on good terms, she would at least return to finish the job. He wanted to be himself or as much himself as he could muster when she arrived. She never came. He could have tracked down her number or the people who she worked for, but he did none of this. He simply accepted her absence. He sensed that he had repulsed the woman and there was no way he could take back what happened that day. Pursuing her would only make things worse. She'd come back, he assumed, but perhaps not now. There was a better chance that she wouldn't, however, and Kazuya found himself thinking along those lines more often than not. Maybe she'd let someone else take over the assignment and he would never see her again. If that was the case, so be it. He hadn't expected much from the very beginning. He hadn't expected even to see her and they had done much more than that. He could not ask for more.

He could feel Devil always there just around the corner. It was anxious to have its way once again. Kazuya hadn't resisted Devil in this way for a long time. He once thought that his strength to do so was gone, but now he knew for sure that he had just been giving up slowly but surely. It wasn't that Devil was any stronger than it used to be or it had chosen this time to really dig its claws in—it was that his resolve had begun to weaken. Before, he could fall asleep and wake up the next day still himself, such was his determination. Now, there was no telling what would happen if he so much as let down his guard. But he couldn't deny the fact that he was tired after so many days of wakefulness.

Kazuya closed his eyes when he could no longer take it. Once he did so, he felt that he could not really open them until he was actually rested. Anyone could have walked into the room at the moment and shake their heads at the fact that he was asleep on the job. But he did not care. Those people did not understand his situation. He had too much to worry about to even consider someone else's feelings especially not that of strangers. He knew, however, that no one would say a word. They all feared him. No one wanted to give him any reason to tear them to shreds. In fact, no one came to his office unless they absolutely had to in order to do their jobs well enough. Kazuya saw little of his employees.

He was only asleep for a little while before Devil made its presence known. Kazuya was too tired to protest and he did not have the will to. He wondered why he had been fighting for so long. He realized that even subconsciously, he had been waiting for her, for Jun. Now that she was gone for good, he assumed, he could find no other reason to latch onto. He found himself back in that small, dark corner. There he would stay he supposed until Devil felt the need to thrust him back into the world—Kazuya did not foresee this occurring anytime soon.

Physically, Kazuya was awake again, but it was Devil who looked through those eyes unabated by Kazuya. It was then that Lee walked smoothly into his office. He had come to give him an update on one of the many projects that Kazuya had ordered him to oversee—one of those being experimentation on extinct animals. It was so routine for Lee that he simply ran through the details as if he were a cashier at McDonalds. As long as they were good results then Kazuya would say little else to him. Such was the case now.

"Strange," said Lee as he set the written form of his report on Kazuya's table, "Just yesterday, you had no idea that this project even existed. In fact, I remember you had to refer to your notes and even then you were confused. Today it appears you know everything. Are you sure you don't have any questions for me?"

Kazuya looked up at him with emotionless eyes; Lee could tell that the other was not the least bit amused at him bringing this up. "Sometimes I forget things. There are plenty of other pressing issues that I concern myself with. Not with the petty projects I give you." Kazuya gave him a slight grin, "Besides, they're only purpose is to keep you busy. They have no significant impact on the corporation."

Lee frowned at this, but was unperturbed, "Ah, memory loss strikes again. I thought you'd have a better excuse by now. Could it be that you were unaware of what occurred yesterday or better yet perhaps you didn't anticipate that I would confront you about it?"

"What are you trying to get at?"

"Nothing," Lee said as he turned, "I was just curious."

"I am aware of everything, boy. I would know if you gave me a half-assed report as you have done now or if you completely fabricated the whole thing. Take your curiosity elsewhere if you know what's good for you."

"But that's the problem—I don't."

Kazuya watched as the other made his way to the exit before pausing to look back at him once again.

"I heard Jun is back in town. Perhaps we could have a get-together for old time's sake."

"I would never agree to that."

"Oh well; we'll just see, won't we?" Lee replied cheekily as he twisted the gilded door handle and finally exited.

Kazuya stared at the closed door for a moment longer than usual. He thought of how much he had wanted to jump across the table and tear apart the fool known as Lee. But even more he thought of Kazuya—the real one—and how much he had squirmed under his heavy hand at the very mention of Jun's name. Had that bastard known? Was that why it felt like somehow Lee had had the upper hand in that conversation? No one in their right minds would ever invite him to something. All those around him feared him and Kazuya kept others at a distance. Any attempt at social contact was doomed from the start. Yet there was Lee boldly extending an invitation. Either he was stupid or he had something up his sleeves. Even if he did, however, Devil regarded the entire thing as foolhardy.

"Is this what you wanted?" Devil said aloud using Kazuya's voice.

Devil could easily sense the other's thoughts: I have no control over what Lee does.

"You'd lie even to yourself if you thought it meant the end of me. I know what happened on that roof."

You'll have to be more specific…

"Oh cut the crap. Lee knows something, doesn't he?"

I have no idea.

"Gah! Fine, keep pretending you don't know anything. I know that you do."

Devil heard no more from Kazuya, but one thing was certain—he could not keep Kazuya under his control when Jun was involved. As long as her presence remained, it'd never actually have full control.

/

Lee met up with Wang minutes after his encounter with Kazuya that day during lunch. Strangely enough Lee found that he kept running into him on a far more regular basis than before. But he allowed the old man his secrets. Something told him that it was better to keep it that way.

"What did you find out?" Wang asked the other

They were sitting at a two person table in the far corner—the picture of two men going over some shady deal.

"Sometimes I wonder why I hadn't noticed these things before. I felt as if I was talking to an entirely different person—it was very strange. Yesterday, I think that was Kazuya, but today," Lee shook his head slowly.

"We tend to ignore things we don't want to see or believe. So, you gave him an invitation."

"Yes, and he shut me down very quickly, exactly the way you said he would."

"Jun is key."

"But how can you be so sure? Maybe he just didn't want to go."

"Ask him again on a different day when you feel the time is right."

"And if he says no?"

"Well then, I'll just have to go to plan B."

"So what exactly are you going to do?" Lee said to Wang who seemed to be deep in thought.

"No, the real question is, what are you willing to do?"

"Almost anything—within reason of course."

"I need you to speak to Jun. I need you to convince her to work with us. She needs to be involved. Can you do that?"

"And I thought you were giving me a difficult job, but if I'm to convince Jun of anything you have to stop keeping me in the dark. She'll want to know everything before agreeing to anything."

"Very well, listen closely, son."

Wang took nearly half an hour explaining what he planned to do and Lee was all ears. When it was all said and done, Wang gave Lee a small sheet of paper that held Jun's address. How he managed to get such information was irrelevant to Lee especially when after asking that very question, Wang became quite evasive. Wang assured him that she would most definitely be at this location since she'd chosen to take off some much needed time from her job. Even with all this information, Lee knew that he had his work cut out for him. There was no time to doubt his own persuasive abilities or even to worry if this crazy plan of Wang's would actually work. He just needed to do.

/

Jun nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the ring of her doorbell. She realized she hadn't heard the sound of it in years. There would hardly be any reason to warrant a visit to her house.

"Answer it already," came the impatient voice of Angel, "We'll simply begin our session later on."

Jun nodded, climbed to her feet from her cross-legged position, and answered the door.

"Oh, Lee? Is that really you?" Jun said in a genuinely surprised voice. She had not expected him of all people to be behind the door when she opened it.

"Yes, alive and well. It's a shame we couldn't keep in touch."

"It is, it is. Please, come in."

She hadn't even asked how he had gotten her address. She was a public officer in any case; it wouldn't take too much detective work to figure it out. She invited him to sit on a couch inside of the living room. This being an unexpected visit she wasn't too put off with the fact that she had nothing in the way of h'orderves or tea to offer him.

"So what brings you here?" Jun asked the other. She was full of questions. She had no idea what Lee was doing with his life these days and she found that she was quite interested.

"I heard you were in town."

"Oh, you did? I didn't know I was so popular."

"In your own circle, I've no doubt that you are. Truthfully, I hadn't so much heard you were here, but saw. You were running so fast out of the office building where I work that you missed me completely, but I knew who you were. You must have been in a rush that day."

She knew instinctively what he had been referring to. There was only one office building which she had rushed out of that day. What were the chances that Lee would have been there to see? "You could say that. It was work related, but now I'm taking some time off of work. Maybe we could—

"Get-together sometime?" Lee finished her sentence.

"Yeah."

"I see we have the same idea. It would be my greatest pleasure, but perhaps on some later date. There is something I must ask of you."

"I see we're finally coming to the real point of your visit."

"Why so negative? I came to see you, of course. It just so happened that I needed to ask you a favor." He talked in lower tones then as if someone might hear them, "I need you to…help me, help Kazuya. Hopefully, you still remember him."

"Oh, I remember him," Jun replied quickly, "Listen, I don't think I'll be able to help you. I…I'm busy with my own work."

"Even when you're on vacation? You're a devoted employee. I don't want to scare you or push you into something you don't want to do, but I desperately need your help. What do I have to do to convince you of that?" Lee said just as smoothly as if he had practiced each and every response to any possible question or declination.

Jun took a deep sigh, "Nothing. Nothing at all. I think I understand what you're trying to do. Please, don't get involved with Kazuya and his problems. It will not end well for anyone. Besides, I've already taken things into my own hands."

"I'm sure you have. I don't know exactly what you're planning to do, but it would harm no one if you put it on hold for a while. We both want the same thing it appears. Help us first and if it doesn't work you can return to what you were previously doing. If it does, then your work is done, isn't it?"

"I might consider your offer if I knew what it is you were doing. Time is of the essence."

"Wang has something in mind. Now, I can't tell you the specifics of just how, but he plans to exorcise him. I don't know if something like that would work, but Wang seems confident enough. He needs you to bring Kazuya to his house where he will already have everything set-up, essentially leading Kazuya to a "trap", if you will."

"You want me to lie to him," Jun said matter-of-factly.

"Basically, but you understand it's for the greater good. We're not trying to kill him or anything so drastic, we just want to help. Trust me."

"I'm not sure if I could do that. Lying isn't my forte."

"Then don't. No one says you have to. The only thing you have to do is get him to that house." Lee took up one of her hands gently just as he slipped something out of his pocket; he placed a small sheet of paper in her hand that disclosed the address which she should take him. "We're counting on you."

Jun looked at him with empathetic eyes, "Alright, I'll do it. If it's to help Kazuya…then I'll do it."

"You won't be disappointed," Lee said standing up.

"Leaving so soon?"

"Well, I have to help Wang prepare. I'd say this thing could happen today or tomorrow. I'll contact you when everything is ready."

"You guys don't waste any time."

"I told you; we don't plan to drag things out."

"Why so short notice? I mean, I can't just pop up out of nowhere—I have to call him first, we have to agree on a time; things like that."

Lee smiled at her. "It'll be far simpler. You know where Kazuya works. Show up there. He won't have anything else planned; he never has anything else planned. As soon as he sees that it's you, I'm sure he'll be most accommodating. Don't sell yourself short. You still have a great deal of influence over him."

"Just…show up?"

"Don't worry. Everything will work itself out."

And the way he said it, one would think the plan was so full proof that nothing could possibly go wrong. Jun could not be fooled so easily. The whole thing seemed to hinge on whether she could get him to the house or not. Lee eventually took his leave and Jun was left with a foreboding feeling in the pit of her stomach.

/

Devil continued to hold his control over Kazuya, but it had become increasingly difficult to do so. Lee had mentioned Jun again about the fact that they had talked and was still planning that get-together. He'd invited him once again and Devil had declined just as swiftly as before. Kazuya was growing restless, Devil could tell, far too restless. Devil had worked for years to dampen his spirits to a point where he would be unable to fight back his control, but Kazuya's efforts seemed renewed. If this had all come about from just the mention of her name, what would happen if…

Devil looked up when he heard a click. Someone was opening the door. It was her. Devil's sharp eyes (though, they were only as sharp as Kazuya's) made her out immediately. In an instant, Devil was no longer looking through those eyes. He found his control completely gone. Such was always the case whenever Jun's presence was near. Instead of making a big fuss about it, it knew when to pick its fights. Devil decided that it would sit back; Jun would not be staying for long. After last time, it saw that their relationship was practically through.

Kazuya was only a little disoriented after so many days of darkness; he tried to hide such things from Jun.

"Kazuya…" Jun said upon seeing him. There was a hint of coyness in her voice and as she stood there, she seemed frightened of something. "I…"

"You don't have to explain yourself." Kazuya took the relief shown on her face to mean that he had managed to say the right thing. "I'm just glad that you're here."

Jun approached his desk slowly. She seemed unsure of herself as if the reason she was there was not completely clear to her. Kazuya stood up from his chair and came around to her. They managed to keep a respectable distance from one another.

"Was there something you wanted?" Kazuya asked to the speechless Jun.

She nodded once. "I…was wondering if…you wanted to go somewhere with me—I mean, if you're not too busy. I know this is short notice and—

"Of course," he interrupted. She looked up at him with a surprised expression. "I was just leaving anyway," Kazuya said to further assure her.

She seemed ready to bolt, but Kazuya tried to appear as harmless as he could. The thought of her rushing off again was enough to cause him to be extra careful. He didn't want to jump into things as he had before. Now it seemed an olive branch had been extended—he did not want to ruin his own chances however small they might be. He grew concerned when her eyes saddened a little.

"Look, I can't do this."

"Jun—

"No, let me finish. I was sent here by Lee. He knows something is wrong and…so do I. We want to help you including Wang—I'm not sure if you know him or not. I was to bring you to a certain place where he would exorcise you. They thought I'd be the only one capable of convincing you to do it—I was supposed to lie, but you know I can't do that."

There was a strained look on his face. Jun stepped back before she even knew she was doing it. She felt the evil then palpable and threatening. For a moment there she thought she could see something else in his eyes dark and angry. He hadn't said a word and she continued to move back. It took her a moment to realize that she was not actually moving back of her own accord there was another force pushing her back.

"Wait," he finally said as she neared the door.

And just as suddenly as she had felt it, it vanished into thin air. There was Kazuya once again standing before her, speechless, it would seem. Far too many things had happened at that moment. Firstly, that Jun already knew of his predicament. He wondered how long she had known. The entire reason he had kept his distance from her was so that she could never learn his secret—now she was in grave danger. Usually when Jun was around, Devil would take a backseat. That was not the case now. When Devil felt that it was in danger, it became increasingly difficult to keep it at bay. There were two things he could have done then: yell at her, scare her into making a beeline to her car and speeding off forever or he could do whatever it is they had planned for him in the small chance that it might work. He liked the latter choice; it didn't involve hurting her feelings. Even as he decided as much, he could feel Devil scraping against the barrier he would normally put up to try to lessen its influence whenever he was in control. The scratching became fervent. If he was to do this, he should do it as soon as possible. He had no time to act flabbergasted.

"I'll go with you," he finally said.

"You will?" Jun said happily as she clasped her hands together. "Follow me, then."

She tried to take his hand, but he kept them as usual in his pocket and he did not seem inclined to do otherwise. Finally, she turned and he followed. The silence between them became so heavy that Jun would force a glance backwards just to see how he was faring. She could not tell from his expression alone, but that didn't surprise her. He was an expert at hiding his emotions to the point that even she sometimes could not tell what he was feeling if he felt anything at all.

They got to her car and she got into the driver's side. Kazuya in turn took the passenger's seat.

"It may take a little while. Wang lives far out," she told the silent Kazuya.

She wanted to make small talk but she could sense that he wasn't in the mood for it. He hadn't so much as turned his eyes towards her. If there was one thing she could figure out, it was that he was quite tense. At the moment, he seemed lost in his own world—she knew she would get little from him conversation wise. Something told her to not push her luck. She kept quiet the entire way keeping her eyes locked on the road.

Maintaining control was perhaps the hardest obstacle that Kazuya had ever endeavored to cross. He was no expert. No one had showed him exactly how to do it. There had been no rule book, nothing to model after. He was left on his own to fend for himself. Devil mocked and goaded him at every turn. He could not possibly keep this up. By then, as their trip was under full swing, he had closed his eyes for concentration sake. He did not know specifically what he should do, but from experience he knew that remaining calm was a good place to start. Jun was so close by, only inches away and Devil could sense their closeness. It wanted no more but to kill her. As with everything else that Devil saw as a challenge to his authority; Jun was no exception. There were plenty of ways she could have died this day and Devil spared him no reprise from all his ideas. Images of her many forms of death played across his vision over and over again. It was sickening to the point that he might have pulled his eyes out, but he had need for his eyes so that was out of the question. All he could do was watch. How could he simply ignore what was clearly in front of him?

Jun drove faster than usual. She began to wonder if it had been so smart to simply tell him the truth. She hadn't just been speaking to Kazuya, she was also addressing Devil. Perhaps it might have been easier for everyone had she just kept her big mouth shut. Kazuya would not have been made to suffer the entire trip there. She knew that he had to be; he had not spoken a word. She feared that her voice might do more harm than good. She only spared him a glance and he seemed deep in some sort of meditation. Even so, he did not appear to be calm—he was the furthest from it. His skin glistened with sweat and he would grimace every so often for reasons unknown to her. Her foot put a little more pressure on the accelerator. It did not look good and it did not seem like she had much time to spare. Kazuya had already done his part in this grand scheme of Wang and Lee—he had accepted their help. Now it was her turn to get him there and finally it would be their turn to do what it was they set out to do. Maybe just maybe things could return to normalcy. She saw his hands clench up from her peripherals. And maybe Kazuya could live his life as he saw fit.

/

The door was unlocked just as Lee had informed her it would be when she got there. Kazuya was five paces behind her. She looked back at him for good measure. Her eyes lingered there longer than she had expected. He seemed ready to faint from exhaustion.

"I don't have all day," Kazuya snapped.

"S-sorry," Jun replied quickly. It was enough to startle her back into action.

He didn't have all day perhaps not much longer. Jun walked ahead in front of her and was presented with a completely darkened room. The only light came from the candles that formed a perfect circle in the center of the room. There was a podium further back and she could make out the outline of a man standing there.

"So you made it," came the old voice of Wang from the podium. "Where is he?"

"He's coming," Jun reassured him, "I guess he had to…regain his composure a little."

"Don't tell me—you told him everything didn't you?"

"Yes…I did. It was the only way I could have done it."

"Lee said you'd do as much. You do realize that you put yourself in grave danger. The evil spirit that dwells within Kazuya will put up much more of a fight—I'm surprised you were able to make it here at all."

"What do you take me for, old man?" The very sound of Kazuya's voice quieted anymore conversation they might have had with each other. "I've come too far to have it end so easily. Jun did as she always does and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Jun looked back to where the voice was emitting, but she could not see him very clearly. Either way she could not help the smile that crept slowly to her face. She didn't remember anyone besides her mother who'd admit that they liked her exactly the way she was. Kazuya had known her for a very long time—it meant a lot to her.

"Allow me to end all of this right here and now," Wang said slowly, "Would you be so kind as to walk into the circle of candles?"

Jun could see him now as he followed what Wang had asked him. He looked far more calm and strong than he had in the car.

"What exactly do you plan to do?" Kazuya questioned the other steadily.

"Patience, patience, young man. Just you stand there while I read the incantation. And whatever happens during that time, you just let it happen."

Wang began soon after. Kazuya listened to the odd syllables ringing in his ears just as he felt Devil stir uncomfortably within. Slowly, he began to weaken not because of Devil, but because of some other force. Usually, he would fight against such things, but per Wang's instruction, he did not. Besides, he could not if he wanted to. It felt more like a heavy hand bearing down upon him. It wasn't the sort of thing one could even hope to resist. Devil stirred with even more fervor just as Kazuya was forced to drop to his knees in his increasing weakness. Soon, he realized, he would lose consciousness and whatever they planned, they would be completely on their own with an evil spirit they knew practically nothing about. Old man, I hope you know what the hell you're doing. Kazuya thought as his eyes closed and he lay flaccidly on the ground.

Jun shrank back when she heard a terrible scream echo through the house and just as suddenly a powerful gust of wind crashed into her face. Her eyes were open long enough to see wide batlike wings spread out. Something was standing there in the middle, translucent but at the same time real. This was the evil spirit that Wang was referring to, the very same one that Jun had inadvertently sensed for all those years.

"Fools," the spirit spat at no one in particular.

Its voice sounded so much like Kazuya's that it was disturbing. His stature mirrored that of Kazuya and in fact even the way he stood. It was as if without Kazuya he would have no true form at all.

"You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into. You think you can get rid of me—a spirit that has lived here in this world for millennia? If there's one thing I enjoy about humans it is their tenacity as if simple submission is unheard of."

"What are you doing, old man?" Lee warned Wang, "He's distracting you so you won't finish it. Get on with it."

The incantation began again. Jun hadn't known Lee was even there shadowed as he was in the darkness. Some of the candles had become unlit with the wind, but they were quickly relit by an unseen benefactor. Now she knew that person to be Lee. Eventually, he made his way to Jun's position as Wang continued on.

"Ah, so Lee is here. I've always found you to be annoying, boy."

Lee instantly recognized that tone—it was same one he had heard from Kazuya when he had first invited him to a get-together. It was eerie. A sudden realization came over him. How often had he ever actually spoken with Kazuya during the time he worked under him? It seemed very little. Devil must have known them all quite well always lurking there behind the scenes disguised as a human.

Jun stepped back a little when the glowing red eyes of Devil turned to her.

"You're only prolonging the inevitable," Devil seethed, "What do you think you'll accomplish today? Why do you, out of all people, allow this suffering to drag on. He will futilely continue to cling on to your false hope until he completely destroys himself. Is that what you want, woman? You think you're so helpful, that you're doing the right thing, but you hardly understand anything. You don't understand how the world works."

"Don't listen to it," Lee said to a despairing Jun, "They're just lies, all of it."

"Like I said, just annoying," Devil said referring to Lee. "And what do you hope to gain from any of this?"

Jun could tell what Lee was doing as he began to move slowly away from her so that she could be out of Devil's line of sight. There was a step three to their plan that involved her solely. She was to take Kazuya away from the circle to the outside. It was assumed that the further Devil was from Kazuya the weaker it would become. Jun took a deep breath and slipped into the circle. She imagined that he would be quite heavy to pull, but she had volunteered anyways. She'd forgotten also the amount of darkness. She felt around on the ground for what felt like an eternity before she found his fingers. Her hands wrapped around his and she began to quickly make space between him and Devil. Devil seemed completely preoccupied much to her amazement. Its tension span must have been small indeed. Then again, some of the things that were coming out of Lee's mouth were hard to ignore.

When she made it to the door, she knew that when she opened it Devil would be well aware of what she was doing especially since there was still light outside. Quickly, she swung the door opened and moved as fast as she could out the door. Even when she was outside she could hear Devil's angered cries. She slammed the door shut. She took Kazuya far out into the front yard before she called it quits. Wang had wanted Kazuya further away but not completely out of the vicinity—even he knew that it would be too jarring for someone who had lived with a certain spirit for almost his entire life.

The sun was piercing. She had to cover her eyes a little for them to readjust.

"It's over," she said quietly. "I can't believe it…this might actually work."

Her eyes became concentrated on the front door, but nothing further happened. The door never swung open or ripped from its hinges. It remained very still. She heard movement behind her. It was Kazuya emerging from his catalepsy. He sat up slowly with eyes squinted from the startling light of the sun. His hand came to his chest and immediately she was reminded of the great scar that she had found there. She knew then that it must have had something to do with Devil, but she did not have the courage to ask exactly how. She realized a little too late that she had been staring. His eyes finally met hers.

"What is…happening in there?" Kazuya asked.

"Oh, sorry. I know you have a lot of questions. That spirit—

"Devil," Kazuya interrupted her. "I mean, that's its name," he further explained noticing her raised eyebrow.

"Well, Devil, it is inside of the house. Lee and Wang will take care of it—that's what they said they'd do."

"It's impossible."

"Kazuya, you don't know that. Everything so far has gone smoothly."

"That means nothing. It's still there."

It was hard really for Jun to gauge what was happening inside from her position. All she could sense was that Devil was near. Its presence was so pure and overwhelming that she could hardly sense anything else. Kazuya was no longer looking towards the house. He still sat on the ground and his eyes looked downward. One hand remained there upon his chest.

"Devil's angry now. They better finish this quickly."

"Do you know if they're almost done," Jun asked the other who seemed more knowledgeable than her on the situation.

"How should I know? I'm not familiar with this…technique of theirs."

"Oh, okay."

She looked up suddenly when she heard the door rumble violently. Then just like that it stilled.

"What happened?" Jun questioned the other.

She could still sense a tremendous amount of evil there in that house—it was really too much for her to discern anything.

"Devil is no longer there."

"What?" Jun said with surprise. "But I can still sense something."

Kazuya shook his head once, "Residual effect, I suppose. It probably wouldn't be safe to walk back in, at least not for me."

His hand had not moved from its position. For some reason, she did not feel comfortable asking about his condition. He seemed so distant now. She had imagined things differently. Now that Devil was gone, he could return to his former self. Maybe it was just too soon to tell.

"Can you stand?"

"To tell you the truth, I don't trust my own strength."

Jun adopted a worried expression which Kazuya noticed right away.

"I'll be fine."

"No, I can tell when you're lying. Please, just tell me what's wrong."

She did not receive an immediate response nor had she expected one. They remained silent for what felt like minutes before either one of them decided to break it.

"I don't know how to explain it," he began. He was no longer looking at her. "It's as if a huge gaping hole has opened up. A part of me which I feel I've known since the very beginning is gone. I guess I just don't feel like myself anymore. I don't know what to feel or think anymore. It's stupid. I know that I should, but I don't."

Jun who was standing walked over to him and sat down beside him. "I'm not entirely sure what you're talking about, but I think I got the gist. You're not alone. If you need help readjusting, then I'll be there…and for anything else."

/

AN: Wow, that took longer than expected to actually write. I hadn't realized it'd be this long. I'm just glad to finally be finished with it. Anyways, it looks as if a new can of worms have opened up. Devil is gone—everything should return to normal. But what exactly is normal? Huannguyen; thanks for all your compliments. I always hesitate before putting in flashbacks—a lot of people get annoyed with them. Sokka2Me; well I don't want to give away my brilliant plan, but there will be training. It probably wouldn't be focused on training because that could get kind of boring. Training isn't anything new to Kazuya; it'd be second nature by then. It'd be like I was focusing on how humans are able to breathe.