Epilogue

Anna stormed into the bedroom, her eyes red from crying but her face angry. Kazuya followed her as she wordlessly went to the closet and pulled out luggage and began stuffing clothing in it. They had been fighting all night; she had spent most of the time in tears while he tried to assure that everything was fine, that she had nothing to worry about. However, he ended up raising his voice eventually when she constantly refused to believe him, yet the more he listened to himself, the more Kazuya began to wonder himself if he actually meant anything he said to her.

It had all started with a question the previous night:

"Do you love me?" she had asked as they lay together in bed. His response was silence, and he sat up. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, and leaned over, refusing to look at the confused woman he was sharing a bed with.

She sat up as well, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No." He stood up, walked numbly into the bathroom in their bedroom, and then shut the door behind him. Anna gathered up the blankets on the bed to cover her nude body and waited, her head turned toward where Kazuya had exited.

He stared at himself in the mirror, and as he expected, his eyes turned a fiery red. This had become a normal occurrence now, the unearthly eyes that stared back at him. As he stared at himself, fascinated, Kazuya's mind began to wander. Whether or not Anna knew about what he referred to as his "other self" in his head, he couldn't tell. He wanted to desperately believe she didn't, and that was why she asked about his feelings for her. Of course now, it had gotten worse over the years.

Along with the small transformations, he was hearing voices. At first, he dismissed them as his conscience, regret for what he had done to his father. These days, however, there was only one voice. One strong voice that questioned everything he did. One voice that constantly told him that killing Heihachi was the only way he could have survived, one strong voice that he recognized as his own. As he stared at himself, the middle of his forehead split open to reveal his third eye, blinking lazily as it lay sideways on his face. It glittered like a ruby crown in the washed out fluorescent lighting in the room.

You don't love her.

"No, I do," he laughed to himself. "Why else would we still be together?"

Protection. To keep her close.

"That's not it."

Protection, you said so yourself. She's no different from her sister. She wouldn't hesitate to kill you.

"No, I..."

"Kazuya?" Anna called as she knocked on the bathroom door; she was wearing a robe now, and she pressed her ear against the door as she spoke. "Are you alright, love?"

"I'm fine," he yelled back keeping his gaze on the mirror. The third eye blinked again and began to glow softly like his other eyes. Anna chuckled softly to herself as she felt tears forming in her eyes. Kazuya was a terrible liar, she had learned.

She turned around and faced the bed, leaning against the door, "There's something I need to tell you."

"Can it wait?"

"Can it wait, he says," she laughed weakly; she then slid down slowly and hugged her knees, still looking forward. "I need you to tell me you love me first." There was no answer from behind the bathroom door, and the younger girl sighed heavily, still smiling as she finally started crying. "But I guess...that can wait too."

Now, of course, he regretted having ever said anything as he watched her throw clothes into the large suitcase she had pulled from the closet.

He spoke finally, "Where are you going?" Anna didn't answer but continued to pack angrily. "Where the fuck do you think you're going?" Anna lifted her head, looked over at her lover, and then rolled her eyes. She let out a harsh chuckle before turning back to her packing.

"Anna, listen to me" the older man started sternly as he continued watch her to shove clothes into the suitcase, "I'm not a mind reader. Talk to me!"

"Don't turn this around on me," she hissed as she finished stuffing clothes in her suitcase and pressed the overstuffed bag shut. She then turned around and went to the closet to pull out another bag to start packing. "You know damned well what this is about."

"Okay, so where will you go, huh? Nina doesn't talk to you, and Lee sure in the hell doesn't want you." He huffed angrily and waited for Anna to reply, which she didn't and kept packing hastily. The older man crossed his arms and continued to watch. "Fuck, even if he did, he's so out of it, Anna."

"Fuck you."

"Where are you going?"

"I don't know." Kazuya's frown melted into confusion at that response. Anna's head was still down as she shoved more clothes into her second bag, "I'll think of something."

Kazuya lifted a brow and uncrossed his arms, "You're pregnant, aren't you?" The young woman didn't answer but closed her suitcase and grabbed her coat that hung on the back of the closet door. "Anna?"

"Goodbye, Kazuya."

"Anna!" he yelled as he followed her again, this time out of bedroom and through the apartment they had been sharing for almost two years now. The pad was spacious, of course, and was brightly lit by the large panel windows. Anna paused for a moment at one of the windows that looked out over the drab cityscape below them. The curtains were drawn open and showed the calm of that Sunday; few cars and pedestrians were out that morning shopping and other activities of the likes. She then blinked when she heard Kazuya call her name again, and strolled quickly to the door. She turned around.

"Here," she said as she tossed him her keys. "Sorry to had been an inconvenience."

He caught them with one hand, "Anna...answer my question." She chuckled a bit at the request and turned back around. The younger woman then grasped hold of the doorknob.

"It doesn't matter if I am or not. You're never going to see me again."

"Answer the question."

"Yes, I am." With that she left, slamming the door behind her.

*****

"I miss you," was all Lee could say as he sat in the corner of his bedroom of his apartment over the phone. The place itself was a dreary, poorly lit by his choice, and rather barren. Laid out on his bed was a fine tailored suit, something he was supposed to be wearing into work that morning. However, he hadn't gone in at all. He was still dressed in his pajama bottoms and was shirtless. His eyes had dark rings under them.

Michelle sighed into the phone, "I wanted to make sure that you were okay. That last email you sent me frightened me... Lee, are you sure that it's just that?"

"Yeah." He pulled a leg up to his chest and hugged it with his free arm and stared over at the clothes on the bed. The silver haired man stood up slowly, back still pressed against the wall. "Thank you."

"I haven't done anything. You won't let me do anything for you."

"I'm so glad you called. I needed to hear your voice." A weak grin crept across his face as he waited for a response. It was silent, though. For some reason, that was comforting.

"You're scaring me," the younger girl replied softly; her voice cracked, revealing that she was crying. Lee pulled away from the wall and sat down on his bed. Next to the bed stood his nightstand. Usually, his phone sat there, but he had been holding it as he talked. It sat on his lap now. The digital clock that sat there flashed 12:00 in bright red numbers; the power had went out several days ago, and the silver haired man hadn't bother to reset his clock. A wristwatch sat next to the clock with the correct time.

"Lee?" Michelle asked desperately.

His smile grew, "I love you." Again, she didn't respond, however he could hear her crying over the line. "Goodbye, Michelle."

"Please, god, don't hang up--"

He hung up.

His hand stayed grasped tightly around the receiver for several minutes, and he stared down at his hand. The knuckles began to turn white as his grip tightened until he slowly released his fingers. He then carefully set the phone back on the bed and stood up. Painfully, he shuffled over to his bathroom. The light was already on, sickly yellow light that spilt out into the apartment when the Mishima pulled open the door. He then stepped into the room and shut the door behind him.

On the sink counter sat several small, dirty vials. He picked up one, then tossed it aside when he saw that it was empty, then pick up another; it was empty as well. Lee growled and threw it over his shoulder and began picking up the tiny bottles one by one. And with each empty one he found, he became more and more frustrated before he turned and angrily pitched the last one against the door. It shattered.

Defeated, he plopped down on the ground and curled up in a ball, weeping to himself. And soon, his stomach began cramp up, causing him to curl up tighter. Now, he was shaking and was freezing, despite how much he was sweating now. All he could hear was the ringing in his ears and his father's voice.

"Fight back."

*****

Her hotel was a ways out, but Jun sat in a cafe by herself that evening, drinking coffee. She had been visiting Chicago for the week, investigating some kind of supposed drug trafficking operation. So, far, nothing had turned up.

Lei had stayed in New York. He hardly spoke to her ever since she requested a new partner. Chancey had pleaded with Jun to at least work with Lei for this case.

She had smiled and replied, "It's better we didn't."

She hadn't really wanted to do that, but it was for the best. At least, she believed it was. She dimly knew that she was doing the same exact thing to Lei that she had done to Paul, and she hated herself for it.

Whether or not she was in love, Jun wasn't sure. It was true that she had feelings for him, but love? Love was something that was supposed to make a girl feel beautiful, that something unexpectedly wonderful that Lei always talked about. It wasn't supposed to hurt. Not like that. She wasn't supposed to be afraid like she was. However, she knew that missed him. She missed his lopsided grins and his terrible jokes. She missed his laugh and the quirky way he dressed. Most of all, she missed him holding her.

So, it was true. That first kiss had ruined everything. It had felt right, though. That uncertainty she had had most of her life just seemed to disappear for a moment whenever she was around him, whether it be just sitting and talking or making love. It was just that she didn't realize it until the moments that he was gone. And now, Jun was certain that whatever it was that she and Lei shared was gone forever because of her.

The door of the cafe opened with a bright jingle of the bells. Jun looked up and swallowed hard when she saw who had entered, Kazuya Mishima. For a moment, he scanned the placed for an empty seat then he noticed Jun sitting alone, and their eyes locked.

He made his way to her and sat down.

"I promise, I won't stay long," he said quietly. "It's just...you know, it's weird when you see someone you know in a place this big..."

"I know," she forced a smile. "How've you been?"

"Terrible." He grinned slightly, his smile also forced. "You?"

The woman chuckled a bit, "I can't say that I've been too great either." Kazuya's smile softened a bit into something more sincere. "Are you still seeing Anna?"

"No."

His face became distant for a moment after the mention of Anna's name until Jun said, "I really should be going." She stood up and gave a pained smile to the man sitting before her. "It's late, I have to catch a cab back to my hotel--"

"--I could give you a ride." Kazuya looked up. "I know we hardly talk to each other and all, but it's the least I can do." He stood up and shrugged, "And it's not like I have anything better to do."

"I...I guess." He smiled fondly at her then led her out of the cafe.

The car trip was silent, and the two refused to look at each other. In the awkward silence, Kazuya could hear the voice in his head again.

This one, she's afraid of you. She knows.

Soon, the large hotel came into view. He drove past it however. Jun lifted her head when she saw the building whiz by them, and she straightened up in her seat.

"What are you doing?!" she cried. He didn't answer, and he found that as he was losing control of his limbs. It felt like someone else was controlling his body, like he was watching a dream. He wanted to stop and turn around to take her home, or even just pull over. Yet no matter how much he screamed at himself, his body wouldn't obey.

The rest of the night was a blur.

*****

She wasn't sure what time it was then, but the lobby was empty, aside from the security guard that sat at the front desk, half asleep. In her hands, she held her sandals, which she had taken off during the walk back. She grasped the front of her shirt closed as she walked past the guard, who never looked up as she limped past him.

When she finally made it to her room, the first thing she did was throw her shoes in the wastebasket. The strap on one of them had been broken during her trek back, which had caused her to trip when she was running. She had scrapped her knee, and it was still bleeding a bit. She then pulled off her shirt and looked at it in apathy.

The front had been ripped, something easily repairable. However, she chucked it into the wastebasket with the shoes and headed straight to the bathroom, still limping. As she stumbled over there, she shed was left of her clothing until she was nude and had reached the small washroom. Numbly, she turned on the light then reached into the shower stall to turn on the water.

The water was scalding hot, painful to touch for even a small moment. However, she stepped into the shower, and grabbed the soap. She then began scrubbing her body violently, finally letting herself cry and feel emotion.

Soon, the water turned cold, and she flung down the much smaller bar of soap. Her usually pale skin was bright red from the hot water and the vigorous rubbing. She looked down at her hands; there were bruises around her wrists. Her bottom lip quivered at the sight of it, and she pressed her back against the tile wall of the shower and slid down it. Where she sat, the water swirling around the shower floor slowly began turn a brownish-red as it drained. She brought her knees up to her chest, hugged them, and let the now freezing cold water beat down on her as she rocked back and forth and cried.

*****

The bathroom door opened, and Lee looked up. He had been hunched over the toilet in his bathroom; his hands were still shaking violently. However, the body aches had subsided a bit. He sighed heavily when he saw who had entered and leaned back against the wall opposite of the toilet.

"You haven't been in for a couple of days," said Kazuya as he kneeled down to better eye his brother; the older man was clad in a black suit and a trench coat. Over his hands, he wore black leather gloves. He smiled at his brother. Lee struggled to sit up a bit. "Sorry, I know you like your privacy, but I got worried." The younger man narrowed his eyes and hugged his stomach.

The smile on Kazuya's face was chilling. It was sadistic yet held the same friendliness that Lee was accustomed to. He saw Heihachi in that smile, not his older brother.

Lee pulled his legs up to his chest, "I'm not feeling well."

"Obviously." Kazuya's grin grew, and he sat down against the wall next to his younger brother. He looked forward at the toilet then glanced over at Lee, still grinning.

"What are you so fucking giddy about?" the younger man mumbled.

"I think I'm finally okay."

Lee rolled his eyes and stood up, still grasping his stomach. He propped himself against the wall and stumbled over to the door, taking care to step over his brother's legs. He stopped at the door, however, and doubled over. Moving had made the pain come back.

"Where are you going?" Kazuya asked quietly. The smile on his face was still there.

"I need a cigarette."

"You need a fucking hit. Or better yet, a doctor." The dark-haired man stood up and strolled casually over to his brother. He wrapped an arm around the younger boy and led him out of the room to sit him on the bed. "You know, I think that would a good idea," Kazuya mused as pulled away to let Lee curl up on the bed. The older man then walked over to the bedroom door; there was a black leather coat hanging on the back of it, and he dug into the pockets until he found Lee's lighter and cigarette. There was also a half empty vial of coke in one of the pockets. Kazuya grabbed that as well. "Maybe you taking a few months off to go into rehab." He walked back and sat on the bed before setting the items in front of Lee. After that, the older man then reached into his own coat and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a similar lighter and then lit up

"Kaz?"

"Yes?" Lee sat up and gingerly picked up the glass vial and stared down at it. He then looked back up at his brother.

"You think that Dad's alive out there somewhere?"

Kazuya's face darkened, "It's been two years, and have you heard anything?"

Lee laid back down on the bed and closed his eyes, "You never know."

END

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~First, I wanna thank DF and Jaden for being the ones that got inflicted with the unproofread versions of this story. You two are angels, and don't you forget it. I also wanna thank everyone that actually sat down and read this, even if you didn't review it nor even got past the first chapter, thank you.

I hope you all enjoyed my little warped version of Tekken. I had so many ups and downs writing this, but it was fun in the end. It gave me something to be excited about again. Hopefully, it did the same with you.

--Lea (aka, lilykane), May 15, 2002

("Canto" version 3.0 revised on October 16, 2002)~