What Lies Beneath - Tekken
Title: What Lies Beneath
Fandom: Tekken
Characters: Lars Alexandersson, Tougou, Hikari Yoshima, Odyssius Syndel, Devil Jin
Summary: This would be the spark that drove her to the brink.
Rating: High PG-13 for cussing and violence
Notes: Nero already wrote me a fic under the same title and with the same song inspiration [“What Lies Beneath” by Breaking Benjamin], but this song just seems to fit too perfectly in the context of Jin attacking Fortuna and our heroine flipping shit. So yes, this would be the scene that really started things up between Hikari and Jin.
8D
HUZZAH.
But I'm going to try something a little different this time - instead of having it actively in the past, I'm going to have it recounted as if Hikari were talking about it in a giant flashback. LET'S SEE HOW WELL IT WORKS OUT.
Besides “What Lies Beneath”, there's also “Duality” by Slipknot and “Red Fraction” by Mell for song inspiration. :>
She could easily remember that day - what she was doing before the call, what time she had woken up, even the dream that she had before waking up that morning. (which was actually pretty mundane and hadn't even involved anything that was about to happen)
With everything that had been going on lately, she had actually been fairly chipper that morning, even giving some of the new recruits a few pointers when they had asked her about it, even though she had been refusing for a while to let them get more used to the life of a soldier like this. Besides, she wasn't usually the type to have enough patience to teach something to the others unless she had them all together - having Lars and Tougou there helped out immensely. She mentions missing Odyssius being there, since he was more patient with the recruits, but he had a job to do back home.
You can notice her gaze moving to the side, as if she were ashamed to mention what had happened next. Her hand automatically goes to her right shoulder, where a scar sits, one that didn't have before that day. Her voice is a lot softer at this point, recounting how she had gotten a phone call later that morning, when she, Lars, Tougou, and Alisa were discussing plans for a renewed attack against one of the Zaibatsu's facilities.
She would never forget that call.
“Hey, Odyssius, what's u-”
She recounts hearing him breathing heavily, like he had run a great distance, but then she realized no, it wasn't because of him running - there were screams and gunshots in the background. Her veins felt like someone had replaced blood with ice; her breath hitched in her throat as it seemed like forever for him to reply.
“Zaibatsu... they're here, Hikari. Come home...”
She then mentions snapping the phone shut and telling Lars and Tougou in a very oddly calm voice that she needed a plane to Fortuna ASAP. Both men volunteer to go along with her, but Hikari refuses - they're both needed here, with the rebellion. Even though all three of them are stubborn as bulls when it came down to this sort of thing, Hikari eventually caved and let Tougou come with her - Lars was needed here yet, and he couldn't afford to take another leave without his men, especially considering what had happened the last time that had occurred.
Everything's a blur from that point up until the plane ride there, and Hikari distinctly remembers her hands shaking like crazy. Whether it was from rage or fear, she didn't honestly know, even after the incident occurred.
When they landed, Hikari distinctly recalls being handed multiple guns and strapping them to her armor, jaw set and staring ahead before they exited the aircraft and into the chaos. Buildings were reduced to rubble, bodies strewn everywhere, and the further that she and Tougou had gotten into the city, the more carnage there was. She doesn't really remember fighting off the foot soldiers of the Zaibatsu, her mind was focused on finding out where Odyssius was and helping him out. She knew him well - they were partners before, after all.
So she went directly for the barracks - he would've went there to not only get access to more firepower, but to also warn the others of the incoming attack so they could mobilize as fast as possible. Her voice tightens, and she says something about how “Kazama blatantly disregarded his own cease-fire agreement”, mentioning that the two had agreed to such an agreement so long as Hikari kept her word about participating in the King of Iron Fist.
Her joining the rebellion shouldn't have made a difference - she was technically on that side when she first got involved.
She pauses at this point, hand dropping back to her side as she still doesn't meet your eyes. She shuts her eyes, looking on the verge of crying - or punching something. This is something she never wanted to admit - something she never wanted people to see. She was supposed to be the strong one, the leader - after all, she was the one that had decided to take on the Zaibatsu in order to prevent further bloodshed. It wasn't until after she had accepted that either way, there was going to be some bloodshed, it was just a matter of whose blood would be shed in order to protect the people.
“I don't know what exactly happened during that fight, hell, I don't think even Odyssius really knew, but... someone needs to know outside of who was there.” She says it before any questions can be asked as to why she was talking about this if the incident was so painful. And the look in her eyes seemed to echo the sentiment, so for now, it was best to let her talk.
He was evacuating people out of the main part of the city, getting them out of the major governmental buildings - luckily the president was already gone - one less major figure to worry about. Now it was just a matter of getting everyone else out. They already expected that the Zaibatsu would try something like this, after all - who really was out there to stop them?
To be honest, he didn't believe anything about the cease-fire agreement. With everything else that was going on, he really doubted that Jin would uphold it - but why he didn't say anything to Hikari about it, he didn't even know himself. What was worse was the fact that some of the others were asking themselves the same question; they were also heavily considering pulling her from her position after this was over. Though, thinking about it, he knew that she wouldn't mind it all that much - she admitted several times she was a hell of a better soldier than she was a diplomat.
He shook his head at the path his thought process was taking, this wasn't the time-
Something rushed past the corner of his eye, and he twisted around, bracing himself. Whatever this thing was, it was fast. At this point, he had hidden blades and his old service pistol equipped, he figured that if they were going to be on the run, big guns were probably going to be more awkward than anything else. Maneuverability was more the priority here, though firepower that didn't hinder movement was always a plus.
Another blur, and he tensed, getting into his stance. It's toying with me. It really didn't take much for him to realize this fact, but the fact that was the case irritated him. This wasn't too different from the psyche tactics he used against targets when he was sent on solo missions, but still, something about this felt more off than it should have. Why single him out, weren't they trying to induce mass panic and hysteria?
“You're faster than I originally believed... perhaps this will actually be an interesting fight.” The voice sounded familiar, but Odyssius couldn't place where he had heard it. Either way, he wasn't in the mood to play around, he was needed elsewhere.
A blur of black wings, and he leaped backward, landing on all fours before standing fully. He didn't understand what was standing in front of him - it looked like Jin, but Jin never had tattoos covering his entire body, horns, wings, or fangs. Genetic experiments were the first thing that popped into his head as he tried to figure out what exactly was standing there, grinning as it flicked blood off its claws, but that couldn't be right, there wasn't anything on the Zaibatsu's agenda about that sort of thing when he had went undercover to gather intel.
“And you're quiet too. But I doubt you'll be giving the silent treatment when this is over.”
“I'm not the type to waste my time talking about how I'll defeat my enemies - I simply do it,” he replied softly, quickly moving to try and get out, only to have his way barred by the demon. His gaze flickered upward to the grinning creature, and he struck, a quick blow to the chest that would hopefully knock the wind out of him -
But he caught it with ease, twisting around and nearly flipping him over from the force - it took a lot to make sure he didn't end up dislocating his shoulder in the process. “Not bad, though I suppose I shouldn't expect anything less from a comrade of hers.”
Odyssius didn't reply, eyes narrowing. No point in getting angry, he had to look at this logically. Obviously the “her” he mentioned was Hikari - so this really was Jin in some form or another. How he ended up like this he didn't know, and honestly, didn't care to know. What was the important thing right now was getting out of here and meeting up with her - he knew that she would be there shortly, she cared about the people here and her ultimate mission of defeating the Zaibatsu more than anything.
Or maybe that's what this thing was banking on the whole time.... Either way, he had to get out of here - and fast.
The fight was like one fast blur, he honestly didn't know what really was going on, but there was a lot of pain, that much was for certain. It wasn't until Odyssius had activated a hidden blade on instinct and thrust forward with another palm strike that things began to be thrown into startling focus. He didn't hit as intended, Devil Jin twisting his body around to avoid a fatal blow from the blade, however, it did graze his chest, causing him to growl slightly in pain.
If Odyssius were any other person, he would've celebrated the fact that he got a clean hit on the demon, but this definitely wasn't the case, especially considering that the thing looked murderous after the fact. He wasted no time in getting into a defensive stance, but - it was gone?
No, that couldn't be right. He had to still be in the area, why just leave after getting hit once, it made no sense -
The pain was nearly blinding, instantaneous. Something dug into his back, tearing through flesh like it was nothing before he reacted, thrusting back with a blade-ridden hand, earning another snarl from the demon as the blade drove home into its stomach.
Things blurred again, he was trying to get out of the demon's grip, fighting back with every available weapon he had - it wasn't until he heard a scream that the pain finally began to dull, and the world went black.
Hikari shuts her eyes, her fists tightening. “He was in a coma for a week because of that thing. Broken ribs, multiple lacerations on his back, shoulder dislocated, broken wrist... in all my time partnering up with him, he barely had a scratch on him, so I guess you can understand that I was pretty pissed when I saw him like that.”
She mentions that the demon had disappeared by the time she got close, leaving only black feathers in its wake as she screamed for a med team to get over there. Tougou had joined them, surprised and furious that something was able to do this much damage to someone.
She then mentions handing Odyssius off to the medics, only to run, and run, ignoring Tougou's yells for her to come back. She had to find that bastard. She could feel the heat rising within her, and she was ready to completely let loose on something, but not yet, now wasn't the time, she had to find the thing that had done this to her home, to her friends and comrades.
But she never finds him, by the time she catches up to the remnants of the squadron of the Tekken Force that had been deployed there, Jin - or anything resembling him - was already gone.
She recalls hearing them talk about killing her right there, but the gunshots never were directed toward her; some of the others had caught up to her and were already taking them out.
She remembers screaming, screaming until her throat was raw, bum-rushing the nearest soldier and practically throwing him into his comrades, her eyes blazing fury, if you would pardon the pun. Hikari's still avoiding eye contact as she talks about practically leaning against Tougou, crying and asking why, why did this happen, didn't anyone honor their agreements anymore?
And that was probably one of the worst days of her life, she says quietly, finally looking up.
The clarity and smoldering anger in her eyes is enough to tell that she isn't joking or exaggerating.
Fandom: Tekken
Characters: Lars Alexandersson, Tougou, Hikari Yoshima, Odyssius Syndel, Devil Jin
Summary: This would be the spark that drove her to the brink.
Rating: High PG-13 for cussing and violence
Notes: Nero already wrote me a fic under the same title and with the same song inspiration [“What Lies Beneath” by Breaking Benjamin], but this song just seems to fit too perfectly in the context of Jin attacking Fortuna and our heroine flipping shit. So yes, this would be the scene that really started things up between Hikari and Jin.
8D
HUZZAH.
But I'm going to try something a little different this time - instead of having it actively in the past, I'm going to have it recounted as if Hikari were talking about it in a giant flashback. LET'S SEE HOW WELL IT WORKS OUT.
Besides “What Lies Beneath”, there's also “Duality” by Slipknot and “Red Fraction” by Mell for song inspiration. :>
She could easily remember that day - what she was doing before the call, what time she had woken up, even the dream that she had before waking up that morning. (which was actually pretty mundane and hadn't even involved anything that was about to happen)
With everything that had been going on lately, she had actually been fairly chipper that morning, even giving some of the new recruits a few pointers when they had asked her about it, even though she had been refusing for a while to let them get more used to the life of a soldier like this. Besides, she wasn't usually the type to have enough patience to teach something to the others unless she had them all together - having Lars and Tougou there helped out immensely. She mentions missing Odyssius being there, since he was more patient with the recruits, but he had a job to do back home.
You can notice her gaze moving to the side, as if she were ashamed to mention what had happened next. Her hand automatically goes to her right shoulder, where a scar sits, one that didn't have before that day. Her voice is a lot softer at this point, recounting how she had gotten a phone call later that morning, when she, Lars, Tougou, and Alisa were discussing plans for a renewed attack against one of the Zaibatsu's facilities.
She would never forget that call.
“Hey, Odyssius, what's u-”
She recounts hearing him breathing heavily, like he had run a great distance, but then she realized no, it wasn't because of him running - there were screams and gunshots in the background. Her veins felt like someone had replaced blood with ice; her breath hitched in her throat as it seemed like forever for him to reply.
“Zaibatsu... they're here, Hikari. Come home...”
She then mentions snapping the phone shut and telling Lars and Tougou in a very oddly calm voice that she needed a plane to Fortuna ASAP. Both men volunteer to go along with her, but Hikari refuses - they're both needed here, with the rebellion. Even though all three of them are stubborn as bulls when it came down to this sort of thing, Hikari eventually caved and let Tougou come with her - Lars was needed here yet, and he couldn't afford to take another leave without his men, especially considering what had happened the last time that had occurred.
Everything's a blur from that point up until the plane ride there, and Hikari distinctly remembers her hands shaking like crazy. Whether it was from rage or fear, she didn't honestly know, even after the incident occurred.
When they landed, Hikari distinctly recalls being handed multiple guns and strapping them to her armor, jaw set and staring ahead before they exited the aircraft and into the chaos. Buildings were reduced to rubble, bodies strewn everywhere, and the further that she and Tougou had gotten into the city, the more carnage there was. She doesn't really remember fighting off the foot soldiers of the Zaibatsu, her mind was focused on finding out where Odyssius was and helping him out. She knew him well - they were partners before, after all.
So she went directly for the barracks - he would've went there to not only get access to more firepower, but to also warn the others of the incoming attack so they could mobilize as fast as possible. Her voice tightens, and she says something about how “Kazama blatantly disregarded his own cease-fire agreement”, mentioning that the two had agreed to such an agreement so long as Hikari kept her word about participating in the King of Iron Fist.
Her joining the rebellion shouldn't have made a difference - she was technically on that side when she first got involved.
She pauses at this point, hand dropping back to her side as she still doesn't meet your eyes. She shuts her eyes, looking on the verge of crying - or punching something. This is something she never wanted to admit - something she never wanted people to see. She was supposed to be the strong one, the leader - after all, she was the one that had decided to take on the Zaibatsu in order to prevent further bloodshed. It wasn't until after she had accepted that either way, there was going to be some bloodshed, it was just a matter of whose blood would be shed in order to protect the people.
“I don't know what exactly happened during that fight, hell, I don't think even Odyssius really knew, but... someone needs to know outside of who was there.” She says it before any questions can be asked as to why she was talking about this if the incident was so painful. And the look in her eyes seemed to echo the sentiment, so for now, it was best to let her talk.
He was evacuating people out of the main part of the city, getting them out of the major governmental buildings - luckily the president was already gone - one less major figure to worry about. Now it was just a matter of getting everyone else out. They already expected that the Zaibatsu would try something like this, after all - who really was out there to stop them?
To be honest, he didn't believe anything about the cease-fire agreement. With everything else that was going on, he really doubted that Jin would uphold it - but why he didn't say anything to Hikari about it, he didn't even know himself. What was worse was the fact that some of the others were asking themselves the same question; they were also heavily considering pulling her from her position after this was over. Though, thinking about it, he knew that she wouldn't mind it all that much - she admitted several times she was a hell of a better soldier than she was a diplomat.
He shook his head at the path his thought process was taking, this wasn't the time-
Something rushed past the corner of his eye, and he twisted around, bracing himself. Whatever this thing was, it was fast. At this point, he had hidden blades and his old service pistol equipped, he figured that if they were going to be on the run, big guns were probably going to be more awkward than anything else. Maneuverability was more the priority here, though firepower that didn't hinder movement was always a plus.
Another blur, and he tensed, getting into his stance. It's toying with me. It really didn't take much for him to realize this fact, but the fact that was the case irritated him. This wasn't too different from the psyche tactics he used against targets when he was sent on solo missions, but still, something about this felt more off than it should have. Why single him out, weren't they trying to induce mass panic and hysteria?
“You're faster than I originally believed... perhaps this will actually be an interesting fight.” The voice sounded familiar, but Odyssius couldn't place where he had heard it. Either way, he wasn't in the mood to play around, he was needed elsewhere.
A blur of black wings, and he leaped backward, landing on all fours before standing fully. He didn't understand what was standing in front of him - it looked like Jin, but Jin never had tattoos covering his entire body, horns, wings, or fangs. Genetic experiments were the first thing that popped into his head as he tried to figure out what exactly was standing there, grinning as it flicked blood off its claws, but that couldn't be right, there wasn't anything on the Zaibatsu's agenda about that sort of thing when he had went undercover to gather intel.
“And you're quiet too. But I doubt you'll be giving the silent treatment when this is over.”
“I'm not the type to waste my time talking about how I'll defeat my enemies - I simply do it,” he replied softly, quickly moving to try and get out, only to have his way barred by the demon. His gaze flickered upward to the grinning creature, and he struck, a quick blow to the chest that would hopefully knock the wind out of him -
But he caught it with ease, twisting around and nearly flipping him over from the force - it took a lot to make sure he didn't end up dislocating his shoulder in the process. “Not bad, though I suppose I shouldn't expect anything less from a comrade of hers.”
Odyssius didn't reply, eyes narrowing. No point in getting angry, he had to look at this logically. Obviously the “her” he mentioned was Hikari - so this really was Jin in some form or another. How he ended up like this he didn't know, and honestly, didn't care to know. What was the important thing right now was getting out of here and meeting up with her - he knew that she would be there shortly, she cared about the people here and her ultimate mission of defeating the Zaibatsu more than anything.
Or maybe that's what this thing was banking on the whole time.... Either way, he had to get out of here - and fast.
The fight was like one fast blur, he honestly didn't know what really was going on, but there was a lot of pain, that much was for certain. It wasn't until Odyssius had activated a hidden blade on instinct and thrust forward with another palm strike that things began to be thrown into startling focus. He didn't hit as intended, Devil Jin twisting his body around to avoid a fatal blow from the blade, however, it did graze his chest, causing him to growl slightly in pain.
If Odyssius were any other person, he would've celebrated the fact that he got a clean hit on the demon, but this definitely wasn't the case, especially considering that the thing looked murderous after the fact. He wasted no time in getting into a defensive stance, but - it was gone?
No, that couldn't be right. He had to still be in the area, why just leave after getting hit once, it made no sense -
The pain was nearly blinding, instantaneous. Something dug into his back, tearing through flesh like it was nothing before he reacted, thrusting back with a blade-ridden hand, earning another snarl from the demon as the blade drove home into its stomach.
Things blurred again, he was trying to get out of the demon's grip, fighting back with every available weapon he had - it wasn't until he heard a scream that the pain finally began to dull, and the world went black.
Hikari shuts her eyes, her fists tightening. “He was in a coma for a week because of that thing. Broken ribs, multiple lacerations on his back, shoulder dislocated, broken wrist... in all my time partnering up with him, he barely had a scratch on him, so I guess you can understand that I was pretty pissed when I saw him like that.”
She mentions that the demon had disappeared by the time she got close, leaving only black feathers in its wake as she screamed for a med team to get over there. Tougou had joined them, surprised and furious that something was able to do this much damage to someone.
She then mentions handing Odyssius off to the medics, only to run, and run, ignoring Tougou's yells for her to come back. She had to find that bastard. She could feel the heat rising within her, and she was ready to completely let loose on something, but not yet, now wasn't the time, she had to find the thing that had done this to her home, to her friends and comrades.
But she never finds him, by the time she catches up to the remnants of the squadron of the Tekken Force that had been deployed there, Jin - or anything resembling him - was already gone.
She recalls hearing them talk about killing her right there, but the gunshots never were directed toward her; some of the others had caught up to her and were already taking them out.
She remembers screaming, screaming until her throat was raw, bum-rushing the nearest soldier and practically throwing him into his comrades, her eyes blazing fury, if you would pardon the pun. Hikari's still avoiding eye contact as she talks about practically leaning against Tougou, crying and asking why, why did this happen, didn't anyone honor their agreements anymore?
And that was probably one of the worst days of her life, she says quietly, finally looking up.
The clarity and smoldering anger in her eyes is enough to tell that she isn't joking or exaggerating.