Tekken 8: Breach
Chapter 1
The night is approaching, workers and other students are now aboard the train to get back home. Usually, Mihatsu observes her co-passengers to pass time, but this time, she just found herself staring at the calling card she was given to.
Deliberately, her mind made her remember her brother's words, "Don't ever meddle with my business, Mihatsu. I know you mean well, but it's too dangerous. Just focus on yourself. Understood?" She answered that she understood. Well, she truly does, but she can't help but do some damage control of what her brother did four years ago, regardless if said damage control leaves very little impact.
Four years. It's been four years ever since Jin Kazama waged a war against the world, and a lot of things have happened since then. From what Mihatsu actually cared about, her brother disappeared for some time and only reappeared after a month, and in the span of that month, someone else took control of the company Jin was previously managing. Her brother has been working with an organization she's not as familiar with from then on.
Few minutes later, Mihatsu is already walking to where she and her brother had been living. Living in is an overstatement, actually. She and her brother are always away from it and barely occupy it. They only consistently do so during weekends- the only time she can set aside her school just like how her brother can set aside whatever he has been doing these past few years.
Once she's in front of the door, she smelled her brother's cooking. Normally, she would smile to herself, and ever since he disappeared, feel relief from this. But the fact that she's even considering Akari Saito's offer is enough for her to feel heavy on the inside.
"You arrived later than usual," she heard from the dining room as she was removing her shoes by the genkan.
"My apologies. I should have informed you beforehand. Had to do a group task," she excused.
She then was stoned in her place for a moment for reasons she can't tell. Guilt most likely. Even then, she should not feel it at this capacity. What she told her brother is not completely a lie anyway.
Before she can get out of that state, Jin is already in front of her, "What's the matter?"
Mihatsu slightly tilted her head, "Is there supposed to be?," and looked at her brother's eyes intently. She tried to act natural but who is she kidding, they know each other too much.
Recognizing the look that Mihatsu is giving, Jin quickly averted his eyes off hers and went back inside. Good thing his desire to keep me out of his business shines brighter than his knowledge of me. Or she suppose when it comes to knowing too much of who, she's on top.
"So, what really is the matter?" And she thought that she's already off the hook with this one. Apparently, the mental preparation she made in her room is not enough for her to eat dinner naturally amidst her mind full of the different scenarios that can happen if she accepts Akari's offer or not- alarmingly so, she is leaning mostly on the former, currently.
She tried to replicate what she did earlier. Over time, this act has saved her multiple times from unwanted confrontation against her brother. A shame that it is not always effective though, just like it is in the moment. Before she can utter a word, her brother already raised an eyebrow, telling her that it won't cut it. Mihatsu let a breath escape her mouth.
"You are imagining things, Onii-san."
"Am I now?"
"Hmm. It must have been so bad that it affected the food," Jin's eyebrows fully turned into a 'V'. He then tasted the food, and now his forehead wrinkled noticeably so through his fringes that increased ever since his return.
Jin let go of his expression with a tilt of his head, "What do you specifically want then?"
Internally, Mihatsu felt a relief from the fact that her brother rode the track that she made. And in that same place, guilt came. Almost immediately, before Jin can stand up and go to the fridge, she took a spoonful of the food in front of her, "it must just have been the scent."
"Are you sure?" Jin clarified to which Mihatsu nodded to.
Dinner passed by as normal as it could. Mihatsu knows that Jin wants to bring her odd behavior up, but he chose not to, most likely because he is aware that she will just divert the conversation elsewhere.
She herself wants to bring something up, but just like her brother, she knows that it will just go elsewhere.
Sighing on that, she continued to brood on how she can have the discourse she's planning to have later her way. Considering the experience she got from her many tries before, this should go better, she thought.
"Onii-san?," Mihatsu called after knocking at the door of Jin's room. When nobody answered, she opened it but halted herself from fully going in when she heard Jin's voice from the patio.
"The Zaibatsu really did get its footing back."
"Kazuya's took over happened completely under the radar. How unfortunate that we caught on it too late," peeking from behind the wall, she can see two men in the screen- the same two men she once saw her brother with before. Why would one have his enemy get its footing back? Getting its resources, I get but that?
"What of your trusted "friends" there, by the way?"
An electricity crackled, which made Mihatsu confused. She looked outside the window but saw nor heard no raindrops. She also could have sworn that she saw no lighting but that crackling was too loud that it could be mistaken that one struck nearby.
"Now that I think about it, he probably has an ability to mind control people."
Hearing a joking tone that she deemed out of place, she put her attention back to the conversation. Mind control? Tsk. Pathetic.
"Fear is basically that."
If to be put that way however...
"Withdraw everyone out, I suggest. I'll contact you later," Jin ended the call, noticing the prolonged presence lurking nearby. Mihatsu sighed.
"I'm sorry, you had to cut that off," the presence is now approaching Jin. But you know, you can let me listen to it, and maybe I would be able to help, Mihatsu wanted to continue.
"There's really no need for that," Jin looked at the clock, "It's already late."
"Can't sleep..."
"So you will finally tell me now the matter?"
That was her intention. She was meant to bring up Akari's offer one way or another. But considering that it seems that circumstances are leaning too much on the enemy's favor, that is already off the table. She already saw, or rather heard, what she wants from her brother.
"I'm just thinking...," a sigh came out the moment Mihatsu sat on the chair beside Jin, "Is it still...," another one came out, "Should I continue with this... field? Considering that... you know..."
"You need not to worry about that. By the time you're actually starting to build," Jin snickered, "that conglomerate of yours, everything would already be back the way it was."
"Why do you always put my dream as something ridiculous, Onii-san..."
"But you know full well it is the exact opposite, right?" Mihatsu smiled at that.
"Trust me, I'll put everything back in order," Jin added.
"Why did you have to disturb it in the first place," what is supposed to be a question did not come out as one. Four years. Ever since Mihatsu saw Jin broadcasted, declaring war against the world, she has been asking him that. But for four years, no concrete answer came, and she doesn't see one coming at all at any time.
What does she always receive? "Do I still have your trust?" or something along those lines.
"Fully," if it's reassurance that his sister is still by his side is the one actual and legitimate way Mihatsu can help Jin though, then she would love to give him that again and again. And as that, she sees to it that her responses are as sincere as it can get- not only in its delivery but also its intent. But it is different now after knowing that she can actually do something more to help her brother, ... But let's progress that restoration to a guarantee.
If she really settled on agreeing to Akari's offer, she better be extra careful to not get caught by Jin. Never mind the significantly lower chance to get caught by the enemy. Mihatsu is certain that whatever the consequence of that would be no worth to her in the long run anyway, easily disposable as she would put it.
If she gets caught by her brother, however, chances are, she'll be the one that will lose the trust of her only family. She can't afford that, at all.