Author's Notes: Hey everyone! Uh, yeah... sorry it took so long to update, but all the school, sports, & work has me in a shut-down period... I want to thank all of my wonderful readers and reviewers for encouraging me. It was you who kept me going on this site. ^__^ Also, I noticed I’ve received at least 5 e-mails in the past couple of months asking me about Bryan/Lei being an original pairing or if the story is true. The truth is... no, it’s not at all an original pairing, and yes, the story is true. Bryan and Lei did work as partners for the Hong Kong International Police Force following Tekken II after the murder of Lei’s first partner he was with on an airplane, which it is rumoured Bruce was responsible for, and Lei did discover that Bryan and Bruce(who also worked for the force and was best-friends with Bryan, though Lei didn’t like him very much) were dealing drugs, and Lei was the one responsible for starting the shoot-out Bryan died in.
Bryan was approximately 28-29 at the time, and Lei 27-31, so no one knows for ‘sure’ (other than namco) who was originally older to begin with, though most vote Bryan and Lei were about the same age, though Lei just a little bit older, maybe a year or so, but you also have to keep in mind that in China, you are already one-year-old at birth, and don’t start from 0. Anyway, enough with my ranting... read on!
*But first, I would like to state this chapter contains what I would classify as *extreme violence*, and, uh, yep, that’s all...
The Past is the Past
Chapter 9
The Mirror of one’s past
Can be a large road indeed...
To simply look at the reflection
And wonder what it means...
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“Shit,” Bryan once more repeated, swiftly raising himself up off of Lei when seeing the small squad of Tekkenshu in the midst of the darkness for himself. There were at least four, or so it appeared. Following Bryan’s moments, Lei too sat up in the leather seat, preparing to turn the keys he had never let go of back in the ignition.
“What are you doing?” Bryan questioned, quickly grasping Lei’s wrist before he could re-start the police car.
“What do you mean ‘what am I doing?’ I’m trying to get us out of here before Heihachi’s force spots us,” Lei hurriedly spoke.
“I think it would be better to just take care of them now. I have a hunch I could reason with them enough to where they would fill us in on more of what Heihachi Mishima’s currently up to,” Fury guaranteed, “And besides, maybe you’ve always been one to run away from your problems, but I’m not.”
“Is this what so much of your talk and actions are all about, Bryan? Just to prove that you’re better than me?” Lei questioned in a serious tone of voice, “That you have more power over me than I do over you?”
Bryan leaned closer over to Lei, nearly face-to-face as he lowered his voice to a whisper. A mocking whisper. “Why Lei, I thought that would have been made quite clear to you at least by the second time you came all over yourself?”
Lei growled while his eyes narrowed in anger, though he still didn’t retort to this; Bryan was right. He was clearly the dominant one over Lei, and this gave Lei an inscrutable feeling he couldn’t quite make out. A feeling relentlessly telling him something wasn’t right for the sole fact that he – Lei Wulong – wasn’t in control. It was a feeling he was neither used, nor partial to. Lei was just about to say something in remark to Bryan’s rather rude mockery, when Bryan suddenly spoke up first.
“You wait here,” Bryan seemingly ordered, though Lei had already come to realize the word ‘request’ wasn’t in Bryan’s vocabulary, there only were orders; demands. “I’m going out there to see what I can find out.”
Bryan was just about to exit the left side of the car, when he immediately noted Lei had the same idea. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m going out there, too,” Lei assured, removing a large band from the dashboard to his front, quickly tying it back into his long and thick strands of ebony hair.
Bryan then let out a sarcastic smirk, “Did I say you could?”
“What the hell is it with you?” Lei now demanded himself in a harsh whisper, trying to maintain his voice level to a composed degree that couldn’t be heard from outside. “No one tells me what to do, and I’m just as good a – if not better fighter than you are. Just because you’re more powerful than me doesn’t make you the better fighter.”
“You and I both know I would beat the living hell out of you in any fight. On the unlikely chance I didn’t kill you, that is,” Fury irritatingly stated. Bryan then looked temporarily through the lucid window and out into the street’s dimness. The Tekkenshu had seemingly overlooked the police car, for the time being at least, as they were now heading in the opposite direction into a more lively area. Bryan knew he had to act fast if he wanted to catch them without attracting dangerous and unwanted attention from any bypassing individuals.
Before Lei could so much as speak, or argue in this case, Bryan was out the police car’s door and into night, not even bothering to shut the door as it still remained slung wide open.
Fury quickly ran in the direction of where the four Tekkenshu had sauntered off to, which Bryan also noted was the same direction he and Lei had just driven from. This just made the situation in its entirety all the more suspiciously questionable... He stopped briefly as he came upon the corner of a brick building, glancing around it as he continued to catch up with Heihachi’s small group of soldiers.
“Hey Ryo, how much further till’ we reach this place, anyway?”
“Not too far, but it’s not like anyone’s there anyway. We were fortunate enough to get stuck with the easy job...” Ryo, who was one of Heihachi’s lead Tekkenshu, then swore he heard something from behind, swiftly turning around with his gun raised, only to face the seemingly deserted street...
“What the hell was that for?” Jou asked.
“Isamu... where-where is he...?”
“Right here...” a dark voice said out of no where, just as suddenly as a body came flying at the three remaining Tekkenshu from around the corner of a concrete building... It was severely mutilated...
“Shit!” Ryo exclaimed, “Raise your guns!”
The three men just stood transfixed temporarily, gazing ahead at the spot where the mysterious voice had descended from, trying not to so much as glance at the fallen body below... This continued for what almost seemed like too long...
“Well...” Sotan whispered to the others, “What do we do now...?”
“Die.”
Ryo and Jou then turned around in the process of hearing a scream. The sight they then witnessed was yet another horrifying one indeed...
There stood none other than Bryan Fury, who was standing behind Sotan’s now deceased body. His neck had been twisted to the point where he was decapitated... Bryan’s hands were covered completely in blood which continuously dripped from his fingers as he stood, an unfading grin present on his face.
“Tsao!!!” Jou exclaimed. “It’s Bryan Fury!!”
“No shit. Now, which one of you wants to die next?”
“Fire the damn gun!” Ryo ordered as he too fired his.
Fury just continued to stand there, laughing and completely amused. “Surely Heihachi would have taught you by now that those fancy M-18s are worthless against me, just like the rest of your foolish toys. It pisses the hell out of me to see the way you idiots who rely on a gun to do all the work for you have the infidelity to call yourselves fighters.” Bryan stated, right before charging forward at Jou, grabbing him by the neck of his helmeted head. Jou tried to struggle, but it was completely pointless. He had never seen such power...
Bryan immediately smashed his head against the nearby brick wall. The helmet didn’t do any good whatsoever. Blood seemingly exploded in one motion, staining the wall a splattered shade of dark crimson as screams were heard.
“Stop it!!!”
Fury turned his head at this. Now standing a few yards to his right was Lei Wulong... apparently horrified and appalled at the scene present before him.
Bryan turned, dropping the marred soldier to the also blood-covered pavement. “I thought I told you stay back at the car?”
Ryo, the last remaining of the Tekkenshu, wasted no time and took the opportunity to run, taking off in Lei’s direction, which was the direction everyone had come from earlier on.
“Oh no you don’t,” Fury laughed as he began to take off after the sprinting Tekkenshu. The detective moved from Ryo’s path, allowing him to pass. Bryan followed soon after with amazing speed, though next thing he knew, he was suddenly swept to the floor...
“Run! Get out of here!” Lei yelled after the soldier, and Ryo did just that, disappearing into the darkness of night.
When Bryan stood back up, he was not very happy...
“It seems you forget your place, Lei Wulong,” Bryan growled.
“What have you done...?” Lei whispered as he turned to the side. He didn’t want to see the horrid scene present before him... “What the fuck have you done?!!”
“And what would you have done? Whipped out your little gun and shot them all while also getting shot for yourself?” Bryan stated in an irritated and angered tone. “Now you let that Tekkenshu trash get away before I had the chance to question him!!”
“And then what were you going to do to him, huh?” Lei spoke with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, disgusted at the truism of Bryan’s immutable hunger to kill. “Why...? Why must you kill like this...? And why always in such a sadistically cruel and brutal manner?”
“Because he isn’t human, detective...”
“Huh?” Lei muttered in confusion before swiftly turning once more to his right, only to see a face he and most others from the Tekken Tournaments wanted to forget...
“Heihachi...” Bryan spat. Lei fell into fighting stance, as the elder Mishima only stood a mere five yards to his front.
“This... thing has only been using you as well, you know,” Heihachi stated in a completely calm and serious voice as he faced the raven-haired man, “You’ve seen now and many times before how brutal and untamed it is. The lifeless thing only wants you for your body. He still plans to kill you, and most likely in a very appalling way, once he feels that he’s fucked you enough, if there’s even a limit. He even told me this.”
“Mind your own goddamn business,” Bryan demanded as he began to gradually step forward.
“It’s true,” Heihachi smirked as he had never once broken eye contact with Lei, able to see the way Wulong’s expression changed when Bryan hadn’t come back with an argument... “And you’ve known this, too. The man you knew all those years ago died in a Hong Kong shoot-out, which you yourself witnessed and are to blame for. This specious thing is nothing more than your former partner’s body; a charlatan; enhanced especially, and only, to kill,” the Mishima guaranteed, “Abel himself modified Fury this way, with many amplified manifestations other than just power. The increase of anger, hatred, and lust, any of which when triggered, will only serve to make him that much more violently powerful. You yourself trigger all of the above in him, so in a sense, your presence only causes more pain and suffering to unfold.”
Heihachi grinned still more. He could tell Lei was buying every word that fell from his mouth, and he had no reason to do otherwise, as true as the words stood... “Just take a look at what your sins have caused,” he spoke, directing Lei’s glance over to the mutilated bodies of the deceased Tekkenshu, “You gave up your honour to aid in this?”
“No...” Lei whispered, straining in an effort not to fall down to his knees, an effort not to be weak and shed a shameful tear. Heihachi could see this in his eyes.
“And to think, out of all the competitors in the tournament...” the Mishima began in an evil voice, “I never figured you to turn out the biggest slut of them all, and a faggot no less. Also... the submissive ones who ‘take it’ are the ones who should be disgraced the most, for at least the other gets to retain his masculinity.”
That was it. Lei wasted no time whatsoever, charging at the elder man he despised so much. Heihachi had already anticipated the attack, though Lei’s amazing speed and agility enabled him the benefit of at least getting the first hit in, the narrow of his hand coming into contact with Heihachi’s torso in a vicious poke. Heihachi growled slightly from pain, enraged that Lei had managed to get in a hit in the first place. Heihachi followed with an effort to deliver the detective a blow to the face, but Lei quickly dodged it, giving the elder man an ankle kick, quickly followed by a direct kick to the knee, as Heihachi became even more flustered. Right after he’d made his last attack, Lei wasted no time in attempting to inflict his next, a furious punch to the elder Mishima’s face. ...However, right at the last second, Heihachi slanted his head to the side, causing Lei to miss his target, as Heihachi instead caught Wulong’s wrist.
“Fool!” Heihachi spat as he looked down at Lei, “You even think to deem yourself worthy enough to fight me, as inconsequential and weak as you are?” he then rapidly twisted Lei’s arm hard and upwards with sheer ferocity. Lei cried out in pure pain.
Bryan watched the whole incident from a few feet away, suddenly having the urge to kill the conniving Mishima more than he had a few seconds before, though he had no idea why. Maybe it was just on the soul fact that someone else had dared to mess with his territory, his fuck toy, but no, there was no way it was possibly because Bryan actually gave a damn about Lei...
“Let him go,” Bryan ordered, “It’s me you want, not him.”
Heihachi’s grin widened even more so, “It’s your call,” he stated, right before delivering Lei a furious rising uppercut to the chest, the powerful man making a fluent spinning motion as sparks of lightening emitted from his body. Lei flew backwards in mid air, coming to land on the pavement’s rough surface nearly a full twenty yards away... Skidding to a halt, he lay there, motionless as the several other bodies nearing him...
“Looks like I just ascribed another corpse to your collection,” Heihachi laughed.
“I’m going to fucking kill you you son of a bitch!!!” Bryan exclaimed as he now charged at Heihachi with the same rage Lei had before, though much more intense. Bryan immediately unleashed a four-hit combo, finishing with a mach kick that caused Heihachi to recoil a few feet. Following up with his next attack, Fury made a quick attempt to inflict another rage-filled blow upon the elder man, though Heihachi quickly blocked it, instead giving Bryan a knee to the chest before slamming him backwards with a fierce punch.
“I’m impressed. You indeed possess tremendous power,” Heihachi granted, “Though power will only get you part of the way there. Your fighting style is much too predictable against one as skilled as I.”
“Fuck you,” Bryan retorted before wiping the blood from his lower lip.
Heihachi laughed, still seemingly temperate. “Do my eyes deceive me, or is that actual blood that flows through your dead veins?”
Bryan figured it wasn’t possible for him to become more enraged than he already was, charging at the scandalous man yet again. Fury’s shoulder collided directly with Heihachi’s chest, sending him flying backwards to hit the brick wall of a nearby building. Heihachi growled once more, rising to deliver a raging kick at Fury.
“Reversal,” Bryan sneered, though Heihachi pulled his leg back which the kick-boxer had a hold of, causing him to fall forward slightly. This was all the time the Mishima needed to slam his elbow down against Bryan’s back, as Bryan immediately fell down to the pavement. Fury tried to rise, but not only did a sheering pain in his chest suddenly come into play, but also Heihachi’s foot against his back, pressing him harder down against the rough surface of the pavement.
“You lose,” Heihachi laughed in triumph. “Looks like you’ll be going back to hell a bit sooner than you originally thought...” the tall man then pressed his leg down even harder to the point where Bryan began losing breath.
“Hmm, they’re late,” Heihachi sighed after rolling up the sleeve to his fur-lined coat to take a glance at his watch.
“And so are you...”
Heihachi then fell forward after receiving a rather weak, though still well delivered kick from behind. Bryan immediately sprung up from the ground after this incident. “Lei?”
Indeed it was, though as swiftly as Lei had made the kick, was as swiftly as he fell back down. He couldn’t quite handle the pain of vicious blow Heihachi had dealt him before, clutching an arm around his torso.
“Get up,” Bryan rudely demanded with not so much as even a hint of sympathy, reaching his arm down to ensure Lei’s own, jerking it upwards. Lei whimpered, instantly pulling his arm back in pain.
The enraged Mishima had just stood back to his feet, ready to continue the fight, when he instead just suddenly stopped to stand still, a grin once more plastered on his face. Bryan looked up shortly afterwards, hearing the sound of propellers as the lights of helicopters first came into view.
Heihachi pulled a small device from within the confines of his coat pocket, which then appeared to be a small, black walkie-talkie. The elderly fighter instantly brought the device to his mouth. “Out,” he simply spoke, and just like that, at least twenty or so Tekkenshu began to surface in the darkness bordering the many buildings on the street.
Heihachi glared right at Bryan. “I finally have the devil gene within my grasp after all these years of waiting, and I will not lose it because of you!”
Lei managed a faint gasp, looking up at Bryan from where he knelt on the pavement. Lei hadn’t received quite the whole story from Bryan after all...
“You might as well surrender yourself, Bryan Fury,” the Mishima suggestively spoke, “Fore long, everyone will be after you, and not just the cops and detective agencies who already are, but even the supposed good guys who oppose my work. You’re going to die soon anyway. Give yourself up now, and I might just consider sparing that little slut of yours.”
“I don’t give a damn about him!” The cruel words flew right out of Bryan’s mouth without so much as a second thought.
“I figured that anyhow. Oh well, more sparring practice for me,” Heihachi sarcastically shrugged, “Stay back for now,” he ordered the surrounding Tekkenshu before sauntering in Bryan’s direction.
Fury once more fell into fighting stance, taking a quick glance to his side, down at Lei.
“Don’t you ever touch me again...”
Lei wasn’t looking at Bryan when he murmured this, his face partially shielded by his ebony bangs, accompanied by a few disarranged strands of hair which blew in the cool night air. Fury’s glance remained set on him even after these words were spoken. Bryan didn’t even have time to prepare for the incoming blow delivered from Heihachi, which ended up knocking him backwards a good ten yards or so.
Bryan sprung up from the ground, charging forth at Heihachi with pure animosity, though the elder man was all too prepared for it, quickly side-stepping Bryan’s attack, granting Heihachi vantage enough to deliver Fury another rage-filled blow.
“Too easy,” the Mishima laughed. “I’ll give you one more chance, only because I find this so amusing.”
Fury stood once more, angered even more by the laughing expression on Heihachi’s face. Usually in matches, Bryan himself was the one laughing, and never his opponent.
“And now, you lose,” the elder man laughed, launching one of his most deadly blows in the air as lightening sparks emitted from his fist.
“...Over my dead body,” Bryan spat, ducking this attack to repay Heihachi the courtesy, kicking the man in the chest as hard as he possibly could. Heihachi flew backwards with speed, crashing right through the large windows of a nearby market. Shattered pieces of glass flew everywhere within range, littering the surrounding sidewalk and street with the shimmering material.
Time stood still for a few moments. Heihachi hadn’t resurfaced, nor any sound heard from within the building. Curious, Bryan went forth and leapt through the building’s windows, which were lined with sharp and broken pieces of glass. Fury scanned around the darkness inside temporarily. It was a fairly large store indeed. Still, Heihachi was yet to be seen, though there were traces of blood about the floor. Also, since there was undeniably an alarm now going off, Fury new he didn’t have much time before an army of cops would arrive...
“Show yourself you fucking coward!” Bryan exclaimed before walking further within the building’s confines. Since it was presumably a grocery store, there were many isles about the inside. Fury suddenly swore he heard something come from the back of the building, quickly running down one of the many isles without hesitance, charged with the very antipathy running through his veins. Upon reaching the end, he looked down and noticed the fallen cereal box on the floor. Even though Bryan himself had no trouble seeing in the immense darkness, he couldn’t help but wonder how Heihachi could make it around in here for himself... something wasn’t quite right. There must have been Tekkenshu in there or something.
Then, another thought suddenly crossed Bryan’s mind.
Lei...
He’d left him out there wounded and defenceless; free for Heihachi’s taking. By going further into the building, Fury had done just what the conniving Mishima had wanted him to do...
“Shit...” Bryan cursed as he turned around, heading back toward the broken window he had first come through. He quickly sprinted down the long and narrow path of the isle, feeling the cool night time breeze brush throughout the store. Upon reaching the shattered window, Bryan was now in for a rather unpleasant surprise...
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Okay, there’s chp 9 for you! (I really hope I still have some readers left out there...) Especially considering the time of year it is. I myself obviously know how hard making time for extras can be in balancing out with school, sports, and other activities. The only time I’ve even read any ff here at ff.net has been in my free time during BCISII...
Also, if anyone’s interested, I’ve managed to make some good progress on my in-progress web site. That’s where I’ll most likely be archiving some fanfiction you won’t, and may not see here, along with my art, doujin scans, and some other misc. stuff, so watch for it if you want.
-Sapph