AN: I just want to come out of nowhere and say…I can't wait for Tekken Tag Tournament 2 to actually come out in America and also that Tekken X Street Fighter game (a much longer wait, I suppose) which in my biased opinion should be waaaay better than Street Fighter X Tekken…Anyways, on with the story!
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Chapter 4: Left at Home
A decision had been made last night: Jin would be staying at Kazuya's house for the day. It wasn't an agreement that had come easily, but it was the only one that they could accept. Jun couldn't take Jin to her worksite and Kazuya was hard-pressed to do the same thing as he had done yesterday also noting that a child had no business in the corporate world in the first place. Of course, Jin had wanted to stay at Jun's place, but Jun was still against it if Kazuya was willing to let him stay there. Kazuya's house was simply more accommodating and convenient. Jun's apartment was made for one maybe two people—the second person having to sleep out on the couch—and Kazuya's place was spacious in comparison and Jin would have his own bedroom.
There were a few things that Jun demanded of Jin. First, was that he was not allowed to leave the premises while no adult was there—it was dangerous. Secondly, when he got hungry there would food in the refrigerator just for him. He was not to order out or go anywhere outside the house. Basically, he was not to let anyone on that he was there by himself. It seemed like he would be trapped yet again, but this time he would be all alone in a house that had almost nothing to abate the boredom that was likely to ensue. Jun assured him that she'd try to get back home as early as she could so that he wouldn't be alone for so long, but it was all the same to Jin. He watched on the doorsteps as the two of them drove off to their worksites. As soon as they were out of sight, he sighed solemnly to himself, and then walked back inside. What could he do?
For two hours he did absolutely nothing. For another hour he watched television. Then after doing nothing for some thirty minutes, he retired to his room once again. It could hardly even be called his room for all its coldness. Jin noticed something peculiar on his comforter though before he jumped into bed. In closer proximity, he realized that this was indeed a small sheet of yellow notebook paper—the kind you might find in an office. He picked up the notepaper and saw 3,841.50 yen ($50) tucked rather neatly under it. The note read like this:
I'm sure you've noticed the money I placed on your bed. There is a mall not too far from here where you could put it to good use. Follow the direction on the back of this sheet of paper and you should be fine. As you can imagine, I could probably get in trouble for this, but I've been your age before and if I had any choice in the matter, I think I would have enjoyed shopping. You must follow these rules: Don't take any side trips—it's bad enough that you're out by yourself; don't push your luck. Try not to stare at people for too long; that will just draw unwanted attention to you. Don't flash your money around like an idiot—you'd be asking to get yourself mugged. Also, since you're walking, it'd be wise not to buy anything too heavy to actually carry. Last but not least, don't tell Jun about this (this goes almost without saying—you know how protective she is of you).
~Kazuya
Jin had to read the letter twice. He could hardly believe it—he wouldn't have to be stuck in the house all day. In a flash, Jin's mind was going over all the things he could buy. He'd never been given as much back in his own time. Then again, where could he use such money—living in the mountains meant that he was wholly isolated from the rest of the world. His mom would only ever go shopping once a month and she would do it after she was sure that he was asleep—or at least assumed that he was asleep.
Jin took the money and folded it into his pocket. He held the sheet of paper in his hand so that he could have the directions in front of him. They were quite precise without being overly complicated to understand. Any person with half a brain who knew how to read could have used it to get to the mall. When Jin stepped outside and looked down the driveway, however, he felt a sense of foreboding. He had never walked so far on his own without supervision. It did seem like a bad idea, but the adventurous side of him would have it no other way. It wouldn't take so long to get there. Kazuya had even given him an approximate time range of how long it would take to get there; 30 minutes by feet. He took a step down from the porch and then stopped himself. Another thought had come to his mind—a less than honorable one.
This is my chance…I've been waiting for the right moment and now it has come…
Even as he had begun to grow used to living with the two of them, he had not forgotten his one true mission. The impossible had now become possible. His hand that held the letter trembled as a plan began to form in his mind. Jin wouldn't be going to the mall that day no matter how enticing it sounded. It was time to demonstrate to Jun why Kazuya could not be trusted. He could show her how conniving and secretive Kazuya could be, but he needed to take one more step further besides getting her to see this letter. He'd have to put himself into some sort of danger—not real danger, but something to make it seem like he really was in trouble. At once, Jin scrambled back into the house and left the note on Jun's side of the bed in Kazuya's room. There was no telling who would get to the room first, but in the end it wouldn't matter once Jun realized that he was missing. Besides, Kazuya had been the one who had insisted on having him stay here rather than at Jun's place. Jin had been sure Kazuya had done so because he probably didn't trust him at Jun's place.
Now is my chance.
He'd have to hide somewhere. Someplace that was close by enough that he wouldn't actually be lost and wouldn't be caught if they started to look for him around the house. In the time he could have been walking to the mall, Jin spent it scouting the house looking for a good hiding place. There weren't a lot of decorations or adornments as was to be expected. Jin eventually ended up picking a rather obvious place—behind the bushes. There was a row of them just outside the porch just large enough for him to hide in. Plus, no one would look for him in such a place—why would he be hiding in the bushes if he was presumed lost? Surely Kazuya's first thought would be that he was lost at the mall. What reason would he have to hide? Of course, there was that chance that Kazuya could figure out his entire scheme. For all his faults, Kazuya seemed to be quite perceptive. But that was the worst case scenario and Jin was feeling optimistic.
This has to work. If someone is deserving of luck, it should be me.
Jin waited for a bit before he reserved himself to the bushes. They would be coming home sooner than usual, Jin knew, so it would be safer if he was at his post before at least 5pm. It helped that it was a nice day, but hiding in a bush for any period of time was pretty uncomfortable. His resolve, however, allowed him to overlook this small fact. All he could see for hours on end were green leaves. For some reason, he did not doze off; his mind never wandered off to random subject and never once thought that this plan was semi-foolish. It was as if he had all the patience in the world. Only the sound of gravel crunching in the driveway awoke him from his trance.
Who could it be? Jin dared not move to get a better look. From his position, he could only see the porch stairs clearly. Turning his head to the driveway might bring him unwanted attention. He waited to see the shoes of the person as they walked up the stairs to the house.
Please let them be white…
He watched as white slippers climbed lightly up the steps. She obviously had a key since she got into the house quite easily. His plan was working. Why wouldn't luck be on his side? He was doing the world a favor. Five minutes later, another car drove up. Jin knew this to be Kazuya. Black, shined dress shoes walked rather confidently up the steps and he proceeded into the door. Already, Jin could hear Jun's voice as Kazuya opened the door.
"Kazuya, there you are. Have you seen Jin?" Jun asked frantically.
In fact, Kazuya hadn't had a chance to close the door before Jun was already hounding him with questions.
"What are you talking about? Is he not here?" Kazuya asked in a surprisingly casual tone.
"I haven't seen him. He's not in his room and…"
Their voices began to fade into the house. Jin knew immediately that something was off. One would think that Jun would ask him about the piece of paper first instead of asking him where he thought he could be. Jin hadn't known Jun to beat around the bush with serious matters. Could it be that Kazuya still had a chance to hide that sheet of paper? Jin frowned at this. He waited and waited and waited. Then the front door opened once again.
"Did you search everywhere already?" Jin heard Kazuya say.
"Of course I did. Where else could he be? Maybe he ran off. I knew we shouldn't have kept him here. He must have been so bored. I was so negligent. I should have done something else, anything else. I should have—
"I think we did what was best under the circumstances. You of all people shouldn't be blaming yourself," Kazuya said coolly.
Jin cringed even more despite his current position—a feat in itself. Kazuya seemed to be in complete control of the situation. Maybe this plan wasn't as perfect as he thought. What of that piece of paper? Who had it? Why hadn't Jun mentioned it?
"Kazuya, do you even understand the situation? We have to find him and we don't know where to start looking. Who knows where that poor boy could have gotten off to? He could be hurt…or hungry, wanting someone to come and find him. Kazuya, what's wrong?"
"Let's start at the mall."
"Why the mall?"
"Because I may have had…something to do with his being missing."
"What?"
The way she said this even Jin began to feel a little unsettled.
"I said—
"No, I heard what you said. Now tell me how," she said in a particularly stern voice.
Jin heard the unfolding of a piece of paper. There it is! How had he gotten his hands on it first!
"What is this?" Jun asked in an impatient tone, "Just tell me already."
"Read it."
There was silence for one long minute. Jin could imagine the look she must have been giving the other.
"How big of an idiot can somebody be? What did you think was going to happen? I mean, at least write so a little kid can understand it! You encouraged him to go to the mall—You encouraged Jin to go out and get himself lost! What possessed you to do that behind my back of all things!"
"Are we going to waste our time standing here or are we going to look for him at the mall?"
"Amazing. You're not even least bit upset about this. Fine, let's go to the mall. He's not even guaranteed to be there, but let's go. I'll drive."
Her footsteps were not as light as it used to be. In fact, she was stomping to the car. Kazuya's gait remained unchanged. He made no protests to her driving. Again Jin was forced to wait and wait and wait. They came back hours later. Jun was none too happy. In fact, she might have been in tears.
"I'm going home," Jin heard Jun say.
In fact it was the last words Jin heard that night. Kazuya was uncannily quiet. All Jin heard was the sound of a car leaving the driveway. Then he heard Kazuya's footsteps far less assured than before. He sat right there on the steps in front of him. Jin held his breath. He was just inches away. All he would have to do is look closely and surely he would see him. All Jin would have to do is move just a little and his cover would be blown. He sat there for an eternity it seemed before finally leaving into the house. Jin was finally left alone in the dark.
He began to wonder how long he should draw this out. When he heard his stomach growl, he knew he couldn't stay like this for long. Since no one was looking, he stretched himself out more in the bushes. He couldn't come inside now. He couldn't face Kazuya alone. For now he would just have to sleep out here with prickly branches. Jin could face hunger if it meant that he would reach his one goal. At some point, he grew tired enough to actually sleep, but it was not restful in the least. Early in the morning, he was so cramped that he was forced to step out of his hiding place in order to stretch. If only he had better timing…
Before he even knew it, the front door was opening. Jin was so completely scared stiff that he couldn't even turn around to meet Kazuya's face. Jin assumed that the worst would happen. He felt that his life was in danger as his heart began beating at an uncontrollable speed. Kazuya's approaching footsteps did little to calm him. Jin couldn't look up at him when he knew that the other stood right in front of him.
"So you found your own way back home."
Does he really believe…?
Jin was unprepared when he felt the other's palm lay flatly on top of his bed, "I'm so relieved."
Jin looked up to him in surprise, "But I…" But obviously I tried to get you in trouble. That paper…aren't you suspicious about how it was somehow placed on your bed like that? Anything?
"I don't feel like thinking about all the things that could have been going through your head. Whether this was part of some scheme you planned or this was a happy coincidence—I don't care." Kazuya crouched down to the other's level, "That I didn't have to break Jun's heart so prematurely is enough. When I show her that you're fine, she'll surely forgive me."
Jin's eyebrows furrowed at this, "Just as I thought; you're using me."
"If 'using' you could bring a smile to Jun's face, then I'll 'use' you as much as I want."
"You think I did this on purpose, don't you? You're just punishing me."
"Jin, I don't think you're capable of doing something like that."
He's trying to pull a fast one.
Kazuya stood up after that. "In any case, now that you're back, you can get yourself cleaned. After you eat something, we'll go see Jun."
Jin hated to admit it, but he was glad that he could go back in even if he was still confused about Kazuya's intentions. Just when he thought Kazuya would have thrown him to the wolves, he was doing the exact opposite. The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. If he was ever going "out"-scheme Kazuya, he was going to have to come up with something a lot better. He just wasn't reacting the way he should. Was Jin supposed to believe that Kazuya hadn't put the pieces together?
When Jin came out of the bathroom, he was told that food was already waiting for him in the dining room. Sure enough, there was hot food steaming away on the table. Since Kazuya was the only other person there, Jin realized that he must have made that for him while he was in the shower. Stop being so nice! Stop trying to confuse me!
Kazuya made no attempt at conversation. He stayed in the living room while Jin was in the dining room. But Jin was already tiring of the charades. If he didn't confront the other quickly, then it would certainly get out of hand. Jin didn't know what Kazuya was planning to do with Jun, but it couldn't be anything good. Besides showing her that he was in fact alright, wasn't there some other plot he was trying to achieve? What else could explain Kazuya's kindness? Jin had grown to equate any sort of kindness on Kazuya's part to be completely false in nature and entirely self-serving. He may not have been too far from the truth. It was time to figure out things right here and now.
"Kazuya, I don't understand you," Jin said stolidly as he stepped into the living room. "What are you trying to pull?"
"I know my cooking isn't so wonderful, but I'm really not trying to punish you."
Hm…well, now that you mention it... "That's not what I'm talking about. Where did you find that sheet of paper that you wrote on?"
"In my room. I'm guessing you placed it there."
"Yes, I did."
There was silence as Jin waited for the other respond, but he seemed to have nothing at all to say.
"Yes, I did," Jin repeated, "I put it there. Doesn't that strike you as odd?"
"What are you trying to get at?"
"Oh, don't play dumb."
"It's fine if Jun wants to call me an idiot, but a little runt like you has no business. If you have something to say, then just say it. I'm through with trying to 'figure' you out. No little boy should be this complicated."
Jin should have just kept it at that. There was no need to push the issue, but Kazuya was still not reacting the way he wanted. He was supposed to be angry. Jun could probably forgive a nice and calm Kazuya who had somehow found the missing child just so he could please her, but she might not forgive an angry Kazuya who after finding him had immediately punished him in some horrific way—Jun would have to be disgusted with such events.
"What if I told you that I never went to the mall?" Jin began again.
"It wouldn't be surprising—for some reason, you didn't feel the need to keep that paper on you. Decisions like that will get you lost in an instant."
Jin was utterly shocked by his conclusion. How could he be missing the entire picture?
"What if I told you that I purposefully didn't go to the mall?"
"That you found your way home is even more surprising. We must have been looking in the wrong place the whole time."
"I…I was hiding in the bushes in front of the house the whole time," Jin finally said.
There was so much silence thereafter that Jin believed that he had finally struck the wrong cord. Perhaps Kazuya was already fuming.
"Well? Are you going to tell me why you felt the need to hide in the bushes the whole time? I assume you must have been sitting there for hours."
"Well, I was…" trying to get you in trouble. "I was…What do you think I was doing?"
"Hmph, maybe hiding in bushes is your idea of fun—who knows? Wait a minute…"
There! He knows. This is the moment I was waiting for.
"Perhaps you're starting to get your memories back. I can't tell you why you prefer bushes to sitting on a bench in some corporate building—that's something you'll have to figure out for yourself."
"Damn it, Kazuya, do you even realize what I was trying to do!"
Jin felt something come across his face so hard that he barely even knew it happened before crashing down painfully to the ground. He struggled just to sit back up again just when he felt hot liquid crawling down his cheek. He felt for it with his free hand and confirmed that it was indeed blood. His eyes grew wide at the sight of it. No one had ever struck him down before, not to this degree. Already, he could sense Kazuya's presence above him.
"How can I show you to Jun in that condition?" Jin heard the other say in obvious annoyance.
Suddenly, Jin despite his initial shock was grinning. I did it. It must have been something I said.
"Are you going to sit there all day? Stand up already," Kazuya ordered.
Jin didn't want to get into any more trouble than he already was. He stood up obediently.
"Look," Kazuya began as he put his thumb and index finger over the bridge of his nose, "I don't know what came over me, but you have to promise me that you won't tell Jun about this."
"Why would I want to agree to a promise like that?"
"There are plenty of reasons I could come up with."
"I'm not going to lie to Jun."
"I guess it's too much to ask from a kid like you."
Jin wasn't sure what to make of that comment, but Kazuya seemed to drop the topic altogether. Jin was only told to clean himself up before setting off to Jun's place. Kazuya had given the other a Band-Aid so it was quite obvious that Jin was injured. Jin wondered what could be going through the other's mind. Clearly, Jun would not want to see him like that. If Kazuya wanted to, he could have easily kept him from seeing Jun—Jin had already gotten the sense that when it came to overpowering or getting someone to do something they didn't want to that Kazuya was a professional at it. Under those clothes of his, Jin could imagine rippling muscles well-trained in the art of combat. He was no pushover physically. Then why was Kazuya knowingly putting himself in trouble? Kazuya had done little more than ask him to keep things under wraps, but it had been too easy to simply deny his request. Was he missing something? Was there something he just wasn't understanding?
It took them a little over thirty minutes to get to Jun's apartment and the whole time Jin had his guard up unsure of what was going to occur. He stepped out of the car when Kazuya did and followed him to the second floor where her door was. Jin stood beside him when Kazuya knocked on the door. The door opened almost immediately.
"Kazuya, what are you doing her so earl—
It was then when she noticed Jin standing there and she suddenly burst into tears.
"Jin! You're safe—thank goodness!"
Jin found himself in a near suffocating hug from Jun—he could do little to resist it. The only thing he could do was just accept it which he did gladly. They could have been like that for hours on end had Kazuya not cleared his throat to get Jun's attention. She pulled away from Jin after a moment and stood up from her squatting position.
"Where did you find him?" Jun asked the other in a significantly less cheerful tone.
"I didn't find him. It seems he found his own way back home."
"Luck must really be on our side. Well, come on inside. I don't have work until a half an hour."
Jin stepped in first before Kazuya. If anything, Kazuya seemed reluctant to do so.
"It must have been rough trying to find your way back safely. Did you fall or something?" Jun said to Jin noting his Band-Aid.
Jin touched it gently, "Oh, this…?" He looked over to Kazuya. He was so close to the door that if he wanted to he could have bolted to his car. There was a certain amount of nervousness in his eyes that amused Jin. Could it be that the ball really was in his court? "I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking—I tripped. It was nothing serious."
Jin wasn't sure why he had decided to cover for him. Maybe tattle telling on Kazuya had seemed too easy, too childish. No one would blame him if he had gone through with telling the truth, but Jin just wasn't petty enough to do it. In any case, when Jin tried to make eye contact with the other, Kazuya pretended not to notice him. Surely now Kazuya was in his debt—it was a nice thing to keep in his back pocket.
"Stay awhile," Jun said jokingly to Kazuya. Obviously, she must have noticed his uneasiness—and the fact that he was only one standing.
Jun was already sitting on the couch with Jin. Not wanting to seem altogether awkward, Kazuya sat down as well but on the other end of the couch.
"You must be really hungry. I can make something for you right quick."
"If it isn't too much trouble," Jin answered back to her.
Kazuya snorted at this only to receive a rather annoyed glance from Jun. He might have mentioned the fact that he had not too long ago made Jin something, but for some reason he didn't even bother trying to plead his case. When Jun left them, a cold atmosphere fell upon the two occupants in the living room. Kazuya didn't even afford the other a glance.
"Well, looks like you owe me," Jin finally said after a long span of silence.
"Looks like it," Kazuya replied gruffly. "I'll repay you anything within reason, of course."
"Of course."
They said nothing more to one another. Even when Jun came back out and started light conversation with the two of them, they never once spoke to each other. Jun was far too overjoyed to contemplate what the problem was. Besides, she had a job to get to. Whatever it was, she was sure it would blow over soon.
"Kazuya, I really hope you've learned your lesson," Jun said in a serious tone, "But we still have a little bit of a problem. Where is Jin going to stay for today? I can't take him to work and it's not a good idea to keep him in a house with no supervision. Can you perhaps take him with you to your work again?"
Jin didn't like the sound of this. "Do I have—
"Jin, I know you don't like sitting around doing nothing," Jun said interrupting him, "However, it's the only option we have until we can get a babysitter. Now that I know that you're safe, I think it's time that I look for someone who can really take care of you while we're gone. It's just one more day—I promise."
"I can take a day off," Kazuya said speaking up for once. "There's nothing pressing happening today. It won't make too much of a difference if I'm not there."
Jin looked over to Kazuya with apprehension, "You don't have to do all that."
"It's no problem. It's the least I can do."
"Oh, Kazuya! Sometimes you turn around and do the nicest things. Now, you better keep a sharp eye out for him, alright? I know taking care of a kid is new for you. I might be able to forgive you, if you don't screw up today."
"Don't worry. I think I know what not to do. Besides, I already have something planned for us to do."
Jun was clearly surprised by this, "You do?"
"Isn't it time for you to be heading off?" Kazuya reminded her.
Jun glanced over at the clock on the wall. "Well, I have to go," she said as she stood up.
The three of them left the apartment at the same time. While Jun was driving off to work. Kazuya and Jin were headed in a different direction. It seemed Jin's fate had been decided that day. He wouldn't be going to anyone's workplace or staying alone at someone's house—he was to be made victim to Kazuya's every whim. Whenever Kazuya did anything that even resembled being nice Jin was automatically on edge and this was a blatant act of kindness.
I'm ready for you, Kazuya. Do your worst.
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AN: What exactly does Kazuya have planned? Find out on the next episode *cough* I mean, chapter of Changing Fate. I promise you, the next chapter will be far more exciting.
