Destiny Changed
Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken.
To all the Tekken Fans
Chapter 14
In the next morning, Julia met Xiaoyu and Miharu in the lobby waiting for her. Last night seemed as insubstantial as a dream. She thought about telling them about it but in the end she didn't have the courage to do so. Xiaoyu would get super excited and she would probably say something like "You're so cute together. I always knew you liked him. That is sooooo romantic." Miharu, on the other hand would feel completely frustrated and would probably explode in fury "You traitor! After all you said about him you actually have the nerve to say you kissed him!? You should be ashamed of yourself."
Julia didn't want to be lectured by her friends, so she decided to keep quiet about it. Anyway she wasn't lying to them she was just hiding some facts.
-'What took so long?'-Xiaoyu asked.-'Jin and Hwoarang are going to face each other in ten minutes.'
-'Are you sure?'-Julia asked surprised.
-'Yes.'-Miharu confirmed.
-'They're finally going to have a rematch. I hope Jin wins.'
Julia didn't comment. She too thought that Hwoarang was being childish and immature wanting a rematch due to a previous draw. She used to be on Jin's side. But since last night she didn't have the same opinion about the Korean anymore and she was starting to hate herself for that.
Minutes later, and just as Julia had predicted, Jin was announced as the winner of that match because Hwoarang was missing.
The crowd was disappointed. Everyone knew about Hwoarang and Jin's rivalry and people had already placed a few bets (everyone had chosen Jin as the winner).
Before Jin could leave the arena Julia noticed some bruises on his face and recalled Hwoarang's bleeding eyebrow. She didn't have to be a genius to understand what had happened.
-'What happened with that asshole?'-Miharu inquired.-'I never thought we would miss a fight against Jin.'
-'He probably realised that Jin's too strong.'-Xiaoyu suggested watching Jin leave.
Since last night Xiaoyu had decided that she wouldn't cry anymore. Crying was not only a sign of weakness and sadness, but also meant losing all hope. She couldn't allow herself to lose hope because she still wanted to be with Jin someday. She would fight for him, for his soul to be saved, for his heart to be cured and for his life to be spared.
Since the first match didn't even take place, the juries decided to announce the second match immediately. Heihachi and Christie were next. They entered the arena quietly but soon the enthusiasm was contagious. Although the newcomer Christie was giving the crowd a great show no one doubted for once that Heihachi would be the winner. Julia was even starting to feel envious, after all Christie was fighting for almost fifteen minutes against the same man who had defeated her in less then ten minutes. As time passed by it was clear that Christie was getting tired and Heihachi was taking advantage of that fact. He had managed to hit her three times with powerful punches and Christie was sure that one of her ribs was broken (maybe even more). She was giving her best. Among the crowd, a man knew she was about to be defeated. He knew Christie since she was born, he had trained her to be a great Capoeira fighter and she hadn't disappointed him. He knew her qualities and her flaws. Christie was too busy to notice that she was being watched by the same man she was trying to find.
When the fight was finally over and Christie was rising from the ground, Eddy approached the arena. The Brazilian young woman was going to ask Heihachi the whereabouts of Kazuya, when she spotted Eddy. At first she thought he was just an illusion. She was tired and her eyes were probably playing a trick on her. But she kept on staring at him and he didn't disappear. He was real. Eddy was alive.
Gathering the last of her strength, Christie got up and run straight into his arms. Even with a broken arm, Eddy returned the gesture. The crowd cheered and Christie almost felt as if she had won the tournament, when actually she had lost that fight.
An hour later Julia, Xiaoyu and Miharu were watching Eddy and Christie leave. They were going back to Brazil, to see Christie's sick grandfather who was also Eddy's mentor. After the medical check up, Christie had a very long conversation with Eddy. It seemed obvious that he had told her about what happened to him after the Iron Fist Tournament 3 and his quest for Kazuya and the ones responsible for his father's death. Christie understood why Eddy hadn't contacted her because he was scared to put her life in real danger. Julia and Xiaoyu were right about Kazuya after all, he was a dangerous person.
Now that she had found Eddy, Christie could finally allow herself to smile and she happily waved goodbye to her new friends. She also promised to return for the next Tournament wishing Xiaoyu good luck on her next match.
Ling Xiaoyu believed in fate. Just like she believed that Jin's destiny wasn't to die at the hands of his own father, she also believed she could win her match against Steve.
Julia had explained her almost every boxing technique she knew since Steve hadn't fought and no one knew what he was capable of. Yet there wasn't any guarantee that Xiaoyu would win. She had a good feeling about that fight but Miharu and Julia were skeptical. As expected, Jin and Heihachi were both qualified for the next round and Xiaoyu wanted to prove she was as strong as they were.
-'Heihachi has years of experience.'-Miharu said.-'He's going to win…again…'
-'Don't be so sure.'-Julia contradicted.-'Since the third tournament Jin has improved a lot and we've seen him defeat Heihachi once.'
-'We can't forget about Kazuya either. He has half of the Devil's powers which means he can win too.'-Xiaoyu added.
Julia looked worried with that possibility. Michelle had told her about the Devil's powers and she was afraid that if Kazuya won the tournament, he would certainly rule the world after killing Jin.
-'I just want this to be over.'-Miharu said.
-'We should've asked for Heihachi's help. After all Kazuya's also his enemy.'-Xiaoyu declared.
-'We can't.'-Julia disapproved.-'Heihachi wants the devil gene. He wants both Kazuya and Jin dead.'
-'Everything will be just fine.'-Xiaoyu assured.-'I have a good feeling…'
She was right. At least about her match. Steve ended up quitting after a few minutes. Unlike Hwoarang he complimented Xiaoyu for her amazing fighting skills (in his opinion she was super fast and amazingly strong for someone of that age) and explained that he didn't want to fight anymore because he was thinking about returning to professional boxing after the Tournament. He didn't want to get injured and Xiaoyu was a powerful opponent.
An hour later the small hotel bar was crowded. Kazuya had defeated King in forty-five seconds…it was a record time. He didn't stay to celebrate, instead he entered the woods, searching or maybe hunting for something or someone. Xiaoyu knew he was after Jin and in that moment she wished she could be with him again.
-'He's not going to find him…Jin can feel his aura…'-Julia whispered. Xiaoyu calmed down and forced herself to think positively. Jin was smart and he was strong. He wouldn't be caught that easily. But what would he do the next day? There were only four contestants and he could end up fighting against either Heihachi or Kazuya. Whoever his opponent was, Jin would have to show up in the arena.
Next day Xiaoyu woke up early in the morning. She went downstairs alone because Miharu and Julia were still sleeping.
Miharu wants to leave and Julia lost her interest in the tournament too…maybe I should quit. Anyways I don't have a chance with none of the remaining fighters. Kazuya and Heihachi are way too strong and Jin…although he cares about me, he won't quit like Steve did. If I fight I'll end up embarrassing myself because I'm not that good. Xiaoyu was trying to decide what to do. She decided to make a decision as soon as she knew who her opponent was.
-'You're quite though for a girl, you know?'-Xiaoyu recognised the British accent immediately. Steve Fox joined her for breakfast.
-'You didn't quit to impress me, did you?'-she asked.
-'Were you impressed?'
-'I don't know…no one ever did that for me.'
-'Would you quit for someone else?'
-'I already did that…in the Iron Fist 3.'
-'Was it worth it?'
-'Yes, it was…'
-'Why did you quit?'
-'Because even if I didn't, I would lose.'
-'The same goes for me.'
-'I don't believe you…you're just being nice.'
-'The truth is you wanted to win more than I did. Plus I couldn't risk getting hurt right now.'
-'Are you leaving?'-Xiaoyu asked, noticing a bag on the floor.
-'Yes. I hope you don't quit though…'
-'Why?'
-'It would be nice if a girl won the tournament.'
Xiaoyu smiled.
-'Good luck…I'm sure you're able to win against Kazama.'
-'Against Jin? Is he my opponent?'
Steve pointed up to a TV set on the wall and Xiaoyu saw her name and Jin's appear in bright red. It was settled then, she was going to quit...again.
Xiaoyu waved Steve goodbye and went straight to Heihachi's room.
An hour later Jin was expecting her in the battle arena. Julia and Miharu were on the front row and were starting to get worried by Xiaoyu's delay. It wasn't like her.
-'I heard her talking with Fox about quitting…'-Paul said.
-'Do you think she left the tournament?'-Julia asked Miharu who shrugged.-'She did quit for Jin in the Iron Fist Tournament 3…so maybe she did it again.'
-'But she should be here, right? She wouldn't quit without seeing Jin again, would she? And why didn't she tell us?'-Miharu complained.
-'We better go check her room…'-Julia suggested. Sensing that Kazuya wasn't around, Jin offered to go too. Xiaoyu had been disqualified already and he was worried about her. Miharu didn't like the idea but she didn't say a word. After realising that Xiaoyu hadn't left the Hotel, Jin understood. Someone had taken her. Without a warning he left running.
-'What's wrong with him?'-Miharu questioned.
-'I think he went to get Xiao back. I hope she's alright.'
That was the last time Miharu and Julia saw Jin. They didn't know that this was the beginning of a new urge for the changes which were to come, for better or for worse, they were unstoppable.
In the woods, a man dressed in a Tekken force uniform approached Kazuya Mishima from behind. He was trembling and sweating. Kazuya knew who he was but he ignored why he was there.
The man walked quietly, thinking that Kazuya was still unaware of his presence. He took out his rifle and cursed his Boss for giving him that cruel mission. He was there to give Kazuya Mishima a special message.
Before the man could get any closer, Kazuya turned around and faced him. He is just a little boy, Kazuya thought, a very stupid and scared little boy.
-'What do you want, you moron?'-he asked violently. He didn't get an answer. It looked like the guy couldn't even speak.
-'What are you so afraid of?'-Kazuya teased.-'Do I look like a monster?'
-'I…I'm here…'
-'My father sent you to kill me, wasn't it? That deluded old fool…does he really think I'm that weak?'
-'No…It's not that…'
-'Then what is it?'
-'A message…he wants me to give you this.'-the young man took a piece of paper from is pocket and threw it to Kazuya.
"I have your son. If you want to see him alive meet me on the top of the mountain."
A grin appeared in Kazuya's face. He approached the paralysed man and put the note back in his pocket. Then he grabbed his neck and twisted it. With no remorse, Kazuya left the dead body behind and started to walk through the woods, up the hill.
-'I'll soon meet you in Honmaru father…and then you and that bastard son of mine will die.'
