Chapter 21: Did Someone Say Tournament?

Chaolan Lee reclined in his lawn chair as his eyes scanned over the preface of a book he had just gotten from the local bookstore. The sun beamed down as it climbed higher into the sky giving him perfect light. It also revealed a rather trashed looking pool area. Yesterday being Friday, Lee had invited basically the entire school to a pool party and there had been a large turn-out just as he had expected. The inside pool that he had also had another feature—a retractable roof which came in handy at this moment and also yesterday when it had begun to drizzle.

The sudden boost of popularity was courtesy of Jun. Years ago when she had promised to introduce him to her friends, he soon became a familiar with a number of people and then he was introduced to the friends of their friends and so on and so forth until he knew almost his entire grade level and part of others. Lee had thrown his first pool party when he decided that he had enough people to invite in the first place. After that first time, it was just history. Lee's cellphone was full of numbers, but only about three of those numbers were ones that would call him on a regular basis, none of them being Jun. Lee hadn't hung out with Jun in a long time, but that didn't stop him from thinking about her from time to time. He was gladder to hear that she was concentrating on her studies more than wasting her time with Kazuya.

Lee took a nice sip from his raspberry smoothie before flipping the page to the first chapter. As for his future, Heihachi had already picked out the college which he would be going to whether he wanted to or not. In his case, Lee didn't care what college it was. The fact that it would be an international university in the Unites States did not bother him in the least rather it had piqued his interest. He already knew Mandarin well enough though it was getting rusty due to disuse and Japanese to a good degree and now he'd have to learn some English at least enough so that he wouldn't be a complete oddity when he started attending the university and actually understand what the professors are going on about.

It wasn't long until the maintenance crew that took care of the pool area showed up to clean up the mess. Lee, however, was far too engrossed in his book to take full notice. He took another sip and flipped the page once again.

/

Jinpachi had brought up an interesting topic at the dinner table yesterday: driving. Part of becoming a man, as Jinpachi put it, was having a car and knowing how to use it. At this point, Kazuya couldn't fulfill the driving criteria. Kazuya knew that once Jinpachi came up with something important for him to do, he wouldn't stop talking about it until it actually got done. Kazuya didn't have the patience to sit through too many more dinners with this topic so he decided to get this over with as soon as possible.

Starting today, Kazuya asked Takahashi to get him the manual that went over all the rules one needed to know to pass a written driving test. Takahashi didn't take very long at all and for the rest of the day minus the part when he was training but not to the extremes, Kazuya studied the manual closely. He continued in this way for the next day and the next and even through another rather painful headache episode. This time he attributed it to utter irritation with having to read such a boring book. Kazuya obviously had more motivation than just Jinpachi's tendency to repeat himself over and over again.

Some days ago before Jinpachi had mentioned anything about driving, Kazuya had stumbled across something on the web—surfing the web had become a bit of pastime to him—while browsing around forums about fighting and combat. There was a tournament that took place every two years in the Nara prefecture; a place that was quite close to the old capital and in that case rather far from him. It was known as part of the Iron Fist series that had started well before he was born and it was quite well-known in fighting circles. Kazuya wasn't sure what to make of these "fighting circles", but he was not part of them. Since admission into this tournament seemed to be a bit under wraps, Kazuya could only imagine how he'd be able to compete. But even before he could consider the answer to that, would Jinpachi allow him to go? How would he get there if he didn't know the location or any type of transportation if he was forced to go behind Jinpachi's back?

Learning to drive was a blessing in the skies. He could skip around the entire "asking Jinpachi" thing and leap over to his next major obstacle. He had begun to participate in the forums where he had first read about the tournament and hoped that someone might help him out or lead him in the right direction. The fact that he was a complete newbie didn't help things. Kazuya had to stop himself from trashing his own desktop when he got the fifteenth comment on being a "newb" or "didn't you read the rules about outsiders". It took him exactly four hours to get a real response back and it came through his PM. After reading the rather long (and very shady) message, Kazuya concluded that he had to first prove that he was worthy or basically a good enough fighter in order to participate. He had to meet up with someone and their contact information was provided to facilitate this.

He needed a car ASAP since he had to eventually set up an appointment. That very day, Kazuya had Takahashi take him to the driving center. If only he had known about the long wait that ensued, he might have delayed the visit for tomorrow.

"You've done this before, haven't you?" Kazuya asked Takahashi.

"When I was around your age, my mother wanted me to take the written driving test as well. It was only natural since I went through driving school."

"Driving school?"

"It's pretty expensive, but your grandfather felt that it was unnecessary. Taking the written test and the practical test will get you the same results in less time. Don't worry, the written test shouldn't be too hard for you. The way you've been studying that book, that test will be easy. Of course, there's another part you actually have to worry about."

"And what's that?"

"The practical test. The written part is fine, but you won't be recognized as a legal driver until you pass that one. You'll have to do actual driving."

"That's fine. The best way to learn things is through experience."

"How about I let you get a feel for it before you go take the second part of the test later on? I never had to take the practical test, but I've always heard that it was difficult. The chances of you passing on your first try is pretty slim."

"So I could end up taking it multiple times?" Kazuya asked a little discouraged.

"Come, come, taking it more than once shouldn't be a problem. It's not as if you have somewhere to go and if you do, I can always take you—it's my job anyway."

"I just…don't think I have the patience to do it over and over again."

Kazuya looked up when he heard his name called.

"Well, there's your cue."

Takahashi had a thirty minute wait before Kazuya would finish the test. He wasn't surprised at all that Kazuya had passed it with 100%. Kazuya was just glad to make it out of the waiting room.

"So, was it easy?"

"Unbelievably so. At this rate, the practical test will be a walk in the park."

"Don't get too relaxed. Why don't I take you to a park with a lot of room to drive?"

"Sure, if you're so worried."

It turned out that Kazuya was a natural—if only he could keep to the speed limit. Reading the information book repeatedly and studying how other's drove gave him an edge. They drove around the park for about an hour before Takahashi deemed him ready for the practical test. Then again, who was ever "ready" for the practical test in Japan? There was nothing practical about it in the first place. Instead of testing how well you knew how to drive, it instead tested you on how well you could follow directions and navigate through a set course.

Takahashi knew of a place nearby that held practical tests. It would have been silly for Takahashi to ask Kazuya if he felt like doing such a stressful test so late in the day—Kazuya seemed uncannily anxious to finish the entire ordeal in one day. Takahashi was not about to tell him it was a bit impossible, but it was. He hadn't known anyone who could successfully complete the test in one day. Without any protests or further forewarnings, Takahashi drove Kazuya to the course.

/

A "bing" sound came from Kazuya's laptop and just as suddenly the owner was opening up the new e-mail. Finally, Kazuya had received the place and time for the secret meeting. It had been a week since Kazuya had taken the practical test or should one say tests. Not only had it been impossible for the first few times he had taken it, he could barely control his temper. At some point, he had taken the test so many times that he had simply memorized all the different ways the test could be driven and so instead of brute skill, he had used memorization. That had been key. Getting this e-mail was like a ray of sunshine on a rainy day. It would be tomorrow late in the night. He shut down his laptop and promptly went to bed. Better that he was attentive as he easily pummeled his opponent. He had no doubt in his mind that the whole qualifying affair would lack any difficulty at all. Hadn't he trained enough?

The night and most of the next day slipped by quickly in Kazuya's opinion. The only thing that woke him the next night was his alarm clock which he shut-off immediately so as not to disturb anyone. After throwing some clothes on, he slipped out of the mansion without any trouble and deftly got into the car that Jinpachi had designated for his use years ago. Somehow it still smelled new as if there had been someone assigned to keeping it up, Kazuya wouldn't be surprised. It wasn't long that he was speeding down the street and onto the freeway—it was the route that the built-in GPS device told him to take. Actually, he had never been on a freeway before, but the written test came to his aid. He had taken one of his CD's with him. It was primetime to blast Dir En Grey after he rolled down the windows and let the wind crash into his face. In a word, it was exhilarating. For some reason, he was excited, genuinely excited. While it was true that he had been on his own plenty of times before, something about driving on his own in a brand new car with music blaring over the perpetual gusts of wind through the windows took him to a level of excitement that he was not aware existed. He was almost sad when the trip came to an end and he entered the parking garage. As the e-mail specified, he drove all the way to the top to meet them. His parking was horrible, but that didn't matter as much when there were only five other cars there.

Kazuya decided that perhaps it wouldn't be in his good interest if he seemed too excited. He wanted to at least look up to the part of professional fighter. That sort of thing was not very difficult for him. He wore his usual expression which consisted of a frown and eyes that would tell any sane person that he was someone not to be trifled with.

"Aw, if it isn't Kazuya. He finally decided to show up. He certainly looks the part."

Kazuya hadn't worn anything too fancy—a wife-beater, jeans, and tennis shoes. The man who had spoken to him wore similar clothes; his hair was jet black as was the case with the rest of the men there.

"So, kid, are you ready for your match?"

"That's what I came here for," he said with a hint of sarcasm.

"You'll be fighting me. My name would be Daichi. Over here are the judges: Fumio, Hachiro, Isao, and Kaede. Keep in mind that it's them that you have to impress."

"All I have to do is win, right?"

The other laughed when he said that. "I see that you're not familiar with the fighting world. You'd know who I am and be glad that there are judges otherwise there'd hardly ever be any newcomers."

"This 'being new' thing, is really starting to get on my last set of nerves. I have no idea who you are or your friends over there and anyone who even begins to think that I do is an idiot. No, I'm not familiar with the fighting world nor is any other newcomer."

"Touché. It's a tradition really. We have to make sure that you newbies know your place and work at learning all that you can about the world you're getting into. Now, prepare yourself, newcomer."

That was all the invitation Kazuya needed before he slid into his fighting stance. It was perhaps one of the quickest fights that Kazuya would experience in his lifetime. This one happened to be five seconds. Daichi threw his first punch, but it was evaded with ease and then immediately after, Kazuya rammed his knee into the other's throat and then slammed the other to the ground. Not only had he broken his nose and scraped his face on the cement, Kazuya had left the other choking and grasping for breath. Needless to say, Kazuya got a unanimous passing score. In fact, when Kazuya had proceeded to approach the others, they kept their distance for good measure.

"What happens now?" Kazuya asked the others who seemed a bit speechless.

"Don't contact us, we'll contact you. Keep an eye on your e-mail. Fumio, Isao, get Daichi to the car," Kaede said. "Kazuya…you're certainly going to make a name for yourself at the next tournament with moves like those. I've never seen someone move so fluidly and especially at such a young age. I'll definitely be betting on you."

"The fact that you're so impressed worries me. Won't there be other people at the tournament better than the guy I just beat up?"

"Who knows? Daichi is the most well-known because he's been the winner for the past five years. There could be a new unknown person that could wound up being the challenge you're looking for. As it stands now, though, you'll be the winner," Hachiro answered.

"This is depressing, no offense, but I guess I could use the experience against different opponents."

"You'll go far. There are a lot of tournaments out there. After winning the same one twice, you'll gain access to the bigger ones held all around the country. There are so many newcomers these days that you're bound to meet at least one match that you'll lose miserably at. It happens to the best of us…just look at Daichi," Hachiro reassured him.

"I guess I'll stick around."

"You better, kid. It's people like you who will bring the fighting world to the next level. You can no longer get away with blind luck or copying a few moves from someone else—you'll need true skill. Remember, kid, check your e-mail on a regular basis," Kaede added.

"I will."

Fumio and Isao had already taken their fallen comrade to their car. He had already lost consciousness and they would be forced to drive him back home and leave his car behind for a little while. The four of them zoomed down the garage quickly leaving Kazuya to himself. When he sat down in the driver's seat with his feet still on the street, he sighed heavily. He was glad that the headache he was feeling now had not occurred sooner, it was a large, hard-to-ignore one. He wasn't going to risk driving in such a condition so he waited for it to subside. Silently, he laid his head on his open palms which happened to sit on his lap.

"Kazuya…"

"Devil, so it's you."

"This is perhaps the only way I could get your attention."

"I don't want to hear from you."

"That's too bad. Ignoring me like you've been doing will only bring you more harm than good."

"I don't care."

"Oh, you don't? I didn't know you were so eager to feel pain."

"I'd rather kill myself a thousand times over than be controlled by you."

"I'll just have to test your resolve than."

"Go away. You and your headache."

To Kazuya's surprise, everything was gone in a second as if it hadn't been there at all.

"Devil…?" Kazuya asked cautiously.

He was only satisfied after five entire minutes of silence. With this, he turned on the ignition and drove off. It was early in the morning when he got back home. He cut the ignition quickly as he slipped back into the mansion. All and all, it had been fun, but perhaps not as fun as it could be. He could only hope that Kaede and Hachiro had been right. If he continued to compete in these so called tournaments, then he was bound to meet someone who would put his skills to the test.

/

The next day was full of activity and Kazuya wasn't sure if he should like this fact or not. Jinpachi strolled into his room not five hours later to get Kazuya ready to go with him to work. Kazuya hadn't been sure when or where they had decided on doing this, but he didn't feel like arguing. This was for his future, his grandfather would repeat just so he could drive home the importance of this apprenticeship.

"I've already chosen the clothes you are to wear today and as for school, you have graduated from it."

"Really? Do you mean that I'm done with school forever?"

"If you prove to be any good at the role you're trying to take on in my company, then no, no more schooling is needed. Now, we don't have all day, Kazuya."

This was soon to be a routine that Kazuya would copy for the entire week and many weeks after—it certainly took up more hours than school ever did, but there was often no homework. Simply remembering everything Jinpachi would mention from day to day was enough. He came to know Jinpachi's associates enough to remember their names. They had all seemed quite welcoming which struck Kazuya as odd. Shouldn't they at least be a bit leery of an outsider with virtually no experience training to take over the most prestigious job in the company? Weren't there more qualified people among them? Instead, they seemed so devoted to Jinpachi that they supported any decision that he made for the company including his intentions to pass his title on to Kazuya. Kazuya was in no way familiar with the business environment, but he had expected a bit more trouble than this. Jinpachi's associates could never speak to him on a first name basis. They couldn't resist calling him Mr. Mishima or simply Mishima so as to distinguish him from his grandfather. Kazuya didn't know what to make of it aside from feeling a great deal more important than he had before. The kind of responsibility that was being laid on him was just beginning to dawn on him. Kazuya made sure to at least look interested at all Jinpachi had to teach him, but he drew his enthusiasm from a different source. The thought of what he would do on the weekend was enough excite him for an entire week.

Just as Kazuya was being introduced to the business world, so too was he being introduced to the fighting world of Japan. Tournaments were held every other weekend late in the night and Kazuya made sure to compete in all of them. There was nothing remotely difficult about the whole thing. In fact, he hardly ever broke a sweat, but he did like that he was being exposed to so many different fighting styles. Before he went to his first real tournament, he opted to change his name so as not to draw too much attention to himself. Much to Daichi and his friends' annoyance and then later acceptance, he was called "Yakuza" instead. Someone with the audacity to have such a name must be able to back it up which Kazuya was able to do with ease. Many times, Kazuya would down his opponent in two hits and if his opponent had any sort of skill, four hits. It did wonders for his previously nonexistent ego. He felt far more self-assured as if no one in the world could touch him. No one, of course, besides Jinpachi and his father.

Only two matches stuck out to Kazuya the entire time. This was likely because they had taken longer than expected and he had lost both times. All in the same tournament which had a large turnout crowd-wise, Kazuya found himself face to face with first Yoshimitsu and then Kunimitsu. They had effortlessly barred him from moving on to the next set of opponents. Two losses in a row meant that he would not be able to continue in that particular tournament.

Kazuya would have reoccurring dreams about it. The crowd was screaming at an insane pitch and the lights around the arena had been quite bright. He had stepped out into the open full of confidence. He had only been slightly put off by the names the announcer called out. Could this Yoshimitsu be the very same…? He didn't know what to make of his opponent. He wore a rather elaborate get up—something one might wear for Halloween. This couldn't be a ninja. When the match started, however, Kazuya's opinion changed instantly. His opponent was fast too fast. When he would throw a punch it would miss, but all the same, Kazuya found himself being tossed around easily. The attacks came from all sides. He saw a green swipe of the other's sword and tried to duck beneath up, but the sword would curve down just as quickly and knock him a good few yards. Kazuya would leap back to his feet and rush at the other and try to get in a kick before the other could pull up his defenses—it never worked. Yoshimitsu would block all incoming attacks and retaliate brutally. After being subject to three of Yoshimitsu's roundhouse kicks, Kazuya found that he could take no more and the match was declared over.

Kunimitsu had been different. She would spin and disappear and throw shurikens all in one breath. She was by far, more agile than Yoshimitsu, and her attacks wound up doing just as much damage as his. There was no point in trying to get a hit in even though Kazuya tried desperately to do so. Whenever he thought that he had timed his attack correctly, she would disappear and appear behind him and she would attack immediately after. His face grew very familiar with the ground. After a few minutes of this, he lost the strength to climb back to his feet and the match was declared over.

For the first time, he had gone home in defeat and he was sore for days. Luckily, he had not received any noticeable bruises in visible places. He could play it off in front of his grandfather and the rest of the world. It was a pain, though, that Kazuya was not at all unfamiliar with—it was a welcoming feeling. Despite being defeated twice, he felt quit accomplished. Having not trained in a long while due to time constraints, such a feeling meant that he was still training his body.

He never saw those two again. It seemed it was a once in a lifetime experience. He asked around for them, but no one seemed to know them past their names—they were legends. One wouldn't be expected to defeat them. They came and went on no particular basis. Still, Kazuya awaited the day that he could face them again and defeat them.

/

At some point, Kazuya was taken to meet one of Jinpachi's closest friends, Wang Jinrei. It seemed that Jinpachi was eager to integrate Kazuya seamlessly into his life and routine. After showing Kazuya his place of work, he thought it was time that Jinrei take a closer look at him. He set up a lunch date for them promptly and some days later, Jinpachi took Kazuya to a rather familiar coffee shop by the name of Tabibitojaya. Kazuya found himself in the company of two older men. If Kazuya actually took notice of such things, he might have felt out of place.

"So you're the grandson that Jinpachi just can't stop talking about. I hear that you're a chip off the ol' block."

"Really?" Kazuya asked in a near deadpan tone. Kazuya wasn't sure he understood what the other was talking about.

"Well, sure. You're a hard worker, aren't you?"

"So I've been told."

"Don't be so modest. You either are or not."

"Alright then, I am," Kazuya said presently. He couldn't very well say no.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it's a good thing. It's becoming harder and harder these days to find kids your age passionate enough in their work to put some real effort into it."

Kazuya had a feeling that he was being measured up so it would be in his interest to put up a good show. He wondered if this was anything like kissing ass. If it was, then so be it. For the sake of his grandfather he found that he had motive enough to do so.

"Yes, I am very passionate about what my grandfather is training me to be. I'm grateful that he chose me in the first place, that he saw talent in me I had not recognized before."

"Good, good. You understand how privileged you are. There are few children in this world that are born into such wealth as you are. Unfortunately, such children fail to see just how advantaged they are compared with the rest of the world. But you're different, aren't you? In some ways, I believe your life has made you a more humble person. You've seen the lowest of the low and the highest of the high."

"That I have, sir."

Kazuya did not miss the silent communication between Jinrei and his grandfather when they looked at each other briefly. Kazuya wondered if they saw through his charades or thought he was being completely genuine. In any case, there was no use worrying about it now. Simply asking upfront would seem rude as well.

"I'm sorry, but may I be excused for a moment," Kazuya said to the two older men.

"Oh, yeah, no problem," Jinpachi said to the other.

Kazuya simply nodded to the other and headed to the restroom. He was almost certain that the two of them had something private to talk about to each other and that with him there they'd have to continue with the "silent communication" method. However, it wasn't the entire reason he had wanted to excuse himself. When he looked around the small restroom, he was glad to see that no one else was there. There'd be no one there to ponder at why he eventually slid down to the ground with his back to the far wall. It was perhaps the worst time to be struck down with a headache far worse than any of the other ones he had experienced. He, of course, knew by now the cause of it. He waited to hear Devil's sinister voice echoing through his mind once more. When he didn't hear it immediately, he called for it.

"What now?" Kazuya asked with little pretense. "You couldn't have waited until later—

"Until a more convenient time?" Devil finished, "Why would I do that? Have you forgotten who I am? It seems as if you've grown complacent with the predicament you've been in for the past thirteen years."

"What would make you think that? I'm simply…trying to carve out some semblance of a life, one which I could support myself and be in a better position to fulfill both of our goals alike."

"Ah, I see you've grown keener with your choice of words. However, it'll be a long time before you can trick me. I can see your true thoughts. Your allegiance is with your grandfather, isn't it? I'd sooner destroy him if I thought he was an obstacle to me."

"No, wait—you don't have to do something so drastic—

"Look how you come to his defense. Look how much your temperament changes when you're in his presence. If only you'd give me the same respect."

"You can do what you please with me, but only with me, no one else."

"I haven't been able to do anything with you. You constantly rebel against me. What would someone in my position be forced to do?"

Kazuya grimaced as he felt the pain worsen to a surprising degree.

"What? Nothing clever to say back?"

"Perhaps…perhaps I'm just the…wrong person," Kazuya managed to answer back.

"No, I did not choose the wrong person. You are it. The strength that you have shown me more than convinces me of that fact."

"If that is the case…why has it taken you…so long to…so long to…?"

"It may seem like a long time to you, but to me it's hardly been a second. Every time your mind passes over the thought of getting rid of me, I find it to be quite entertaining. You can be such an optimist. When will you get it through your head? You will succumb to me. Knowing this, how can you even bear to continue on with life as you do now? It's almost painful to watch. I almost pity you. The way you cling on to life—pathetic. Aren't you just making it harder on yourself?"

"I…I…can't just…!"

Kazuya was finding it harder and harder to form a complete sentence. He could hardly think past the intenseness of the throbbing in his head. Maybe if he just closed his eyes, then everything would disappear…Maybe, just maybe…

"Do you understand what you've put me through for all these years? Hanging around that Jun girl for such an excruciatingly long time. Every day, you had to go and see her or she had to go and see you. I was drowning for some reason, and there was nothing I could do about it. My strength had withered to a point that I could no longer reach your mind. It was undoubtedly the first time I was ever made to be dormant—trapped in a human's soul. There was nothing fun about it. Every day brought more and more pain. The light which I had taken from you began to grow stronger and stronger—I was suffocating. To someone like you, I'm sure you don't care about any of that. You'd be glad if I was dead, wouldn't you? After all I did for you. This pain that you feel now does not even compare to what you put me through. Do you have anything to say for yourself, you insolent human?"

There would be no response this time as the other had already fallen unconscious. Whatever fight Kazuya might have put up was now defunct. Finally, after so long, Devil found that he was unhindered as he looked at the world through the eyes of Kazuya. Slowly, he climbed to his feet. It was a delicious feeling to be able to move around so freely, but it was short lived. He hadn't expected Jinpachi to walk into the restroom. Unfortunately, it had taken too long for Devil to gain his grasp on the entire situation. His eyes still glowed in a very obviously sinister red color.

"Kazuya! Is that you? What? What has happened…?"

Devil did not even begin to advance upon the other. Jinpachi was already in his fighting stance.

"Ah, Jinpachi, you came at precisely the wrong time. I'll have to get rid of you."

The voice sounded unnatural and far too cold to be that of Kazuya. He knew instinctively that something was wrong, but he was at a loss at what to do about it. "I don't know who you are or what kind of demon you are, but release my grandson at this instance—

"You believe in such a things? My, aren't we a little superstitious."

Devil rushed forth towards Jinpachi so quickly that a normal human would be hard pressed to retaliate, but Jinpachi had a good eye for such things and at the right moment he struck his hand out and made full contact with the back of its head and Devil crashed violently into the ground. Jinpachi heard a shout, but that was all as the body grew quite limp.

"Kazuya…?" Jinpachi said cautiously as he bent down to check things out. "Kazuya…are you there?"

There was blood spilling freely from a gash that had formed upon contact with the hard-tiled floor. Blood had already begun to collect beneath the body.

"Kazuya…please, speak to me. I'm sorry…I think I…hit you a little too hard. Kazuya…"

"Grandfather, I hear you…"

"Kazuya!"

Jinpachi lifted the youth off the ground and into his lap, never mind the mess of blood that would soon be on his clothes.

"I'm sorry…to have caused you…so much trouble…"

"Be quiet now, this is no time for you to be talking so much. I'll take care of you, you don't have to worry. Whatever happened today, don't worry about it for now…just tell me later when you're stronger."

"Grandfather…I think I'll just…rest awhile."

/

AN: So I've been getting a few reviews concerning Japanese culture and such. Do they celebrate things like Halloween or Christmas or Thanksgiving? The short answer is yes, but they are often celebrated for different reasons. There is a such thing as trick-or-treating events and dressing up (more like cosplaying than anything else) on Halloween in Japan. Christmas is more commercial than anything else and instead of it being about family it is more about couples and romance. Sort of like Valentine's Day. I don't know a whole lot about Japanese culture and I've only gleaned this much from brief google searches and the fact that I like to watch a lot of J-Drama. Also, by the way, Tekken is a fictional game set in a fictional Japan where things like tournaments go on and a collection of fictional people compete to win an entirely made up financial empire. That being said, I'll try to be more culturally correct, but I'm no expert and it isn't the focus of this story.

Oh, yeah, and thanks a bunch for the reviews. They always help me to become a better writer—complaints and praises alike. I really appreciate it.