Chapter 7: The Call

It has been five days since I landed in Japan. To my disappointment, nothing was happening because I didn't have a call to action plan. I was here in Japan all alone and my father didn't know I was here. I didn't expect Hwoarang to call me like he promised when he left for his tournament match. I kept myself busy, spending my days sightseeing, enjoying Japanese culture and shopping. My bank account certainly took a beating, but I was on vacation. It definitely helped me keep my mind off keeping up of the coverage of the tournament .

I decided to head into East Shinjuku Shopping area. The sky was becoming dusk so I had an hour or two to shop around before the shops closed. I shopped around as much as possible with the amount of time I was given. In a shop I peered through the glass and noticed that the outside strip was empty, which was odd because this area was one of the busiest parts of Tokyo. I turned my attention to my wrist watch and realized the shops were going to close in five minutes.

I walked outside and stood on the path. I looked around, getting an eerie feeling. Something was off, like there was a presence around. I wanted to move but I felt my muscles tense up. I closed my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath – Must be imagining things. I manoeuvred my legs to start walking and just leave this place. I lost my concentration when I bumped into someone, almost tripping over them in the process. I hit my shoulder into their chest and took a few steps back, avoiding meeting the pavement.

"oh—Sorry" Before I could apologize fully, a red glow caught my attention.

I saw the face of the person I just bumped into. It was a sturdy Japanese man with his raven hair raised up into a spike. The most prominent features of his face were the deep scars and the red iris from his one of his dead cold eyes.

The man didn't have a second thought. He walked past me, acting like he just walked into air. Perplexed, I briskly walked the other direction.

I woke up the next morning, rising from my bed to sit upright. I ran my hair through my fingers and sighed. The image of the man burned through my mind, I recognized he was the man from a dream I had. I didn't understand why a man, I never met before would haunt my dreams. I looked blankly into space, staring towards the empty wall. My trance broke when I heard my phone go off. I leaned over to the side table and picked up the phone, not registering the number that was calling me.

"...Hello?"I hoarsely answered.

"Violetta?"The sound of a familiar voice echoed through my ear.

"..Dad?" I asked, feeling much more awake and alert. I threw the covers off myself and placed my legs on to the floor, still sitting on the bed.

"...Where do I start?" Lee paused for a second, leaving me anxiously on the edge of my seat. "You defied me; you came all the way to Japan, for what reason - To get yourself involved in the tournament?"

My heart sank - Lee discovered that I was here and didn't skip a beat. My voice couldn't escape me, I was speechless. I rubbed the back of my neck with my free hand to ease the tension "How did you... find out?" I asked, getting the fortitude to speak.

Lee let out a snort. "I wasn't born yesterday. You should know I have all the connections in the world. It has always been a piece of cake to keep tabs on my daughter; I've been doing it since you started living with me."

My jaw unhinged in utter shock. "Wh-at?"

Lee continued on. "I knew your intentions, the moment you booked your flight here. The reason I didn't call you out on your irresponsible act of impulsiveness, is because I wanted to see what you would do. All I gathered is that you haven't accomplished much at all. Well except for sleeping with one of the participants of the tournament. "

I froze at the last sentence. Lee knew who I've slept with; I never told anyone about it, unless Hwoarang told him. It just didn't make sense because Lee is using the alias of Violet, and I didn't tell Hwoarang that he is my father.

"How—How... How did you know?"I stuttered feeling flustered that my father knew my sexual history.

"I can't tell you all my secrets Violetta. All I can say is that I just know. I really hoped you used protection though." Lee teased, much to my chagrin.

"...Please, stop" I didn't want to hear Lee ridicule me, even though I did deserve it.

"I'm only doing this because I care about you." Lee let out a sigh, switching to a nurturing tone. "You are the only blood link to me and I don't want anything to happen to you..."

I choked back my forming tears over the guilt that came crashing down like a wave over me. "I'm sorry" I croaked.

I heard silence from the other end for a moment. I heard Lee taking a shallow breath before he spoke up again. "...I have a match that will be held in the arena, tomorrow night at 9pm. I have reserved a seat for you in the front row."

"Are you trying to punish me by watching you fight?" I asked with a daze.

"Precisely not Viola, I feel I shouldn't have put you in the dark. But, that does not mean you're not in trouble for flying out here alone. I'm still deciding on what your real punishment will be young lady." Lee said sternly to me, like a typical father would sound.

"Yes, daddy, I understand."I meekly responded, twirling a strand of my hair around my finger in a childlike manner.

"See you tomorrow night." Lee concluded the phone conversation.

Before I could say my goodbye, the other end cut off - Lee hanged up on me. I took the receiver off my ear and blankly looked at my phone. I inhaled and then exhaled to calm myself. I was going to see my father fight tomorrow night and I wasn't going to miss it.

I raised up from the bed and put my phone on the side table. I proceeded to walk into the bathroom to wash my face. After turning off the water, I leaned on the basin and looked straight into my reflection.

"Wait" I whispered to myself, now coming to a realization. The face of the man I saw last night became clear to me, the pieces came together. It was Kazuya Mishima, he is alive.