Perseverance * Cold Chill
Lee Chaolan leaned with his shoulders braced along the brick wall, hidden in the back of the school. One leg rested bent, perched and ready to give him a sudden surge of forward momentum if he should happen to get caught out here and need it. Cupping his hand before his face, Chaolan tipped his head down to light his cigarette against the wind. Smoking was forbidden on school grounds, even at the High school level. But after a morning of midterms with more to be had this afternoon, Lee needed to take a break and unwind just a bit.
The first drag of the tobacco cylinder brought a sigh passed Chaolans lips. His mouth slightly unhinged, Lee let the light blue tinged smoke roll off from his tongue and over the fullness of his lips as he lowered his eyes softly. Letting his leather gloved hand fall to his thigh, Lee tipped his head back sending a shock of molten silver hair to rush back from his angular face like a moon drenched tidal wave rolling from the shore.
Taking another drag, Lee felt the cold winter wind whip along the barren ground, with only the school to stand as a barrier from it’s total domination. Chaolan shook his head softly as he exhaled, smoke mixing with the brisk cold breath emanating from his lungs. His rich almond eyes surveyed the back of his school, appraisingly. The trees were stripped and lifeless and a thin sheen of snow and ice covered the athletic field in a blanket of white. When he was younger and first brought to Japan, the idea of snow was exhilarating. Korea had no such element, though the country was known for torrential rains during monsoon seasons, winter was a term he was forced to grow accustomed to.
For all of the beauty of the changes in the cycle of nature, Lee found this time of year almost...depressing on an emotional and social level. Heihachi often forbid him to drive his new car in slick conditions, even though the newly licensed teenager swore he was invincible to such base elements. Like night and day, as Lee found the winters dismal, his adopted brother Kazuya seemed to thrive in the time of dead earth.
The Mishima household had grown increasingly strict and solemn over the years since Chaolan joined the family. Kazuya had become noticeably withdrawn and intensely obsessed with honing his skills in the ancestral art of Mishima style karate. Heihachi would spend long nights into the dawn in training with Kazuya, regardless of the time constraints placed on the young Mishima for school. Many mornings before Chaolan had begun to drive to school, Kazuya would fall asleep in the limo on the way to classes.
Heihachi seemed to feign little interest with the exception of general well being for his adopted son. As Lee progressed in his Ninjitsu training, Heihachi pulled further away...ignoring Chaolans requests to learn more of his Fathers ancestral arts. Though Heihachi had taken the time to teach Lee some basics to help enhance his fighting abilities through his younger years, additional training was all but dissuaded.
Master Jinfrey Wang, an old friend of the Mishima family and tutor in the art of mediation and philosophy working with Chaolan, was forced to take an unexpected Hiatus to care for family in the united states, leaving Lee with a good deal of extra time. Lee chose to spend that time away from the oppressive company of his adopted family, enjoying a more normal teenage life filled with friends, parties and girlfriends. On rare occasion, Lee would go out on Friday night and fail to return home until late Sunday afternoon, barely receiving more than a raised brow from his unattending father. Heihachi was too obsessed with the molding of Kazuya’s art to give a damn what his Korean brat was involved in.
Chaolan exhaled, crushing his cigarette between his gloved fingers. I like it this way, Lee smirked. I have money, a new car...freedom. I have everything I need and what I don’t get at home, I get from my friends...including respect. Father does not wish to acknowledge my Ninjitsu art, fine, who needs his lousy karate anyway.
By the time Lee had reached High School he was forging a name for himself, separate from the reputation of his enigmatic brother. The stigma of Kazuya’s anti social behavior and intense fighting skill haunted the young Chaolan for many years, forcing him to establish an identity completely different from Kazuya. Though in many ways, Lee did look up to him....mostly in envy.
Lee was forced to prove himself to the elite Japanese microcosm society of his peers in school. He was now fluent in Japanese language and Kanji writing, after many years of study. Once considered the outsider, Chaolan was now a master in the social hierarchy....adored, worshipped, respected and feared for his own intense martial arts skills. He had earned a reputation in the underground fighting circles frowned upon by the tournament circuit, to which Heihachi would not permit him to compete in anyway. So, to prove his prowess he stumbled upon the underground circuit and made a name for himself. The Silver Devil, they called him, named so for the unusual and fascinating pigment of his hair and his tenacity and viciousness when he fought. Outside of his usually charismatic, sarcastic, and often arrogant demeanor, the moment he stepped into the poorly lit ring he was possessed by the urge to unmake existence with his fists. Each punch he threw....each perfectly timed kick was as if he was lashing out at the disapproving face of his father and the arrogant, coldly controlled presence of his brother. If he was not a Mishima, then he was nothing....or so the look in their eyes seemed to tell him.
Lee Chaolan was something, regardless of what the stare of his Father told him. And each night that he fought, Lee fought against himself...against them both to prove it. Wang once told him, “Ones greatest adversary is often himself”. Lee was too young to understand it then though he was beginning to learn the meaning of the statement now.
Brushing off his uniform pants, Lee drew in a deep breath. Just a few more hours of tests and I am free. Damn, I need to blow off some steam. I can’t wait to hit that party tonight.
Forcing himself to return to the testing hall, Lee removed his leather gloves and stuffed them into his pocket. Other students from various classes and grade levels were beginning to return to their desks after taking the few minutes of break time to stretch and prepare for the next half of the excruciating examinations. After this last batch, the school was on Christmas break for a week.
Lee shook his head, returning to his seat as he leaned an arm over the back of his chair to survey the crowd. Kazuya was seated in the back of the hall, sitting almost arrogantly with his arms folded before his chest. One of Chaolans various female interests and ever evasive conquests, the lovely Kishi Nakae, tapped her nails on his desk, dropping him a note and waving her fingertips as she walked away. But not before giving him a wink of her long, curled lashes. Lee palmed the note, looking over his shoulder once again. Kazuya’s eyes met his...intensely. Chaolan shook his head and returned his attention to the chalk board in the front of the room, putting the note away for later.
The words on the black board read, “Enjoy the Spirit of Christmas and the coming New Year. Once you have completed the test, please hand in your papers and sign out for the day.”
With a smirk, Lee cleared his throat. Christmas Spirit at the Mishima household. What a joke.
Lee stepped out into the parking lot, pausing a moment to light up a much needed cigarette. Suddenly a hand shoved at him, causing him to lose the flame to his dangling menthol. “What the fuck....” Lee whipped around, nearly falling into a stance before smiling.
“Don’t do that shit Sachi!” Lee half cocked a grin as he lifted the flame to his cigarette once again, inhaling before clipping the zippo.
“Smoking kills, yanno?” Sachi Gushigen smiled, lifting the lighter from Chaolans hand to bring life to his own eager cigarette. Inhaling the first breath of cold winter air mixed with the taint of cigarette smoke, he returned the zippo to his best friend of several years. “So, what’s the plan for tonight?”
“No idea yet....” Lee leaned his hip against the cold metal of his brand new dark blue Mitsubishi Eclipse. “We can hit Kei’s shindig around eight o’clock, providing my father does not ground my car because of the roads. I figure if we don’t show up there, he might get alittle testy....” Lee exhaled, brushing errant tendrils of liquid silver hair from his eyes.
“Heh, is he a bitch or a best friend, I can’t tell anymore...” Sachi snickered, flicking his ashes as he shivered, his face flushed a soft pink from the cold, brisk wind. “That’s cool, are you going to pick up Emi or are you meeting her there?”
Lee smiled, dripping with suave charm. “I don’t know, that all depends....”
“Depends? On what, she’s your girlfriend....” Sachi shook his head, his long black hair falling over his shoulders.
“Depends...on this. Little miss Nakae dropped this off on my desk after break..” Lee produced the neatly folded note from his pocket.
“Holy shit dude, Kishi Nakae? Oh man I think every dog in this school has been sniffing around that tree, begging for a chance.” Sachi stamped his feet in protest. “That includes me, you shit!”
Lee scanned over the beautiful fluidity of her handwriting, licking the edge of his lip with the tip of his tongue. “Well it seems the tree has come to this dog. She wants to meet me at Kei’s tonight.”
“Mr. Fucking Popularity, god damn it. Can we share?” Sachi laughed as Lee crumpled the note, tossing it at him. “But oh damn, what about Emi?”
Lee lifted his chin to exhale smoke toward the sky, shaking his head to free strands of his hair that fell along his face with the turbulent wind. “I guess I will just have to work something out, maybe I will tell her I can’t go out tonight.”
“And what if she shows up anyway?” Sachi exhaled, crushing his cigarette underfoot.
“Then I guess I’m fucked.” Lee tossed his burnt down cigarette, drawing his keys out of his pocket.
“When aren’t you fucked, is more the question, playboy.” Sachi laughed, flipping his long mane back. “You giving me a lift?”
“Yeah, I’ll drop you at home, you can help me devise a plan.” Lee unlocked the doors with a click of his keyless entry, sliding in.
“Shit, that’s what friends are for, right?” Sachi dove into the car, cupping his hands before his face and blowing warm air into them.
Lee roared the ignition to life, shuffling the stick into first gear as he peeled out of the parking lot, honking the horn as Kazuya stepped off the curb, heading for his own car.
Kazuya shook his head, unlocking the deep purple custom Toyota MR2 and sliding his books in. The car was not his choice but a forced issue by Heihachi. Kazuya, unlike most teenagers, had no interest in driving but his insistent father gave him little choice to decline this important rite of passage. So, displeased, Kazuya accepted.
Walking back around to the driver side, Kazuya kicked a crumpled up piece of paper along the icy concrete lot. Bending to retrieve it, Kazuya scanned over it’s contents. The note was addressed to Lee from Kishi Nakae. She more than likely dropped it off when she cat walked by Chaolans desk in the testing hall earlier in the afternoon.
Instantly, the young Mishima felt his blood boil. It seemed the girl he secretly admired was interested in his adopted brother. How fitting. Stuffing the note into his pocket, Kazuya exhaled the cold, crisp air sharply. Why must Lee Chaolan taint...everything.
Lee Chaolan stepped into the Mishima dojo, leaning along the doorjamb, braced with his elbow. Kazuya turned amidst the cold rush of air, feeling it caress along his sweat dampened tank style gi top, his dark almond eyes turning to see Lee over his shoulder, standing in the doorway. “What do you want?” His voice was gruff, agitated.
“Just coming in to see how the test went, I saw you in the parking lot when I pulled away with Sachi.” Lee reached his arms above his head, stretching his back with an exaggerated arch, letting his hair fall before his face.
“So you sought to bother me with small talk. Get off it Chaolan. What do you really want?” Kazuya wrapped his fingertips around his towel, drying his face before bringing it to drape behind his neck, the ends dangling down his slickened chest.
Lee laughed softly. Surely his mirth was the sound of angels singing choir into the night. For as much as it annoyed the young Mishima, it was also entrancing, as was Chaolans rare beauty. The site of Lee filled Kazuya with a sudden urge for violence, tainted in envy. Surely if he possessed the charisma and good looks of his adopted brother, Kishi Nakae would have come to him instead.
“Well actually, Kazuya, I was wondering if you would like to come with a few of us to a party at Kei Eguchi’s house tonight. It’s a good excuse to blow off steam after the mid terms.”
“I do not go to parties, Chaolan. There are much more important things to hold my attention than the idea of drinking myself blind and waking up with some girl I don’t know in a strange bed.” Kazuya folded his arms, the flickering flames of the dojo walls dancing against his sweat slickened body.
Lee half cocked a charismatic grin. “Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.”
“Don’t waste my time with this nonsense. Father and I will be meeting here to train, shortly anyway.” Kazuya exhaled the invigorating cool air pressing through the room.
“So you would rather spend another night locked in the dojo with Father till dawn, running through Kata’s and combinations than unwind at a party? At least consider it, everyone is going to be there.” Lee flickered his lashes slightly, did he think charm would get Kazuya to break when the young Mishima hated him so much.
“I am not interested in everyone. They are nothing to me. They are all rats dancing in the streets and you are the piper that leads them.” Kazuya hissed.
Lee shrugged, releasing his hands from their position above the door, halting his stretch. “Why does everything have to be a fucking debate with you. Either you avoid talking to me completely or you draw me out and mock me.”
“Could that be because I hate you, do you think?” Kazuya lifted a brow, biting the inside of his cheek to quelch the urge to uppercut the silver devil into the dojo wall.
“You can hate me all you want Kazuya but we are brothers and that’s how it has been for years and will be for the rest of our lives.” Lee lowered his head, lighting a cigarette as he stood just outside the dojo.
“That is where you are mistaken. We are NOT brothers, Chaolan. You are just a street rat from Korea, dropped into the lap of luxury. You walk around like you are something, when in fact you are nothing. You can dress as trendy as you want and drive around Tokyo peeling your tires till the break of dawn, but all you are succeeding in is giving yourself a nose bleed from your pretentious aires.” Kazuya stepped forward, challenging Lee to make a move. “And as for my stress relief, you can come in here pretending to be the caring adopted brother but lets call it where it is at, shall we, Lee? You want something from me...and you want it bad enough to come in here full of velvet persuasion to get it. Your friends and I have a mutual understanding, stay out of my path and no one gets hurt. To suddenly want to put us in the mix together casts more than a reasonable doubt onto your...motivations.”
Lee flicked his ashes, brushing a hand back through his windswept bangs. “You want me to prove it to you?”
“The fact that you offer to prove your intentions gives away your grand designs. Unless it’s something you want, you usually walk away.”
“God damn it, Kazuya!” Lee cursed, kicking at errant chunks of ice on the pathway, fallen from the ledge of the dojo.
Kazuya half cocked a smile of his own. His manipulations put Lee Chaolan right into the palm of his hand. “Alright Lee, you want to prove yourself so desperately, why don’t you step inside where we can have a friendly...brotherly spar. If you win, I will go with you to this gathering....”
“And if I lose, which I won’t...” Lee inhaled his last drag before dropping his burnt down cigarette to the ground.
“When you lose, you will proclaim your motivations. What do you say, Silver Devil?” Kazuya could not help but snicker.
Lee kicked off his boots as he stepped in, shedding his jacket onto the floor. “I say you got yourself a fight...I mean...brotherly spar.”
Kazuya stepped back, falling into stance as a smile crept along the edges of his lips. Lee jumped along the balls of his feet, rolling his neck back, sending a shock wave of thick rich silver hair into a spiralling wave in time with his motions. Falling into his own stance, Lee set his fists before him, his eyes locking to Kazuya’s...finding himself taken slightly aback by the darkness swirling in his adopted brothers deep almond gaze.
With a sudden snap of motion, Lee led into a triple head kick...his left leg reaching to connect with Kazuya’s well placed block. Without another thought, Chaolan instantly drew into a three punch rave war combo, his brows knitting as the young Mishima easily deflected the intricate blows.
With a leading kick, Kazuya connected the force of his foot to Lee’s abdomen, sending Chaolan into the dojo wall. Drawing his fists up, Kazuya smiled darkly. “Come on, Silver Devil, don’t cry...”
Pressing off the wall, Lee ran at full speed toward the young Mishima, his spirit shout echoing along the dojo as the first two of his Shaolin Spin kicks met with resistance before the third finally broke through Kazuyas block, grazing the edge of his chin.
Snapping his head to the side, Kazuya gave Chaolan a sidelong glance, dripping with venom. With a growl, the young Mishima drew his fists upward into the twin pistons....just as Lee back flipped several paces out of the way, leaving the force of the punches to impact with the staunch air.
Rushing into his escaping prey, Kazuya pressed the flash punch combo, his fists arching out with malicious lust. Drawing his leg up, Lee’s kick fell away as Kazuya mis- step, easily transitioning into the spinning demon...his leg swinging out to catch Chaolans...knocking the silver haired youth to the ground.
With the thrust of his powerful legs, Kazuya flipped himself up and over into the Demon Scissors, the weight of his muscular body crashing down onto Lee’s firm frame. With a hiss of pain, Chaolan jolted upright and into a slide kick....drawing along his side as his powerful legs connected into Kazuya’s body, already on the ground.
Backflipping to his feet in the same span of time it took Chaolan to regain his footing, Kazuya felt the course of lightning streak along his body, drawing into his fists as he connected a heavy right body blow into Lee Chaolan, forcing the Korean youth to double over as he grimaced in pain.
Before the breath escaped Chaolans lips, Kazuya grasped his body upward and into the double high sweep, his leg swinging around Lees’ shoulder, slamming him from one side to the other with ease.
Lee fell back, cursing as he advanced on Kazuya with five rapid jabs....his knuckle landing into the firm tone of the young Mishima’s forearm. With a sneer, the Silver Devil used his advantage, grasping hold of Kazuyas arm to hold him in place for the knees smash.
Kazuya crashed onto the dojo floor, biting back the sting. Lee drew his leg up for the left splits kick as the young Mishima rose...meeting only with a well timed high guard against the offending appendage. With a spirit shout of his own, Kazuya seemed to come to life, connecting to Lee with a decoy Tsunami kick. As Lee fell into a block, Kazuya channeled the force of his anger...rushing into Chaolan with the Ultimate tackle.
Lee fell back with a groan, the weight of Kazuya’s frame straddling his chest as vicious punches flew to either side of his head. Blinking back the impending fade to unconsciousness, Lee felt his eyes roll up as Kazuya flipped himself backwards to land on his feet....his bare foot pressuring Chaolans throat as he stood above him.
“Are you finished, Silver Devil?” Kazuya snickered, looking down on the punch reddened face of Lee Chaolan.
Lee narrowed his eyes, choking on his pride beneath the young Mishima’s foot. “alright...alright...” The Korean youth croaked, feeling Kazuya remove the pressure of his foot from his esophagus.
Folding his arms before his sweat glistened chest, Kazuya cocked his head to the side. “Now...your motivations.” His voice was cool, ripe with the hubris of his uncontested victory over his adopted brother.
Lee sat up, rubbing his reddened cheeks with a decimated look in his eyes. “You know I am going out tonight, you had to hit me in the face?”
“Pretty boy.” Kazuya hissed under his breath.
“Fine. Well there is this girl I am interested in and I was hoping you could keep Emi...busy. She likes you more than she likes any of my friends, so I thought you would be able to distract her for me.” Lee brushed his damp hair back, catching his breath. “Will you help me out, Kazuya?”
“So you want me to help you cheat on your girlfriend with Kishi Nakae?” Kazuya arched an eyebrow as the corner of his lip curled into a dark smile.
“No, I am just asking you to help me keep Emi...occupied for a few minutes during the party. Please Kazuya.”
Kazuya paused for a long moment as he looked down on his adopted brother. “Alright Lee, I’ll help you.”
Lee quirked a brow as he felt the change of Kazuya’s tone wash over him. Something wasn’t quite as it seemed. “Thanks, Kazuya. I owe you one. I have to pick Emi and Sachi up in about an hour, think you can be ready by then?”
Kazuya nodded, rolling his neck as his vertebrae popped. “I will be ready, Chaolan.”
Drawing himself to a stand, Lee let his fingertips trace against his tender cheek. He could feel the impending threat of a bruise creep over his flesh. “I’m going to get ready, I’ll see you then.”
Lee exited the dojo as Kazuya brushed a hand back through his thick ebony mane.
We have a little surprise for our dear brother, don’t we, Kazuya? The voice of the devil chimed, purring through the back of his mind.
Drawing the crumpled up note from the pocket of his gi pants, Kazuya smiled...darkly. “No amount of primping will prepare you for this, Lee Chaolan.”
Kazuya sat at the formal dining table, his fingers tapping impatiently along the back of his chair. An hour had come and gone, all the while leaving him to wonder just how long one individual needed to primp for a simple get together. It only took a few moments for his own preparations, Kazuya had gone from showered to casually dressed in under a half an hour. Considering the circumstances, Kazuya decided to dress comfortably in a pair of form fitting black jeans, leather boots and a black silk button down shirt. His thick obsidian hair, freshly washed was combed back into his usual style accentuating the elegance of his face...drawing attention to his deep almond eyes framed beneath thick arched brows.
After what seemed like an eternity, Chaolan descended the stairs clad in a pair of excessively tight blue jeans, boots and a white dress shirt, neatly tucked in. Brushing a hand back through his radiant mercury hair, Lee turned to Kazuya, whirling his keys along his fingertip. “Ready?”
Kazuya rose with an exaggerated sigh, looking to the time. If they left now without an argument they could avoid Heihachi all together. The echo of his boots along the floor resounded as he stopped before Chaolan....snickering. “Are you wearing make up?”
“Yeah, no thanks to you I have a nice black and blue coming in on my right cheek. Emi left some of her foundation in my car the other night. What else was I supposed to do?”
Kazuya walked out the front door, shaking his head. “You could be a man, for a change.”
Growling, Lee followed Kazuya out to his dark blue eclipse. “Fuck you.” He hissed as he slid into the driver seat, refusing to meet the angered gaze of his adopted brother.
The two rode in silence, first to retrieve Sachi before heading off to pick up Emi. Sliding into the back seat, Kazuya rolled his eyes, listening to the banter of the two friends who sounded more like rivals to anyone unfortunate enough to spend time locked in the back seat of a sports car with them.
At Emi’s house, Lee stepped out of the car to meet her at the door. After an extended welcome, Chaolan finally ushered her into the backseat to sit beside Kazuya.
“Hi there!” Her voice was soft and warm as she slid in beside the young Mishima. “I never expected you to come along with us to Kei’s party...”
Kazuya turned his eyes, glaringly toward her.....and found he could not maintain his initial look. He had never seen Emi Hitsmatsu look quite so good before. Her long silken obsidian hair seemed to frame her flawless angular face to perfection. Her features were softly highlighted with make up, giving her eyes and lips a distinct chance to stand out.
“...but I am glad you decided to come out with us.” Emi smiled with a soft wink of her curled lashes.
Kazuya found himself speechless as they rode to Kei Euguchi’s house. He had no desire to look at Lees beautiful girlfriend and for the first time he was having second thoughts about going through with his revenge. How could Chaolan go to this party, ready to make a move on Kishi Nakae with this lovely creature so adoringly devoted to his side?
Lee Chaolan rang the bell, draping his arm around Emi as he brushed an errant tendril of her obsidian hair behind her ear. “Ready to have some fun?” He smiled devilishly.
Sachi turned to Kazuya, lighting up a cigarette as they awaited Kei to answer the doorbell. “So what finally clinched your decision to join us tonight?”
Leaning back against one of the several pillars on the porch of the Euguchi Estate, Kazuya crossed his arms. “Shut up.” He stated non chalantly, turning his eyes onto Sachi...coldly.
“Alright then.” Sachi snickered, inhaling the smoke from the thin white cylinder.
After a long moment of silence, Kei finally came to the door, a glass of beer gripped lovingly in his hand. “Lee...Emi...Sachi, awesome you guys are finally here. Now the party can start!” He chimed, drawing Chaolan in for an impromptu hug. The Euguchi family was one of the most distinguished in all of Tokyo, rivaling the Mishima household for lineage and nobility of heritage. Kazuya had known Kei for many years, both of them being the same age, though he never particularly cared for him.
Lee made a not so subtle gesture of his head, meant for Kei, motioning to Kazuya. Inhaling a deep breath, the young Euguchi put on his most friendly demeanor. “Kazuya Mishima, I NEVER expected you to come to one of my parties...but it is about time you made an appearance. Please, everyone, come on in.” It was apparent Kei was not “in” on the Kishi Nakae scam.
Kazuya said nothing as he entered, feeling sorely out of place as the four newcomers were enveloped by the already extensive crowd. Lee lit up a cigarette, removing his arm from around Emi’s shoulders. “Who wants a drink?” He chimed, turning to look directly at his adopted brother.
Kazuya merely pursed his lips, narrowing his eyes in answer to such an asinine question. Fading back from the gathering, Kazuya rested himself against the wall, crossing his arms.
Lee and Sachi left Emi to get drinks, though Kazuya knew the reason for such a pairing better than Emi could have imagined. No doubt both were going to scope for Lee’s new interest. The thought disgusted the young Mishima. Kishi was beautiful, intelligent and far above the class of the street rat. Kazuya could not believe the girl he liked would be interested in someone like Chaolan.
And you thought she would be interested in you? Come now, little Mishima, surely you are fooling yourself. However, removing the competition would definitely improve your chances.
Kazuya rolled his eyes as he listened to the sweet, clear voice of the devil ringing through his thoughts...audible over the raucous music and intense combination of voices from the crowd as it raised to a fevered pitch with the spirits of liquor.
Emi lit a cigarette as she brushed a tendril of silken hair from the sweet caress of her cheek, turning to face Kazuya as she inhaled the smoky vapor with a purse of her reddened lips. “We don’t have any classes together anymore...so how have you been, stranger?”
Kazuya turned his eyes to her, studying her movements. “alright and yourself?”
“Keeping busy since Lee’s schedule is so hectic these past few months. I’ve started taking private lessons from his teacher in the art of Ninjitsu but we train at different times. What can you do?” Emi smiled, looking to the floor before meeting Kazuya’s eyes. “When I come around to see him at home, your usually in the dojo. Still anti social I see...”
Kazuya could not help but half smile at her comment. “My own training is at the forefront of my ambitions. I am not interested in social gatherings.”
“So then why are you here if your not ‘interested in social gatherings’?” Emi smiled, paraphrasing his words.
“I have my reasons....” Kazuya inhaled sharply, his eyes watching as Lee and Sachi drew toward them, drinks in hand.
Emi turned, flashing the slightly flushed Chaolan an undeserved, brilliant smile. “Thank you....” she purred, kissing his cheek. Kazuya watched as he subtly pulled away from her affection, his eyes scanning the crowd...no doubt for the lovely Miss Nakae.
Sachi handed Kazuya a drink. Resigned, the young Mishima accepted, taking a sip to find it not nearly as displeasing as he first contemplated.
The three friends went back and forth with idle chatter about their peers as Kazuya, alone even in a growing crowd, found himself gulping his drink. It was going to be a long night.
Kazuya stumbled a bit, setting his empty glass down for a refill. The effects of the alcohol on his virgin system was almost euphoric, releasing the tension he carried in his soul with a sense of calm inhibition. Glancing around the room, his peers barely seemed to notice his awkward presence, laughing and joking with him as though no barrier stood between them. For a brief moment, Kazuya felt himself as one of the crowd and the feeling was not as bad as he often snided Lee for.
The young Mishima took his drink in hand, pressing past the wall to wall bodies that swayed to the rhythm of obnoxious music. He could almost taste the freedom in the aire around him as more and more of his classmates paired off for some shadowy corners, active in the rite of passage known as youth.
Using his hand to brace his movement toward the kitchen, Kazuya leaned along the doorjamb. Instantly he recognized the glint of the overhead light on Lee Chaolans silver mane. He was half bent, leaning into the center island of the kitchen..his fingertip closing off one nostril as he breathed in a fine powdery substance carved before him in a neat, thin line. Bolting his head upright, Lee howled...inhaling sharply as he passed off a rolled American currency bill to Sachi...who in turn bent toward the next white line, holding the tightly rolled currency to his nostril.
Kazuya took a sip of his drink, scanning the small gathering around the center island in the kitchen. Narrowing his eyes slightly, Kazuya followed the shift of Lee’s gaze to find the beautiful Kishi Nakae drawing up from her own line of the powdery substance, across the way from Chaolan. The young Mishima watched as their eyes connected. He could feel the intensity that passed between them....as the sudden nicely uninhibited feeling ebbed away from the taint of his sensations.
Chaolan turned, breaking eye contact with the intensely beautiful Kishi...feeling the cold chill pressing over him, from the eyes of Kazuya. Brushing a hand beneath his nose, Lee inhaled quickly, pressing air up through his nostrils as he walked toward his adopted brother, lighting up a cigarette.
“Want to chase the dragon?” Lee leaned his hand on the wall, cocking his head to the side to watch Kazuya beneath errant liquid silver tendrils of his mane.
Kazuya looked to him, quirking a self controlled brow, completely unfamiliar with the lingo Chaolan was using.
“Come on, Kazuya, you might like it” he smiled decadently, blowing the blue tinged vapor of his cigarette just passed the young Mishima. “Emi is taking a hit...why not come see how it’s done?”
“Is this the kind of shit you and your friends do to make yourself feel so important?” Kazuya arched his brow as Lee looked down, laughing almost self consciously.
“It’s called being young...we are just hitting the prime of our lives...and right now, youth is king. So come on Kazuya, let go...” Chaolan connected his eyes to Kazuya’s with an intensity that suddenly made him feel..uncomfortable.
“You know what Chaolan, I’m not....” Kazuya stopped mid sentence as Kishi drew into their conversation.
“Kazuya Mishima...what an unexpected surprise..I never thought to see you here.” she purred as her hand softly slid down his arm, sending a shock wave through the young Mishima. Kazuya was shocked this beautiful creature even knew who he was.....
Kazuya found himself at a sudden loss for words, his heart skipping a beat as his eyes were drawn to the subtle fall of her long dark hair over her bare shoulder. How many glances had he stolen of her insanely exquisite form in class...turning his eyes before she could see him watching her?
Kishi turned her attention to Lee as Kazuya looked on, helpless to find any words to say. “Lee, we are almost out of our party favor, I have some more at home...do you think you can drive me over there, I am really in no state to get behind the wheel...” The tip of her tongue lapped gently at the edge of her lip as she looked to the silver haired youth.
“I would love to...” Lee smiled, arrogantly. “Let me just tell Emi I am going with you, I would hate for her to get...suspicious of my sudden departure.”
Kishi lowered her lashes invitingly as Lee turned, walking toward Emi as she passed off the rolled currency to an eagerly awaiting Kei Euguchi. “I’m sorry we are out of powder, but Lee and I should be back shortly with a fresh supply. Think you can wait for a hit until then?” She purred, quite obviously looking over the intensely hansom young Mishima, filling him with a smoldering desire he had never before felt.
“I can wait till then...” He managed, his voice a broken whisper as she smiled to his response.
“I never figured you the kind of guy who lets go of his self control. But I like it.” Kishi drew herself just a painful breath from him, till he could feel the heat of her body...rushing over him like the rage of a scorching flame.
“Are you ready, Kishi?” Lee cleared his throat as he stepped in against her his hand resting almost possessively..jealously on her back as his eyes narrowed in contact with Kazuyas.
“Oh, I’m ready...” Kishi Nakae turned, the fullness of her hair whipping down her back, sliding along Chaolans arm with the sudden motion. “I will see you later, Kazuya.”
Kazuya nodded, the pit of rage in his stomach boiling out of control. Kishi had been talking to him...focused on him...until Lee came back to claim what he desired. Although Kishi was no doubt going home to retrieve her “party favors”, the excuse was simply too perfect for the both of them to be alone.
Turning on his heel, Kazuya started toward the door, feeling a sudden need for fresher air when a hand braced his shoulder. Whipping around with a growl for the interruption, the young Mishima’s eyes met with Emi Hitsamatsue. “Going outside? Mind if I join you?” she asked softly.
Kazuya shrugged slightly, his inner torment raging like liquid fire through his soul. He was unnerved...angry..and suddenly feeling as if he had lost all the vestige he placed in his control.
Emi lit up a cigarette, exhaling sharply into the cold night as she walked beside Kazuya in the frozen grass. She paused mid motion as they drew passed the outside entrance of one of the vast wings of the Euguchi estate. Taking a seat on the bench, she crossed her legs slowly, her face flushed from the chill of the starless night. Kazuya stopped as Emi took a seat, his hands falling into his pockets as he scanned along the barren grounds. They were alone. The vast amount of party goers preferring the clustering warmth of the decadent Manor rather than the frigid outdoors.
“Can I ask you something Kazuya?” Emi looked down at the orange glow of her cigarette, her voice soft and suddenly unsure.
“Yes....” he replied simply, his mind still mumbling over the anger he felt for Lee.
“Do you think Lee...is happy with me?” She looked up, meeting the young Mishima’s eyes. “It probably sounds stupid, right...I mean, we do so much together, I shouldn’t be out here asking his brother something this intimate....”
You could not ask for a better entrance to the decimation that awaits. Our plan has come to fruition, seize the moment....break her heart.
Kazuya exhaled sharply, saying nothing, drawing his hand out from his pocket. Crumpled within his fingers, he produced the note Lee had so carelessly tossed away in the parking lot, a gift from the beautiful Kishi Nakae.
Emi reached her trembling fingertips for the note, her eyes growing glassy with tears as her fears overtook her senses. She unfolded it....her cigarette dropping to the frozen ground as her tears fell past the rim of her almond eyes.
Emi stood, the note shaking in her hand as she stepped into Kazuya, returning it to him. “So that is why he went with her...Why didn’t you tell me..sooner? I would not have let him go without me?”
“You are the reason I came here tonight...but I have not had a moment alone with you long enough to give you this note. I found it in the parking lot. I...I’m sorry.” His voice feigned the act of caring to an almost frightening degree. This was the culmination of planning, finally coming to fruition.
Emi pressed herself into Kazuya, her tears crying into the silk of his shirt. With a dark smile, his arms encircled her....comforting her in her moment of need. His warm breath caressed her ear as he whispered softly to her. “Let me take you inside, it is too cold out here for this.”
Kazuya led Emi through the door to the quiet wing, rubbing his hands together from the chill as she drew herself down into a lavish high back chair....her cheeks streaming with tears. “It’s all over....all this time meant nothing. If I hadn’t seen this note I could have blamed this whole thing on the coke...it does things to you. It makes you completely uncaring of the consequences for your actions and I would have forgiven him if I found out. I know I would have. All of this was a plan...he probably only asked you here as a distraction....someone to keep me busy....”
So beautiful...so hurt. How sweet her pain is...delicious to the point of distraction. Make your move, she is ripe for the taking, just as Lee is ripe for our revenge.
Kazuya leaned down, drawing her face into the palms of his hands...his eyes drinking in the beautiful lamentation, ripe with the pain of betrayal...far more intoxicating than any drink left within his system. “I did not want to hurt you by showing you the note...will you forgive me....” His voice was suave with decadently false emotion.
“You have saved me from the pain of finding out later....” Emi sniffed back her tears softly, drawn into the depths of Kazuya’s eyes. Her fingertips softly tasted the warmth of his cheek...as her breath came shallow over her glistening lips. Emi drew in against him...till her trembling mouth parted his own.
Kazuya drew in a sharp breath as the tip of her tongue brushed along his. All of the rage burning through his soul flickered to new intensity with the excitement of his ambitions, actualized. Her kiss was his first...tainted in the anguish of pain and betrayal..all of which he drank from the sweet nectar of her mouth, till his fingers lifted her...forcing her to a stand before breaking away....
“We should not do this...” Kazuya cautioned, watching her passion-fire eyes intent on beating Chaolan to the act of betrayal. His manipulation was masterful...cold...and yet, perfect.
“Your right....” her lashes lowered as her lips feathered along the curve of his throat...her hands pressing him to rest his back against the wall before sliding down his firm stomach to tease the inside of his leg.
Emi’s eyes held Kazuya’s as her hand trailed intimately between his denim clad thighs. A path of dark fire spread from the heat of her touch as she wantonly fell to her knees.
Kazuya’s eyes rolled upward as his body arched with intensity, newly born with the warmth of her mouth. His breaths were coming ragged past his lips with the slow drag of her teeth, teasing his hardened length...followed by the lavish heat of her tongue. The intense suction was maddening...claimed and released by her lips till something inside of him wanted to snap.
Kazuya bit along the edge of his lip, his hand pressing her backward till she found the floor. He followed her down, the weight of his body tight above hers as his own hands slid up the silk of her dress...pressing into the warmth of her aching body.
Emi gasped beneath him, her head rolling along the floor as his merciless finger feverishly awoke her desire. His touch with dark....demanding....awakening sensations within her that pleaded for something more venomous.
Kazuya felt his breaths coming more painfully as he teased her whet opening. The scent of her desire flooded over him ferally till he finally could take no more of the torment. Pressuring his body between her aching thighs, Kazuya felt the overwhelming heat of her lust encircle his throbbing length....his eyes snapping closed with indescribable intensity.
Only after each inch of his length was devoured into her, did he feel the force of his own ferocity take control. Panting....his nails clawing along the hard wood floor...his powerful hips drove further into her...till her cries of desire teetered the line of pleasure and pain. Her breathless lips begged for more....her body arching to meet his thrust till the world began to shudder around her.
Each sensation overwhelmed Kazuya...his body moving at a strong, feverish pace...his hips unrelenting as he drove them both to the maddening edge of reality. His senses were stripped...overcharged and unable to process anything more than the act of his lust.
And then the edge of the chasm yawned before him...forcing him to thrust with a force and momentum that should have crushed her beneath him. Emi cried out with her climax, the spasms of her aching sex pulsing around his length...tightening and releasing with a grip so powerful....it was exquisitely painful.
“Oh...God...” Kazuya cried out as the sensation swept him over the edge of sanity. Wave after wave of indescribable force washed over him...dragging his body over the jagged rocks of pleasure till he swore he could not breath....
His body jolted in thick spurts of intense release, the spark of his fatal lightning arching along his form...he was shaking...until his arms could no longer support him. Kazuya collapsed himself onto the panting Emi...his forehead pressing to the floor just above her shoulder. His lungs were on fire...his very essence trembling as each muscle strained with the force of his release.
Gasping for breath, Emi traced her lips over the curve of his shoulder...damp with the edges of his ebony hair. “ohh my god....it has never felt..like that before...” Her panting breath fell along the edge of Kazuya’s ear.
Kazuya forced himself to move...withdrawing from her body as he fell to his back. Closing his eyes, the young Mishima rebuttoned his pants as the warm afterglow washed over his soul...smiling inwardly at the manipulation that brought him to this sweet betrayal. Was it possible to ever feel such intense pleasure comprised of the body, mind and soul again?
Kazuya stepped into the kitchen, a borrowed cigarette in hand. The vapor left a slightly bitter taste in his mouth, yet flooded his senses with euphoria. If only he could feel the drag of metal over his flesh to make this feeling twice as intense. Kishi Nakae smiled as he entered the room, her hair was tangled...her clothing slightly creased with wrinkles, evidence to the car ride with Lee Chaolan.
“We brought back a little something....shall I cut you a line?” She purred, looking over the young Mishima and finding something intensely...different about him. Kazuya exhaled the smoke, forbidding himself to cough as one brow arched with amazing revelation. He was no longer particularly interested in the seductive Miss Nakae.
“Don’t waste my time talking, cut the line or get out of my way.” Kazuya surprised himself as the words rolled over his lips. His cold demeanor had returned...en force. He was drunk on himself...on the sensation of control and power. Obviously the same could be said for Kishi Nakae.
“Forceful...demanding....you really are surprising me Kazuya. I was all wrong about your quiet nature.” Kishi smiled as she removed a fingernail full of the powder, cutting it with a credit card and handing him the rolled up currency to inhale the thin line.
The young Mishima bent at the waist, leaning in toward the center island of the kitchen. Suddenly he felt a familiar hand press at his spine. Looking up, Kazuya half cocked an arrogant grin to find Lee Chaolan standing beside him. “If I didn’t see this with my own two eyes, I never would have believed it.” The silver devil laughed.
Kazuya cast his eyes toward Chaolans face. “I can smell her all over you, why don’t you do yourself a favor and clean yourself up.”
Lee dropped his hand from Kazuya’s back, bracing himself on his haunches as his fingertips rested on the edge of the island, procuring himself a better vantage point to see his adopted brother inhale the chemical before him. “It doesn’t smell as good as it tastes...” Lee snided, licking his lips almost venomously. “I have some left overs...if you don’t believe me.”
Kazuya raised up with a sharp inhalation as the chemical dripped down the back of his throat. Shaking his head as his eyes looked skyward, the young Mishima cleared his throat. “You coming on to me, Silver Faggot?” Kazuya turned his eyes to Chaolan as he rose from his haunches.
Lee raised his brow, standing eye to eye with Kazuya. The two were locked in stand off...neither willing to make a scene....neither willing to be the first to walk away.
“Come now boys, let’s play nice. Maybe the three of us can work something out in a more quiet place....” Kishi smiled, placing an arm on either of the brothers’ shoulders.
“Or maybe you can get your hands off of what’s mine, bitch.” Emi growled, pushing Kishi back with a well placed kick.
Kishi hissed, her eyes looking to Lee. “You going to do something about this?”
Lee still would not remove his eyes from Kazuyas as he spoke. “Emi..go wait for me in the car, your being all sensitive again and making something out of nothing. Kishi is just being friendly and trying to stop the inevitable ass beating I am about to put on my brother. Now go wait in the car.”
“Like I said, I am not leaving here without what is mine...” Emi smiled, draping her arm around Kazuya’s....in the line of Lee’s sight. “You ready Kazuya?”
Chaolans eyes went wide as his face flushed with anger.....his hands curling into fists. The chemical rushing through his blood only heightening his rage...an effect Kazuya was slowly beginning to feel crawl up his own spine. “You had better drop your fists...before I drop you down, right here...right now.”
“What did you do to her, Kazuya....” Lee was growling through his words as the realizations hit him like a ton of bricks.
“It’s more like...what didn’t I do to her?” Kazuya smiled, his blood boiling....his hand drawing up into a high guard as he anticipated the foolish motion Chaolan made to strike at him. With a blinding motion, Kazuya leveled Chaolan with a lightning charged “Entrail Smash” punch....doubling Lee over as he went flying back against the kitchen counter.
Reaching into his pocket, Kazuya withdrew the crumpled up note, tossing it into the silver devils face before turning to walk away. Emi smiled, throwing herself into a series of Shaolin Spin Kicks, landing along the chest and stomach of the beautiful Kishi Nakae. Kishi fell over, screaming in tears... “You can have him, bitch.” Emi smiled before stopping infront of Chaolan.
Emi traced her fingertip along Lee’s cheek, looking deeply into his eyes as she whispered softly to him. “I read your little note and I know why you went to her house with her but the coke was a good front. I hope she was worth it, Lee but I got the better end of the deal. You see, your brother...fucks like a god.” Emi smiled, holding his eyes with her own as she pulled his car keys out of his pocket...raising her knee for a perfectly placed groin kick. “Oh and Lee....by the way...FUCK YOU.”
Emi turned with Chaolans car keys in hand as Kazuya smiled, watching Lee grasp the kitchen counters to avoid spilling onto the floor as his face contorted in pain. “Ready?” she smiled and walked out the door.
Kazuya drove Emi home. She paused before opening the car door, wiping the tears she did not want him to see from her eyes. “I had a really..interesting time with you tonight...” she smiled, shaking her head slightly.
“Emi, I think it might be a good idea for you to take some time to deal with all of this.” Kazuya said softly, still brimming with inner hubris for the deliciousness of his chaos and manipulation.
“I was just going to say the same thing to you...” Emi nodded softly, placing her hand on Kazuya’s. “You don’t mind if I come over sometime just to torment the hell out of him, do you?”
“I look forward to it.” Kazuya raised a brow with a tainted smile.
“Goodnight Kazuya...” Emi leaned over, kissing him softly on his lips.
“Goodnight Emi...” Kazuya turned his eyes toward the road, speeding off toward the compound as the dark triumph of his machinations mixed with the intoxicating feeling of the cocaine rushing through his system.
Kazuya rode like wildfire through the Tokyo streets, his impaired perceptions evident as he swerved along the road, cutting his corners...his body pulsing with the adrenaline high brought on by the euphoria of his first sexual encounter, mixed with the rush of cocaine. Reaching the long driveway of the Mishima compound, Kazuya slammed on the brakes, blinded by the intensity of the outside lights. Narrowly missing a light pole lining the outside perimeter of the mansion, Kazuya stepped out of the car and onto the grass of the front lawn.
Walking around to the front of Lee’s blue Eclipse, Kazuya squinted his eyes, smiling darkly. “Oh shit...that was close...” The young Mishima looked over the dug up dirt gathered beneath the tires from his sudden, hard stomp on the brakes.
“It’s about time you got home, boy.” The angry voice rode the current of air between the young Mishima and his Father, becoming electric as Heihachi stepped from the porch....the click of his Geta on the steps heralding his intent. “Where is your brother?”
“I left him at the party...” Kazuya hissed, forcing himself to stand rigidly as Heihachi approached.
“A party? You decided it more important to attend a social gathering with Chaolan rather than meeting me at the appointed hour for your training?” Heihachi stopped before Kazuya, narrowing his eyes as he regarded the severe stance of his blood son as a smooth smirk fell over the young Mishima’s lips.
With a growl, Heihachi lifted his hand, throwing a backfist...aimed to Kazuya’s face. The young Mishima raised his arm, batting the attempted backfist away as Heihachi seethed through gritted teeth. With a harsh exhalation, the elder Mishima drew up his hands....this time into a lightning charged flash punch combination. Kazuya used both of his arms, easily deflecting the attack.
“How dare you....” Heihachi growled, his eyes holding the glassy gaze of his son. Sinking down with a hiss, the elder Mishima spun his leg out into the Rising Sun...in an attempt to take Kazuya’s solid stance from beneath him.
Kazuya’s legs went wide, his palms falling flat into the earth to regain his balance. Throwing himself into a forward roll, the young Mishima emerged beneath Heihachi’s guard...landing under his fathers chin with a strong, closed fist Uppercut, throwing Heihachi back several paces before he could regain his footing. Kazuya rose to full stature, crossing his arms before his chest...silhouetted between the headlights of Lee Chaolans car....with a venomous laugh.
Heihachi pawed the ground with one Geta foot before pressing into a full charge. Kazuya attempted to side step, his perceptions slightly askew with the rush of chemical through his blood. In an arrogant state of enhanced inhibition, the young Mishima never believed Heihachi could reach him....
With a sudden jolt, Kazuya fell back onto the cold frozen earth, his head hitting the ground with a dull thud. Heihachi threw the young Mishima into a full tackle, mounting his chest for the Ultimate Punch combination....his fists slamming with full lightning charged impact...left...right...left...over and over, into the face of the young Mishima. Kazuya hissed back his breath as the wet, numbing impact of Heihachi’s fists bruised his cheeks....his hard knuckles repeatedly punching into his nose....mouth...throat.
Kazuya gasped for breath as he felt his nose crack under the impact, the taste of his own blood sliding down the back of his gasping throat as his lip gushed forth the vital essence.
Heihachi lifted Kazuya by the neck, slamming him down on the hood of Lee Chaolans Eclipse. Stepping back, the elder Mishima surged all of his strength into the grasping arm squeezing Kazuya’s throat...closing off his airway as gold lightning swirled maliciously along his arm, staining Kazuya’s blood soaked face with blackened, superficial burns.
The young Mishima dug his nails into Heihachi’s wrist, choking on his own blood and the chemical taste of the cocaine in his system as he tried to alleviate the pressure cutting off his air supply. His legs kicking wildly, Kazuya felt the lick of electric current searing his bloodied flesh. A sudden sense of panic rose through his mind. He is going to kill me.....
After what felt like an eternity, Kazuya felt Heihachi remove his crushing grip...causing the young Mishima to writhe upward with a start...his hands pressing around his nearly exfixiated throat as he coughed up blood onto the ground.
With a sudden motion, Heihachi took a handful of the young Mishimas ebony mane...jerking him to the ground, onto all fours. Spitting up the bitter taste of his own blood, Kazuya finally caught a breath of air...gasping....
“You ungrateful...insolent little shit. I will teach you the agony of raising your hands to me...” Heihachi growled like an rabid beast, lifting his Geta leg...kicking Kazuya hard in the lower ribs.
The young Mishima did not scream as the sickening sound of cracking bone echoed through his throbbing ears. His body jolting upward with the first blow, Kazuya had no chance to recover and prepare for the next. Over and over again, Heihachi drove his kicks into Kazuyas ribcage, savagely breaking the boys body as a smile crossed his sadistic lips.
Grasping Kazuya once more by the hair, Heihachi let him sit up on his knees. Forcing Kazuya’s head back, the elder Mishima looked into the reddened eyes of his son...his ocular capillaries having burst from the force of his choking grip on Kazuya’s throat. “If you defy me again boy, I will make the return from the cliff seem like a pleasant dream compared to what I will do to you. Next time I will kill you Kazuya.” Heihachi released the grip on the young Mishima. Kazuya refused to fall over...refused to show weakness as he tried to rise from his knees...one arm clutching his ribs...his eyes cast skyward to the starless night.
Heihachi laughed demonically, turning to walk back inside the mansion. Once Kazuya heard the door close, he collapsed onto the ground,....biting back the rising sobs into his bruised throat. His nose was broken...his ribs, cracked. But for all his injury, Kazuya Mishima....could not be broken.
Drawing himself up onto all fours, Kazuya opened his eyes as a sudden beam of pale blue electric light shot forth from his eyes....scorching the ground several feet away from him. Digging his fingertips into the earth...his nails were elongating...becoming yellowed talons....as he felt the flesh of his back....ripping.
Do not fight me, Kazuya. It is my time....you are weakened by the chemicals, by the tension release of this night....and finally, by the beating issued at the hands of your father. You can not hold me....vengeance will be ours....
“No...NO....” Kazuya cried out, biting into his split lip....focusing all of his Ki around himself as his own fatal lightning swirled against his form. “Not yet...please....”
The headlights of a car blinded the young Mishima, forcing him to close his eyes tightly with searing pain. The electric current surrounding his body died as suddenly as it sprang forth, the voice of the devil inside growing eerily quiet. Caught like a deer in the headlights, Kazuya ducked his head down....hiding from the garish blaze.
“What the fuck did you do to my car!” Lee screamed, his hands ripping into his hair as he walked around his beloved vehicle...inspecting the skid marks in the lawn and the smashed hood..visible as the headlights reflected from the house back onto the car. “God damn it Kazuya....first you fuck my girl...then you take my car and fuck that up too?”
Lee threw his jacket down onto the frozen ground, falling into stance. “Get up. I don’t care how sick you are or how bad you are overdosing, get the fuck up so I can have the pleasure of knocking your ass into the ground again....”
Kazuya looked up as Chaolans face went white. Dropping his stance, Lee fell to his knees on the dirt. Kazuya was clutching his ribs tightly, his face was covered in blood...his nose and lip bashed open as the cloy scent of burnt flesh circled sickeningly around him. The young Mishima’s flesh was blackened by something that left a forking trail...something like lightning. “He did this to you....didn’t he?” Lee put a hand on Kazuya’s heaving shoulder, his almond eyes connecting with the bloodied, burst capillary gaze of the young Mishima. “Let me help you, let me get you into the car....I will take you to the hospital...”
“I don’t need your help....” Kazuya snarled like a wounded animal...shrugging Chaolans touch from his shoulder....as he lunged forward with a bloodied hand...sending Lee back against the car with a surge of force.
Lee braced himself along the frame of his Eclipse....looking over the dented hood where Heihachi must have slammed Kazuya down. Blood spatters tainted the front window, falling down along the side of the vehicle as Lee assessed the area around him. Looking down, Kazuya left a perfect crimson handprint on his white shirt. Hardening his gaze, Lee Chaolan felt something inside of him....snap.
Storming off, the Silver Devil left Kazuya on the ground, slamming the front door behind him as he tore through the house on mission of annihilation. Lee found Heihachi in the library, standing in the center of the large lavish room with a snifter of brandy in his blood drenched grasp.
“Looking for something, Chaolan?” Heihachi arched a brow, a snicker drawing past his lips as he raised the blood tainted snifter.
“Yeah, old man, I was looking for you.” Lee hissed, his eyes growing cold beneath errant tendrils of his molten silver mane.
“How touching. The adopted brat has come to defend the brother who hates him. Such tragic irony, matched only by ridiculous notion that you could possibly think to bite the hand that feeds you.” Heihachi took a sip from the snifter as Lee threw himself into a full charge into his father.
Heihachi laughed darkly, throwing the liquid contents of his glass into the silver devils face as the boy charged. The alcohol stinging his eyes, Lee halted his charge...wiping his eyes.
The momentary lapse of conviction was all the elder Mishima required. Grasping Lee by the back of his shirt, Heihachi tossed Chaolan into the vast mahogany bookcases lining the far wall...raking his body across the collapsing shelves before raising a Geta foot into his spine.
Lee cried out with the force of the impact as Heihachi grasped the silver devil by the arms, drawing them behind his back and swinging him face first onto the floor...immobilized by the Geta in his spine. Raising his leg to stomp down, Lee rolled out of the way, swinging his foot around on the floor to meet the block of the Elder Mishima’s rock hard calves.
Lee rose as Heihachi fell into a full guffaw at the audacity of his adopted sons clumsy anger. Chaolan threw a series of rapid jabs, easily deflected by the elder Mishima as he stepped back, his right arm in high guard. With a reach of his left hand, Heihachi grabbed Chaolans fist...encircling his hand and holding him captive as he swung a series of his own punches to his adopted sons right eye.
Lee nearly lost his footing from the force of the impact, his nose dripping with thick streaks of blood. With a sweep of his leg, Heihachi dropped Chaolan to the floor, jumping up with a golden electric charged pouncing punch....connecting to the side of Lee’s cheek.
The silver devil rose to his feet, his hand rushing to the side of his face as the sting of Kazuya’s face flooded into his mind. Would Heihachi do the same to him? In the midst of his distraction...Heihachi lunged from his fighting stance, catching Lee Chaolan off guard....
Kazuya stumbled into the house, leaving the door wide open as a stream of blood followed him along the wooden floor. He could hear the sound of fighting, emanating from the library. Had Lee been foolish enough to challenge the cruel ministrations of Heihachi, all in his name? Why? Why after all Kazuya had done to the silver devil in the course of one evening would Lee be foolish enough to think he could champion the injured young Mishima?
Brotherly Love... The Devil laughed mockingly into Kazuya’s thoughts.
Wincing in pain, Kazuya removed the full tang Katana above the mantle in the formal dining room...unsheathing it with the delicious ting of metal. One hand braced over his broken ribs, Kazuya walked dragging the sword behind him.
Drawing into the entrance of the library, Kazuya leaned his shoulder against the doorjamb. Wracked with pain, the young Mishima looked around the dismantled room to find Lee bent with his back over Heihachi’s knee...the elder Mishima holding one lightning charged hand up in a hammer fist as if ready to drop the Guillotine over the throat of the bleeding Chaolan.
“Enough....” Kazuya hissed through his teeth, the blade of the katana dripping along the ground. He was too weak to wield it...with luck he would not need to.
Heihachi looked up, watching the glint of light fall over the metal of the ancient feudal Katana. Once, long ago the hand of a powerful warrior of the Mishima line held that sword in a battle, facing impossible odds....much as Kazuya did now. Heihachi knew his son was in no state to wield such an implement....though it was not wise to test the very edge of the boys’ steel will.
Heihachi smiled darkly, dropping Lee from his knee to crash onto the ground. Drawing himself to a stand, the elder Mishima looked unto Kazuya...a crazed sensation swirling through his eyes. “What did I say to you, boy?” He whispered almost..sweetly.
“There will be no more bloodshed tonight...” Kazuya hissed through gritted teeth. Lee rose to his feet, stumbling as his hand braced against the knocked over furniture to help him regain his balance.
“Kazuya, are you crazy...He will kill you.” Lee rubbed his cheek, unable to see out of his swollen shut eye.
“Get upstairs Lee.” Kazuya stepped back, giving Chaolan room to move past him. Stepping back, he followed his injured brother...guarding them both with the katana as he painfully made his way backwards up the stairs.
Heihachi came to the landing, laughing wildly as his hand braced along the railing. “You will have to put that blade down sometime. And when you do, you might find that steel imbedded in the soft flesh of your throat.”
Kazuya stumbled back from the last step on the second floor, falling against the wall. Saying nothing, Kazuya slid into the opened door of Lee Chaolans bedroom, kicking it closed as his trembling fingers locked it.
As if a door could keep the devil out, eh, Kazuya? He will kill you tonight...You must leave and take your chances on the streets....
Kazuya slumped down, his back falling along the door till he landed on the floor...the katana falling from his grip.
I will heal us with the force of our Ki, combined. By Mornings light we must be ready. Heed my words, young Mishima. Heed them or by nightfall we will both be dead.
Lee sat on the edge of his bed, shaking, his head resting in his hands. “What are we going to do? We can’t stay in here forever...”
“Why did you do that, Lee, you have only made it worse....How could you be so stupid?” Kazuya clutched his ribs tighter, it hurt to breath.
“Stupid? You are my brother, whether or not you like it. What he did to you was wrong. Somebody had to say something....somebody had to say it was not right.”
“And that someone had to be you?” Kazuya half snickered, trying to hide the sudden sense of swelling admiration he felt for his brother, Lee Chaolan. Blindly Lee had charged in, trying in vain to save the day. How insanely stupid...how blindingly brotherly Chaolans actions had been.
“Yeah.” Lee whispered, his fingertips grasping into his hair. Kazuya could see the glint of moonlight on the crystalline tears that fell along Chaolans hand...his palm braced just along the bridge of his nose.
“I will figure out what to do, just lay down and focus your Ki into meditation. I don’t think he will come in here, now that I have this....” Kazuya raised the ancient Katana, watching the reflection of his eyes in the polished blade.
Lee curled up on the bed, drawing his knees toward his chest as he wiped his eyes. In one single night, the silver devil had gained what he most desired and lost everything else in the process. The road to hell was paved with good intention and now Chaolan found himself walking that beaten path. What would come to pass with the morning....what were they both going to do?
Kazuya watched the digital read out on the clock. Two hours had passed since both he and Lee had locked themselves into Lees’ bedroom. The words devil whispered planted the seeds for his actions. Only by leaving did he have a chance to survive....only by leaving did Lee have the opportunity to be spared.
Drawing himself to a stand, Kazuya felt some of the pain in his body subsiding. He felt weak...drained. Devil was using the force of their energies to heal the young Mishima’s bruised body, though it was not without cost. How far could Kazuya make it, tired and hurt?
Stepping out into the hallway, Kazuya gripped the katana. The west wing was quiet, the house was dead. Drawing into his room, Kazuya shut the door behind him, gathering his things onto the bed. Clothing, his note book and pen...the picture of his mother Kazumi....his ornate knife....Kazuya threw his most important belongings into his tournament travel bag. Carefully changing his clothing as he bit back the urge to scream in pain, Kazuya wiped off his face, freeing his visage of the blood that marred his flesh.
Dipping his hand into a hidden drawer in his desk, Kazuya removed a handful of neatly rolled yen. It was the only savings he had, a small amount that would be just enough to get him by till he had a sense of direction.
Opening his window, Kazuya stepped up onto the window seat, tossing his bag down to the earth below his window...when suddenly he heard the door handle turn. A sense of fear rose into the back of his sore throat as he reached onto his bed for the katana.
“Kazuya....” Lee whispered, quietly opening the door to find the young Mishima poised on his haunches along the window seat...his clothing changed and a winter jacket tied around his waist.
“Be quiet!” Kazuya whispered. “Look, the only way either of us is going to benefit is for me to leave. You never saw me go...he will forget all about his anger toward you once he knows I am gone.”
“You can’t go out there alone, you don’t know the streets of Tokyo, you don’t know what is waiting out there for you!” Lee pleaded.
“I will be alright Lee, now go back to your room and lock the door. Take the katana, just incase.” Kazuya put the blade down on his bed, moving in toward the window.
“Bullshit, I am going with you. I’ve lived on the streets, you are going to need me....especially since you are hurt so bad. Besides, he will kill me if I stay behind, no matter what you believe. Let me get a few things, I will be right behind you.” Lee turned as Kazuya growled.
“Damn it, stay here. You are not coming with me and that is final!” Kazuya did not hesitate, lowering himself along the ledge of the window, precariously balancing as he took one final look at the bruised face of the silver devil. “Goodbye Lee.” With that, Kazuya dropped to the earth, rolling to his feet with a wince of severe pain.
Grabbing his bag up onto his shoulder, Kazuya ran along the side of the building onto the long driveway and out onto the main road. He ran as fast as he could in his wounded state, heading into the woods...letting there shadowy depths shield him as the sun rose over the horizon line. He had precious little time to find a place to hide. He had to get to Tokyo proper where he could melt into the bustling crowded streets...to fade away into obscurity.
Just before mid morning, Kazuya took a brief respite beneath the trunk of an ancient tree. He had to catch some rest...Devil was draining him...healing him to the point of exhaustion. Just a moment to rest and catch my breath...a single moment and I will go on, Kazuya thought to himself, resting his forehead on his bent up knees.
With a startle, Kazuya jolted his head upright. I must have fallen asleep, he cursed to himself, listening for the sound that roused him once more. Was it Heihachi? Had he be caught?
A ring of smoke encircled the trees as Lee Chaolan stepped out from the shadow of the surrounding woods. A pair of sunglasses shielded his battered eyes, a travel bag slung on his shoulder. “You really thought I would let you go without me?”
Kazuya shook his head as anger...and relief flooded his senses equally. “Lee, I told you not to do this. Why do you have to make everything so god damn hard for yourself? Do you know what Father will do to you if he finds you?”
“The same thing he will do to you if he finds us. But he won’t. I know the streets, Kazuya.” Lee crushed his cigarette, stuffing the butt into his pocket. No evidence.
“These are not the streets of Korea some 8 years ago. This is Tokyo and you have been fattened on the land, the good life will prevent you from remembering what it was like....” Kazuya ran his hand through his hair, shaking his head. What was he going to do?
“The city might change but the streets don’t. Just because I have been living it up does not mean I can not remember my roots. You are in no condition to do this. Without me Kazuya, you will get caught and that is even if you survive out here. You think some druggie in an alley won’t kill you for the sneakers your wearing? Your wrong.... Either we do this together or we turn around and go back, together. The choice is yours.”
Kazuya exhaled sharply, his eyes narrowing with a wince of pain. He hated to admit it to himself but Lee Chaolan was right. Kazuya had never spent a day on the streets and although he was strong and skilled...charged with demonic essence...he could not channel that force now, not as weak as he knew he was. “Alright Lee, for once, you win.”
Lee smiled, shouldering his bag once more. “Better once than never at all. Come on, we can get some rest after we hit the perimeter of the city. Let’s make some time.”