Author's Notes: This is an interlude; this has as much to do with the storyline as the DBZ movies have to do with the show. It fits a timeline, it uses the characters...then it goes off at a tangent.
This is a little crossover with Soul Calibur II I’ve made...I’ve been wanting to do it for a while, too. But I’ve been at a loss because I didn’t know the characters, and didn’t have the right Kazuya to use. Most of them are often depicted as being nasty and cold...but I can’t do that. And I couldn’t leap into my normal scene with no basis, I’d get flamed for being OOC. So, I’ve used one of my favourite interpretations; the vampire.
After all, a medieval creature would fit into the storyline better than the regular Kazuya. There’s a link here, y’see? *wink*
And damn Heihachi for getting a part in SCII without Kazuya! Oh well, here’s my response to it. *pulls down pants and flashes cheeks at Namco*
Speaking of which...I still dun own Tekken! *continues to flash butt*
Crimson
Chapter 21 - Interlude: Fossils
Kazuya sat at his expansive office desk, chin resting heavily in one palm, listening ‘intently’ as the annoying little man droned on before him. The Japanese man’s voice trembled as he spoke, and his hands fiddled endlessly. Yes, it was obvious he was nervous about having to speak to the new boss in person. Kazuya could feel it clearly, and merely stayed silent in an effort to appear benevolent...but it really was difficult, considering the topic at hand.
Apparently, his father had returned to Japan. Whoop-dee-do. Apparently, he was at a resort up north with his pet bear, Kuma. Yayness gayness. Apparently, he’d vanished. By the time he’d learned all of this pointless information, he was about ready to fall asleep. It was only when someone interrupted the babbling messenger that things started to liven up.
The authorities at the scene of the disappearance had found a small, sharp metal fragment. It was the last place Heihachi had been seen, and apparently the bear that he’d been with wouldn’t leave the spot the old chunk of metal had been found. One could assume the fragment had something to do with the disappearance.
The teams of investigators there had conducted a few quick tests – there was a strange energy emanating from the fragment, but it wasn’t radiation of any kind they’d encountered. The alloy it was made of was too stable to emit any form of alpha or beta particles anyway. A few people described ‘bad vibes’ coming from it; after further investigation, it would seem that there was a temporal field being emitted from it.
Kazuya needed no further persuasion; he left immediately with the two men, and headed to the resort, around an hour’s drive north of Tokyo.
As he stepped out into the main reception area of the resort, already he could see the effects of the mysterious disappearance. There were uniformed policemen rushing about, inspectors and agents from various firms and forms of authority, and of course, a hefty supply of scientists. And this was just in the lobby!
He followed his two guys out into the hot springs area, which was roped off with blue and white plastic tape. One flashed an ID card, and the three were allowed inside the enclosure. At the centre, a large brown grizzly-bear sat on the grass, looking decidedly depressed. Ah, of course, Kuma was still here. It had been about three hours since Heihachi’s desertion too. He knew the original Kuma hated him, but this one might be a little different. He walked over to the creature – most people were keeping their distance – and only stopped when it looked up at him.
“Kuma, you’re still here?” He smiled at the bear. In return, he got a soft growl...almost like a depressed moan. If anything, his interest in this mysterious fragment – he cared not for his father – had developed into just a little pity for the poor animal. He’d lost his master, after all.
He stepped forward after a moment, and petted the bear’s head. The creature froze, then sniffed at him. There was something bizarre about this man, it could tell...but when it felt the man’s fingers scratching behind its ear, it melted and leaned against him with a low grunt of submission. Kazuya reminded it of Heihachi somehow...his master. Maybe he was as nice as the old man too.
After a while, someone dared to approach him. It was a dangerous combination; the world’s best fighter – according to the tournament – and one of the richest men, standing next to a grizzly bear.
“Mishima-sama, we’ve done a few more tests in the lab over there,” he indicated with one finger at the white gazebo set up a little way off, “And we’ve come to realise that this is a fragment from an ancient weapon.”
He arched a brow. “A weapon? What does this have to do with Heihachi’s disappearance?”
“We believe that this is a piece of a sword renowned in classic tales for its ‘evil’ energy.”
Again, Kazuya found himself a little lost. At this moment too, he noticed the tops of his ears were burning. Damn sunlight; he could only withstand so much of it. It was making him feel rather uncomfortable, to say the least. “Perhaps we ought to talk about this inside the ‘lab’ you’ve set up.”
The man nodded, and the two of them headed over to the gazebo. Surprisingly, Kuma got up and followed...much to the silent and poorly masked horror of the scientist leading the two deadly beings. “Of course, sir.”
Within the comforting shade of the lab, Kazuya stood alongside several lab coat-clad men and women, and a few private inspectors. Much of the conversation was way above his understanding – mostly the theories behind the fragment. What he did understand, however, was the story that took place during the explanation.
The man that had come to him was explaining their theory. “In medieval times, there was a legend about a massive sword that men and women revelled as the ‘ultimate weapon’. Its name was Soul Edge, and was known for radiating the power of ‘evil’. After disasters related to its use, it was locked away behind three gates across three towns...now believed to be in Europe. It was the source of many wars and disasters throughout time, but in the last hundred years, nothing has been heard of its legend.”
Eimin’s tales of something similar sparked up in Kazuya’s mind. Perhaps this wasn’t a fairytale sword after all.
“We believe that this is one of the only pieces of the sword left on the planet. It would explain all of the issues that have arisen from this whole disappearance...”
The creature within him knew this energy, so it seemed. The demon within had long since been dormant – since his rebirth – but the creature he’d become, one of the undead, felt the energy like no human could imagine. It was like a person’s presence; an evil person’s presence. And that was just from the fragment!
He reached down, and gently picked it up. Between both hands, he rotated it around, inspecting it, admiring it. The sharp edges could cut flesh easily; his guess was that it was from near the hilt of the sword too, since the fragment was thick. Along one edge, there was human blood. He could smell it, though there was little there.
He furrowed his brows slightly. “Have you taken a sample of this blood?”
One of the white-clad men nodded. “Yes, Mishima-sama. DNA testing leads us to believe it belongs to your father.”
The fragment glittered in the dimmed light as he turned it this way and that, still admiring it. “Perhaps the energy emanated from it is what caused him to disappear. If he cut himself on it, it would allow his body to be flooded with this...Ki...”
At that moment, Kuma let out a loud whine and slumped heavily against Kazuya’s back. Surprised, he jumped slightly and stumbled forward – at the same time, his grasp on the fragment closed. The sharp edges of the metal cut into his hand painfully. Sensing its mistake, the bear sat back up again, watching in curiosity. Blood trickled in dark crimson trails down his hand, between his fingers, and in little drops onto the floor. Whoops, that was not supposed to happen.
Just when everyone had thought nothing would become of the situation, the piece of Soul Edge dropped from Kazuya’s hand. The reason being...his hand was no longer there. Somehow, it had completely vanished. Several gasps resulted...including one from himself. The entire lab could only watch on in horror as slowly the rest of his arm slowly vanished, as if dissolving into thin air. The rest of him followed much faster; within a second or so, his entire body disappeared in a brilliant flash of light, leaving nothing but a blood-smeared chunk of metal lying on the ground, and a stunned audience.
One moment he was dissolving inside a makeshift lab on a Japanese resort, and now he found himself lying on the grass somewhere completely different, with a bleeding hand. Disoriented, he forced himself to sit up and examine the wounded hand. There were several slices through his flesh, but nothing he couldn’t fix. Blood is not to wasted, after all, and he quickly healed the wounds – or tried to. His dark gift often refused to work in daylight, and today was no different.
With great effort, he managed to seal off the wounds, but was unable to further repair the damage. He would make a job of it later...for now, it was time to figure out where the heck he was.
Or he would have, if he didn’t find the point of a traditional Chinese sword being pointed at him, a mere inch or so from the tip of his nose. When he looked up in response, he saw an Asian youth staring down at him threateningly; his bright red hair only fuelled the aggressive image.
“You’d better not try anything stupid, or I’ll do you some serious damage...”