1:00 PM

"Come in."

Upon hearing the knocking at his door, Heihachi called out to whoever was standing behind it and waited for them to reveal themselves. The doorknob turned and the door opened an instant after that to reveal a familiar Asian female wearing a silver dress and a black trenchcoat with her black hair held back with a white hair band. "Ah, I have been expecting you, Jun," the elderly karateka said with a smile as he stood up from his desk and outstretched his hand. "Please, come in and make yourself comfortable."

Three days had passed since the destroyer Azazel and his priestess Nagalya at the hands of the Kazama-ryu practitioner and her two companions Kazuya Mishima and Lee Chaolan. With the exception of a neighboring building that Azazel decimated during his climatic arrival at Mishima tower, the damage that he dealt to the city was almost non-existent.

However, Nagalya left a mark on the city that it would not soon recover from: the brutal mass murder of the unfortunate students who stood in her path during her rampage at Mishima High School. Unbeknownst to the city, the killer had already been dispatched and destroyed, even though it gave Lee a heavy heart whenever those who knew the truth reminded him of it. Even though Jun did not personally know any of the victims, she had made plans to attend their funerals later in the week.

"I come here, as per your request," Jun bowed her head politely before straightening herself out and crossing her legs. "I understand there is something that you wish to speak to me about."

"I wish to personally thank you for dealing with miss Nagalya," Heihachi informed Jun of the reason he requested her presence before walking over to a panel on a wall and pressing a combination of buttons. Upon completing the combination, a secret compartment revealed itself and automatically opened to uncover a freezer. Reaching into the freezer and pulling out a bottle of champagne, the reigning King of Iron Fists went over to his desk and pulled out two wine glasses. "The public would have been in an uproar if she were still at large."

"Please put away the champagne," Jun lightly put her hand in front of her just before Heihachi popped the bottle open. "Many people died by her hands, but her death was not a victory. She was a martial artist who was dealing with a massive conflict within her soul…a conflict that she lost."

"…I suppose you are right," Heihachi frowned before nodding his head and putting the bottle back in his freezer and sitting back into his seat behind his desk. "From what I gathered, she was a warrior who the potential to be great: perhaps worthy enough to win the tournament, had she tried to control her demons."

"What did you do with the body?" Jun suddenly asked, causing the elder karateka to raise an eyebrow. Seeing that she had his attention, the former detective explained the reason for asking her question. "As I told you over the phone earlier, Chaolan wishes to hold a funeral for her, but before he can do so, he would like to put his mind at ease knowing where it went off to."

"Hmph…I suppose I can grant that lout that much information," Heihachi said with a scoff at the mention of his adopted son that he cast out so long ago. "I placed her body in the vault back at the Mishima mansion. No one will be able to disturb it locked within six feet of the finest steel that money can buy, and it's much easier than telling the masses that it's actually the frozen corpse of the killer of those children."

"Lee will be relieved to hear that," Jun replied with a thin smile. "He wanted the world to not see her as a heartless murderer: while I myself am not keen about hiding the truth, I do realize that it is to prevent a massive panic. The city would have been in a uproar if they knew that they were moments away from Armageddon."

"I am glad to hear that someone of your moral standing agrees with my actions," Heihachi nodded his head before narrowing his eyes at Jun. "Now, just to be sure…repeat to me what the story will be when someone asks you about what happened these past three weeks."

"The Wisps were actually actors in makeup," Jun recited the cover-up story that the Zaibatsu had concocted to avoid the masses from knowing what really transpired during the war with Nagalya. "Using hidden cameramen, the Wisps and whoever were involved fighting them were part of a Shinkenger television series that the Zaibatsu is funding. The people thought it was real, because it was made to look real so as to garner the desired reaction."

"What about the night club and what happened at Saitama Super Arena?"

"The victims of both incidents were slain by the same killer who took the lives of the children at Mishima High School," Jun took a deep breath as she tried to remember every detail of what the lie would consist of. "Upon killing the children, the murderer took his own life by slitting his wrists: his body was found two days ago at a nearby building."

"Recreating a killer that looked like a knight was simple enough: much simpler than what happened for real," Heihachi again nodded his head and smiled, pleased with Jun's devotion to their charade. "This will be the story that is published in all of tomorrow's leading newspapers: tell Kazuya and Lee that it is imperative that they do not report what really happened."

After saying that, Heihachi opened up a drawer in his desk and reached inside to pull out three envelopes. Each enveloped was closed shut with a red wax seal, and the center of the seal contained the two kanji that spelled out "Tekken." Handing the three letters to Jun Kazuma, Heihachi watched as Jun opened the one that had her name on it and asked, "What is this?" as she looked at the letter within.

"These are your invitations to the next King of Iron Fist tournament," Heihachi explained with a wide smile. "I have spoken to the president of G-Corporation, and he has agreed that both his organization and the Mishima Zaibatsu will end hostilities until it is time for the tournament. If someone from either side wins the tournament, then to the winner go the spoils."

"In other words, if G-Corporation loses, then all of their assets become absorbed by the Mishima Zaibatsu, and vice versa," Jun reasoned before fixing her sunglasses and looking up to Heihachi. "I am glad to see that this corporate war is being done as civil as possible…"

Upon hearing Jun's words, Heihachi burst into a hearty, manly laughter. "Civil? I wouldn't be surprised if by the time the tournament came around, G-Corporation enlisted every single one of their rust-bucket Jacks to try and take me out just like last time. Of course, it's not like they're going to stand a chance anyway! BWA-HAHAHAHAH!"

Quickly regaining control of himself, Heihachi cleared his throat and turned his head to see that Jun was picking up her things and leaving. "Where are you off to in such a rush?"

"Pardon the cliché, but there are groceries that I wish to buy at the market before it becomes too late in the day," Jun said with a smile before turning back around and politely bowing her head. "Thank you for the invitations, Heihachi: I will give these to Kazuya and Lee when I see them later today."

"Thank you for that," Heihachi bowed his head slightly in return before adding in one last comment just before Jun closed door. "Congratulations once again on your victory: I hope that you bring that same prowess with you to the tournament!"

--

3:00 PM

The smell of death still lingered in the air…

Even though the authorities might have tried to clean up the bodies and blood, Kazuya had taken enough lives to know a killing ground when he walked upon one. Mishima High School, once a place of hope and happiness, had become a school haunted by fear and superstition.

Kazuya did not mind this: in fact, seeing the school that was founded by his hated father Heihachi suffocating in horror made him smile. It is a shame that I had to put an end to Nagalya's madness, the Cold-Blooded Prince thought as he scanned the area to find who he was looking for. Even though innocent deaths are an unfortunate side effect of warfare, watching the students who trust Heihachi cower in fear is certainly interesting…

Looking towards the golden statue of the reigning King of Iron Fists and stood proudly in the center of the courtyard, Kazuya found his quarry: a handsome young man with black hair closely resembling his own, albeit with thicking bangs dangling in front of his face slightly. Whenever Kazuya visited this individual, he always had the urge to vomit: seeing this man made him sick to the stomach.

He has humiliated me almost as many times as Heihachi, Kazuya thought with a snarl as he swallowed his pride and walked towards where the man was standing with his arms folded. I wonder why he has asked for me to come here: it better not be because he wants to settle things, because I am not in the mood to deal with him…

"Hello…Jin," Kazuya growled just loud enough for the man to hear once he was within speaking distance. "I am here, just as you requested. Why is it that you have summoned me to this infernal place."

"There is nothing infernal about this place…father," Jin replied with a scowl, visibly sickened by the title that fate had given Kazuya in relation to him. "I've heard a lot of crazy stories about what happened to this magnificent school, but I know what really happened: a monster came and attacked it…"

"So what if it did?" Kazuya asked, folding his own arms as he returned his son's scowl with a cold glare. "What does it have to do with me?"

"Do me a favor and not assume that I am an idiot," Jin replied abruptly. "You, my mother, and Lee fought this monster the night of the murders, and then fought an even more powerful creature at Mishima tower the morning after. What I want to know is this: were either of these creatures your creations from the last time?"

"Tch…Of course not," Kazuya said with a scoff as he rolled his eyes. "Unlike you, I do not make the same mistakes twice. I fought those monsters because it was in my best interest to do so. Both your uncle and your mother fought them for the same reasons, so do not think that I forced them to do anything."

"I'm not," Jin said before taking a deep breath and outstretching his hand. "Now that I know that you weren't simply cleaning up your mess, I might as well tell you the other reason I asked for you to come here: I want to thank you for keeping this city safe…"

"…"

Taking note of Kazuya's silence and realizing that his father was not going to accept his handshake, Jin lowered his hand and cleared his throat. "It is not easy for me to say this, given how much bad blood there between us. After all, it was only two months ago that you and I tried to mutilate each other like animals. However, I think I might have misjudged you…"

"How do you figure that, Jin?" Kazuya asked with a raised eyebrow. "I admit to being what you call evil: what reason do you have to doubt that claim?"

"My mother told me about how you saved her life during what happened at the lab," Jin began as he put his hands in the pockets of his karate pants. "If you were really as bad as I thought you were, you would not have interfered to begin with. Instead, you came to her aid, and then stuck with her throughout the entire ordeal."

"It seems that you know much about this affair," the father said with a frown. "I hope that you have not shared what you know with anyone else…"

"Of course not," Jin quickly answered, his eyes widening. "Xiaoyu and Asuka keep asking me if I know anything about it, but I'm forced to lie to them…it's probably for the better, though. If I told them that the killer of their friends was a supernatural monstrosity, all it would do is needlessly them." After completing that sentence, the man nicknamed the Fatal Lightning lowered his head, as if he were ashamed of something. "I still don't know why mother didn't go to me in the first place: I could have called Hwoarang and the others and reassembled the team…"

"You really are an idiot," the Cold-Blooded Prince allowed himself a smirk as he unfolded his arms. "You should just let the grown-ups deal with their own business, while you children worry about yours. Your mother is an adult more than capable of taking care of herself, and she doesn't need your muscle to keep her out of harm's way."

"…heh," Jin allowed a smile to creep upon his lips as he thought about what his father had said. "For a moment, you actually sounded like a real father, and not just a biological one. You have changed a lot since mother came back…and I think it's been for the better." Lifting his head just in time to see Kazuya's smirk turn back into a scowl, Jin put his hands to his hips and politely bowed. "Thank you for your time, father: I have nothing left to say to you…"

"Good, because I'm tired of listening to your sniveling voice," Kazuya spat back as he turned around and started to walk away. "Unless you have any other questions, I do not want to see or hear from you until the next tournament…"

--

5:58 PM

Lee impatiently tapped his foot as he waited for Kazuya and Jun to arrive at their arranged meeting place. Due to how difficult it would be to burying Nagalya's crystallized body without shattering it like the Nightmare Wisp or Azazel, it was decided that they would hold their funeral at the small crossing near Tokyo Bay.

The funeral would be a simple one, and there was not much to say about her that had not been already expressed through their several battles with her. Maybe she would have wanted a fancy funeral, or maybe she didn't want one at all, Lee muttered at his looked at his other hand to see the violet fedora he had purchased earlier in the day specifically for this event. It's too bad that we can't know for sure: I was hoping that we could send her off in style…

"You seem to have a lot on your mind, Mr. Lee Chaolan…"

Turning his head to the right to see a familiar dark-haired woman wearing a sleeveless ruby dress, Lee gave the person a quick smile before turning back towards the water. "It's good to see you again, madam Zafina. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"I just wanted to congratulate you on your victory against the destroyer Azazel," Zafina answered truthfully, returning the smile with one of her own as she walked up next to the silver-haired martial artist and followed his gaze into the body of water in the distance. "You should feel proud: there are few mortals in this world that would have even caused the beast to use half of his power, much less all of it."

"He was just a big blowhard," Lee remarked without before looking down and seeing the water below him flow towards the bay. "Of course, I would probably be gloating about it more if not for losing Nagalya. That's kind of why I'm here right now…"

"Ah…the priestess," Zafina nodded her head as she remembered the name. "It sounds as if you fell in love with her, despite the circumstances that set the two of apart. What a perfect tragedy: two lovers that can never be together due to their position as natural enemies…"

Before Lee could say anything, he could feel a pair of arms slowly wrap around him and put him in a gentle embrace. Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, the martial artist brushed back his silver hair and asked Zafina a simple question: "What are you doing?"

"I could always fill the gap," Zafina replied with a mischievous smirk before letting go of Lee and slowly descending onto the ground so that was lying back on the ground with her elbows and legs propping her up. "Come on, it's the least I can do for a handsome hero like you…"

"You know, I would have taken you up on that offer three weeks ago," Lee said with a smirk of his own before turning away and looking out into the distance once again. "Sorry, but I think I'm going to hold off on women for a while…"

"I can respect that," Zafina's smirk widened into a grin as she quickly got back onto her feet and dusted herself off. "I just wanted to come and say thank you: I suppose my words were sufficient thanks. However, I must be going back to my home country." Waving goodbye as she turned to walk away, the enigmatic Zafina said her farewell. "Perhaps we will meet at the next tournament…"

Shortly after Zafina left, Lee heard another female voice call his name. Turning to his left to see Jun and Kazuya come towards him, a new smile formed on Lee's face. Sorry, Zafina, but I still have unfinished business. Maybe I'll be ready to go back to being the same old playboy one day, but for now…I'm going to simply be celebrating life.

After exchanging pleasantries with his two comrades, Lee looked at his fedora one last time as Jun placed the cooler she had brought with her on the ground and opened it to reveal a bottle of champagne and three wine glasses. "Ironically, your father offered me champagne earlier today," Jun said as she took the bottle out of the cooler and placed the glasses on the railing of the bridge. "I knew how important this was, so I declined until we finished this."

Popping open the bottle, Jun gently poured the champagne into the three glasses and placed the bottle on the ground. Once the three of them had taken their individual glasses, Lee lifted his cup and prepared to begin the funeral. "To Nagalya, the woman that changed my outlook on life…"

With a thin smile, Jun raised her glass and toasted to the object of the "funeral." "To Nagalya, the woman who found her conscience just when the world needed it the most…"

A hush fell over the trio, and Jun and Lee turned their heads to Kazuya and waited for him to participate. With a smirk of his own, the Cold-Blooded Prince lifted his glass and gave his own requiem. "To Nagalya, an opponent worthy of my time and consideration…"

"May her soul find happiness in the afterlife."

With those final words, Lee tossed the fedora into the bay and said a silent farewell as the trio gently clinked their cups together and drank deep in the champagne that signified the end of the Wisp affair. And with that, the case is closed…courtesy of Jun Kazama and the great Mishima brothers!

--

Author's note: When I first began writing my Tekken trilogy, I had no idea that it was going to be a trilogy. I was planning to simply write the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 and just leave there, closing up as many loose ends as I could while still giving it the feel that there will always been a new tournament as long as strong fighters existed. My intention was to create a story that was at least as enjoyable and fun as the Kazama-Mishima Connections (created by Gwendy, who inspired me to write Tekken fiction in the first place) that took the fanfiction community by storm.

However, things obviously did not turn out that way: in fact, I'm sure there were several people who were not down with Tekkenshu Sentai Shinkenger. Despite this, I felt the need to write another story, and so the Shinkenger were born. I became so pleased with Shinkenger that I dubbed it my best work…and perhaps I became a little arrogant due to being so proud of it.

I see now that I still had a long way to go, and I realized this when I worked on my original fiction Sheol (which, if anyone is interested, can be found either on fictionpress under the same penname or at deviantart under the handle psycho-blue). While it was far from bad, I saw that my story-telling skills still needed work, and my self-esteem dropped ever so slightly.

After talking with some friends about it, I decided to create a third Tekken story: the one that you see before you. I had tied up most of the loose ends that I wanted to tie up back in Shinkenger, but I felt that there was still something that I could work with…and then I realized something: I had inadvertently made Kazuya the star of my trilogy.

Anyone who knows me is well aware of how much of a Heihachi fanboy I am. After all, he's not just old…he's f—king old, and he's still kicking everyone's butt! I actually used to make fun of all the hype Kazuya got in Tekken 4 only for him to fall flat on his face in the end…and yet, he became the star: in KOIFT6, he became the lead anti-hero; in Shinkenger, he became the chief-villain, and in this story, he became a full-time hero.

Another theme that has been prominent throughout all of my stories is Kazuya and Jun's relationship. While I think that Gwendy's representation of their love might have been too extreme, for a lack of a better term, I do believe that rape was not a factor in the conception of Jin. Little by little, Kazuya has opened up to Jun, and it came to a head here in Soul Breakers.

With that in mind, I now declare my Tekken trilogy complete. I am not sure whether or not I will write Tekken fiction again now that I have ended it on a positive note, but I will never say never. I guess the most I can do is wait and see what happens, and I hope to see you whenever I decide to write here at fanfiction(dot)net!