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Catalyst
Kazuya tapped the screen and read Anna's text for the tenth time in the last hour.
Today 10:21 PM
We have her. We're about an hour out.
It was past eleven-thirty, and there were no further notifications. Kazuya set the phone on the empty desk and leaned back in his chair, his back rigid, his muscles tense. If something went wrong...if they had lost her... He shook his head. Anna and Bruce wouldn't fail him. But if there was a problem, why hadn't they contacted him? If there was a problem, he needed to be there. He picked up the phone and stood up, then began to pace the office.
He stopped in front of the window. In the dimly lit space, his reflection was more of a silhouette with barely discernible features. But his left eye gleamed back at him in an unnatural red hue.
Devil's voice vibrated in his head, low and snide. You're hoping to die for her again?
"No one is going to die."
At least last time, you had the excuse of being young and stupid.
"Shut up. The last thing I want to do is argue with you." He pushed Devil to the back of his mind.
The phone vibrated in his hand. It was a call from Anna.
"Where are you?"
"We're here. She's in 124."
"Like a damn prisoner?"
"Just until–"
He ended the call and walked out the door. A low growl rumbled inside his skull as he walked down the hall. "I don't want to hear a damn thing from you." There was a low hiss, and then Devil was quiet again.
He made his way to Anna, almost in a daze. His footsteps on the marble floor echoed around him, his reflection gliding across the glass wall as he passed guards patrolling the halls of G Corporation. His heart was drumming against his chest. After years of searching, he was only a few steps away from her.
But he saw Anna when he turned into the last hallway. She stood outside the door, casually leaning against the wall, when he arrived at cell 124. She straightened her posture when she saw him.
"Look," she said as he approached. "I didn't want to do it, but she's pretty feisty." She pointed to a red mark on her cheekbone. "If she was anyone else, I promise you, she'd be unconscious right now."
"If you touch her–"
"You know I would never. But I put her here because I didn't want to put her in a room where she could throw a TV at me. I'll go get more appropriate accommodations ready." She looked around, then lowered her voice. "I don't know if she's…" She sighed. "She has no idea who I am."
"It's been over twenty years."
"I look exactly the same." She looked around again and moved closer to him. "I think they were telling the truth, and she has no idea who she is. I'll go get a more appropriate room ready." She looked at him again before walking away.
He stood in front of the door pondering what was worse: to have her remember everything or nothing? His arm reached forward, his hand hovering over the handle, his heart pounding against his chest. He grabbed the handle and opened the door.
He expected one of two situations when he stepped inside. One, that it was the wrong woman. Two, that the room would be empty. But there she was. She stood against the wall, her arms crossed over a blue sweatshirt. Her dark hair tied behind her head. A wary look in those same brown eyes that he could never forget. It was Jun. It was really her. She had aged beautifully. Her face was a little rounder, her body a little curvier, but it suited her.
The look on her face made his heart heavy. Her brow was furrowed, her mouth tight. And she gave no indication that she had any idea who he was.
He motioned to the metal chair. "Sit down…please."
She crossed her arms more tightly. "Am I a prisoner?"
"No."
"Then why was I locked in a cell?"
"To keep you safe."
"From what?"
"From others who would harm you."
Her eyes narrowed. "I don't know who those others are. I don't know what your intentions are, and I don't know who you are. All I know is that I was brought here against my will and that I'm inside a cell, like a prisoner."
"I am Kazuya Mishima. You know what my intentions are."
Her brow furrowed. "I already told you that I don't know you."
Her statement made his chest tighten. At the same time, faint, gleeful laughter echoed in his head. She couldn't remember him, and he couldn't forget her. Destiny was truly cruel.
"But I know who you are." He looked into her eyes. "I know something that you haven't told anyone." He took a step forward. "You know that I will not harm you and that I'm telling the truth. You know when people lie to you. You know what they are feeling even when they try to hide it. Now, tell me, am I lying?"
She looked away but turned quickly at the sound of the door opening.
Anna stepped inside. "I have a room ready. I have some men waiting–"
Kazuya looked at Jun. "That won't be necessary. I will take her."
Anna shrugged and moved aside to let them out. "One floor up. B11. Should I come with you?"
He looked at Jun. "No."
He heard Anna sigh softly as he walked out. Jun walked beside him about an arm's length away. Her eyes scanned the area, her hand clutched to the front of her sweatshirt. The guards gave them wary glances as they walked in silence down the hallway. He could tell that seeing them made her uncomfortable. It made him wonder what they were thinking. If the guards and staff feared him or simply hated him. Kazuya didn't care, but he needed to know how many men would actually follow him if the time ever came.
When they stepped into the elevator, Jun stood in the corner as far away as she could from him. He was reminded of the first time they met. They had taken the elevator together then, but the energy was so different.
When the elevator doors opened, they continued down the hall until they found B11. A guard opened the door for them and stepped aside.
"Is this better?" He asked once they were inside.
It looked like a typical hotel room. A comfortable bed, a TV, a small bathroom, and some basic furniture.
"If I can't come and go as I please. It's still a prison."
He closed the door. "Tell me exactly where you want to go, and I will let you go."
She crossed her arms. "Who are you?"
"I already told you. What you really want me to tell you is who you are."
She looked down at the floor. "You like this, don't you? Holding all this information over my head."
Part of him did like that, but there was the other part of him that maybe she couldn't sense, or maybe she chose not to, but he truly wanted to keep her safe. "He gestured to the round table against the wall. "Have a seat." He sat down and waited for her to do the same.
"Who are you?" Jun asked again once she took a seat across from him.
Kazuya ignored her question and said what he knew she wanted to hear. "Your name is Jun Kazama. Does that sound familiar?"
She put her hands on the surface of the table and looked down. "And we know each other?"
"Yes. But this is my first time seeing you in over twenty years." He received nothing but silence from her. "Tell me everything you know. Everything you remember. All I want to do is help you, and I can't if you're not honest with me."
She was silent for a while, and he just looked at her. He noticed all the subtle changes, the few fine lines in the corners of her eyes. He wanted to reach out and take her hand. She pulled it back as if reading his mind.
"I…" she spoke slowly, her gaze down on the tabletop. "I know that I have a son. I can see him when I close my eyes, but I–" She sighed and shook her head. "I can't make out his face. It's a blur. And I know that he needs me. I can feel it in my heart."
"How old is he?"
"Fifteen," she said, tracing the number with her finger on the table.
"At fifteen, he's a man. He doesn't need you."
She flinched at his words and seemed to shrink in her chair. He wished that he had kept quiet. "At his age, he can survive on his own."
"Survive…" She crossed her arms and rubbed them over her sweatshirt. "I want him to do more than survive." She looked at him. "If you know me, you must also know my son."
A strange feeling wormed itself into his heart, and he felt the Devil stir. "I met him once."
"Where is he now?"
What was that feeling? It could not be guilt. "I don't know."
"Is he safe?"
It was anger. "He was when I saw him."
"When was that?"
And Jun could read every emotion like a book. "Almost a year ago." He pulled his phone out and looked at it. "I have to go." He stood up. "You should get some rest. There will be more time for questions tomorrow."
"But I need answers now."
He turned his back on her and left the room, hearing her protest as he closed the door. He didn't like leaving her without explanation, but he couldn't stomach hearing her gush about Jin any longer. He couldn't stomach watching her worry about someone who had given up on finding her the minute Heihachi had taken him in and given him a life of luxury.
He ordered the guards not to open the door unless the order came directly from him, Bruce, or Anna.
Your obsession with that woman will be our downfall ag-
He pushed Devil to the back of his mind and walked down the hall toward the control room, reveling in the satisfaction of shutting Devil up. When he arrived, Bruce and Anna were waiting for him, sitting behind the round metal desk.
Anna swiveled her chair to face him. "She doesn't remember anything, does she?"
Kazuya took his seat and exhaled slowly. "No."
Bruce shook his head, then leaned forward. "I know you already know this, but this isn't gonna end well."
"If you know I already know it, there's no need to tell me. Is there?"
Bruce shrugged and leaned back in his seat. "Sometimes I feel like you need reminders."
Twenty years had made Bruce old and bold. And a pain in the ass. Twenty years ago, Kazuya would have put him in his place, but times were different, and his loyalty had earned him some perks.
Anna cleared her throat. "Not that it isn't romantic, but we can't keep her locked in the tower like a fairy-tale princess, so what's the plan, boss?"
"I have to keep her here."
"What happens if she remembers everything?" Bruce asked. "She'll want to go to her kid."
Anna nodded. "And what if he finds out that she's here…"
"He's the reason I have to keep her here. He's not in control of Devil, not like I am. I know that for a fact. The moment he sees her, he'll tear her apart."
Bruce shook his head. "You don't know that it will happen."
"I don't know that it won't."
Anna put her elbow on the desk and propped her chin up with her hand. "I hate to tell you this, boss, but the higher-ups aren't gonna like it."
"You think I care what they think?"
"Not at all. I'm just letting you know there might be some hoops to jump through."
"I don't do that for anyone."
Kazuya turned in his chair when he heard the door open. Three men in suits stepped inside, chatting amongst themselves. They stopped short and grew silent when they noticed three pairs of eyes on them. They looked at each other, and then one of the men stepped forward.
"What are you doing in this room?"
Kazuya crossed his arms and looked the man in the eye. "Using it."
Anna leaned back in her chair and examined her red-polished nails. "Did you check the sign-in sheet? I'm almost positive I gave it to the secretary."
The man looked at his companions before speaking. "I don't think there is a sign-in–"
Bruce straightened in his chair. "Why don't you go check?"
The man looked bothered but turned to his companions and nodded. "I'm sure we'll get this straightened out."
Bruce turned to Kazuya once the door closed. "I remember a time when you would have straightened him out where he stood. Maybe it's time to start thinking about making a move."
It had not been easy to adjust to the situation. Kazuya had gone from being on top of the world, the CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu, to waking up on a freezing-cold metal slab with nothing to his name. Kazuya had no choice but to give G-Corporation what they wanted. To let them study him. And as sick and twisted as it sounded, to let them conduct invasive experiments on him. He had allowed it because he hoped to get something out of it as well.
He thought they could help him achieve full control over Devil. But he had eventually achieved it without their help. And they had gotten all the experiments they would get out of him. So that left him in a precarious position at G Corporation, where he was feared at best and tolerated at worst. All partnerships came to an end eventually. The question was, when and how?
Kazuya fixed his eyes on the door. "It's not the time."
Bruce shook his head. "It's Jun Kazama, isn't it? I'm telling you again, that is going to end–"
"It has nothing to do with her."
"With all due respect," Anna spoke up. "I have to agree with Bruce. It's going to be difficult to keep her here and keep her safe when we're barely being tolerated by the current leadership."
Bruce nodded. "What we need to do now is find a way to get as many of the men as we can–"
The door opened again, and Kenji Yamaguchi walked inside, accompanied by the man who had interrupted them minutes earlier.
"Mr. Mishima," Yamaguchi bowed his head. "I need to speak with you privately."
The CEO of G Corporation himself showing up at damn near one in the morning to speak with him. He was going to give him grief about Jun, and Kazuya really wasn't in the mood for it.
He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "They stay. Say what you have to say."
Yamaguchi squared his shoulders as he adjusted the jacket of his black suit. "We received word that Jin Kazama is wreaking havoc at one of our off-site medical storage facilities." He turned to the man beside him and extended his hand. His companion handed him a tablet. "Taking into account tonight's events, it doesn't seem like a coincidence."
So, Jin was looking for her after all. Who was he working with? How had he found out so quickly, and who had given him the information?
"He's attacking a storage facility?" Anna asked. "Why?"
Yamaguchi answered her question while looking at Kazuya. "Perhaps to lure him out."
Anna shook her head. "You can't go."
Kazuya stood up. "I can't risk him coming here."
"He won't be alone," Yamaguchi spoke as he scrolled and tapped on the tablet. "Men and equipment are already on their way." He turned to Kazuya. "I assume you can…catch up." He held up the tablet and tapped it twice. "Here's the address."
Kazuya stood up, checking his phone as he exited the room. The storage facility was a few miles southwest of Tokyo. It wouldn't take him long to get there. As he walked down the hall, Anna took him by the arm and led him to a secluded alcove, with Bruce following close behind.
"We're gonna be right behind you," Anna said.
Kazuya shook his head. "No. I need you both here. If he gets past me, I need you to get Jun out of here."
Bruce shook his head. "This doesn't feel right."
Anna exhaled. "I agree."
Kazuya didn't like it either, but what choice did he have? He couldn't let Jin anywhere near Jun. Maybe the kid had good intentions, but Devil damn sure didn't. Even Kazuya's half wouldn't hesitate to tear her apart if he had a sliver of a chance. Years ago, Devil would have mocked him for trying to protect her, would have called him weak. But now, Kazuya was in control and didn't care what Devil or anyone else thought about his actions. For the first time in decades, he was doing what he wanted to do. And what he wanted to do now was keep Jun away from Jin.
