Disclaimer: Tekken and all related characters belong to Namco Bandai Games.

Summary: Anna receives her most complicated mission yet: she has a new target she is uncertain she can kill, and there is a ghost from her past determined to get revenge. AU.

Vermilion Scar

Chapter One: The New Assignment

An extravagant black car skidded into a stop in front of a tall, black building in the middle of a long, busy street in London. The front door opened and out came a serious-looking chauffeur in an expensive black suit. He opened the back door, where a woman gracefully climbed down and walked to the entrance. In the big lobby, two bald men wearing sunglasses met her and led her to the elevator. Once inside, one of the bodyguards pushed the button of the topmost floor.

When they finally reached the top floor, the two men led the woman into a long hallway filled with many pieces of antique furniture, expensive paintings, and big windows, which revealed the full moon that illuminated the corridor through the translucent curtains. The old decorations completely contradicted the futuristic look of the building.

At the end of the long corridor stood a steely double door with a big "K" etched on each door. One of the men pounded a small keypad located on the right side of the entrance. Applause and cheers boomed on the stereos as the door opened. On the screen stood a fair-haired boxer with a big scar on his left arm. He had his right hand raised up in the air and he wore a smug grin on his pretty face. A bleached, blonde-haired bimbo in a skimpy Union Jack bikini climbed up the boxing ring with a championship belt in hand.

The television was turned silent, but the moving picture was still on the screen. The woman watched as the boxer took the belt and raised it up in the air. The black office chair in front of the screen turned around to face the door, and the woman straightened up. The man who stood before her was bald and he had on a devious grin that showed his yellow teeth. He was somewhat short because his back was bent. His narrow green eyes were partially covered by a small pair of square glasses on the bridge of his nose. He surveyed her for a while before rubbing his hands together.

"Ms. Anna Williams," the man greeted with a slight bow. His voice was smooth although a little throaty. With a quick swing of his slender wrist, the two bodyguards left the room, closing the door behind them.

The woman called Anna finally found her voice and said with a smile, "Mr. Kelevra."

"Please, do sit," he said, pointing to a velvet red sofa in front of his table. She sat down and crossed her legs, waiting for the man to talk. "Cigarette?"

"I would love to…," she graciously accepted the offer. Although not a smoker, she wouldn't turn it down if offered. Mr. Kelevra smiled and took one out of a silver box. He handed it to the woman and proceeded to light it for her. Once they both had their cigars, the man sat in his chair and turned sideways. He looked at the screen as the boxer posed for pictures with his championship belt on his waist.

"Splendid fighter, is he not?" Kelevra asked in his thick British accent, exhaling a puff of smoke.

"He would not last a second out in the real world…," Anna said nonchalantly, watching the young man on the screen, as girls clamored to the ring to get his autograph.

Kelevra laughed. "Ah, yes, of course. With your skills Ms. Williams, I guess it's easy for you to say that." He continued, "But he is also a very bad gambler."

Anna was not very surprised to hear this. A pretty boy like Steve Fox, who bathed in fame and wealth every day, would ask for more thrills, of course. Gambling was a good hobby for a young man with a lot of money and a small brain.

"I did think of taking legal actions against him, but with my reputation… I don't think I'd be able to win the case. Criminal justice here or in any part of the world, as you know, can be a bit partial. Mr. Fox is a big celebrity and even treated as a hero here; he would use his status to his advantage."

"Mm," was Anna's response, as she puffed out more smoke.

"So… I thought to myself… why not just have him pay for it with his life?" Mr. Kelevra asked, but Anna knew it was more of a statement. He flicked his cigar on the ashtray, and she did the same. "One of my acquaintances told me all about you… I heard you do your job well, but with a very high price." Anna shrugged. "Knowing Steve Fox's history with women, I'm confident a beautiful and talented assassin would be perfect for the job…."

It was quiet for a few minutes as the two looked at each other. "So," the assassin broke the silence, "you want a good job that doesn't look like a job, correct?"

The man nodded, smiling.

"I want you to do the job tomorrow night," he started, putting the cigarette between his lips. "Fox will have this big party then, in celebration of his victory," Kelevra explained, and Anna nodded her head in understanding.

"So, you want it to be just like… a crazy fan girl does Fox, and Fox does crazy fan girl. Fan girl is obsessed with Fox and can't stand the sight of him being with another woman, so she kills him and then runs away. With the number of people in the party, they will never find out who did it. Or, if they're lucky… they can pin it on someone," Anna finished with a smile. "So, that's all there is to it?"

"That's all there is to it," the old man echoed. Laughing heartily, he took out a checkbook, bound in expensive black leather. He scribbled a few numbers and then scrawled his signature. Kelevra ripped the sheet of and handed it to Anna. The assassin eyed him intently as she reached for the paper. She looked at it for a while, pursing her lips and clicking her tongue.

"Double or nothing?" she raised the check up in between her fingers.

Kelevra smiled. "You got yourself a deal then, Ms. Williams."

(10/07/08) – Beta'd by Salysha.