Tekken Fan Fiction ❯ The Stone Lotus ❯ Chapter Eight ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter Eight

Heihachi sat at the little dinette set in the missing ward's room. He had spiral notebook he had bought at a gas station the previous day; already, it was half full with notes. Across from where he sat, the young woman that he had spoken with the day before sat on the bed, her hair combed out of her face and dressed in a clean, white cotton dress. She kept glancing over at either the window or one particular painting on the wall of a snowscape. Her hands rested on her knees while she sat up very stiff and properly.

Heihachi smiled, never once looking up at the younger woman; the Mishima cleared then his throat and continued to write in his notebook in a combination of English and kana. When he finished jotting down his notes, the old man glanced up at the woman and let out a chuckle before returning to his notes to skim them over.

It was cloudy that day, and the room was lit up with the sleepy, cold sunlight from outside. The old man hated his surroundings, the obscenely clean environment that seemed to solely exist to contrast the miserable and the ailing. It reminded him too much off all the years he spent in the hospitals with his wife, and even more particularly, when he had to keep vigilance over Kazuya after the boy miraculously returned from the hills.

Yet he could dimly admit that he found that was girl before him had a certain radiance and vibrance about her, despite her silence; she had stopped speaking after telling her story to the elderly man the night before, which in turn was followed by the eerie peacefulness of her being. Heihachi, however, did not mind the change in her demeanor at all. Particularly, he felt she had no business in such a drab place, that she needed to be outside enjoying the sunlight and the fresh air.

The elderly Mishima straightened up in his seat then pulled off his reading glasses to place the back in their little leather case. After doing so, he put the case in the inside pocket of his blazer. There was little more he could do today for her, and even less she could for him. Her gaze was fixated at the painting at this time; her face was emotionless as she stared at it.

It was obvious that she was oblivious to her situation, or at the very least, she was confused. The Mishima wasn't surprised by that at all. Before he was to meet the young woman, Heihachi had spent a good deal of the morning reading through the journals of the lost patient, and what he read perplexed him, as the writing suggested that the patient had no idea of the severity of his situation. On the dinette table, two of the leather binders were sitting, as Heihachi wanted to examine them a tad longer in his hotel room later.

The old man sighed and stood up to gather his things, and he pulled out his wallet to stick his pen back inside of it. A photo fluttered out.

That caught the young woman's eye, and she shook her head once before turning her attention to Heihachi then to the wallet sized picture on the ground. She then quickly bent over and gingerly picked it off of the tile floor. The old man blinked and could only watch her.

Slowly, she sat back down on the bed. She stared down at the photograph, and her face darkened into thought. Heihachi leaned over to see which picture had fallen out.

"That's my grandson when he was in the eighth grade," he said in Japanese with a sad smile. "He was a handsome one, wasn't he?"

The woman remained silent and stared down at the photo. Jin, who was fourteen then, smiled back from the photo with a shy smile, just barely revealing his chipped front tooth. Though it was just a picture of the boy, there was a warmness that was evident from his eyes. Heihachi found his smile growing as he looked at the picture of his grandson in the younger woman's hands. He then reached out and gently plucked it from her hands. She let out a sharp cry and looked up at Heihachi, eyes wide and her bottom lip quivering before hunching over to weep. He frowned to himself, held out the photo again, and waited.

It was a few moments before she looked up, her face tearstreaked. When she saw the picture in front of her, she hesitated a bit before cautiously reaching out to touch it, as if it was sacred. She then glanced up at the older man, as if asking for his permission.

He nodded.

Carefully, she took the photograph from his fingers. She smiled then; it was the first time he had seen her do so, even though it was a remorseful, pained smile. With that, he turned to leave, and he strolled towards the exit. However, when he reached the door, he looked over his shoulder.

She was silent again and stared at the photo as it rested in her lap. However, she looked content.

Heihachi smiled and left.

*****

Kazuya awoke to find himself lying in bed alone. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, then rubbed his temples painfully. From the light outside, he could tell that it was nearly noon, and he stood up and twisted his back to stretch it. He stared out the blinds.

It was cloudy, yet the sun was still visible through the thin veil of clouds that hung in the sky; drab brown grass and grey gravel road stretched into the dry horizon. It almost looked like it was autumn outside; however the sticky heat reminded that summer was far from over.

The warmth of the sunlight was pleasant feeling on his skin since he was still nude from the night before. With a sniff, he strolled over to the bathroom to shower again as he rubbed his shoulders and rolled them to stretch.

He took his time showering, again the feeling of regret that he felt when he had saw Anna again. Yet, it was different now.

The night before, he had taken her from behind on the bathroom floor, her stomach pressed up against the cold, white tile. Her red dress still on her, the skirt hiked up, exposing her pale back. She murmured his name with every thrust until she grew louder, nearly screaming out for him. However, he stayed silent. Something felt wrong; he knew he been with her that way in the past, yet, he hated himself the entire time. When he pulled away from her, she shifted to her back and stared up at him in apathy with her lips parted as her breathing began to slow back to normal. It was then he was really able to look over her.

Messy, silken auburn hair, icy blue eyes, flawless skin, perfect body, the rise and fall of her chest as she caught her breath. A malicious smile had curved across her lips, and she began laughing. Kazuya remained silent, however. Anna managed to stifle her laughter, but bit her bottom lip at the older man still smiling, taunting him. It was as if she was daring him to make another move. In response, he kissed her deeply then pulled away to unbutton the front of her dress, his lips brushing against her skin as he revealed it inch by inch until he finished the meticulous task, pulled away, then parted the scarlet fabric.

She still wore her cruel smile as he lean back over her, this time as he went down her body, taking as much of her in his mouth that he could. Still, with every kiss, with every touch, with the feeling of her fingers running through his hair as she moaned, something was terribly wrong.

The water was starting to turn cold.

Kazuya turned off the water then stepped out of the shower. He stopped in front of the mirror then slicked his hair out of his eyes. He then firmly planted his palms against the white marble counter, and he leaned in to stare at his face, particularly the scar etched there. His eyes narrowed.

"You couldn't possibly think that she would forgive you, do you?" His eyes widened and his shoulders tensed when he heard that voice. In the mirror's reflection, the Asian woman stood very prim and proper. Though no shawl was on her shoulders that day, she was in a white and blue floral printed sundress, white headband pulling her perfectly in-place hair out of her face. Again, she shook her head at him, disappointed, like she had in Anna's car. However, the look on her face melted from discontent to a smile. A cool, malevolent grin not at all different from Anna's.

"Who are you?" he demanded, whipping around to face her.

There was no one behind him.

Kazuya's eyes remained bewildered as he stared at where the woman should had been. His breathing had become swallow with fright, and he stood rigidly until it had returned to normal. Before long, the only noise he could hear was the ringing in his ears and the buzz of the fluorescent lights. With a heavy sigh, he squeezed his eyes shut then glanced back over at the mirror; as he expected she was standing behind him in reflection, still smiling. He straightened up and turned to fully face the mirror.

"I think you should worry about figuring out who you are before asking me questions," she replied sweetly.

He was silent.

She began stepping towards him slowly, "Then again, that was something you never had a grasp on, was it?" Her arms wrapped around his bare waist, and she rested her chin on his shoulder; he tensed up. "That's okay."

"Even if she doesn't forgive you, I have," the woman added softly, pecking him on the cheek.

"Who are you?" he repeated in a steady voice. She kissed him again, pulled away, then let out an amused chuckle before vanishing when he blinked.

It was then he noticed that his eyes were glowing red, and he stared at his reflection fascinated. The sight was familiar, something that he knew that he should had been alarmed about. However, the comfort he felt when he gazed at himself proved itself to be much more satisfying. Casually, he closed his eyes then reopened them; his irises were normal.

Kazuya smiled to himself then went to the linen closet to get a towel.

When he stepped out of the bathroom, he could hear the faint sounds of a car driving up the gravel road from outside. He frowned to himself and went over to the bed to dress. However, he peeked out of the window first; a black sedan was parked in the driveway now. Kazuya's frown deepened when the driver's side door opened, and a middle aged man stepped out wearing a black tailored suit and trenchcoat. His hair was entirely grey, though Kazuya could tell the other man was in great physical shape from his build and the brisk, long strides he took. Kazuya shrugged and turned away from the window when he heard the doorbell.

He was still pulling the shirt that Anna had given him over his head as he headed down the hallway to the stairs; it was a dark grey long-sleeved t-shirt which was a tad too tight for him. The khaki cargos she had given him, however, fit fine in waist, though they were too long in the legs. He really couldn't complain, though. His pace slowed to a cautious creep when he heard the door open, then Anna's voice.

*****

"What a nice surprise!" Anna cried as she threw her arms around her guest: Lee Chaolan. He pulled away and smiled at her before leaning over to peck her on the lips. The younger woman coughed once pleasantly then pulled away to let Lee in. He nodded once as he entered the house.

"I can't stay long," he said quietly. "I just wanted to drop off those test results from the labs."

"You have them already?"

The smile on the younger Mishima's face softened a bit, and he reached his hand into the inside pocket of his coat. "I figure the sooner we know, the sooner we can get on with our lives, right?" He then pulled out an envelope and handed it to Anna, who daintly took the envelop from Lee's hands. She then turned and strolled over to the kitchen to get a letter opener.

"Go ahead and make yourself comfortable, love," she called. He obeyed and sat down on the couch in the living room-turned-waiting room and rested his left ankle on his right knees then leaned back and stretched his arms along the back of the couch. His head was turned towards the kitchen, and his eyes followed Anna as she searched hastily. He smiled to himself.

It amazed him how much he loved watching her. She was still literally the same girl he fell in love with twenty years ago, barefoot, tight demin cut-off dukes, and a green tanktop. In her hair, she had a green scarf tied as a headband. He longed for the summers they spent together as teenagers, laid out on the grass beneath the New Mexican night sky and counting dreams with each star that appeared. He, however, had aged. His soft features from his youth had hardened, leaving him with a strong jaw and frownlines. Aged, weathered, though dignified and handsome, silver hair as always. He considered Anna's preservation as fate's way of punishing him for how cruel he was towards her when they were younger, which he believed it to be more than fitting. He frowned as another thought came to him.

He was afraid of what was in that envelope.

"Oh, screw it," she said finally and came back into the living room, ripping open the envelop with her fingers. She pulled out the papers inside and began pacing as she read to herself. Lee sat up alarmed as he noticed she was standing still; her face darkened then teared up. She crumbled up the papers furiously, then pitched the wad of paper.

Lee stood up slowly, "Well?"

"This is perfect..." She looked up at the ceiling and shook her head, chuckling maliciously, though tears still ran down her cheeks. "Absolutely WONDERFUL!"

"Anna?" He stepped towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm sterile, Lee," she chuckled. "Completely barren, not a single goddamned egg in me."

He gaped down at her in shock, unsure of how to reply. She started laughing again for a bit. Suddenly, she grabbed Lee's coat and snarled.

"What the hell did you two do to me?!" she screamed.

"What do you mean?!" he cried back. "I'm not sure what you're implying--"

"--You and Kazuya! You did this to me!" She hunched over, sobbing, as she still clung to him. "You took away part of my life, and the one thing I had left..."

"I had nothing to do with that. You know that, Anna," Lee responded sternly, gripped the younger woman's shoulders. Anna was silent at response and continued to weep uncontrollably. He hugged her tightly and squeezed his eyes shut.

No matter how hard he tried living in the present, the past caught up with him. Kazuya was gone, and Lee and his father had been paying dearly for what his brother had left behind. Lee started stroking the younger girl's hair affectionately and rocked her in his arms.

"Do you think...he did the same thing to Nina?" she asked dryly.

"I don't know...I guess...we could either track her down again and drag her down to my company's labs, or I could ask Heihachi if he still has any of Kaz's records..."

Anna sniffed once and turned her head to look towards the staircase. She pressed closer into him, and her gaze turned to icy as she eyed where she knew Kazuya to be.

*****

The sky cleared up by evening, which made for a spectacular sunset. Fiery wisps of clouds against the bold, deep violet of the sky that was slowly fading into black, and the first stars were winking into view over the horizon. Kazuya watched pensively from his window in the dark, his arms crosssed.

Lee had left several hours ago; however, Kazuya didn't bother to go down the stairs. He figured it was best that he left later that night, after his hostess was long asleep. He glanced over his shoulder as he heard his door creak open; a slice of sickly, yellow light from the hallway cut into the darken room.

"I'm sure you're starving," Anna said quietly, folding her hands on her abdomen. Kazuya turned to face her fully. Slowly, he uncrossed his arms. "You haven't been down all day. I was getting worried--"

"--Why are you doing this?" Kazuya sat down on the bed and rubbed his temples painfully.

"I owe you."

He looked up at her and narrowed his eyes, "You hate me."

Anna smiled a little at that response, glanced down at her feet, then back at the older man. She chuckled a bit before turning to leave.

"If you're hungry, there's food on the kitchen counter," she repeated, her back to Kazuya, before latching the door shut behind her.

He folded his arms, rested them on his knees, and stared forward, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness again.

"You're doing the right thing."

He looked over at the Asian woman then rolled his eyes. She sat down on the bed next to him, again neatly resting her hands over her skirted knees and smiled fondly at him. "Oh, don't be cross with me. I've only been trying to help."

"Fuck off."

With a small giggle, she draped an arm around him and patted him once on the shoulder, "I know. You were always fond of her. But you'll get over it."

He pulled away and glared at the woman, "That's not it. She meant something to me. I know it--" He stopped and grabbed the sides of his head. "--And I'm talking to a fucking hallucination."

"Hardly." The woman pulled away and straighted back up, then folded her hands over her knees. "Intuition, guilt, perception. I'm all of those." She glanced over at him, "That's all very real, Kazuya."

He was silent and kept his head hung down. Outside, the sky darkened to complete blackness. However, the single streetlight outside flickered slowly and cast its rosy light into the room. He knew then he only had a few more hours before he had to leave again. He wanted to talk to Anna again to at least thank her. With a heavy sigh, he uncrossed his arms then stood up. The woman blinked.

"You're only going to make things worse," she warned. Again, he rolled his eyes and chose to completely ignore her.

She frowned and vanished.