Afterwards: The Fourth Tekken Novel

Strange Man

A few months pass and their first year wedding anniversary shows up. Jin, Steve, and Lars came together to throw all of them a nice big celebration in the Mishima Zaibatsu's banquet hall.
"This is going to be amazing," Hwoarang said as he watched the ongoing preparations. He turned to his blond friend and spotted him ushering a few men who brought in a very large four-tired cake. "Hey Steve, food arrangements done? Need someone to bring them in?"
Steve nodded. "Yeah, that would be great. "I'm scared that the Laws would lose their way or something. Could you text them the floor and which room we're in?"
Hwoarang nodded and took his phone out. "On it. I'll inform Forest right away. By the way, where's Kazama?"
Steve frowned and looked around. "No clue. Who knows what he's doing?"
"Maybe getting ready or something," Hwoarang snorted.
Lars soon came in, with a box and started going to each table to set up a quaint candelabra with a nice scented tea candles. "Kazuya and Oneesan are on their way, Jin is bringing them over."
"That explains where he went," Steve turned to Hwoarang. "Anyway, guess who's coming in later."
"Is it Shasha? Because knowing her..." Hwoarang smirked.
"Yeah," Steve smirked as well. "She decided to make a comeback."
"Oh, really?" Hwoarang grinned. "That's fun."
Steve nodded. "She also sponsored the bouquets." He snorted. "It kinda seems like we're hosting a wedding all over again."
"It does, doesn't it?" Hwoarang agreed. "So she'll be staying over at your house, then."
"Yep," Steve nodded. "Also, my grandparents were excited to meet her too."
Hwoarang looked surprised. "They never met her?"
"Nope, not yet," Steve said. "That reminds me, I need to ask where she is."
"Wait, so you're saying that... she only just landed?" Hwoarang said in surprise. "Seriously, what's with her and her last minute entry?"
Steve shrugged. "Who knows. But no, she's staying at a suite right here at the Zaibatsu. Get a load of this. She's Josie's neighbour."
Hwoarang smirked. "They're gonna get along. Especially since they're both from Southeast Asia."
"Yeah," Steve chuckled. He turned to the ushers when they were done with the cake and thanked them as he saw them off. Hwoarang decided to raid the snack bar at the end of the corridor in the meantime.

Jun got ready and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked stunning in the shimmery sequinned white dress that Kazuya got her as an anniversary present together with a pretty platinum diamond necklace. Jun gently touched the gem in the middle and sighed. The foreboding feeling she had, if anything, only grew stronger now than it had ever been. Something was about to unfold, Jun was sure of it.
But what was it?
Jun turned around when she heard her husband gasp. Kazuya looked at her in awe, also elaborately dressed in a tailcoat. She smiled when he came over, turning back to the mirror to fix her hair.
"My, my, you look gorgeous," Kazuya said as he hugged her from behind, making her chuckle. "You ready for tonight?"
Jun sighed. "I guess. The feeling is strongest now. I can't tell what it is yet, what's going to happen, but I think it has the power to disrupt our family."
Kazuya frowned slightly. "Jun, whatever it is, I'm sure we can deal with it. I know you're never wrong about your intuitions, but if that thing itself hasn't showed up yet, then what's the point we mull over it like this?"
"Well, maybe you're right about that," Jun said, gently pulling away from him to go over to the dressed to get her earrings. "But it's just... nagging at me from the inside."
Kazuya sighed and watched as she walked back to the mirror and stepped back slightly to let her put her earrings on. She eventually had trouble screwing them on so he ended up helping her with it instead.
"I'm wondering what these guys have planned for us," Kazuya decided to change the subject. "I sure hope it isn't one of those formal stuff."
"I sure hope so too," Jun sighed and craned her ear up so that Kazuya could get to it. "But hey, at least Shasha is coming. She's staying in the apartment beside Josie's."
"That's nice," Kazuya chuckled. "Alright, let's go to this party."
The two of them left the room, Jun stepping out first since Kazuya opened the door for her. Kazuya chuckled and closed the door before following her out. Jin was already in the living room, waiting for them. He stood up as soon as the two appeared.
"You two look great," Jin smiled as he gave them both a hug. He pulled away and motioned for them to follow him out. "Come on, everything's set up."
Kazuya put an arm around Jun as they followed Jin, but he couldn't help but notice her increasingly worried look.

Shasha collected the three bouquets from the florist and hailed a taxi. It was a little hard for her to carry everything, seeing how there were three large bouquets piled in her arms.
"Mishima Zaibatsu?" Shasha said as soon as the driver pulled up in front of her.
The driver nodded and motioned for her to get in. Shasha sighed and somehow managed to hold all three bouquets with one arm and used her free hand to open the back door. She placed the flowers in first, carefully propping them up, then got in as well.
Shasha heaved a sigh of relief and closed the door. "Sorry about that, I'm just carrying a lot of stuff." She told the driver.
"It's fine, Miss," the driver said.
The driver was about to undo the brakes and drive off when the front passenger side door opened and someone stepped in.
"Is he with you?" The driver asked, turning to Shasha.
Shasha immediately shook her head. "No, I... I'm not sure who he is..."
Even if she had seen him before, Shasha wouldn't have been able to recognise him. The strange man was wearing a gold and white kabuki mask and adorned a conical hat to cover more of his head. He wore a rather peculiar garb too, an umanori hakama wrapped down at the ankles for easy movements, and just a simple cloth covering a part of his torso, which reminded her of the front piece of a saree.
"It's fine, I'm going to the same place she's going to," the strange man said, his voice sounding strangely amused yet solemn at the same time. "You can drop us off together."
"Who are you?" Shasha asked again. "I'm not gonna let some stranger just follow me like this."
The man scoffed. "A newcomer. They just keep coming, don't they?" He turned to the driver. "Just drive over to the Zaibatsu, I'll pay you extra." To their surprise, he pulled out a bundle of cash and tossed it at the driver, who stared at it in surprise. "Child, you don't have to pay a cent, I've covered for you as well."
Shasha didn't know what to say. Who was this guy?
"Just... just drive over, sir," Shasha eventually told the driver.
The driver reluctantly did, he was paid handsomely, after all. Shasha frowned at the man, he seemed kinda old now that she took a better look, since he had locks of white hair cascading down from his hat. She quietly took her phone out and sent a message to a close friend.