Chapter 12: Obsessed

Kazuya went in to work for the next day and the next. He was presented everyday with the same challenges and eventually he triumphed. He became so well at assisting others that sometimes, if a customer came there consecutively, they would go straight for him. Somehow, he knew exactly the kind of shoe someone wanted, whether it be for a little girl or an 80 year old man. He knew the tennis shoes so intimately, that he could practically picture them all at once in his mind. He knew which color each and every shoe came in. He knew what kind of sizes and how many of those sizes were available for each shoe. He considered everything when deciding on a shoe that was right for a person including the pricing. Whenever a sale was going on or was about to, he would not hesitate to inform the customers. Whenever he knew that a certain shoe price would be going down, he'd tell all who could gain any benefit from that fact. He was the kind of sales associate who not only knew what he was talking about but loved the subject matter and this fact became clear to the customers. They began to levitate towards him more so than Taro.

Kazuya began to actually enjoy his line of work. He had never once been made responsible for someone else's satisfaction so directly, but now it was his job. Helping someone find a shoe and seeing their relieved or smiling faces struck a chord with him. It was something he hadn't felt before—it was something that gave his life meaning. Certainly, it was a new change of pace. Never had he thought in all his years of living that something so simple could make him feel so fulfilled. He felt himself changing. At first it had been subtle, but now he knew for sure as he greeted the next customer with a surprisingly pleasant smile. He was no longer constantly trying to hide himself from the world. He no longer had to distance himself from people in general. He could simply be himself. He could put all his thoughts and concerns on that one thing. Perhaps this was what Jun had been referring to all those times he had gone to lunch with her. Perhaps this was who he truly was.

As he worked that day, he spied a particularly familiar female out the corner of his eye. He was already helping another customer so Taro had that one. She seemed out of place. She didn't quite strike him as a woman who would care to wear tennis shoes, not even the expensive ones. She leaned against one of the more sturdy displays and seemed completely absorbed in her compact mirror. She was scantily clad in a backless summer dress and wore bright purple gladiator sandals that showed off her lime green toe nail polish. She had dark hair like most other women, but she also had a single golden streak on one side at the very front. Taro tried to get her attention, but he was largely ignored and eventually told to scram and to bring the "other one". It wasn't Taro who she wanted to hear from. She continued at her post until finally Kazuya approached her. It was then that she snapped the small mirror closed and greeted the other with a disarming smile.

"And how can I help you?" Kazuya asked to the smiling woman.

"You really don't know who I am," the woman said as a statement.

"You do look familiar."

"I find it ironic that I'd run into you in an athletic shoe store of all places. Am I ringing any bells?"

"Not at all. Perhaps if you tell me your name—"

"Now that would be too easy."

"Maybe not. If there's one thing I'm bad at, it's recalling people's names."

"It's Aiko."

"Aiko?"

"Is there something wrong with that name?"

"No, it's just I really don't recognize it at all. Are you sure you have the right person?"

"Oh, I'm sure. You're Kazuya, aren't you? I never got your family name, but you're that Kazuya that I once knew. It's not as if your appearance has changed all that drastically. Still with the same ridiculous hairstyle. Although…"

"You probably have the wrong person."

"No, no, you're him," the woman said matter-of-factly. Then she sighed, "You're really gonna' make me say it, aren't you?"

"Say what?"

"At least you have to remember when me and another boy decided that we'd sneak into a grocery store to steal a birthday cake. We might have gotten caught if you hadn't been there. Or the times when you complimented me on my tennis shoes almost every day. Aw, now you're starting to remember."

"Yeah, it's hazy but…"

It was less than hazy and more like a blur of undecipherable images. He only sensed that he should have known her, but he did not. He waited for something clearer, something he could attach a name to, some specificity, but it never came. He knew that this woman who stood before wouldn't simply let the matter rest. She had come all that way and now she wanted some confirmation.

Then finally she rolled her eyes in impatience, "Alright, I tire of games. I went by Becky. We met in an orphanage and you used to hang out with the socially inept Benjamin kid. I don't know how much plainer I can be."

"Becky," Kazuya repeated, "from the orphanage."

The images were just a little clearer now, but there was no hope that he was ever going to fully remember. His experiences at the orphanage simply weren't things that had stuck out to him. He knew only that he had spent some time there, but that was all.

"Sorry, I'm no good at remembering things like that. Becky, what brings you here?"

"You've really changed, you know that?"

She gave him a look that was only then beginning to make him feel uncomfortable. There was something he was missing here, but he didn't know what. It was impossible for him to know what.

"People change," Kazuya volunteered. "Perhaps it is for the better."

"Yeah, I guess they do. This is really your job now. You know, I never pictured you working at such a mundane place."

"Mundane?"

"I mean, it's not what I imagined at all. I'm just glad you're alive and well. You gave us—Benjamin and I—quite a scare."

Something must have happened, Kazuya was now sure of it, but he could not remember what. Seeing as this woman and another man was still alive, then it must not have been dire.

"Well, you seem to be doing better now," Kazuya offered.

"Likewise. Had it not been for you, I don't think I'd be here now. I'd like to ask how you've been, but I guess that's a little much to inquire all of a sudden. Maybe we could talk at greater lengths someplace else."

"I do have a lunch break in a few hours."

"Good, then it's a date. I'll wait up for you."

Aiko left immediately after. It was obvious that she had not come for the shoes at all, but it was far less obvious how she had found him in the first place. Kazuya didn't know all the details. Perhaps there had been something he had said in the past that had helped her to find him after such a long period of time. Perhaps she was just pulling his leg. Kazuya couldn't say one way or the other. The only thing he could say was that whoever she was, she certainly didn't seem like she hailed from an orphanage. Kazuya wasn't one for taking much notice of fashion, but the way she dressed certainly caught his eye. Even as she walked away, he couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

"Aw man, you know that girl?" Taro asked breaking him from his gaze.

"Yeah, seems that way."

Taro grinned, "I hear ya—I'd pretend I knew her too."

"Maybe I do know her, but there's only one way to find out."

"Well, whatever you do, make sure you tell me the details later."

"Huh?"

"Don't let me down."

Before Kazuya could inquire further, Taro was already off greeting the next customer. Perhaps their planned lunch date wasn't quite as innocent as Kazuya had first assumed, but she did genuinely want to "catch back up" with him. While it was still a little odd to run into her, it was equally odd that she seemed so fixated on him. It was too bad that he couldn't remember the kind of relationship he had had before with her. He might have known her true intentions beforehand.

When his break came around, he met back up with her and they decided on a café near where he worked. In the past before he started work at the shoe store, Kazuya had spent most of his lunches with Jun, but their lunch breaks never seemed to coincide and they worked too far apart to bother trying to figure out how to get such things to work. Communication had also grown scarce between them what with both of them working and usually coming back late from their jobs too tired to do anything else besides sleep.

"So how has it been for you, Kazuya?" Aiko inquired over a cup of steaming Jasmine tea.

"It's been fine I guess. A lot of things have happened. It's only just recently that I've taken up this line of work."

"What were you before?"

"A CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu."

Aiko nearly choked on her tea. "What a minute, you're that Mishima? The whole time, you were part of that family? There really is more to you than meets the eye. What made you quit?"

"It wasn't just one thing. I just didn't want to do that any longer—it wasn't…fulfilling. So I decided to switch employments."

"Talk about switching—that was a complete 180."

"And what about you? I have no idea what you've been doing this whole time."

"A lot has happened to me as well, you can say. Benjamin and I, we were adopted. I mean after what happened, we were the only two survivors besides you—and everyone wanted to adopt us. I never imagined that I'd actually have to choose who was to adopt me. Wherever it would be, I wanted it to be with Benjamin—he was the only other person I could talk to. The Suzukis took us in and boy were they rich. Their only real daughter had bipolar disease, but they wanted "normal" children and the mother was too damaged to ever give birth again. They treated us like one of their own. It was a good time for Benjamin and I—we're practically brother and sister. Oh, you should see him now, Kazuya. You wouldn't recognize him at all. He's such a lady's man. You couldn't tell he ever used to have a stuttering problem and now he wears contacts. As for my employment, I'm a model for the time being and Benjamin, he's into cars—maintaining them, remodeling them, racing them—anything dealing with cars he knows how to deal with it."

"It's funny that you mention someone with bipolar disease. A while back, there was a woman who went off about the prices back at the store. She caused a bit of a scene."

"I know. She's my sister—adopted sister, that is. You want to know how I found you—Emiko wouldn't shut-up about the really stern, muscular guy who made her clean up her mess. You really left quite an impression on her. It's easy for someone like her to become, what should I say, 'obsessed' with something or someone. She said your name was Kazuya Mishima. That coupled with the detailed description she gave of you—I had to go see for myself if it was possible that you were the same Kazuya of before. I'm so glad I checked up on that."

"So that was Emiko. How is she anyways?"

"She's doing fine now. I guess she just forgot to take her medicine. She can be really ditzy sometimes. I think she got overly excited about Benjamin's birthday and ran off to the store before she was actually ready to."

"Well, I'm glad the situation worked itself out."

"It was no biggie. This isn't the first time something like that happened. But enough about her. There was something I wanted to ask you." She began to talking in lower tones. "Benjamin told me about it."

"It?"

Aiko sighed, "You don't have to keep it a secret. I know why the orphanage burned down…and it wasn't your fault."

"Becky—

"You can call me Aiko."

"Aiko, then, I really have no clue what you're talking about. I have a confession. I hardly remember anything that far back. You seem familiar, but that's all. Right now, I'm just taking your word for it."

"What happened to you, Kazuya," Aiko said in a deeply concerned tone. "That's really drastic, you know. Not really knowing your own childhood. How long has it been that way?"

"It was recent. It's not something I want to talk about."

"That's alright. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. I can't imagine what it must be like. I must have been a complete stranger back there and here I was demanding that you remember things. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize for things like that. You didn't know. What you see right now. Who I am right now. That is all I need."

"No," Aiko said shaking her head. "Memories are part of what make us who we are. Without them you lose a part of yourself—in fact, you're not yourself at all."

"And you're now an expert in these kinds of things?"

"It's just something I believe. Take it or leave it. I guess I'm just being bothersome now. I told Benjamin about you, but I guess you really have no motivation to want to meet him again. It's a shame though, you two had a special relationship."

"I'll meet with him."

"Really? You still want to?"

"Maybe I'll remember something."

"Listen, I don't know if you have a girlfriend or something like that, but if you ever need someone to talk to—I'm usually available. Here's my number." She pulled out a napkin from the canister and wrote down her number before passing it over to him.

"And here's mine," Kazuya said replicating the same process.

"There. Now we can keep in touch."

The longer Kazuya spent with Aiko, the more he began to wish that he did remember her. She was easy to talk to. In fact, Kazuya couldn't remember a time that he had held a conversation for quite so long. She'd smile infectiously at him and Kazuya would be reminded over and over again how beautiful she really was. Now that he was at such a close range for a longer period of time, he began to notice the subtleties of her beauty—how well-proportioned her face was, her small, rounded nose, and the fullness of her bright red lips. She wasn't overly skinny, but rounded off in just the right places. And her height, Kazuya had recalled, was an inch shy of himself—she was quite tall for a woman even with wearing such flat shoes. Her hair smelled of mangos and the rest of her smelled of cherries. That, with the bright colors that she wore, reminded Kazuya of a tropical smoothie. Perhaps that was what she was going for. Everything about her was fresh and untouched. And when his lunch break inevitably came to a close, he noticed that even her walk added to her beauty. She was quite confident about herself and self-assured. It was something that caught him off guard.

Aiko had promised to bring Benjamin next time if he could find some time off. She seemed quite excited about this, but Kazuya hardly had an opinion at all. Benjamin would simply be another stranger in his life who claimed to know him. Still, it would prove to be quite interesting.

/

Kazuya came into the work that day early as usual, but there was a certain pep in his walk. He was in a far better mood that day and Taro noticed it instantly.

"You're meeting her again today, aren't you?" Taro accused the other promptly.

"We have a lot of catching up to do, apparently."

"You lucky dog," Taro proclaimed, "Catching up, he says. Right, don't make me laugh."

"Yes, catching up, that is all."

Taro gave the other an unbelieving look.

"Don't you have work to do already?" Kazuya said exasperatedly.

Taro shrugged and scurried without another word, but he hadn't needed to say anything else. He had certainly gotten his point across. All Taro had seen was a beautiful woman and when a woman like that begins to show interest in one particular man, the conclusion seems obvious. From the outside looking in, one could easily figure out where it all was leading towards, but Kazuya did not see this. Such things were the furthest from his mind. He was trying to build a life for himself and he was just then getting used to it. Sure, he hadn't called Jun in a while and communication was little or nothing between them by now, he still thought of her as a close friend if not something more. They're relationship was up in the air as of late and neither one of them had had time to sort things out, but more than that Kazuya was less inclined than ever to do such a thing, not when Devil still lurked in the shadows. Thus far, he had not heard or sensed Devil at all, but still…Such thoughts he put to the back of his mind. He ignored them altogether in favor of less stress. He felt like "himself" now and he wanted it to remain that way.

On lunch break, he met back up with Aiko and within a few minutes of sitting Benjamin showed up as well. If Kazuya had remembered him at all from before, he might have been surprised at his appearance. He looked nothing like himself. His hair was pulled back with a few shorter strands falling onto his forehead. He no longer wore eyeglasses and his crystal blue eyes were far easier to notice because of it. He had a medium muscular build, but then again, he did work on cars constantly—it came with the territory. He was average height and not at all imposing, but most of all he was what most women would say a pretty boy. Benjamin might have been expecting more of a reaction out of Kazuya, but a brief acknowledgement of his presence was all he received.

"Wow, you really weren't playing around when you said he doesn't remember anything," Benjamin said presently to Aiko as he sat down at the table with them.

Kazuya looked at Benjamin and saw nothing even vaguely familiar. "I apologize. I keep wondering if perhaps you have the wrong person."

"No, no, you're the right person," Benjamin said in a tone that had been similar to Aiko's when she had said it. "Just what I'd expect from a train-aholic. You do still train, don't you?"

"Not really, not as of late."

"Really? I couldn't imagine anything that could change your mind about training."

"I guess I…had a change of heart."

Benjamin was mystified by this response, but he didn't ask any more about it. "In case you're wondering what I've been doing for these past years, I've been working with cars. I had no idea how much I liked them until my adoptive father bought me a car for my birthday. It was love at first sight."

"More like obsession at first sight," Aiko clarified. "He'd spend days on end sometimes forgetting to even eat just working on cars—fixing them, adding things to them. You should see his collection of it. It's ridiculous!"

"Well, I'm glad you found something that you like to do," Kazuya responded.

"It's a really good feeling, you know, when you've found something you'd like to do for the rest of your life. When I first met you, that was the one thing I was jealous about. Clearly, you derived pleasure from training so hard. There was a goal you were pursuing and you just went for it—no one could tell you any differently."

"I never gained any satisfaction from training. It was just something I thought I had to do at the time. And, yes, I had a goal—albeit stupid and self-absorbed. But that's not me anymore. I'm simply a—

"Sales Associate who works in a shoe store, right, right," Benjamin said finishing his sentence. "Do you really believe the words coming out of your mouth? It's like you're trying to be something you're not."

"Why do you suddenly think you know me so well? I haven't been a kid in a long time and you think you can just make conclusions based off of that? As if time has had no factor in any of it."

"Oh, you were easy to read, just like you are now," Benjamin said back. "You may think a lot of things have changed, but I could tell it was you instantly upon seeing you. There was no doubt in my mind that you were Kazuya. The Kazuya from the orphanage."

"Do you know how common the name 'Kazuya' is around here?"

"It's not just the name, of course. But we're not going to argue about that anymore. Let's just pretend that you are that person. I haven't said anything to convince you that I didn't know you. You did train a lot when you were younger. You have to have remembered that, at least."

"Yes, I did. Keyword: did. That's not what I do anymore."

"Alright, I understand," Benjamin said putting his hands up, "Say no more. So, what you're doing now?-you like that?"

"I see nothing wrong with my employment."

"Yes, but do you like it?"

"What are you, a psychiatrist?"

"Once upon a time, I had wanted to be one. I had wanted to understand why people acted the way they did—but I could never fully grasp it. I guess I just didn't like how people could be put into such neat categories. I'm not asking as a psychiatrist anyways—I just wanted to know as a friend."

"We're not friends."

Benjamin grinned at this. "You know, you always said that to me—but that never stopped me before. Do you truly enjoy being a sales associate? Was that the dream you had for yourself?"

"I don't need dreams. I need something solid, here and now. To answer your question, I do enjoy coming into work."

"To each his own, I suppose. There is one thing I really wanted to ask you."

"Might as well get this over with quickly."

"Whatever became of "it". That…evil spirit, I guess that's what you would call it. You had the hardest time keeping it under control. Either you've gotten better overtime or…"

"Or what?"

"I don't know. Maybe I thought you'd add something or confirm my suspicions."

"For a complete stranger, you sure want to know a lot of things," Kazuya said standing up, "It's not something I want to talk about."

"Sorry, maybe I was being too inquisitive. I do that sometimes especially if it's something that interests me."

"It has nothing to do with you. Let the matter rest."

"Alright. Just leave me hanging. It'd be completely in your character to do so. Just like old times when you wouldn't tell me things. Exactly like that."

"This is not like 'old times'. Whoever I was before, I'm not like that anymore," Kazuya said sitting down thinking better on things, "Because I'll tell you what happened."

Aiko and Benjamin were all ears.

"It is gone."

"Wait, what?" Benjamin asked when the other did not continue.

"The spirit you speak of is gone."

"But how?" Aiko asked.

"It was exorcised."

"Wow," Benjamin said caught off guard, "It sounds so obvious. Did that actually work? Are you sure it's gone that easily?"

"Yes, of course," Kazuya said quickly as he stood up once again. "Now, I really must go. It was nice meeting you, Benjamin."

"Wait," Aiko said just as Kazuya was making his leave. He turned back to her in acknowledgement. "Nevermind," she said and then watched as he disappeared out of the little café.

He seemed in a rush and Aiko didn't want to annoy him anymore than she already had.

"Wasn't there something you wanted to say?" Benjamin asked teasingly to Aiko.

Aiko blushed and then looked away from him. "It's just…not the right time. Besides, you were being too pushy."

"What do you mean, 'not the right time'. I've never heard you say that about anything you really wanted."

Aiko looked down. "Maybe I won't say anything…"

"Alright then," Benjamin said as he took up his cup of root beer. "Just hope you don't regret it in the end. I have to go too. You know my schedule."

Eventually Aiko was left by herself. She only continued to sit there for a short while longer deep in thought before finally leaving for another photo shoot that evening. She'd certainly be kept busy today.

/

For Kazuya, the day couldn't get any more normal and routine. Nothing out of the ordinary occurred. He had become so well at his job that he didn't really have to waste too much brainpower to accomplish it as it had been in the past. It only meant that he could think on other things and his mind kept returning to Aiko. She had pretty much volunteered her entire life story in a short summary without even being asked. In fact, he hadn't asked her much of anything yet he felt as if he knew more about her than he did himself. He couldn't fit his life into a nice neat summary. Not only were pieces missing, he was certain that even if they weren't they would be too embarrassing to want to share to an everyday stranger. Everything worked out for her. Being adopted into such a rich family had to be pure luck. That she was further made fortunate with good parents, good sense, and good genetics was doubly so. There were people who more often than not got the shorter end of the stick and then there were people like Aiko. Maybe it was a sign for him to come in contact with someone so well off. Perhaps her good luck could rub off on him. Luck was the only thing he could count on. It was the only thing he knew that could beat even the most impossible of odds, even Devil's reappearance. Since Angel had said it, Kazuya had not heard from Devil and instead of it making Kazuya more anxious and paranoid, he began to take Angel's warning for granted. Perhaps Devil would not come. Perhaps he was simply lucky.

Kazuya closed up late again as usual whenever it was his turn to do so. He might have closed earlier, but his eternal obsession with tennis shoes would not let him. When he was alone, he could inspect and observe each and every shoe to his heart's desire without getting ridiculing stares. Just as he was locking up the doors, he heard footsteps, or more like the clicking of high heels, coming towards him. By the time Kazuya took the key out and put them back in his pocket, the footsteps had become quite close. When he looked up, he knew exactly who it was.

"Aiko? What are you doing here? You know the store's closed now at this late hour."

"Yeah, I know," Aiko responded when she was a little closer, "I never come to your store looking for shoes."

"Then why—

"For you, of course."

They were standing now only inches apart just outside the backdoor of the store in the dead of night. The crickets by then were quite loud. Had they been any closer, they might have drowned out their voices.

Kazuya paused before he responded. "This sounds like something we should discuss some other time."

"No," Aiko said shaking her head. "I just can't wait any longer. I know I might seem a little pushy, but I have to say this. Since the day I first met you, I've always been…well, fond of you. I know you don't remember the past all that well, but my feelings remain. I always hoped that you were somewhere alive and well even if I had no idea whether you still lived or not. I think subconsciously, I believed I would run back into you again. So I waited and waited. I tried to move on but I couldn't. I tried to find someone else to fill that void, but it never happened. And then one day as if my prayers had been heard, I find you once again. I really just want to be with you."

"Aiko…"

"No, you don't have to respond now. I just wanted to say this before I never got the chance to do it."

"That's a long time to keep someone in your heart—especially for a person you have no idea even deserves such devotion." Kazuya sighed. "Listen, it's already pretty late. I'm far too tired to be thinking about all this now. We can talk about this later, alright?"

"When?" Aiko asked, "I mean, when would be a good time?"

"Later," Kazuya answered.

"Never," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Just later."

Aiko frowned at the other. "Well, let me give you one more thing to think about."

Kazuya had no idea what she was talking about—he was utterly unprepared when she kissed him quite firmly on the lips. They were soft, enticing lips that beckoned a response from the other and before he knew it, he found himself kissing her back mystified and curious all at the same time. His cellphone in his back pocket began to vibrate incessantly and then stopped. Then it started again only to stop again. The whole time, Kazuya had not even noticed. He was so entranced that his mind was elsewhere. Eventually, he did pull away. Had he not done so, she might have continued.

"That's all I came to say to you," Aiko said turning away from him.

Kazuya was left speechless as he watched her slender legs stalk off towards the parking lot. Then his cellphone vibrated again, but this time he noticed it. He looked on the caller ID and then his eyebrows creased at the name.

"Yes? Is there any reason you're calling me this late?"

"Oh don't give me that," Jun responded with a little annoyance, "I never complain when you call me this late."

"This is true. Now what did you want?"

"I guess I'll just have to get straight to the point then. I have something important to say."

"It seems everyone has something important to say today."

"I guarantee you, Kazuya, mine will be the most important."

"Inevitably."

"I don't know how else to say this, but…I'm pregnant."

There was a long span of silence before anyone said anything. Surprisingly, it was Kazuya who spoke first.

"…Right now?"

"Yes, right now. Two months pregnant."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Are you serious, Kazuya? You're the only person I had sex with two months ago, that's why."

"But are you sure? I mean…it was safe."

"The only thing 100% safe is abstinence, but you knew that already, right? I'm telling you right here and now without a doubt you are the father, like it or not."

Kazuya hung up the phone quickly and stared at the phone like it had turned into his worst nightmare. He couldn't believe his ears. In fact, he was more horrified by it than anything. His phone began to vibrate again over and over and over again, but Kazuya did not respond to it.

"No…not now. I'm just not ready."

/

AN: Annoyed with Kazuya in the last chapter? Well you might just be ready to burst right about now. Maybe he'll regain some of that confidence he once had, maybe not. Seems a Devil-free Kazuya is more trouble than it's worth. Stay tuned.