Jakunen Mirai

Chapter 2: A Visit For The Commoners

***

Yawning, Kazuya Mishima kicked his heels up, and rested them lazily on the shiny desktop before him, leaning over to work the computer mouse with his right hand. Yet another boring day of absolutely nothing to do but business. Business business business. With the typical look of stoic coldness taped onto his face, he climbed out of his chair in one graceful move, and stood to go downstairs to forage for food in the office building’s kitchen.

In the spacious yet somewhat crowded lunchroom of the ultra-modern Mishima Zaibatsu business centre, proudly located now in the heart of Tokyo, there was still a lot of chatter filling the air. Talk of the new management, of the change of air, the calm tension that enveloped the entire company. As if smothered by a tsunami from the ocean nearby, the noise suddenly died, aside from the shuffling of feet against the carpeted floor. A figure stood in the main doorway of the cafeteria; a fairly tall figure for a Japanese, only an inch or so off six foot, with the telltale hairdo of a Mishima. The single spike of raven hair could easily be seen on the other side of the room, above all the shorter men and women standing about. The man glanced around, his eerie eyes looking ever so much calmer than most were prepared to admit. The right eye was still its natural deep brown, but the left still had that dark crimson red hue. Still, though the formidable face still bore a long scar beneath each eye, with slightly more pronounced cheekbones than a younger man, there was still something satanically handsome about this man that had caused such a reaction throughout the crowd. Even he seemed a little stunned with this reaction. Indeed; the new CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu was no less fearsome than his predecessor.

But unlike their previous employer, Heihachi Mishima, Kazuya had little surprises about him all the time. They all knew Heihachi well; when he was in a good mood, a bad mood. They also knew they must continually show him the utmost respect. Silence and making way for him was the first and foremost in this show of respect. But this wasn’t the first of the surprises in this first month of new management; in what seemed to be an act of compassion, the once grungy cafeteria had been spruced up and made a very user-friendly place. Old benches had been replaced by numerous lounge suites with glass coffee tables, and vending machines had been replaced with a proper cafeteria. And that was the first of the renovations made by their old employer’s replacement. And now here he was, seemingly inspecting the new cafeteria. Heihachi had been a sight to see when he made inspections of the workplace; but there was something so much more captivating about his son, Kazuya. A few of the older employees recognised him from twenty years ago, but back then he’d been so much more devoted to his own work. Only pictures of him had been seen; never himself in person. He looked like he’d had better days, too, in comparison to the older pictures of a cold yet handsome young man.

Feeling the tremendous weight from the silence – it had only lasted around five seconds, but if felt like many times longer – Kazuya felt compelled to break the silence. His lips, which seemed to be in a permanent contemplative scowl, curved up slightly in what one might depict as a soft smile, and he nodded to the majority of the crowd. Effortlessly, his deep voice echoed throughout the room to every ear, though he seemed not to raise it much above his usual speaking voice.

“Please, as you were.” No one took a second order, and returned nervously to what they were doing, picking up conversations and meals where they left off. Which left in the minds of nearly everyone in the room, the question; ‘What is he doing here?’

Kazuya made his way through the crowd, which parted for him oddly enough, and sat down on a sofa in a secluded corner of the room. His face remained emotionless, though he caught many people staring at him uneasily; he could tell they all feared him, and felt like a group of schoolchildren do when the principal is sitting in on a class; best behaviour or else. This thought saddened him.

Finally his stomach reminded him of why he came down here. Slipping out of his seat, he headed towards the bar at the cafeteria to get something to eat. The woman standing at the counter saw him coming, and quickly arranged herself into an erect stance, as if about to be reprimanded. Once again, this was a harsh reminder of how people thought of him. Giving her a funny look for a moment, he then glanced down at a menu, and decided on a simple sandwich; nice and healthy. Blah…oh well, at least it tastes good. “No need for the silly stance.” The woman tried to relax, but failed miserably. She was practically shaking out of her clothes. “Just give me a sandwich, please.” Not hesitating a second longer, she rushed off to get him his food, and he sighed, leaning against the counter. Why do people always have to react like that? Sure, a little respect is nice, but must people fear him? In the past, fear was something he desired; but now, after living at G-Corporation, and around normal people, he’d decided that all he wanted was a companion, or a friend. Not a secretary or servant – a friend.

His sandwich arrived, and he nodded, taking it and sitting back down where he was before. Watching the way people glanced at him nervously, and so frequently; all he could do was nibble at his food. He’d lost his appetite just thinking about them all.

He’d tried to reason with himself, but the silence in his world was so loud he was growing deaf. Without someone to fight, without someone to even talk to, he had to admit; he was really, really lonely. He only came down here to hear people talk, only to be reminded of what a monster he is; what people thought of him, knew of him, expected of him. As he finished his meal, he remembered Jin; the legacy and friend he’d never gotten to know. If things had gone his way, he’d be sharing lunch with his son. But he would admit this to no one. Hardly even to himself. He’d always been seen alone, stoic, calm and content. He’d always fought alone. Lived alone since he had the freedom to do just that. And now, after the hatred in his heart had been cured, finally he felt that loneliness.

Hearing nothing but noise in the words of the people around him, he headed back out of the cafeteria, and back upstairs into his office. Maybe his computer would be a better friend; computers don’t judge you by who you are…hell, computers don’t judge you at all.