Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken
A/N: Hello and thank you for stopping by. Before you ask, you did read the title of the chapter correctly. I must warn: there are some brutal happenings in this chapter, so reader's discretion is advised. Also, there is some jumping around, so I tried to make it as easy to follow as possible. If you a have any questions afterward, feel free to ask. Anyway, I hope you like it. And here … we … go:
The King of Iron Fist Tournament 8: VIII for Vendetta
Death of a Friend
Our First Tragedy
Yushin Chaolan and Susano Jashin stood against others at their site, 'Midnight Construction'. Floodlights filled the construction site. A large assemblage of welded steel beams and girders loomed over head, but nowhere near as large as the confrontation teeming. The two fighters stared at each other, neither breaking gaze. The hatred and animosity between the two was evident, seeping in and weighing down the air like smog. One could almost smell it over the sawdust and welded steel.
The sound echoing off the metal, the announcer's voice rang out, "Susano Jashin, Yushin Chaolan, get ready for the next battle!"
Susano went right into fighting stance saying, "I've been waiting for this day."
Vincent eagerly said, going into stance as well, "Finally … we get to settle this."
Susano clenched his fist as he asked, "Are you ready … to die?"
Vincent confidently retorted, "You first. This is for my family, for my Dad!"
Susano adamantly added, "And this is for my master!"
The announcer's voice blasted over the area, "Round 1! Fight!"
Yushin versus Susano was very much about style against power. Vincent was just like his dad; he had a kick for every situation and angle, and he was a 'ringmaster', able to juggle for days on end. Susano was all about sheer force and overwhelming strength. In many ways, it was a reflection of a fight that never happened between their teachers. And it was a brutal fight, a grudge match if there ever was one. They tried to go through each other's body with every strike. They tried to break each other in half with each throw. They tried to seriously hurt one another with each action. In the end, Susano went over Yushin's 'Silver Low' and connected with a 'Wind Slicer', sending Yushin flying backward…
The announcer's voice called out, "KO! Susano wins!"
As Vincent slowly rose, Susano shot, "Read your last rites! You'll never defeat me with all that extra nonsense."
Vincent got back into fighting position, "Keep telling yourself that… It'll be easier to torch you."
Susano returned to fighting stance and confidently said, "Don't make me laugh! Continue and I'll only thrash you even worse."
"I'm not losing to you. Bring it!"
The announcer's voice rang out, "Round 2! Fight!"
Meanwhile, Kyou and Dragunov were locked in their own fight. It had been a very heated and competitive contest, and it was now in the decisive round. That's when something odd happened. Kyou knocked the Russian operative down a 'Lightning Halberd', but Dragunov responded by trapping him with a 'Clipping Sweep'. Not done by a long shot, Kyou got up to continue. Suddenly, Dragunov stood upright looking at his watch … and actually started to walk away! Kyou was left stunned as the Russian mercenary started pushing buttons on his wristband.
As Dragunov jumped over a railing out of sight. Kyou yelled out, "Hey! Hey! What are you doing? Come back! We're not fin… Huh?"
Kyou was stopped about a peculiar sound: a loud buzzing that was getting really loud. Eventually, it was revealed what was making it: a helicopter! The military-grade chopper flew up on the other side of the railing with Dragunov piloting. Kyou was knocked to the ground by the mere wind the machine churned up. Dragunov quickly sped off into the night…
Back in Midnight Construction, Yushin had found his way back into the match by going around Susano's attacks. He mainly focused on baiting and countering his opponent, with moves lie 'Scatter Kick', 'Mist Trap Throw', and 'Mist Illusion' and his best assets. Soon, the Mishima-ryu master became frustrated. The Silver Scion seemed to taunt him with 'Hitman' and then out-pace him with moves like 'Freaker Jab', 'Rocket Heel', 'Machinegun Kicks', and 'Deadly Edge'. Eventually, Yushin back-dashed away from a 'Rising Uppercut' before peppering Susano with a full 'Acid Storm'. With Susano still grounded, Yushin added extra damage with a 'Feather Landing', drawing an angered groan of pain.
The announcer's voice resonated, "KO! Yushin wins!"
Susano said to himself as he lifted onto his knees, "How could I… I fell for subtle tricks. How could I?"
Excited and motivated, Vincent said in fighting stance and prodded, "What's wrong? You're mighty quiet down there. What's the matter? I thought you were going to thrash me."
Susano started breathing heavily as he thought to himself, "Sensei… I will not fail you… Heihachi-sensei… I swear on my life; I will not fail you!"
As Susano rose, Vincent commented, "Back for more, I see."
The Mishima-ryu master silently reassumed fighting position…
The Silver Scion confidently continued, "No comeback? Good… You're just like dry thunder: full of hot air and noise. But now, it's time I put you down."
Susano ominously and coldly said, "Before this all began, I swore something to you … and I will keep it."
Finally, Raven came to a halt in the shadows of a bright building. She promptly dropped Lilith to the ground and put her hand to her earpiece to check something…
"Good. We're not too late…" the modern kunoichi said to herself.
Raven proceeded to sever her captive's binding with a single swipe of a kunai, and did the same with Lilith's hand bindings.
Angry and confused, The Monegasque heiress demanded, "That's enough! I demand you tell me what's going on!"
Raven plainly said, "No time. Just go inside; one of your friends is en route to this place. I must go."
Really confused now, Lilith stumbled, "One of my …"
The modern kunoichi, without one more word, leaped upward and disappeared into the sky…
Lilith yelled as her former captor, "Wait, which one of my… Oh, forget it!"
There was no use fighting it any longer. Lilith simply resigned herself to being left in the dark, and figured she should at least she where she was. She walked around to the front, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw just what this place was… a hospital!
"Final Round!" the announcer's voice blasted through the site, "Fight!"
With a new round and the match at stake, Susano took on a new approach. Instead of attacking, he waited. He started parrying with 'Heaven's Wrath' and punishing all mistakes with moves such as 'Demon Massacre', 'Demon's Lair', 'Tenma Destroyer', and 'Kidney Crush Combo'. Susano used this strategy to true effect, beating up Yushin for a little while, but not for long…
Vincent backed up, thinking, "You're waiting for me. Fine; I've got something for you."
The Silver Scion, like his father, was good at this approach as well. He slowed down and began slashing away with strings like 'Super High Combination', 'Double Mazurek', 'Double Signal', 'Spinning Hammer Kick', and 'Mercury Drive'. And like that, the two went back at it. Susano and Yushin started brutally pounding away at each other, hitting each other with strength and ferocity despite both having already taken a lot of punishment. It was a vicious sight…
In the end, Susano parried Yushin's 'Pulse Blast' with 'Heaven's Wrath', and immediately went into 'Raijin Stance'… The Silver Scion rolled through, and didn't look before charging in… Susano caught Yushin at just the right moment with 'Lightning Bolt', bringing the Silver Scion to his knees… Yushin tried to get up with all he could … but he just couldn't. He'd taken too much damage, and the attack itself was crippling. Beaten, Yushin let out a disappointed sigh of defeat as he fell to the ground…
"KO!" The announcer's voice resonated through the area, "Susano Jashin wins! Please advance to the next round!"
Susano's attention suddenly turned to finding his coat, and went right for it. Meanwhile, Yushin lied on the ground, feeling ashamed and angry. He soon heard his dad's advice: 'your response to victory is important, but your response to defeat is worth even more'. The Silver Scion was never one to ignore advice from his role model, so he was only left with one option: swallow his pride. With that, Yushin accepted the loss, and went to set things right, standing…
Vincent sincerely offered to Susano, "Listen… I don't agree with Heihachi's actions … but he did train one excellent fighter. I'm sorry for insulting you and your fighting style. It was disrespectful and unwarranted… I was wrong and I apologize…"
Yushin's apology was honest and from-the-heart. Too bad Susano was not listening; he was too busy rummaging through his coat. That was until he found what he was looking for: his 6 in. hunting knife… Yushin soon found himself caught by what sounded like rocket. He turned away, and looked up to see … Van riding on the back of Jack-8! She had pulled the Metal Giant out of his match with Bryce Irvin, and had flown full-speed all the way to assist. Oddly enough, Yushin looked fine. Still, she wasn't taking any chances, and tried to get him out of there fast…
Not understanding her hand gesture, Vincent waved back to her and said to himself in thought, "Van-chan? That's odd. Did she fly all the way here? And … why'd she call up Jack?"
Just then, another unexpected guest arrived, Dragunov flying over in his helicopter. Van was forced to stop because she doesn't know who it was…
Vincent was really confused now, asking to himself, "A helicopter? There aren't supposed to be any choppers in the area… What's going on?"
Once he got in range, Dragunov executed his part of the plan. He sent out, with a push of a button, a huge EMP pulse. The shockwave knocked out all electrical equipment including the cameras and lights, Jack-8 being the only exception that to a protection chip. Seeing his chance, Susano went for it…
Yushin was lost in the darkness, trying to figure out what was happening, until … it was too late. He felt cold steel pierce and enter the middle of his back behind his chest… He felt an intense stinging pain and an intense burning pain at once… He mostly felt the warm liquid leaving his body and running down his back…. He was simply too stunned and in shock to make a noise…
Susano harshly whispered, Vincent feeling the hot breath on his ear, "Now, you can apologize to Heihachi-sensei in person. I kept my vow to you, and now keep up your end … and die!"
Yushin felt the blade drawn out, only to feel himself jabbed second time, this time in his lower back… He started to call out, but he only coughed as blood rushed up his throat and out his mouth… Yushin finally collapsed to the ground as he went into physical shock… Thinking enough time had passed, Dragunov lowered a rope ladder. Susano located it and quickly climbed it. They both sped off, making their escape, and Susano used the radio to make a call…
Van watched as the chopper disappeared from sight, thinking to herself, "What was the all about?"
Soon, the EMP pulse wore off, and the lights and cameras came back on, though the satellite was lost. Immediately, Van saw Yushin's situation, and could see even from the air that he was losing a lot of blood…
Instantly upset and scared, Van exclaimed, "Oh no! Jack, land now!"
Jack-8 landed a little ways off, and Van jumped down and instantly ran to Yushin's side. The Silver Scion was in full shock as his life slipped away. He was bleeding from his mouth and wounds… His body seized and trembled… His eyes were barely open with a faraway look in them…
Thinking quietly, Van commanded to Jack-8, "Locate the nearest hospital, and take us there as fast as you can!"
The Metal Giant gave a swift salute, and scooped up Yushin as Van jumped back on his back. Jack-8 located the nearest hospital on GPS, and took off, flying full speed…
With tears in her eyes, Van pleaded as she rubbed his hair, "Please, Vee! Please hold on! We're going on as fast as we can! Please! Don't … Don't go!"
Meanwhile, Lilith had only been in the hospital a few moments when things started to happen. Hospital staff started running to the Emergency ward, and naturally Lilith ran after them. That's when she saw something that was worse than her worst nightmare: Yushin was being rushed in on a gurney, lying on his side! A breathing apparatus was placed over his mouth, and he was barely moving. More distressing was the evident reason he was there… Two large gashes were in his back… his blood was all over… Van was not far behind as the medical staff rushed Yushin through the room to ICU…
Lost in a tornado of emotions, hoping what she just saw was a hallucination, Lilith asked in rapid succession, "What happened? Who did this to him? Is he … is he going to be okay?"
Van could only shake her head in the negative, tears flowing from her eyes, the grim situation evident on her face. Lilith's eyes grew wide with realization… Her skin went pale… She even stopped breathing for a moment…
"No… NO!"
Lilith started to run after him, but Van had to hold her back…
Inconsolable, Lilith called out, "No! Let me go!"
Van said with sadness, "We have to stay here. They're taking him to surgery."
Lilith, distraught and crying profusely, yelled out, "Please, no! YUSHIN!"
The Mourning After
The scions all stood in front of the 'Emergency Surgery' door, all of them watching the 'in-surgery' light. Akane sat with her hands clasped, praying as hard as she can. Jun anxiously paced up and down the hallway. Van was seated crying, and Kyou tried to console her. Lilith stood staring dead-on at the light, half-holding her breath. Finally, Haku arrived from his mouth with Peter Chimera, and sprinted down the hallway toward them…
Haku frantically asked, "What's going on? How is he? Is he…"
Jun answered with sadness, "We don't know. They've been in surgery for hours… There's no word yet."
"How bad was it?"
Jun almost choked up, saying, "Van-chan said it was really bad. Lilith-chan saw it too… She hasn't spoken yet."
Haku, sadness creeping into his voice now, asked, "So, how is everyone else doing?"
Jun somberly relayed the scene to him, "Van-chan is really upset; she's who found him. Kyou-san is trying to calm her; he's also worrying about Lilith-chan. Akane-chan seems like she's barely holding on; she's been praying almost non-stop. Lilith-chan worries me most. She's just been staring at that light; she hasn't stopped crying, but she hasn't made a sound either."
Haku then asked, "And what about you, Jun-chan?"
"I'm trying to be strong, but…" Jun said before tears started streaming down her face, "I just want him to be okay."
Haku embraced his sister as he fought back tears himself, saying, "It's okay. I want him to be okay too…"
Finally, the light went off, and all the scions jumped. A female doctor emerged through the door.
The surgeon asking solemnly, "Are any of you family of Yushin Vincent Chaolan?"
Van responded, "I'm his sister."
Jun added, "Yes, we're all like family to him. Please; we've waited this long. Please tell us."
The doctor conceded and spoke soberly, "Okay. Well… He was stabbed twice in the back. The higher wound was relatively fortunate for him. It entered the space between his heart and right lung, missing them both. An inch in either direction, and he wouldn't have made it. He wasn't as fortunate with the lower wound. It hit several internal organs including his liver, his small intestine, and pancreas. We were able to repair most of the damage although we had to remove his appendix, which was also damaged. It was very good that got here so quickly, before more permanent damage could occur. "
"But with that said… the situation remains grim, and he remains in critical condition. A great many of the major arteries around his heart and spine were transected; he's lost a lot of blood. Even though we saved and mended them, his unique blood type requires us to have replacement blood flown in for transfusions. And still there's a risk his body may reject it. All we can do is monitor him while we wait… If it's any consolation, his heart rarely faltered during the operation. He's every strong young man."
Speaking for the first time in hours, Lilith asked, "Is he in a room?"
"Yes, we've placed him in a monitoring room in the Intensive care wing not far from here…"
Lilith took off down the hall without hearing the rest…
The doctor yelled to her in vain, "But you can't see him yet."
The rest of the scions quickly ran after her. The Monegasque heiress found her way, scanning signs as she went, and when she got there, she blew right past the reception desk, heading right for the room.
An orderly saw her coming, and tried to stop her, starting to say, "Miss, you can't…"
Without listening, Lilith roughly shoved the orderly out of the way, and went right in, where she beheld the situation in full. Yushin lay unconscious, thoroughly pale, hooked up to several machines. A breathing mask sat on his face, his chest slowly rising and falling with his heart. His heartbeat was monitored with the beeps of a nearby machine. Lilith, careful to not to hit any cables, kneeled by his bed and took his hand. The other scions arrived just as security did…
The security officer sternly said, "Miss, we're going to have to ask you to exit this room or be escorted from the building."
Lilith delivered a heartfelt response, "I promise I won't mess with anything … but I won't leave him. You'll have to physically throw me from this room!"
Jun added in support, "Trust me, sir; that's not a fight you want to have."
The security guard asked in confusion, "Huh? What are you talking about?"
Kyou explained, "You see, that girl is Lilith Rochefort."
"The taekwondo champion?" The security guard asked with surprise.
"The one and only…"
"Yeah, I shouldn't tangle with her…" The security guard thought to himself before allowed verbally, "Alright, you can stay if you don't make a fuss."
Lilith kindly said, "Thank you so much, sir."
The guard left with a grunt, and the scion let Lilith have some time alone with Yushin…
Lilith gripped Yushin's hand, her tears returning, and spoke to him, half-pleading, "Yushin… This is terrible. Who could have done this to you? Why did this happen to you? … You're so smart and strong … and kind … and brave… … Please, my love… Please, make it. I know you can… I need you. Please, make it…"
Outside the room, the scions tried to piece this whole scenario together…
Haku asked, "Van-chan, please try to remember… Who was Vincent-kun fighting?"
Van sadly relayed, "I'm sorry; it was dark and I didn't see his face…" That's when she remembered something, "Wait. I think I saw his name on a program… It was, uh… Oh yeah, it was a guy named Susano Jashin."
Jun said with realization, "Susano? Figures, that maniac!"
Akane then asked with anxiety, "But wait. Haku-san, isn't that your next opponent?"
Haku replied adamantly as he drove a fist into his hand, "That's right… and I'll make him talk one way of another!"
Jun began figuring, "Hold on a sec. Susano is a minion; he had to have permission from someone. That leaves one person: Kamikage Nodachi, my next opponent…"
Kyou then asked, "How convenient. Akane, you fought Kamikage in the last round. What do you make of him?"
The images and feelings of her last fight flashing in her mind, Akane expressed, "He is … the scariest person I've ever met. He's just cold and cruel. I can't pinpoint it, but there's definitely something … evil about him. I've never been more afraid of someone…"
Jun adamantly replied, "Scary, evil, or not… He's got to have a hand in this. And I'll make sure of it."
Just then, Lee came running down the hall…
Lee rapidly asked, "Is he in there?"
The scions nodded, and he went in, seeing his adored son on the verge of perishing…
Lee rambled on the verge of breaking down, "N… No… How could this… My son… My son…! This can't be… I need… I need to … make a phone call…"
Lee tried to hold himself together, as he pulled out his phone. Lilith remained silent as Lee hit a number on speed dial…
Lee spoke over the phone, "Hello, dear… No. No, everything's not alright… Listen, you need to come home right away… Yes there's been an accident … with our son… I don't know all the details, but it looks very grim… Alright, I'll see you when you get here…"
The doctor from before hurried down the hall, and approached Lee to explain the situation to him. The twin angrily and wearily overlooked the sad scene as Lilith and the Doctor broke the news to Lee…
Jun strongly said, "Guys, you should stay here. It's time for us to get to the bottom of this."
Haku mused, "Lilith-chan… Lee-sama… Don't worry; we'll take care of this… Yushin-san, we'll get justice for you."
The twins headed off to their sites…
End Chapter
A/N: There you have it. I know that was a pretty heavy chapter, but it sets up the conflict in the next chapter. Also, the next chapter will show the current state of a certain family … curse. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you come back for more. Please R&R, and, as always, Rant, Rave, and Review.