DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own any of the characters....
A New Beginning
Chapter 2 - When Words Intersect
Lee Chaolan sat at the desk in his hotel room. He had tried to sleep, but gave up after two hours. He had gotten out his laptop and was going to see what else he could find out, maybe add another piece to the puzzle. Write after signing online, a news article immediately came up with the headline "Heihachi Mishima Wins Once Again" What was this? Lee wasn't sure if he really went for this or not. Did Jin really lose to Heihachi, or was it really the other way around? Yet another question to add to the many.
"What was that?" Lee said to himself as he spun around in his chair. He had heard a sharp noise come from the bedroom. The thoughts flooded through his mind in an instant. Did he find out it was me? Is someone here to kill me? Is he here? Lee pulled out the center desk drawer and took out an eight milometer handgun. He then rose from his chair and steadily crept into the room, trying to make as little noise as possible. When he slowly cracked the door open and peeked in, he saw nothing more than a flung open window. The wind was blowing in all about the room. It was pretty windy outside and he could see that it was also fixing to storm. Lee sighed as he went over to close the double windows and lock them this time. He looked at the gun and chuckled.
Lee went back into the main room and sat back down at his desk. He then clicked to read the interview with Heihachi Mishima. It sounded like a bunch of shit to Lee, with quotes from Heihachi such as "Everything I do is for the well being of my fellow citizens." and "Oh, my grandson? I defeated him in the final round before he disappeared, I think he was angry with me for defeating him."
"This is a crap." Lee spat out as he read.
He then came upon one question Heihachi was asked that definitely caught his attention.
"So Mr. Mishima, and what of the rumours over the mysterious third finalist? A man from G-Corporation referred to him as the "resurrected devil" and was then assassinated several hours later."
"Resurrected devil, eh? Let's just say I was slightly impressed by him and we have an appointment. One long overdue."
Lee froze as he read this.
"Kazuya?...."
It couldn't be. He had died those twenty-two years ago. Or had he? Lee didn't quite know what to think at this time. Was it possible? Maybe there were other ways he could find out. He was, after all, pretty good at hacking. He quickly entered the G-Corporation's home page and after just half and hour, had managed to break into employees only section. He then began to go through the corporation's past records. After twenty more minutes, he found what he was looking for.
There were photographs from the inside of a volcano of a dead creature, with wings. Lee enlarged the photograph and took a better look at it. He gasp when he saw the apparent scar across it's chest. He then remembered something from the tournament. There had been a man there, one who rarely made an appearance. He hadn't seen him, but he had overheard Paul Phoenix and Marshal Law discuss over how "he" was back. He had also made the finals.
It was suddenly all coming together for Lee. All of it. Kazuya had to be alive. There was no other explanation. He actually felt like an idiot for not seeing it sooner.
"I, I can't believe it. Kazuya.. is.. alive?" Lee whispered as he stared wide-eyed and unmoving at the photograph on the screen.
"That's right, Lee." Came a voice from behind...
Jin had made it safely to his hotel and gathered his things. He had changed into his hooded flaming jacket and matching pants, and was now on his was to the nearest subway so he could get to the airport and get the hell out of this place. As he walked hastily to the subway, he couldn't help but glance over his shoulder at every sound he heard, or at every dark ally he passed. "This is ridiculous. I've become the master of paranoia." He chuckled lightly to himself. He then saw a light clash or lightning in the sky followed by the sound of soft thunder. The wind was beginning to pick up even more now too. He didn't really mind the rain, he loved it, but he would rather not get caught in it at this particular moment. As he finally saw the stairs that led down to the station, he sighed in relief, purely on the fact that he had, in fact, made it there in one piece.
As he stepped down the stairs, he stopped as he heard some rather loud and angered voices. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for Jin to down here right now. He didn't want to get into any trouble and end up blowing his cover at the last minute. He turned to go back up the stairs, but then realized that one of the voices, the loud one, sounded quite familiar. He knew it would be better if he would just continue up the stairs, but something, though he didn't know what, told him to turn around and quench his curiosity. He headed down the stairs and stopped to where he could peak his head in around the wall to where the voices were coming from. "Hwoarang?"
Jin was shocked at what he saw. Hwoarang standing there, his fist raised. All of those soldiers standing around him, their guns up and ready to fire. He knew Hwoarang had deserted the Korean Army to fight in the tournament, Hwoarang had told him right to his face he had with arrogance in his voice. Jin could see that Hwoarang was of course, not obeying his orders and looked like he was about to begin taking them out. Jin couldn't leave him like this, alone with no one to help him. The way it had always been for himself.
"This is your last chance. Surrender, or die."
"Hmp, we'll see about that." Hwoarang was about to begin fighting at this time when-
"Hey"
Everyone turned to see who the foreign voice was.
"Kazama?!" Hwoarang spoke in disbelief.
Jin simply nodded to him right before taking several of the soldiers out as their guns were scattered about the floor. Hwoarang decided it was time to do his part and launched a series of super-fast kicks at several of them himself, sending them down to the floor as well. There was only one left standing in sight. Jin smirked and eyed a glance to Hwoarang as they both simultaneously laughed a kick at him from each side, he fell down and passed out immediately afterwards.
"So, what took you so long Kazama?" Hwoarang asked in a sarcastic manner before giving a that sly smile of his.
"You know me, I always manage to come through at the last minute." Jin replied in the same manner before chuckling.
"Yeah, but at the mess we've left now." Hwoarang said before walking about the bodies and casually kicking them as he did.
They were both laughing lightly by now, but Hwoarang was still confused as to why Jin had helped him, and what had happened to him back in the tournament. He couldn't ask though. He didn't want to sound like he actually cared, even though it was true.
"Can't keep out of trouble for one second, huh Hwoarang?"
Hwoarang took this as an insult
"Oh, and you can? I think you have just as many of the fuckers after you as I do! Probably more!" Hwoarang said as he fell into fighting stance.
"What are you doing?" In asked as he saw Hwoarang do this.
"What does it look like I'm doing, Kazama? I'm going to kick yer ass now!"
"There's no reason to fight."
"You ain't got one, well I do!"
Jin had no choice now but to fall into stance as well now when he saw that Hwoarang was ready to launch a kick at him.
"Wait!" Hwoarang said as his eye's widened as he looked about the floor.
"What, are you deciding to back down now?"
"No, it's now that. There were eight soldiers earlier, I only see seven!"
"Are you sure?"
Just then, Hwoarang saw the missing soldier pop out from behind one of the large station poles with a gun in hand. It was aimed right at Jin. Jin had his back turned to the soldier, so he wasn't sure what Hwoarang's sudden look of shock was.
"Hwoarang? Hwoarang?! What is it?!"
"Jin get down!!!" Hwoarang yelled out as he charged at Jin, pushing him back.
In that instant, everything for Jin was a blur. He saw Hwoarang's look of shock, saw him charge at him, and then heard a shot. He realised when his back hit the floor that the missing soldier had obviously been right behind him. Jin tried to sit up, but Hwoarang was still on top of him. He watched as Hwoarang lifted himself and his eyes went wide as he saw the blood on himself, only it wasn't his..
"Oh my god.."
"Well, it looks like I won. And don't get any ideas, I've already radioed for backup." The general said slyly as he reloaded his gun.
"Hwoarang!" Jin exclaimed as he watched Hwoarang fall down on his knees to the floor, clutching tightly to the upper right side of his chest, right below the collar bone where he'd been shot.
"Jin, get out of here. It's me they want, not you. You still have a chance." Hwoarang said as his breathing began to pick up.
"No"
Jin turned toward the general, a look a pure rage in his eyes. This man would pay.
"I'd suggest you leave boy, unless you want to die too."
Jin said nothing and just kept pacing toward the man, as his eyes began to glow a shade of amber.
"What the hell are you?!" The general exclaimed alarmed as he raised his gun, ready to fire.
In what seemed like an instant, Jin had grabbed the end of the gun and jerked it upwards as it went off. He then did a rising uppercut to the man so hard, that lightning erupted from all over Jin's body as the general hit the ceiling before falling back down. Jin knew he was dead, he had died the second the blow was given. It looks like Jin hadn't truly forgotten the Mishima style of fighting after all... He then heard a pained groan as he turned back toward Hwoarang.
"Hwoarang." Jin grimly spoke as he rushed back over to him.
"I think you should get out of here now, the others will be here soon." Hwoarang had gone down, but he didn't want to take Jin down with him. Jin needed to get the hell out of here why he still could, the only thing he would do was just slow Jin's escape down.
"I'm not leaving without you." He bent down to scoop Hwoarang up into his arms. Jin hadn't felt such guilt since the day his mother was killed. If only Hwoarang had known. Jin knew it would have been a lot better if it had of been he himself shot, it would take him less than a week to heal a simple bullet wound. But Hwoarang hadn't known. He had taken the act of putting his life on the line for Jin. even though Jin didn't know quite why..
Hwoarang groaned at the pain as he was lifted into the air.. In Jin's arms..
"I have to get you to the hospital." Jin spoke softly as he gazed upon Hwoarang's wound, the wound he felt he himself had inflicted upon him.
"Even if you do, they'll be there." Hwoarang replied between breaths.
Damn. Hwoarang was right. And not only would the military most likely be there, but Heihachi's men, maybe assassins, and god knows what or who else.
But the question was, who could they turn to for help now?