A War to Prevent
After defeating MIST, the ninjas and their allies meet with Helena, who grants Kazuki a special invitation to the next Dead or Alive tournament. Upon returning to the Mugen Tenshin Village, however, they discover that their home had been attacked by the Mishima Zaibatsu the previous night, leaving both Shiden and Ayame injured from the attack.
Now, Hayate, Ayane, and Kazuki prepare for war against the Mishima Zaibatsu.
The news worry Kasumi, who is afraid at what this war could possibly cause. She tells Hayabusa about her concerns in the Muramasa's hidden village in the daytime.
"No…I can't let this happen," said Kasumi. "I must stop them from doing this!"
"And just how do you plan on doing that?" asked Hayabusa.
"I will meet with them and convince them not to do this. There's no other way."
"Kasumi, don't be foolish. You're still a runaway shinobi, so you know the danger of meeting with the Mugen Tenshin Clan. Wait until it's safe!"
"I can't just sit here and wait like this. Every second counts. I will not let my family go down such a dark path, especially Kazuki. If we don't do anything about it, then more people will suffer!"
She then leaps away from the village as Hayabusa watches her. He doesn't follow her, however. In fact, he expected her to leave, as he knows Kasumi all too well. So instead of following her, he takes out his handheld transceiver.
"Irene?" he said. "Kasumi's left the village. Make sure you make it back in time so that she will not be by herself."
"Got it," said Irene.
Azuchi
Standing in the Azuchi courtyard, Hayate, Ayane, and Kazuki talk about their planned attack on the Mishima Zaibatsu a little while later that day. Kazuki stares off and pictures Heihachi's face, which just fuels his hatred for him even more.
"Kazuki, are you sure you're ready for this?" asked Hayate. "This will be the first time you've ever been in a battle like this. It will not be anything like a tournament."
"Yes, I know that," said Kazuki. "I will show Heihachi no mercy. I have no reason to hold back. He has to pay for this."
"Then whatever you do, don't have any second thoughts," said Ayane. "If you're not sure about this, then just let us handle this. This is a kill or be killed situation."
Kazuki turns to them and says "I've been close to death before. I have no fears of doing this and I will not have any regrets after I do it."
At that point, Kasumi appears before the three fighters during their talk.
"Mother…" said Kazuki.
Hayate taps Kazuki's shoulder, shakes his head, and looks away as if to pretend Kasumi is not there. Kazuki gets the point and tries to look away as well but finds it much more difficult to ignore to his mother.
"Please don't do this," said Kasumi. "Helena has already given us a chance to defeat Heihachi. Don't go to war against him. Let's wait for the tournament!"
The ninjas, however, refuse to say anything to her. Hayate and Ayane stares away from her while Kazuki looks at her as if to say something but doesn't do it.
"Kazuki, listen to me. You've already given your word to Helena that you'll settle this in the Dead or Alive tournament. Please, let her help you!"
No longer able to remain silent, Kazuki finally decides to respond.
"I'm sorry but I'm going to forgo the tournament," said Kazuki. "Heihachi deserves to die for what he did. The Mishimas have attacked us enough and now it's time for us to strike back."
"But this is not the right way to do this. If you go through with this war, it could bring more suffering not only to yourself but to other people as well."
"That man attacked your mother and father!" said Ayane. "How dare you say we shouldn't retaliate? Are you really against your own clan now?"
Hayate remains silent, keeping his mind set on revenge and trying not to change his mind.
"I will not let my family be like those Mishimas, especially when one of them is my son," said Kasumi.
"I'm doing what should have been done a long time ago," said Kazuki. "No matter how I have to do it, I'll make sure Heihachi is dead. Doing that will not make me anything like the Mishimas."
"The direction you're going certainly will," said a male voice from behind Kasumi.
They all look behind her to see that it was Jin.
"Jin?" said Kasumi.
"What are you doing here?" asked Ayane.
"Irene told me about your crusade against the Mishima Zaibatsu…and I must say, this is one hassle we don't need," said Jin.
"What?" said Kazuki.
Hayate, having heard enough, finally breaks his silence.
"Don't meddle in our business, Jin," he said. "This is our battle now and you have no involvement in this. Just stay out of it."
"I'm not going anywhere," said Jin. "This is something can't let happen if I can help it."
"How can you try to prevent our war when you started one a long time ago yourself?" said Kazuki. "I don't know what your intentions were but for us, it is to take down the Mishima Zaibatsu. Why are you against that?"
"I know I've made some mistakes in the past…but if there's one thing I don't want is for you to repeat them," said Jin. "This tournament is the best opportunity you have, Kazuki. Do not pass it up."
"This is not just Kazuki's battle," said Ayane. "This is our battle as well. You are in no position to give us orders."
"Just leave it to us, Jin," said Kazuki. "No matter what, I am not changing my mind. You cannot stop our justified cause. If we have to go through you to get to Heihachi, then I guess that's what we'll have to do."
Jin looks down for a moment to think about something. He knows that no matter what he says, they will not listen to him. He's still not really surprise considering what he did a long time ago. But if his words will not get to them, then that leaves only one other option left.
"I knew it would come to this someday," said Jin as he pops his knuckles.
"Jin?" said Kasumi.
"Kasumi, I told you that this was going to happen. Though I never thought that this would be the reason why, it was still bound to happen eventually. Father against son. That's the curse of the Mishima bloodline."
"Jin, no! I know that you don't want to do this. Please, don't!"
"Stand back, Kasumi. No matter what, you can't change our fate…and I can't run from it."
Hayate and Ayane walks forward but they're blocked by Kazuki, who walks forward himself.
"This is my fight," Kazuki says to Hayate and Ayane as he gets into his fighting stance.
Kasumi is at a loss for words. She's in disbelief at what she's about to see.
Without warning, Jin rushes forward with a fist that Kazuki avoids. Kazuki attempts to counter with a punch of his own but it's blocked by Jin. Jin tries to land a punching combination but Kazuki avoids all of the hits. Kazuki tries to land a spinning kick but Jin ducks under it. Jin responds with a kick of his own but Kazuki quickly blocks it. Finally, they both connect with a punch at the same time that knocks each other back. Kazuki quickly runs forward to land a kick but Jin blocks it. He then responds with a kick of his own but Kazuki blocks it, just as he did.
As Kasumi watches, the only thing she thinks about is why. Why is this happening? Why is the one thing she fears the most is still happening?
Hayate and Ayane show no joy in watching either. Despite Jin standing in their way of destroying the Mishima Zaibatsu, they know that he's not their enemy and yet, Kazuki is still fighting him.
As the fight continues, Jin and Kazuki starts landing punches and kicks on each other in what is turning out to be an even fight. Kazuki then uses his arms to push himself high into the air and to come down with a hard kick. Jin jumps into the air with a kick of his own and both land on each other's face, causing them both to fall to the ground.
They both slowly stand up and look at each other as if they're ready to continue. Although breathing heavily, their eyes stay locked onto each other.
Kasumi, finally decided that she's seen enough, steps between the two.
"That's enough!" she said. "This fight is pointless. I can see it both of your eyes that this not a battle that either of you want." She turns to Jin. "Jin, you say this will happen as long as the Mishima bloodline continues and yet, I don't sense even a shred of hatred in you to do this. Do not pretend that you can't be different from Kazuya and Heihachi because you are." She then turns to Kazuki. "And Kazuki, you said you've learned a lot from your battle but going to war will be the opposite of everything you've learned. You've made the decision to settle things in the Dead or Alive tournament. Stay with it!"
Jin and Kazuki look at each other as if to ignore Kasumi…but they don't resume their fight. Instead, Jin smiles a little and stands up straight. Kazuki looks a little confused.
The truth is, Kasumi's words struck both of them.
"Your mother's words were always meaningful to me," said Jin. "She's one person who I'll always listen to…and you should as well, Kazuki. Believe me, I know what it's like to be taught by a loving mother. Make sure you always listen to her."
Realizing that the fight really is over, Kazuki calmly stands straight.
"Yes, I'll always do that," said Kazuki. "She's been there for me ever since I was born and I've had nothing but happy times with her. I can't let anything stand between us, even if it's our clan's tradition. Our bloodline is stronger than any shinobi code."
"Do you two have any idea what she was thinking when she watched that?" said Ryu Hayabusa, was sitting on the Azuchi building.
"Ryu?" said Hayate.
"Kasumi's love and care is the key to putting an end to this curse. You said it yourself, Kazuki; she was the one told you not to hate your father. You listened to those words ever since because you believed her. Even now, you have no hatred towards Jin, even when you two fought."
"That's right," said Kazuki.
"The path of a shinobi is a harsh one. I've always told you that. Now you've experienced it…and learned from it as well. Do not forget what you've learned."
Kazuki nods.
Hayate and Ayane proudly look at Kasumi, Jin, and Kazuki. They're happy that it's all over.
"Alright, I'll settle things with Heihachi in the tournament," said Kazuki. "In the meantime, I'll keep my village safe from anymore danger."
"Then lets head back," said Hayate. "We don't want anybody giving off the impression that our village is vulnerable."
"That's right," said Ayane. "Whether it's Heihachi, Kazuya, or Donovan, we cannot let them attack us again."
Hayate, Ayane, and Kazuki starts leaving the area to head back the village. However, Kazuki stops for a moment. There is something in his mind that hasn't been settled yet and now he finally wants to say something about it.
"Wait a second," said Kazuki. "There's still so many unanswered questions. I can't leave yet. This is my chance to know everything I need to know." He then turns to Jin. "Jin, what happened? Why did you start that war? And why did you disappear from the world?"
Jin closes his eyes for a moment, as if he knew this would get brought up. It was something he had been intending to explain to Kazuki for a long time.
"Alright, Kazuki," said Jin. "I'll tell you everything."
To Be Continued.
