Afterwards: The Fourth Tekken Novel

A Spar

It's been a few days and Heihachi still had no clue what to do. He was going through a loop now, wake up, have breakfast, stare at the sea, lunch, stare at the sea, teatime in his backyard overlooking the sea, a beach walk, dinnertime, and finally a bath before bed. It's like he had somehow became mechanical these few days, going by in a daze with nothing in particular on his mind.
His only objective had seemingly perished, became pointless beyond reason. What was the reason he created himself? The real Heihachi had already moved on, probably enjoying himself in the afterlife or whatever it is that faith had decided upon him, and this version of him is just a fragment of his past life just sitting around like this. Even if he had accomplished his mission to end the Mishimas, what next? He sits alone and enjoy the power? What about the people around him? They have so much now than they did before, their previous life that had seemed so despicable before was filled with so much hope. It was almost as if Kazuya and Jin were actually the Gru in their situations, going from evil to good.
He spent days cooped up in his home, interacting with no one but his servants. Even that were brief interactions during mealtimes and such. Maybe he should step out for once.
So, Heihachi got dressed in his neat but still stylish zebra-print suit coat and black trousers. His hair was still pointed in two sides, he was relieved to regain a headful of hair of black hair, and his youthful looks. Maybe he can get a drink or two, meet some people, and maybe even get lucky with a woman. After all, his life's downfall only occurred after he had lost the one woman he loved. Heihachi didn't forget that.
He set off to the vibrant nightlife of Tokyo.

It was shortly before dinnertime when Jin proposed that they should train. Everyone agreed to do so, even planning to have dinner outside since they wouldn't have time to cook anyway.
Jun faced Amber, standing in her stance. She nodded to her clone and started attacking her. The two sparred, their movements alike, until Jun had her pinned to the ground. She immediately got off and helped her up.
"A little harder, but you're getting there," Jun said as she pulled her up. "Wanna go again?"
Amber nodded and got into her stance again. "Sure."
The three men frowned as they stood around in a circle with their arms crossed.
"So who's gonna fight who?" Lars asked. "I don't mind."
Jin shrugged, straightening his arms down his sides. "I don't mind fighting with a dummy."
Kazuya turned to Lars. "So that just leaves us, then."
The brothers watched as Jin made his way to a training dummy and turned to each other, getting into their stances. Kazuya couldn't help but smirk at Lars's stylised stance.
"Alright, come at me," Kazuya said. "And in the words of a Lee Chaolan, 'come on'."
Lars snorted at that and readied himself to attack Kazuya, to which the older man responded by countering his attacks each time. Kazuya stepped back slightly and charged at Lars to launch a throw. But before Kazuya could fully grab him, Lars blocked him off and threw his head back.
In a brief glance, Kazuya saw an image of Heihachi, head-butting him during his last battle at the volcano. He had enough time to dodge Lars's attack, but Kazuya was too dazed to react. Lars bashed his head against Kazuya's, throwing the older brother off balance. He fell before he could steady himself.
Kazuya panted and looked up at Lars as he walked over. Again, Kazuya got a vision of Heihachi standing before him in his tattered gi by the volcano.
"Kazuya, you okay?" Lars asked as he held his hand out to him.
Kazuya refused his help as he got up himself. "I... I'm fine." He said, not looking back as he walked away.
Lars watched in surprise. Was Kazuya upset that he had floored him in a spar? Or was he a sore loser who refused to lose at his hands?
The rest paused from their training and turned to look at what just happened in surprise, Lars just standing there dumbfounded. He turned to the rest and found that they were just as confused as well.
"Did something happen?" Jin asked, wiping off the beads of perspiration that had gathered above his brows.
"Lars, what happened?" Jun asked, coming over. "Did you do anything that might have hurt him?"
Lars shook his head, frowning. "No. We were just sparring. I countered his attack, Kazuya fell, I tried to help him up, but then he just got up himself and walked away."
Jun frowned and turned to his son. "Did you notice anything odd, Jin?"
Jin shook his head. "No. Everything was fine. There weren't enough sparring partners, so I decided to train with the dummy instead. Dad seemed fine earlier... not sure what happened now."
"I'll go talk to him," Jun gingerly said as she left the room as well.
Amber bit the inside of her cheek and turned to Jin. "So... do we just stand around or...?"
Lars swept his gaze around at them, then turned to go after Kazuya and Jun as well.

Jun ran around to search for Kazuya and found him in the lounge at the other end of the corridor, sitting alone as he stuffed his face with pastries of various kinds. She sighed, a gentle smile on her face as she joined him. Wordlessly he offered her one of the pastries from the plate his was holding.
"Thanks," Jun said, graciously taking it.
She nibbled on it quietly, the two just chilling there for a moment. In silence, they enjoyed each other's company as they snacked on some pastries.
Kazuya sighed. "Sorry I walked out earlier."
"What happened, Kazuya?" Jun asked.
"I don't really know how to say this," Kazuya shrugged. "The two of us were sparring, me and Lars, and then I suddenly saw Heihachi."
"Heihachi?" Jun asked, surprised. "How?"
"It was a vision, a memory of our last battle," Kazuya's lips formed a grim line. "The way he head-butted me... Heihachi always did that too."
Jun sighed as she put an arm around him, leaning onto his shoulder. "That must've been hard to remember."
"I'm sorry," the couple turned to see Lars standing at the doorway, Jin and Amber at his heels. "I didn't know..." Lars added.
Kazuya shook his head. "It isn't your fault, I head-butt people too." He sighed as he leaned back. "Maybe I'm overthinking it, but that spar brought back some memories."
"Nah, you're not overthinking it," Lars said as he went to sit beside Kazuya. "Heihachi gives me nightmares sometimes too."
"He gives all of us nightmares," Jin added as he went over to the snack station to steal more food before joining them. He sat down beside his mother and leaned forward slightly to look at Kazuya as he nibbled on a cookie. "Because that's the kind of stuff we've been through with him."
Jun smacked his back slightly. "Don't talk with your mouth full."
Jin snickered and continued to eat the cookie.
"Why did he have to come back?" Amber said as she perched herself beside Jin as well. "Hasn't he caused enough trauma on us?"
Jun shrugged, a faraway look in her eyes. "The real Heihachi actually visited me last night. I asked him why he did this and he said it was his way of being immortal."
Kazuya turned to look at her in surprise. "Wait, he came to see you?"
Jun nodded. "Yeah. He understands how you feel, and even told me that we should attack him if he strikes first."
Kazuya frowned slightly, deep in thought. "Well. Maybe he realised what he did to me, to us, was unfair. He was actually a really good father, maybe even the best, until all of that happened. I don't know if I should blame my mother or him more. Both of them messed up, just played with my childhood for things that didn't even concern me." A tear escaped his eye. "Why did she have me if she was planning to kill me anyway?"
Lars put an arm around Kazuya and hugged him, leaning his head on his chest. "Don't say that. It isn't your fault. They just didn't deserve you."
"He's right," Jun softly sand as she also leaned onto her husband and rubbed circles on his back. "They didn't try to see the real you." Kazuya pulled away from Lars and turned to see the gentle smile on her face, to which she responded by touching his cheek. "They suppressed the good in you, feeding you with nothing but hatred, which made it easier for the Devil Gene to consume you. I know you won't let that happen again."
Jin swallowed his last cookie and spoke up. "Should we just nibble on these snacks till we're full or should we go out for dinner?" He shrugged. "I don't mind either way."
Kazuya couldn't help but chuckle. "Sure. I think we should go out for dinner, take a break from all of this."