Tekken Fan Fiction ❯ Canto ❯ Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"What makes him think that I even want to take a job there after I graduate?" Lee asked quietly as he smoked. He was sitting outside on concrete steps of the front porch with Kazuya, who was looking forward towards the seemingly endless blanket of grass outside of their home.

"It's not a matter of what you want," the older boy replied softly, his voice almost hoarse. "You're going to have to work for him. End of story." Kazuya stood up and dusted off his blue jeans. Lee looked up at his brother, cigarette dangling from his lips. He was dressed like his brother, in blue jeans, a oversized white t-shirt, and barefoot. The younger boy then looked out towards the horizon, like Kazuya; though it was early afternoon, the sky was cloudy and getting darker. The sun's light had been softened and cooled by the thick clouds overhead, making the grass seem brighter green as it was contrasted on the steel colored sky. Occasional mumbles of thunder could be heard, and the air was scented with the oncoming rain. Lee shrugged and let out a sigh.

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask," he began softly as he pulled his cigarette from his mouth; smoke blew from his nostrils. Kazuya looked down and dug his hands in his pockets. "Last night...I mean, how long had you've been seeing her?" Kazuya looked away at the skyline again and remained quiet. Lee felt a drop of water on his foot then noticed the few, random raindrops falling. He then turned his attention back to his brother, who let out a huff.

"Anna and I...there hasn't been anything going on between us," the older boy finally replied. The rain began to pick and steady into a little drizzle. Kazuya sighed as he watched the rain.

"No, Kaz, it's okay," Lee smashed his smoke into the concrete, stood up, and gave Kazuya a rather placid smile. "It's not my right to be angry." He frowned when Kazuya didn't reply at that, then shrugged and stepped over to the front door.

Before going inside, the younger Mishima added pleasantly, "It's nice...having a change in the weather finally."

"There's a storm on the way," Kazuya murmured in reply.

"That's better than nothing at all." With that, Lee left his brother to himself, latching the door behind him. After he was inside, the younger man sighed heavily and leaned his back against the heavy oak door and slid down it, pulling his knees up to his chest.

He wasn't sure who he was more jealous of, Kazuya or Anna.

The meeting with Bryan was brief, and Lei was thankful for that. The sudden rainy weather had made the detective antsy during the time he and Jun spent speaking with the younger man.

He didn't mention Emil at all to Bryan, but only because he wasn't sure to make of what he heard and saw at the hospital that morning. That, and the feeling that the last thing Jun needed at the moment was more disappointment and heartbreak. It would had to wait until he was sure.

As he and Jun walked out of the apartment complex that Bryan was staying at, Lei kept glancing over at her, sometimes almost telling her what he heard. But he stopped himself every time. When they did make it outside, Jun scurried over to Lei's car, her purse over her head, though it did little to keep her from getting wet. Lei followed slowly, stopping only to gaze at his partner as she stood waiting next to his car.

"Come on, Wulong!" she laughed. "The rain's only going to get worse, and I'm not getting any drier!" He blinked at Jun and for a moment was taken back by how she looked. The dress she was wearing was soaked through and clung to her body in all the right places, translucent. Her cheeks were ruddy from running and her laughter. And at that one moment, Lei thought Jun was the most beautiful woman in the world, but he shook his head violently, ashamed.

Jun frowned and slowly dropped her hands from her head, "Lei?" He managed a slight grin and trotted over to her, keys in hand.

"I'm sorry, I was thinking about something," he said as he unlocked the driver's side door, then pressed the lock on the inside to let Jun in. She shrugged and smiled, opening the door and slid in.

"Kazuya didn't get to you, did he?" she asked as Lei got in and slammed his car door in one motion.

He shook his head and started the car, "Not at all."

"You sure?"

Lei nodded as he pulled out of his parking space carefully, then made his way through the parking lot until he hit the afternoon traffic, which was surprisingly light that day. As he drove, Lei was still silent, which bothered Jun. She was used to Lei making conversation, even during the worst of times; it was his nature. However, she chose not to say anything to him as he drove. And soon, her apartment building came into view.

As Lei pulled up to the front entrance and parked, Jun turned and smiled at him, "Hey, thanks."

"For what?" he asked, turning his head to fully face his partner.

"For everything." Jun opened her door and stepped one leg out. "I know, I really haven't been myself lately. Wait, scratch that, I've just been a bitch."

"Nah, you have your reasons," Lei shrugged, managing to even smile and chuckle. "As soon as we're done here, things'll go back to normal, right?"

"Yeah." She smiled again and this time got completely out of the car. After she slammed the door shut, she bent over and waved at Lei through the passenger's side window. He smiled back and waved, then watched the girl enter the building. As the door closed behind Jun, Lei frowned to himself then gently stepped on the gas pedal to head out. He had to speak to Bryan alone.

The door to the den was cracked, and a sliver of warm light sliced through the darkness of the hall. Lee crept cautiously over to the door and peeked in. There sat his brother, quietly filling out papers and reading, headphones on. Again, probably listening to Mozart or Bach, or some other composer of the likes. Kazuya hadn't went into the office that day at all, but chose to work at home and take calls there. He usually did that when Heihachi left him to run everything.

Lee rolled his eyes and pulled away from the door. He had planned on announcing that he was going out for the evening, but seeing his brother actually still working made the younger boy decide against it rather quickly. He sighed and strolled back into the living room hastily.

In his hand, he had a black wool stocking cap. He usually wore it when he went out, since it covered his hair easily and was still fashionable. That was something he found worked to his advantage since he was a teenager. He tugged the cap over his head as went through the living room and kitchen to the garage.

The clothes he was wearing were typical of the college students in Dreyfus, a black and orange hockey jersey, baggy cargo khakis, and steel toed boots. At the same time, it was the complete opposite of what Lee wore during the day. Tonight, though, and most nights when he went out on his own, he chose to blend in rather than stick out. He stepped out into the garage and pressed the opener button by the house entrance. Lee then pulled his keys out his pocket and closed the door behind him.

It was still raining, and the sky lit up randomly as lightning flashed up in the clouds, making delicate glowing lace above. Lee took a few seconds to watch the light show outside before getting into his beat-up silver hatchback and pulling out of the garage, though he had been leery about taking the car out for the evening. The engine had a tendency to die out on him, and often at the worst times, such as during the several times that Lee had tried to leave Dreyfus after getting the car. And the last time he left, that had happened to him again. That, however, was usually his excuse to justify going back to the manor.

The little car sped down the road, splashing up water as it flew over the dents and pot holes. The rain began to speed up and thicken as Lee finally made it into the city limits, and the streets were lit up with bright white and rosy lights reflecting the street lights and the emergency lights. The young man smiled to himself as he soaked in the scene and drove. He hadn't really been out in awhile, and now that it was summer, he had a bit more freedom. At least until he started working for his father. Lee frowned to himself as that thought came to him.

Already, this week had turned out to be something stressful. He didn't wanted to work at Mishima at all and had actually planned on finally leaving, without having any obligations to anyone when he graduated. Just the idea that his father just expected him to stay was irritating. Then there was Anna and Kazuya.

Lee wasn't sure if could stay around his brother for very long without wanting to hit him, throttle him, or something else much worse. He had said it wasn't his right to be upset, but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to be.

"I don't care if I broke up with her," Lee mumbled to himself as he stopped at a red light. "She was still my girlfriend. You just don't do that to your brother!" The light turned green, and Lee stepped on the gas. The streets were empty, as he expected, and Lee rode past the Louisville Bar, which was still closed up from the previous night. He sighed to himself as the yellow tape and lights whizzed by. As much as he hated it, Lee couldn't help but feel that that explosion had something to do with his father's sudden trip to Boston. He shrugged that off temporarily, however, as he pulled up into the parking lot of a coffee house, in which was nearly full. Lee groaned, remembering that today had been the last day of finals at the university. He frowned as he finally found a spot to park and pulled in to park. After shutting off his car, the young man got out of his car and hurried over to the entrance.

When he entered, Lee chuckled as he looked around. Every table and booth was taken. He actually did know most of the people there, but none that were close friends. Lee finally shrugged, turned around, and left. The rain had only become worst since he had went inside for that brief time, and he dashed to his car. His already damp wool hat was soaked through by the time he had made it back to his hatchback. Quickly, he jump into his ride, pulled out, and just as fast, maneuvered his way through the maze of cars until he was back on the street.

Disappointment was an understatement for what he was feeling at the moment as he coasted down the rain slicked road. He certainly didn't want to return home so soon, and at the same time, he didn't want to be some place that crowded. However, he know that most of the places he liked to go would be filled, especially with that bar closed indefinitely.

Something flashed in front of Lee's windshield, and in response, the grey haired boy slammed on his brakes. He gripped his steering wheel, as his breathing became shallow. He then blinked at who was standing in his headlights.

It was Michelle, with a dark green rain slicker on, hood covering her head. She standing frightened with her hand up to her neck and was literally inches away from the front fender of Lee's car. The young man put his car in park and jump out.

"Hey, are you alright?" he ask as he jogged over to the girl, who was still staring at the vehicle in shock. She turned her head slowly at Lee, her eyes wide with fear. "Miss?"

"I...I'm fine," she stammered as she shakily pulled her hand away from her neck to her side.

He placed his hands on her shoulders, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," She glanced back over at the headlights of the grey car then back on the young man standing next to her.

"Do you need a ride?" he asked as he pulled her aside.

"It's okay...don't bother."

Lee smiled sheepishly, "It's the least I could do." He led her over to the passenger's side door and opened it for her, gesturing for her to get it. The girl slid in and shut the door, then watched Lee as he went around the front of the car to his door and got in as well.

She was silent as Lee put the car back into drive and slowly sped back up down the road.

"Where do you live?" he asked quietly.

"On Gregory Parkway." Michelle pulled off the hood to her slicker; over her hair, she wore a blue bandana that matched her pants, which were a pair of flared dark jeans with navy parsley cloth extended out to make the bells of the legs.

Lee blinked and turned his head to the girl, "That's a ways out. And you were going to walk?"

Michelle shrugged and whispered, "I had no choice." The younger Mishima frowned and sighed before turning his attention back to his driving.

"Anyway, I'm Lee."

"Michelle."

They were both silent until they reached the first stop light. Lee pulled his damp cap off and threw it in the back seat. Michelle then looked over and gasped lightly at the silver hair that fell into her ride's face. The young man brushed what he could of his parted bangs out of his eyes.

He spoke again, "You just broke up with someone, huh?" He looked over at her as he waited for the light to change. The girl was still staring wide eyed at him, and she blushed and looked down as soon as his eyes met hers.

"Yeah," she murmured in reply, still looking down.

"I'm sorry." He smiled sadly and turned his attention back to the light, which had turned green already. He stepped gently on the gas. There was silence again as they made their way through town and finally to a residential area.

"I've seen you on campus before," Michelle said quietly as they drove through the area full of fairly expensive homes. Her gaze was fixated on the windshield again as she watched the wipers moved back and forth lazily.

Lee chuckled, "I'm kinda hard to miss."

"You're a Mishima."

"Does that bother you?"

"I..don't know." The car turned a corner onto Michelle's street. Lee's driving slowed considerably.

"Which house is yours?" he asked softly.

"The grey one at the end of the cul-de-sac." He nodded and sped up a bit, then slowed again as he pulled up into the driveway.

He put the car and park, then turned to Michelle, "You don't want to go home, do you?" She shook her head once, still refusing to look at the young man. "Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere."

Lee sighed and leaned back in his seat, "Okay." The car shifted out of park into reverse, and the young man pulled out carefully.

Lei knocked on the door to Bryan's apartment one last time before sighing heavily and turning his back to walk away. The door opened, however, and the young agent stuck his head out the door.

"Lei?" he called to the other man, who was nearly down the other end of the hall at the staircase leading downward. The older man turned his head at the mention of his name and sighed with relief as he saw Bryan, who was now standing outside his door.

"Great, you're home," Lei grinned as he jogged back up to the other man.

Bryan nodded, "Sorry I didn't hear you knocking earlier. I was in the back." He then crossed his arms and leaned into the doorway. "Anyway, what brings you back here?"

The older man nodded as he stopped in front of the other man, "I need to ask a favor of you. I didn't want to mention it in front of Jun..." He smiled wearily at Bryan and shoved his hands in his pants pockets, "Her friend that was in the hospital might actually be involved in that little gang squeamish we're supposed to be investigating."

"Nina Williams, you mean," Bryan nodded. "I think you're right, actually." The younger man gently closed the door behind him. "I did a background check on her as soon as I heard about the bombing. She's clean, for now. It's her father that had some questionable history."

Lei hung his head, "Just like Jun had said..."

"Hey, we'll figure it out eventually," the blonde shrugged, "but for now, it's only speculation."

"There's something else. I guess there's a man that she's seeing. I didn't catch his last name at all, though. It was Emil, I think." Lei sighed heavily, "I kinda overheard him talking to someone over the phone. He mentioned the name Mishima."

Bryan lifted a brow, "That's not much to go off of."

"I know," Lei sighed and shook his head, "But could you look into it anyway?"

"Sure thing," Bryan grinned. "Every little bit helps, right?"

The older man chuckled, "Yep."

Bryan stretched and placed a hand on his doorknob, "So, what are you going to do now?"

Lei shrugged as he walked off. He called over his shoulder, "I don't know. I'll think of something." Bryan blinked at that answer then shook his head, laughing, as he opened the door to his apartment.