.

(Anticipation)

Lee had been sitting in front of the table for a good ten minutes, his gaze occasionally shifting from his phone to the crumpled photograph in front of him. He could throw it in the trash, but it wouldn't matter because the image was seared into his mind, even if he tore it to pieces and never looked at it again.

Lee had forgotten what it was like to sleep on a cold, hard surface and what it was like to feel unsafe. He sat in his warm kitchen with its high-end appliances, in his apartment full of expensive furniture and beautiful art. Later that night, he would sleep on a comfortable mattress, safe in his bedroom. The passage of time had erased some painful memories or at least helped him to ignore others. But some things were engraved in the recesses of his mind. He would never forget the smell of the back alleys of Shanghai or the hollow feeling in his stomach after not eating for days. He would never have to go through that hell again. And he owed it all to Heihachi.

Lee respected Wang Jinrei more than anyone he knew. He owed Heihachi his life, but he owed Jinrei his sanity. The first few years of living in the Mishima Estate had been hell. But it would have been worse without Jinrei and their chats in Mandarin when Heihachi was away. Their secret training sessions so that Lee could advance in the fighting arts faster than Heihachi expected. And Lee had promised his former mentor to do what the older man himself could not. But now, Lee found a seed of resentment beginning to grow within him. He couldn't imagine passing such a burden on to anyone else. The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint Jinrei, but...

He looked at the crumpled picture again and made up his mind. He picked up his cell phone and dialed Yamada's number.

Yamada picked up before the first ring was done. "Yeah?"

"It's me." He ran his hand through his hair. "I… don't want you to do it."

Yamada was silent for a moment, then laughed. "You don't want me to do it?"

"No."

"I have everything ready. This was not easy to set up."

"I know. But I don't want you to do it."

"I have put my ass on the line to do what you ask. Every time I disobey the boss or go near those damn computers, I'm risking my life."

Lee straightened in his chair. "You knew the risks when you accepted my offer."

"So what happens now?"

"I don't know yet. Tomorrow I'll have a clearer picture–"

"I need to know what to expect. I can't stay here. Things have turned into a shitshow at the Zaibatsu."

"I will tell you tomorrow after–"

He heard Yamada slam down the receiver. Lee exhaled as he set the phone back on the table and saw Sayuri standing by the door.

"I wasn't eavesdropping. I just need some water." She walked to the cabinet next to the sink and pulled out a glass. "What's wrong?"

Lee shook his head. "It's nothing."

Sayuri looked at him for a moment, then sighed. "Of course." She opened the refrigerator and pulled out the water pitcher.

Lee watched as she filled her glass and put the pitcher back in. She wasn't the oblivious, innocent person he had believed her to be. Maybe it was time for the secrets to stop. "I put a hit out on my own father. But I changed my mind at the last minute." It sounded worse out loud than it did in his head.

She gave him a long appraising look, exhaled, and set the glass on the counter. "Why...did you change your mind?"

He put the photograph in his pocket. "I thought you would be surprised."

"I am…I'm just..." She picked up her glass and took a small sip, then looked at Lee. "I do understand why you wanted to do it."

"It's not something I wanted to do. I needed to do it."

"I know you weren't looking forward to doing it. What I mean is that I understand why you would want to."

"And why do you think that is?"

"Because he's a cruel and awful person and a failure of a father."

Lee stood up and crossed his arms. "He's not a failure of a father."

Sayuri shook her head. "You're defending him? You told me he threw Kazuya off a cliff. He–"

"He failed Kazuya, but he saved me."

"He failed you too."

"Are you saying that I should kill him?"

"No. But I don't want you to feel like you owe him."

"I do owe him. I went from being cold and hungry every day to living in a mansion with staff to tend to my every need and want. I was a foul-mouthed and illiterate brat when he took me in, and he sent me to be educated in the best schools in the world so that I could become what I am today. If he hadn't taken me in..."

"When he took you in, he took on the responsibility of being your teacher and protector. It doesn't matter how much money he gave you. It doesn't matter if you're adopted and not his biological child. If you didn't feel safe around him, he failed you."

"Maybe you should arrange his murder. We both know you have the stomach for it."

She flinched at his words and took a small step back, then lowered her head as she walked away.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

But she was already walking out the door. Lee honestly had not meant what he said, but it was one of those things that he knew he could never take back. It was something that would be hanging over their heads for a long time, maybe forever. He was angry and had lashed out at the only person in sight, the only person who had his best interest at heart. That was why he had wanted to keep her separate from the shady dealings and crimes of the Zaibatsu, from his own dark thoughts and actions. But she was part of it all now, and there was no going back.

Heihachi stepped out of the stuffy little dojo and breathed in the cold night air. He always relished the little pleasures in life: cold air drying the sweat off his skin, a hot cup of tea after meditating in the snow...time ticking closer and closer to the end of the tournament. Tomorrow night, he would be training in his own dojo, feeling the smooth wooden floor beneath his bare feet, watching the moon through his own window, away from the distracting sounds of traffic and the over-bright city lights. Those were simple, little pleasures that had to be earned, not given. If they were not earned, they were meaningless. And he was going to earn them in a few hours' time.

Heihachi's eyes were drawn to a man crossing the street. Young, tall, with a black bag slung over his shoulder. Asuto Yamada, his former security officer. Heihachi folded his arms, his wary gaze fixed on the man. What does that goddamned traitor want?

Yamada stopped a few paces away from Heihachi and bowed. "Good evening, Mr. Mishima. I'm pleased to see that you are well."

"Hmph. And I'm sorry to see that you aren't a corpse."

Yamada gestured to the door with the 'For Lease' sign adhered to the front. "Can we speak in your office?"

"I see you are well informed." Heihachi would have loved nothing more than to kill him right then and there. But his curiosity got the better of him, and maybe the idiot had some useful information on Kazuya. He pulled the key out of his pocket, walked toward his humble office, and unlocked the door.

Yamada followed after him and joined him inside. He walked to the back of the room and set the bag on the empty desk. "I want to show you something."

Heihachi watched as he unzipped the bag. "Unless it's Kazuya's head, I'm not interested."

Yamada chuckled, then stepped back. "Take a look. Your boy gave me a task."

Heihachi sighed and bent over to look inside the bag. It was a rifle with a scope. "Did Kazuya send you to kill me?" It was extremely unlikely, but his fifty-four years on Earth had taught him that few things were impossible.

"Not Kazuya."

He scoffed. "I'll be damned." Lee had finally taken some initiative. Too bad he chose the wrong triggerman. And the wrong target.

"I was going to get set up in that little tailor shop across the street. All I had to do was get a ladder and wait on the roof. The view is perfect. But I came to you instead."

"What do you want in exchange for this information?"

"I can see how things are going to end tomorrow, and I want back in."

Heihachi crossed his arms. "Back in? After you sided with Kazuya, you want back in?" The audacity of this idiot.

"With all due respect, Mr. Mishima, until a few weeks ago, I believed you were dead. As for siding with Kazuya, I had no choice. It was either gain his trust or be killed. But now you're here, and so am I."

He knew he couldn't trust Yamada worth a damn, but he might be useful for the time being. It was the little things that made life pleasurable. But it was the unexpected twists that kept things interesting.

The irritating sound of frogs and insects invading the silence of the night died as soon as Kazuya stepped inside and closed the door. If there was one thing he appreciated about his mansion, it was the stillness and quiet. There was no one to bother him or interrupt his thoughts. He liked walking through the hallways enveloped in silence. It was grounding. It gave him a sense of satisfaction. All those years that Heihachi forbade him to go there, or touch that, all the times he had punished him for being in the wrong room at the wrong time, and now, Kazuya could do as he pleased. If he wanted, he could take every antique, every artifact that Heihachi held so dear, and burn it to cinders. So why didn't he?

These relics are your trophy.

He walked into the living area and stopped in front of the Red Fuji painting. Another relic that he should burn. And he would burn it if the flames could erase the memory of Jun standing in that very spot and admiring it. She invaded his mind and his home like a ghost. He wished he could forget how candlelight illuminated her face, the feeling of her skin, the scent in her hair. Maybe time would help him forget, but now... He found memories of her in every object she had touched and in every space she had occupied. She seemed so genuine.

She is genuine. That's what makes her so dangerous. She truly believes in her heart, in her pure, little soul, that she's doing the right thing, that she's saving you. She betrayed her own morality when she controlled you because she honestly believed she was doing what was right. That was only the beginning...

Kazuya continued to examine the painting. It gave him an odd feeling in his chest. He needed to get rid of it. As soon as the tournament was done, he would have the entire first floor remodeled and finally cement over Heihachi's beloved zen garden. It would be a good idea to have the stupid fountain in the driveway torn down at the same time.

You can burn the painting, you can burn the bed, you can level the house, but you know better than anyone that memories can't be erased.

It was true. He needed a new perspective. He needed new goals and achievements to look forward to.

"Sir," one of Kazuya's lawyers stepped into the living area. "Everything is ready. Mr. Yamaguchi should be here any minute."

New goals indeed…

Seconds later, there was a knock on the door. The lawyer opened it and stepped aside. Kenji Yamaguchi, the representative from G Corporation, walked inside accompanied by two men.

"Mr. Mishima," Yamaguchi bowed. "It was quite generous of you to invite us into your home. Very unexpected as well. We are honored."

Kazuya nodded. "There are too many eyes on the Zaibatsu at the moment."

Yamaguchi gestured to the men beside him. "These are Mr. Jameson and Mr. Moore," both men bowed, "they are representatives from our legal department. I'm glad your team reached out to us. We were ready to return to Nebraska, but now we will wait. Perhaps it will be possible to schedule a tour of your facilities for the morning after the tournament."

"I'm sure it can be arranged."

Kazuya's lawyer gestured to the hallway. "If you gentlemen will accompany us to the office. All the documents are prepared."

The merger with G Corporation was only a few signatures away. New endeavors to occupy his time, countless new achievements to help him erase unpleasant memories. As he turned toward the office, he caught a glimpse of Red Fuji. He had to burn that goddamned painting.

Lee didn't know how, but he had managed to sleep most of the night. In a way, calling off the hit on Heihachi had lessened some of the weight on his mind. He felt rested, strangely calm. His shoulder was hurting, but he'd fought through worse. He put his gym bag in the back seat of his car, then opened the passenger door for Sayuri. She was standing behind the car, looking up toward the top of the apartment building.

"Sayuri."

She kept her gaze on the building. "Could you climb to our balcony from here?"

"Climb?"

She looked at him. "Could you?"

"I don't know."

"Do you think someone could?"

He sighed. "I have no idea."

She looked up one more time before going into the car. Lee closed her door and went around to the driver's side. They were the first words she had said to him since they'd argued last night. And judging by the way she sat in her seat, with her arms crossed and her face turned toward the side window, she wasn't about to end the silent treatment any time soon. He knew he deserved it and wondered if diamonds would do him any favors in this situation.

He couldn't help glancing toward the top of the building before he drove off. What was she talking about? He could have asked her, but the last thing he wanted to do was get into another argument before one of the most important fights of his life.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and traffic was surprisingly light for that time of day. The silent drive was actually relaxing. He was scheduled to fight Paul in an hour. If there was one fighter who wanted to face off against Kazuya almost as much as Lee and Heihachi did, it was Paul. It was not going to be easy. Paul gave his all in every fight, and he hit hard. The trick would be to avoid those hits and hopefully tire him out.

He pulled into the parking garage and found an empty parking space. Sayuri stepped out of the vehicle before he could open the door for her. He took his bag out of the back seat and closed the door. Sayuri stood beside the car, looking for something in her purse. He didn't want to go into his fight without saying a word to her. He didn't want her to walk away angry and hurt. It was almost certain that anything he said would turn into an argument. But everything was going so well, and he just wanted to keep the momentum going. Maybe if he asked something simple. Just the right thing in the right way…

"What do you want to do tomorrow?"

She looked up from her bag, her brow furrowed. "What do I want to do?"

"Yeah."

She looked at him for a moment, then her face softened. "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"I want to stay in my pajamas all day and order takeout for lunch and dinner."

"Not breakfast?"

"I don't want to get up early enough for breakfast."

"From where do you want to order?"

She smiled. "Tenchi's Kitchen. Their curry is amazing."

"And after you eat?"

"I'm going to take a nap."

"That sounds unbelievably appealing?"

Her smile was almost genuine. "I think we could both use a day of doing nothing."

If he didn't know her, he would believe that nothing was wrong. But at that moment, he chose to take that bit of civility as a good sign. Even if the exchange had been superficial, it was enough to keep his momentum going. "I have to go."

She nodded and gave him another nearly genuine smile. "I'll be watching." Then she turned and walked toward the concourse entrance.

Lee felt good as he got ready in the locker room. He waved and bowed to the crowd as he stepped out onto the arena in the warm morning sun, his heart beating steady and fast with anticipation.

He stood on the stone square, waiting for Paul Phoenix to make his grand entrance. He didn't know if his perception of time was off or if Paul was taking too long. But as he waited longer and longer, his heart began to beat faster. He turned his attention to the stadium entrance when he saw someone emerge. A young man speed-walked to the announcer and spoke quietly into his ear. The announcer nodded, then stepped on the stone square and walked up to Lee.

"Mr. Phoenix is a no-show and has been disqualified. You will be fighting Heihachi Mishima."

The announcer's words became indistinguishable from the noise of the crowd as realization set in. Lee's heart drummed in his chest as he focused on the man ambling toward the stone square. Heihachi stepped onto the fighting ground and looked at Lee with an expression he had seen countless times. Barely contained rage behind an impassive mask.

Lee almost laughed. Why was he anxious? It was by his virtue that Heihachi had seen the sunrise. He had spent so many years fearing the old man, trying his best to obey his every command, going above and beyond to play the part that was expected of him. Heihachi had even seemed superhuman at times. But now, Lee saw him as just a man, a human life he had chosen not to snuff out.

"Fighter's ready?"

They both took their stance.

"Fight!"

In the blink of an eye, Heihachi closed the distance between them. Hammer-like fists rained a flurry of punches. Each hit Lee blocked with his forearm sent a burning, sharp pain to his shoulder. He broke the barrage by leaping forward and jamming his knee into the old man's ribs. When Heihachi doubled over, Lee charged forward with a volley of kicks. He felt one connect with Heihachi's chest and a second with his stomach. But the old man was undeterred.

Before he could hit him again, Heihachi sidestepped and lunged forward with lightning-fast punches. Lee tried to block with his left arm but wasn't fast enough and stumbled backward when Heihachi's fist struck him in the ribs. He barely had time to stop the heavy foot aiming for his head as he regained his balance. His left arm was getting tired of blocking every hit, but his right shoulder was burning. He leaped forward with a kick and missed as Heihachi ducked and spun around, his heel catching Lee in the front of his shoulder.

Lee stopped dead in his tracks as his shoulder slid out of its socket. This time, it didn't pop back in. He blocked Heihachi's onslaught as well as he could through the white-hot pain shooting from his shoulder blade to his fingertips. His arm was immobile, useless. But there was no way in hell he was going to give up.

He stopped Heihachi's kick with his left forearm, then struck him with his elbow in the jaw and kicked with everything he had. He drove Heihachi back with high and low kicks as pain shot up and down his arm. As cold sweat matted his hair to his forehead and ran down his back. It was working. He was pushing Heihachi backward, closer, and closer to the edge of the square. But in an instant, Heihachi ducked. Lee lost his footing as Heihachi swept his feet from under him.

Lee landed on his right shoulder when he fell. His vision blurred, his head was buzzing, his hearing distorted. Every nerve ending in his arm and shoulder was searing. I should have killed him. He grit his teeth as he tried to get up. I should have killed him. A blunt force struck the side of his ribs, and he knew he couldn't do it. The sun's glare blinded him until a shadow loomed over him. Heihachi bent down until Lee could feel his breath on his ear.

"In a few hours, the Zaibatsu will be mine again," Heihachi said. "You think this is agony? Your hell has just begun." He stood up and walked away.

No. It can't be over. The medical technicians bent over him, asking him questions, but he didn't hear them. Through the noise, and the pain, one thought played over and over in his mind. I should have killed him.

Kazuya watched from the skybox as the medical technicians helped Lee walk away from the arena. At first, he had been irritated to learn that Paul Phoenix was a no-show, but the result... Kazuya could not have asked for a better way to start the last day of the tournament.

Sometimes the Universe has a way of expediting fate…

Lee had been defeated and humiliated by the man who had built him up and made him into the insufferable, arrogant interloper he had become. It had to be clear to him now that no matter how hard he tried or how close he thought he was, he would never be a Mishima. And Kazuya hoped that it broke his spirit.

"At least he's walking away, sort of." He heard Bruce say behind him. "It's better than I expected."

Kazuya turned his back on the scene in the arena and looked at Anna. "Was this the outcome you expected?"

She didn't move from her seat, merely gave him an impassive glance. "I didn't know what to expect."

His lips twisted into a smile. "Is this the outcome you wanted ?"

"Are you doubting my loyalty?"

"After everything, I can't be too careful."

Anna exhaled softly and shook her head. "After everything, I'm still here, and so is Bruce."

The night the Russians attacked the Zaibatsu, Anna, Bruce, and half the guards had seen what Kazuya had hidden for so many years. Had seen his true power and what he was capable of, and they chose to stay. But was it out of loyalty or out of fear?

They're loyal because they fear you. The time for friends has passed.

Anna stood up. "Your fight starts in thirty minutes. Do you need anything before–" She was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Bruce opened it, and a guard bowed before stepping inside. He held out an envelope. "A message for Mr. Mishima."

Bruce took the envelope and handed it to Kazuya.

Kazuya opened the envelope and pulled out the note. It was from Heihachi.

I never did enjoy making a spectacle of myself. I know you don't either. You are my blood, after all. Let's settle this man-to-man, no cameras, no media. I'll be waiting.

"Is that anything we need to know about?" Anna asked.

"No."

"Then I'll be out there if you need me." She said before heading toward the door.

Kazuya gestured to Bruce. "Wait out there with her."

Bruce nodded, then followed Anna out.

Kazuya waited until the door was closed to pull the last item out of the envelope. It was a map. Kazuya's heart began to race. The anticipation was like a shot of adrenaline. He felt lighter, elated. In less than an hour, he would defeat Heihachi. And this time, there was no way in hell the old man was climbing back up.

He has chosen his final resting place. Let's honor his wish.