Tekken Fan Fiction ❯ The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 ❯ The Chat ( Chapter 36 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

King of Iron Fist 6

Day 6

8:47 AM

Yoshimitsu continued to sit quietly outside of Kenichi Masamune's hotel room in a meditative state. He had been awake for fourteen hours after he and the Israeli carried the young man and his friend Asuka Kazama to their hotel rooms. After Yoshimitsu patched up Kenichi's wounds, he and the Israeli guarded their rooms diligently in the event that their attacker would return, who Yoshimitsu had identified as Jean Sorel, until sleep eventually overcame the Israeli soldier. Yoshimitsu volunteered to keep watch on both Asuka and Kenichi while the soldier got some much needed sleep. He didn't really require sleep due to his cybernetic implants, but staying in one spot for that long of a time was certainly something new for him.

Sharon-san informed me that Jean Sorel is an influencial figure in G-Corporation, the swordsman thought as he looked to Asuka's room a few doors down, if that is true, then I will set my focus there. A company with a madman such he at the reigns is a company that needs to be cleansed…before it commits even more atrocities!

...also, I now have new responsibilities as Masamune-san's teacher...and as his surrogate father...

“Excuse me…can you help me?”

Yoshimitsu turned his head and looked up to see a muscular middle-aged Japanese man with dark brown hair wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans. “I am here to visit my daughter Asuka Kazama. The receptionist told me that she's on this floor.”

“…are you aware that your daughter was attacked last night?” Yoshimitsu asked the question with a cold, almost tragic, tone of voice as he stood up.

“WHAT?” the man jumped up in surprise in hearing that question. “I just came here to surprise her! What are you talking about? Is she alright?”

“She is fine…however; she and her friend Masamune were assaulted last night by a man who triggered a transformation within your daughter, turning her into something other than human. Masamune-san and I were about to quell her rage without harming her but-“

“Let me guess,” The man said, lowering his head as he spoke, “she sprouted wings…am I right?”

“I'm afraid so,” Yoshimitsu nodded as he resumed speaking. “Kazama-san, there have been numerous rumors cropping up about your daughter…not being your biological daughter. Please do not take offense when I ask you this: can you confirm this?”

There was an awful silence in the air as the two men stood in place, awaiting an answer to that hanging question.

“…yes,” Mr. Kazama said quietly, breaking the silence, and the tension. “I can confirm this. It has been my secret for eighteen years now…ever since her mother, my sister, became pregnant with her.”

“…Kazama-san,” Yoshimitsu bowed his head slightly in respect. “I do not wish to trouble you, but if it is not too much trouble…could you please tell me how Asuka came to be with you? This may not seem relevant, but if I am to free your daughter from this…anomaly, I will need every piece of information I can get.”

“…very well,” Mr. Kazama sighed as he rubbed his eyes. “Asuka told me that you're a nice man, and I believe her…and I think it is about time I get this off my shoulders…”

“Excellent…thank you,” Yoshimitsu nodded as he pulled out a key card from one of the slots in his armor. “My room is right over here to your left behind you…we shall discuss this matter over tea…”

Opening the door that was behind Mr. Kazama, the two men walked into the room…unaware that they were being followed…

----------

Yoshimitsu's hotel room was a medium-sized room with a single bed, a television, a small bathroom, a coffee maker and a table with two chairs. At the far end of the room was a sliding glass door that led to a small balcony and an impressive view of the city below. As the sun shone through the glass door, Yoshimitsu took the pot of hot water from the coffee maker and brewed some tea from a tea bag that was sitting next to the coffee maker.

“It was eighteen years ago when I heard that my sister was pregnant with Asuka,” Mr. Kazama began as Yoshimitsu handed him a cup of tea. “She was in her third month of pregnancy…When she told me who the father was, I begged her to not go through with it…but she wanted to have her so badly…even after the father of the child simply left Jun to fend for herself…for the second time!”

“Jun Kazama was a woman who valued life in all its forms,” Yoshimitsu agreed as he took a seat. “Her kindness was truly one of a kind…and what she tried to do for Kazuya was nothing short of awe-inspiring…”

“That's what always troubled me,” Mr. Kazama shook his head, “You have been in the tournament since the very beginning. You know full well just how heartless Kazuya Mishima is…but Jun was still determined to save him…even though he was much better off dead. Combine that with the fact that he has a split personality that approached her when she was pregnant with Jin…trying to enter her womb?”

“…the Devil spirit is indeed a vile entity,” Yoshimitsu looked up at the ceiling as he spoke, “Thanks to it, Kazuya's mind has been poisoned with evil beyond repair.”

“But Jun didn't think like that! She told me that because the spirit didn't go after her when she was pregnant with Asuka, there was still hope! She told me that it meant that it was proof that she finally made progress…but I knew better…the Devil spirit simply didn't know about the child…”

“…an interesting theory. What happened next?”

“After hours of trying to talk her out of having Asuka, we finally came to a compromise…if the Devil spirit didn't go after Asuka then, it might go after her once she was born…unless she was someplace that Kazuya didn't know about…Ifinally coaxed her into leaving the child with me…until she felt that she could truly cure Kazuya…”

“…I knew Jun from the King of Iron Fist Tournament 2…I know that she would have done that with a heavy heart…”

“…you have no idea,” Mr. Kazama replied with a tragic tone as he sipped his tea. “I probably should have taken Jin with me, as well…but the boy had already grown too attached to her mother…so she left Jin with a friend of the family for a short time as she went to the hospital to give birth to Asuka…someone named Lei Wulong.”

“…hmmm…that would explain how this rumor began to circulate as Lei Wulong is an Interpol official…someone could have hacked that data from their confidential records.” Yoshimitsu nodded his head in agreement to his own theory.

“…and now comes the hard part,” Mr. Kazama stood up slowly as he uttered those words. “Now I have to tell Asuka this…she's old enough to know.”

“So what happened last night wasn't a dream…”

“Yes, that would be her first response wh-…” Yoshimitsu stopped in mid-sentence as he realized that the one who spoke before him wasn't Mr. Kazama. The two men looked at each other, and then slowly turned their heads to the door…and standing there was a brown-haired teenage girl wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans. This is what I get for leaving the door open, Yoshimitsu muttered to himself.

“…oh, Asuka,” Mr. Kazama walked to his beloved daughter and embraced her, “I should have told you sooner…I didn't know things would get this bad so fast…” A tear crept down the man's face as he held Asuka tight. He had been dreading this moment for quite some time, but he was still not fully prepared to tell her. “You must hate me right now…you have every right to…”

To the man's surprise, he felt Asuka's hands slowly wrap around his back and return the embrace. “Dad…you're the only father I've ever known…this doesn't change a thing between us.”

“You're taking this awfully well, Asuka,” Mr. Kazama said with a hint of confusion as he let go of his daughter. “I mean…this is the kind of information that can really shake up a person.”

“After what happened last night, nothing really shakes…me…OH CRAP!” Asuka jumped up, as if she had just recalled something important. “KENICHI! If that wasn't a dream, I gave him a serious thrashing!” Quickly rushing out of the room, Asuka scrambled into the hallway and ran a few doors down to where her friend and rival dwelled.

“…” Mr. Kazama was speechless as he watched Asuka make a mad dash out Yoshimitsu's room. He raised the girl, and he expected her to be far more emotional about such a realization, but she took it as an adult, and with maturity…two qualities that she only occasionally showed.

“Your `daughter' has matured much since the tournament began, Kazama-san,” Yoshimitsu said to the man as if he knew exactly what he was thinking. “She has made many friends during this long week…I'm also quite impressed with the relationship she has developed with Masamune-san…”

“…did you just say `relationship'? And it involves Kenichi?” Mr. Kazama turned his head and raised an eyebrow. “I knew they were close, but…I've known that boy since he was a toddler…he was always such a recluse…tch, kids these days!”

----------

Love is perhaps one of the most unrelenting and unpredictable of all emotions. It can make or break a man, drive him to the ground or propel him to because the best in the world.

Kenichi looked out the window of his hotel room as those words from a madman echoed through his mind. Merely fourteen hours before, he had risked his life to quell Asuka's madness without harming her. He did it without thinking, as if he were driven by forces beyond his comprehension. And at the end of that bloody battle, Kenichi was awarded for his efforts with something that he would remember for the rest of his life: his first kiss. As he faded into unconsciousness as the battle ended with Asuka lying in his arms, he felt a light shine on the dark recesses of his heart that had been tormented all of his life…

…and he knew the source of that light was Asuka. There was no longer any doubt in his mind that what he felt for Asuka was indeed love.

Fate is mean-spirited jester, Kenichi thought to himself as he looked at his bandaged torso. He had a pretty good feeling who had treated his wounds, but the gash on his back still hurt. Kenichi wasn't naïve: he knew that the one on his back was very deep, and he might have to live with it for the rest of his life. I have known Asuka for as long as I can remember…only now have I fallen in love with her? Am I truly so ignorant?

Or perhaps…I am no better than my father, Kenichi turned away from the window as the thought crossed his mind. My father was a bitter man who rarely did anything fatherly with me…have I been rejecting my feelings all this time because I am obsessed with our martial arts rivalry…just as my father couldn't let go of his loyalties to his ex-employer Kazuya Mishima...who also happens to be Asuka's birth father? Friends, family, and foes...how did all of them get to be so jumbled together?

-knock knock-

…who could that be? Kenichi asked himself as he put on a white knit shirt and walked to the door. Perhaps it is Yoshimitsu…

As Kenichi opened the door, he suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around him and bring him into an embrace with a captivating brown-haired teenage girl. As the boy realized what was going on, he returned Asuka's embrace and held her in his arms. “Don't hold on too long, Kenichi…I've got a reputation to maintain as a tomboy playgirl,” Asuka said as they two broke their embrace and sat down on the bed. “Kenichi…did you know that my dad is here?”

…oh no, Kenichi silently dreaded the thought of explaining what had happened to them. What in the world am I going to tell him?

“…he and Yoshimitsu told me everything…about last night…here I thought it was just a dream,” Asuka put her hand to her head as she felt it begin to hurt from everything that had transpired. “Kenichi…I just want you know that I'm sorry for what I did to you…and I'm glad to see that you're in one piece.”

“…Asuka,” Kenichi lowered his head as he spoke. “Yoshimitsu has offered me a position as his student in the ways of Manji Ninjitsu. He said that he can teach me how to use the purifying techniques that helped you recover.”

“Well, what did you say?”

“…I accepted it…but his training grounds are at Mt. Fuji…that means I won't be able to come home for a while…and it's not just missing schoolwork I'm worried about...or even leaving my mother all alone.” Kenichi turned his head slightly, his face expressionless and betraying his deep emotional state. “Asuka…please don't take offense when I ask you this but…how do feel about me?”

Rolling her eyes, Asuka grabbed Kenichi by the collar and got him into a headlock. “Honestly, Kenichi, for one of the top kids in school, you really are dense!” Proceeding to give the struggling boy a noogie, Asuka continued. “First I kiss you in public, which just completely screws up my reputation, and then just now I hugged you…how many more hints do need?”

Releasing Kenichi from the headlock, Asuka gently placed her palm on his cheek as he straightened himself. “To quote one of favorite movies,” she said as she looked into Kenichi's eyes. “'Does this answer your question?'”

Before Kenichi realized what was going on, Asuka planted a kiss on his lips. Closing his eyes as he regained his senses, Kenichi felt a warm feeling in his heart. It wasn't just from the kiss, but from the knowledge that the woman he loved did indeed love him back. As Asuka broke the kiss with an exaggerated smacking sound, she gave Kenichi a pat on a back and said, “Think about that for a while. I'm going to go down and have breakfast with dad…namely the one that's just across the hall…you coming?”

“…in a moment, Asuka…and thanks,” Kenichi smiled slightly as he nodded his head. “I may have bruised ribs, but you have no idea just how much I needed that…”

“Tch…later, kiddo,” Asuka said as she waved behind her. “I had a blast.”

As he watched her close the door, Kenichi unbuttoned his shirt as he walked to a mirror. Asuka…I promise you…that I'll make sure you don't have to suffer from what that guy did to you…or what your “other father” cursed you with…I promise you…that I shall purify you…and all the others with that so-called “Devil Gene.” Unwrapping his bandages, he turned his back to the mirror as he clenched his fist and strengthened his resolve. I swear that I'll exorcise this “Mishima curse”…with this scar as my witness!