Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Hey, how long do we have to wait for our order? Move your ass, dipshit!“

“In a minute!“

 It took a few seconds before Forest actually took his attention away from the TV and started to fill bowls with food. The beef’s aroma filled the little room of the diner along with another bunch of tv news right from New York. And as soon as Forest took bowls to customers — several guys with not the most pleasant look — then the TV screen showed a field kitchen on Times Square with a close view of Marshall and Paul, both grinning proudly. 

“I assure you, ma’am, that soup is one of a kind!” Marshall gave a bowl to the reporter while Paul was flexing in the background along with Kuma. “Trust me, just for a hundred…” he stopped, hearing an unpleasant roar. “I mean, not every day you can get this Marshall special for free, right?” 

“So I assume you volunteered at the field kitchen?” 

“More like… convinced?” hearing this, Forest scowled a little, but relaxed, hearing Paul meddling in:

“Oh, I've just decided to help people of my hometown somehow after all this war and tournament stuff. And Marshall… he like, had no place to go. There was no money from the tournament, no job, no fights… So I offered him a gig of his specialty”. 

“Speaking of war… Was it true you both were fighting against each other? One of you was on the G-corp side?" 

“Hey, desperate times demanding desperate measures! And Paul owed me money and left for rebels, how else I should’ve found him?!..” 

 Marshall clearly wasn't glad he got interviewed, and Forest started to think it's time to switch channels. He looked away from customers, trying to remember where he left the TV remote. The mop and a bucket in a corner were first things he noticed, and the quick thought flashed in his head.

Shouldn't it be in the staff room, we're not cleaning yet?

“Man, what a buzzkill!” One of the customers loudly yawned, overlayed the sound of tv. “No wonder this place is so dead — the chef is playing Samaritan in NY for some reason!” 

“He may be out, but our beef is still the same,” Forest replied, his eyes finally locked up on the remote, lying on the fridge. 

“Who cares about beef, this guy just lost in the tournament! He almost got the US screwed, then he became G-corp's bootlicker!” The thug exclaimed, actively waving around his beef bowl. The other ones nodded, their bowls were still full and untouched. 

Deep breath, Forest.

 He inhaled, turned away to the dishwasher, and started to fill it up with dirt bowls. 

“Yo, kid, doesn't that concern you? Your pops just screwed the country, then betrayed it and then decided he will be a good boy like nothing happened, and you just sit here and wash dishes?” 

“Well, someone has to stay and look after the diner”. 

“Really?” Another thug cut in and Forest scowled again. “Or maybe you just don't care. All you and your family do is ruin other people's lives and then demand money for stuff you didn't have to do?” 

“Good point!” another voice rised up. “Why do we even have to pay for this crap, when he and his dad just continue to make it worse? They’re not better than that Mishima guy or another one so-called hero, warmonger Kaza— BLEGH!” 

“What the?..”

“Are you nuts!?“

 Forest didn't understand why it took him so long to finally get angry, turn to thugs and tell them to shut up. But when he did, he got dumbstruck. 

 One of the thugs fell from the chair trying endlessly to wipe his face with paper tissues and coughing constantly. Two other ones threw their beef bowls on the floor, stood up, shocked and irritated, but didn’t risk making a move against the mop, targeting them. 

“Didn't yer mom teach you not to talk with a stuffed face? Especially with food you hafta pay for?”

“Who the fuck are you? Another one from Law's?” 

 Forest just sighed. Of course it has to be a problem on the very first day. 

 The named problem, a well-builded Asian girl, tightened her grip on the mop, like it was some sort of lance. Her face was covered by a sterilized mask, but gaze was piercing, like she would happily throw away these thugs without a second thought. Situation was dire, and Forest had to act quickly. 

“Sorry guys, she's a part timer. First day and all… don't let it get to you.” 

“Get what, a mop in my face? And I was eating!..”

“You were eating shit! Who let ya to came here just for craptalking other people? Don't move!” girl quickly raised the mop against two other thugs, who tried to get up. Her moves were good, way too good for a normal janitor, Forest thought. 

“Well? Y'all gonna behave yourself and finish your food like a normal person AND pay for that, or we'll take it outside? What's yer call?” 

 The diner became quiet. The only noise was from the tv, with news about some oil company rising from the ashes of war. Forest could hear clearly how girl's grip on the mop got tightened after Rochefort's name dropped from the newscaster. He could swear he heard that name before too… but where? 

“Ah, screw it, we're outta here! You can choke on your beef bowl!” 

  Still targeted by mop, thugs quickly rise from the table and leave the diner. As soon as door closed behind them, girl exhaled and lowered the mop. 

“What the hell was that?!” Forest finally decided to take the situation in his hands. “They were our only customers for today!” 

“Don't wanna ruin that for ya, but they sure as hell weren't ones,” girl put the mop back in the corner and closed the door. “I know that type, they never pay their bills — just for funsies.”

“You mean… they’re dine-and-dashers? And you thought I wouldn't handle them?” 

“Well in my book you've already kick them out. Did something happen that you couldn't?” 

She sure isn't sharp, but observant one. 

“Kind of?.. I got out of rehab just recently.” 

“Oh… how did you?..” 

“Bad driving. And got my ass kicked,” Forest took the untouched beef bowls and carried them back to the kitchen. One of them he put into the microwave. 

“Crap… my bad then,” girl took off her mask and janitor jacket. Now Forest could see her hands were muscular and big. Not much but enough to knock someone out for good.. along with her whole physique. Pretty weird combination with her cute, friendly face and gaze that Forest could swear he saw before somewhere, a long time ago. 

“Whassup?” she asked. “Ya got lovestrucked or something?” 

“Oh, piss off! Here, your dinner,” he quickly took the bowl from the microwave and put it on the bar. 

“Thanks for the food!”

 She bowed cheerfully and started gnawing on the beef. Forest's eyes widened. 

“Damn, how long you haven't eaten?” 

“Whuh?”

“Oh, sorry, nevermind.” 

“Maaan, that spicy beef is a THING!” girl exclaimed, with cheeks turned pink. “Yo, can you gimme a glass of water? Damn, that's the best for sure, always wanted to try it!” 

“But it's not spicy?..” 

“Whaddaya mean, it's perfect! I mean, I couldn't do firebreath like a dragon after that, but man, that feels great!” 

“That so? Man, I wonder how dad would react to this. He always thinks he's careful with spices, but everyone disagrees…” 

“Ya mean Marshall? Well, his special volunteer soup isn't that hot, but people sometimes claim that thing is too much.” 

 Forest tensed. "You saw him? You're from NY?” 

“Nah, I'm Osakan. What, miss yer old man?” 

“Sort of… I actually don't get how he got here.” 

“No clue. All I know is that rebels picked up all tournament fighters after that blastoff on Yakushima and sheltered them from the UN and stuff for a while. Guess some people still got a bone to pick with your dad?” 

“Nah, he'll manage. At least he wasn't one who started all this…” 

“Yeah…” 

She silenced, all her joy and cheerfulness gone in a second. Even her gaze, friendly and observant, got clouded momentarily. 

Oh.  

“Is that why you started the ruckus with those guys?” 

“If ya think I wanted to defend this moron's honor or stuff, I'll send that bowl right into your skull,” her voice lowered and even snarled a little. “Now can I finish it or you have more questions?” 

Wow, that hurt her.

 Forest turned back to the dishwasher, finished putting dirt bowls into it, and when he closed it and turned back to a girl, she'd already emptied her bowl. 

“Hey…” he started. 

“Nah, it's me who should say that. Sorry to ruin it all, that jerk really got on my nerves.” 

“Is he?..” 

“No, he's not my brother or something! It's… hard to explain.” 

“How's it hard to explain distant relatives?” 

"That's the problem! I don't even know how distant or how relatively we are, and after all he did I'm sure as hell don't want to know!” she shouted, throwing her hand widely.

 The empty bowl went flying to the wall and crashed, several windows blew open. Forest felt how a strong wind blast went straight in his face. He hanged into the counter just in case, but his body wasn't blown down. 

“What the?..” he murmured, shockingly. 

 Girl freezed, her eyes widened. For what Forest could guess for sure, she wasn't surprised by what happened, more like she's… 

“It happened again,” she whispered, her face turned pale. "Dude, I'm sorry, I didn't want…” 

“Isn’t that just the wind?” he denied, but mostly to assure himself. 

“It’s clearly not just the wind,” she murmured and stood up. Forest opened his mouth to stop her, but she went to the corner for a broom and started to sweep the bowl shards. 

“How much for a bowl?” she asked with a lowered, suppressed voice. 

“Nothing.” 

“Oh. Ok.”

 He wanted to ask her what's with the mood swings, but the last several minutes got him a little…  frightened? But also intrigued, since Forest sensed that familiar feel hanging around that girl. And considering who was her relative, no matter how distant — Forest was sure they had some things in common. 

“You asked for a job, but do you have a place to sleep?” he asked and instantly regretted that. She may think something totally wrong about that. 

“I don't. What, you were going to offer me yer place?” 

Of course that's what she thought. Damn it. 

“Don't get me wrong though…” 

“Well, if ya offer, I don't mind.” she shrugged, continued to sweep the floor.

“Huh?” Another essence of confusion got him off-guard. 

“I actually was going to ask you to let me crash here for a night or two until I find some kind of a decent job here…” 

“Oh.” 

“But don't give yerself any ideas!” 

“I wasn't! So… Can I show you my place?”

“Well… “ she finally swept all the shards in the trash bin and put away the broom. “What the heck? Let's go. Don't think it's a date though!” 

“I tell you I wasn't! Why did this conversation turn back to this?!” Forest groaned, but shut out seeing her smirk. That girl is definitely a problem for everyone, but she has guts for sure. 

“How about we start from the beginning then?” he suggested. “I mean, with the names and all to try to make it look civil.” 

 She tilted her head. “Uh… sure?” 

“I’ll go first, then. Forest Law, nice to meet you,” he reached out for her hand. 

 She hesitated a little, her gaze moved away to open windows, then to the trash bin. And when she finally looked back at Forest, her eyes softened a bit. She shook his hand tightly. 

“Just call me Asuka.”

Chapter Text

 She plomped herself into the sofa, the creeks of it didn't even bother her. Finally, some peace and quiet. 

 Asuka closed her eyes, trying to turn off all memories about the last few days. No dice - that…  thing what happened in diner was still before her closed eyes, the sound of a crashed bowl was still ringing in her ears. And the shocked look on Forest's face was very similar to… 

“Aaargh, damn it!” 

 She jumped from the sofa, walked towards the window to open it, and leaned out from it a little to inhale a fresh (well, kind of) air. 

 The sound of night streets fell into the narrow room Asuka was in. Distant rumble from the cars on the highway, some stray cats meowing furiously at each other, buzzing from several neon signs, and unintelligible mumbling from another newscast somewhere down below. 

 And rare but loud kiiaing from the first floor along with thump sounds of punches and kicks. 

 That's right, he warned her about it. 

 Asuka signed and went back to the room. She couldn't sleep, either if she wanted to right now. Perhaps she was still too pumped by this evening. 

 In that case there was only one solution. 

 She reached for her sea-greenish hoodie, laying on the back of the sofa, and put it on. It would be hot in it, but better not to give that Forest guy any ideas. She looked down on her chest with skepticism. 

 If only she wasn't so big… 

 Asuka signed again and left the room. The stairs creak under her careful steps, but apparently Forest didn't hear any of that. She walked down and opened the door. 

“Hyuaah-! What?”

 Forest comically froze in a strike pose, his foot stretched in a high kick which barely touched the punching bag with his toe. Asuka scratched her head.

“Can't sleep. May I train a bit here?” 

“Seriously?” he made a face, lowering his leg. 

“It's me who should be surprised! Didn't ya tell me how your ass was beaten? Why training?” 

“Well, I took several L’s but not enough to kick me out. Besides, I can't let my pops and Paul have all the fun, am I?” Forest grinned.

“Good point. Your form is actually not too shubby,” Asuka nodded. 

“You think? How about we double check in sparring, then?” 

“Nah, I'll pass.” 

“You were going to blow some steam anyway, what's the problem?” 

“Well the problem is we're both gonna be in deep shit if I'll get you injured. So how about this hanging fella helps me out now?” she pointed at the punching bag.

“If you say so. Wait, do you know how to train with those?” 

“You just punch the thing, what's so hard about it?”

“Well, you… how to put it… is your fighting style training even use that?” 

“No, but what gives? Just let me do it already!” 

 Asuka went to the punching bag and took a stance. Just one strike. And that should be enough for the day. She  could feel Forest’s glance upon her, but tried to ignore it, focusing on her fist. 

Now then. Take a deep breath and throw it. 

She did exactly that. Her fist clenched and she threw it at the punching bag with all her strength. She felt how air breezed from her knuckles, blowing at her cheek-

She didn't expect that for sure - not evade, block or even parry incoming attack like she usually could. To Asuka's shock, there was only one reaction - numbness. But she herself couldn't stop either, she was too fed up, pissed, tired and angry, and one of the reasons for that was right before her-

 She froze, her fist barely touched the punching bag, which swayed away a little from the punch blast. She exhaled.

“What’s wrong?” she heard Forest's worried tone.

“Crap… My thoughts are all over the place now. See, that’s why I don’t want to spar with ya, it would be a one-side assbeating”

“And you can’t take the L’s?”

 She jumped, the heat in her chest erupting. Forest spread his hands.

“I get you were trying to play it cool, I don’t judge”.

“Ugh… I know. But like I said, that’s really hard to explain” Asuka leaned her back to the wall. “That wind crap just happening every time I get fed up and I don’t know what to do with it”

“So it’s like… your normal?”

“Did ya even listen? How the heck is that normal?!”

“Well that’s how you not wondering why you got those powers“

“That’s…” she paused, frowning a little.

 That spurred Forest’s curiosity. “There is a story behind that? isn’t it? Hey, has it something to do with Mishimas?”

 She didn’t answer, frowning even stronger. Forest took a step towards her, understanding the risks of being attacked or caught off by those wind powers, but the noise outside made him stop.

“Hey, Marshall Junior! We came for seconds - and for a chick! Get out already!”

“Yo,” Asuka murmured and Forest turned to her. “I have an idea.”

“I think I know which one. Let’s go for it”

 They both left the apartments. The thugs from the diner were waiting across the exit, now armed with steel pipes and baseball bats. And their numbers grew a little - at least ten people got Asuka and Forest surrounded. One of the thugs, the burly guy with a spiked bat, grinned.

“Oh, you guys really decided to come out! Sorry to interrupt your sweet time”

“Whaddaya want?” Asuka growled with displeasure. Burly thug aimed his bat at her.

“First of all, have some respect, you bitch! We’re the strongest gang in this district, and you better be ready!”

“Really?" Asuka tilted her head incredulously. "Does yer gang have a name? I saw a lotta punks like you everywhere and they usually just bark louder than they hafta”

“You!..” 

“She got a point though - who are you guys?” Forest butted in. “Here’s been a talk that you're just some dine-and-dashers and if you were some kind of dangerous gang, most of the neighborhood would’ve already left or warned me about you. But I guess they just don’t fear you, or even care”.

“You cocky ass!..”

“Come on, guys, you’ve come to gang us or what? Let’s finish this, so I can finally get back to sleep,” Asuka crunched her knuckles and neck, while Forest took the stance.

“You asked for it, bitch!” the main thug shouted, raising his bat. “Crush them, boys!”

 Several thugs jumped forward, weapons out, but one roundhouse kick from Forest threw them away. He winced a bit, but took the stance again, ready for next wave of opponents.  Asuka didn’t move, observing other thugs who approached her slowly, while drawing their weapons ready.

 “Where’s your mop, girl? Should we take a break to make it a little fair, or are you ready to give up?”

 She kept silent.

 One of the thugs swung his pipe, targeting Asuka’s head. She swiftly took a sidestep, but not enough - the pipe strike landed on her shoulder, the pain ranged in her arm bones momentarily. She hissed, feeling how nail spikes from the bat pierced her skin and blood started to flow down on her forearm.

“Gotcha! Boys!” 

 Other ones, who weren’t distracted by Forest, rushed towards her, preparing their weapons.

“Hey, snap out of it!” Forest shouted, turning to her for a second, just to get striked by himself. The flurry of pipes and bats force him to block. That fired up thugs, and most of them joined the pressure when the main one swung his bat on Asuka once again.

“Say your prayers, Mop girl!” 

  That’s it.

 That moment, Asuka felt how she got embraced by the complete silence. There were no thugs yapping, no Forest grunting from pain, no any other sounds. Just her and this asshole with his fucking bat, whose confidence wiped out in a second once Asuka glared back at him.

“What the-”

 She rushed forward, without any second thought, tactic or stance. Just throwing a punch she was preparing for half an hour that night and which should be addressed to a punching bag. The same punch she threw back then .

 The blast from the strike was so powerful, the wind blew away several other thugs who were unlucky to stay nearby - they flew to the sidewalk, along with some trash bins and dropped pipes. Ones who pressured Forest got shakened as well, and stopped their attack for a moment, long enough for Forest to summersault them away.

“What the fuck? Did she do that?”

“Bitch! I mean, witch! She crushed the boss! Get her!”

 Forest took the stance once again, but felt how his body already started to get limped from exhaustion. The thugs, though, weren’t even bothered by him - they all surrounded Asuka.

“That’s it! Try to do that trick again, you fuck, we’ve got you outnumbered!”

“Uh-huh.”

 Forest froze.

 Her voice just now sounded way too similar to that moment back in the diner, when he mentioned her connections with Jin Kazama. And now Forest was sure he could feel the same danger from Asuka than he felt from Jin back before the third tournament - or when he made an announcement of the sixth one, along with the start of his war with the world.

 That’s not good.

 He couldn’t see Asuka behind the thugs surrounding her, but heard the rattle of a pipe she picked up.

 That’s NOT good.

“You outnumbered me? Then whaddaya waiting for?” she asked intimidatingly. “Or you’re not going all out like a true gang just cause ya scared of a girl with a pipe?”

 Forest could swear something changed in the air. He couldn’t shake away the feeling there’s something inhuman… somewhere. Not in Asuka’s herself or thugs, but in the atmosphere around them. Something similar he remembered he felt not so long ago, when he watched the finals of the King of Iron Fist eighth tournament from Italy.

“Get her!” one of the thugs shouted desperately.

 Forest tried to take a step forward, but his body swayed, making him kneel. He landed on the ground, just in time to avoid some thug who flew above him right into the wall along with several others.

 Now he could see.

 The rest of thugs tried to attack Asuka from all sides, just to be countered by a pipe in her hands. With each swing of it, another blast of the wind blew attackers away for several steps. But they for sure were sturdy and trying to attack her once again. Asuka’s swings were wide but not strong, her right shoulder was bleeding, and her stance was weakening with each step.

“Forget about her, let’s go!” shouted someone. Most of the thugs hurried to run away, but some of them weren’t so lucky, including their boss, who decided to test his luck once again - this time with the knife.

“Hit this, bitch!”

 The knife clashed with the pipe with a loud clunking sound - and a thud, crunchy one. This is gonna hurt for sure.

 The boss thug dropped his knife, grasping his broken hand, whaling. He kneeled before Asuka, who slouched above him, clutching the pipe.

“Get out,” she snarled.

 Boss thug, whimpering, hobbled after others, who were also dropping their weapons. Once they all disappeared behind the corner. Asuka kneeled, still clutching the pipe, her knuckles became white.

“Hey,” Forest took a step toward her carefully. 

 She wasn’t reacting, her head was lowered, but the pipe grip still looked strong.

“Can you stand?” Forest reached his hand to her, tightening every muscle in his body. “We’re going back. To rest”.

 She raised her head, her gaze was timid and hollow.

“Sure.”

 She stood, ignoring Forest’s hand and slowly walked into the building. The pipe she gripped was screeching from being dragged on the concrete.

 She got guts, but she’s a total mess. Almost like Jin.

 Forest signed and followed her. What a day.

Chapter Text

Several weeks ago

“Oh please, are you still mad at me?”

“Is this a trick question? Of course I am! Draggin' me abroad, makin' me sit along with the guy who I obviously cannot stand AND bringing up our family connections?”

“Oh, you don’t have to mention the last, I just did it for charity” Lili flipped her hair as they both were going through the Kazama dojo to Asuka’s room. It was almost time for morning practice, but Asuka didn’t feel it — or more like didn’t want to. For the first time in her entire life.

“If yer idea of charity is to drag me into world conflicts against my wish, then you’re really sick headed,” She took out her folden hakama and gripped it tight. “What if we both got blasted by that big-ass laser? We're lucky Alisa saved us from it!”

 Lili signed like she was scolded by a kid. “And we saved her right before that, didn’t we? She just returned the favor in our favor, so to speak. And furthermore, all that trip to Yakushima was very educational…”

“For you? How so? You didn’t learn crap about Kazama history there except for the family tree which is unfinished!”

“You’re really oblivious, Asuka Kazama” Lili sighed again. “I wasn’t talking about only my benefits from it.”

“Oh shuddup! I don’t wanna talk about it anyway!”

“But how are we supposed to explain this to your papa , then? He will notice for sure…”

“Notice what ?..”

 Lili fell silent, hearing the intimidating tone in Asuka’s voice. The hakama was put back on the shelf in complete silence, then Asuka stood up and went back to the exit. Her steps were wide and angry.

“You’re not going to practice? How shameful!”

“Leave me alone.”

“No can do!” Lili waltzed towards the door and blocked it. “There’s no need to be shameful about what happened, Asuka — consider it another step forward.”

“The only step forward I need right now is through this door! Move the heck away!”

“Or what? You’re going to attack me? Then I’m prepared — let’s test your strength!”

“Gah, ya piss me off!”

 Asuka’s fist clenched on its own, her pent-up frustration and rage from the last few weeks or even months were flowing into her strike like some sort of unknown energy. Asuka could see a glimpse of Lili’s smirk — she clearly was waiting and asking exactly for that. 

 And Asuka attacked, expecting another pointless and irritating sparring.

 But Lili didn't expect that for sure — she didn’t evade, block or even parry an incoming attack like she usually could. To Asuka's shock, there was only one reaction from her — numbness. But she herself couldn't stop either, she was too fed up, pissed, tired and angry, and one of the reasons for that was stood right before her.

 To Asuka’s horror, her fist landed straight into Lili’s face — the power of the strike blew her out of the dojo, her body flew across the yard straight to the main gates. She crashed into it and lumped on the ground silently.

 Asuka froze, not believing what just happened. She could hear distant sounds of her father’s voice - he most likely decided to come for his irregular practice. But Lili remained silent. She didn’t even move.

“H-hey…” Asuka mumbled. “Can ya hear me?”

 Nothing.

 She hurried to Lili. Her body was laying face down, but with a closer look Asuka could see her slightly moving, trying to breathe. She kneeled to her to turn Lili upwards and gasped.

 Lili’s face wasn’t hurt badly, however, there was a bloodstream going from her nostril and mouth. Red dots flew over her collar and neckerchief. Her eyes rolled, the cheeks were pale, her breath was shallow.

 Oh no. No-no-no…

“Asuka? Lili-san? Are you here?”

 For the first time in a while Asuka was scared and ashamed by her father’s voice. It can’t be, she didn’t want to do that, she shouldn’t have to…

 I really messed up.

 She quickly reached for the phone in her pocket — thank god, it was there this time — and called an emergency. That was the last thing Asuka remembered clearly before fear clouded her mind along with shame and rage.

 Some time later she found herself on the train station with a backpack. No turning back, then. Not for the bike either. She doesn’t have the right to stay there anymore.

 Dad most likely would've said the same.

* * *

“So you just punched some girl and that happened? Just like that?” Forest frowned in disbelief.

“She’s not just a girl, she’s a pain in the ass! And can we drop that already? I said I want to rest and forget about all that!” Asuka blurted out and then drank a glass of water in one gulp.

“Look, five minutes ago you just scuttered a bunch of goons without even breaking a sweat and all it took for them to anger you just hitting you once! That’s definitely not normal, especially if you’re a martial artist.”

“Look, we got a whole family clan of guys who can shoot lightnings through their fists, so don’t gimme that crap!” 

“All I say is you’re not being honest, that’s all,” Forest spread his hands. Before Asuka butted in with some argument, he continued.

“Listen, it’s a base to be able to control your feelings and strength during a fight, but if you hide something from yourself, that might bite you back someday.”

“O-kay… where’s that coming from?”

“Huh? Paul taught me that. Funny thing, he’s actually better at this kind of knowledge than pops.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Asuka sighed and leaned back on the chair. “Does it matter if I tell ya what really happened? That will not erase those powers magically or heal everyone I hurt in a second!”

“Then can I ask for it? Pleeeease, I’m curious how you can do that!” Forest made the most pleading face he could, but his attempt just made Asuka bursting out a giggle.

“And people say that I'm annoying. Fine, ya win!”

 She leaned forward and put her elbows on the table, then spoke solemnly.

“Sit tight, that’s gonna be a tearful story about family reconnections…”

 Forest nodded, handing her first-aid kit. Asuka, hissing because of a slight pain in her forearm, started to treat her wound, remembering the events of that past life. 

* * *

Several weeks ago, Yakushima

“I actually admire how you decided to give your relative more intimate time with his loved one” Lili spoke, walking gracefully through the overgrown forest trail. Asuka huffed, crossing through twigs and bushes.

“How should I know she’s his loved one! He barely said a word to her. Not that it mattered anyway.”

“Weren’t you wanting to say something to him?”

“Like why did he even start a war? I would better punch him out of the jet, but cannot damage your precious family tin can.”

“How rude,” Lili huffed while they were ascending the slope. “Here I am, organizing a little family reunion and that’s your gratitude?”

“Reunion, my ass! Didn'tcha also wanted to beat Jin for what he did to your company?!”

“I can put some of my grudges behind if needed. Unlike some other person I know.”

“Do ya hafta mention the last part? Oh wait, where are we?”

 Asuka went silent, looking at the landscape beneath. There was supposed to be some kind of camp for G-corp soldiers, but instead, there was a rocky foot of the mountain covered with sparse trees. There was a distant sound of crushing waves, which meant they somehow made it to the Yakushima coast.

“Nobody’s here,” Lili murmured.

“Yeah, I wonder why — maybe there’s no reason for them to group on the island shore?” Asuka replied sarcastically. “I saw bunch of soldiers movin' into deep of the island. Isn’t that where we should be going to?”

“Monsieur Lee told me there was at least one troop going in that direction. Perhaps we’re way too behind them.”

“Who’s that Lee ya talkin' about?”

“From the Yggdrasil group. He kindly let Jin Kazama join us while he left to stand up against Kazuya,” Lili replied. “He’s also the CEO of Violet Systems if it says something to you.”

“The annoyance of rich people, that’s all what it says to me.”

 Asuka continued to inspect the landscape and then she noticed a little rocky path along the foot of the mountain.

“Hey, down there!” she exclaimed, pointing in the direction of the path. “Betcha those troops or whatever went through there”

“How observant, Asuka. We should follow them quickly, then,” Lili immediately slided down the hill towards the path.

“Hey, at least say thanks for pointing that out! Ugh, you’re an ass!”

 Asuka followed her, jumping over rocks and bushes and almost got crashed into a rock wall of the mountain. It was unusually high, she thought for herself — and with a closer look, this wall looked like…

“ Suis-moi , Asuka! Or you’ll miss the greatest historical discovery!” 

“I’m coming! There's nothing to find, it’s just a mountain though!”

 She quickly followed the path, feeling how the road under her feet becoming smoother, which confirmed her thoughts. After all, it’s a mountain, so it would make sense to have some old buildings here, considering they’re in Yakushima…

 Suddenly, the path ended. Asuka slowed down and looked forward. Lili was nearby, staying in awe of the giant cave entrance, with torii gate builded into it. The weak lights of orange could be seen in the back of the cave, but there was no sound or any sign of G-corp soldiers lurking nearby.

“Magnificent,” Lili whispered. “I never seen anything like that before”

“Well, it’s a typical ancient Shinto shrine for ya, I guess,” Asuka took several steps forward, keeping her voice down just in case. “Still, it’s nothing like the ones you can actually read about.”

“Perhaps it’s just you being oblivious as usual.”

“It’s not! Trust me, I know a thing or two about ancient shrines, and this one is definitely not included in tour guides or history lessons!” Asuka stopped right before the torii gates, looking up to them. Lili stood right behind her, curious. 

“We actually don’t have to go through,” Asuka murmured.

“Why? What if there’s G-corp troops here?..”

“It’s quiet here, and there’s no sound from the inside. Doubt they’re even came here in the first place. At least, from that entrance...”

“You sound unusually quiet, Asuka,” Lili remarked with a bit of mockery. “Are you afraid of the gods and don’t want to make them mad by going through here?”

“Well… yeah. We already have one dragon-devil baddie around, I don’t want to make it worse.”

“A rarely wise decision from you.”

“Can ya stop to mock my every move?” Asuka groaned, but shutted down quickly, once she heard someone’s distant voice.

“What is it?” Lili tried to hold her neck forward so she could also hear the sounds. But Asuka shushed her with raised palm and took a step towards the gates. 

 She didn’t misheard things - there was someone’s voice in the depth of the cave. And it was… singing?

 Asuka squinted her eyes, trying to listen.

“~an ogre on this island… banish it with a resplendent light…”

“Huh? An ogre?” Asuka murmured, and then the memories striked her.

 Ogre… Jin was talking about an ogre who killed his mother, wasn’t he?

“Asuka, didn’t you said we shouldn’t go inside?” Lili’s voice sounded worrying and distant for some reason.

 Asuka suddenly realized the closer she’s going to the gates, the more her surroundings are fading.

“That song…” she muttered. “It sounds familiar.”

“Interesting, but we have to find another way inside. If the troops are really here, we’re literally quite open for them here… Asuka?..”

 She didn’t listen. She bowed deeply to the gates, following by some inner instinct, triggered by these grounds, and took another step forward, on the right side of the path. Now she was right under the gates.

 The song stopped completely.

 Asuka exhaled, her mind was completely emptied. No fear, no anger, no worries — there was just her and the eerie silence of the cave entrance. She forgot about everything else, but her mind was looking forward to something to keep focus.

  What is it you are looking for?

 She couldn’t tell whose voice it is — but it sounded familiar. Like several different people, including herself, were whispering in her ears. She took another step forward.

Have you lost your goal in life?

 Asuka jumped — this time the voice sounded way too familiar — it was Jin’s voice. But that was impossible, he literally went away in a different path!

 She even looked around, but surprisingly found herself in complete darkness. The cave entrance, as well as the torii gate, has disappeared.

“Lili!” Asuka called, feeling uneasy. Nobody answered.

 She could feel the light breeze coming from ahead and continued her path. The emptiness in her mind started to fill with worry and other voices — Lili’s, father’s, Jin’s and even her own — asking her with every step she took:

You wished you could come here?

What is it you are looking for?

Have you lost your goal in life?

Are you looking for a purpose?

Is this what you decided to live for?

“Can you shuddup? I’m lookin’ for an exit!” she shouted and suddenly tripped on a rock. Trying to maintain balance, Asuka stopped, but the voices didn’t leave her.

That is more you can do if you want

Your life is wasteful right now

Your blood knows what are you capable of

“I said — SHUT UP!” she shouted again and stomped in frustration. Then another voice, unfamiliar, but gentle and female, sounded right towards her.

You can grasp now what your true power is. You can make things right if you desire — so as he did.

 This time Asuka didn’t answer.

 She stood still, feeling some sort of easiness — the one she didn’t felt for a very long time. In fact, this feeling was warm, comforting and encouraging at the same time, she even couldn’t hold tears. Like someone just congratulated her for coming this far and blessed to move forward at the same time.

  Could it be?..

 That feeling, boiling and gusting at the same time, was flowing in her body like blood, clearing any doubts, fears or rage. Just one more step forward, she thought, one more and she’ll finally understand everything...

“Hey! Who’s there?”

 And with that shout, everything shuttered — except the blowing feeling in her limbs.

 Asuka found herself in a big temple, the floor was plain and full of puddles, covered with a thick fog. The hall was tall and old — very old, the inner walls weren’t carved by human hands, but by nature. In the distance, an another pair of torii gates were stood, with a faint flower smell coming from them.

“Hey! I know you’re here!” someone shouted again, and Asuka looked around. Some pebbles fell from the side of the shrine, one of the lanterns faltered, and a G-corp soldier jumped into the hall.

“What the?..” he shouted, noticing Asuka.

 She didn’t let him finish or attack — she made a rush towards the guy and knocked him out with an improvised right hook. It was so powerful she even spinned on inertia of the blow, and the blast from the strike blew the soldier away even further, throwing his body right into the set of some ancient pots which stood against the wall and broke them along with it.

 Asuka froze, breathing heavily.

 That wasn’t her normal punch — in fact, she never did it before, along with… whatever it was just now. And how the hell did she even end up inside, when she didn’t want to go here in the first place?

“Lili?” she called, not hoping for anything. But for her relief, a familiar, real voice answered from above:

“Finally, you got it together, Asuka! Get up here this instant — I fought back-up troops and they left a very useful info!”

“Of course you’ve been busy…” Asuka muttered, looking for a way up. She then turned back at another set of torii gates in the depths of the temple, the faint flower fragrance still lured her.

  Didn’t I forget something?

“Will you please hurry it up? Those G-corp units want to release some kind of a nasty weapon and we better do something about it!”

“Ugh, I’m comin’!” Asuka shouted, finally found a way to climb up. Whatever it was in the temple, it has to wait for now.

 But unfortunately, she didn’t have another chance to come back.

* * *

“So basically, you’ve got spirit-bited”

“The what?..” She stopped to bandage her forearm halfway. Forest thoughtfully scratched his chin, his eyes narrowed.

“Come on, you understand what I’m talking about! A mystic ancient temple, somehow connected with the history of your clan? There’s something really fishy here.” 

“Seriously?” Asuka skeptically leaned back on her chair. “Well, okay, something or someone gave me those hurricane blasts just like that and for what? So I wouldn’t have any idea how and where to use them and accidentally injure a person with that? Screw that.”

“Because that’s not aligned with your family style?”

She bent forward, chair legs banged loudly on the floor.

“Do ya know what Kazama fighting style is about?” Asuka said quietly, not looking at Forest. “Its essence is that the softness triumphs over hardness. Your power comes from the power of your opponent and all you do is redirect that back to him. And my problem always was that I can do that with anyone… but not with myself.”

 Forest just nodded knowingly while she continued.

“And now for the worst of times I can literally wind up anyone who angered me and they have no chances to go away from that. Worst of all, I punched someone who actually… kinda deserved it, yeah, but I let myself out of control.”

“Didn't you just say it was always your problem?”

“Well, I didn’t airbend anyone into the nearest building before!“ Asuka slammed the table and scratched her head furiously. “It could be fine if it wasn’t for that goddamn Yakushima trip… Or maybe…”

 She felt shut, lowered her both arms on the table and then sighed.

“That thing in temple… it asked me things I sometimes thought about. Like do I really have to do what I do and stuff. First, I thought it actually approved me or some kind of. But now I think… maybe it meant the opposite.”

“That is?..”

 Asuka let her arm slide off the table and reach for the pipe she brought into the apartment. She grasped it tightly and gave Forest a hard look.

“Perhaps it meant I should left the Kazama style for good.” 

 Forest's eyes widened.

“Huh?! Where’s that come from?”

“Does it matter? I have a better grip with the pipes and punches than with the defensive style anyway. It’ll take time to adjust, but seems fine,” Asuka swung the pipe slightly and looked back at frowned Forest. “What?”

“It doesn’t suits you.”

“Hmm… Good point, this thing is way too long. Perhaps a baseball bat should fit me better?”

“You should drop it.”

“Huh?”

“You can’t just drop your family’s teachings because of a couple accidents that go against what you’ve learned,” Forest stood up and folded his arms. “I’m not the one to talk, but even after all the crap I went through for the last couple of years, I’m still here. Helping pops when he’s out, trying to be the same strong fighter as he or Paul are…”

“Well, good for you. Shame I can’t do the same,” Asuka shrugged. “Look, I getcha. You’re just an easygoing guy, but it seems that I can't be like you. Can’t let myself teach or practice values of the fighting style that I’ve already screwed up more than several times. That’ll not make me a better person… or a fighter anyway.”

The room felt silent for a moment, and then Forest broke it.

“Is it because of Jin? You afraid you’ll become like him?”

 She didn’t answer, just tossed the pipe and silently went upstairs. Then the door creaked and the room fell into silence once again.

“Guess I got it on the mark,” Forest mumbled, rolling the pipe into a corner.

* * *

  Of course it was because of him.

 Asuka tried once again to sleep, tossing and turning on the sofa. When her eyelids finally became heavy, she sighed happily. 

 She tried not to think about that jerk, but after she heard a bits of his story from Lili and himself, she couldn’t stop to. Especially after that weird thing in the shrine and… what happened after that.

Several weeks ago, Yakushima

 Asuka didn’t even have time to be frightened — she just felt someone’s strong grip around her and her feet fell off the ground. Before she had to squint from the bright light of the laser beam, she managed to glimpse Lili, also being grabbed by Alisa.

“Please don’t struggle, we’re leaving the danger zone!” Alisa shouted, boosting away from the Devil’s laser. Through the wind hissing in her ears, Asuka could hear the screams of Yggdrasil and G-corp soldiers, catched by the attack.

 Holy shit.

 No wonder Lili tried not to let her fight this guy — she wouldn’t have a single chance. 

 “We’re landing on Yggdrasil's plane, so please hang tight!” Alisa commanded and seconds later Asuka’s feet touched the metal ground.

“Whew… Well that was an unpleasant flight” Lili sighed, fixing her dress. Then she was startled. “Mon dieu, the jet! I left it down there!”

“You don’t have to worry about it, Miss Rochefort, I’ve already escorted your plane into our hangar,” someone’s flamboyant voice came behind them.

 Asuka turned around and saw a silver-haired man in a battle suit. He bowed to them.

“Hey, aren’t ya that guy from Italy?” she pointed at him.

“Lee Chaolan, CEO of Violet Systems. At your service, Kazama-san,” he replied.

 Asuka frowned. “How did ya know my name? Did Lili spill my family tree to you too?”

“Actually, it was Jin who did it. Please don’t make wrong assumptions though, he did it only for your own sake,” Lee raised his hands before Asuka could say or do something. “He didn’t explain why, but I guess he was trying to keep you out of this.”

“Keep me out, my ass! We've seen each other for a couple of hours and he’s already trying to play caring big bro? Screw that!”

“Please forgive her, monsieur Lee, Asuka clearly can’t see the whole situation” Lili butted in between them, but Asuka showed her aside.

“Oh, I sure see! The world war criminal who's supposed to be trialed, first coming out like it’s nothin' on a tournament hosted by another world criminal who’s actually a demon, then suddenly he gives us a tearful story about his mother killed by some other demon! And after that ya think I should trust or sympathize with him? To hell with that!”

“Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire, young lady,” Lee replied, remaining calm. “I can understand your mistrust with Jin, especially considering your family connections. But I can assure you — even despite his previous actions, now he tries his best… Oh, look at this, everyone!”

 He gestured to the display on the upper half of the plane. Asuka, Alisa and Lili raised their heads. Alisa startled.

“I’m having powerful readings in the sky! It’s one from the battlefield on Yakushima… and the other one is…”

 Asuka gasped, seeing what’s happening on the display.

 Two winged figures clashed above the clouds, one of them was purple, large and crystallic with batlike wings, and the other one was lesser, having bicoloured black and white wings, but in anything else remained almost human.

“Is that Jin?” Asuka couldn’t believe her eyes. “Holdup, he’s also a demon?“

“Like I said — something you have to fight fire with fire. But I should also say, that’s truly marvelous!” Lee exclaimed. “His performance became much better even since he just started to gain control of his Devil gene!”

“Careful!” Alisa warned. “Kazuya is gathering an enormous sum of energy! We should leave, before…”

“Is he trying to destroy the whole island completely?” Lili narrowed her eyes. “Such arrogance.”

“But Yakushima is a national reserve or something, is he nuts?!” Asuka shouted. “It was also Jin’s home, wasn't it?”

“There’s still our troops and other fighters on the ground, we still have to pick them up!” shouted someone from the soldiers. “Commander Lars also still down there, we should haste!”

“Wait!” Alisa shouted again and pointed at the display. “Look!”

 The giant sphere of energy from Kazuya was stopped by Jin. He didn't let it move forward, but obviously was struggling already. Asuka couldn’t help herself but bite her lip.

 If the didn’t make it, the whole island will…

  He will.

 Asuka jumped — the familiar female voice from the shrine once again ranged in her ears. She even looked around, but everyone was glued to a display, where Jin's figure suddenly got covered by a bright light.

He finally found his purpose. Don’t worry — soon you will too. Just don’t struggle against…

“Who the hell…” Asuka murmured, her gaze was also glued to the screen, where…

“WHAT?!!”

She and Lili shouted that simultaneously, looking at Jin, who… changed. Instead of a usual brooding winged guy with bicoloured feathered wings he now looked like some sort of knight with bright white goldish wings. Like some sort of…

“Jin-san looks like a literal angel now” Alisa murmured and that was the most human sentence of her for the last ten minutes, Asuka noted.

“Interesting…” Lee put out a tablet-like device. “Very interesting — his performance is still the same, just amplified by an unknown source… No, scratch that — that source is external! It’s coming from the island!”

“The island…” Asuka thought about that old shrine again.

 Wasn't that purple lady from Italy — Zafina, was it? — who said something just before they left with Jin? The roots… the roots of the Kazama family? So that could mean Asuka herself is also?..

 Meanwhile on the screen Jin finally threw the sphere of energy away to the sea, the image get distorted by the interferences.

“That’s big one coming! Everyone, hold on to something!” Lee ordered.

 Asuka’s other thoughts got shouted away by everyone’s panic and the plane shaking for quite some time. Someone shouted about a big storm coming out of nowhere, the big display showed the image once again for a second — and that was the landscape Asuka remembered perfectly.

 Just before the evening sky got covered by storm clouds, she could see some sort of a big flash high up in there. Gold and purple, it was formed like some sorts of wings for a couple of seconds — and then exploded. Light purple covered by golden light got spreaded on the whole sky for a moment before it got absolutely clouded.

 That was beautiful and...

* * *

 …Unfair.

 She fell asleep, the image of the energy explosion in space was still before her closed eyelids.

 This thing was enormous. It could destroy the entire island or even the whole world — and it got stopped by the man who brought the world war in the first place.

 Why him? Why not someone else? Why not her — the person who literally busting her ass daily on the Osaka streets, trying to prevent any conflicts before they became something worse?

 What’s the point of her getting something out of that damn shrine if she has no idea what to use it for? Especially when she can’t follow the Kazama family virtues just like Jin, but he was the one who got the privilege to save the world that he himself ruined not so long ago?

 What a bullshit.

Chapter Text

 Forest checked the door one more time. Closed. He left a sigh of relief and went to the living room.

 What a day.

 But as soon as he lay down on the sofa, some loud sound came from the outside.

 “What now?” Forest groaned and raised on the sofa, trying to look out through the window. By the look of it, it was nothing.

 Except for some sort of giant round thing that just flew in the back alley. A human-size thing.

 Someone’s grunt came out of there just a moment later, and Forest bolted himself out of the apartment once again.

 “Hey, knock it off!” he ran into the alley just to evade the wide sweeping punch.

 Quickly jumped on the nearest dumpster, Forest took a stance and got a better look at his opponent. Tall, strongly built man in a bright-red opened shirt, showing some chest hair, glared furiously at Forest. His fists clenched tighter, making his silver bracelet chains chimed a little.

 “Step aside, kid, I got him!”

 A familiar voice came out from the side, and the roundish thing appeared once again right between Forest and the stranger. The thing was a large fat blonde man in a colorful shirt and tattered jeans, his obviously large physique didn’t prevent him from moving freely and in fact, he moved like all his weight was working for his favor. As usual.

 “Sure thing, Bob, but do you know what time it is? Can you and your friend take it out somewhere else?” Forest groaned and relaxed a bit.

 That move provoked the stranger — he immediately rushed forward with another sweeping punch, targeting both Forest and Bob. Latest curled up and threw his body at the attacker, making him go into block, and Forest saw his opportunity — he immediately jumped forward, targeting stranger with a high kick.

 But the opponent also was a fast thinker — he ducked under the kick and made another punch, trying to blow Bob’s body away. He also blocked, but stepped back a little, making the stranger stay between himself and Forest.

 “Ok, can someone explain what’s going on?” Forest asked, keeping his eye on the opponent. “Friend of yours, Bob?”

 “Never saw him before. And I’m sure no one else, at least in this district,” Bob kept his relaxed stance but also kept his eye on the stranger. “You’re not from here, pal. What’s the point of coming into another country and making a mess?”

 “Another country?” Forest took a closer look at the stranger. Now, when he stayed under the light of the street lamp, he could see his face more clearly, and this guy looked Spanish.

 “Not of your business,” stranger muttered with a heavy accent. “I was looking for someone, and you’re in the way”.

 “You were looking for someone by beating up some unlucky guy on a street nearby? That’s rich,” Bob huffed. “You almost killed him, which most likely could happen if I wasn’t there!”

 “As I should!” stranger barked. “This bastard killed a bunch of people and now he got off scot-free? Only after some idiots claimed he’s a world savior?!”

 “Oh,” Forest muttered. “That’s who you’re looking for…”

 “So?” Bob asked coldly. “You decided to attack some guy because you thought it’s Jin Kazama? And you didn’t even take a better look at him?”

 “And who the hell are you to judge?” spaniard growled.

 “I am that kind of guy who tries to make a better judgment before getting into a fight, thanks for asking”.

 “And I’m that kind of guy who's trying to get some sleep because his evening was already rough,” Forest stepped in. “Look, pal, you have all rights to be angry, but don’t include others in that”.

 “Don’t get in my way, kid!” Spaniard was on the edge of snapping, he glared furiously at Forest. “I’ll find that cabrón one way or another and make him pay!”

 “Not on my watch!” Bob warned. “You’ve already made a huge mess in this town — and for nothing. And if you keep it that way anywhere else… trust me, you’ll gather no less enemies than he did”.

 “Besides, right now you’re outnumbered,” Forest quickly wiped the tip of his nose. “And trust me, Bob isn’t a guy you can screw around with… neither do I. So scram and let people sleep already!”

 Spaniard quickly darted glares to Bob and Forest and hesitated for a moment. Then he shouted angry and kicked the dumpster — it rolled against the alley wall and crashed into a deadend wall.

 “I’ll find him…” Spaniard whispered, loud enough for Forest and Bob to hear him. “I know he’s somewhere here, and when I’ll get to him — you both better step out of my way”. 

 He turned around sharply, pushed Forest away and quickly left the back alley.

 Bob exhaled. 

 “Not gonna lie, I’m glad you came, kid,” he said, dusting his palms. “But I’ve got this covered”.

 “Yeah, sure," Forest chuckled. "So as a gang of some local dine-and-dashers who almost broke my head with their pipes an hour ago”.

 “Those guys again? I’ll pay a visit to them, then”.

 “Nah, it’s fine, I’d shoo them already. Sorry for stealing your vigilant gig”.

 “Actually, you made it a bit easier. That guy is a real problem,” Bob walked out of the alley, inviting Forest to come along with a hand gesture.

 They went to the closest vending machine, where Bob bought a can of mineral water. He popped it, made a huge chug and then continued.

 “I heard he came in town a week ago and got into several fights since then. Some of them weren’t in his favor, but the guy is insanely strong. Must’ve been even in a clash with those dashers you talked about”.

 “Seriously? And the police felt cold?”

 “Seems like they have their own crap to care about for now. Especially after G-corp lost their leader, and the local branch got abandoned. Why care about some tourist who loves punching a lot of thugs? They might think he make their job way easier”.

 “That’s the problem, I guess," Forest sctratched his head. "He said he’s looking for Jin, but why to start fights with anyone else?”

 “You know what I like about you, Forest?” Bob finished his can and threw it in a trash bin. “Unlike your dad or Paul, you always look for a reason to fight before the fight starts. You can control yourself… but this guy apparently can’t. Or even don't want to. These kinds of people are the most dangerous after powerhungers like Mishimas”.

 “You don’t say… Anyhow, thanks for a heads up, I’ll be aware to not cross this guy again” Forest stretched and yawned. “But man, what a night. I'm gonna sleep like a baby”.

 “Speaking of — is your father still out of town?”

 “He’s busy making the NY news about his soup special, and I bet it’ll take a while until he comes back. Don’t worry, Bob, I’m a big boy, I’ll manage”.

 “You’re talking about the shop or your dad’s school?”

 “Oh, this? Now that you’ve mentioned it…” Forest scratched his chin, looking at the windows of his apartment. “I think I’ll get a first student in this district in no time”.

* * *

  Damn it all!

 He kicked another trash bin, but couldn’t calm down even for a bit. If only he could manage to fight with those two, he could at least think straight and find some other clues, but now… what the hell is he supposed to do?!

 Miguel punched the nearest brick wall and tried to calm his breath. His guts told him he’s at the right place, that the man who was responsible for his sister’s death, is somewhere around here… But after he checked all possible places, he didn’t find any more leads. He was even ready to pray so God gave him one more sign.

 Perhaps that’s what he has to do. After all, he didn't confess for a while.

 Miguel stepped away from the wall and looked around. He hoped there’s some kind of church which opened by night, but instead he noticed some military truck parked at the end of a street. A worn out but familiar emblem was printed on its door, which made Miguel’s heart pump faster. He could recognize it in any condition as it was engraved in his own brain. 

 The emblem of the Mishima Zaibatsu.

 He ran towards the truck, not even thinking why it was standing here, when the Mishima Zaibatsu, along with their CEO, ended its existence a long time ago. All he got in his sight for now is the truck and a couple of figures in military equipment, leaving the car and rushing towards him, bare-handed.

 Bad for them.

 Miguel just rammed one of the soldiers into the truck, making it falt from the impact. The other one tried to grab him from behind, but got headbutted immediately. Miguel turned around, grabbed the stunned opponent and threw him on the ground. The other soldier, who got slammed into a truck, also fell down, unconscious.

 “Where is he?” Miguel growled, punching the soldier. The helmet protected him from the heavy injuries, but he groaned as if the blow made his ears ringing.

 “Wha?..”

 “TELL ME!”

 “Don’t… move…” a sound of a cocked handgun came behind him and Miguel froze. He slowly turned his head to another soldier near the truck. Despite his injuries, he held the weapon with one weakened hand.

 “I’m gonna ask twice,” Miguel spoke firmly. “Where. Is. Your. Boss?”

 “We… don’t know”

 "Don't lie to me!" Miguel threw away a stunned soldier and made a step to another one. He didn't even flinch when soldier rised a shaking gun at him, breathing heavily. 

 "I'm... not. All we get from him is distant orders! We don't even know who it is! But it's not Kazama or Mishima anymore!"

 "What a bull".

 Soldier didn't realized when exactly Miguel ran to him and grab his arm. The bones cracked, soldier screamed from pain, but not for long — Miguel knocked him out for good with a punch. He fell on the ground along with his released handgun and felt silent. 

 Waste of time.

 Miguel searched both bodies, hoping for something useful, but all he found was another handgun and a couple of walkies. He took one of them and left — at least he may hear something about Mishima plans later. 

 For now, it's really the time for a confession.

Chapter Text

meanwhile somewhere in South America desert

 "Are you sure that's the solid lead?"

 "Well, it's better than nothing. And wow, you sounded like a real detective right now!" Xiaoyu giggled and put out her smartphone. "I also tried to check some local socials, and there's some notes about gang clashes turned wrong"

 "And it helps us how exactly?" Jin asked unenthusiastically. Xiaoyu sat next to him, showing the phone screen. 

 "We're looking for a person who most likely will try to stop any local conflicts, remember? She has to be there!"

 "Well if she was there, she would definitely make it in the news".

 "At least let's check it out! The glass is half full after all!"

 "What glass?" Jin asked, confused. 

 "Nevermind," Xiaoyu sighed and put away her phone. Then she reached the fire with the twig to fix it.

 "By the way, Jin…"

 "What?"

 "What is this?" She pointed the twig to a half-opened can in his hand. 

 "Canned peas. Why?"

 "And you were going to eat it just like that?"

 "What's the problem with that? It's healthy".

 "Yeah, and plain. Give me that!" Xiaoyu snatched the can from his hand. "I'm going to cook actual food tonight!"

 "Hey," Jin tried to sound angry, but Xiaoyu's serious face made him feel nonchalant and light. "Just don't poison both of us".

 "That hurts my feelings, you know!" Xiaoyu turned away to her tourist bag, still pouting. "But trust me, I'm going to make a really tasty and still healthy dinner".

 "I'm holding you on that, then," Jin scoffed approvingly and turned away to the sunset.

 While he heard sounds of Xiaoyu gathering stuff to cook, his thoughts reminded him of the whole reason why they both were in the South America desert in the first place. 

* * *

Some time ago, on the Víðópnir ship

 "Are you sure this is the right choice?" Lars was obviously not approving what he just heard. 

 "Let me remind you, monsieur Alexandersson — you're under our radar as well," Victor Chevalier said coldly. "As I recall, you killed several units of our group in the Middle East to rescue Kazama and escaped with him. Both of you did a huge damage to the UN, even if we don't count the war situation".

 "Well, in the meantime both Heihachi and Kazuya had their little PR clash, which led to destruction of several districts and G-corp HQ," Lee interrupted. "Speaking of which, why did you came here instead of searching for Kazuya's body on Yakushima?"

 "That operation is not in our jurisdiction anymore. That's all I can say for now".

 "If not you, then who?" Jin asked, for the first time in whole conversation. "I understand you came here for me, but Kazuya is also responsible for all what happened in the last six months".

 "I don't know the details. That's all you have to know", Victor replied with some steel in his voice.

 That slight change of tone didn't went over Lars' ears and he pressed further. 

 "Let me guess — someone from the UN ordered to arrest Jin to make some use of him later?"

 "Are you suggesting our organization's ulterior motive?" Victor sounded calm, but his grip on his sword got slightly tighter. "If they planned something with Kazama, it's only precaution, especially after what happened in New York. Who knows what can trigger him sooner or later…"

 "You don't need to worry about it anymore," Jin said. "The Devil is completely gone — both from me and from Kazuya. But his ambitions are strong, and just that makes him more dangerous than me".

 "Right now it sounds like an excuse to let you go".

 "Perhaps. I don't deny the fact that I did terrible things. Killed thousands of people, too…" Jin said quietly, his eyes drilled Victor with awareness and determination. "But what if your soldiers lock me up to use against another thousands of innocent people? To claim a sense of dominance because you think you're doing it for the right cause? I was exactly like that when I was the CEO of Mishima Zaibatsu. I know that desire to do righteous things for the greater good, no matter the cost".

 "At least we're not succumbed by some sort of ancient monster who dictates us how to act to avoid the catastrophe," Victor replied sarcastically. "Even if we, as you claim, ‘act the same way you did’, that doesn't change the fact you committed a plenty of crimes towards the whole world".

 "But admit — Jin got a point here," Lars said. "At least we have right to know what your superiors are planning to do with him. So you'll do us a huge favor explaining the details''.

 "Do all Mishimas have these trust issues?" Victor tilted his head slightly. 

 "Believe me, they have more than one reason for it," Lee spread his hands and suddenly frowned a little. "Oh, excuse me, I got a call. Be back in a minute".

 As Lee left the command center, Lars and Jin fell silent, looking at Victor for an answer. He sighed and nodded. 

 "I can't promise anything for the moment... But considering you gave us a huge support in the final operation, I'll try to find out what they are planning to do with Kazama".

 "Are there any terms for us?" Jin asked. "Your tone hinting on some ‘but’ part".

 "I have to be sure you're not going into rampage, conflicts or fights for any reason. At least for a week or two while I gathering information".

 "So basically he has to be on some sort of home arrest?" Lars clarified. "Sounds easy enough. What do you think about it, Jin?"

 "I've already been some sort of shut-in for six months," Jin shrugged. "So I don't see any problem with that".

 "Great," Victor nodded once again. Suddenly the door into the command center opened and Lee entered back. 

 "Sorry to interrupt you once more, gentlemen, but I have to ask Jin to come with me for a while. It’s urgent".

 "How so?" Jin asked. "Is it about Kazuya?"

 "Relax, it's not about him for now. But the family issue as well," Lee went into a corridor, waving his hand.

 Jin understood the invitation and bowed to both Victor and Lars, leaving the room immediately. 

 "What is it?" he asked, following Lee. 

 "I just got a call from my business partner — or to be more precise, his deputy's assistant. Turns out his boss has some sort of tight bond with your family, Jin".

 "Don't see anything unusual here. Zaibatsu had many business partners until it collapsed".

 "I didn't say it's about the Mishima family", Lee replied. He walked towards one of the doors and opened it with the magnet key augmented in his armor. Then he invited Jin inside with a gesture. 

 "Hold on…" Jin finally gathered his thoughts together. "You mean that's about the Kazama family? You sure?"

 "More than sure — in fact, you became good acquaintances not so long ago".

 "That means during the tournament? So it's Leroy? I heard he has some business in New York…"

 "You can leave the guessing game and sit down, my friend", Lee also entered the boardroom. "Now, let me make the call very quickly… Hello? Are you still there, sir?"

 Jin raised his head to the videocall monitor. The screen blinked, and a moment later he and Lee saw an image of a tall, thin old man with a mustache in a black suit. His white hair was pulled back, a little old glasses were attached on his nose. 

 "A… butler?" Jin made a guess. 

 "Qui ," old man replied. "Monsieur Lee called me an assistant but I'm afraid he's exaggerating. My name is Sebastian, and I'm calling on behalf of my mistress, mademoiselle de Rochefort".

 "Rochefort? The oil conglomerate? But I have never seen her in person", Jin shrugged. "Are you sure we met before?"

 "My apologies, Monsieur Kazama, I should've been more specific," Sebastian bowed a little. "Allow me to introduce myself once again: the name is Sebastian. I'm calling you on behalf of mademoiselle Lili, who helped you arrive at Yakushima island not so long ago".

 Now that was the name Jin remembered well. The graceful fighter from Monaco, who turned out to be one of the combatants at the King of Iron Fist tournament finals. And she also was accompanied by a girl named… 

 "Wait," Jin said. "Lee, you said it's a family issue? So this call is about…"

 "My apologies, monsieur Kazama. It is about mademoiselle Asuka as well," Sebastian lowered his head, like he was awaiting a punishment. 

 Jin tried to think once again. He didn't know Asuka at all — all their interactions were limited to these couple of hours on the jet. But back then Asuka didn't say him even a one word, mostly chatting with Lili or Xiaoyu, and he didn't care about it, being buried in his thoughts. Now he clearly understood her reasons to ignore him, considering all his past deeds. Furthermore, she was too busy bickering with Lili about the Kazama family tree which he… didn't take for a further look. Big mistake from him — at least he could've understand how exactly they would be related with each other. 

 And now it's too late because something happened with Asuka? And Lili too? 

 "Let me assure you — she's very much alive," It seemed that Sebastian could understand what Jin was thinking at the moment. "The same goes for mademoiselle Lili, but… she's got injured. Nothing serious, though".

 "Injured? By who?"

 "That's why I had to call you," Sebastian raised his head, his eyes looking directly at Jin. "It seems than Asuka finally had enough of my mistress' escapades. And ran away from home".

 Jin was a little shocked. He could guess by seeing bits of Asuka's behavior that she could be a little reckless. But to run away? 

 "Maybe she just needed to cool down," he supposed. "Sorry, I don't know her well enough to make any assumptions, so maybe you worrying for nothing".

 "She's been away for two weeks already," Sebastian replied. "I'm afraid this is very serious, and it's for sure related to her… to your family".

 Jin went silent, his fingers griped the back of the chair that was standing nearby. Just right after he finally found his purpose and left any grudges to his Mishima-related heritage behind, the problem came from the other side. And worst of all, he didn't know anything about it, not even had any idea about other relatives from the Kazama family except for mother. 

 "Can you… tell me more about her?" He asked, looking at Sebastian with eagerness to listen. 

 "That's not much I can tell without my mistress. But there's some crucial details I think I can share," the butler nodded. "First of all, Asuka was born in Kansai and lived there, in Osaka. She was also trained by her father, who practiced the Kazama style martial arts, and later she also became a substitute teacher of this school. But for the last months it was mostly Asuka who was running the Kazama dojo".

 "Something happened to her father?"

 "Qui. Feng Wei, the Kenpo practitioner, fought her father and injured him heavily. That's pretty much the reason mademoiselle Asuka went to the King of Iron Fist tournament — to get revenge. But instead she clashed into a battle with mademoiselle Lili, and won. My mistress didn't take her defeat lightly and swore to get a rematch, which brings us to these days. Mademoiselle Lili found all information about Asuka's living state, her financial and family problems and basically decided to take her family's dojo to herself and become a trainee of the Kazama style".

 "She was determined for sure," Lee nodded in respect. Jin scoffed.

 "She was just being petty and tried to reclaim her dominance by any means necessary. The power of money can afford this — you of all people should know".

 "Oh please — you think I could do such a thing?"

 "Wasn't your robotics company created just for that? To basically spit at Mishima Zaibatsu?" Jin asked, being deliberately surprised.

 "Maybe — but that's in the past anyway, isn't it? Let's get back to business," Lee turned to the screen. "Sebastian, are there any other details you can share? For now it sounds like we still don't know anything useful".

 "Speaking of which," Jin interrupted. "I remember Lili found out about our family tree. Do you have it, by any chance? I'm sure it could help us".

 "And also let you know about any other Kazama relatives for future acknowledgment? Nice to see you trying your best to reconnect with them," Lee chuckled. 

 "It's not only that," Jin muttered. "I have a feeling that it can be related to our trip to Yakushima".

 "Oh, right — the roots of your origin…"

 "Not just mine. Maybe it's the same for Asuka. She also was on the island, though she wasn't… there," Jin finally let go of the back of the chair and sat down. "I can't prove it for now, but…"

 "You mean if Asuka visited the old shrine of your family back on the island?" Sebastian asked. "Mistress Lili was there with her, and actually that's where it began. I mean, Asuka's odd behavior and what happened next".

 "There's something with that shrine?" Lee asked. Jin shaked his head. 

 "I'm not sure. It was something powerful there, I could sense it. Some sort of… energy source. That's what helped me to stand back against Kazuya and purify both of us later".

 "Then no wonder that fine astrologist lady told you to get there", Lee gave Jin a thumbs up. "Come to think of it — Alisa also sensed some spike of energy when Asuka got on our ship during evacuation. I thought it could be due to your and Kazuya clash and brush it off… But it seems that was actually a result of Asuka's contact with a source of your powers".

 "If that’s what happened with mademoiselle Asuka, then no wonder her latest clash with mistress Lili ended like that," Sebastian sighed. "But I'm sure she has no idea what to do with those powers, and furthermore, she's afraid of them".

 "Right…" Jin muttered.

 His memories about his own escape from Heihachi's pursuit and hiding in Australia were still too fresh. Too close. He could understand Asuka's confusion and despair like they were his own - but he hoped her situation wasn't as desperate as his. 

 "Let me ask one more question," he turned to Sebastian. "That request to find her… it's from Lili herself, right? Not Asuka’s father?"

 "Qui. For the moment, monsieur Kazama is still in the rehabilitation process, so mistress Lili asked me to contact you, avoiding telling him the truth. She's not only worried about Asuka's wellbeing, but her father as well. After all, it's her first and most important investments".

 "Of course," Jin chuckled. "Okay, I'm on it. Can you gather info about where she could go right after her…  rampage?"

 "Give me some time, and I will share all the info with you or monsieur Lee," Sebastian bowed. "Thank you, monsieur Kazama Jin. I'm sure mistress Lili will be pleased to hear you decided to help".

 "It's a family issue," Jin said. "So I'm not doing it for her, but for Asuka. Keep that in mind".

 He left the room and went back to the command center. Just now Jin realized he had to make some explanations to Lars and Victor about their earlier agreement.

 Well, if only there could be someone who can vouch for his good behavior and keep him in check just in case… 

* * *

 "Hello? Jin, are you still here?"

 He jolted, blinked several times to get rid of light spots in his eyes and finally saw Xiaoyu, kneeled near him, with a single potato in her hand. 

 "That sunset sure was beautiful," she giggled. "But the dinner can't wait. Especially if you can make it tastier by cooking together".

 "We're cooking together?"

 "You closed in your thoughts, as usual, and I’ve got a little lonely here," she shrugged. "Let me guess - it's about your agreement with the UN and Lars? Or Asuka?"

 "Both", Jin nodded, took the potato from Xiaoyu's hand and reached to his backpack for the knife. He started to peel the potato. "Still trying to think what’s next".

 "Next? So you mean when you'll get arrested?"

 "Sorry".

 He couldn't look at her, but felt her sadness and with that, understanding. She never tried to talk him out of his decision, even when Victor made it clear that Jin will be jailed for a long time — years, even decades. Xiaoyu didn't mind that all. She just made a promise to look after him while they're both going to find Asuka, and after that, they never talk about it. 

 He didn't deserve that kind of her loyalty, her… love. But he was glad and thankful for it. If only he could do something equal in return… 

 "Don't peel too much, ok? We don't have enough potatoes," Xiaoyu gently took a clean potato from his hand and diced it with her own knife. "I think we need two more for now so the soup won't be too thick… Jin?"

 "Sure," he nodded and quickly peeled two more potatoes. He felt her gaze all this time, but his head felt too heavy to rise up, to look in her eyes. 

 "Maybe…" she started. "Maybe we can talk it out somehow after that?"

 "About what? You remember I agreed to this, don't you?"

 "Still I don't think that's the right thing…" 

 Jin finally raised his head and saw Xiaoyu, looking at him seriously. 

 "You agreed to get arrested, sure, but is it truly what you wanted? Didn't you promise to protect people after you returned to us?"

 "I did…"

 Of course he remembered that.

 How he, totally exhausted, finally reached some of the Yggdrasil trucks, which gave him a ride to Víðópnir. How some people — well, most of them — left out to greet, congratulate and thank him. And how there were Lars and Xiaoyu, who greeted him first — with Lars patting his shoulder in approval and Xiaoyu just hugged him in silence.

 That's where his legs gave way and he almost fell on the ground along with Xiaoyu — luckily she was strong enough to hold him still. 

  I can't let them down anymore. I can't let her down. 

 The image of his mother, still staying on flowery plains, reappeared before his eyes at this moment. Along with sounds of cheering around him, the warmth of Xiao's hands, quick and strict Lars' orders, the new purpose of life was made clear in Jin's mind — the purpose he already stated for himself in his last battle. 

 Live to protect. Anyone who needs it. 

 "Let's think about it later, ok?" Xiaoyu suggested, already stirring the soup. The smell of vegetables and some spices was nice enough to make him smile. 

 "We'll try".

 He realized that he forgot that sense of safety.

 After too many years of combat and struggling, detaching himself from the world, the feeling of security was so unusual… and comfortable. He noticed how he wouldn't mind staying in this moment forever — to sit near a bonfire, looking at it or at the setting sun, the concentration on Xiao's face while she was stirring the soup in the pot. Only now Jin noticed she took his jacket to cover herself from the evening chill. The jacket was too big for her, but Xiaoyu clearly didn't mind it, and wrapped herself in. Strong, but fragile, stubborn, but cheerful, independent, but loyal. 

 "Thanks, Xiao", he muttered.

 She jolted, dropping the spoon in the pot. 

 "Uhm… it's nothing! Actually, grandpa Jinrei always asked me to cook for him after our trainings, so it's no big deal…"

 "That's not what I meant".

 She leaned towards him a little in confusion. 

 "I wanted to thank you… for everything," Jin started, realizing that's hard for him to find the right words.

 He never was good in normal conversations, that's for sure. 

 "I'm really glad I managed to meet you back then. Train with you, befriend with you. It doesn't make sense, but you actually helped me all this time… To not forget what I am. I'm sorry I did it anyway… it must've been disappointing for you".

 He felt silent, looking into a bonfire. Suddenly he felt her hand over his own. 

 "Do you really regret what you did?" She asked gently. "Do you really want to make this world better? You can do it. Just ask me or anyone else for help and guidance — there's no shame in it. It doesn't make you weak, if that's what you're thinking".

 The realization, so simple, striked his thoughts like lightning. Jin looked back at Xiaoyu in surprise. 

 "Grandpa Heihachi was a good teacher and a fighter", she said. "But that doesn't mean his lessons were right for everyone. Especially for you".

 He chuckled, taking her hand in his palm, gripping her fingers gently. 

 "If there's any other good teacher I wouldn't mind having, it's you," he said, feeling how warmth in his hand somehow flowed into his chest. "Only if it doesn't include cooking".

 "Hey!" Xiaoyu reached for the dropped spoon with her other hand, stirred the soup once more and picked some of it to taste.

 "Ok, it should be fine… Who's going try it first?"

 "Let me," Jin sighed and took the spoon from her hand.

 The taste of the soup wasn't bad — in fact, he could feel the broth’s richness and taste of all the ingredients Xiao put in. Canned peas, potatoes, some beef jerky — most likely from the Yggdrasil’s military rations, and even some corn — that one definetly was the one Xiao bought somewhere on the way to met him. 

 "It's great, actually," He smiled and gave her spoon back. "Time to eat".

 "Let's dig in, chef!" Xiao reached for the dishes. 

 Even if they had dinner silently, no one of them minded it. Both were eating, listening to the far sounds of an American desert. Rumbling highways, the water splashing in the pond nearby, the quips of hungry coyotes, who's probably already smelled the soup from far away — but neither Jin or Xiaoyu cared about it for the moment. They both were in absolute peace.

 And Jin wished for it to be endless or at least as long as it could be possible in their situation. Because tomorrow they've got a job to be done and a runaway relative to be found.

Chapter Text

 "Whazzat?"

 Asuka, still being half asleep, squeezed her eyes on a paper sheet that was almost glued to her face. It took her a few seconds to realize that's an ad flyer with a photo of Marshall Law performing a flying kick and a phone number, edited along his stretched leg. 

 "You’re looking for new ways to improve as a fighter, right? Now that's your perfect chance!" Forest was gleaming with excitement. "And trust me, when you take at least two — no, just one lesson of Marshall's fighting style, you'll feel reborn and improved!"

 "Uh-huh, and that's just for twenty bucks or somethin'? I'll pass," Asuka shoved aside his hand with a flyer and went to the stairs, putting on her denim jacket. "Besides, I think I found my own way this morning".

 "And that's?.."

 She went down and looked around. The pipe from yesterday disappeared from the hallway. 

 "Nuh-uh, you can't leave trash inside!" Forest came down after Asuka and waved his finger. "And no offense, but I think there should be something more suitable for you".

 "Well… good point, I thought the pipe would be too long for me," Asuka sighed. "Man, now I'm really stuck. Hey, do ya have any training weapons by chance? Your dad was using nunchucks in a tournament as I remember".

 "Why should I? Our school and style doesn't rely on any weapons anyway — dad was just that desperate for money!" Forest shouted in offense. 

 "Tsk, shoulda figured. Hmmm… how about this?"

 Asuka walked in a corner of the hallway and picked someone's sturdy baseball bat. She weighed it in her hands.

 "Metal, huh... Should be enough to wallop someone with one hit, but…"

 "But you really look like a beginner murderer now! Just waiting for you to throw some swings and rhymes!"

 "Eesh, why did I imagine that? Begone then, bat!" Asuka quickly put the bat back and sighed again. "Man, I really was vibing with it, actually…" 

 "Sure — like a true thug," Forest chuckled. "Hey, jokes aside, we still got work today. Are you coming?"

 "Go ahead, I'll be there soon. Not very late, that's for sure"

 Forest shrugged and left the apartment. Asuka stayed in the hallway, her eyes still locked in a bat she put away. 

That vibe when she picked it up, was way too familiar… 

 She shook her head. She may have left the Kazama style, but its principles still lived in her heart. She wanted to use her power, but not to bring pain — only justice and balance and stuff. Not to kill or injure anyone. 

 So no way of the bat for her. Not the metal one, at least. 

 She left the apartment and squeezed her eyes once again. The morning sun was too bright and dazzling, especially being reflected from windows of other buildings right in Asuka's eyes. She put her hand in the pocket of jacket, looking for sunglasses, found them and put on her nose. They could save the situation, but not efficiently enough — the world around Asuka became emeraldy-seagreenish, but still blinding.

 She sighed and went straight up on the street, trying to remember how to get to the diner. Shouldn't be too far away — as Asuka remembered, she and Forest walked for ten minutes yesterday. 

 Convenient. 

* * *

 "So it's somewhere here?" Jin looked down at the suburbans of the town.

 Things weren't looking promising — this town was big enough to lose quite some time to search for a single girl. 

 "Definitely here," Xiaoyu swiped the screen of her phone, trying to look for more local news. "Nothing new, though. We still can ask somebody, it may work."

 "Sure, why not? Talking with gangs is my favorite thing to do."

 "Haven't you done something like that when you were a CEO? What's the difference?"

 "Trust me, the difference is big," Jin started the engine of his bike. "Let's park somewhere first."

 "And cheer up a bit, maybe? With an attitude like yours, we may not even start to look for anyone," Xiaoyu teased him, but didn't get any answer. "Hey, you aren't mad, are you?"

 They parked their bikes on a nearby lot and went along the street. Xiaoyu was looking around, trying to find familiar places that she saw in the local news. Jin lowered his head, with the hood put on, despite the sun and heat. He didn't want to risk getting unwanted attention by any chance, and started to think they should've begun their search at least in the evening. 

 "Hmm," Xiaoyu suddenly stopped, looking up somewhere. Jin followed her gaze and froze — they found a worn building with a cracked logo of G-corporation on it. 

 "How is it still here?" he murmured, bewildered.

 Xiaoyu pulled out her phone again to look at the navigator. 

 "It shouldn't be functioning as a G-corp one, but it seems it is still working as a search institution", she muttered after several seconds. "Maybe someone else bought the building and forgot to get rid of the logo. Guess that's normal for these places".

 "You don't say…"

 Jin looked at the building again, frowning in suspicion. He felt something should be there, that he had to go inside and check — and usually, he trusted his guts. There can be something useful for their search…  or he's making another mistake right now. 

 "Jin, we may check it out now, if you want. Not for long — just to be sure if Asuka was there by any chance," Xiaoyu said, elbowing him gently. "Or, I can go there for a minute and ask around while you wait for me."

 "No, it's fine," he nodded in gratitude and stepped towards the building. "Let's go together, we got some time".

 The hall was surprisingly empty — not even a guard was there. Just a turnstile with one elevator behind it and a local phone hanging on the wall. A list of contacts was hangind near it, and Xiaoyu came close to have a better look. 

 "So, have you decide what we are going to ask them?" Jin wondered. "I don't think they saw Asuka or been into her clashes with gangs".

 "But they're living in this town at least! Perhaps they can give us a word about local gangs and where to find them." Xiaoyu shrugged and suddenly gasped. "Is this~?"

 "What's wrong?"

 Jin stepped to her and saw her index finger froze on the name in the list. The name they both knew surprisingly well. 

 "Your call?" Xiaoyu asked him quietly, her confidence slightly waning.

 Jin took a deep breath and put his hand on the phone handset. 

 "I'll do it."

 Xiaoyu looked at him while he was dialing the correct number in complete silence. She still wanted to be supportive and motivating, but Jin was hard enough to crack even after finishing his main battle. She understood his reasons, though, and tried not to think about how after all this they have to break up once again.

 But it was hard not to think what what awaits them before that — especially from people Jin personally hurt one way or another. 

 "Hello? May I speak with miss Chang?" Jin meanwhile successfully reached with his call. "It's urgent… about the Kazama family. Sure… thanks".

 He hung up and turned back to Xiaoyu, his gaze was heavy. 

 "Guess I had to do this talk sooner or later," he muttered with a bit of regret in his voice. "I probably should do this alone."

 "Are you scared?"

 "Not exactly. Just wished to do this some other time, when we don't look for my family relatives," Jin leaned his back to the wall, arms folded. "But I should've figured that was going to happen, with the scale of my deeds".

 "Fair enough. But do you know that I'm still here?" Xiaoyu also leaned on the wall near him, her shoulder touched his. "We're here not to have you be reminded about what you did — we're here to understand what we should do now. So let's remember that… and ask her what she could know."

 Jin just smiled at her slightly, gently pressing her shoulder with his own. This little nonverbal communication between them calmed him down, made his thoughts clear and goal visible once again. If that visit can help them to find Asuka, it doesn't matter how many crimes he would be reminded of — the Info they are looking for is more important. 

 Elevator chimed and opened its doors. Startled woman in white coat quickly walked to them, fixing her glasses. She stopped right at the turnstile, not hurrying to open it or go through. 

 "And what do you want to know about the family you don't care, Jin Kazama?" Julia asked, frowning in hostility. 

* * *

 "I have to go there? Seriously?"

 Asuka tried to see something in depths of the basement, but she couldn't see anything besides the stairs. It was too dark. And cold. And creepy. 

 "There's nothing special, trust me. You have to just clean there a little and that's it," Forest reached for a nearby  switch and turned the light on. "Should be easy enough, especially with the heat outside".

 "And after I'll do that, you'll pay me — right?" 

 "I can pay you now, if that'll motivate you enough," Forest put out several bills and Asuka swiped them from his hand quickly. She counted them and whined. 

 "That's all? What the heck?"

 "You broke the bowl last night, remember?"

 "Yeah, and you said I don't have to pay for it, remember?" 

 "Well it turned out that we actually short on dishes, so I have to fine you," Forest shrugged. "It's not a big deal — just don't break anything anymore."

 "Not a big deal, my ass! What shoulda do with that pocket change, buy myself a cardboard fridge box to live in?" Asuka growled, but went down the stairs, stomping blatantly. "Now I can see the family resemblance, ya cheapskate…"

 Her muttering became quieter and Forest came back to the diner's kitchen. It was still way too hot outside and he suggested he still had a little time to prepare something quick and light.

 He opened the fridge to put out some vegetables for a salad, and when he closed it, a quick image of a military truck flashed outside the window. Forest blinked  a couple of times, but there was nothing else outside. 

  Easy to clean, sure… 

 Asuka once again looked around the basement. To put it lightly, the clutter of groceries, boxes and other non-diner stuff was really overwhelming. Either Forest tricked her once again like with the money, or he didn't care about keeping the basement tidy. 

 Oh well. 

 She started with sorting vegetables, throwing away the most spoiled ones and wiping the rest dry. It was cool enough in the basement, but in Asuka's opinion, it needed at least one freezer. When she finished with vegetables, she went to the boxes, sorting and moving them so the biggest ones were closer to walls and others were easier to get or pick up. She didn't want to check what's inside of every box, just guessing that the biggest boxes had something inside that rarely get used. After all, Forest asked her to declutter the basement, and that's exactly what she did. 

 It took her around an hour and a half to finish, but she finally leaned against a cold wall and breathed out. That feeling of accomplishment and self proud reminded Asuka of those times when she was cleaning the dojo, usually taking a whole day-off for it - but if Pops' smile was bright after seeing results of her work, they went to Dotonbori together to eat some good stuff as a reward for Asuka's hardworking…

 She sighed and shook her head.

 That was so long ago, she was still a kid back then. When she started to help Pops to teach students of the dojo, their Dotonbori trips became fewer and then a lot of stuff happened. If only that Kenpo jerk didn't come to them and ruin everything, along with her stupid cousin/brother/whoever he is… 

 No. 

 She sighed and shook her head once again.

 It has to happen one way or another. Even if Pops weren't attacked by that Kenpo moron and Jin didn't start his war — that wouldn't bring back those happier days. Her childhood was over long before that. And now, her previous life as a dojo substitute teacher kicked the bucket too. 

 Asuka's eyes fell on the corner she didn't declutter yet. Not if it had to be — the small wooden crate with some instruments and training equipment already looked distinguished enough. She could feel a slight breeze from somewhere behind the crate — probably some crack in the wall. Not her problem, though.

 Asuka stretched up her hands and went to the stairs. After being so long in the cool basement she wouldn't mind warming up a bit under the sun. But before she could even put her foot on the first step, Forest's voice came down from above, as he was going in, talking with someone meanwhile:

 "...well, to my opinion everyone in that town could be dangerous, especially at night," he stopped right at the exit and quickly pressed his finger to his lips. "But are you sure, you're looking for the right person? She doesn't look that dangerous as some other people…"

 Asuka froze, instinctively trying not to move or making a noise. Forest nodded, reached for nearby canned beans, loudly dropping it on the floor. 

 "Ah, shit… well, if you're here for anything else, sorry to disappoint you — we're out of hot stuff at the moment," he said, picking up the can and stepping out of the basement. "You can wait for half an hour, if you really want our special beef bowl… hey, at least don't close the front door or I'm gonna be baked in here!"

 The silence once again filled the basement.

 Asuka waited for a couple of minutes, listening for any unfamiliar or suspicious sounds. After that, she carefully stepped out of the basement as well, feeling how the hot air from the outside blasting in her face. 

 "Who was it?" she asked Forest, who was already chopping some vegetables behind the counter.

 He frowned. "Don't know, but they look really serious with their military equipment. I looked up their uniform in line when they left, but didn't find which fraction they could be of".

 "Ya know 'bout military stuff?" Asuka nonchalantly picked up a slice of tomato, trying not to show any panic. 

 "I just said I googled it, man! Thought I saw it somewhere before".

 "Ugh, whatever. Did they say why they were looking for me?" she asked, already imagining crazy stuff. The particular oil baron heiress using the power of money to hire soldiers to find Asuka wasn't way too off the mark. 

 Forest shrugged. "No idea. They said it's confidential information, but I'm sure that's bull. They were too equipped with stuff to just look for someone missing".

 "Why're you so sure?"

 "Mishima boys due the same thing before, around a year or two ago. And funny enough, they were…"

 "Lemme guess — they were looking for Jin?" Asuka said with a sore expression. "Why should my case be so similar with his — we're NOT the same!"

 "Keep telling yourself that," Forest stopped chopping vegetables. "But as far as I understood back then, he was in hiding after his first tournament and didn't want to be found by Mishimas. And as far as I remember, he also had some crap powers he could use in fight…"

 "Do I look like a person who can grow out wings and horns and shoot forehead lasers out of nowhere?!" Asuka barked, crushing tomato in her hand but didn't notice it. 

 "Hey, keep it down!" Forest dropped the knife to shake hands and try to calm her down. But it was too late — Asuka already snapped. 

 "Every corner I see is showing this asshole as a world savior or dictator or whatever, but nobody gives a rat's ass about his punishment or searching! If he’s supposed to be a good guy like Kazama family member should be, then why the heck did he did all this and disappear? Shouldn't he give a good example of how to act and atone?!"

 "Why should he?" Forest didn't left the chance to reason with her. "And didn't you say you left your family style? So why look up to him, if you looking for a new way?"

 "It's not about me! Did ya hear what I just said?!"

 "Loud and clear!" Forest shouted suddenly, shutting Asuka. He continued, while she was looking at him in confusion. "And still, you're way too worried about him, like you actually care ! I told you yesterday that everyone should be honest with yourself — and for you, it means to accept Jin matters for you a lot as a person and a fighter! He is, am I right?"

 Asuka kept silent, lowering her head and looking on the floor. Her fist, still clenched, relaxed a little and bits of crushed tomato fell from it on the bar counter. 

 "He shouldn't be…" she muttered with a cracked voice. "But still… he annoys me. I dunno why…"

 "You're just jealous of his popularity" Forest chuckled and instantly regretted it — Asuka slammed the counter with her fist, spreading tomato pieces all over it.

 "Hell no! I don't want to have the fame of a criminal! He's pissing me off because he did a lot of bad things, and then magically saved the world, while I've busted my ass my whole life just to give justice for some street punks and nothing more! That's not what Kazama family style exists for!"

 She exhaled heavily, now looking straight in Forest's face. He even stepped back a bit — Asuka's glare was so furious, like just one more wrong word, and she'll destroy the whole diner, along with himself. 

 "Wow," he breathed out. "You really hate the guy".

 Her gaze softened a bit, her fury changed for some unreadable emotion of solemnity or regret. 

 "I'm not sure if I hate him for all this, though," Asuka muttered, wiping her forehead with the same hand she crushed a tomato before. But she was too wiped out with her anger to notice that. 

 Forest reached for a towel to offer her, but at that moment the front door of the diner suddenly opened up wide from a kick outside. 

 "She's here!"

 Asuka and Forest didn't even realize what's happening — in a couple of seconds they were surrounded by the group of unknown soldiers, rising tazers on them both. 

 "Are these guys?.." she asked but shut herself down, as one of the soldiers made a warning step towards her.

 Forest just nodded. "Told you to keep it down".

 "Take them both, the guy's an accomplice," one of the soldiers said and reached to his walkie, attached to his vest.

 "Hawk speaking — we found her. Awaiting for next orders".

Chapter Text

 "It's strange to see you here, actually".

  Julia didn't even care to invite them to sit anywhere. She stood near the turnstile, her glare was drilling into Jin's face, looking for any possible threats from him. 

 "Likewise," he said. "But guessing you did work for G-corp before, it's no surprise".

 "At least it brought some benefits for me now. But I don't think you interested in what kind", Julia folded her hands. "So, who are you looking for? Decided to find Heihachi's corpse?"

 The meeting quickly escalated in very wrong direction. Xiaoyu noticed how Jin's usual scowl became more distinctive after hearing his grandfather's name. They needed to change the subject, quickly, and she bolted forward. 

 "We're here because of the news of some gang mediator from Japan who arrived here. This girl, she's… actually Jin's relative, from Kazama family. Do you know something about her, Julia-san?"

 "Girl… from Kazamas?"

 Julia was visibly confused, but luckily, their talk turned to be more peaceful — at least for now. "I didn't know anyone else from this family, except for Jin and his mother…"

 "Neither do I, until recent weeks", Jin said. "Thing is, she got herself in trouble, while she was trying to help us…  me on Yakushima, and something changed in her back then. She arrived in this town, as we know, but that's all we got. Have you seen her?"

 Julia fixed her glasses, her stare on both Jin and Xiaoyu filled with some regret, and her hostility almost disappeared. 

 "Can't say I did. Sorry".

 Jin understandingly bowed and turned to the exit. 

  "Hold on".

 He stopped, half turned his head back to the turnstile. Julia reached for it with her key card and opened it, making an inviting gesture. 

 "There's something I need to show you. Or more like, someone. Care to come in?"

 Jin quickly went through the turnstile, waited for Xiaoyu to follow him. Julia called the elevator, left them inside and pressed the button. The cabin moved with some screeches, which made Xiao jolt. 

 "Is this thing sturdy? We won't stuck here?" she asked with a shaking voice, her fists clenched into her dress. 

 "We'll be fine", Julia said. "This elevator actually got repaired some time ago, by Violet system workers. They’re tuning this place from time to time for a cheap price as a token of gratitude".

 "For what?" Xiao tilted her head blankly.

 Julia didn't answer, though a light smile appeared on her lips as she looked at Jin. 

 "Let me guess — for sabotaging G-corp researchers along with Yggdrasil group?" he asked. 

 "How did you?.." Julia scowled, hostility came back in her gaze towards Jin. 

 "Just took some data from one of the intruders back then. Not for using it somewhere else, don't worry".

 "You don't say…" Julia muttered suspiciously, but at this moment the elevator chimed, and its doors went open. "We're arrived".

 They came out of the bright and wide space, and Jin even had to cover his eyes with hand for a few seconds. When his vision got cleared from the light, he realized they arrived on the building’s roof. It was shielded with a glass dome, making the whole roof a greenhouse for thousands of seedlings, both sprouting out and just plucked from the soil. It wasn't a complete greenhouse, but with some more time, around a year or two — and those seedlings can be planted in more suitable places. 

 "Wow…" Xiaoyu whispered. "It's all your work, Julia-san?"

 "Not exactly… but I worked hard to make it real", she answered with a proudness in her voice. "I actually should be grateful to you, Kazama - who knows if I would manage to do this without working on your enemies".

 "I don't understand what you mean".

 "You said you knew why I was working for G-corp, right? Then you should have also known what kinds of research results I took from them".

 "Let's just say, I didn't care about it back then. All I had to know is that you and Lars ruined quite some plans for Kazuya and G-corp, and I could use this for my own advantage", Jin sounded cold, but his eyes were inspecting the greenhouse with honest admiration. "Anyway, why did you bring us here? You mentioned someone we should meet — who is it?"

 Suddenly, a small figure rose in the far corner of the greenhouse. Julia turned to her, waving her hand.

 Jin tried to see the figure clearly, but it was too far — forethought it started to approach them slowly, moving around seedlings with care, trying not to stomp on them. With closer look the figure turned out to be an old Native American woman in worker overalls with a dirty apron and gray long hair braided in two.

 She took off her gloves and her wrinkled hand, resembling tree roots, raised to wipe out the sweat from her tanned, wood carved-like face. Unlike Julia, the old lady didn't show any hostility to Jin, but he felt something unusual around her. This sense of unknown was familiar for him, though — he remembered he felt the same when he met that guardian woman near Azazel's tomb for the first time. The same woman who guided him to Yakushima later. 

 Could this woman also be a sort of guardian? But for what? 

  “Don’t fool yourself,” she said suddenly. “I just can see things invisible to others — like your true nature, young man. But that's all”.

 Jin didn’t say anything back, studying her hands. With closer look they were covered with small wounds and cuts, old and fresh. Somehow, on this woman’s hands, they looked very appropriate and harmonically — just being a natural element of her whole image.

 She noticed Jin’s look and chuckled. “Reforestation is hard work, just as martial arts practice or any other task. Especially if it’s for fixing the world balance — it’s always easier breaking things than building something new, don’t you think?”

 “It is”.

 Jin nodded, trying not to hide his eyes from the old lady. Suddenly, he felt Xiaoyu's fingers touching his own, and that gave him encouragement to look back. “But I won’t hide from what I did and will try to make up for it”.

 “Sure you will,” the lady chuckled again. “Back then, I thought you were really dangerous for this world, especially after you decided to hunt down Kazuya. But looking at you now in person, I understand that you were misguided by your own fears. Good to see you started to overcome them.”

 “I just started, though,” Jin said, finally. “But I have things to do before that”.

 “As you should. Because if you don’t fix your ties with family, the world will fall into danger once again”.

 Jin jolted, along with Xiaoyu, and they both turned to Julia, who lowered her head in apology.

 “Sorry. That’s actually why I wanted you to come here. Lady Nuna is really sensitive to world changes, and when you, Jin, started a war, she already knew that your clash with Kazuya will bring only destruction. That’s another reason why I decided to sabotage G-corp — to stop you both by any means”.

 “But why did you stop at that? Didn’t come to the tournament or joined Lars’ group then?“ Xiaoyu asked.

 Julia fixed her glasses and continued.

 “I was more worried about the reforestation project. I actually wanted it to succeed by any means — to let it live even if the world would change drastically. And besides, after Lars rescued me, I got a call from lady Nuna — she said that I should come back to her”.

 “At that moment I already realized that everything changed — just by a bit, but the world got its chance to be repaired”, lady Nuna explained. “Of course Julia didn’t believe me at this point so I had to keep her busy with our work. After we saw the news about G-corp losing their leader, we decided to transfer here — that’s when I realized that your story still continues, Jin Kazama”.

 “You said I should fix my family ties”, Jin said. “Can you explain?”

 Nuna shook her head.

 “From this point, I can’t see any details. Maybe that’s because I’m old, maybe something else doesn’t allow me to see the whole picture. Perhaps the reason is I could sense and see the obvious danger from you and Kazuya. Now, when he’s not here, and you start paving a new way for yourself, the results are very unclear”.

 “I see”, Jin muttered. “But now I’m certain I came here for a reason. And I think I know what you mean”.

 “It’s about your relative?” Julia asked.

 Lady Nuna squeezed her eyes a little, studying Jin’s face. Then she smiled.

 “Your intentions sure are clear — but only from your side. Don’t forget, it was you who plunged the world at war. It will be difficult to do what you planned — especially for those who see you as family and a disgrace”.

 “I understand”.

 “Do you now?”

 Jin blinked, not understanding what she meant.

 Nuna walked to a nearby crate with seedlings and invited Jin with a hand gesture to come closer. As he did, she bent to seedlings and carefully put one of them out. 

 “Let me have your hands”, she said.

 Jin understood what she was doing, but wasn’t sure about it. Still, he lent her his palms, where Nuna carefully put a seedling. Then she stood up and with an inviting nod walked away to the empty ridge. Jin followed her in silence, leaving Julia and Xiaoyu in the shade of the elevator.

 When they reached the end of the ridge, lady Nuna turned back to Jin and carefully took the seedling out of his hands.

 “You should dig right here,” she said, pointing with her shoe. “Make sure there will be enough space for its roots”.

 Jin kneeled and started to dig the soil carefully. He never did this before — even at home, with mother, they never do planting. Everything on Yakushima grew on its own, always leaving Jin in awe of how beautiful and independent from humanity nature can be.

 Soil was dry at the surface from the sunlight, and he felt how it scratching skin on his fingers. Still, that was nothing compared with injuries from trainings and battles. Although, he tried not to touch nearby seedlings which were already sprouting wide enough — so as their roots how he felt in the soil.

 “Wait,” lady Nuna stopped him. “Let me see”.

 She quickly kneeled near him, with seedling in one hand, checked the fresh dug hole with another one and hummed affirmatively.

 “Good, that should be enough. Take the seedling”.

 In total silence Jin took it with one hand, using the other to carefully move away sprouted leaves covering the way to the hole. While he was putting the seedling in, lady Nuna spoke again.

 “Sometimes our good deeds are akin to these seedlings — if we plant them into the ground to give them growth and life, we give them exactly that. Be cautious of your intentions — think not about what you DID before planting — but WHAT FOR you planting those seedlings now”.

 Jin didn’t answer, already covering the seedling with soil. Lady Nuna continued.

 “You still don’t know why you’re gonna do it?”

 “I think I know. To be fair, I don’t feel ready for any of this — but I have to”.

 “No one can be ready. Life isn’t so easy for us to prepare for everything. But I can see your intensions to make things better — but I can also see you realize it wouldn’t be easy and will take quite some time. Just like with this one seedling, right?”

 “No offense, but I wouldn’t compare this with my situation,” Jin said. “After all, this plant will be left in your hands, and you already prepared everything for it. All I did was just dug a hole for it and put it in. My job is completely different”.

 “A job , huh…” lady Nuna muttered.

 Jin felt how the tone of her voice changed and stopped talking. She chuckled.

 “At least you understand the difference. I don’t know how your family reunion will go, but I have to give you one piece of advice — accept the outcome and what will come after. Just like you accepted your past”.

 “Hmm,” that was all Jin could say.

 He patted the soil, which already covered the seedling well enough, and rose on his feet, along with lady Nuna.

 “Are you afraid of difficulties?” she asked.

 Jin shook his head. “I’ve already had enough of them. I just don’t know what to do if I fail again”.

 “Well, in this case, you already got an ear to listen,” she huffed and side-eyed to the elevator, where Julia and Xiaoyu were discussing something lively. “Just like she reached to you, you definitely have to reach for others. And that means not only in battle”.

 Jin didn’t answer, slowly wiping off the soil from his hands. The thought about him reaching Asuka just like Xiao and others were reaching him despite everything, was frightening. But if anything good Mishimas taught him besides fighting is to face head on any obstacle and fight his way through it.

 Or find another way around, how his mother would suggest. In any case, the choice is left to him.

 “Hope you came here again,” lady Nuna said. “You’re right — it’s my job to take care of these seedlings. But this one was planted by your hands — you better came here later to see how it grew”.

 “I’m not promising that will happen,” Jin said. “But I’ll try. Thank you”.

 They went back to the elevator, and Xiaoyu ran to them.

 “We found her, Jin!” she claimed with a look of concern on her face. He frowned.

 “What happened?”

 Julia approached them, showing a screen of her smartphone. The news about the siege of some diner were shown live.

 “Wait, I know this place,” Jin muttered. “One of Marshall Law’s diners! He had one back in Japan — he’s back already?”

 “Actually, this one is managed by his son,” Julia said. “And for some reason, unknown soldiers took it in siege”.

 “Unknown?” Jin asked, trying to have a clear vision of the video footage. The soldiers' figures, even despite the low quality and small screen, didn't look like Tekken force or G-corp ones. In fact, they had elements of both — or so Jin thought.

 “How far is it?” he asked Julia.

 “Several blocks to the south from here, if I’m not mistaken. You’re going there now?”

 “Asuka can be there, we can’t leave her!” Xiaoyu claimed. Jin nodded, still with a frown on his face.

 “I have a feeling these guys came directly for her. We can’t stay here”.

 Julia sighed.

 “I really shouldn’t let myself into this, but since you already got here and even have a talk with lady Nuna…” she muttered and swiped away the news from her screen, opening the map. “I’ll give you the coordinates where you all can go after you get your sister or who she is — it’s a safe place”.

 “She’s not my sister,” Jin argued, but he wasn’t heard — Xiaoyu took her phone and quickly entered coordinates from Julia.

 “You sure about it, Julia-san? It may be dangerous for you”.

 “For me — no. It’s a place I haven't used for quite some time. I should visit it someday, though… but maybe later”.

 Xiaoyu quickly bowed in gratitude and hurried to the elevator. Jin followed her, preparing himself for a possible clash. But as he almost got into the cabin, he turned back to look once again at the seedling he planted not so long ago. It was there — too small from a distance, but still visible, despite the other seedlings sprouting around it, already reaching up to the sun.

 Jin couldn’t help but smile a bit. Maybe he will give it another look some time later. Perhaps even with Asuka… if they’ll make it out.

 The elevator closed its doors.

Chapter Text

Well if it isn't a shitty situation. 

 Asuka was sitting near the counter, looking around in alertness. The troop of soldiers, which got her and Forest caught, slowly walked around the diner, with a couple of men inside guarding them with tazers. Their uniform didn't have any signing or anything else helping to identify them, but the purple color of their uniforms and oldschool looking helmets were giving Asuka some ideas. Not if they would somehow help her and Forest, though. 

 The main soldier, codenamed Hawk, was looking through the closed window, like he was awaiting someone. Asuka really wanted to talk with him about who the heck was looking for her and why it isn't some certain Monegasque, but something in his aura warned her not to do anything stupid around the guy. 

 Luckily, Forest was still here. Like he was reading Asuka thoughts, he wondered. "Hey, guys, can you finally explain what is this all about? My pops gonna be back soon and I don't want to give him a heart attack with you prowling here…"

 "Quiet," Hawk said, not turning to them. One of the soldiers raised his taser in warning, but Forest wasn't swayed by it. 

 "C'mon, you seriously would use some toys like this on us? I'm sure you have to be more capable to handicap us if you are that worried".

 "You better shut up, kid. Be thankful to your friend, since she started all this. Should be more accurate with the whole world domination".

 "The heck?!" Asuka jumped. "I didn't do crap, it was Jin!"

 She shut herself, realising she got everyone's attention this moment. But to her surprise, soldiers didn't hurry to silence her. In fact, she could sense a little unease along them. 

 "Sir…" one of the soldiers decided to talk first. "Are we really came here to catch Kazama?"

 "No questions!" Hawk shouted. "We got concrete instructions and information that Kazama is in this city at least for several hours now!"

 "Dude," Asuka sighed. "FYI, I stucked here at least for a day or two, who spilled this crap about hours? Are you even sure I'm the one you're looking for?"

 She wasn't afraid at this point anymore — something told her those guys were very much diletants at their job. And something else also told her that their target is for sure in this town… and also looking for her. 

 Anything but that. She isn't ready to meet this jerk again. Along with sitting here with these morons whoever send them. 

 "You dare to criticize MY job?" Hawk meanwhile walked away from the window to the bar counter, pulling his taser out. "Even if we got the wrong Kazama, you may be a great bargain chip to catch another one…"

 "Like hell!"

 Her body acted quicker than her thoughts — Asuka stood on her hands, holding onto the bar chair, and threw a high toe kick right under Hawk's jaw. Other soldiers tried to act fast with their tasers, but her act left them unattending to Forest, who quickly swinged a large pan around the counter, smashing a couple of soldiers away. 

 "Down there!" Forest shouted, jumping over the counter with a high kick, targeting the third soldier. He managed to shot taser dart in Forest, but slightly missed and met his doom — as with the kick in the face. 

 Asuka jumped off the chair and tried to move to the basement entrance. Unfortunately for her, Hawk managed to recover from her attack and quickly moved between her and the basement, pulling out the baton with suspicious sparks around it. 

 "Oh, come on!" she groaned.

 She still didn't have time to think and decided to let her instincts do the job. Hawk attacked first, raising his hand with the baton in a crushing blow. Just for Asuka to grab it quickly and threw his whole body into the wall, with a farewell soccer kick right in his buttrocks as a parting gift. 

 "I got them!" Forest shouted. "Down, the window!"

 "Haw?"

 She didn't remember any windows in the basement, but suddenly, the front door started to shake under outside attempts to open it, and Asuka had to get down. 

  The window…  What the heck did he meant by a window? 

 Her gaze fell upon a familiar crate with training equipment, and now Asuka realized that's a very weird place to keep it, along with other diner stuff. Are Law's made some sort of a secret room there, which was a window Forest meant? 

 She tried to move the crate and the baseball bat fell out from it right in her hand.

 Good timing!

 For now she didn’t care much about the ethics of her new fighting style or anything, especially after hearing gunshots somewhere upstairs. 

 Right behind the crate really was a small window, a weak sunlight was going through its dusty walls. Asuka crouched towards the window, not sure if she would fit in. If only she was a bit smaller — no, a lot smaller, she would get out with no problem.

 The racket upstairs became louder — mostly thanks to Forest shouts, but they started to sound more painful. Poor guy for sure was overwhelmed back there. Asuka clenched the bat in her hand, hearing more gunshots and glass shattering, most likely from outside.

 Are these stupid punks shooting diner’s windows?

 Asuka didn’t understand how and when she got overwhelmed by rage. All she could remember, or more likely, notice by a inner vision, is how she dashed out from the basement back in the diner, how Forest shouted at her to get the hell out, how the full squad of soldiers just lashed out on her…

 …only to get swiped off. Not by the bat in her hands, but from an overwhelming whirlwind blast, which came with the swing. Soldiers got scattered around the room, someone even flew out of the broken window, stopping the gunshots.

 “What the?~” someone outside shouted.

 Asuka didn’t look around or even check out Forest. Breathing heavily, she jumped through the same windows, following her instinct to wreck a freaking havoc from all these morons. 

 “Who’s that?” the same voice shouted. “Don’t move, or we’ll sho~OOUUAAAGH!”

 Poor guy was the first victim of another windy swing. Like the bowling ball, he flew into some other armed soldiers, crashing them around. Though someone managed to pull the trigger and shoot several rounds towards Asuka. She didn’t even have time to scare or evade, but instinctively did another swing — bullets passed through the wall nearby, most likely being swayed by the wind.

  What the hell? 

 She looked at the bullet holes in shock. Is this also her doing?

 “G-get… her…” Hawk’s voice came from the diner.

 Asuka dashed into a nearby alley without any more thinking. Run, just run for now. Get out of this crazy town as soon as possi~

 “Freeze!”

 She stopped, catching her breath, looking around. Another squad of soldiers surrounded her right at the alley end.

 “Drop the bat and hold your hands up!” barked one of them, armed with a machine gun.

 Asuka froze by looking at all this mess. Some weeks ago, even after being in a big battle for world peace and actually crashing some bad guys and giant robots, she would've imagine she herself could get into crap like this.

 But, funny enough, she loved it. The adrenaline was still ringing in her ears, the strange energy from Yakushima temple was still running in her body, boiling, asking to be bursted out. Asuka felt that if she’ll try to calm down right now, she’ll pop like a balloon, and that’s not what she was planning to do.

 “I said — drop the bat! Are you deaf?!” The Machine gun Guy shouted again. Everyone else prepare the batons and tasers.

 “Nope,” Asuka said, surprisingly calmly. “I just don’t speak military”.

 She dashed right away towards The Machine gun Guy, preparing for another swing. He shouted and open fire — right above Asuka’s head, when she managed to crouch. Other soldiers rushed towards her, but just got swiped like their comrades before, along with the shooter. Though he was thrown away from Asuka, he managed to stay on his feet and raised his weapon again.

 “You’re dead!”

 Asuka was still recovering from the strike, she felt how her inner energy was already fading out. Her left shoulder started to get aching — did one of the bullets actually got her?

 But she still has to do one more shot — before this guy will shoot her again.

 She dashed forward.

 What happened in the next few seconds was going for Asuka in some sort of slow motion. She actually could see how the soldier started pressing the trigger of the machine gun, how the first burst was shooted right into her face. But she somehow managed to jump over the bullets, along with her crushing rising toe kick, sending the shooter flying. The machine gun flew away from his hand, he gasped one more time before Asuka sent him back to the ground with the second pressing kick, crushing his bones along with the surrounding concrete.

 She landed, breathing more heavily than before. The former Machine gun Guy was groaning near her, as well as the others. Asuka tried to stand up, but her feets failed her, and she plopped on the ground, gripping the bat with all the remained strength she still had.

 “N-now you’re done, bitch…” the former Machine gun Guy wheezed. “H-here’s a backup…”

 Asuka turned her head — from the other side of the road, where she was hurrying before, already ran another squad. Less people than before, but she was too burned out even for them.

 “We’re taking her,” said the new squad leader, holding his hand on the sheets of some futuristic-looking sword. Asuka squeezed her eyes — this blade looked familiar for some reason.

 “S-sir, be careful…” the former Machine gun Guy wheezed again. “She h-has some weirrd powers…“

 “To lay on the ground completely worned out? What an interesting power indeed,” swordwielder chuckled. “Oh, she also got a bat? It would be a fair fight, if she wasn’t wasted”.

 Asuka growled In frustration. She could have one more attack or just jump into the same alley she came from, but then she remembered that a bunch of other soldiers lies there and sighed. Nowhere to run, then. 

 “I guess we can neutralize her right here and finish the task,” the swordwielder pulled his blade out, with blue electric sparks starting run along its edge. “Don’t worry, miss, it will be quick and non-lethal — although you may have to get used to live without some limbs”.

 “You… joking, right?” Asuka muttered. “Dunno who’re you guys, but even if I kicked yer butts around, arentcha going a little too far with cuttin limbs?”

 “Just think about it as a compensation for our troubles,” swordswielder huffed. “It’s the usual way to pay to Mishima Zaibatsu”.

 Asuka’s eyes widened. “Haw?”

  Aren’t those guys kicked the bucket?

 But she had no time to think about it more — the swordswielder raised his weapon and electric sparks became brighter. Asuka grippled the bat, but have no power to even rise it for the block. She was way too worn out.

 That’s it. That’s the end of Asuka Kazama’s story — the disgrace and failure of the family, even despite all her good efforts not to be that.

 Be like him.

 She started to close her eyes, when the soldier topple the blade on her… 

 And, just for less than a second, he froze — from someone else’s kick in the face. The strike was so sudden and powerful the soldier just flew right into the wall like a charged rocket. Asuka, who didn’t get her eyes closed, widened them again — both with surprised and anger.

 “You are really handful,” Jin said, coming close to her. “Get up, we’re leaving”.

 “Haw?”

 Once again, that was all that Asuka could say. But Jin’s appearance and his not so pleasant greeting filled her with frustration. She literally could feel how the similar flow of energy started to run in her body once again. 

 "What the hell are you doing here?" she barked, pointing at Jin, while he was looking around. "You're the last moron I want to see right now!" 

 "Is that so? Then should I leave you to these guys?" Jin said, nodding towards yet another group of soldiers, running to them from the diner.

 "They still don't wanna give up?" Asuka whined. "The hell they want from me?"

 "What do you mean?"

 He didn't get the answer, and Asuka didn't have time to explain — enemies rushed towards them in charging formation. The closest one jumped forward with a flying kick, while everyone else surrounded Jin and Asuka. 

 "Get lost, idiots!" she shouted, doing a large round kick, throwing some of the soldiers away. "I'm not in the mood!"

 Jin also managed to fight off the attack from his side and quickly parried the flying kick, making the squad leader fly into the light pole. Although, he landed on it with his feet and bounced back, putting out another electric blade in-flight. 

 "Stay back!" Jin shouted, grabbing Asuka by her jacket collar and throwing them both away from the sword attack. 

 This blade…  he saw it before. And the kick Asuka just performed — he could swear he felt something unnatural about it. 

 "Don't grab me like that!" Asuka shouted, but suddenly, one of the defeated soldiers grabbed her foot and pulled down, trying to make her kneel. The others started to get up too. 

 "Don't try anything stupid," said the second swordsman, dangerously pointing at them with his blade. "So, most of our men were defeated by this girl? Perhaps that's good thing we got a false lead first".

 "False lead? The heck ya talkin' about?"

 "They were looking for me," Jin said bluntly. "But somehow they got the wrong Kazama. I wonder how they managed to mess like this — for Tekken force units that's a very huge mistake".

 "Wait, hold up! THE Tekken force? I thought they were long gone for like half a year already!"

 "You're mistaking, young lady," swordsman said, while the others started to slowly approach Asuka and Jin. "All we got through is just a little reformation. And, as you can see, it was worthwhile — with all the newest equipment and information we have, the Mishima Zaibatsu will certainly rise once again".

 "Sure, you got a nice sword," Jin chuckled. "Did you thank the UN for that gift? Or you just stole it?"

 For a bit, the swordsman faltered. Then he raised his head a little, like he was going to say something back, but suddenly, a sound of a thud came from somewhere behind him, before he slowly fell on the ground. The other soldiers jumped by that, but got swayed by Jin and Asuka pair of wide kicks immediately. 

 "Did I interrupt something?" Xiaoyu asked, looking at the unmoving swordsman she just got knocked out. "Sorry, Jin, I thought you were in trouble…"

 "Well, we could get something from them…" he muttered, analyzing everything he just heard and saw. But the faraway noise of stomping feets and roaring engines distracted him. 

 "There's still more?" Asuka sighed, scratching her head. "Dude, why wouldn'tcha go to the police already? Yer kinda wanted anyway".

 "So as you," he replied. "We need to leave, so follow me".

 "Wait, what? Where's that coming from? I don't wanna!"

 "So you really want to stay here and fight them all until you drop dead?" Jin asked, looking directly in Asuka eyes. "They saw what you can do, and they won't leave you until they salvage all the power you got. And there's no guarantee you'll stay alive after that".

 "Jin!" Xiaoyu shouted. 

 "It's true," he replied, still talking to Asuka. "You may not trust me, but that's the truth".

 "That's not what I meant!" Xiaoyu shook her head and pointed somewhere aside. "Look!"

 From the road, opposite to their alley, some van was approaching quickly. It was hard to see its plate or markings, so Jin wasn't sure that's not another Tekken force backup. 

 The car suddenly drifted around them, cutting off the alley road and blocking the approaching soldiers from there completely. The side door opened widely, and Forest, who was inside, waved his hand in invitation. 

 "Get in, quick!" Julia's voice came from the driver's seat. 

 Xiaoyu jumped in first. Asuka stumbled a little, glaring at Jin in both hesitation and irritation. Before he decided to just shove her in or move himself first, she quickly entered the van. 

 "We… aren't done here," the voice of the swordsman suddenly came from below. Jin lowered his head to him. 

 "I guess… The girl now has more value than you in terms of strength," swordsman wheezed. "Wait until I tell the boss".

 "Who is it?" Jin asked. "Answer, now!"

 But the soldier just chuckled and his head fell back, as he lost consciousness once again. 

 "Tsk," Jin crouched to him to pick something and rushed to the van. "What a waste".

 The soldiers from the alley almost got to them, someone already tried to attack the closed side of the van, judging but thumping sounds. But Julia already revved the engine, making van to do another drift and leave the alley and pursuers behind — along with the city. 

Chapter Text

 "What's with the ruckus?" Miguel muttered, looking around.

 He just finished his confession — to be fair, it was a long one, and the priest probably was shocked by all his revelations and bottled hate. And now, when Miguel just calmed down a little, some loud screams and sounds of fight spurred his instincts once again. The feeling of a revelation coming up raised once more, and Miguel hurried to the sound source. 

 It was just right on the next street where Miguel found out a bunch of people, wearing familiar military uniforms. So called Tekken force, with an unknown boss. But now he will know for sure who it is. 

 He ran up to one of the soldiers, the guy who lied face down in the hole of smashed concrete. There was a futuristic sword lying near him, and Miguel kicked it away first. 

 "Who are you, asshole?" soldier granted, probably awakened by the sound. He tried to get up, but Miguel stopped him by pressing his head back into concrete. 

 "First, where's your manners? Second, I was having a chat with one of your guys this night and he dropped some info about your new boss. I would like to have a word with the guy".

 "Screw you!" soldier spotted, but Miguel pressed his head even further. 

 "Wrong answer. Ok, let's try one more time. Your boss — what's his deal here? And try to be honest — I'm sure you would live a bit longer with an unbroken neck".

 He pressed his fingers around soldier's neck vertebrae with a little force to make a point. 

 "F-fine… We were looking for Kazama".

 "What?!" Miguel was so surprised he accidentally gripped soldier's neck a little more, making him wince from pain. "That Kazama? Jin?"

 "This one… but we found out there's another one - a girl with some sort of weird powers of a gorilla… We tried to catch her, but he saved her and they both escaped".

 "Where?" Miguel snarled, feeling how his pulse was running faster and faster. 

 He found him. He finally found this bastard! He didn't care about some strange girl who also happened to be Kazama — all his thoughts and hate once again was directed to Jin at this point. 

 "They escaped by car. You can't reach them, even if you try," he suddenly heard a familiar voice from behind.

 Miguel threw the soldier's body into the concrete and stood up quickly. 

 "You just don't know when to quit, fatass," he growled, eyes squinting. 

 "Same for you," Bob shrugged. "These guys weren't kidding around without a good reason".

 "This 'reason' you're talking about is the man I'm looking for! So you better not to stand in my way," Miguel looked around and saw someone's old school bike. He took several steps towards it before Bob stopped him. 

 "Don't know what your problem is, but you're creating more of them, stealing other people's stuff".

 "Are you deaf? I said, don't try to stop me!"

 "You don't even know where to look!"

 Now those were the words that stopped Miguel. He turned back, not looking at Bob, but at the several other soldiers, who managed to get up and gather around them without any words. 

 "Good point," he said. "So I'm gonna ask some more questions".

 Bob also turned back to soldiers and sighed. 

 "This is not gonna end well, is it?"

* * *

 “Why did you help us?”

 Julia, while she was checking something on the shelves, turned to Jin in silent questioning. They were in the small entrance hall of the house where they arrived half an hour ago, while others already entered the living room.

 “Good question, actually,” Julia said, turning back to the shelves of a small closet which was staying near the door. “I just remembered after our talk that I wanted to ask you about something”.

 Now it was Jin’s turn to frown a little, questioning. Suddenly something made a silent click sound.

 “Oh, there it is,” Julia said and pulled out something to show Jin. He frowned even more.

 “Is that?..”

 “It is,” Julia nodded, slightly weighing the pendant on her palm. “Thanks to you, I managed to bring back our treasure and save my mother.”

 “Hold up. Your mother? I don’t remember to do anything”.

 “But you do remember your promise to bring me the pendant back, right? The rest I did myself, thanks to the ruckus you made back in Ogre’s temple”.

 “Trust me, it wasn’t my plan,” Jin said, really not wanting to remember what happened back then.

 He could accept anything from his past — well, almost anything. The sheer sense of fear and powerlessness from being shot by Tekken force soldiers and Heihachi was still fresh in his mind. It sometimes could even overlap the hate towards his Mishima heritage, reminding how weak and lonely he was back then.

  You weren’t. You just denied the help you got from yourself for a long time. Now you shouldn’t be so resentful anymore — and you should not let anyone else repeat that mistake.

 “Right…" he muttered.

 Julia, still holding the pendant, raised her gaze at him. Jin shook his head.

 “Sorry, it’s nothing. So is something wrong with it? I still can’t understand what you wanted to ask me”.

 “Well, according to legends, this pendant should be able to awaken and control Ogre. And during the third tournament, I saw it reacting to Ogre's appearance. Luckily, you killed him quick enough so no one would be able to tame him with this. But…”

 “But?..”

 Julia fixed her glasses and showed a pendant to Jin, so the light of the entrance hall’s lamp fell on it.

 “When lady Nuna told me about the prophecy about Azazel, I decided to check the pendant. That’s hard to explain… but I felt the same presence from him as from Ogre. Perhaps, they could be the same being, or even had the same origin”.

 “They both were evil,” Jin said. “That’s all that connected them”.

 “I understand that your concepts of good and evil are kinda plain, but I think you’re wrong about them both,” Julia said, with some seriousness in her voice. “After all, you’re not a pure evil or a pure good person yourself, right? Any light in this world will create some shadows that will never go away, while light is here”.

 Jin didn’t say anything at that. She continued.

 “So I decided to check it out, and it got the same reaction as it did during Ogre’s awakening. Perhaps even stronger than before. That’s one of the reasons I decided to join Violet Systems and sabotage G-corp from the inside — and also try to find out about other similar anomalies”.

 “Similar ones? You think G-corp could have something about it?”

 “I doubted it, actually, but regained my hopes after Lars showed up. I realized that I was looking in the wrong place — after all, G-corp was specialized in biogenesis, not myths. I should’ve been looking for information from people who were interested in Ogre and beings, similar to him”.

 “And by that you mean Mishima Zaibatsu archives?” Jin suggested.

 “Right. But I couldn’t do anything at this point — that’s when lady Nuna contacted me and I had to leave. You know the rest,” Julia finished, still studying the pendant on her palm. “No reaction now, I suppose. Guess I was worried for nothing”.

 “It’s about another Nuna’s prophecy? About how my family can bring another catastrophe?”

 Julia looked at Jin with some regret. “You can never be cautious enough when it’s about Mishima”.

 He smiled a little. 

 “Good point. But if it doesn’t react, it means the danger isn’t as big as before… Or we once again looking in the wrong place”.

 “That’s why I decided to help you, actually. I needed someone who may have looked into the archives themselves”.

 Jin shook his head.

 “I’m sorry. All I was searching back then, was information about Azazel. Although…” 

 He stopped, trying to remember. There was something he heard from Alisa, when he was getting information from her secretly. Was that?.. 

 He put out his phone. “I think I know who can help us with it”.

 Julia nodded and left the entrance hall, letting him make a call. Jin was grateful — there were some other questions he wanted to discuss without anyone’s presence.

 “Lars speaking. How is it going?”

 “Fine for now. Is Alisa nearby?”

 “Yes. Something you need from her? I can turn the speaker on”.

 “Do it. It’s actually what I was wanting to ask you both,” Jin heard some slight hum on the other side and continued. “Do you remember anything about the Central America epitaph? Heihachi should have some information about it”.

 “An epitaph? The one Wang-san talked about?” Alisa clarified. “He said it was connected with what Zaibatsu will do next, but we thought it’s about your plans, Jin-san. You don’t know about it?”

 “No. But I just remembered… Alisa, have you still had access to Mishima archives by any chance?”

 “How could she have it? I thought she was designed only to be your bodyguard,” Lars said.

 “Actually, I gave her access right after we went to Azazel’s temple. That’s why I wanted you to fight her and said you get all answers only then,” Jin explained, feeling how he was once again overwhelmed by guilt. “I’m sorry I didn’t say that sooner. But I saw that Alisa is very important to you, so I decided to give her access to all Zaibatsu data, so you could use them”.

 He heard Alisa’s surprised gasp and shook his head. She didn’t even notice that she could have some new data? Could the machine be that inattentively?

 “They… they are not here!” she exclaimed, which got Jin by surprise.

 “What? How? I was sure you got all the protocols!”

 “I can see some leftovers from them, Jin-san… But I think they got outdated. After all, they were given to me almost a year ago… and when Heihachi came back to reclaim Zaibatsu, he most likely updated the access immediately, before we could even use them. Sorry if I couldn’t help”.

 “It’s fine,” Jin sighed. “I guess it’s not like you even had time to do that, after all”.

 “Why did you ask about that?” Lars inquired. “What’s on your mind?”

 “I also would like to know, monsieur Kazama,” Victor’s voice suddenly interrupted. “I just got a report someone’s entered the archives, but it wasn’t you, as it appears”.

 “I just got the idea to check it. But to be fair, there’s many people who wanted to have some secret information from Mishima Zaibatsu,” Jin said, remembering something else. 

 “Lars,” he asked. “Have you got something new from Kliesens? The information about the Devil they gave us - did they use the information from the Zaibatsu, by any chance?”

 “As far as I know, they are not. You think they could do it?” Lars was apparently doubtful, as he continued. “From what I heard, the archives were attacked not so long ago by some clan”.

 “Manji clan…” Jin muttered, remembering.

 Yes, that’s it. He heard about some thieves breaking into the archives but didn’t give enough attention to that back then - not because he didn't care, but he was way too focused on honing his fighting skills to be distracted by anything else, and just left this to Lars and Lee. Looks like it was his another mistake.

 “Wasn’t their leader our ally once?” he asked. “He arrived along with Eddy and some recruits from the old Tekken force.... Yoshimitsu, right?”

 “Well the look of that guy for sure was unique to forget him,” Lars chuckled. “So you suggest contacting him about the archives?”

 “And may I know for what?” Victor asked. “With all respect, I don’t understand your goal here, Kazama. Is it somehow connected with your mission about bringing back your relative?”

 “Something like that. And, while we’re here… I also got some questions for you, Victor,” Jin said, remembering what happened back on the alley. “I’m afraid your organization got a serious leak with technologies and weapons, because I happened to meet someone with the weapon which you usually hold”.

 “I’m sure any capable soldier can have a karambit”.

 “And a high-tech optical katana also a common thing these days?” Jin suggested sarcastically, which made Victor stutter. “Furthermore, the equipment of these people I met have elements of the UN units, as much as Yggdrassil. Someone did his homework to steal any useful bits from all of us — to reform the Tekken force and Mishima Zaibatsu”.

 “What?!” Both Lars and Victor gasped in disbelief.

 Jin pulled something out of his pocket and turned on the videocall on his phone to show it.

 “I picked it from one of these new Tekken force soldiers. Looks familiar, by any chance?”

 He could hear how Victor slightly grits his teeth.

 “I believe that looks like the earpiece you and Raven usually wear,” Jin said, turning it around to give a better look. “I didn’t have time to check around, but I’m sure everyone in this new group has similar equipment. If you were following my trail all this time, I suggest you check the town while they’re still here, if you need more information”.

 “Thanks for the advice,” Victor said, regaining his calm. “As a supporter of original products, I will not allow anyone to mock our work by any chance”.

 “I’m not sure it’s a mockery,” Lars objected. “Someone tried too hard to recreate these weapons and equipment, and furthermore, use it as a property of Mishima Zaibatsu. I don’t want to be a downer, but… Jin, it seems that your family matters became much more difficult with all this”.

 “You don’t mean…”

 “It’s just a guess for now, considering we all saw what happened. But you can never be so sure with Mishima”.

 Jin just nodded, hearing this for a second time this evening. He didn’t want to believe, as Lars and others, and later himself, saw that broadcast straight from the volcano crater. It just couldn’t be possible, and if it was… then the old man had more secrets he revealed upon his death.

 “Let’s not panic for now, please,” Alisa said. “The data, based only on speculations, usually proved to be wrong. Victor-san, can you assume how these technologies could be leaked out of your group?”

 “I’m sure no one of my men could have done that. Although, there are some strange things, for sure..” Victor muttered, getting everyone’s attention. “You asked me to find out about my HQ’s goals… and I’m afraid I have to bear bad news”.

 “What is it?” Jin asked. 

 “First, they closed all access to Yakushima island. By sea, air — everything. Even people, who still lived there, are now locked under UN’s observation, and no one can leave the island. Although, they still support civilians with all necessary supplies and medicaments. But who knows how long it will continue”.

 “And this is absolutely out of your jurisdiction?” Jin asked. “Can you tell at least who decided to lock up the island?”

 “Unfortunately, this is classified. Though, I could gather some information with assistance…” Victor stopped, turning to Lars with a meaningful look. 

 “I’m not sure I follow,” Lars said.

 “We both are interested in finding the mastermind behind all this. And as I heard, you still have a perfect tool to extract information secretly, so as people to analyze it”.

 “Sorry, but I can’t be a spy tool anymore,” Alisa said politely. “My functions are mostly designed for efficient combat”.

 “But you still have leftovers of old protocols for access to archives? We still can find a way to update them remotely,” Jin said with a little doubt. He never was good at hacking stuff, compared to his pure mechanical and engineering knowledge, but he wanted to believe in Alisa and Lee abilities in that area.

 “I’ll do my best, Jin-san!” Alisa bowed and left the room immediately, most likely to find Lee.

 “I guess we managed to cover this,” Victor nodded. “With access to Mishima archives we will also have their whole database. Just let me know when your lady will be ready to share - our programmers will do the rest”.

 “I’m sure Lee could make that happen by himself,” Lars said. “But, if my deductions are on point, our plan will uncover not only Mishima plans, but also the UN ones. I believe that the Yakushima’s lockdown could happen by someone who also has access to Mishima plans AND has a huge influence in the UN. What do you think, Jin?”

 “What?” he perked up. Some slight thought raised in his head, little, but annoying.

 What if it’s not what they are afraid of… Or more like they are afraid for the wrong person to come back?

 “Lars,” he said. “When you evacuate everyone from Yakushima that day… have you managed to save all of them?”

 “All? Wait…” Lars fell silent and then his eyes widened. “Wait, don’t tell me!..“

 “What is it?” Victor asked.

 Jin closed his eyes with realization.

 Of course, it would be something like this. He should’ve guessed back then, at the tournament’s prelims, when his feeling of powerlessness and awaited death raised once more, along with the image of his killer, showing up in another person completely different from him.

“You’re looking like you've seen a ghost…”

 Damn it.

 Lars seemingly was pissed about that too, but tried to play it cool. He folded his arms.

 “We weren’t able to find out more about her… Guess there was a very good reason for that”.

 “Her?” Victor asked.

 “Do you remember the girl in Italy? The one who tried to solo Kazuya right after he absorbed Azazel’s power?” Lars asked. “Later, she assisted us on Yakushima, while we were fighting G-corp units. But after Kazuya destroyed almost everyone on the battlefield, she was gone”.

 “And I was wondering, what a cute mademoiselle like her could forget on the battlefield,” Victor muttered. “So, you suggest, she was the one who could steal our ideas and equipment? For the looks of it, she had to have free access to all of our weapons and everything else to do that”.

 “To steal and recreate with such details you need a lot of work. And people,” Lars sighed. “And I have to say, she really has the charisma to persuade someone to help her - along with taking her inside Yggdrasil in the first place”.

 “My bad,” Jin said. “She said she wanted to help me destroy Kazuya, and that was all I needed back then. You’ve all also placed your bets on me after all I did, actually”.

 “Fair point,” Lars nodded. “Alisa and Lee already tried to look for any information about her right when you both were fighting in a tournament. But they didn't find anything special, except for her attending the Mishima Polytechnic school”.

 “Yeah, that's sure should make her suspicious enough,” Jin said, not hiding his sarcasm. “When I fought her, I was wondering where she could learn Mishima style elements. As I remember, only the Mishimas themselves could practice it”.

 “Or Tekken Force units, on some bases,” Lars added. 

 “Maybe she was a fan? I got to say, some moves from this style look very inspirational and powerful for young people like her,” Victor said.

 Jin shook his head. "She said she learned it from Heihachi’s moves while they were broadcasted… but for imitation they were way too good…”

 He fell silent, realizing how once again he ruined everything for everyone by his actions.

 Had he not let Reina go with him in Yggdrasil, she wouldn’t have stolen all their inventions to recreate Heihachi’s legacy — and Jin was sure that was her plan from the start. He lived with this family way too long to easily understand the goal in a long shot, but he was really lacking when the matter would come to details.

 “Don’t you dare to blame yourself again,” he heard Lars speaking. “Sure, you brought her here in the first place… But who would've know if she'd manage to infiltrate here by herself. Furthermore, it’s still just speculation on this point, since we can’t even find her body due to lockdown”.

 “We may not need to have a body,” Victor said. “If mademoiselle Alisa will manage to get access to Mishima archives and database, there can be a lot of information about the girl, too. Although, from my perspective, she could be just a devoted one who managed to gain her proper place in Mishima military. And, if I’m not mistaken, was the Tekken force trained in a Mishima Polytechnic school?”

 “Can’t say for sure,” Jin muttered. Lars also shook his head.

 “I was working in another branch until I moved to Japan. But you seem to be right — most efficient soldiers from Tekken force were trained in Mishima school”.

 “I don’t remember any military training grounds there,” Jin said.

 “If I remember correctly, Alisa once said they are disguised as a normal school. So it’s not surprising you didn’t know”.

 “Quite an interesting experiment, though,” Victor nodded. “To train future soldiers under the disguise of usual educational processing… That’s a refreshing idea, to be honest”.

 “Your Raven squad hasn't gone to school? Lucky ones,” Lars let himself chuckle.  Jin also smiled a bit.

 Despite everything they went through with their conflicts and difficulties, Lars was actually the first person Jin felt easy by being near. He didn’t have it for a long time, and, to be perfectly honest, he was glad to spar with Lars anytime he suggested doing so — just for that strange connection, feeling of common goal — and with all that, a sense of safety and home.

 He admitted he had something like that even back then, when he was trained by Heihachi. But after his betrayal, Jin brushed this off as if that feeling was connecting him only with Xiaoyu. But after more sparring sessions with Lars and even Lee, he started to realize he could have a family among Mishimas, that not every one of them is a threat for the world.  And, with all this, he even could give himself a chance to be like that.

 “Glad you both have a sense of comedy,” Victor hissed. “Well, I guess it’s time to take my leave for now. From my part, I’ll still try to probe around my HQ in case your lady Alisa will not manage to get access protocols. I’ll contact you immediately, if something comes up. Au revoir ”.

 Jin ended the call and leaned to the wall, listening to the sounds of a desert outside. All this talking and realization made him want to go out for fresh air. But instead, he decided to enter the living room. 

 “Oh, perfect timing!” he heard Forest’s voice who actually was laying down on a sofa, but stood up when Jin entered. “I was just thinking about asking you something…”

 “And you?..” Jin tried to remember where he saw this guy before, but memory was too fuzzy. He definitely was Law’s relative — his son, probably?

 “Now that’s just harsh, man. I saved you and your sisterthing back then, and you don’t even wondering where we could met?”

 “I AM wondering. And what’s the… sisterthing?”

 “Uh… nevermind,” Forest waved away. “We met on a third tournament, if you’re still interested. Name’s Forest Law. Now, can I borrow some of your money? Those soldier weirdos made a great number on our shop and Dad's gonna be pissed if he’ll know about it”.

 “No,” Jin said.

 “How straightforward!” Forest made an very offended grimace.

 “Likewise. And I don’t have any money with me anyway. Still, I’m thankful, so I will pay you back - later”.

 Forest squinted a little.

 “You sure? I heard you’re not really good with keeping your word”.

 “First time I’m hearing about this”.

 “Me too, actually. Who said Jin can’t keep his promises?” Xiaoyu asked, entering in. Jin heard some water splashing from her direction and suggested she was in the bathroom.

 “Dunno, actually,” Forest shrugged. “Just heard some Korean guy whining about it a year ago. Saw him in the tournament several times before, he even came to our diner once. Complained about how our beef bowls are not spicy enough — ‘for reminding how exciting the battle can be’ or sort of”.

 Jin and Xiaoyu just look at each other in silence — they both perfectly knew who he was talking about.

 “Well, whatever,” Forest sighed and turned to Xiaoyu. “Can you give me some money? Don’t tell me you don’t have them, too!”

 “Sure, I won’t tell,” she shrugged. Forest smiled triumphantly, but then Xiaoyu said. “And that’s why I don’t give you them”.

 “What the hell?!” he groaned. 

 Jin turned away from them both and looked around. 

 “And where’s Asuka?” he asked.

 “Locked up upstairs. She said she needs some time alone, since she’s tired,” Xiaoyu replied and quickly added. “Don’t worry, I don’t think she’ll escape. Actually, she asked me to find some meds to patch herself — her arm got shot”.

 “And what are the odds she will not run away after that?” Jin asked. “We better find ourselves a better place and transport to bring her home or at least in Yggdrasil base for now”.

 The front door creaked and Julia came in.

 “I don’t think she’ll manage to escape in any case,” she said. “The window of that room is jammed, and your relative doesn’t look the type to break other people's property”.

 “I saw her crashing my place along with those militaries like nothing, so I would argue about that!” Forest claimed.

 Julia didn’t say anything in response. She came up to Jin. “I guess we can now talk again about what we dropped earlier”.

 “We have to wait for some time. Can we stay here for a day or two until then?” Jin asked. “For now, there's nothing I can tell you anyway”.

 “Fair enough. But have you found anything else about Azazel? You said you were researching everything about him”.

 “I did, yes,” Jin sat on the sofa, Xiaoyu joined him. Julia decided to stay still and Forest, yawning, went to the kitchen. Jin closed his eyes, remembering, and continued.

 “Mostly, everything I found back then was based on that one prophecy from the Middle East. Two dark stars, clashing in battle, will bring great catastrophe to the world and their fight will break Azazel’s seal, letting him out. But, as I knew later, the prophecy wasn’t the problem — or, to be more precise, it happened already at that point”.

 “Which means?” Julia asked.

 “The clash it mentioned — it did happen, much earlier than everyone thinks. It was around the end of the fourth tournament, back when Kazuya and I fought for the first time. Thanks to Heihachi, who wanted to take Devil powers to himself, we managed to meet — and that’s when the prophecy started to be fulfilled”.

 “So it means that the seal was broken even earlier? And Azazel was already out?” 

 “Not exactly. For some reason, he was free only in the spirit form. That’s when it started to happen — his influence,” Jin felt silent.

 “Wait. So you’re saying that the war you caused…”

 “It was on my own, don’t get me wrong. I was desperate — I heard his voice, his demands to create all kinds of suffering in the world — and I thought this is the only way to materialize and kill him for good,” Jin said, turning this time to Xiaoyu. “There’s no way I'm ever going to be forgiven or judged properly for all tha. So I thought that killing Azazel along with myself will do a big favor to the world and finally save it from him and myself”.

 “Save it, my ass”.

 He stopped and stood quickly, turning around. Asuka came down from the stairs, standing still, looking at him in irritation. The right sleeve of her t-shirt was rolled up, showing sloppy bandages on the arm.

 “I don’t know what kind of moron gonna listen to some giant dragonface bullshit and think that a world war is a good way to shut him up, but guess you ARE the moron. And a coward,” she hissed. “And all of you just listening to him? Shouldn’t he just go into the jail already? The world is saved, thanks a bunch!”

 “Your bandages are loosing,” Jin said.

 “Shuddup! I could brash off your crimes back then, when yer dad was screwing around, but now it’s time for you to take responsibility! The heck you’re doing here? Came after me because that princess asked you? What, she promised you a little nice camera with a longlife sentence and roses all around if ya bring me to her with a nice ribbon?!”

 Jin didn’t know how to answer. He could feel her anger — chaotic, non-targeted, even if she was very rude directly to him — justified, to be honest. But he started to feel something unusual, like back in the alley, when she just knocked out Tekken force units.

 That’s not going to end well.

 “Hey,” he said firmly and loud enough to overlap her complaining voice.

 Asuka, and even Julia with Xiaoyu shuddered a bit. Making sure everyone’s listening, Jin continued.

 “I have NO idea what you are talking about. But, I DID come after you, because you got yourself in trouble. And DON’T deny it”.

 Asuka kept her silence and Jin continued, calmly, but still firmly.

 “I’m here to help, like it or not. I know that I should hold responsibility — but that’s MY problem, not yours. And I’m going to think about that AFTER I understand what is happening to you”.

 This time, Asuka chuckled bitterly.

 “There’s nothing to understand. Ya said, you got YOUR problems to solve — well, go ahead! That one I’m going to solve by myself! I don’t even remember to ask anyone for help, especially you!”

 She pointed at Jin angrily, and her bandages finally fell off her arm.

 Jin shuddered a bit at first. but calmed down quickly — the bullet wound on Asuka’s arm looked very much like his own Devil mark, with all dirt and clotted blood.

 “Aw, crap! See whatcha done? Now I have to do it all over again!” she whined and started to pick up bandages from the floor.

 Jin just rolled his eyes, feeling annoyance and fatigue at the same time. He guessed that helping Asuka wasn’t going to be easy… but she was really difficult to approach, let alone just to talk with her. Suddenly he felt a treacherous feeling to just leave her be and follow her advice, just going to a UN jail or anywhere to just be forgotten once again.

 “Hey, are you crazy? They are dirty!” he suddenly heard Xiaoyu’s voice.

 She jumped from the sofa to took away the bandages from Asuka.

 “Do you want to get infected?” she asked, putting hands on her sides, looking at Asuka strictly.

 “Eh, uh… what’s yer point? Are you my mom or somethin’?”

 “I’m the person who knows how to treat wounds like that, so follow me and don’t complain!” Xiaoyu blurted out and before Asuka could answer, she took her arm and dragged her into the bathroom quickly, slamming door behind them both.

 “Well… that was a sight,” Julia breathed out.

 “Sure,” Jin sighed. “She got a point, however, but I’m worried”.

 “If you think she is inflicted by the Devil or Azazel, that’s certainly not the case”.

 Jin lifted his head to her. “How can you tell?”

 “Well, for first, the pendant wasn’t reacting, as you saw — so there’s nothing evil or hostile about her actions and reactions. But I can sense her power — it’s not so overwhelming, but strong enough to be weaponized, if she hones it. For now, though, it’s all over the place”.

 “I can tell,” Jin said. “I sense it too, for some reason — that’s similar to how I could sense Azazel and even Ogre at some point”.

 “That’s why you were worried she also got Devil powers?” Julia nodded in understanding. “Maybe you should stop seeing things only from one side. As I already told you, there’s no shadows without light — but there’s also no light without shadows. Considering your heritage, you may just be very sensible with the spiritual side of the world”.

 “Meaning?”

 “Let me ask you — and sorry in advance. Your mother… was she able to sense something supernatural?”

 Jin paused for a bit.

 “She sensed something hostile right before Ogre attacked. And she said that Yakushima is a sacred place for both of us because it holds great power. But I didn't understand much at the time”.

 Julia nodded.

 “You know… my mother, Michelle, told me something about her before. She said that when she met some Japanese woman on a second tournament, she felt something unusual around her. She said that it was a great sense of power, not the one fighters usually have, like prowess or ambition — it was something akin to powers of nature. The same feeling you can get just by looking at high and powerful waves in the ocean, or admiring the heights of mountains that have stood in this world for hundreds of years. Or being terrified by savage hurricanes which could be bringed by sea. That was the kind of power my mother felt in yours”.

 Jin didn’t say anything, though he understood what Julia meant. He also could sometimes feel something similar during the sparring sessions with mother — but that was rare or slightly softer. Maybe because he was her son and she didn’t have any reason to be hostile to him.

 “All I’m saying is it’s most likely that you have a high spiritual sensitivity by a maternal side. If your connection with Azazel could be explained by Devil’s heritage, the reaction on your relative’s powers most likely runs in the mother's blood you have”.

 “Well if it’s true, it’s good to hear. But there’s still a lot of questions about it…”

 “Which is?”

 “The Kazama family has the power to cleanse those who hold Azazel’s or Devil’s power. But the one Asuka has, it’s nothing like this. It’s… different somehow, but clearly not as destructive as Devil”.

 “Hmm…”

 Jin paused, looking at Julia in silent question. She looked back at him, fixing glasses.

 “You said ‘the power to cleanse’,” she muttered. “You think you made Devil and Azazel disappear once and for all?”

 Jin tensed.

 “What are you implying?”

 “I don’t deny you got rid of the Devil — but it’s Azazel we’re talking about. Even if you destroyed the source, there’s much evil he left behind after all these hundreds, thousands of years. Furthermore, you and Kazuya got his power by blood — even if you think you cleansed it, it will still stay in your veins, repressed”.

 Jin looked at his arm, where the Devil mark was hiding under his jacket. He started to feel desperation once again waking up in his mind. Will this ever be over?

 He shook his head.  “I’m not going to be afraid of that again”.

 “I wasn’t saying you should be. Just giving you a point that it could be other servants of Azazel all over the world. And given how he as the source was gone for good and most of his powers were cleansed by you — I would assume nature will try to rebalance everything after that”.

 “How so?”

 “Hard to say. But, as I was just telling you — there can be other Azazel servants all over the world. Somehow, they can get fractures of his power awakened in them - just because the source is gone and it’s time to gather something new instead. But with that, the people who have ability and desire to save and protect — they also can awaken their powers as a countermeasure. And for my perspective, that’s what happened to Asuka”.

 “Not exactly that,” Jin said. “She was at our family temple for some time — I guess that’s what got her powers activate in the first place”.

 “And even with that, we both see that her abilities are somehow unique even for your family. I actually have a little idea…” Julia paused, thoughtfully grippin her own chin. “I heard some stories about ancient people having all sorts of powers, different from your cleansing, who came from the East. They usually were heroes or warriors, who fought a lot for their countries safety, and sometimes they even were clashing with gods. Someone even theorized about several tribes who actually were descendants of Japanese gods of nature, judging by the power they had unlike the others”.

 “Soooo, does that mean Asuka is actually some god’s great-great-grandkid?” Forest suddenly showed up in the living hall, with the apron put on.

 “Sorry to interrupt your conversation, guys, but all your talk about powers and stuff made me really hungry. Julie, would you don’t mind if I checked out your kitchen to cook something?”

 “It’s ‘Julia’,” she said. “And there’s nothing here. Unless you’re…”

 “My bad, I actually did. By the way, you should refresh your food supplies, or they're gonna become not-so-good fertilizers,” Forest said, surprisingly serious. “Today’s dinner is on the Law’s house, but really, you have to do something about your food if you plan to stay here for some time”.

 “Me? Certainly not — got a job to do. Speaking of…” Julia turned to Jin. “If you want to be sure about your and Asuka’s powers, you both can visit lady Nuna once again. I even give you a ride, if you need”.

 “Thanks, but not now,” he shook his head. “You already put yourself in danger, saving us from Tekken force — they may already be looking for you. So you both better hide or keep distance from us”.

 “Fair point”.

 "But at least, can you give me a ride?" Forest asked. "I won't ask for money for my cooking, but it would be nice if anyone drive me home after that".

 "I'll think about it," Julia said, entering the kitchen. "Now, what did you make?"

 Listening how she and Forest starting bickering, Jin leaned back on the sofa. Today was too overwhelming, even if he didn't fought a lot. All this information, about his past and even Mishimas, felt like a pile of stones, weighing him down. He wasn't even sure what step to take next, let alone how to deal with Asuka. 

 Maybe Julia got a point — she needs to hone her powers, even if she doesn't want to use them, she at least could have them under control. After all, Kazuya most likely thought the same when he learned to control his Devil — for a person like him, it was actually reasonable choice.

 Jin blinked, realising that was the first time for a while he thought about his father. Not as the criminal who should be hold captive along with himself, but as a person with a similar background and possible solutions of their similar problems. He didn't felt any gratitude to him, but took his methods into account, hoping that Asuka will learn fast enough to not create any more problems for herself and anyone else. 

 Speaking of...

 He sighed, listening to the sounds from the bathroom. They were weak, but he suggested Xiaoyu just finish her bandaging. As he could remember, she was really good at it — she could help him very quickly to bandage himself before going to school or a dinner, though his wounds were not as serious as bullet wounds.

 Still, he decided to hurry them up. He stood up and came to a bathroom's door, ready to knock.

 “And how’s this power of friendship with the war criminal’s gonna help me?” he heard Asuka's voice, annoyed as ever.

 “He can help you control it, for starters?”

 Jin smiled a bit. Good to know Xiaoyu have the same idea.

 He knocked on the door.

* * *

 "What a pain," Bob scratched his head, looking around. Lots of fallen soldiers, swarming the alley out of nowhere, were even closing roads with their bodies, unconscious.

 "You're telling me," Miguel growled, trying to start the motorcycle he planned to use before the attack. But it wasn't working — most likely due to damage it got from some bodies thrown on it.

 "Merde!" Miguel jumped off the motorcycle and gave it a powerful kick, making it fly into the wall. Bob shuddered by the sound, but didn't move.

 "Even if it would work, those guys didn't tell you a thing," he said, trying to calm Miguel down. "Or you're actually a fan of a wild goose chase?"

 "Can you shut up already?" Miguel growled, scratching his head. He wasn't so angry, to be honest, but tired. After that slight chance to finally hunt Jin down, he missed it because of these military bastards, and they didn't even dropped a word about their boss. Miguel hoped to find at least this guy to squeeze the info directly from him, but even that was now impossible.

 "Wow, how many soldiers here! What happened?" A young voice suddenly came behind them. 

 Both Miguel and Bob turned back to the end of the road to see a little silhouette. It was hard to figure out who it was only by it form, but judging by voice only, it was some teenager, or a young woman.

 "Just some local showdown, missy, don't worry," Bob waved away, hoping she will leave. But instead, the girl made a several steps towards them.

 "Wait, it was you two who knocked down all these goons?" she asked, carefully going around the soldiers. "Impressive! You guys sure are strong!"

 "Kid, you better go home," Miguel sighed. "We may knocked them down, but who knows if anyone else will come to back them up".

 The girl stopped right under the light of a lamp stand, looking at him studyingly. 

 "It's fine," she brushed off. "They wouldn't have a single chance against even me".

 Bob and Miguel looked at her in silence. Girl was definitely not local — the two-colored black and purple oversized jacket, loosed boots and unkept short bob gave her out as at least a prosperous foreigner, definitely Japanese, but her moves and posture were filled with confidence and power, despite all her efforts to look careless.

 "Who the hell are you?" Miguel asked with a voice full of fatigue. He wasn't planning to fight some girl after all that.

 "Oh, right, I forgot," she stood firm and politely bowed. "The name's Reina — and those poor soldiers you knocked off? They were kinda after me".

 "Huh?" Bob blinked, feeling completely lost at the situation. But Miguel frowned.

 Wasn't one of these assholes saying they caught some girl named Kazama, who happened to be saved by Jin? Does that mean...

 "You're a Kazama," he stated. Reina tilted her head.

 "So?"

 She's fearless, that girl. Not that Miguel even planned to scare her or something — but if those soldiers decided to catch her and were even afraid of her power, she's definitely dangerous. But, more importantly...

 "So these guys said you were saved by Jin. I need to know where he is," Miguel explained, trying not to sound aggressively. He felt sorry for the girl at some point, but it is what it is — even if Jin is her brother, he should pay a great price for what he's done. And she had to continue to be strong to overcame his loss.

 "Jin? Oh, you mean Jin-senpai!" Reina exclaimed in realization. 

 "Senpai?" Miguel repeated, confused.

 "Ah, it's nothing. So, you want to know where it is? I actually have an idea about it," Reina turned around and waved her hand, inviting Miguel to follow her. "Come on".

 "What's this all about?" Bob asked, finally. But Miguel didn't respond — slightly pushing Bob away, he followed Reina, leaving behind the soldiers, alley and all questions, unimportant at the moment. 

 He finally got his chance back, and wasn't planning to let it go away this time.

 Miguel smiled with relief and hurried to catch up to Reina, who, coincidentally, also was smiling mischievously. And both of them finally left the alley.

Chapter Text

 "Geez, do you HAVE TO be so mommy?" Asuka groaned, trying not to show actual gratitude towards Xiaoyu.

 Those bandages actually gave her a hard time to make, because for some reason she didn't have enough strength to wash and prepare her arm properly. But the bullet wound didn't feel so bad and Asuka thought it wouldn't be a problem just to cover it for some time. 

 "Guess so, because you really don't care about yourself!" Xiaoyu replied, shaking her head. "We're in a desert, and you didn't even disinfect your wound! What if something gots there? Do you want to lose your whole arm?"

 "Hell no! I like this arm! It helps me to punch very hard after all!" Asuka claimed, didn't see how Xiaoyu was chuckling. "Anyway, are we done here? I really don't mind catchin' some Z's and leave".

 "I don't think it's a good idea. Jin may not let you leave, too".

 "Since when do I need to ask his permission? I wasn't even asking him to help me back then! As I was sayin' I'm gonna solve my deal with these powers but myself, thank you very mu~OUCH! What was that for?!"

 She almost jumped from a piercing pain that went through her bandaged arm, when Xiaoyu pressed hard somewhere near it, with her eyebrows furrowed. 

 "You know what? You and Jin are actually very similar — even if you are not brother and sister," Xiaoyu said with a bit of gentleness in her voice, but her gripe on Asuka's arm still was tight. She continued.

 "When we were finishing our training routine, he always said he doesn't need any kind of help or encouraging words. Saying that's gonna distract him. Back then, I didn't know why he would say things like that, despite in our sparrings he was always very open-minded. But now, after all what happened… I realized he wanted to keep everyone away from his life and goals, and didn't want anyone else to suffer. And grandfather Heihachi directly told him to be focused on his goals more than any other connections. I may not know your entire situation, Asuka, just the bits Jin said to me… but I see you are afraid to trust anyone to help you for the similar reason he did".

 Asuka turned away, biting her lip. She didn't want to accept what Xiaoyu just said, even if that was the truth — well, part of the truth. 

 "Ya just sayin' this' cause of your big love to him!" she hissed, not turning her head back to look at Xiaoyu. "Yeah-yeah, I getcha bonding through fights and stuff, but come on, he started a freakin' war! And I did not! See the difference?"

 Xiaoyu just signed. 

 "Yeah. I also can see you wanted to clear some things with him. But you need to heal for that and be exactly near him — right?"

 "Well, I do want to kick the crap outta him… hol'up, you don't mind that?!"

 "Why should I? And to be fair, I don't think Jin will lose to you that easily. Trust m, I know well about his strength".

 "Suuure… if only I had fangirls like that…" Asuka muttered just to hiss again right after Xiaoyu pressed on her arm once more — this time to tight the refreshed bandage.

 In the awkward silence they both could hear through the door how Julia talks about Jin’s mother and Kazama power.

 “Yeah, sure we got a talented boy there,” Asuka scoffed.

 “Well… he IS special”.

 “Ya sure ya thinking that isn’t cause he’s your crush or somethin’?”

 “That too!” Xiaoyu felt her cheeks getting red. She took a deep breath. “But… he really is. I just know it, since we lived together for a long time”.

 “HAW?!” Asuka gasped, feeling as if her jaw was going to fall off.

 “As I said already, we trained together. We also attended the same school, but that’s it! Anyway… all I want to say is maybe you should give him a chance?”

 “For what?” Asuka tilted her head.

 “For helping you? Look, I understand you don’t want anyone else to get hurted because of yourself — but so as Jin! He was just like you now, trying to keep everyone away from him to keep them safe. But now he is going at it in a different way and not alone anymore!”

 “And how’s this power of friendship with the war criminal’s gonna help me?”

 “He can help you control it, for starters?”

 Asuka opened her mouth to ask, but then they heard a door knocking. 

 "Are you two done?" they heard Jin's voice. Xiaoyu patted on Asuka's shoulder supportively. 

 "Guess you should ask him yourself".

 "Ugh".

 She opened the door quickly, almost smashing it in Jin's face. He managed to stop it with his hand, looking at Asuka wirely. 

 "You wanted to talk or threw something at me?" he asked. "It has to wait — we need to eat and rest first".

 "Thank you very much… for being a buzzkill!" Asuka scoffed almost without any aggression and slipped past Jin straight to the kitchen. 

 "I guess her wound isn't that serious?" he asked Xiaoyu. She folded her arms. 

 "No… but you will have a hard time talking with her".

 "Should've guess. And you?"

 "Thanks for believing in me, Jin… I tried my best, but I think she wouldn't listen to me. It's between you two, after all".

 "Seems so. But thanks anyway — we don't have to see how horrible she patched herself".

 "Yeah, it was almost like your bandages back then".

 "Hey, at least I didn't have to use them that often".

 "But when you had, you did it almost as horrible!" Xiaoyu let herself chuckle a bit. "And guess who had to fix it before going to school or Mishima main estate?"

 "Fine, fine, you helped me a lot back then too", Jin raised his hands in acceptance. "But seriously, we should let ourselves rest. There's a lot more problems we have, and it would be better to take a break for now. Furthermore, I'm starving".

 Xiaoyu smiled at his honesty and nodded. 

 "Me too. Let's go then".

* * *

Meanwhile at Víðópnir

 "Have you considered to rest for a bit? It's not like you will miss something important".

 "Thanks for the offer, but not now," Lars replied, checking the display once more. It showed their ship's position, but nothing else shows, despite their location.  Under Lee's suggestion they decided to land Víðópnir in the lands of West Sahara. Despite their victory, Lars was suspicious about any remnants of G-corp — or, if Alisa was right, he couldn't let go his thrill for battle. 

 Speaking of Alisa…  He looked around the bridge until his eyes met Lee's once again. 

 "She is still reconstructing her old protocols to get access to the archives," Lee said, understanding him perfectly. "It will take some more time, so you probably could take some rest".

 Lars just sighed at this point. 

 "To think about it, it isn't a bad idea," he murmured. "Perhaps I was in ready state so long, that now I can't even relax a little".

 "I noticed," Lee chuckled. "You and Jin are the same in this case — how many times do you two spar to shake off the pressure?"

 "Long enough," he replied. "But to be fair, it was worth it".

 Lars remembered how sloppy their first sparring was after Jin's coma. He tried his best not to see him as an enemy or a necessary tool for their victory. But everything in Jin — his selflessness, determination and guilt — was making him do otherwise. So Lars clearly won their first fight — and he felt somewhat guilty about it. 

He remembered Jin asked him not to. How he said that Lars has every right to hate him. He clearly didn't see the problem, and that was the first time Lars actually snapped, for both Alisa and Lee's surprise.   He remembered how he actually grabbed Jin on his jacket, how he started shouting in his face something about him not understanding how he really should take responsibility for his actions and for that he has to accept his powers as a weapon, not a curse. 

 “You may think you're a monster — and most people would agree with that. But monsters do their deeds under pressure, training, and control! If it really what you think is fitting for you, then be that master who controls your inner monster for your own goals, not anyone else!” 

 He remembered how Jin silently looked back at him, like he was asking, does that count Lars himself as a "master". He didn't know how their talk would turn at this point if Lee didn't interrupt them to offer a rest for both. But some time after that, Jin offered to spar once more. And more. And more, to hone their both fighting skills and understand Jin's limits to control the Devil. 

 And with that, Lars started to understand Jin better through their sparrings. His image of a broody warmonger, who tried to destroy the world only to save it, crushed almost immediately. Now Lars saw his nephew as a confused man, who made too many mistakes, trying to protect those several people he valued and hated himself for every failure he got. His story, despite the uniqueness thanks to Devil blood, was familiar to Lars, and he has to solve it with familiar methods.

 More sparring. More training. More self-honing to prepare for a decisive battle with Kazuya. Jin didn't mind that, as it was a usual routine for him for seven years. Sometimes Lars tried to ask him about his past, just to shake off any mental obstacles which could get in Jin's way to control himself. All he got in response was silence, so Lars stopped. He understood some subjects in Jin's backstory were still too private for him to tell and despite their importance for their mission, he didn't let himself talk about them ever again. 

 Although, after their failure in New York, Jin started to open up a little. When he woke up after his defeat by Kazuya, the first thing he did was an apology to Lars for his failure and uselessness. He was clearly at the point of despair, and Lars was afraid that one mistake could make Jin go absolutely nuts and turn him into a devil completely. 

 So he said Jin just to get some rest for the moment. The more, the better. And suddenly, he saw an honest gratitude mixed with a bit of surprise in his nephew's face.

 Right after that Jin asked him to talk. And slowly but surely he started to open up his mind and his life. How he lost his mother due to Heihachi megalomaniac plans, and then almost lost his own life after living and training with his grandfather for a long time. Lars had a feeling Jin didn't give him all the details, but he respected his privacy and furthermore, the things he told him about himself, were already enough to understand the whole picture. He asked him to spar once more a bit later, but Lars declined, explaining that Jin still should have some rest not physically, but mentally, especially after his confessions. 

 At that point he was thinking that their honest talks were the reason Jin lost his Devil powers. But with time Lars came to a conclusion that wasn't the case.

 This whole time, Jin's biggest problem was himself, and after the fight in Yakushima he finally managed to explain everything. About his mother's powers, about his self hatred for not being able to protect her or anyone else. And still, after all he's done, Jin was still sure it would be better for everyone if he would be arrested for good, so no one could use him anymore. Logically it was fair, but his situation was more difficult — and after all their time spent and sparring together, Lars had a feeling that Jin once again wasn't honest with himself about it. 

 But he gladly would give him some more time — after all, Jin needed it. Even if he was still under his and UN radar, at this time Jin had at least one person who could give him ultimate support and has his trust — luckily, it was his highschool friend. Lars suspected that their relationship had more to share, but didn't ask about details. After all, Jin accepted his and Alisa's strange bond, despite mocking it in the beginning, but with time, he began to respect that. 

 Suddenly, Lars' phone buzzed in his pocket. He put it out and chuckled a bit, looking at the display. Speak of the devil, as they say. 

 He answered the call. 

 "It's me. You forgot something?"

 “Are you and Lee still in contact with Kliesens?” Jin asked. “I need to know some details about Azazel servants… The one beside Mishimas”.

 “You think there would be other clans with that power? And Mishimas weren’t originally…”

 “I know. I just don’t want to be confused. Although, if that one reporter was right, the Devil could be not only in the Hachijo clan”.

 “Don’t forget — he based his search partly on Heihachi’s words, and the old man was a great liar”.

 “Perhaps. But I still have doubts that Hachijos were the only ones with this power. It should be worth to check this more thoughtfully”.

 “Got it. Oh, and by the way… how about we pick you guys up in two days? You found your lost cousin, and she will probably be safer on our base”.

 “I’m worried if the base itself will be safe while she’s here. And she’s not my…”

 “I’m kidding. But seriously, how are you relevant to each other? You never looked at any info about your family?”

 Jin fell silent for a couple of seconds.

 “I was sure it’s only me and my mother who left. She didn’t talk about any other family members”.

 “Well, it’s never too late to do so. Actually, that’s exactly the reason I want to pick you up — that Rochefort’s butler said it will take two days to gather any additional info about the Kazama family tree”.

 “So when we’re back, it will be a lot to learn about for both of us. Not a bad idea”.

 “It’s settled, then. I’ll send you coordinates in several hours, so get some rest before that. And… try to communicate with her. You need it”.

 “Sure,” Jin sighed. “But it doesn’t look like she needs me ”.

 With that, he ended the call. Lars lowered his hand with the phone and slightly shook his head. It seems Jin still has a very rocky road ahead.

 “Sir!” one of the soldiers monitoring the surroundings called to him. “We got unauthorized signals! Two, at least!”

 Lars rushed to the radar.

 “Turn the visuals on and enhance!” he shouted. It better not be any more unpleasant surprises after all they learn for the last several hours.

 The display next to the radar showed an unclear picture of the desert. Two dark spots slowly approached the Víðópnir. In a couple of seconds the picture became clearer and Lars saw the spots were actually two camels with travelers riding them. Their figures were covered by capes to protect them from desert night cold, but one look at one of the travelers' hands gave Lars a clue about them.

 “No way he recovered so fast…” he murmured. “But perhaps we all underestimate his tenacity”.

 “Is that an enemy, sir?”

 “Actually, it’s the opposite,” Lee said before Lars could even open his mouth. “As I remember, his companion has an enormous precision”.

 “Well, she’s a fortune teller or something like that”.

 “Considering she gave Jin a clue about his powers, she did a huge favor for all of us,” Lee nodded. “Wonder what she saw this time — hope it’s nothing too extreme, though. We’re still not in a good shape for another world war”.

 Lars shrugged, internally preparing for the worst already. 

 “Let’s cross our fingers and let them both in, then”.

* * *

 “You’re leaving already?”

 “Don’t tell me you’re already missing us,” Julia scoffed, looking for the van keys in her pockets.

 The night breeze was cool enough to let her and Jin feel better after the spiciest beef bowl from Forest he prepared. Speaking of Forest, he was still inside the house, and judging by loud noises, he continued to ask for money from Asuka and Xiaoyu.

 “I’m just surprised you let us use this house, despite everything,” Jin folded his arms, listening to the in-house bickering involuntarily. “May I ask you?..”

 “If that’s about why I did it, it’s still hard to explain. I don’t sense anything dangerous about you… but that doesn’t mean I clearly trust you. Consider it as a favor I’m doing for someone else”.

 Jin just nodded, understanding who Julia meant by “someone”.

 “If you wanted to ask something else…” she said, opening the van.

 “It’s unlikely we can visit you again. At least for now”.

 “Then I need your contacts. If me or Lady Nuna find something that confirms my theory about your relative’s powers, I’ll let you know”.

 “Thanks”.

 Forest finally left the house and jumped into the van with a yawn. While he was getting comfortable inside, Julia pulled out her phone.

 “You sure about it?” Jin asked. “I don’t want someone to pin on you because of our calls”.

 “Trust me, I know what to do to keep myself off the radar,” Julia scoffed, saving his phone number quickly. She frowned, probably having some other thoughts, but shook her head, obviously not wanting to share them with Jin. He wanted to ask, but it was too late and already disrespectful after all she did for them.

 “Well, we’re off,” she said, fixing her glasses and getting in the driver's seat.

 “Thanks for having dinner in Law’s quick-stop-one-of-a-kind-free trial!” Forest pulled his head from the door window. “Although, I wouldn’t mind having some tips for my troubles…”

 “Maybe later,” Jin shrugged. Forest clicked his fingers and pointed at him.

 “I’ll hold you on that!”

 Julia started the engine and the van quickly drove into the desert night.

 Waving off the dust, Jin slowly returned to the house. He felt tired, like he felt never before, and the thought about having a long, peaceful sleep, was surprisingly attractive. But the moment he entered back inside, the thought disappeared.

 “No way I’m gonna sleep here!” Asuka shouted the moment Jin entered the living room. “I respect my privacy, so should you!”

 “Then sleep outside,” Jin huffed, not really thinking about his answer. But the second he saw Asuka’s fierce glare piercing through him, he took back his words. “Just go upstairs, there should be a bed or something”.

 “Don’t tell me what to do! But actually… there WAS a bed…”

 As soon as Asuka climbed the stairs and slammed the door, Jin breathed out.

 “Are you tired?” Xiaoyu asked.

 “She’s exhausting, that’s for sure,” he said, looking around. “What about you? Have you decided where to sleep?”

 “Oh…” she also started to look around, until they both stopped at the sofa.

 “We definitely should’ve taken our sleeping bags,” Xiaoyu said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

 “Just go and sleep there. I’ll stay on the floor”.

 “Seriously? Jin, there should be something…”

 “It’s okay. Or you can go upstairs to Asuka”.

 “I thought about that, while you were outside… but no. She IS exhausting, no offense,” Xiaoyu came to the sofa to look at it closely. “Hey, it’s actually folding! We can make it to have space for the two of us”.

 “I… don’t think that’s the problem here…” Jin tried to protest.

 “Ugh, it doesn’t budge! Help me a little?” 

 They unfolded the sofa, which turns out to be not very wide, but enough for at least two people. Jin sighed.

 “Why does it look like a setup for some joke?”

 “What do you mean? Just go ahead and let’s sleep already!” Xiaoyu stretched her arms and fell on the sofa. “Hmm, we could use sheets… but I guess there isn’t any for it”.

 Jin just looked at her in silence, trying to find another reason for himself to not join Xiaoyu. 

 “Maybe you will be more comfortable here alone,” he started, but gave up quickly as fatigue from the whole day came over him once again, this time much stronger.  He couldn't stand it anymore and sat on the sofa.

 Just for a minute, he thought. Then maybe he can walk away to the kitchen or even outside, so he wouldn’t bother Xiaoyu…

 Suddenly Jin felt her palm on his shoulder. She pushed him a little, trying to make him lie down.

 “It’s okay,” she said, making another gentle push.

 He turned his head towards her, realizing belatedly that they’re way too close now. Xiaoyu turned away, most likely having the same thoughts, but her palm remained still on his shoulder.

 Suddenly Jin thought about leaning to her a little closer. Just for a moment. He felt the familiar safety, peace — and with that, something else. Unfamiliar, but he had an idea what and why this feeling appeared, and he was a little frightened by it.

 “Xiao…” he whispered, raising his hand to her palm, still holding on his shoulder. He covered her hand with his and squeezed a little, making her turn back to him. The air suddenly felt heavy, like a warm blanket, where they both could bury themselves to finally get some rest.

 She raised her eyes on him, he could see tiredness on her face and half-lidded eyes, but somehow the whole image of her was beautiful and comforting. Jin couldn’t help but lean towards her, touching her forehead with his.

 They sat like this for some time — in almost total silence, hearing each other’s breathing, caring each other’s hands. Xiaoyu was touching his fingers, trying to pull off his gauntlets slightly, interlacing their fingers, feeling the roughness of his skin. He enjoyed her touches in silence, feeling her fingers caring on his hands flowing through like cool water jets. He let her take his gauntlets off to cover his palms with hers entirely — and then, his breath hitched.

 That was new.

 He felt how her fingers continued to care around his palms with more gentleness, searching for every little scratch and abrasion he had, while Xiaoyu raised her gaze a bit to look at him. His heart suddenly shrunk a bit — he admitted he was afraid of what’s coming next, some part of him was waiting for a sneak attack.

 And then, Xiaoyu raised her head a little bit more and slightly pressed her lips to his forehead, making Jin gasp softly. He still was in shock while she once again touched his forehead with hers and giggled.

 “Let's go to sleep, Grumpy Face”.

 He blinked, trying to hold her hands with his, but for some reason they felt evasive — like they weren’t here at all. Some part of Jin’s mind made a suggestion he’s already half-dreaming — that’s how surreal the last several minutes felt.

 Her hands suddenly hugged his face, pulling him towards Xiaoyu. 

 “No…” he breathed. “Not now”.

 She nodded, and the entire room around them overturned slowly. Jin felt his body becoming lighter after laying down and looked at Xiaoyu once again.

 “Sleep,” she whispered again, her hands still caring around his face.

 And he closed his eyes, letting himself feel her every touch and breath. The whole sense of comfort, so similar to the one he felt a long time ago with his mother — but this time it was somehow different, more sensual and private for both of them. Some part of him was still wary of that, afraid of being unworthy, but the whole sense of safety was way stronger, and with the fatigue overcoming him, the feeling of shame became more and more insignificant.

 The last conscious thing Jin made before finally falling asleep, was reaching his whole arm to Xiaoyu for an embrace. After feeling her body’s warmth and hearing her breath getting deeper, he let his mind drift away.

* * *

 “Any updates from Alisa?”

 “Still nothing, sir”.

 “Got it. Continue your surveillance”.

 Lars turned around and left the bridge. Lee’s advice about resting still wasn’t an option, since their new guests arrived, but after some thinking, Lars decided to give them some time to rest after their long way to the base. Not like they will share any useful information without the exact people this info needs to be heard.

 Perhaps it’s really a good time for him to take a break too.

 He almost got to his room, when his phone suddenly buzzed. Lars pulled it out, already preparing himself for another bunch of bad news. By the look at the phone’s display, the chance of it was very high.

 “Yes?”

 “Judging by your voice, I interfered with something?” 

 “My break, actually. And judging by your voice, there’s a serious reason for the call?”

 “More or less. I just got the information, so there’s no details yet, but it's still worth knowing,” Victor paused for a second, then continued. “Looks like those who keep Yakushima on lockdown, really don't want anyone to know who's in charge”.

 “Really in a way?”

 “The agent I sent to look for info, turned out to be dead. The backup for him is currently looking for an escape route”.

 “Escape? Like… he got into some danger right away?”

 “It seems he was able to pick up where the fallen agent stopped, but didn’t get enough info, for now”.

 Lars gritted his teeth.

 “You don’t have to worry, Alexandersson. He’s a professional”.

 “Oh… right, you sent him ”.

 “To be precise, he volunteered. And considering he was doing an investigation about Mishmas for a very long time, it was the right choice,” Victor paused for a couple of seconds. “Hm, it seems he’s already gotten in touch. Speak, Raven”.

 Lars finally opened the door to his room and entered, sitting on his bed. As soon as the door automatically locked, he heard Raven’s voice on the phone.

 “I managed to find out who cleaned our agent back there”.

 “That was quick. I suppose you dealt with him already?”

 “Not exactly, sir. His work was sloppy, but he managed to flee. Or to be more precise, she . Guess her vacation got postponed”.

 “Vacation, huh?” Victor hummed and Lars tilted his head. He has his suspicions who’re they talking about, and that idea fitted horribly well in the entire situation.

 “As I remember, this lady isn’t a negotiating type,” Victor said. “Considering her combat skills, it’s not a surprise one of our men turned out to be silently dead”.

 “Is this a compliment?” Lars asked. “It looks like you are toning down your agent’s abilities”.

 “I am just speaking facts. And you should know very well about your ex-coworker’s skills to not underestimate her”.

 “I’m aware of it, thank you very much”.

 The talk was going on the wrong track, he thought. After the negotiations about Jin's situation Lars could feel how the slight bond of trust between him and Victor became weaker with every second. He should hold it together for now — until Jin comes back at least to fulfill his promise, no matter how foolish and risky it could be in Lars’ eyes.

 “If you two done, I should continue my report,” Raven once again raised his voice, making Lars wonder how Victor even accepts this kind of insubordination. “As I was saying, our agent died trying to get information about Yakushima curators. Considering he lost his life right at the start of the investigation, it seems we were watched from the beginning, or even earlier”.

 Lars kept his silence, realizing his and Jin suspicions were most likely right ones.

 “There is a very high chance the UN were already compromised during the G-corporation attack and the tournament,” Raven continued. “Perhaps it’s due to the fact that Kazuya Mishima destroyed the satellites and made the entire organization vulnerable”.

 “The reasons do not matter for now. The most important thing is we might got compromised from the start,” Victor said. “Though I admit, the fact we came to the conclusion Heihachi actually tried to prevent these events, looks very convenient and working in his favor… assuming he would be alive these days”.

 Lars frowned, his thoughts once again came back to Reina. He could swear he didn’t sense anything while she was around, but considering what happened between her and Jin during their first meeting, and her eagerness to take down Kazuya, she was twice as sneaky as Heihachi.

 “I guess we have to clean up the elders’ mess after all this,” Victor said with a very unusual ominous tone. “But to the task at hand — Raven, are you capable to find out where the Snow Queen is at the moment and make her talk?”

 “You think it’s necessary, sir?”

 “As I remember, she was working for both Mishima Zaibatsu and G-corporation. Considering how quick the newest recruits from America received our technologies to play with, I’m positive she’s behind these leaks”.

 “Makes sense,” Lars muttered.

 “Understood,” Raven said and ended the call. Victor signed, as he could hear Lars’ thoughts.

 “Who could’ve thought the one little mademoiselle was able to play everything in her favor?” he asked.

 “I’m not sure I follow”.

 “Like I said — it’s way too convenient. And let’s be fair, neither you nor Kazama can keep your secrets or not think out loud".

 “We still need confirmation it’s actually her. Furthermore, we don’t know her goal yet”.

 “And what’s the usual goal for a Mishima kin, I wonder?” Victor said with some salt in his voice. “As long as this family has existed in history, all they do is make themselves a name associating only with power and dominance. There was one exception, but it turned out to be way worse, as we see”.

 “I’m speaking about details. What kind of power could she seek after Azazel’s disappearance?”

 They both went silent, not having an exact answer.

* * *

 She was starving.

 Asuka was lying in the bed for quite some time, looking at the wooden ceiling as sun from the window was slowly starting to illuminate the room. To be honest, she didn’t have any desire to get up, but the stomach grumbles were stronger.

 Well, at least she may not have to talk with him, since there was complete silence on the first floor. Perhaps he’s out or still sleeping.

 Maybe there’s a chance…

 She tried to get out of the bed as quick and quiet as possible and checked her bandage. Still here, Xiaoyu did her job very well. After getting dressed, Asuka tried her best to come down the squeaky stairs as quietly as she could. She listened again to other noises, but the house was surprisingly silent.

   Ok, now grab some food and get the heck outta here, before they both notice.

  Asuka couldn’t explain why she’s still so negative towards Jin. Well, of course he was guilty of starting a war, and his guilt remained even after he kinda saved the world… But to come after her? For what, or more exactly, for who? She was certain Jin wouldn’t come after her without Lili’s request, and meeting with Monegasque once again after all what happened was the last thing Asuka needed for now.

 But during the talk with Xiaoyu and the dinner later she felt something familiar. She remembered that same feeling she got at Lili's jet, where they all went to Yakushima. The exact moment when Lili and Jin talk about his mother, Asuka felt not only sympathy for him, but something else. Not anger, or envy for obvious reasons — but some sense of familiarity, despite her own disconnection with this whole Kazama family drama.

 And now, or to be more specific, at the dinner last night, she felt the same once again. Bickering with Forest about his food not having diner-quality, Asuka side eyed both Jin and Xiaoyu looking at her with some relief and interest. Especially Jin — she could feel how he studies her gestures, speaking and everything, and at first she wanted to call him out of that, since it was kinda creepy.

 But then Asuka realized she wasn't actually feeling creepy, and noticed she herself looked back at Jin and Xiaoyu from time to time. And the guy before her, who was trying to make small talk with his presumed girlfriend and miserably failing after her smallest joke, only to counter her with one a comeback smirk, was nothing like the gloomy warmaker Asuka saw before. Well, almost nothing like that — Jin still was acting grumpy, but his attempts to look like a normal person were noticeable, for Asuka’s admiration. And the fact she started to admire him despite all he did, was scary.

 This jerk doesn’t have to be such a tryharder, especially for her. She doesn’t need it, or his help.

 She sneaked in the kitchen, where the dinner leftovers were. Grabbing some steak, she munched it, listening once again. The house was still quiet. Asuka frowned — she maybe wasn’t too noisy right now, but the stairs' squeaking should’ve at least given them a clue she got up already.

 What if it’s a trap? And Jin and Xiaoyu just waiting for her to try to leave the house so they could catch her at the act? Asuka gulped — t hat could explain that odd silence around the house.

 But she still was going to make her try to leave, so she went to the living room to make her way to the exit.

 She was able to take only a couple of steps, before she looked at the couch and stopped with a gasp. 

* * *

 So peaceful…

 He couldn’t move, not if he even wanted to — the nice and warm heaviness filled his limbs and mind. Slowly, he felt the muffled sunlight falling through his eyelids, waking him up.

 Still, Jin wasn't in a hurry. He tried to catch every origin of all his senses, mentally checking his surroundings and state. The heaviness moved away slowly, letting him sense the warmth of another body in his hands, hearing slight breathing on his neck, a slow pulse under his fingers. Without opening his eyes, Jin slowly raised his hand, feeling how fingers are slipping along Xiao’s neck, diving in her hair, touching her ear slightly. He felt her breath shaking at the moment and stopped, waiting for a response.

 The feeling of needing more has been raised somewhere in his mind, along with the desire to hug Xiaoyu once again. Tighter, closer, to bring back that sense of warmth and safety. He wanted to open his eyes to see the look of her face — maybe still sleepy, but so vulnerable and dear to him.

 And so he did — to instantly regret that.

 “Ya should’ve seen your face right now”.

 Jin jolted, seeing Asuka’s wide grin as she leaned above him and Xiaoyu with curiosity. His jolt awakened Xiaoyu, since she mumbled and also opened her eyes only to jump immediately after seeing Asuka’s face above.

 “What’s the big idea?!” both her and Jin shouted.

 “Hey, it’s not my fault ya guys bein’ so comfy a minute ago!” Asuka raised her hands as an excuse. “No, seriously, glad to see you doing okay, too bad I wouldn’t be at yer wedding”.

 “Hey!” Xiaoyu’s cheeks went full red.

 “What are you talking about…” Jin sighed, getting out of the bed. “Who said you wouldn’t be?”

 “Well, you should’ve realized that I will not come back that easily! Wait…” Asuka blinked. “Does that mean ya’ll really get things going? The wedding?”

 “No one said that,” Jin stretched his neck. “Xiao, you slept well? We have a long way to go today”.

 “Mmmm… I think I’ll manage,” she said, trying not to look too embarrassed. “Where are we going, though? And how?”

 “Lars gave me coordinates where he’ll drop by to pick us,” Jin said, checking his phone. “There’s a long road ahead, so we have to use bikes. I’ve already sent them a signal, so they'll autopilot here in twenty minutes”.

 “Great! Too bad you hafta leave so soon, but it was nice to meet you!” Asuka stretched her hands and went to the exit door. “Hope I’ll see you again… in a thousand years or so”.

 “You’re coming with us,” Jin sounded quiet, but strict.

 “No freakin’ way! I already said that I won't come back, and that’s final!”

 “But your father may worry! And didn’t you want to understand how your powers work?” Xiaoyu stepped to Asuka and tried to take her hand, only to be shaken off.

 “There’s nothing to understand! I get angry, and I can punch harder because of that! End of story, thanks for help, see ya!”

 “Hold on”.

 Both Asuka and Xiaoyu fell silent and turned back to Jin. He already stood up, folding his arms.

 “You think you’ve understood how this works?” he asked. “If so… let’s test it”.

 “Haw?”

 “Huh?”

 Jin quickly looked out the window — something told him his plan should’ve been done anywhere but here. 

 “We’re getting out of this place first. Then we will see how you really use these powers. If there will be no problem… we’ll let you go”.

 Asuka frowned, most likely wanting to counter with another refusal, but then she smirked confidently.

 “Ya promise?”

 “I do”.

 Her smirk became wider.

 “Ok! Hope you ready for your lesson then! Oh, I can’t wait…” 

 Xiao looked at Jin in silence, but he just nodded to her slightly. She shrugged and sighed. 

 “Just don’t overdo it, alright?”

 Jin didn’t answer. He can try to… but could he? And furthermore, could Asuka do the same? 

 But in order to understand her problem, he has to see her full abilities, no matter what.

Chapter Text

“Oh, look over there!”

 Miguel jumped, being unceremoniously dragged out from his thoughts and followed Reina’s hand, pointing towards 

 He saw a lonely wooden house far away. There were car tracks on the road, following the house, and despite being hardly visible, Miguel could say for sure they were at least one day old.

 “Jin-senpai went by car, huh…” Reina muttered, holding her chin with a thumb. Miguel tried not to grind his teeth too loud, but she noticed his pause anyway.

 “He got you really good, didn’t he?” she asked, but it sounded more like a claim.

 “Yeah”

 That was all he said before making his way to the house, his steps became wider and firmer. Reina shrugged and followed Miguel, a look of curiosity appeared on her face.

 He got to the front door and opened it with a kick. 

 "Breaking and entering, hmm?"

 "It's fine," he growled, rushing inside only to be met with the absolute silence of the house. There was a slight smell of the steak from the kitchen, so there was no doubt — the house wasn't empty several hours ago. 

 " Merde! I lost him again!"

 "To be fair, we walked for a while to get here. Guess senpai could leave with ease right this morning," Reina shrugged and turned away as something caught her eye. A little glimmer of something shiny was hiding between the books on a shelf right next to the front door. 

 While Miguel was checking the house, still hoping to find something or someone, Reina walked to the bookshelf and reached the shimmering thing. She felt it could be something familiar — something she had a perfect idea about from what she was told a long time ago. 

Her hand reached the self, snatching a round golden pendant. Red jewel on its center blinked in the sunlight beaming through the window. 

  How sloppy for Changs to hide here so precious treasure.  

 "I think we're done here, big guy!" Reina called towards the living room. 

 "Hell no! I won't rest until I find him!"

 "Sure you will, but wouldn't it be more convenient to do your search on the wheels?"

 She smirked a little, hearing loud steps as Miguel took the stairs down back to her. 

 "What do you mean?"

 As soon as he asked, they heard an approaching doing of a car engine. Reina smiled enthusiastically. 

 "Actually, I made a request for some guy, so he delivered a car for us. Don't worry about the license, it's completely autopilot".

 "Great, but where and how can it find Jin?"

 "Don't stress over details, amigo, it's my job," she said, slightly tapping him on his shoulder and quickly left the house. "Let's go".

 There was a huge black Jeep waiting for them outside. As Reina and Miguel approached the car, the driver's door opened, and the large Japanese man with a traditional sumo topknot got out of the car. 

 "Your car, miss. Battery fully-charged, water and supplies on the back, enough for three days. Coordinates also got into the GPS last night".

 "Aren't you the greatest, Ganryu? That would be enough for our goal".

 Miguel squeezed his eyes, looking at Ganryu. He could swear he saw this guy somewhere before, but couldn't remember where. 

 "Oh, you think so? Thank you very much, Mistress! I'm pretty sure Julia-chan will also admit my capabilities and reliability, along with my new status as a…"

 "Sure. Just look for her in the house and tell her everything," Reina waved at the house, as she was getting on the driver's seat. "Hey, big guy, come over here! We now can reach him in a day or two, let's not waste any more time!"

 Miguel sat in the car, and as soon as he closed the door, the jeep rushed away from the house, where Ganryu went a second ago. 

 "What about him?" Miguel asked, bidding back at the house. 

 "He'll be fine. Maybe he could get arrested for breaking and entering, but it's not our problem anymore. He kinda deserved that, this stalker freak".

 "Well, ok. Not like I care," he said, turning to the window and closing his eyes. 

 Reina turned back to the road ahead of them and stretched as the autopiloting jeep took them to their destination.

 That was too sloppy.

 If she wouldn't shut this sumo moron sooner, she could've had some problem with her legend. Not if she really needed Miguel to get rid of Jin, but after all the information she got about his last fight with Kazuya, it's better to have some insurance.

 And what can work better than some vengeful brute just to wear Jin off so she could deliver a final blow. She shouldn't give him any chance to fight back… especially if he has that kind of powers along with Devil ones. 

 She frowned, feeling a slight tight pain in her chest. Still too fresh. At least it will be a good reminder for her to constantly be on toes with this purification power. She wasn't ready to lose everything she gained because of some ancient light magic. 

 That's not what father taught her. And he definitely wouldn't be pleased for her to lose. 

 Gain everything you need. Keep it. Fight for it. Dominate others in every possible fight and destroy any obstacles on your path to power. That's how Mishimas do their business. 

 She nodded slightly to her thoughts. 

  As you wish, father.  

* * *

"Are we here?"

"Don't ask me, I just follow Jin".

"Sure you are"

 Xiaoyu sighed. "Do you have to do this? He really wants to help you".

"Well, I really want to kick his ass after all he did, and it would be a huge help if he'll allow me to!"

"Not a chance".

"Haw?"

 Xiaoyu looked forward and noticed Jin's bike losing its speed. It's time.

 She also slowed down. "You'll see".

 Both bikes stopped at the vacant lot surrounded by giant cargo boxes. There was another city nearby, and cloudy skies helped to see some of the faraway buildings. 

 "Our meeting point is in the next city," Jin said, getting off the bike. "So if you really want to solve anything with me, we better do it here".

 Asuka scoffed. 

 "Look at this humble ass! Of course I want to solve some stuff with ya!"

 Jin didn't say anything and just looked at Xiaoyu with a solemn expression. She shaked her head guilty. 

 "I tried".

 "It's fine. She needs it, I guess, and so do we".

 Jin stepped into the center of the lot, making sure Asuka was following. She did, angrily stepping right behind him, but tried not to look at him, with her mouth shutted into thin line. 

  Something bothers her, despite her wish to fight… Perhaps now it's not the right time? 

 They stood against each other. Xiaoyu left nearby, with noticeable worry on her face. But she tried to stay calm, hiding her hands behither back and leaned against the cargo box. 

 "We have to make this quick," Jin said. "You have some grudges towards me, I understand that. But we're going to fight not only because of that".

 "Look, just keep chatting outta it, ‘kay? I already said that I don't need your help, just gonna kick your ass and move on!"

 Jin let himself chuckle at that statement. 

 "So now you are confident enough in your powers you think you can defeat me? Then fight with all that in mind".

 "Oh really? You sure ya wanna fight me at my fullest?" Asuka lowered her voice and took a stance.

 Jin nodded and also got into position, noticing how Asuka clenched her fists tightly. As he could remember from the other day, her usual stance was with open palms, when she used punches only in momentum. 

  She's not that confident now, that's for sure. 

 He raised his fists. One way or another, they have to start communicating. 

 "Come on!"

* * *

 She really was upset from the very morning. The inability to escape from Jin, the frustration she still had inside of her, and furthermore, the slight realization he may be right at something… 

 Even so! She couldn't let him command her, especially after all the crap he made to the world and her life! 

 Asuka rushed into the first attack. Without any thoughts, she swung her fist, targeting right into Jin's face. 

 "Y'all started all this!"

 If only he didn't appear out of nowhere and start his stupid war… 

 He dodged her punch easily, swaying back and took a stance, ready for a counterattack. Asuka realized she had to retaliate, and took some steps back. But the attack didn't come out — Jin noticed her hesitation and returned to his stance with quick and fluid movement. 

 "At least you didn't always rush towards the opponent," he said, his fists were still holding on at eye level. "But I managed to evade your attack — what next?"

 "Next, you'll shuddup!" 

 She rushed again, now with a roundhouse mid kick, trying to knock him off his feet. 

 Jin felt how her heavy strike hit his thigh, making him spin around. He waved his hands, trying to keep balance, and turned back to Asuka, just in time to meet her next attack. She raised her right hook to strike, and he prepared to block again. 

 Suddenly, something in her face changed. It was for just a second, but long enough for Asuka to change her mind and attack with another wide kick. The push back from the blow was strong enough to make Jin step back to recover. 

  That's not right.  

 "What is it?" he asked. "You wanted to do another move. Why are you holding back?"

 Asuka huffed, blinking in confusion, like she didn't even realize what just happened. 

 "What'cha babblin' about? Of course I’d hit you with the move I wanted to! Good reaction, by the way," she nodded, obviously trying to look composed. 

 "The move you wanted… was it your strongest one and it is not from the Kazama style?"

 She froze, her fists opened, making Asuka take a relaxed traditional stance. Or more like, the image of that. 

 Jin frowned.

 He knew that reaction very well. After all, it was very hard for him not to rely on moves he was taught for four years. But he did his best to restrain himself and learn a new style, to find a new way to stop Mishimas — but what's Asuka's goal here? 

 "Why are you not using techniques you've learned?" he asked, lowering his fists. "I thought you will fight with all you got. But you're clearly hiding yourself".

 "I'm not!"

 She jumped forward too suddenly, and Jin had to tank her jumping punch. The spike pinned his foot to ground, and he hissed, feeling how pain is flowing through the body. 

 Still… it's nothing. Could be worse. 

 Asuka used the momentum to grab him for a throw, but hesitated again, giving Jin enough time to escape. This time, he didn't wait for her to recover, and attacked first, looking for a reaction. Asuka took the blow, groaned, but didn't move or counter him back. Like she was waiting for it. 

 Jin side eyed towards Xiaoyu quickly. She didn't move either, just tensed, still waiting for them near the cargo box.

 Suddenly he felt a thud strike through his torso and switched his attention back to Asuka and her knee, hitting his abdomen. She raised her hands for a next attack, but after making an eye contact with Jin, stopped again, letting him to step back. 

 "Enough," he said, his voice was a little raspy thanks to her blow. "We will not get anywhere fighting like that. You're not honest".

 "Shuddup! Was it honest to start a war?!"

 "The problem isn't in me, it's in you. You clearly don't want to show everything you can do to defeat me," Jin took a step towards Asuka, close enough for her to make another attack. 

 "Last chance. If you really despise me and want justice — do it. Make it your goal. Your drive, desire, reason to hate — if that will let you fight with all you got, then FIGHT!"

 His shout made her jump a little and take a step back. She huffed, trying to calm down, but clearly couldn't. 

 And then, Jin sensed it. Some unknown energy, flowing in her body and mind, surrounding them both in the air. That wasn't Kazama power or a Devil — it was something completely different. 

 “Here it is,” he said, getting into stance again. “Now…”

 And once again, Asuka made a similar punch she did in the start of the fight, but this time Jin decided to take the blow. The risk was here, but he can get over it… or so as he thought.

 The power of a strike threw him right into one of the cargo boxes. The loud sound of an iron being crushed under the weight of his body deafened him, the numb from a blow made him feel a weight of a thousand rocks.

 Jin pulled all his strength to get up just for another Asuka attack, where she jumped onto him with a flying kick. His body was too heavy to raise hands for a block or a counterattack, so he rolled away from her kick, his ears were still ringing after that blow.

 He thought he could hear Xiaoyu calling his name, but his senses were still reacting to Asuka's power. It wasn’t clear what nature they have, but the one thing Jin now was sure — she will never take full control of them by being alone.

 Asuka ran towards him, crouching, preparing for another attack. Those weren’t Kazama style moves, nothing of sort — just unfocused, powerful blows fitting more for a typical street thug. But despite the gruesome nature of them, Asuka still could use them more technically.

 The question was, will she be able to do it against Jin. Or, to be more specific, will she want to? 

 She once again prepared her fist for strike and attacked momentarily, going for feet — just for Jin to catch Asuka off guard and parry her attack.

 “Haw?!”

  Time to wrap it up.

 Jin didn’t want to give it all, despite the situation. But his body acted autonomously, giving Asuka a series of punches and kicks with the final kick throwing her away into another cargo box. He stopped, taking a breath and observing her. Xiaoyu ran towards him, and now he finally could hear her.

 “Isn’t that too much for both of you?”

 “I got it worse before. She will be fine too, I think”.

 “Well, that last kick of yours says otherwise,” Xiaoyu squinted her eyes, looking at the motionless Asuka’s body. Suddenly she groaned, trying to stand up.

 “Don’t move,” Jin said. “Take your time — you’ve lost anyway”.

 "Wha… what the hell…"

 "If it was really all you can do, then that's not enough to solve your problems alone", he said, trying not to be harsh, but the truth of things just flew from his mouth on its own. 

 "For now, you're really weak. Even if you hold anything back for some reason. So you're not going anywhere until we figure out what kind of powers you have".

 Asuka didn't answer, her half-lidded eyes were drilling Jin with the most obvious hate he ever saw. It felt familiar for some reason, like he already saw that kind of glare some time ago. The heavy feeling covered his mind, so he shook his head and took a step towards Asuka. 

 "I guess you calmed down for a bit? We should go".

 He reached for her hand, but suddenly it got slapped away with all remaining strength Asuka still had, which made Jin step back. 

 "Heck no! I don't wanna!"

 And before he could make some kind of an answer or reaction, Asuka bolted out from the lot, running in the direction of a town's buildings. Jin sighed, feeling how the exhaustion slowly took over him. 

 "Shouldn't we go after her?" Xiaoyu asked, taking his hand to help him stand still. 

 "Give me a minute," he huffed. "She wouldn't go far — there's simply no place she can hide".

 Xiaoyu frowned. "Why do you suddenly sound like some sort of a villain?"

 "Because I was the one once. And besides, as far as I understood, she's not the kind of person who can hide for long. Not with that temper".

 "Yeah, right," she nodded. "But I still think we should follow her". 

 He also nodded in response, trying to recollect the details of the fight. The way Asuka moved, talked, and his own reactions to her energy… She was certainly trouble not only for herself, but others as well, and Jin knew that she's aware of that. The most terrifying thing was that she was following his path at the highest speed, trying to left everyone behind. 

 Xiao's right. They should follow her already. 

 "Come on," he said, frowning eyes in the direction where Asuka ran. "I'm sure she couldn't go far away, but we better hurry".

* * *

Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it! 

 She stopped running very soon after dashing away from the cargo lot, but still going forward with fast steps, breathing heavily. 

 Screw it. Screw Jin, his oh-so-noble intentions and whatever else he wanted. She doesn't need him or anyone to be. She doesn't want it! 

 Or does she?.. 

 Asuka stopped, trying to think once again. For a second, she even thought she could take his offer to help. But the sudden fear ran on her spine, making her shiver. 

 Just what exactly she was afraid for? The fact Jin will definitely take her back to Pops and Lili? Or the sense of shame which has followed Asuka since her very first outburst back in the dojo? 

 Yep.

 The shame of realization that she's not as strong as she thought. The shame that princess actually won over her and got paid for it momentarily. The shame that even the world war criminal outplayed her and did a better job at bringing peace to the world than she herself will ever do. 

 The shame, irritation and fury were boiling in her blood like water in a kettle. She actually could feel this weird energy accumulating in her fists and gripped them tighter, as she tried not to let it out accidentally. If only she could, though... 

 "Hey, missy! The hell are you doing here?"

 She squinted her eyes towards the unknown voice. She saw a couple of men, squatting at the old swings on the little children's playground, which looked like it's been abandoned for years. The men weren't looking diligent, one of them loosely wore brass knuckles, sparking with metal in the sun. The other one was playing with something small, most likely the knife or a switchblade. 

 Perfect. 

 "What's your problem, girl? You lost?" said the knife guy, smiling widely. "It's a dangerous place, though. You may need some protection, especially with that look".

 "I'll pass," Asuka said as coldly as she could.

 Maybe that's not the right time to burst out again, especially after the beating Jin gave her. 

 "Hey, what's with the mood? We can make it better, if you're interested," said the other guy, making a sleaze smile. 

 Big mistake. 

 The holded energy, bottling in Asuka's fists, bursted right as she rushed towards men with a one roundhouse mid kick. She felt in seconds how it actually flowed through her body, charging the kick. The knife guy reacted first, trying to defend with his switchblade, but he was too late, as Asuka's boot kicked his knife out of his arm, sending the guy himself to fly out of the playground, along with the other one. 

 "Get off!" she shouted, not feeling ready to continue. Luckily, these punks decided not to challenge her and rushed away as quickly as they could, since the knife guy was holding to his jaw, like his teeth were knocked out. 

 Not good, she thought. Well, he asked for it anyway. 

 As soon as the punks ran away from the street, Asuka looked around. The park was small, but still enough for some kids to play… if there were things to do so. The swings she noticed before were old and rusty, the steel pillar nearby looked like a base for a kid's carousel. There were also some leftovers of a square space in the corner, most likely for a sandbox, but it seemed it was mostly used for an adults' hangouts and probably some shady stuff. 

 "Nice place, ain't it, girly?"

 She jumped, hearing that raspy voice that came behind her, and looked around. The punks came back quick and even got a backup in three more people. 

 "You got a temper for sure, but how about you calm down a bit, eh? There's enough of us to help you…"

 "Suck it off!"

 She didn't even think a bit — the irritation over her defeat, the entire situation and anger triggered Asuka enough to act recklessly.

 She rushed to the Knife guy, once again ignoring his switchblade, and grabbed his shoulder. Before anyone else could've done anything, Asuka swung his entire body around before throwing it back at the others. Some of the punks dodged the attack, but she didn't stop at that — after a quick dash forward she grabbed some other guy and before he could react, pushed him away with a quick elbow strike. 

 "Somebody grab that broad!" The Knife guy shouted. 

 Not waiting for anyone to react, Asuka once again rushed towards the punks with another roundhouse kick. Some of them got knocked out, but then someone blocked her foot. She had to calm down for a second to realize her foot got in the grip of some tall, wide and sturdy guy in a light green jumpsuit. He smirked triumphantly. 

"Nice kick".

"Lemme go!" she shouted, trying to get free, but suddenly the pair of hands grabbed her from behind. Asuka jumped, trying to get out her foot with the free one, but the jumpsuit guy just caught her other kick. 

 Dammit, what now?! 

"Well, it was fun to watch. I heard Japanese chicks are hot in touch, but you're very special in that case," The Knife guy muttered, scratching his jaw and looking at Asuka from above. "You can start begging for forgiveness, but I don't guarantee we can settle this peacefully. Not if you take off your clothes, then I can reconsider".

 "Screw you!" she shouted, still struggling, but the grip of both thugs was tight. 

 "Fine by me. I'm gonna do it myself, then," he smirked, preparing his switchblade. 

 Asuka greeted her teeth. Why, by all means, it has to turn out to be like this? 

 "Wouldn't it be fair if you all also take your clothes off?"

 The voice made her freeze in disbelief, but surprisingly, she didn't feel any anger as before. 

 "Who the fuck?!"

 The Knife guy turned around and swung his switchblade just for it to be captured. Before he could even make another move, Jin dislocated his shoulder and knocked punk out cold with one straight punch. 

 "Let go of her," he said quietly, but with an obvious treat in his voice. The hood of his jacket, puted on and hiding his face in shadows made his words even more fearsome. 

 The hold on her weakened a bit, and Asuka used it to finally get out of the light green guy's grip by a lucky hit in his chin with both feet. 

 "Who the hell are you, jackass? Her boyfriend?" The Knife guy snarled, gripping his wounded shoulder. 

 "Does it matter?" Jin frowned. "You better leave if you don't want any more problems".

 "As… as if!" The Jumpsuit guy stood up and made a step forward. "We're gonna wreck you both!"

 "We?" Jin tilted his head and pointed his thumb behind his back. "You mean those guys?"

 Everyone, including Asuka, looked in that direction and froze in shock of disbelief. As soon as Knife guy, Jumpsuit guy and the third punk got stunned, Jin quickly grabbed two of them to smash their foreheads together, knocking them out for good. The third one didn't manage to react to it, since Asuka grabbed his face and smashed it into the ground. 

 "It's already the second time I'm saving you," Jin said, turning back to her. "Can you at least try to do as you have been told to and not get into trouble?"

 Asuka just mumbled something and turned away, looking at Xiaoyu, who was fighting the other punks in the distance and was the actual reason everyone else got stunned. 

 "Carry to go and help her, Mr. Shinin' Knight?" Asuka said mockingly, not hoping Jin will listen and leave her alone. And she got that right. 

 "Unlike someone , Xiao can handle herself very well. You better watch and take notes," he replied, crossing his arms. Asuka sighed and followed his advice. 

 Meanwhile, the thugs were trying to approach Xiaoyu, but with less enthusiasm than before. She was literally dancing among them, making opponents try to attack her, but all their blows and kicks were hitting either air or each other. To her surprise, Asuka was even entranced by Xiaoyu’s moves, feeling the urge to mimic or at least remember some of these techniques. There was a lot of fluidity and harmony in them, balanced by Xiaoyu speed and precise strikes, which made her a perfect fighter in Asuka’s eyes, and once again, made her feel unsure in her own abilities.

  She’s really good… compared to me.

   Suddenly, she felt a heavy palm on her shoulder. Shaking off the familiar feeling of dread, Asuka looked up to Jin. Again, to her surprise, he looked at her with a notable worry.

 “I didn’t mean you should take an example,” he said. “She is able to fight at her full power because she doesn’t have to hide anything. Neither from others, or herself. That’s how the fighter’s mindset should be”.

 “Uh-huh,” Asuka scoffed. “And ya know that cause some time ago wasn’t honest with yerself, right? Sure it’s not a problem now?”

 Jin didn’t say anything, but visibly scowled and turned away, looking at Xiaoyu, as she finished her one-sided fight with a last powerful palm strike, strong enough to let the last thug fly right into an opened trash can on the other side of the lot.

 She turned back to him and Asuka with a pleasant and confident expression, the same one she usually showed back after her and Jin mutual sparring. He smiled, feeling the warmth rising in his chest slowly, despite the heavy feeling he got from Asuka’s words earlier, and nodded to Xiaoyu.

 “I don’t think they’ll want to hang out here for some time,” she said, sprunting back to them. “Say… how about we take a break here? We got on a wrong turn back then, maybe we should talk or catch a breath”.

 Asuka folded her hands.

 “Is there something else to talk about?”

 Xiaoyu signed, looking back and forward at both Asuka and Jin, like noticing something familiar between them. Then she looked away for a second, and her expression slightly changed to be more dreadful.

 “What is it?” Jin asked first. She shook her head.

 “Nothing, just… this placed looked familiar for a second”

 “Huh? How so?” Asuka tilted her head.

 Xiao looked around once again, searching for a place to sit. Found nothing except for swings, she sat there, grimacing from a loud noise rusty chains let out.

 “When I was a kid, I grew up in a place like this, back in Hong Kong. My parents always travel abroad, looking for a way to get some more money for us. Though I wasn’t alone, since grandpa Jinrei and master Leroy were looking for me and we trained together… I still felt lonely, cause I always saw the same deserted playground, left by everyone, except me”.

 “Oof,” Asuka muttered. Jin didn’t say anything, looking at Xiao with understanding. She swung a little, grimacing again from the sound and felt silent.

 “That’s where your dream about an amusement park came from?” Jin asked, which made Asuka look at him confusingly.

 “The what?”

 Xiaoyu pulled a strand of her hair behind her ear. 

 “Pretty much, yeah. I thought back then — what if someday, I will build a giant amusement park, for everyone to be welcomed! And there would be a lot of stuff to do — have fun, snacks, make new friends and be happy? And it could be a happy place for absolutely anyone who doesn’t want to be alone anymore”.

 “Wow!” Asuka gasped in sincere awe. “Ya know, it’s a really great dream, Xiao-chan, 'specially for a world like this. People need this stuff like, yesterday — like certain someone ”.

 She looked directly at Jin and felt silent, like she was expecting some vile reaction from him. He blinked.

 “I agree, it’s a unique dream, but very in character for Xiao. And I wouldn’t mind that”.

 “Wait… that’s it? I mean… you knew?” Asuka stuttered.

 “I did. What did you expect me to do, laugh at it or what?” he asked, looking back at Asuka. “I admire people who want to make the world a better place and work for it despite anything. Because they are at least better in that than I ever was. And Xiao is a very good example”.

 Asuka frowned a bit, side-eyeing Xiaoyu, while the latest was trying to look away with obvious blush on her cheeks, and then smirked.

 “Ok, so that’s not as one-sided as I thought. And yer kinda self-aware too, I dig it”.

 “Is that a compliment?” Jin raised his eyebrow.

 “Sounds like it,” Xiaoyu muttered, finally standing up from the swings. “Well, sadly, I still can’t fulfill my dream for reasons, but I hope I will someday. Probably after we'll done with your problem, Asuka”.

 “Hey, I don’t have problems, 'kay?”

 “Sure you don’t,” Jin scoffed. “You are a problem”.

 “Oh, shuddup! And look who’s talkin'!” she snarled at him. Feeling how sparks between them start to ignite once again, Xiaoyu decided to put the fire down before it starts.

 “Hey, what do you guys think if we'll try to fix this playground?” she said, pointing at the swings.

 Both Asuka and Jin looked at her simultaneously.

 Xiaoyu noticed, how despite all their differences — facial, personal and even familial — they both looked at her with the same expression of confusion. She giggled, making them both even more confused.

 “Fix?” Asuka repeated uncertainty. “Fix what?”

 Xiao widened her hands.

 “I mean, it’s a very gloomy place even for us to hang around. I thought, 'why can’t we do something to make it more people-friendly, while we’re here?”

 “Because we can’t,” Jin said firmly. “I like your idea, but you have to be realistic at this point. How exactly are you planning to fix this place? With what funds or tools?”

 “Stoneface got a point, Xiao-chan,” Asuka nodded. “Even in a poorly made city sim game you need to have funds to build stuff”.

 Jin turned back at her with even more confusion.

 “The what now?”

 “Stoneface. I mean, do ya even have a different 'xpression, or ya were born with that frown?”

 “That’s not what I meant,” Jin tried to reply, but Xiaoyu cut him out.

 “Hey, we don’t need money to at least fix these swings, for example! Or that carousel! All we need is the machine oil and some grease maybe that we have back on our bikes!”

 “Wait, that’s not how it should work,” Jin tried to interrupt her, and this time Xiao let him talk. “Do you even know where the oil, if it really needed AND will work, has to be used?”

 Xiaoyu scratched her chin for a second and then smiled back at Jin.

 “Well, there’s where you come in! Didn’t you study at the mechanical faculty of Mishima school?”

 “He went to school?!” Asuka gasped, with her eyes wide open. Jin just signed.

 “That doesn’t mean I know about these… arrangements. I am good with machines and bikes, that’s all”.

 “Bummer,” Asuka added, looking at Jin with a very obvious disrespect and dissapointment, which he didn’t care to pay attention to. Instead, he looked back at Xiaoyu, who was still gleaming with enthusiasm.

 “Well, technically both swing and the carousel can count as a primitive machines, so I don’t see any problem with that. I mean, what’s wrong with giving it a try? Just this once?”

 Jin looked back at the playground, then at Xiaoyu’s supportive smile and Asuka’s skeptical pokerface. He signed.

 “We’re wasting time doing that. Keep that in mind,” he said, turning around. “And I don’t guarantee it will be worth it”.

 “So that means I can go?” Asuka said with a deadpan voice.

 “No. Look after her, Xiao, I’ll be back in a couple of minutes”.

 Asuka groaned and plomped on the swings. A loud gnashing sound went into the darkening evening sky along with Asuka’s own annoyed groan.

 Xiaoyu just signed, putting hands on her hips. Well, at least, she managed to avert a crisis for this time. Maybe that was worth it after all.

 But the thought about possible fixing of this playground started to warm her mind. The same warmth she usually felt thinking about her dream.

 How was grandpa Jinrei said? It all begins with a single step?

 Well, there were a lot of these steps she already took towards her dream — and surprisingly, the single-person raid she did on the Mishima ship, was one of them. She realized she actually forgot about her dream for a long time, after that one email she got before starting to look for Jin. 

 And she still didn’t ask him about it, though she was sure it was him who sent it.

 Now, when they met and practically settled everything, she might think about her dream again… but for some reason, it wasn’t that exciting as before. Xiaoyu understood that she still worries for Jin, but that wasn’t the exact reason for her to be distracted. 

 He can be the first person she wished her dream would make happy at some point. Not someone abstract, not humanity in general — but just one single person she knows and loves. And even if she felt uneasy to confess to him, she still wanted him to be happy. At least for some time, before he eventually…

 “Ok, I’m here. Let me see these swings”.

 She jumped, realizing Jin already came back with a little flat flask in one hand and a strange jar in the other. 

 “They probably just need some grazing, as you said,” he muttered. “Get up, Asuka”.

 “Sure, Mecha-chan”.

 “Stop it,” he said with a deadpan voice and began to work.

 * * *

 “How’s it going?”

 “I managed to salvage over 70% of all the data, but that’s all that I can do. Sorry”.

 “It’s fine. Or, should I say, it’s more than enough for now,” Lee thumbed up and smiled, which made Alisa’s worried expression slightly go away. 

 She was decoding and collecting data for several hours and she noticed how Lee didn’t even take a minute to relax. Not if he was worried or nervous — he was busy as always, monitoring Yggdrasil units, checking some information about his own corporation, and, as Alisa could understand, he even managed to successfully strike some financial deals with international companies and vendors.

 She wasn’t able to congratulate him or even show her excitement of his productiveness, but some parts of Alisa’s logical system have some doubts if it could be a right decision. Despite the fact Lee didn’t make any approach to her so far and clearly saw the connection between her and Lars and not tried to ruin it, she still had awareness against his actions sometimes. And despite his current productive routine, she could easily detect that his composure has some unnatural elements.

 “I’m done,” she said, finishing the last decoding.

 The amount of information she got wasn’t that large or important, but she already took notes for some topics she noticed during her research. And, as Alisa already deducted, Lee was waiting for that.

 “Can you show me the most interesting stuff?” he asked, just finishing some video call by his side.

 “Of course, but… Shouldn’t we call Lars? It most likely will get him interested too”.

 “Unlike us, he most likely had more difficult problems. Let’s give him some rest”.

 “Understood,” she nodded. “Beginning to unpack information. Which topics do you need to know first, Lee-san?”

 Lee didn’t say anything for a minute, holding his chin. Considering all the info he and Lars got from Jin, and an unusual event on Yakushima right before the disappearance of Kazuya, there could be a high chance their actions went to consequences someone most likely was expecting, even despite his physical and logical inability to do so. 

 “Let’s start with the basics,” Lee said. “Is there any info about Heihachi’s current condition or connections which didn’t come out officially?” 

 After reading the notes of that one reporter who managed to visit Heihachi and lived, Lee was sure that the old man was hiding even more secrets than he left out. Lars and Jin both disagree with him, especially the latest one, who was too familiar with Heihachi’s habit to lie through his teeth. But Lee still held to an idea that Heihachi kept too many skeletons in his closet, along with his father's and wife's, and now it was the perfect chance to prove his suspicions.

 There was also the Reina problem. Little lady was way too elusive, despite her likable and pleasant nature. Lee knew too well about this type — after all, he acted the same a long time ago, before he had to hide from Heihachi and that basically saved his life and future.

 Still, he regretted not taking his suspicions into account before this moment, despite the understanding that they and Reina still had the same goal for some time. But, unlike Jin, Lee tried not to let these regrets brood him, and wanted to act fast and collected despite everything. After all, he still had his company to work and partners to support. And Lars' and Alisa’s actions helped him more than enough to pay them back. 

 “I’m sorry. No connections between Heihachi and Reina were found,” he heard Alisa’s regretful tone.

 Of course the old man wouldn’t show the details about his kin that easily. Lee decided to try to look at the situation from another angle, as a sudden thought sparked in his mind.

 “Is there any info about Kazumi or Jinpachi bodies?” he asked. 

 Alisa went to the keyboard, activating more mechanical joints from her fingers. The searching and decoding process restarted, and, as Lee could see on the display, there still was some data to unlock, despite all Alisa's efforts. They might be close.

 “That’s strange…” 

 That remark from Alisa made Lee jolt with surprise. It sounded unusually even for her, being sometimes bubbly in a very child-like way.He gritted his teeth.

 “What is it?”

 “There’s no mention of Jinpachi’s body whereabouts or his current status. But Kazumi… it’s like there was some data, but their remnants are impossible to reconstruct”.

 “Interesting…” Lee muttered. “Are there any trails of overwriting data?”

 “Yes… but that's exactly what is strange. The fact of overwriting is very old but it doesn’t match with a possible time of Kazumi’s death. It was overwritten way later… Around 18 years ago”.

 “Nonsense!” Lee didn’t manage to hold his irritation anymore, and his shouted made Alisa jump. She looked at him with both shock and alertness in her face, and he tried to calm down.

 “Sorry. I just… didn’t expect him to hide his secrets THAT far. And the fact it was about his demon wife didn’t make it easier”. 

 “I thought it was the exact number of years what made you irritated,” Alisa said, calming down and sitting back next to the keyboard. “I can’t be sure about the specific time, but the data overwrite happened after the end of the second Iron Fist tournament”. 

 “Hmm. So it’s after Heihachi defeated Kazuya and had a full glimpse of his Devil form, I suppose. Well, he could recalled his clash with Kazumi, so it makes sense that the data was overwritten… but for what purpose?”

 “That’s actually where the second topic comes,” Alisa said. “It’s around that time he was starting to look for some God of Fighting. According to data, his name is currently unknown, so he is mentioned as just 'Ogre”.

 Lee sat next to her, not giving a care about the fact Alisa instantly tried to slide away from him.

 “Brilliant!” he exclaimed. “Now we’re getting somewhere!”

 “What do you mean?”

 “The old bastard always looked for a way to get stronger, to get for himself any kind of power. Even if it wasn’t specifically for him, if you remember the idea of his personal army”.

 “Yes, I’m aware of the origin of the Tekken Force. But it doesn't have any connections with Ogre or overwritten data… oh, wait! It does!”

 “What is?”

 “Look here, please!” Alisa quickly opened some data clusters on the display. Lee saw some blueprints and photos, showing the familiar equipment of Tekken force units. But photos took more of his attention.

  “What’s this?” he murmured, tapping his finger on one of the photos.

 The quality of that wasn’t great, but the environment of Mishima HQ still was recognizable. He remembered this exact old fashioned dojo building, the garden around and the path to it, passing through a typical business center hallways.

 Yes. That was the place Lee knew very well, since he was working there for quite some time. And surprisingly, he never saw it in the state this current photo showed him now.

 Usually clean and tidy corridors were almost completely ruined in the photos. Bodies of Mishima Zaibatsu workers — not soldiers, but most likely bodyguards — were lying around as someone just went through them like a typhoon. Lee was sure it wasn’t Heihachi or Kazuya — they would never leave such a mess and would just throw the bodies out of window in a strangely bonding Mishima tradition to get rid of the trash.

 “These photos were made by security cameras just before the project of creating Tekken Force units started,” Alisa said, trying to enhance the quality of the pictures for the details. “Sorry, but I can’t find out the exact reason or a person who these people could have fought against”.

 “They were deleted? I’m not surprised — Heihachi would definitely take this juicy secret to his grave”.

 “That’s incorrect. Like with data about Kazumi, they existed before… but they weren’t overwritten. More like something unusual happened when they were in the process of uploading”.

 “Unusual how?”

 “I can’t say for sure. There might be some weather instability that day which occurred during the record. Lightning or another weather phenomenon…”

 “Which could have caused a blackout or some errors in camera and servers activity? Makes sense, but still doesn’t answer what exactly these gentlemen witnessed that day,” Lee leaned at the chair’s back, collecting his thoughts. “But that was most likely the reason Heihachi decided to form his personal army, and based on his efforts, this reason was very serious, considering his search for Ogre right after”.

 “I may try to look into more data to find some connections with other files, if we need it”.

 “We definitely do. Now, is there something juicy about Ogre himself? I don’t know any details, and Jin clearly didn’t want to share anything”.

 “Based on his constant negative reaction and high level of stress he is experiencing after hearing about that topic, it’s a good decision not to bother him with more questions”.

 “Indeed. So, what do we have?”

 “Not much. The first physical appearance of Ogre got documented around 8 years ago in an unknown Mexican shrine. Tekken Force troops went there for research and got missing”.

 “That aligns with several incidents with second tournament participants, too… Anything else?”

 “It’s not confirmed and based on a description of the images that were found in the shrine, so I wouldn't rely on that too much,” Alisa said, which made Lee let out a little sigh. 

 “After all we saw and witnessed in the last two years, the last thing you should have doubt is the prophecies and historical finds. So don’t keep me in the dark anymore, Alisa — what was in that shrine?”

 “Look at this,” she opened several photos with painted walls of the Peruvian shrine. Most of them were damaged badly, but images that remained intacted have an obscured figure of a grotesque monster, descending upon the earth and human figures lying around.

 “That's quite a menacing looking one,” Lee muttered. “Doesn’t look like the one who could be an Azazel servant or something, though”.

 “Most likely because it wasn't, actually. I tried to virtually reconstruct  the lesser damaged images and see what it most likely looked like before,” Alisa swiped to another picture with some noise on it. Several green giants hovered above the land, in the same ominous matter the monster was descending on the other picture.

 “There's…a lot of them?” Lee whispered, feeling how the thinnest feeling of fear starts to crawl on his back.

 “There's nothing to be worried about, Lee-san, it's just a possible reconstruction. There could be only one creature painted there”.

 “Good point. But the thought about possibly dealing with a bunch of these things is really chilling my bones,” Lee said, trying to calm himself down. “Anyway, did those images suggest those creatures could actually come from the sky?”

 “Considering that the shrine was most likely builded during the Aztec era, it could imply that these creatures could be even from space”.

 “Your thoughts based on the Aztec knowledge about astrology, I assume?”

 “It's simple deductions, but that's all I can gather from it for now”.

 Lee hummed and walked away from Alisa, collecting his thoughts. The investigation was all over the place and finds about Ogre didn't make any sense in the case of Heihachi or Reina's plans. They both have to be crazy to assume they could somehow use Ogre for…

 He stopped and turned back to the monitor, a sudden thought flashed in his mind.

 “Alisa. Is there any information about the final of the third tournament?”

 She quickly searched through data. 

 “Not much. But there's some video files left. One of them contains the first Jin-san transformation into Devil…”

 “That's not what we're after. Are there any files with our green or monstruoso friends?”

 “Just one that fits…”

 “Show it. And it better not be damaged or anything”.

 Alisa nodded and opened the file. Luckily, the quality of the video was good enough to see a large and bright silhouette of a person having a quite standing out hairstyle.

 The alleged winner of the third King of Iron fist tournament, Paul Phoenix walked out of the shrine confidently and went over the camera, most likely not noticing it. Off screen he talked with someone, but the sound was very muffled. The camera moved then to the sound, but the one who Paul spoke with, were most likely too far away. Or, most likely, the camera couldn't show them, since the field of its vision was blocked by a massive body. Alisa jumped and Lee frowned.

 “So it seems Paul managed to defeat both Jin and Heihachi back then. Always was a beast, always will be,” Lee muttered.

 “That's why you've recruited him back on Yakushima?”

 “Not quite. He volunteered in a search of easy money and a chance to fight Kazuya. Sadly, he didn't get either of it”.

 “I’m not sure what to say. Shouldn't we be sorry for him?”

 “Perhaps, but not now. Look”.

 They both took their attention to the screen, where Heihachi's body got surrounded by some dark mist. The eerie sound screeched in speakers as Heihachi's body levitated up in the air. The dark green feet flew into the screen before it got absolutely clouded by the mist. The screechy sound growed into some animal roar and video cutted off.

 “So that’s our Ogre”.

 “Correct. According to remnants of overridden data, his body later moved to Mishima Zaibatsu laboratories. Heihachi’s goal was to reclaim its power, and he got it after all”.

 “Not quite, if he decided to catch Devil gene bearers after that. Or not enough — both versions could be possible”. 

 “They might be. So what will we do with all this information?”

 “To rundown all of it? I'm personally interested in the reason for creating Tekken Force in the first place. Kazuya was supposed to be fried in the volcano on that point, so the reason behind it should be equally dangerous to Heihachi to act. Furthermore…”

 Lee pulled out his tablet, scrolling over several new reports he and Lars got in the last several days. They were similar with their content, and the timing of them was more and more frequent since their victory at the G-corp. Along with Jin and Victor info and data from the Mishima archives, these reports make the whole picture way more dangerous that they could’ve imagined.

 The information about an unknown troop of monks attacking remnants of the Mishima Zaibatsu while G-corp was doing world invasion didn’t seem too serious at the first glance. Usual behavior of vultures and other power-hungry fractions, especially considering the size and power of the fallen Zaibatsu. Anyone would dare to take the slice from this pie after witnessing the death of the owner.

 But the more information Lee got, the more his worry grew. The monks took the name of the tournament Zaibatsu held all these years, the moves and attacks they used according to witnesses who managed to survive their raids — it was way too many coincidences. Especially right after Heihachi’s death. At first, Lee and Lars suspected monks being just pawns in Kazuya’s plans to reclaim Zaibatsu’s property for himself, but as it turned out on Yakushima, monks weren’t working for him or taking any side in the battle. 

 And the most obvious reason for that was that they are actually from the third, unknown party. Or well-known, considering the recent events. That would explain the speed of New Tekken Force army creation and how sloppy it got with stealing most of their equipment. 

 And the most important detail Lee received in the last report — these monks were trained in the Mishima style karate. The style which never came outside of the Zaibatsu and Mishima family. There was no one else who would train that amount of people with such precise and loyality to the original style, except Heihachi.

 Who most likely, somehow survived yet again.

 Lee gripped the tablet, and the crack of plastic made Alisa jump a little.

 “Lee-san?”

 He woke up and breathed out loudly.

 “Sorry. I should have keep calm about the situation, but i guess, it’s really more dire that we suspected”

 “So you think all this is connected to these Tekken Monks?”

 “Not quite, but the fact we’ve got all these reveals in one swoop doesn’t look like a good sign. If we consider Heihachi is alive and the Devil gene is out of the picture, he most likely will plan to regain the other source of power”.

 “Which is…”

 “It’s just a theory at the time, but we have to look into it a little deeper,” Lee raised his tablet again and started to search his contacts. “And no better in hunting aliens than the most alienated warrior this world even knew”.

 “I don’t follow,” Alisa frowned. Lee just smiled at her and thumbed up.

 “In fact, this one fella may help us even more than we think. After all… he already broke into Mishima archives several times before, so he may know even more that we get for now”.

 Alisa nodded, realizing who he meant.

 “I just hoped he wouldn’t steal anything from our warehouses or your company”.

 “Not if I offer him a fair deal. Which does not include money, but way more interesting subject…” Lee murmured, tapping the text message. “I just hope he’s still free after that one voyage with the Prime minister”.

*  *  *

 “I finished”.

 Both Asuka and Xiaoyu, who were sitting nearby the swings and carousel while Jin was doing his work, simultaneously ran towards him to see what he did. He took a couple of steps away, closing his face with a hood.

 “Whoa!” Asuka exclaimed, spinning the carousel, that didn’t make a single sound. “You're really good at greasin' stuff! Not gonna trust ya with my bike, though”.

 “You don’t even have it now,” he said with a slight smirk, but the sun had already gone down, so Asuka didn’t see Jin’s face. 

 “You know, Jin, you could be good as a main specialist of technical stuff in my amusement park,” Xiao noticed, testing the swings and already flying higher and higher. He folded his arms.

 “You’ve said it’s too early to think about your dream now, but already put me as one of your staff?”

 “Well, no one forbids me to dream,” Xiao stopped swinging and tilted her head with a smile. “And you don't seem to be against it, Jin?”

 “I didn’t say that,” he brushed it off quickly. “We’re done here, so let’s move. We have to be at the rendezvous point by tomorrow”.

 “Grumpy,” Xiao muttered, sticking tongue at him.

 “Party pooper!” Asuka pointed at him.

 But those reactions didn’t make Jin sway even for a bit.

 “I played along with you two for some time, and I also did say we can’t be here for long. Don’t make me a villain”.

 “Ye kinda was one!” Asuka said sarcastically. Her and Jin’s eyes locked on each other.

 “And?” he asked.

 The question made Asuka stutter.

 “We’ve already fought, and you lost. We made a deal that you’ll come with us, and things I’ve done in the past don't matter, until we’ll bring you back home. Do we have to repeat this, or can you still think rationally?”

 Asuka groaned with her fists gripping tight. Xiao rolled her eyes — her initial plan to make these two be more calm with each other was failing.

 “Whoa, mom, look!” Suddenly, they heard some kid’s voice. “The carousel is fixed! Can I ride it, pleeease?”

 All three turned in the direction of the voice. A little boy, around seven years old, was pulling his mother on her skirt, pointing at the playground. Xiaoyu was the first who decided to leave, the other two followed her. The mother squeezed her eyes at Jin and Asuka, which made the latter tilt her head in confusion. Jin just lowered his head — the hood of his jacket along with the evening darkness already covered his face well enough.

 “We’ve just fixed it, that’s all,” Xiaoyu said quickly, and they walked away from the playground. 

 “It sucks when yer hard work doesn’t get recognized, huh…” Asuka muttered.

 Jin turned back to her in silence, feeling how her tone wasn’t sarcastic or angry. Xiaoyu felt that too, since she looked at Asuka with understanding and opened her mouth to say something encouraging. But before she was able to do that, Asuka suddenly stretched her arms.

 “Man, I’m hungry! Can we at least grab somethin’ before leaving to this dejavu point?”

 “Only if it’s nearby. And it’s rendezvous point,” Jin said.

 “You get what I mean! So let’s find some snacks! Hey, how 'bout that one coffee shop?”

 Before he could say something, Asuka bolted towards the neon green-blue sight with a white coffee cup on it. 

 “At least now she doesn’t try to run…” Jin murmured.

 “You think?” Xiaoyu asked.

 “She definitely wants to eat something, otherwise she would run in a different direction. And besides…” he breathed in. “I can’t blame her — I also wouldn't mind if there’s something nice to eat”.

 “Ok, who are you and what did you do with Jin Kazama, the green peas lover?”

 “Hey, I'd love to some coffee and snacks too!” He tried to sound offended, but gave up quickly after seeing Xiaoyu’s mocking grin. “I don’t have money, by the way, so can you cover it up for us?”

 Her grin changed into disbelief momentarily, which made Jin chuckle a bit.

 “Kidding. Let’s follow her, until Asuka robbed this shop entirely. I'm sure she doesn't have any money on her”.

 While they were going towards the coffee shop, some more children’s voices made Xiaoyu turn back to the playground. Several more kids were already there, testing fixed swings and carousel, their laugh and happy screams became louder despite the evening hour.

 “You did a good thing, Jin,” she said quietly, looking at his back.

 He turned around in silence and slight shock, almost like he did it back in Yakushima when she offered him sparring. But a moment later, he smiled slightly.

 “We both did. Now let’s go”.

 They were almost at the coffee shop’s entrance, when something flew right to their feet, making Xiao jump back in surprise. Jin frowned and then signed, hearing heavy Kansai dialect from within the shop.

 “Yer assholes think you can start a fight right here and scare all the customers? What’s next, ya wanna rob this place?! Not in my watch!”

 “Who the hell are you? Don’t meddle in our business, that’s our joint!”

 “That ‘joint’ is for people who’s lookin’ for a cup of coffee and ready to pay for it. And ya guys are clearly not the ones, especially after trying to scare the barista here! Go find a job if ya'll need money that much!”

 “You just don’t stop yapping, missie! Wait, you’re that one…”

 Jin and Xiaoyu were just going to storm the shop, as another body flew out past them. The brass knuckles from his hands chimed as the guy landed into concrete.

 “There’s no one now who’s gonna help you noOOOOOUUUUUUUGH!” Another one flew out just as Jin dodged it, running inside. 

 After Asuka threw away three punks, the other four were trying to surround her, but she’s already moved beside one of the coffee tables, making it harder for opponents to approach her. Jin didn’t spend a second more — he grabbed one of the thugs and threw him out with a throw over the shoulder. The body flew out just like the others, where the thug immediately got stomped by Xiaoyu’s low kick and felt quiet.

 “You again?!” other thugs groan, along with Asuka. The barista looked at Jin with some shock, leaning onto the wall behind his back.

 “Outside,” Jin said firmly. “Now”.

 Despite his tone, thugs weren’t so cooperative and obedient, as they all tried to lash out on Jin simultaneously, throwing over some other coffee table. He put his hands on guard, only to feel the wind of someone’s body falling towards him, not even reaching his fists.

 “Oops,” Asuka said, pulling her leg away. “Don’t break this shop’s furniture, or otherwise, I’ll break it on yer bones!”

 The last two thugs looked at her with sheer fear they didn’t have on their first encounter. Then they looked back at Jin, and he just pointed to the exit behind his back.

 “I’m not going to say it twice”.

 “Alright, alright we’re out!” Thugs whimpered and left the shop as quickly as they could. 

 “Sorry for the mess,” Asuka said to the barista who was still speechless. “We’ll make it up to ya after we deal with these guys, ‘kay?”

 “Which guys?” Xiaoyu asked, entering. “The ones who just ran away?”

 “Man, what a bunch of jerks! Bolted away as soon as they smell their defeat!” Asuka sighed loudly but quickly came over it and turned back to barista, still leaning his back to the wall.

 “Well, I guess it’s time to fulfill the promise now. Boss, where’s the kits for cleaning? We’re gonna whip that place into shape so ya don’t have to worry about its look!”

 “We? I don’t remember breaking anything here or starting a fight,” Jin protested, but Asuka already threw a broom to him, which he managed to catch at the last second.

 “Well, someone did help me to scare these jerks outta here, and I’m not too old yet to remember things wrong, so get to it already! Xiao-chan, sorry, we’ll stay here for some time, can you wait?”

 Xiaoyu just signed and walked to the barista, pulling out her wallet. While she was talking with him quietly, Jin just stood there with a broom, observing Asuka already starting to clean up.

 She was really up to her world — with some bandana or towel tied on her head and with napkins in her hands ready to wipe the dirt she stormed the shop’s interior, dusting every single trash and dirt on the floor. To her respect, neither she nor the thugs didn’t ruined the place completely, leaving it to several chairs and tables being overthrown, as much as a big pot with a plant near the entrance. There was also a cracked storefront near the cashier, but as Jin understood by Xiao’s conversation with the barista, this one problem was already covered. He took a mental note to pay her back later and started to swipe the scattered soil from the pot before Asuka could notice his inaction.

 But she noticed for sure. He couldn’t see it, but sensed her gaze, looking at him for a second. To Jin’s surprise, there was no anger, irritation or anything of the sort. But he could sense some kind of approval, not the one he could notice back from Heihachi as he observed his training. That approval was more warm, akin to what he could sense with his sparrings with Lars, Lee and even his mother from a long time ago. These moments were rare, and Jin admitted he would cherish them, and feeling admiration from Asuka made him hope there is still a lot he can do for the world. And for her, too.

 “Hey, Jin, what’s the hol’up? We still need to eat somethin', remember? Move yer ass, this shop isn’t completely clean yet!”

 He shook his head and continued sweeping, noticing how Asuka had already finished mopping floors and started to rearrange the shop's furniture. How fast is she with things like that?! 

 “Well, it’s not as ruined as our dojo, luckily… Just a couple more minutes, and we’re set!” She explained like she could hear his inner thoughts. “Xiao-chan, can you ask the Boss to cook some coffee and grub for us, while we’re finishing?”

 “Uh… sure,”

 Jin quickly swept the final bits of the soil and raised it with the scoop in his hand. He turned back to the barista, ready to ask what to do with it, but then he met with the barista's eyes. Something within them made him feel uneasy, as the familiar sense of being observed started to form somewhere deep in Jin’s mind.

 “Trash bin is over there,” the barista said, pointing to the backdoor. “I’ll make something for you in five minutes, so if you need to wash your hands, there’s also a bathroom”.

 Jin nodded. “Thanks”.

 As soon as he threw the soil leftovers in the trash bin and washed his hands, the sense of danger disappeared. But something still doesn’t feel right for Jin, as he thought it all went too easy for them — the same thugs operating on the playground and here and retreating quickly as they saw him the second time? They didn't look weak, so why didn’t they fight back once again?

 “Jin, come on! Food is ready!” He heard Xiaoyu’s call.

 Perhaps he is just overthinking things. Not all people are supposed to be such determined fighters as he is. It’s really easy to forget about it when you are surrounded by the strongest fighters for almost all your life.

It’s time to be a normal human now for a moment and enjoy a normal life and normal food.

 He nodded to his inner thoughts and left the bathroom. This shop better have great coffee if he wants to move on right after this.

Chapter Text

 “Shouldn't we be there already?”

 “We should, but thanks to someone , we have to make a detour”.

 “Hey, don’t blame me! It wasn’t my fault yer bikes need to recharge every two seconds!”

 “They wouldn’t need to be if you wouldn’t run into trouble twice in a row,” Jin tried to sound irritated at least, but the sun heat and a need to push the bike didn’t allow him to do so. The fact that the path they were going went up the hill, didn’t help either.

 “Well, yer fault, then! Should’ve use bicycle instead of bikes, but I admit — ya at least trying to keep nature clean, runnin’ the electrical ones”

 “It’s practical,” that was all Jin said, before he went his total focus on pushing the bike up the hill. A little more, and the road should be smooth then.

 “Xiao, are you sure the charge station is right after this hill?” he asked. 

 She stopped pushing her own bike to pull out her phone, only to make Asuka panicked and catch it by herself.

 “Well, if the map isn't wrong, that’s right”.

 “It better be!’ Asuka huffed, hardly holding the bike. ”Man, that thing weighs a ton! Why did ya even take it, Xiao-chan?! Didn’t yer Panda help in times like this?”

 “She went back to check on grandpa Jinrei. And she most likely couldn’t take this heat for long time”

 Jin suddenly stopped and turned around. 

 “Did you just say ‘grandpa Jinrei’?” 

 “Wait, you forgot? I told you back then he’s my grandpa! Well, not by blood, but he’s a very good friend of our family”.

 “That’s not why I’m asking,” Jin muttered, lowering his head. “I thought, after all this time he’s already…” he felt silent, not finishing the sentence.

 “He’s what?” Xiaoyu’s tone changed to more worried. “You saw him? What happened between you both?”

 Asuka gulped, sensing how something unusual is rising between her two companions. She didn’t like it at all, but the worst suspicions were already on her mind and also the tongue.

 “Did ya kill him?” she asked bluntly.

 Both Jin and Xiaoyu turned to her in shock.

 “I didn’t!” Jin claimed with the unusual disturbance in his voice, but Asuka didn’t sway — she frowned, her voice lowered.

 “Lyin’ isn't good, ya know? And yer scream is the most obvious ‘ I did it ’ flag for stuff like that…”

 “Stop!”

 They both jumped from Xiaoyu’s raised voice, full of anger. Before Asuka could even realize what she just heard, she suddenly felt a sharp hot pain on her cheek. That made her drop the bike entirely, to Xiaoyu catching it right after giving Asuka a slap.

 “What’s the big idea?” Asuka whined, feeling how pain and sudden resentment are rising in her chest. She didn’t expect that kind of reaction from Xiaoyu.

 “If Panda went to check on him, he’s clearly alive and well. And you have to stop accusing Jin of everything, especially when he’s trying to help you!”

 “You don’t have to…” he started, feeling how all this started to get worse. But to his surprise, Asuka suddenly calmed down.

 “Ugh… Ya got a point, but did ya hafta slap me for his ass?”

 “It wasn’t for him,” Xiaoyu objected coldly. “Can you stop trying to turn everyone against you?”

 “Hey, I’m not~”

 “You are,” Jin interrupted. “And it won’t work, trust me”.

 Asuka signed and turned away, hiding her face, full of conflicting emotions.

 The silence, interfering only by birds’ voices from faraway, felt unbearably heavy even for Jin. He remembered how the day started — surprisingly peaceful, when all three of them were just having coffee and some sandwiches from that coffee shop they protected last night. How Asuka even had some sort of recognition for him behind the table at that moment. And now, this memory of calmness was quickly washing away by yet again, another conflict between them. Just like before, just like with everyone else he met and let down, being a Mishima.

 “Sorry”.

 He raised his head, not believing what he just heard. Asuka turned back to him, her hands were gripping tightly.

 “I acted like a dick,” she said, biting her bottom lip. “Guess that freaking heat baked my brain to say that kind of crap”.

  Was it heat though?

 He bit his own lip, not letting this question out, while Xiaoyu put her hand on Asuka’s shoulder, still holding her bike with another one.

 “I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t react that way, just… I never knew Jin actually met him. Both of you didn’t say anything about it”.

 “That’s not the most pleasant memory of mine,” Jin said quietly. “And I suppose, for him that was likewise”.

 Xiaoyu frowned a little, but her voice sounded gentle. “How… when did that happen?”

 “At the end of the fifth tournament. I was going to meet his host, believing that was the source of Devil power back then. That’s when I met your grandfather… though he wasn’t a participant, as I recall”.

 “He wasn’t?” Asuka tilted her head. “Did he cheat or what?”

 Jin just pushed his bike further in silence, making girls follow him.

 “Most likely he just went on his own way to meet this guy,” Xiaoyu muttered. “That sounds like grandpa actually — he always does something important without saying anything to anyone”.

 “Perhaps,” Jin nodded, keeping going onwards. “Anyway, he was trying to stop me from reaching my goal. Said that he doesn’t want to lose his friend, that he wants to help him by himself. So I had to fight him… and I won. When I went to the final, I didn’t see him anymore”.

 Xiaoyu felt silent, lowering her head, Asuka looked at her and Jin with worry.

 “So that’s why he suddenly felt so weak…”

 “I’m sorry,” he said, not waiting for her to take it. She has all the rights not to do so.

 “No wonder he was so suddenly against my attempts to find you,” Xiaoyu said, her words made Jin’s heart feel even heavier. “He was saying that it reminds him of his own loss of dearest friend… but I thought it happened a long time ago. And not between you two”.

 “The dearest friend…” Jin muttered, trying to remember.

 The monstrous figure of a person, who was a human a long time ago, was still burning in his mind. Not as bright as memories of Ogre or Azazel, but the familiar features, ones he shared with this person, made this memory unforgetful. So much, that after becoming a CEO he decided to look for any information about him. Not if anything was useful for him about it, though.

 “Hard to believe there was someone who could be friends with a Mishima,” he muttered and looked back at Xiaoyu. “But since it was your grandfather, I’m not so surprised”.

 “Well, probably because that guy wasn’t like Heihachi or Kazuya,” she shrugged with a little smile. “Maybe he was like you a long time ago. That’s why grandpa became worried of me after losing to you — perhaps he was afraid the story will repeat?”

 “Maybe. But it probably won't happen,” Jin said and took a deep breath. “I think we spent enough time dwelling on the past. We should go”.

 “Of course he has to hide all the juicy details,” Asuka sighed and took one of the handles of Xiaoyu’s bike. “I was just waiting to hear about at least one good guy from this family, and Jin went on classified mode!”

 “He was as good as me, that’s all,” Jin said, starting to push his bike up the hill. “At least realized he was wrong way earlier than me”.

 He felt silent, as the road towards became less heavy for pushing bikes, and he actually could see the faraway dot of a charging station, lowering on his eye level with each step. 

 “Good news, Xiao, the map was right,” he said. “Let’s hurry, we’ve already lost quite some time here”.

 She nodded and pulled her energy pushing her own bike, so Asuka had to catch up, forgetting about her own thoughts. 

 A peaceful Mishima? Really? And he could be slightly better than Jin? 

 Bullshit.

 But the thought of it, as well as  memories from this morning about having coffee with Jin and Xiao before the long road, were making doubts on Asuka’s resentments against Mishima’s possible good agenda. That, and the fact Jin really was trying to reconcile with her, were confusing, not to mention how it kept reminding Asuka of her own failures.

  Even guys like them could make good changes… but not me. 

 She squinted her eyes, trying to shut down her thoughts .

 Shut up, just shut up. It can’t be that bad, it shouldn't be, and if Jin is really tryin’ to be a good guy, she should let him be. At least for now, while he’s still free. 

 She followed Xiaoyu’s temp to push the bike towards the charging station, feeling the headwind brushing her face and mind.

  If he’s better at all this fixin’ stuff… What's the point of me doing something?..

 * * * 

 “Talk”.

 “It’s confirmed, sir”.

 Victor sighed. Despite his worst suspicions turned out to be true, it still was hard to accept.

 “How that could’ve been possible?” he murmured, forgetting he’s still on a line.

 “According to my sources, these Tekken monks managed to save him at the last second. It’s very strange Kazuya didn’t notice them right under his nose — perhaps he got distracted by something”.

 “All that matters now is that our worst speculations turned out to be true. I wonder why Mademoiselle Sobieska didn’t contact us after learning the truth?”

 “She and others were sure he’s not dangerous anymore due to his loss of memory”.

 “How naive. So he was pretending all this time before making a strike?”

 “The opposite, sir. Looks like he at first genuinely wanted to help, but change his mind in the end”.

 “Is that so… What’s the whole situation?”

 “Most of the monks are defeated or killed for good. Looking for miss Sobieska’s group right now — last time they were observed there, they all got wounded and send to the temple. I suggest we prepare a rescue team immediately”.

 “With a dire situation like this we cannot afford to wait any longer”.

 The answer didn’t come out immediately — there was a long silence until he heard it.

 “Understood”.

 “That doesn’t mean we won’t send a team. Specifically, we have to gather it on the field — that’s our only option and failure is unacceptable”.

 There was another long silence on the other side of the line, which made Victor clench the sheath of his sword. But after hearing a light chuckle, he relaxed his grip.

 “Looks like I have to clean the mess of my subordinate yet again. After all his training, he still has to learn another lesson about fact-checking”.

 “Don’t be so harsh. We both know Mishimas are full of surprises and tenacity”.

 “I understand he’s your favorite, sir, but the fact is that he messed up. Again. Mishima’s tenacity is not an excuse”.

 Victor felt silent, feeling the slight shear from the voice, full of disappointment. To be honest, he should’ve expected that reaction like no other. After all, he was the master of their whole flock… and she was the second in command. And at the moment, the most capable one.

 “Get to work, then,” he said. “I will prepare the retreat transportation in an hour and send you the coordinates by that time. For now you act on the situation, but if it will be possible to recruit someone else besides Sobieska group, it will be a benefit for us”.

 “Understood. Raven out”.

 She turned off the call right when some noise of the fallen leaves disrupted the talk. The long blade of the katana flashed on the light of the full moon before stopping at the throat of the unwanted tall and muscular guest. The moonlight reflection on the blade fell right on his damaged dragon mask.

 “Master Raven, I suppose?” he asked.

 She squeezed her eyes, not lovering the katana. She saw that man before, on her several days of surveillance, but…

 “And I suppose you’re the one who should’ve died in that battle,” she said, raising her blade slowly to catch his mask. “How can I be sure you’re not a threat?”

 He slowly tilted his head back, making it easier for her katana to pull his mask off. She didn’t move even for a little, expecting anything other than submission.

 “After failing my brothers in arms, I don’t deserve to hold that mask or my title,” he said slowly. “You can expose my face, if you desire, but after that, I humbly ask you to end my life this instant”.

 “Huh? Nonsense!” Master Raven scoffed. “You sure screwed up, not only for your faction, but for my subordinate, too. So…” 

 She raised the tip of her katana a little higher, catching the edge of his mask, feeling how his gulp was shaking her blade. She smiled.

 “I’m a little too modern for your traditions to die after such a great mistake. And after all, you welcomed a person, who’s certainly sure everyone can atone their sins, no matter how big they are… so as I heard”.

 She swiftly moved the katana away behind her back, putting it in the sheath. 

 “Well,” she continued. “Seiryu, was it? Are you ready to clean up your mess and help me to rescue Miss Sobieska?”

 The elder Tekken Monk got frozen for a second, but then respectfully bowed to her. Master Raven noticed several wounds on his back and hands. That could be a problem.

 “At first, we should regroup,” she said, noticing some movement from the side of the temple. “Then we’ll discuss what to do”.

 They both quickly moved into the dark of the forest.

*  *  *

 They arrived in the next city by evening. But even despite the late hour, the deserted streets and quiet buildings felt somehow ominous.

 “Why do we have to meet with Lars-san in such a creepy place?” Xiaoyu asked, hugging herself. “It’s like a ghost town!”

 “What, ya not in the mood for punchin’ ghosts today?” Asuka snickered, stretching her hands. 

 “You’re saying this like it’s a usual thing for you,” Jin noted. “How many have you beaten already?”

 Asuka stopped, thinking. 

 “Uhh… none?.. Does it matter?”

 Jin let himself smirk. “Well, there’s no way you can beat my record, then”.

 He went forward, leaving Asuka shocked, with an opened mouth. She blinked and ran after him.

 “Hol’up! What’s that supposed to mean?!”

 “Hey, don't leave me here alone, you two!” Xiaoyu went after her shortly.

 They followed Jin, who went straight ahead, checking directions via his smartphone. The further they went, the deeper he furrowed his eyebrows.

  Something’s not right. At all.

  “What is it?” Xiao asked, like she could feel his uneasiness.

 “Lars should have sent the coordinates already,” he muttered, looking around. “I know he’s got a lot of his own thing to do now, but… I don’t like this”.

 “C’mon, he may have sent someone to pick us up, if that's the case,” Asuka shrugged and then pointed somewhere forward. “Oh! Look, ya see these cars?”

 Both Jin and Xiaoyu looked in the direction of her pointing. Two silver vans were actually there, right near the town square. The street lamps hadn't lit yet, but the UN logo on both cars was still visible thanks to the sunset light.                                              

 “I saw the same ones back in Rome, near the Coliseum,” Asuka said. “Wasn't there some sunglasses guy with a sword, who came with them though?”

  She's observant. Good to know.

  Although Jin still has a feeling something isn't right. Lars or Lee should've warned him they'll send a UN group for them… That whole setup smelled like the most obvious trap he ever saw.

 “What’s wrong?” 

 A cheerful voice, not belonging to Asuka or Xiaoyu, suddenly rang out behind their backs, then switched to the ominous tone.

 “You don't like the escort I prepared for you… Jin-senpai ?”

 Several bright projectors turned on immediately, blinding all three of them. Covering his eyes, Jin heard a sound of a lot of steps, surrounding them, clicking raised weapons and zapping stun guns. But the couple of particular steps, different from each other, made him more tense. As the clicking heels and stomps of boots got closer, he adapted to the light and took the stance, looking at the pair of approaching figures through squeezed eyes.

 “Why I'm not surprised…” he muttered. “Aren’t you supposed to take a vacation?”

 The heel clicks stopped several meters from him, but he still could hear Nina's scoff.

 “I'm afraid you misinformed. Furthermore, I got a new, more promising client now”.

 “She means me,” Reina clarified, waving her hand. “Xiao-senpai, good evening! Sorry I didn't greet you back in Rome!”

 “Huh? Senpai?” Xiaoyu was confused, although she could slightly remember the girl in front of her. Suddenly, the realization struck her.

 “You're from the Asia prelims tournament? Reina?” she asked.

 “You got it!” Girl smiled, but Xiaoyu could sense some ingenuity in her manners. Her suspicions quickly got confirmed as Reina stepped forward, grinning triumphantly.

 “I bet you got very annoyed after realizing what I did during that one trip on your flying ship, Jin Kazama? Well, I'm not going to hold this cat in the bag anymore — it already reeks dead anyway”.

 “Save your explanations,” Jin replied, not lowering his fists. “What's your goal here? Are you working for Heihachi?”

 Reina got visibly confused and offered.

 “How am I supposed to say what my goal is, if you just said you don't need an explanation? Your instructions are very unclear, Jin-senpai”.

 “Stop foolin’ around and tell us why you're here already!” Asuka snapped and stepped forward, then Xiaoyu blocked her way with her hand.

 Reina's eyes got narrowed once she looked at Asuka. A predatory gaze, Jin thought. Or more likely, the hunter one. He knew that kind of glare very well, since he saw that right before Heihachi made an announcement of the third tournament. That's when Jin understood that his training was complete. What he didn't know back at that moment, is that Heihachi already saw his potential, power… and danger for himself.

 “So, you're Asuka Kazama,” Reina's voice sounded surprisingly calm, even boring. “How strange… Here I thought you have something special in yourself, since both senpais had to babysit you… But I guess, you're nothing but a troublesome brat”.

 Asuka gasped, which made Jin even more tense. He could guess what Reina's goal is, and if she wants to make Asuka snap…

 But, to his surprise, Asuka just let out a loud and annoyed sigh.

 “Well, I get that a lot, not gonna lie,” she said, shrugging. “But hey, you also look and sound like a troublesome one — we could've get along, whatcha’ think? You did help others back then to hold up the Devil, right?”

 Reina clearly got confused by that reaction — but only for a couple of seconds, before she fell into a sincere, loud laugh.

 “You think I did that only to help you guys?” She stopped laughing and her voice once again lowered as she also slightly lowered her head.

 “Are you that stupid? I wouldn't give a damn if Kazuya destroyed you all — that's not what I was after”.

 Nina, who stayed silent during the conversation, made a quick wave with her palm. The UN military soldiers narrowed the circle, getting closer to the trio.

 “I actually planned to take out only you, Jin-senpai,” Reina said, putting a hand on her hip. “But I was thinking lately… after that one battle you and Kazyua had on Yakushima… is there even a point? You may not be even useful to me at all without your Devil powers”.

 “What a pity,” Jin let himself smirk. “And even if I still had it, you think I’ll agree to work with you?”

 Something in Reina's face changed. She didn't move a muscle, not a single emotion got through her serious and focused expression, but Jin still felt a familiar threat from her. 

  Is this?..

 “Hey, out of the way!” 

 Suddenly, some of the UN soldiers went flying right in the air, some of them went into each other, breaking the surrounding circle where Jin and others had been.

 Using the distraction, Xiaoyu and Asuka, without hesitation, knocked out some of the soldiers and went running into separate directions. Jin, still having eyes locked with Reina’s, noticed with a side eye a large human figure, approaching him through fallen UN troopers. The realization of who it was came too late, as Miguel sent his powerful punch right into Jin's chest, making him slide back and gasp for air.

 “I finally found you, pendejo!” Miguel snarled, clenching his fists. “Now prepare to die!”

 *  *  *

 “Hold on,” Master Raven raised her hand, to make her companion stop.

 Seiryu stood still on the branch of a tree next to her, not moving a muscle, but she could tell he’s looking around thoroughly along with her.

 “What next?” he whispered. Thankfully, his mask was making his voice even quieter, so they both could hear familiar heavy steps from afar. Master Raven tensed, seeing how Seiryu’s shoulders buckled a little.

 “We have to keep going,” she said. “It’s a hard pill to swallow, but there’s still people we can and have to save. Your people”.

 “I understand,” he muttered. “It’s very dangerous to go there. It means to go against him directly…”

 “And we don’t have any chances, I suppose?” she chuckled for a second, but then took the serious note immediately. “Don’t worry, I know the risks. Furthermore, I have a plan, but you have to trust me with that”.

 He felt silent, and then, without a word, made a single nod. She nodded back and quickly pointed in the necessary direction - the one they were looking at not so long ago. 

 If her suspicions were right, they got more chances to pull that off. Otherwise… She really had to go full solo against Heihachi.

 Time to take the risks. 

 “Follow me”.

 She quickly jumped forward, her hand already clenching on a katana’s handle in a case of defense. But as she landed on a next branch, she stopped, not believing what she saw. Seiryu landed next to her, confused.

 “(My pleasure to see some friendly faces, but allow me to finish the task at hand)”.

 “Excuse me?” She couldn’t help herself.

 The famous ninja thief, Yoshimitsu, was sitting on a narrow branch with crossed legs. But despite the position and location, he didn’t show any discomfort.

 That, though, wasn’t the most surprising thing both Master Raven and Seiryu had witnessed. A little remote controller in Yoshimitsu’s hands, which he actively was operating, was very unusual by the fact it doesn’t look like Yggdrasil or a UN device. More like…

 “Are you playing arcades?!” she shouted, not being able to control her shock. “Really?!”

 “(Please, be quiet, fierce maiden)”.

 He didn’t even look at her or stopped playing with the game console, which had some very retro shooter playing on its screen.

 “Is this some modern method of mind training?” Seiryu asked, being absolutely baffled by what was going on.

 “It’s not, trust me,” Master Raven replied coldly. “I was sure we can have your support, Manji thief, but I suppose you decided to continue just making fun of yourself after being beaten”.

 “(Indeed I am)”.

 He didn’t even look at them, his fingers started to press buttons more actively as he most likely entered the final stage of the game. Master Raven sighed and turned away.

 “Waste of time. Come on, at least you can bring me to the other monks who can help~”

 “(There is no need to)”.

 She turned her head back, as the sound of clicking buttons stopped right after this line. Yoshimitsu pulled the console away and raised up on his feet. Only now Master Raven noticed another weird thing about him.

 “Have you lost your sword?” she asked.

 “(You can’t lose things if you know where you lost them,)” he said, looking away in the direction of the arena of the temple. 

 “Can you fight without it?”

 He placed his hand on his hip, where Master Raven noticed another sword in sheath.

 “(I’m the only one who can control its urge to kill)”.

 “The killer sword…” Seiryu muttered. “It will be dangerous in the wrong hands”.

 “(However, the lives of Lidia and Eddy are also in danger),” Yoshimitsu lowered his head, thinking. “(Should we save two lives, by putting at risk two thousand?)”

 “I hope you’re just exaggerating. There already were too many bad decisions, and we can’t make the whole situation even worse”.

 “(It cannot be worse. Just follow me)”.

 Without any other words, Yoshimitsu jumped down from the tree, making Master Raven and Seiryu follow him. As soon as they touched ground, Master Raven noticed a narrow strip of weak orange light, between the grass and an old fallen tree.

 “Clever,” she chuckled.

 As both Yoshimitsu and Seiryu quickly crouched to move under the tree, she followed them, and surprisingly, there was enough space to go under. Master Raven found herself in a spacious underground den, most likely belonging to some huge animal long time ago. Now it was occupied by a dozen of wounded Tekken monks, most of them laying down, while others were threatening their wounds, guiding themselves by several candlelights.

 “Perhaps it’s a good thing you can’t retrieve your sword yet,” she muttered. “But my, what a mess… I’m not even sure it would be possible to evacuate all of them in a condition like that”.

 “They could stay and fight until the end, if it’s necessary,” Seiryu said. “After failing in such a great ordeal from our ancestors, we can’t let Heihachi get away with the technique he acquired”.

 “Not a chance,” she snapped back. “My priority is to rescue as many people as possible, including your warriors and Miss Sobieska. Your heroic sacrifice is out of option”.

 “(Then allow me)”.

 She turned back to Yoshimitsu, his armor was gleaming with sudden red lines. How strange… She never saw that before, and Victor didn’t instruct her on any of Yoshimitsu’s upgrades.

 “You want to go alone?” she clarified.

 “(What is one more defeat for me today, if it can bring several victories for others tomorrow? There’s nothing else for me to lose now, but the sword with my name… It needs to be put to sleep until it’s too late)”

 She didn’t answer, looking around, as Seiryu already approached other monks to help them with healing. Time was running out, and they still didn’t know the whereabouts of Lidia and Eddy, nor even their status. And Yoshimitsu’s behavior was quite strange, most likely because of his blade.

 But he was right — they had to risk once more to get things done. And for this time, it better be worth it.

 “Alright,” she nodded, reaching her palm to Yoshimitsu. “But keep in mind that your life also has to be protected. Both your clan and Miss Sobieska still need you”.

 “(They are not the only ones who need my services. But I’ll do my best), ” he held out his own hand for a shake, and then reached the other one, with a game console in it.

 “(I’m asking for you one thing — keep that until the backup arrives)”

 Master Raven huffed, but said nothing, just putting the console in one of her back pockets.

 Suddenly, something changed in the air. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what became wrong, but the sense of danger filled her mind to the brim.

 “Seiryu, help others to leave this place. We’re moving to the outskirts of the forest, as quickly as possible,” she pulled out her katana and turned back to Yoshimitsu. “You sure you don’t need… this?..“

 There was nothing at the place he stood a second ago. Even his footprints disappeared.

 “Goddammit,” she muttered, carefully looking out from the hideout.

 The visible area perfectly showed the temple’s territory, and Master Raven could’ve swore she could see an ominous aura around the main building. The same she felt, looking at Yoshimitsu’s new armor.

 “I have to follow him,” she said, turning back to Seiryu and giving him the console. “Wait for the help exactly where I told you all to go — I’ll try to come back quickly”.

 Not waiting for any response, she jumped out from the den, moving to the temple as fast as she could. If that sword is actually that dangerous even in Yoshimitsu’s hands, it will be a catastrophe in the possession of Heihachi. These risks were too high even for her.

 She had to do her best now. Not only for these people, but for those who will replace her after her inevitable defeat. If Heihachi Mishima was able to return even after being considered dead twice, she has no chance to make it a third, but for good.

 She rushed to the temple with a katana already gripped in her hand.

*  *  *

 When Jin thought about atoning for his mistakes, he didn’t expect everyone in the world to forgive him immediately. In fact, he hoped to die as soon as he was done, so no one else would judge him even more than he did by himself.

 But even he didn’t expect that kind of hate, relentless, anger — all that he felt right now after getting hit by that one big Spaniard man, who rushed towards him once again, throwing away everyone who was unlucky to be on his way.

 “Oh, how long I waited for this…” the man snarled, rushing towards Jin with another punch. “This time you WILL pay!”

 Jin didn’t waste time asking who that man was, or what he’s done to him. The hate this strong was familiar for him as his own, after losing mother and being betrayed by Heihachi. Some time ago, he would’ve even stopped resisting and accepted his fate to be killed by this man, hoping to end it all entirely.

 But not now. He still got things to do.

 He raised his fists for the guard, but the blow still was too strong to move him away from the man. He was even stronger than Asuka with her powers amplified — and that said Jin a lot.

 No matter who that man is, he’s a formidable opponent.

 He wanted to look around, to at least check if Asuka and Xiao managed to get out, but the sudden flurry of stranger’s attacks forced Jin to focus on defense. He didn’t pull any of his punches, making his intentions clear enough. But even then, Jin didn’t want to go too far with the comeback. It wasn’t necessary, and he still was distracted by being unaware of others’ situation.

 “Boring”.

 That's all Reina could say, observing Jin with a side eye, while following Xiaoyu and Asuka, who both tried to regroup near some alley. She smiled, knowing well that will not work, and the only choice she had left to make is which of these girls she should destroy first to completely break Jin. 

 “What the heck?! You guys?..” Meanwhile Asuka shouted, full of disbelief. 

 The same several thugs, led by Knifeguy, who were harassing her and that coffeeshop just the other day, now totally blocked the alley. But that wasn’t the most weird thing. Behind them, there were several soldiers from the Shin Tekken Force, like they were also led by these casual knuckleheads, or at least backing them up for some reason.

 Reina quickly used this pause to her advantage, attacking Xiaoyu and cutting her off Asuka completely. She jumped with a high kick, making Xiaoyu roll sideways and immediately made a linear punch, which Xiaoyu also successfully avoided with her Phoenix stance.

 “What's the big idea?” she shouted, not attacking back yet. Reina smiled devilishly.

 “Oh, it’s nothing… Just want to check if you are as good as it seems. My father admires you, after all…”

 Not finishing the sentence, she attacked again, now with a series of quick and precise punches. Xiaoyu managed to block the first couple of them, and when Reina turned around with a switching stance, she tried to attack with a kick… only for it to be caught by Reina’s leg lock.

 “Huh?” Xiaoyu gasped, with a shocking recognition of this move. Only one person she knew would have used it…

 “Not working!”

 The kick in the face made Xiaoyu fall on her back, but she didn’t feel much pain - the shock of realization still prevailed in her mind.

 “Your father?..” she gasped, while Reina hovered above her, looking down at Xiaoyu.

 “Sure you can do better, right, Xiaoyu-senpai ? Either he got a very wrong impression of you…” Reina’s voice dropped, as she slowly raised her fist for a pining strike. “Or you’re become too soft!”

 Xiaoyu rolled back quickly, away from the crushing punch, which broke the concrete on the very same place she was a moment ago. She tried to change to a standing position, also looking for Jin and Asuka’s whereabouts, but Reina didn’t give her this privilege, rushing forward again with another string of quick and powerful attacks.

 This caused Xiaoyu to focus on defense only, not even giving her chances to attack back, but her senses felt how someone else was approaching her from behind. Using the slight pause in Reina’s pressure, she ducked one of her kicks, and jumped high, with back somersault, to avoid sneak attack. Landing in the distance, she raised on her feet to notice both Reina and Nina, going against her.

 “That was sloppy,” Nina pointed out, not turning her head to Reina, but clearly talking to her, since the girl frowned with a disappointed look.

 “She's a sneaky one, that’s for sure,” she said, taking her stance again. “I heard you managed to take down a lot of my father’s bodyguards several years ago. How about giving a demonstration, Xiaoyu-senpai? After all, there’s only two of us you had to defeat…”

 She rushed forward, making her intentions clear this time, so Xiaoyu avoided her fist attack, not stopping to observe Nina’s actions. Reina, however, understood her mistake fast, and instead of attacking, tried to go around Xiaoyu, making it hard for her to focus on two opponents simultaneously.   

 For Asuka, luckily, the position wasn’t the main problem, as the narrow alley made it hard for thugs and Shin Tekken force units to surround her. Still, she tried not to go all out, just grabbing the Knife guy’s hand who rushed on her first and threw him back into others.

 “Ya better back off, or else!”

 “Or else what, missy?” The Knife guy who got caught by his men, stood back, spreading his arms wide. “We got a huge backup this time, so don’t try your super bullshit on us!”

 Asuka squeezed her eyes, feeling familiar energy filling her fists.

 “Oh, you guys just ASKIN’ FOR IT!”

 She bolted forward with a wide haymaker, feeling how breeze and partially the alley’s wall were scratching her knuckles, before meeting some of the thugs' faces, taking him down and away from her. Not hesitating anymore, she rushed forward again with a linear elbow strike, knocking away some more of opponents. But suddenly, she felt how someone managed to block her attack at the last second.

 “Got her!”

 The shout was sharp and clear, as it was supposed to sound from the military type of guy. Asuka managed to look at him right before others hurled oh ner, blocking her possibility to move even a little. The frustration along with desperation started to burn in her chest, even stronger than it was just a day ago.

 “Time to knock her down,” the same guy who blocked her before, turned out to be some other thug, who suddenly pulled out a stun gun with a mark of Shin Tekken force on it. Other soldiers did not make a single move, clearly showing how much authority this one guy in casual clothes had over them.

 The same authority someone else had over Asuka’s actions not so long ago… before she struck back.

 The powerful high kick knocked the stun gun out of the guy’s hand. Before he or anyone else would’ve reacted properly, Asuka grabbed him by his hand and with one precision strike, dislocated its joint. Guy grunted, trying to break the grab, but Asuka just punched him in the face fiercely, feeling blood from his nose and mouth falling on her fingers.

  That’s it .

 She threw his body away from others and roared, not controlling herself clearly.

 The energy in her body, flowing in her hands and legs before, now rushed to her eyes, brain, ears, cutting off any sense of environment, danger and sense of reason. She didn’t think, she didn’t hesitate, she didn’t even realize what was happening anymore, as her mind got caught in some sort of typhoon, taking her further and further from reality. And she didn’t even want to go back, or struggle to control herself - there was no point anyway.

  Just another mess I made. Why should I care - they got this without me or this crap. Better to just put it down and give up for good.

 “Come on, take her out already!” someone screamed, but it was hard to hear him among all the other screams and grunts she could’ve heard between the strange silence from her powers. Something happening too fast, too far away from her — but with that, some familiar sense in the distance took her attention, and she tried to focus her mind to understand what it is.

 Blood. Punch, pain, fury and desperation stinged her like a hot, thick needle. Some giant figure which she was sure she saw not a long time ago, was holding something in its hand… Or someone.

 She gasped, as the figure in one second became very clear and vivid with blood on his hands, blood from Jin’s mouth, as he slightly tried to breathe.

 “NO!”

 That was all that Asuka was able to shout before the overload of emotions, senses and power took her away again — but this time, very far, from the fight, world and light, straight into nothingness.

*  *  *

 “You DARE to not fight back?! You better at least try, asshole!”

 Jin still tried not to do anything, hoping to get a better picture of a situation first. He could've  heard Asuka’s voice in the distance, Xiao’s grunts, who was clearly separated from Asuka by something or someone — but that still didn’t help him enough to think about retaliation. 

 The Spaniard also didn’t give Jin any space to attack, defend or make a move, pressing on everything with all his strength. He was for sure going for the kill, and anything else was a distraction for him.

 Had to use it somehow.

 Jin managed to notice some giant barrel not far away from them and took a step back, making himself and the Spaniard move in that direction. Just as he planned, the man tried to block his step with another big kick, and Jin stepped away again for the kick that crashed in the barrel. The dull and loud sound of strike gave him enough time to change position and stance - but Jin got distracted by a familiar voice, grunting in a distance.

 He looked away for a voice and froze for a second, seeing how Xiaoyu, who got caught in a pinch between Reina and Nina, got grabbed by the latest to make it easier for Reina to attack her with a lightning-charged punch.

 But he didn’t see the outcome, as his own vision got out with a strong punch. All of Jin’s senses got blurred, stunned, like he suddenly left this realm and his body. This time, there was no Devil to bring him back, and he only could suppose the Spaniard was lifting his body up by holding on his jacket, to throw it into the wall and follow it up with another powerful kick. The blood in Jin’s mouth bursted out, right on the Spaniard's fists and face.

 “You WILL strike back!” he roared, lifting Jin’s body again. 

 Blood rushed in Miguel’s head. All this time, since he saw the killer of his sister at close range, he didn’t care about anything else. That strange girl, Reina, her plans, her wish to meet Jin for her own benefits - nothing of that mattered anymore. Especially when that asshole didn’t even dare to fight back, to at least show he can not only order to bomb innocent lives.

 Coward.

 Bastard.

 Monster who doesn’t deserve to live!

 All these thoughts were spinning around in Miguel’s head, as he punched Jin again and again, until he tried to move away, retreat, using the barrel nearby as a distraction. But someone’s voice distracted him — Miguel didn’t know which voice that was, probably one of the girls he saw with Jin.

 Their presence didn’t bother him — they had to see the true face of this murderer, so Miguel was just doing them a huge favor.

 Or even for a whole world, if he’ll just kill this monster right now.

 He lifted Jin’s body yet again, raising fist for a final, crushing blow. 

 “NO! ”

 A visceral, loud shriek through the whole square made everyone froze for a second. Miguel now noticed how one of the girls, the one with two long ponytails, was trying to fight with Reina and some other blonde woman he could’ve sworn he saw somewhere before. They all turned somewhere in the direction of shriek, looking somewhere behind Miguel, the sudden look of horror on the twintail-girl's face made Miguel turn back himself.

 The large figure, surrounded by some strange cyan-lighted spiraling energy, appeared before Miguel in a blink of an eye, its powerful punch sent him flying into some building. He felt how his fingers, that were gripping Jin’s body, unclenched, letting his nemesis to drop somewhere, but his instincts, honed in hundreds of street brawling, switched his attention to a new threat.

 He slipped down from the wall, trying to regain and focus his vision, but the unknown enemy didn’t let him do so. The cyan figure appeared towards Miguel again, grabbing him into a tackle, both of them fell on the concrete. As his back of the head hit the ground, he finally managed to see the face of the figure clearly.

 It was another girl, who accompanied Jin. Strong-builded body with unusually big fists, short hair, tattered jeans and leather sleeveless vest. But her eyes were… abnormal. The same light-green light that surrounded the girl’s body, beamed from her eyes, as if she transformed into some inhuman being.

 She roared, raising her fist for another strike, and Miguel quickly shook her off, rolling away with a kick. She blocked it and lunged at him once again, only to meet the ground, when he did spring kicked away and let her fly with a powerful soccer kick.

 Finally… someone who will fight back. He didn’t want to know what reason made this girl go berserk, but he could guess easily.

 “I don’t care if you want to protect him!” Miguel shouted, as the girl slowly got on her feet, groaning. “This bastard is the most pitiful being on earth if he needs to be protected by some girls instead of fighting by himself…” 

 Another shriek, followed by a jumping kick, didn’t let him finish, as Miguel had to sidestep quickly, just to be pressed by several powerful haymakers. There was no technique, skill or tactic — just mindless brawl and power, just as he used it himself. But even with that, he couldn’t counter, since there was something unnatural behind these blows, as he was pressed not only by fists, but by the powers of nature itself, channeling through this girl.

  Not like this!..

 As she took a longer time to take another swing, Miguel quickly ducked and rushed forward with an uppercut. Two can play this game, and he’s in!..

 The blow landed right under the girl's chin. Her upper body benched back, her teeth clenched, as the spits of blood burtsted through them. But, to Miguel’s surprise, she didn’t fall down — instead, she bounced back with a headbutt, the wild, primal grin was the most vivid image Miguel saw before his vision became brightly wide from a headbutt hit.

 He could feel how she grabbed his hand unceremoniously, and then his legs went off the ground, as she started to swing his body around. He felt a heavy strike of her knee on his forearm and couldn’t hold a scream, as pain of broken bones pierced his body and mind. Instinctively, he tried to reach her with free hand, hoping to at least grab her, but his fingers could feel only emptiness.

 As his vision regained, Miguel saw how the girl threw him on the ground again, snarling. He tried to roll away, but the pain of a broken arm pierced his body again. He winced through teeth, as the girl saddled over him, raising both of her hands for a crushing blow.

 Another scream of hers filled his mind as soon as his vision got lost again from the blow. He stopped to struggle, letting her throw at him all her power, with some of his own mind being in the ready position, to take advantage as soon as she stopped.

 The feel of blood in his mouth and nose, a couple of broken teeth, a ringing emptiness that filled his head along with her screams — or was it the same thing? He didn’t know or even care. This all was almost familiar from his own life, and probably, from her too, as her strikes, despite being wild and unfocused, still hold the same nature as his own, honed in dozens of back alley fights.

 But unlike Miguel, who for sure could’ve been as dangerous as the hurricane, the girl herself was the huracán .

 He raised his healthy arm, trying to grab one of her punches. It got crushed momentarily, pressed into concrete, but luckily, still not broken. He used this pause to spring his upper body, his head to hit her, despite not seeing clearly — and another blast of white and red flash before his eyes, along with a sudden lightness on his waist made it clear that he is in advantage now.

 Following the girl’s groan, Miguel once again raised his freed hand and punched the space onwards, feeling how he hit something soft enough to be a human body. Another groan of her confirmed he didn’t miss, and he quickly repeated the attack, hitting again. And again, but this time, his arm got grabbed, and he felt someone’s teeth crushing into his skin and muscles. 

 “You!..” he shouted, before hearing her another snarl. The grip of teeth on his arm disappeared, but before he could act, he felt a crushing kick on his chest, closing his way to breath.

 Miguel writhed in agony, trying to catch air helplessly, as his clouded vision showed a figure of the girl hovering above him, as some monumental figure of nemesis and uncontrolled being. He couldn’t see her face clearly, but her eyes, still glowing light-green, looked surprisingly sorrowful.

 He finally managed to catch a breath, coughing at her feet, as she looked at him without any emotion, interest or anything. He was nothing for her, as for Jin… despite everything, they didn’t see him as a threat, person, anything. Monsters, both of them, who he wasn’t able to take down.

 “Just… finish it,” he spitted. 

 The girl tilted her head slowly, as his words suddenly picked her interest. She looked at his face, his arm near her foot, both covered in blood. Something in her face, whole body switched after that quick look entirely, as she lifted her leg and screamed, as her boot was going to crush his skull.

 As Miguel closed his eyes, a sudden breeze touched his face. Instead of a quick death, he felt as if someone fell nearby, their body crashing to the ground with a loud thump. He slowly opened his eyes again, feeling as his vision started to regain enough to leave him shocked from the image before him.

 “What in the Devil?..” he whispered in a raspy voice, as Jin, sitting nearby him, was holding the struggling girl, not letting her go.

*  *  *

 “Really?” Reina sounded disappointed as Xiaoyu’s unconscious body slumped upon her feet. “I hoped you could take more”.

 “She clearly was distracted,” Nina pointed out, stepping on Xiaoyu, making sure she would not move and counterattack. “What’s your plan with her now?”

 The sudden scream across the townsquare pierce the air, making both Reina and Nina turn their heads towards the sound. As they both saw how Asuka, literally overflowing with some unknown cyan light, was beating Miguel, who didn't have a chance to fight back, Reina smirked.

 “Well, Jin didn’t show anything useful anyway. At least we can bring him and his girl with us. But this…” 

 She tilted her head, observing Asuka, as she was exchanging brutal, non-trained blows with Miguel, with a snarl and cyan glow in her eyes. 

 “This is curious,” Reina muttered.

 She didn’t feel anything familiar, like it was with her battle with both Jin and Kazuya. If that girl doesn’t have Devil power, then what the hell is it?

 In any case, she can be really useful for father.

 “We’ll take her in,” she said, turning back to Nina, who had already turned her headpiece for a call. “Other two would make good trophies”.

 Suddenly, Nina’s face slightly changed.

 “Two?” she asked, her eyes looking behind Reina. She turned back to the brawl, which suddenly got quiet after another Asuka shriek got cutted out by something. 

 “Hoh,” Reina smiled a little. “Look who decided to came back”.

*  *  *

 He wanted to die.

 All the damage he got in this fight has started to wear his body on a great scale. It was like a huge rockfall which buried him underneath, not letting even a slight chance to move.

 He could still feel the girl’s presence above him, and that would’ve made him laugh, if he wasn’t so tired. This pure incarnation of revenge and anger, all that he bore within himself for these almost two years, was turned against him for some cruel, ironic reason. 

 He didn’t think he didn’t deserve that, though. He hoped that Jin would also be the one who would feel all this power and pain. But instead…

 Instead, the bastard has awakened and thrown the girl on the ground, holding her tight, not letting her finish Miguel’s life. That was even more cruel than the fact he himself got beaten for his wish for revenge. 

 “What in the Devil…?” Miguel wheezed, as he could barely breathe again.

 “Knock it out!” Jin shouted, not even looking at him. Just like before, when Miguel almost caught him that one time, but got distracted by Jin’s soldiers, who let him fly away on the helicopter.

  He doesn't even see me. Not then, not now!..

 He started laughing, his rasped breath made his laugh wheezy and even sinister. His chest was burning, his vision once again began to blur, but he still managed to notice dozens of soldiers who he knocked out earlier, now started to surround them slowly.

 He didn’t know what they wanted with Jin, but he hoped he would be the one who will finally get him cornered and defeated. At least, in that he managed perfectly, since Jin still was busy holding a rampaging girl, who still tried to get to Miguel.

 “Stop it!” Jin shouted, his fingers clenched on Asuka’s shoulder tighter. “He’s defeated, you don’t have to kill him!”

 Miguel stopped laughing, feeling how anger in his mind boiled his body once more. Not as strong to stand, but enough to spit towards Jin. By the sudden silence he understood that he finally got his attention.

 “Sure, she doesn't have to… But did you have to kill all the innocent people in your war?” he said between his teeth. “Did you have to sacrifice so many to awaken some monster who got beaten already in the past? No one asked you to do that, you son of a bitch!”

 Now he could feel his glare — but surprisingly, Miguel didn’t feel any anger in response. Just something shallow, weak but still strongly resurfacing towards him. 

 Is this guilt? Remorse? Just now? 

 “It had to be done,” Jin said, but shut down quickly, as Miguel tried to rush towards him. Hovewer, he failed — his weakened body slumped at Jin’s feet. He didn’t move, still holding Asuka’s calmed body, as Miguel, groaning, turned on his back, looking at Jin with an unlimited hate.

 “Bullshit! You just wanted to do something with the thing within yourself, and this monster was an excuse for you to do so! Oh, I know about the monster you're hiding — one of your good friends told me enough. And if you think your heroic sacrifices excused what you did, you’re wrong!” 

 He slowly tried to get up, but slipped, and stood down, leaning on an unbroken arm, glaring at Jin from below.

 “You’ve just created more monsters that you wanted to kill,” he breathed out with a smirk. “And one of them is behind you”.

 Before Jin could’ve turned back, he felt a crashing blow on his nape, which made him falter. He almost fell on Miguel, still holding Asuka in his hands, but managed to keep balance, and turned back with a keep out kick, which got blocked immediately.

 “You should’ve kept your mouth shut, big guy,” Reina said coldly, her eyes were looking at Jin. “I know you wanted to kill him, but he has to stay alive”.

 “I don’t care what you need him for,” Miguel tried to stand once again. “He’s MINE!”

 His tensed arm sprung from the ground, letting him finally get up. Not losing a moment, Miguel jumped at Jin, his fist clenched for a punch he channeled with all remaining strength. But suddenly, he felt a sharp cold pain, pierced through his hand straight into his shoulder, as Miguel himself looked shockingly at the crystallic spike, penetrated his fist before it even reached Jin.

 “Didn’t you hear?” he heard Reina's voice, surprisingly unnatural. “I need him alive ”.

 Jin, who managed to jump away, couldn’t believe it. He hoped that’s just a trick of his mind, just a recurring nightmare from the past — but it wasn’t.

 Just like back at the Coliseum, when Kazuya managed to absorb Azazel’s power and gain more dangerous form - now the strange, unknown girl having some connections with Heihachi, easily pierced the Spaniard’s hand with her own fist, transformed into the familiar looking purple crystallic spike.

 Reina’s eyes turned red, her irises narrowed vertically, as she looked back at Jin.

 “Oh, now you noticed,” she said, as if it was very obvious. “Too bad you can’t do anything about it now… Right? ”

 She threw Miguel’s body away, knocking some of the approaching soldiers of the Shin Tekken force with it.

 Now Jin realized they’re surrounded. He also could see some of them pulling out weapons — which, as he suspected, might be tranquilizers.

 “Who are you?” he asked, locking his gaze with Reina, trying to read her mind or intentions.

 She didn’t answer — just smiled sinisterly, as her skin slowly changed color to more purple-ish, some strange marks appeared on her face. 

 Suddenly, the strange thumping noise from afar made them turn at it. Nina, groaning, was laying on the ground, as Xiaoyu, pressing on her body with a knee, held the signal pistol in her hand, aimed up to the sky.

 “What the?! ” Reina shouted, but Jin didn’t let her finish. Still holding unconscious Asuka with one hand, with another one he did a straight strike in Reina's chest, making her move out from his way. 

 And then, to his surprise, something changed his attack.

 As Reina, who was supposed to fly away or at least crumple from the power of his punch, instead got staggered, gasping, clenching on her chest, as her markings on the face blurred and disintegrated into familiar golden light.

  Is that?..

 Jin didn’t have enough time to finish his thought, as his own mind began to fall into a familiar whirlpool of emotions, full of despair and rage.

 Not being able to hold it, he grabbed Reina’s head, feeling as spikes on her head — presumably horns — scratching his fingers, before he threw her away into troops of Shin Tekken Force soldiers. He heard guns going ablaze, and his body reacted way too fast for his mind to detect danger, as he jumped over shooters, landing at them with a diving punch. His fist crashed concrete, the shockwave made shooters fall, as Jin himself glared over them, to notice he's still holding Asuka with the free hand.

 That’s strange. It’s not like before…

 Before he regained control over the situation, some of the soldiers — Shin Tekken Force and UN agents — ran over him, trying to surround. Some of them, though, got distracted by someone’s behind, and Jin felt relieved, as he saw Xiaoyu, knocking out some of the enemies to get close to him.

 “You’re alright?” she asked, going behind his back, ready for a fight. “Sorry for taking so long, they got me by surprise”.

 He nodded, putting Asuka on the ground with ease.

 “You gave a signal — you sure it was worth it?”

 “Hope so. Lars-san better appear already!” She shouted, as several soldiers rushed to her, making Xiaoyu keep them out with a quick roundhouse kick. Others tried to attack Jin, but he managed to parry one of the attacks, making the enemy whiff it right to Xiaoyu, who knocked him down with a palm strike. His body knocked away others, while Jin rushed towards another group with a right hook, keeping them far enough to approach or try to grab Asuka. He tried to check if Reina or Nina could be back and attack, but the soldiers’ troops were still overwhelming, and he didn’t recover enough after the Spaniard’s beatdown. 

 That fight is doomed, but at least they should hold on a little longer. While he can hold on… but the strength start to faint from his body as he missed one of the attack, making Xiaoyu cover him with another palm strike that knocked some enemies away, but not so much.

 “Jin!” she shouted, going in another attack immediately, but still backing him up as much as she could, while other soldiers still approached them from the other side. By side-eye he saw how Xiaoyu is getting outnumbered quickly and familiar despair and rage filled his mind once again.

 He straightened up, feeling how familiar power is getting ready to obliterate everything around him. The light of projectors in his eyes became unbearable as he was ready to let it out with one shoot.

 “Attack!”

 He paused for a moment, realizing that the voice wasn’t from Reina or soldiers.

 The power, accumulating in Jin’s mind, slowly went away, as he saw dozens of unfamiliar warriors in Eastern monk robes, running to the square from all streets and alleys, along with familiar Yggdrasil soldiers. As they clashed with agents and Shin Tekken Force units, the unknown figure suddenly approached next to Jin. But he felt an ease as soon as he saw the katana in his hand.

 “(Can you still fight?)” Yoshimitsu asked, raising his weapon. “(Gather all your strength, they’re almost here)”.

 Jin didn’t ask what he meant, and raised his fists once more, giving a quick side-eye to Xiaoyu, who used this opportunity to retreat closer to him.

 “Thanks for being here, samurai-san!” she huffed. “I remember you!”

 “(So do I, young maiden. I was asked to help you before)”

 Before Xiaoyu could ask what he meant by that, some of the Shin Tekken units rushed towards them. She, Jin and Yoshimitsu had to repel the attack, right before the other wave of enemies lunged on them almost momentarily. 

 “(Get behind me!)” Yoshimitsu shouted, as Jin and Xiaoyu followed. He raised his hand quickly, his wrist with sword started to spin, making it impossible for opponents to get closer. Along with the sound of the spinning sword, Jin was able to hear another familiar sound from above.

 “Took him long enough,” he breathed out, raising his head to the sky, as the helicopter slowly lowered on the square. Lars’ voice loudly boomed across the town.

 “Lower your weapons and leave this area immediately!”

 “As if! ”

 Reina’s voice, changed by a familiar to Jin entity, sharply cut through the air, as she herself jumped on the helicopter. Her body got covered with more spikes, the bat-like wings, glowing with red, were small, but strong enough to lift her high, and her hand was already clenched in a crystallic fist, which got big enough to crash the helicopter.

 “What the~”

 Jin heard Lars’ shocked voice before his own body made a move. He rushed forward, barely dodging everyone who tried to lunge at him, and raised his hand in a familiar move. It should work, it has to work…

 Suddenly Reina gasped, as her body got squeezed by unseen force. She screamed, as her giant fist started to glow in golden light from the inside, but before she could do anything else, Jin threw her away as far as he could with all remaining strength. This feeling still was different from before - as if he was subdued or powered by something that wasn’t Devil or Kazama power.

 Was it… her?

 He turned back to Asuka, who was still unconscious. As he heard how Lars and his group, along with unknown warriors led by Yoshimitsu, were clearing the space from enemies, he kneeled to Asuka to check her pulse. It was here - weak, almost unsensible, as if she was on the edge of going away.

 “What… what’s with her?” Xiao kneeled next to him, taking Asuka’s hand. Jin shook his head, the most horrible answers were already dancing in his mind, as he heard once again the Spaniard’s sinister laugh. He raised his head to see him already secured and moved away on the stretcher, accompanied by a couple of Yggdrasil medics.

 "I thought my revenge would be fulfilled if I kill you…” Miguel’s voice was raspy, as he looked at Jin with the same hate as before. “But it got even better, since you now had to deal with the monster you created by your deeds. Hope it kills you slowly".

 Jin didn’t say anything back, as medics rolled the stretcher away as soon as Lars appeared next to him. His look was both guilty and anxious, and Jin felt how the worst things of this day just continued to come at him.

 “Sorry I’m late,” Lars said. “He’s back. And already took action”.

Chapter Text

 She finally opened her eyes.

 Her first reflex was to stand up quickly and look around, and Asuka didn’t notice how easy it was after that overload of energy that knocked her off. But she didn’t think about it at all, as she realised everything around her was different.

 No town square. No hordes of Tekken Force or United Nation soldiers. No Reina, Xiao and Jin, but a familiar trading square of Shinsekai. The golden Buddha statue, staying in front of Asuka, despite the sunny day, wasn’t gleaming at all.

 Just like before, on that day. When her life started to change.

 She turned back, looking for her bike or someone else's. Maybe it’s not too late, maybe she can do something this time…

 There was no bike. Of course, her own was broken that day, so she couldn’t return as fast as usual. 

 “Fuck!”

 She stopped looking around and ran, not noticing, there was absolutely no one on the usually very busy streets of Osaka. She didn’t notice how surprisingly fast she stopped at the gates of the dojo, how quiet it was even there. The only thought Asuka kept in her mind right now washer father’s safety — or anyone in the dojo that day.

 “Dad!”

 She screamed, opening the gates fast and wide, still hoping for the best outcome. Her breath became shaky, her eyes widened, as she stared in front of her.

 She was too late. Again.

 The walls of the dojo were broken, giant holes in leftovers of them hold the roof on its last stretch. The bodies of dojo’s students were lying everywhere, unmoving as if they were dead.

 That wasn’t right. 

 Asuka shook her head. No-no-no, that’s not what happened back there. There were several students who were able to stand back, get her dad in hospital and tell her what happened before leaving the dojo forever. And there weren’t any roses around that time…

 She looked around again. Smell of the roses were itchy, distracting and annoying, as were the flowers itself, hanging all over the dojo’s remnants, as someone decided to decorate their broken walls as a memorial or a mockery.

 “Oh, there you are. Late as usual”.

 That voice, full of high-and-mighty arrogance, came behind the walls, as Lili herself stepped out, moving her hair from her face elegantly, as usual.

 “What the hell are you doing here?” Asuka shouted. “You weren’t there! We didn’t even meet!”

 “So?” Lili cocked her head, her eyebrows frowned. “It’s not like I decided to came here by myself — you brought me”

 “Shuddup, I didn’t! I never wanted you here at all, you brought yer ass here!”

 “Perhaps. But there’s another person who definitely wasn’t invited, but still — here he is,” Lili spinned gracefully and when she stopped, Asuka gasped.

 “YOU!”

 The Chinese monk, tall, muscular and fierce-looking, stood straight in front of her, folding his hands behind his back. Despite the scary and fierce look on his face, his eyes didn't show any remorse, regret or arrogance, as if he didn’t even see what’s in front of him — even Asuka herself.

 “Ya asshole…” she growled, gripping her fists. “What did ya do with everyone? Where’s my dad?”

 He didn’t answer, still looking at Asuka as if she wasn’t here.

 That was the last straw.

 She yelled, lunging at him across the yard, her fist was ready to land in his face. But as soon as Asuka got herself right in front of him, monk disappeared, making her land her strike into the remnants of the wall. The wall crumbled, then the roof beam began to fell on Asuka slowly, giving her enough time to dodge and jump back on the yard.

 “How clumsy,” she heard Lili’s voice behind her back. “No wonder this place is in such a state”.

 “Shut up!”

 She turned back to the voice, but instead of Lili she saw one of their ex-students — a middle-aged woman, with greyish hair gathered in a topknot. Her face was tired, but her eyes were piercing Asuka with condemnation and hate.

 Asuka gasped and stepped back. This lady never looked at her like that — furthermore, she was very nice to her since childhood, cause she couldn’t have children by herself. She became the student of their dojo to stand back against her husband who abused her, but she never wanted to act too violently against him. But in this moment, she looked at Asuka as if she was her sworn enemy.

 “What a disgrace!” The lady shouted, making Asuka stagger and fall back. The other students, who started to get up, surrounded her, looking at her with the same hateful look. Their voices, loud, familiar, but also animalistic, started to ring in her ears.

 “How dare you!”

 “You’re a Kazama!”

 “You’re supposed to protect, not to attack!”

 “Why weren’t you here!”

 “Why didn't you help?”

 “You have no right to meddle with people's problems!”

 “Disgrace!”

 “Unworthy!”

 “ Weak ”

 She looked at the direction of the last voice, gripping her fists once again. The figure before her was changing its form constantly — to Lili, then Chinese monk, then several students. And finally to Asuka herself, wearing her usual training hakama, a headband and, for some strange reason, without her usual gloves, opening her bruised hands. Her eyes weren't seen, hiding in the shadows, but the familiar cyan-greenish light was weakly glowing from where it supposed to be her irises.

 “You’re weak,” the figure repeated, but with Jin’s voice, cold and indifferent — just like the time he announced his war against the world. 

 Asuka shouted loudly, jumped back up on her feet, then rushed at the figure, once again raising her fist. The students around didn’t try to stop her — they just flew away as if they were made from paper. The figure in front stood still, the smile on “Asuka"’s face was devious and waiting.

 She landed her strike — and the figure flew away, taking Lili’s form, bringing a shiver in Asuka’s chest. Just like that day when she run away.

 “No…” she gasped, as fear started to cocoon around her. 

 But the figure stood back fast — and that’s where Asuka stopped moving, feeling how fear completely overwhelmed her, seeing as the figure taking another, new form.

 “What have you done?”

 She heard her father's voice, while he looked at her in fury, his nose bleeding from her punch was flowing endlessly on his chin, then his training hakama, turning the whiteness of it into red.  Asuka couldn’t breathe, feeling her eyes starting to fill with tears.

 “I… I didn’t want to…” she babbled, but father didn’t listen to her. He turned away, bending to the ground where Lili’s unconscious body was.

 “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” he said. “That wasn’t what you were teached”.

 Asuka didn’t answer, as tears started running on her cheeks uncontrollably.

 When father turned back to her, she could feel his hate, burning in her mind and body.

 “You’re not Kazama,” he said. “Just an arrogant brat who can’t do any better to the world aside from beating weaklings”.

 She wept, not being able to do anything else. He’s right, he’s so goddamn right… she’s worthless as a Kazama, as a protector, she’s just a brute, who can only destroy, nothing more…

 “Stop wailing then. Finish it”.

 Her own voice, empty and tired, filled her body, along with familiar light, helping her stand, cleaning her mind enough to not feel or see anything. Just the simple things — like the opponent, who she can overpower and had to do so.

 “Now, shut it all up,” she heard her own voice once again.

 Her body rushed forward, the visions of her father, Lili, dojo students and the Chinese monk bleached from her mind, leaving only a formless figure in front of her. It met her punch with ease and bent around it like some kind of dough before it flew away and disappeared. The walls of the dojo, the yard and the gates started to deform, stretching into the grey sky, forming into buildings, skyscrapers and walls, as the sky itself became more grey as if it was going to rain soon.

 Something clanked upon her feet.

 Asuka lowered her gaze on the ground, looking at the steel bat, shimmering from the grey of the sky. As she bent to pick it up, the familiar cyan light swirled around the bat, making it easy to hold, and contain enough strength to crush anything or anyone.

 “What a brute,” she heard Lili’s mocking voice and swung the bat before even deciding to turn around.

 Lili’s gasp, as much as sudden Chinese monk’s groan, were ringing in Asuka’s ears, as she rushed on them both, with a wide kick, before crashing the bat on Lili’s head once again. The monk dodged the kick, but another swing in his sides made him curl up from pain, giving Asuka enough time to crash his head. His body plumbed into the ground, cracking it with its weight. 

 Asuka stopped, looking at the bodies before her, breathing heavily. She didn't feel victorious — just a slight ease as if she dropped a big pile of trash away. But before she could catch her breath, a familiar battle yell came behind her back, and she rolled away from the hatched kick of Lili.

 “I’ll take ya down no matter what…” Asuka growled, looking at Lili, as she, so as a Chinese monk reappearing from the dark alley nearby, getting close to her in silence. “You both make me sick!”

 She rushed to them again, as her bat, shiny as the finest blade, started to make its way to Asuka’s enemies.

*  *  *

Somewhere else

 She couldn’t move.

 All her limbs felt incredibly heavy, like they were chained or pressed by hundreds of rocks, but even with all that, she could think surprisingly clearly. And the thoughts in her mind weren't pleasant.

 She failed. She lost. And, most importantly, she put her comrades in danger, which most likely killed them.

 Such a warrior of justice she is…

 She groaned, not from physical pain, but the one that pierced her spirit. All this — for nothing. All the risks and training just to be defeated and bring the whole world upon another danger.

 “Hey”.

 A sudden groan from the dark made her tense, as much as her numbed body let her to do so. Although now, when her senses became more sharp, she could actually feel chains on her legs and stretched arms, pinned to the wall. No wonder she could’ve moved.

 “Can you hear me?” the familiar but raspy voice called for her once again, making her smile a little.

 “Yeah,” she tried to nod, not realizing it’s too dark for him to notice. “Good to hear you. Are you alright?”

 She heard some other chains rattling, along with another groan.

 “Not quite… The old man really did a number on me… but I guess we’re in the same boat”.

 “Do tell”. 

 She tried to stretch her neck at least, and it was hard, really hard. Like she was here unmoving for several hours, if not days. Fortunately, her muscles were working fine to at least run her blood to the limbs and she winced, feeling as if thousands of invisible needles were piercing her skin.

 “Are we alone here?” she asked, trying to see at least something in the dark. She couldn’t even tell where they were, except for the fact the room had a very low ceiling, and it was very cold. Some kind of a utility room, she thought, but considering the place where they could’ve been, it was more like a prison, hiding under one of the buildings of Genmaji temple. 

 The chains on the other side of the room rattled again, as their wearer tried to change his position or check their durability. Now, when her eyes get used to the dark, she could’ve seen a fuzzy, but still familiar silhouette.

 “Guess we are for now. No one else here”.

 That didn't sound good. The quick memories of their battle and the fact their third comrade was more than valuable for them thanks to his information on the Zaibatsu, brought a chill on her spine.

 “Is he?..” she gasped silently, hoping to not hear the worst news. 

 “Dunno. But I hope he got away. As far as I know, this guy always could slip through the claws of the Zaibatsu. Even Jin didn’t even try to catch him. He probably knew there’s no point in doing so”.

 She left a sigh of relief.

 “Good if that’s true. I did hire him considering his qualities of making a quick retreat”.

 “Too bad they probably wouldn’t help us now”.

 She didn’t answer, recalling the aftermath of their fight. How all of them fell, one after another, by the hand of one person she wished not to come back. This whole quest was risky, she knew it well, but the threat from another Mishima was also dangerous. Especially considering the fact she didn’t believe that the one who started it all, will be able to finish his task. He was also a Mishima, after all, even despite Eddy’s belief in him. 

 And now she couldn’t even tell how the things have turned on another side of the war. How this whole operation from Yggdrasil went out. All because they stuck here — forever, as she suspended.

 “Lidia?”

 She turned her head in the direction of the voice, feeling how the weight of desperation took away her already little ability to move.

 What’s the point, anyway… They lost, they wouldn’t be able to come back, and the world is doomed despite their best efforts.

 “Don’t you dare to lose hope now. Especially after all you said and did for me”

 Eddy’s voice, becoming even more raspy as he tried to raise it, screeched on her mind like a rusty saw. She winced, biting her lip.

 “I did say a lot of things to you… but where are we in the end? Even our combined efforts weren’t enough to stop him”.

 “I know”. 

 She could hear a clear hate in his words, but couldn’t pinpoint to what it was directed to. Was it her? Or Mishimas? Or himself?

 “I know that we are not the people who can stop him, that’s for sure. That’s why I trust Jin and Lars — at least they have a better idea who they have to deal with”.

 “So we’re just juggling one dangerous option to another,” she huffed, feeling how her chest became empty and cold from the realization. 

 “I always thought Mishimas are a threat to the world, and the last several years have been a great proof of that. Why, of all the people, you decided to trust the one who started all this — this war?”

 He didn’t answer for a long minutes, and all Lidia could hear was the slight rattle of his chains. But she could feel how something bothered his mind — something that she wouldn’t be able to help with no matter how hard she would try.

 Finally, Eddy spoke.

 “Even after starting the war, there was something in Jin’s actions which… how do I put this… didn’t align with his whole character, the person who decided to make the whole world his enemy. I have no idea how to explain that, though… like sometimes, the absolutely different person could show up under his non-caring image. And that person was, in fact, the true Jin Kazama, who for some reason, was put to sleep by something”.

 “Wait…” Lidia raised her eyebrow. “Are you telling me he’s got…”

 “It’s not a personality disorder, if that’s what you’re asking. Thing is, you shouldn’t even think about that. Especially when you helped me back at G-corp HQ and saw what happened”.

 “Oh… right”.

 Of course, she shouldn’t have thinking about that. But even after the clash with literal Devil, who was able for a first but short time of his presence to shake the media, she still tried to think rationally. Even after all the tricks those Tekken monks threw at her, testing her mind and body, she couldn’t believe the fate of the world and her people could be in the hands of literal demons.

 And the last encounter just solidified her convictions. No Devil or other monster can be more dangerous and powerful than a human. Especially if he’s from the Mishima family.

 That one fact made her distrust in Jin’s efforts even deeper. He could despise his lineage so long as he wanted, but he did the same thing they all were trying to do — and ironically, he was the one who excelled in that. Nothing will change this — doesn’t matter what excuses or other reasons he could have.

 “You still despise him, I get that,” she heard Eddy’s voice. “Trust me, it’s hard not to do so… but in fact, I was in debt to him. And despite all the things he had me to do, he is a man of his word. He tried his best to make his side of our deal… even if it was in vain anyway”.

 “I’m sorry,” she said. “I heard what happened to your master”.

 “That’s not all”.

 She raised her head. There’s something else? And he didn’t tell her after all they went through together?

 “After Jin told me he didn’t manage to heal my master, he advised me to quit. He knew I had no reason to be a part of his war anymore. I wanted to punch him, so much I even had to restrain myself not to do so… and he was waiting for that. Like he was expecting me to attack. Even knowing we were alone on this day, with no one else being there”.

 Lidia looked at Eddy — his silhouette — as the sadness filled her chest instead of the coldness of desperation.

 “Did you?..”

 He shook his head.

 “Sometimes I regret not punching him at least once. But then I remember what he said to me. He said that I still have things to protect, and while he’s doing his deed, I should do mine. Then… he passed me a check and left. When I read it, I couldn’t believe what I saw — all this time, starting from my work there, he anonymously sent some money to my orphanage — not a big sum, but enough to make things there stable. He knew I couldn’t come back while working on him… but then he made a great excuse for me not to do it at all”.

 “Oh,” she muttered, remembering. “Was it… your master’s daughter or..?”

 “Granddaughter. She actually tried to look for me all this time, until she got an anonymous letter — I suppose Jin sent it. It said that she should stop any searches and focus on keeping the orphanage working, since her grandfather is on the brink of death. Kinda harsh from him, but he sent the first money along with it, so I guess his plan worked”. 

 Lidia scoffed.

 “Was he that generous with all his workers or you were the only one who got lucky?”

 He shrugged.

 “No idea. But trust me — when I met him in Yggdrasil’s base, he was exactly that person, who he was trying to hide before. Don’t know what exactly Lars did to him, but I can appreciate his hard work”.

 Lidia didn’t answer, getting into her own thoughts. Her contempt for Mishimas and Jin was still very high, and even the recent events couldn’t change it. Even her own motto, given to her by her grandfather, wasn’t able to change her mind.

 “We all still can rise up again, despite everything,” she heard Eddy’s voice. “That’s your own words. I know, it’s hard for you to trust him, but we can hold a little faith for now, can't we? There’s nothing else to do, anyway — Heihachi probably has other things to settle now and won’t be back soon”.

 She scoffed again and tried to lean on the wall, as far as chains let her to do so. She felt a slight breeze coming from the ceiling, and she could swear, she heard some movement from outside.

 “Did you hear that?” she whispered, trying to listen again. But unfortunately, there was nothing else, except for distant sounds of cracking fire and falling rocks. The territory of the Temple, full of life just not so long ago, now was deadly silent.

 “Wait,” she heard Eddy’s low voice. “I think I heard something”.

 That wasn’t human steps — and luckily, not Heihachi ones. Some rhythmic, rare noise of falling leaves, springing branches — and suddenly, a loud thump right above their heads.

 “Better brace yourself,” Eddy said. “It’s not like Heihachi decided to play with us… but be ready”.

  *  *  *

 “So you’re saying it weren't your men?”

 “Definitely not”.

 Lars felt silent, showing the aftermath of the battle with his drone camera, as Yggdrasil soldiers secured remaining enemies on the helicopter. Most of them were able to flee, and, unfortunately, their commanders with them. 

 He looked back to his own helicopter, where Jin and Xiaoyu were sitting together, completely tired. Xiaoyu held Jin’s hand, while he was looking towards the helicopter, where medics were already checking on unconscious Asuka.

 “I hope you still keep your hand in the game, lion de la rébellion ”, He heard Victor’s voice in his headpiece. “If the situation is as dire as you say, we need your help more than ever”.

 “I understand. But there’s a lot of difficulties”.

 “Don’t worry, some of them are already taken care of. Right now we need your precious weapon to be prepared”.

 “Jin is not a weapon,” Lars declined quicker than he thought. That reaction speed did indeed shock Victor, since he stopped for a few seconds.

 “I’m afraid he is, considering the current threat”.

 “Tch”.

 Lars marched away from the helicopter to look around once more. The helicopter that took the unknown wounded Spaniard, already flew away, but Lars could still see it as a faraway dot in the sunset. 

 “I understand you got attached to him, and gladly, you have some time to recover,” he heard Victor’s voice. “We’ve already moved on in our operation to rescue Sobieska and Gordo, and in the meantime, you better prepare well to relocate”.

 “Where to?”

 “I’ll send you coordinates as soon as we finish the mission. For now you better lay low — my agents saw some other troops moving in your direction. Most likely Williams is still behind it”.

 “We need to stop her. Otherwise it’s hard to coordinate our moves if we don’t know who we can trust”.

 “Indeed. I will take care of it, don’t worry”.

 “I approve, actually,” Lee suddenly stepped out in Lars’ sight from behind and raised his hand in a calming gesture. “My apologies, I was listening to your chat and couldn't help but intervene”.

 “Don’t tell me you still want to recruit Nina,” Lars huffed in disbelief. “What actually will that give you? Or us?”

 “Well, I was hoping she would prefer my money over the spectacle of Mishima’s usual powerplay, but I guess I was wrong,” Lee leaned on the cracked wall, eyes half-closed. “Still, if we need her out of the picture, I think I have an idea what to do”.

 Lars just stared at him in confusion. Victor signed in his earpiece. 

 “Whatever you’re planning, try not to do it on the ground. Get out of here as soon as possible. Out”.

 He finished the call. Lars turned back to Lee in silent question, but he only widened hands.

 “I prefer some things being secret. You know how it is”.

 “You could be more serious, you know”.

 “I’m afraid I can’t, especially when there’s so much seriousness around me already,” Lee smiled. “Don’t worry, we are still in the same team, and I prefer Heihachi being out of sight of this world as much as you or Jin do”.

 Lars smiled.

“Glad to hear it”.

“Well, we better go, then. Our guests already waited long enough to explain the situation we got ourselves into. Shame for young Kazama not being able to hear it, but Jin will definitely explain it to her later — that involves him too”.

 “Sure. Let’s go”.

 Several minutes later, all the helicopters of Yggdrasil went up in the sky, where convenient clouds already hid the main base.

*  *  *

 The territory near the main temple was quiet and empty — or as it was supposed to be looked like. Master Raven and Yoshimitsu moved closer to the entrance, staying in the shadows.

 Suddenly, Yoshimitsu stopped, his armor glowed with a familiar red light.

 “Can you turn off the illumination?” Master Raver hissed. “The enemy will notice us”.

 “(That is impossible. And the main enemy already knows we are here)”.

 “Great… Where is he, then?”

 “(He’s close, along with the sword. Perhaps in the temple itself)”.

 Master Raven turned away to try looking through the dark of the temple’s interior, but suddenly, a loud, rolling and familiar laugh boomed through the night.

 “There’s no need to hide now! If you want to fight me, you can go and try!”

 “So he IS here…” Master Raven gripped her katana and side-eyed Yoshimitsu. “I’ll go first”.

 She somersaulted further, right into the temple’s darkness, her eyes squinted to try and see anything or anyone.

 As soon as she landed in the center of the hall, the torches that were hanging near the walls, lighted on. To Master Raven’s surprise, several Tekken monks were the one who lighted them. They, however, weren’t trying to attack her — they stayed calm and collected, just like they were during their usual routine she observed these last several days. Except now their actions were most likely controlled by Heihachi — who, by his own, was sitting near the farther wall, observing Master Raven. A long sword with a familiar red glow was laying on his lap.

 “So the main bird decided to finally come out,” Heihachi murmured with a crooked smile. “There is already a good company of training dummies where you will fit just nicely”.

 “I’ll pass, old man,” Master Raven took a step forward, raising her katana. “I’m here to reclaim what you stole, nothing else”.

 “Ha! Such loud words, without any weight or power behind! If you observed me for all this time, you should have known…” Heihachi put his right hand on the sword’s handle, the red glow flashed with his grip “...that I won’t give up without a fight”.

 “Sure… Fight is all you need,” Master Raven muttered, changing her stance, with katana still in her hand. “Should I get rid of your assistants first, or you will try to take me down by numbers?” 

 Heihachi moved his head slowly, looking around at the monks.

 “They’re just spectators, who got wise enough to approve my power and follow my lead. If you want, they can entertain you and me”.

 “Fun’s over,” Master Raven said. “Make your move, Heihachi Mishima, and you better make it count”.

 With the sword in his hand, he jumped on her so quickly, she managed to dodge only at the very last moment. While she was rolling back and getting on her feet again, Heihachi scoffed, putting Yoshimitsu’s sword behind his back.

 “For a main bird you’re not that impressive,” he said, taking a fighting stance. “We’ll make this fair — if you need a sword to stop me, then go ahead and entertain me”.

 She didn’t waste a second further — quickly putting her own katana behind her back, Master Raven rushed on Heihachi with a series of high kicks that got successfully blocked. Predicting that outcome, Master Raven quickly shifted forward for a strike in the stomach — but her attack hitted the air.

  What the?!

 She didn’t have time to realise what happened as Heihachi, who successfully parried her strike, sent a powerful blow with his opened palms that threw Master Raven away. She quickly grouped the body, rolled back on her feet and took the stance again, only to meet with a series of powerful electrifying uppercuts, one after another. They were so powerful she couldn’t even stand her ground, being moved back to the entrance. The triumphal smile on Heihachi’s face became wider with each attack, as he was absolutely confident in his victory.

 As soon as he sent another uppercut, Master Raven shifted back slightly, making the uppercut miss. Not giving Heihachi time to do anything else, she jumped to the ceiling with a somersault, with the katana being ready in her hand. She landed upon Heihachi with a powerful helmbreaker, but the sound of clenching steel stopped her right in the air.

 Master Raven could feel the ominous aura surrounding the sword that saved Heihachi’s life just in time. He also got enchanted by its light, but collected himself quickly, giving Master Raven another evil grin.

 “Now I see why Yoshimitsu cherished that blade… Speaking of — where are you, thief? Aren’t you going to take back that wonderful weapon?”

 He pressed further, pushing Master Raven away, and the flash or red light made her blight for a moment, so she retreated, still holding her katana ready. Heihachi took a stance, different from his usual, the red glow of the blade made his face look more demonic.

 “Or you finally admit your defeat and decide to give that job to others? Such a weakling!” He growled, his eyes were focused on Master Raven. “Don’t be fooled, woman — the Mishima clan knew the way of the sword since ancient times, and these monks were too kind to teach me their secrets once again”.

 “Great. What's next, you’re going to fight me with a gun?” she replied without any unnecessary emotions, still focusing on Heihachi’s moves, despite him staying still.

 “I can, if that’s necessary. If you spied on me all this time, you should know that I will use any opportunity to take everything I want,” he stopped grinning, his face becoming more determined. “But in your case, it seems, I already have enough tools to put you down”.

 He rushed forward without any sound, as he was just a gust of wind. Master Raven rolled sideways at the last moment, when she felt a hot, hungry steel slicing her skin on her thigh. Gritting her teeth, she stood on her feet again and made a counterattack, only for it to be met with the opponent's sword again.

 They exchanged more quick and furious blows, the power and speed of them, extinguished several torches, covering the temple’s hall into twilight. The sparks of their swords clashed and the growing red light from Yoshimitsu’s sword shortly lit unmoving monks’ faces, the golden hall decorations, Master Raven and Heihachi’s faces. 

 At some point, with another power clash, Master Raven felt how her wound was becoming worse, despite being a scratch. She kneeled on one foot, feeling how her strength is literally sipping away from the wound, and, judging by the growing glow of Yoshimitsu’s sword, directed against her by all means.

 “Disappointment,” Heihachi muttered, his face not showing any triumph or annoyance, but his gaze was telling Master Raven that the end was near — in a couple of seconds. She gripped her sword tighter, to at least make her final approach count something.

 Suddenly, the red glowing in the sword flashed with another bright light, and Master Raven felt a powerful push that made her fly away for some distance. She braked with her feet, to see how Heihachi himself still stood his ground, but clearly struggling with holding the sword, which was overflowing with red and black light.

 “You will… obey me!” he growled, his fingers gripping the sword handle even harder.

 But as if in response to this, the sword flashed another blow of energy, making Heihachi stagger for a moment. But it was enough for some shadow to jump from the ceiling, quickly grab the sword and jump away, towards Master Raven. A triumphal, unnatural laugh ranged upon the temple hall as Yoshimitsu, calming down the sword energy with free hand, took a stance alongside Master Raven.

 “You took your time,” she huffed.

  “(Indeed I did. It is done — we can leave now,)” he extended his palm and Master Raven gave him back his game console, which Yoshimitsu quickly hid in his armor.

 Heihachi, who’s already recovered, just huffed and folded his arms, looking at them both.

 “And I thought you will not appear again, especially after your last defeat. Don’t think you’ve won - I will not let any of you escape,” he gave a nearby monk a quick nod. “Go after them, they couldn’t be far away. Others — surround these two and finish them both!”

 “Shit!” Master Raven’s eyes widened as she realised their situation. “Get ready!”

  “(Fear not, maiden, as the true ninja always has a spare trick up in his sleeve)”.

  She didn’t have time to ask what he meant, as Yoshimitsu quickly sat down and knocked the first group of attacking monks with a roundhouse sword swing, followed by a kick. The several others tried to surround him, but got overwhelmed by Master Raven, while she methodically knocked them out one by one. However, that wasn’t enough to stop monks, as they all got up momentarily and simultaneously brought down at Master Raven and Yoshimitsu a barrage of attacks.

 As Master Raven tried to hold her ground, blocking everything she could, Yoshimisu extended his arm with a sword and spinned it as a deadly propeller, making room for himself and Master Raven to move. As they slowly made the monks retreat, they started their own attack — only for it to be stopped immediately by a couple of crushing flying kicks from Heihachi. Not letting them get up, he followed by hellsweep and uppercut, ending his attack by a repulsive palm blow that made both Yoshimitsu and Master Raven crash into the wall.

 “Such a pitiful sight,” he summed up, going towards them slowly, while they tried to get up and failed. “With or without a sword, the outcome is obvious - you’re both no match for me. And such weaklings should stay dead”.

 Gasping for air, Master Raven found the strength to roll on her back, to meet with Heihachi’s unremorseful face, his fist slowly raised up for the final strike. Yoshimitsu didn’t move at all, and she couldn’t tell if he’s still alive.

 Suddenly, some strange noise from above made Heihachi pause with his attack. He frowned, not moving his stare from Master Raven, as he was trying to determine the source of sound. It was just a second, but long enough for some shadowy figure to make an attack from Heihachi’s back, only for him to turn away and block it with a headbutt. But as soon as he contacted the shadow’s fist, it disappeared in the temple’s twilight, along with monks, who fell on the floor almost simultaneously, as they also were attacked by some invisible enemy. 

 Master Raven squinted her eyes. She has an idea what just happened, but refuses to believe — since it wasn't supposed to happen.

 “I disagree”.

 A familiar voice ranged from the darkness, as shadowy figures were somersaulting to it, gathering into a more realistic and tangible silhouette of a man. Short kunais flashed on the moonlight appearing from the temple’s entrance, as Raven took a step forward, his unseeable glare under the shades focused on Heihachi, who for a second had a look of disbelief.

 “You again?” 

  Raven gripped his kunais tighter.

 “Heihachi Mishima IS dead… and must remain that way”.

 He rushed forward. Not waiting any more second, Heihachi took a stance and landed a first strike to an approaching Raven — only for it to dive into dark purple smoke. As he tried to focus and find the opponent, the true Raven ran towards Yoshimitsu and Master Raven, helping them to get up immediately.

 “You were supposed to find Nina Williams,” Master Raven gifted him with a displeased look. “You’ve disobeyed an order, you know that?”

 “Some things have changed, so I came here,” Raven took a stance, covering her by himself. “I’ll explain everything once we’re done here“.

 “(There’s no need for you here, since we got everything we came for)”.

 Yoshimitsu raised his sword to send a powerful swing against some impatient monks who rushed at them, led by Heihachi. The latter ducked under the blade and raised right near Yoshimitsu with a rising axe kick, which got dodged by Yoshimitsu’s spin closer to Ravens. Before Heihachi or any other monks could do any other move, Master Raven threw a smoke bomb under their feet. While the smoke and boom had filled the hall, the trio took the advantage and retreated closer to the exit.

 “(This thing won’t hold them for very long)”.

 “I know,” Master Raven huffed. “We, as ninjas, always use it as a last and quick retaliation tool”.

 “This guy is anything but ninja,” Raven said, his displeased look could been felt even through his shades. “I would say he’s just an overpowered thief, since no real ninja will use the sword in a way he do”.

 “(You dare to insult the skills of my clan? In any other time, you would have to pay for your words… but that shall wait)”.

 “Are you both done?” Master Raven stood between her companions, with her arms folded. “We should use this time to escape, not debate!”

 Raven turned to her and bowed a little.

 “Master… Do we leave Heihachi alive? He’s dangerous”.

 “I know, but it’s still too risky to fight him. And our mission was to rescue, not to fight until the end. And before you ask… I forbid you to engage in combat”.

 “What about them, then?” Raven nodded somewhere behind her.

 Before one of the monks from the outside attacked Master Raven, she jumped over him, knocking him out with one precious strike on his throat, as the other several monks silently rushed over the trio, trying to surround them.

 Master Raven did several kicks to keep them in line, and Yoshimitsu pulled out his sword once again. But the red glow on the blade was overflowing, making it difficult to even just hold.

 “(The blade still thrusts for blood. Not good and how untimely)”.

 “I’ll handle this,” Raven stood ahead, shoving Yoshimitsu away with his hand. “Watch how the true ninja really uses tricks up his sleeve”.

He quickly did several hand signs and before the first monk even reached him, Raven did a powerful shoulder blow, throwing him back to others, who still were getting over Master Raven’s attacks. With one more hand sign, Raven summoned several shadow clones, just like before, and they assaulted monks from several angles, not letting them defend with their fast strikes and kicks. As soon as only one monk left standing, Raven jumped forward with a flying kick, sending the monk straight into the stone fence of the temple garden.

 “Go to hell!”

 The monk’s body broke the fence, opening a barely visible path to the woods. 

 “What a coincidence, that’s the way we need to go,” Master Raven nodded and put her sword in the sheath. “Let’s go… What’s your problem now?” 

 She turned back to Yoshimitsu, who was standing still, clapping to confused Raven.

 “(What a splendid technique! I will admit you managed to surprise me)”.

  Raven didn’t say anything — he just nodded and followed the open path, with others going right after him. The noise from the temple became louder, meaning their time was at its limit, so the trio ran towards the woods, but suddenly, Yoshimitsu stopped.

 “What is it?” Master Raven turned back.

 “(There is still one thing that I need to check. It concerns the Kazama Clan and may be helpful in our future battle against Heihachi)”.

 “Back to stealing, then,” Raven also turned back to him, his eyes checking on Yoshimitsu, as he was trying to notice anything that would give out any other reason for him to depart. 

 “(I have no reason to lie, and for now, no need to steal any more than we need. My personal cause is non significant, as I believe. So I shall leave you at once,)” he jumped in the air, crossing his legs, his arm with the sword started to spin, making him hover above the ground. “(Until we meet again, fellow ninjas)”.

  Master Raven nodded and started to move forward, but stopped, noticing her subordinate standing still, until he gave Yoshimitsu a respectful bow.

 “I suppose you are a ninja,” he said. “Not as good as me, but you will get there someday”.

 Yoshimitsu didn’t say anything — instead, he flew up in the sky with a wholesome laugh.

 “Enough with the childishness,” Master Raven called her subordinate before moving again. “You still have things to explain”.

 “Understood. I’ll follow”.

 They jumped on the highest branches of the woods, continuing their path to the rescued group. Suddenly, Master Raven’s earpiece caught an incoming call.

 “Raven, report,” she heard Victor’s voice.

 “Sobieska and Gordo secured, along with a group of several Tekken monks, there's wounded among them. We are currently following them to the rendezvous point”.

 “Good, I just received the signal from Yoshimitsu. Stay on target and wait for the transport, it will be there in 5 minutes”.

 “Understood,” she ended the call and sped up, making Raven quickly follow her.

 Right near the destination point they both stopped, still hiding among the branches, observing the territory. There was nothing unusual or dangerous, no sign of Heihachi or anyone else from the direction of the temple. 

 “Perhaps this space samurai decided to play with them a little longer,” Master Raven muttered. “At least that gives us enough time to leave. Raven, I am still waiting for an explanation”.

 “Understood. I located Nina Williams as soon as she appeared in South America several hours ago, but then I got an order from Phantom to provide you support here. I had to stop my investigation before I learned about Williams’ next move”.

 “Interesting… Victor didn’t tell me you’re coming”.

 “He suspects there’s a mole somewhere in the UN, since they are responsible for Yakushima’s lockdown. Even if Williams is most likely behind this, we are still not sure if she has aid from the organisation itself”.

 “Makes sense”.

 Master Raven took a long pause, looking at the approaching hovercraft, a swarm of thoughts were still buzzing in her head. Finally, she stood up.

 “What’s our next move?” Raven asked her. “Will we escort the rescued?”

 “There’s no need. We have another mission to do. Since there’s an official lockdown in Yakushima, no civilians can go in or out — so we will do that and check everything related to Mishimas and Kazamas”.

 “We’re not going to inform Phantom?”

 “As he said, there still can be a mole. I’m positive he would approve that decision, but we have to go on our own”.

 “May I ask a question?”

 “There’s no need — your skills are obviously improved, if that’s what bothers you. But without proper discipline you're becoming a showoff, and that’s unacceptable,” Master Raven straightened up, making a call on her earpiece. “We will go together to keep you in check”.

 Raven didn’t say anything, he just gave a short nod.

 Several seconds later, the buzz of another hovercraft ringed in Master Raven’s earpiece. She jumped high in the sky, with Raven following her, and they both left Genmaji temple, riding on a jet harrier plane that picked them up and flew towards the rising sun.

Chapter Text

  “How is she?”

 Lars looked at the monitors, where he could see all the information about Asuka’s condition. All of this felt and looked very familiar — just like half a year ago.

 “I’m not an expert in your spiritual struggles, but now she’s almost like you were back then,” he said. “There’s nothing threatening, at least for now... but I don’t know how long it will take for her to wake up”.

 “Mmh,” Jin hummed, not even looking at the monitors. Instead, he was inspecting Asuka’s face. Not a sign of inner struggle, rage or anything - like she was just in a very long sleep. He tried not to see, but feel — find the similar emotions he felt being in a coma half a year ago. To Jin’s surprise, he couldn’t sense anything — unlike with Azazel or Kazuya or even Reina. 

 “You can’t find what you seek in her,” a sudden familiar voice called him from behind.

 Both Jin and Lars turned around and simultaneously looked at Zafina in silent questioning. She entered the medical room with one swift step and hovered her left, human hand above Asuka’s forehead.

 “There’s no power of Azazel within her,” she said, her hand continuing hovering above Asuka.

 “How did you know?” Jin asked.

 “I held his spirit in my body long enough to become connected with his essence. And before you ask — there is still a glimpse of him within you”.

 Jin didn’t say anything, but his frown became deeper. 

 “So that could mean that the threat of Azazel or Devil is still there?” Lars asked, folding his arms.

 Zafina closed her eyes to try to find the correct answer. 

 “It is, yes. But not in Jin or Kazuya, that is for sure,” she replied, not opening her eyes, but Lars and Jin could see their movement under her eyelids as if she constantly looked for something behind their vision.

 “Then it’s Reina,” Jin said, feeling how the heaviness of all these events and revelations started to weigh him down once again. “I should’ve guessed back then, when we fought for the first time, that she’s not just another Heihachi spawn… no offence”.

 “No one taken,” Lars nodded. “To be fair, your condition back then wasn’t so great to sense any Devil around you, except for Kazuya. That… and Heihachi really messed you up”.

 Jin didn’t say anything, but also nodded in reply. 

 Unfamiliar steps from the hallway make them all turn their heads towards the door. Claudio stopped, before having made sure he got everyone’s attention.

 “Should have known I would find you here,” he said, his eyes looking at Jin. “Guess Xiaoyu was right — you really are not as evil as I suspected”.

 “Then you overestimate me, so is she,” Jin said. “You’re here to finish the Devil?”

 “Maybe, but that has to wait,” Claudio stepped towards Zafina, giving her a quick nod. She stepped back, pulling her hand away from Asuka, only for Claudio to step in with the same gesture. His palm glowed with a bright, azure glow, little sigil started to form between his hand and Asuka’s face. All this time Claudio kept silent, but his calm look slowly changed to a confused one, as he continued to inspect Asuka’s head with his sigil.

 “How strange…” he murmured, finally pulling his hand away.

 “What is it?” Jin asked, feeling how his mind starts to fill with anxiety. 

 “Like Zafina already could’ve said to you, this girl is not Azazel's servant or one of his spawns. That’s for sure, but she is still full of energy, the source of what is unbeknown to me”.

 “Which means?” Lars frowned.

 “Like I said, it’s not an evil power. I would’ve assume that kind of energy is close to spiritual purification, since she is from the same clan as Jin… But that’s not it”.

 “How is that possible?” Jin asked, feeling the confusion. “The Kazama clan had the power to clean the evil energy, I’m sure of it!”

 “And you did, of course, because that’s the power that was given to you by your mother and the whole clan, I suppose,” Claudio replied, looking Jin in the eyes. “But this girl is something else… You didn’t know you were relatives before, am I right?”

 Jin paused for a bit before giving an answer. 

 “I… did know her name but that's it. I looked up for her around the sixth tournament, where she tried to apply. I first thought it’s just a coincidence that she has the same name, but then I noticed that sh's taught our family fighting style…I didn’t bother any further, though. There was no time for that”.

 “Well, now you should know that even if you are from the same clan, her powers are different from yours,” Claudio said. “Now, when I checked further, I can say for sure that this kind of energy is similar to the one we use as exorcists”.

 “That makes no sense,” Lars said. “You're doing the same thing, aren't you? Banishing evil from the world?”

 “The purpose is the same, yes, but not the method,” Zafina interrupted. “As I can see, the power of the Kazama clan is coming from natural sources, unlike the Sirius sorcery”.

 “Now that was harsh,” Claudio sighed. “But she got a point — because you were born and raised at Yakushima from the heir of the natural power, your connection and control over them is more expected, than from any other member of your clan. But in her case…” he looked again at Asuka and felt silent.

 Suddenly, the phone buzzed in Jin’s pocket. He silently nodded to everyone and went to the hallway, picking up the call.

 “I shouldn't leave you alone,” he heard an angry Julia's voice before he got a chance to speak.

 “What are you talking about?”

 “The amulet? Someone stole it and left that sumo weirdo in my home!”

 Jin leaned to the wall.

 “If that's Ganryu, I don't know why or who he worked for. Not for me, that's for sure”.

 Julia sighed.

 “Sorry, I shouldn't lash it on you”.

 “It would've made sense, actually. So, did Ganryu say anything to you?”

 “Besides his usual rant about his creepy obsession over me? Not much, sorry. But he did say he got paid well enough, as much as all these guys from Tekken force who attacked us the other day. He didn't give the name of his boss, though… but said they had a lot of resources to pay and gave weapons and information about all Mishima plans. To me, it sounds like Heihachi”.

 “It may be him,” Jin said bluntly.

 “You don’t sound surprised. Shouldn't he be dead?”

 “I know him well enough to pull out a stunt like that. And if it's him, then I know why he needs an amulet”.

 Julia sighed again.

 “I need it back. To hide it ASAP”.

 “I understand,” he said, filling his words with determination. “I'll bring it back to you. Give me some time”. 

 He hung up and tried to go back to the medical room, but Lars stopped him, staying in the doorway.

 “Take some rest,” he said, raising his hand before Jin started to argue. “You both need some time, and we still don't know what exactly is happening to her”.

 Jin felt silent, looking at Claudio and Zafina, still quietly discussing something next to Asuka's bed.

 “That's not what happened back then, is it?” He asked, turning back to Lars. “When I was… like that?”

 “Well… you woke up shortly after your folks fought and locked in immediately. But don't forget — Asuka isn't driven by the Devil”.

 “That at least one good thing I've heard today,” Jin muttered. “But then… what is happening with her?”

 “We'll figure it out, and try to do that as fast as possible,” Lars put his palm on Jin's shoulder. “But now you really need to rest a bit”.

 Jin didn't say anything immediately, still looking at Asuka. Finally, he nodded.

 “Right. Call me, if something comes up”.

*  *  *

 “You wanted to see me?”

 Lidia was slightly confused, but she gathered all her mental strength not to show it. Even though she spent several hours after the rescue of the monks and Eddy to help them heal and rest, she didn’t want to lose her face completely, especially in front of one of the monks' elders.

 “Yes. But you don’t have to stay strong all the time, especially after all that happened,” Seiryu said. “Besides, It would be very disrespectful of me to make you stand still after all we all have been through. Please sit down, Lidia-dono”.

 She obeyed, reluctantly, looking at him. The High Priest didn’t look well, but still better than before, when they just reunited on a rescue hovercraft from the UN. His mask, still damaged, continued to hide his face, but Lidia believed that the doctors actually had to put it off at least for a check or quick treatment.

 “So what is it you wanted to talk about?” she asked, noticing how he slightly lowered his head when she locked her eyes on his mask.

 “I might not be worthy to wear it anymore after our greatest mistake,” he said. “I was thinking of passing this to you, but… something happened”.

 Lidia frowned — she understood what he meant. She turned away, looking back in the hallway, where she still could see hospital beds, occupied, but fully covered with blankets. She closed her eyes.

 “I’m sorry. I’m sure doctors did everything they could to save them all”.

 “No blame to them, don’t worry. But the loss of Suzaku is a heavy blow, even if he wasn’t strong in the beginning. His knowledge od a spiritual realm and mastery of illusions were his best suits… and no one can replace him in this”.

 “Then why are you telling this to me? You’ve implied that I'm supposed to take his or your place, am I right?”

 “I still do. Thing is, that I, such as most of us, am starting to realise that our ways became too old, too orthodox. Our closedness from the world is the main reason that brought us to this loss… And we have to act quickly and according to the world rules”.

 He put his hand away to the bag next to his bed, and before Lidia understood what he was reaching for, the Suzaku mask appeared before her.

 “You proved that you are worthy to be one of us, Lidia-dono. Not only by the strength of your body, mind and soul, but also your unyieldingness to Heihachi, despite the defeat he gave you”.

 Lidia shaked her head slowly.

 “I’m afraid that’s where you’re mistaken. I DID give up. I realised how weak I am against him and couldn’t do anything to help myself and my comrades… and you. The fact we were saved so quickly is a miracle, not my merit”.

 “I wouldn’t call it a miracle, mademoiselle . More like an operative and successful mission”.

 She turned back quickly to see Victor — he was leaning his back to the door frame, relaxed.

 “Pardon me for the intrusion, but I couldn’t let the chance to talk to you slip away,” he said, straightening fully and bowing.

 “It’s an… honor?” Lidia replied reluctantly. “Or you’re not talking to me?”

 “I am talking with you also, mademoiselle Sobieska. But to be fair, I always wanted to meet legendary Tekken monks in person. Even if they became known to me just several months ago,” Victor chuckled and stepped forward. “I should admit, Japanese culture has always been attractive to me, since my childhood”.

 “That explains why of all weapons you decided to pick that sword,” Lidia smirked, but more with approval than mockering.

 “I suppose, you are the head of the people who saved us?” Seiryu asked Victor, raising his palm to his chest, then bowed slightly. “It’s an honor to meet you, and words are not enough to express our gratitude for your help”.

 “Sure, you can spare them. I would be delighted if you tell me more about your history in general and with the Mishima clan”.

 “Yeah…” Lidia muttered. “All your techniques, are they originally from Mishimas? Or is it's other way around?”

 Seiryu folded his arms.

 “You can say that we and Mishimas have a long history together. Our ancestors banished themselves from the main clan after losing a fight over the Ultimate Technique heritage. So, in a way, all of the monks have become Mishimas in teachings”.

 “And according to our source, this technique was supposed to exterminate demons from this world,” Victor muttered. “Strange… I think I heard something similar recently”.

 “It was, indeed, and we wanted to bring it back as a weapon of defence, not conquery,” Seiryu stretched his neck, bending it from side to side. “But, as you see, the power hunger from Heihachi and Kazuya had overwhelmed us despite all of our efforts and hopes”.

 “Let me be blunt — you just bet on the wrong horse from the start,” Victor said. “Wasn’t there any more fitting candidate for your techniques? Why did you chose Heihachi?” 

 “We believed that the man, who experienced death, may want to repent and fix his mistakes after getting a second chance. And as Lidia-dono could prove, it worked quite well — although Suzaku cleared Heihachi’s mind to put him away from all his past”.

 “I still want to believe Heihachi also wanted to do the right thing back then,” Lidia sighed. “What happened may be a tragic coincidence or someone’s cruel joke”.

 “Maybe both, it doesn't matter now,” Victor took another chair in the room and sat next to Lidia, still locking his eyes with Seiryu. “There is another question that bothers me, but it may sound kinda silly, if you don’t mind”.

 “Ask, if you want”.

 Victor raised his palm and started to bend his fingers, finishing at three.

 “Seiryu, Suzaku and Byakko... All these names sound familiar — if my memory still serves me right, these are names for the most powerful creatures of the Universe, who keep balance upon us. The holy beasts, guardians of the world, each of those also represents cardinal directions”.

 “Indeed they are. But you forgot each of them can also represent a different color and virtue, but you still know it well,” Seiryu added.

 “Yes, my bad. The thing that bothers me is more on the nose than colors, and I believe mademoiselle Sobieska already knows what I am talking about”.

 Victor turned to Lidia in a silent question. She closed her eyes for a moment and then turned back to Seiryu in realisation.

 “There were only three of you, including Heihachi. Wasn’t there supposed to be a fourth one? The… snake?”

 “Tortoise, actually,” Victor corrected. “But yes, it also technically is the snake. A hybrid, to be precise. Genbu”.

 “Indeed,” Seiryu nodded. “His name is Genbu, the Black warrior of the North”.

 “So there was the fourth High Priest among you with that title?” Lidia asked. “What happened to him?”

 A long silence filled the room until Seiryu spoke again.

 “Unfortunately our group didn’t have a warrior who was worthy to wear that title for a very long time. The last High Priest Genbu left us 80 years ago, despite having a great potential”.

 “Potential?” Lidia raised her eyebrow.

 “He had all the criterias to be a perfect warrior who will inherit the Ultimate technique. All that he needed to work with at the time was his unhoned spirit, since he was very reckless at times. But he left us, not finishing his training — he wanted another life, away from fighting”.

 “At least he didn’t die tragically,” Victor huffed. “A great exception from your kind, actually”.

 “He wasn’t one of ours from the beginning. There were times when we tried to find people for our cause, who followed our criterias and judgement, and he was one of them. We didn’t explore his past enough, but we knew that his ancestors served the Emperor as exorcists — and that was the main reason we recruited him in the first place”.

 “Interesting…” Victor muttered. “So the Japanese Emperor also fought with demons… But shouldn’t that mean your clan also were working for him?” 

 “That was the case a long time ago, before we splitted apart. And Genbu, in fact, really had an extraordinary talent with exorcism, the one we never saw before. He definitely had all it takes to be one of us…”

 “What kind of exorcism are we talking about?” Lidia asked.

 Seiryu paused for a bit, likely trying to find a correct answer. Finally, he spoke.

 “The one the Mishima clan ever wished to have. The ability to manipulate spiritual energy and power yourself from natural sources. Some legends even say that this kind of exorcism was used in ancient times to stop a powerful demon who tried to destroy the world. And, as I believe, the glimpses of that energy, or, at least, similat technique, are still in use by some group of exorcists from Italy”.

 “You’re well informed,” Lidia muttered. “And, as I can see, there's no way we can find another Genbu priest for now”.

 “If it's really necessary,” Victor added. “I mean, for now the situation is dire enough to be focused on other things. But, if it's important for your group's spiritual balance, then unfortunately, we still need to work with what we have at the moment”.

 “You made a good point,” Seiryu said. “With that, I still need to get another successor to become a Byakko for our people. In fact, I already have one person in mind to fill that role”.

 “Please don't say it's me. I still got my hands full and my inner ladies man to indulge,” Victor raised his hands pleadingly. Seiryu chuckled — for the first time in their discussion.

 “Despite the fact we need to move forward with our dogmas and traditions, some of them still need to be kept alive. Being taught a Mishima fighting style is one of them”.

 “And yet, for me you're making an exception,” Lidia pointed out. “Or it was because you tested me thrice?”

 “Indeed. As for Byakko… despite all this, I still don't want to repeat my mistake with a wrong choice, so I need another High Priest’s opinion to make the call,” he picked Suzaku’s mask and offered it to Lidia, whose face turned pale from realisation.

 “You're kidding me, right?” She whispered, looking at Seiryu with shock and disbelief. “Of all the people… you picked him ?”

 “To be fair, we wanted to get to him from the start, when he first appeared in our searches. But back then he disappeared right after his training with Heihachi, and we couldn't get to him after that, since he fell to the curse of the Devil, as we were afraid of. And you know how it turned out later”.

 “I know, and that's why I don't understand your decision!” Lidia snapped. “As far as I know, Alexandersson is more worthy to bear this title than Jin Kazama! The one who started the world war that took more lives than Heihachi ever did in his whole life! And yet, you still decide to choose him?!”

 She gasped for a breath when she realised both men were listening to her in a quiet shock. She blinked, realising how the anger blinded her. She looked down at Suzaku's mask which fell from Seiryu’s hand — probably when she shouted at him. She took a deep breath and turned away, not feeling the strength to look at it again.

 “I'm… sorry, everyone,” she muttered genuinely and stood up. “I can't do it. I need some time alone”.

 She quickly left the room, and Victor followed, giving Seiryu a quick nod. He stopped after she turned back to him, probably hearing his footsteps.

 “I really need some time,” she said again.

 “I understand. In fact, I know well enough about that kind of struggle — had enough of them in my life”.

 “I'm sure it's nothing, since we're talking about your encounters with women. No offence”.

 “Sometimes it is. You may not believe me, but that's the fact. Although, if you are willing to listen and speak your mind…” Victor raised his hand to his chest and bowed a little “...then I can arrange that. Tonight, in three hours — is it okay for you?”

 Lidia chuckled.

 “Are you always that direct or am I the exception?”

 “I'm that direct with you just because you are direct in general, Prime Minister of Poland. Not every political person is able to act like that”.

 She sighed.

 “I'll take that as a compliment. So, where do you want to talk?”

 “I suppose you agree with my offer? I will escort you as soon as you get rest and ready. At that time, please, do so and I will prepare everything. Now, if you excuse me…”

 He turned away and left the hallway, while putting out his phone.

 Lidia cocked her head, looking at Victor's back.  Perhaps she really needed to rest and think about all that once again.

*  *  *

 He couldn’t rest.

 Jin was laying on his bed, still dressed, hearing the noises outside of his room. They were familiar — he used to them long ago, since he woke up on this base. But now, he could feel something uneasy in the usual sounds of the ship — like everyone was psyched by the news of Heihachi’s return.

 That’s not gonna end. Even if he tries his best, this bastard will always find this way to come back, and ruin everything — even beyond the grave. And nothing will stop him.

 He remembered the news Yggdrassil received about the loss of Lidia and Eddy. The latest shocked Jin — he knew about Eddy’s determination like no one else and the realisation he’s the one who brought him to Heihachi, was unbearable. If only he knew… If only he didn’t waste time trying to understand himself…

 “Then what?”

 Jin stood quickly, looking around in his half dark room. The voice, his own voice, for some reason was heard from the furthest, darkest corner. He didn’t have to see the person, though, since he knew that there’s only one who could call him in a situation like that.

 “Since all that began, you’re always blaming yourself for all that happens. This is getting old, don’t you think?”

 Devil Jin stood out in the weak light. Same clothes, same black wings, but his eyes were looking at Jin with a tired expression. It was very unusual to see him like that — not threatening, hateful or wild. He was looking exactly like Jin felt right now — powerful, but worn out.

 “It shouldn’t have happened,” Jin muttered. “I was supposed to be there…”

 “To do what? Don’t forget, you had to remember what you are. Find your roots, your true power. There are always be things that out of our control, no matter how strong we are. All we can do in times like this is to prepare for impact”.

 “I tried that too. You should know how it ended”.

 “But was it your decision only, or someone else’s? And furthermore, would it bring you exactly what you wanted? You have to live with consequences, but not being buried by them — it’s a dead end. And if you want another example, it’s in the medical room right now”.

 Jin stood up, looking back at the Devil at the same level.

 “She shouldn’t be there. She was never supposed to be like…”

 “She IS like us. She was given power beyond her understanding, and it made her lose her desire, her purpose in life,” Devil’s voice became harsher. “And she will be lost, if no one will help her — or at least show her that she’s not alone with that kind of struggle. She needs you — or us ”. 

 Jin lowered his head.

 “I don’t know what I can do for her. Even if you’re here, we don’t have the same power anymore. We can’t reach for her like it could happen in Yakushima”.

 “It doesn’t matter. As long as you want to help her, you can find a way to reach out to her. That’s what our deal was. And I will get along with that, once you find the strength to move forward. And I’m sure, the wait will not be long”.

 Before Jin raised his head again to look at the Devil in silent question, he heard a slight knock at the door. He turned his head towards it, noticing by the corner of his eye that Devil is disappeared from the room.

 The door opened slightly, and Xiaoyu sneaked in.

 “May I?”

 He nodded, closing the door after her. She raised her hand to put it on his shoulder.

 “How are you feeling?” she asked gently.

 Jin didn’t answer momentarily, feeling how Xiao’s words getting under his skin, filling his heart with a familiar, so needed warmth. He took a deep breath and nodded slightly.

 “Could be better”.

 He turned back to his bed, then sat on it slowly, leaving enough space for Xiaoyu to come over. She understood the gesture and sat next to him, looking straight in his eyes.

 “I heard you talking. Was it?..”

 “Yeah,” he didn’t say any more, but surprisingly, she understood. It reminded him of their sparrings from the past — when they didn’t talk much, but their moves, gestures, and sometimes each other's breath could be even more meaningful than any words. A total mutual understanding. 

 “How about you?” he asked. Xiao shrugged.

 “Well, Nina sure was strong, even if I was prepared for that. But Reina… I still have no idea how on the Earth she trained like that. And when?”

 “Leave it to someone else to explain. I don’t know either,” Jin huffed.

 Suddenly he felt her palm covering his own.

 “Will Asuka make it?”

 He didn’t answer, staring into the floor, feeling how the warmth of Xiao’s hand was slipping away from his consciousness, along with all the noises of the ship. He was slipping away, too… back into familiar darkness.

 “Jin?”

 He jolted, feeling how Xiaoyu gripped his palm tighter, pulling him back into reality. He looked at her with a sense of fault, but surprisingly, he met an understanding and forgiveness in her gaze.

 “I’ll stay,” she said, nodding. “You don’t have to try to help her alone, because you’re not. I don’t know what to do to help her… but at least, I wouldn’t leave you while you're looking for a way to wake her up”.

 He looked at her in silence, not having the right words to answer, but the familiar, so needed warmth continued to fill his mind, overcoming the darkness he was about to slip to. That feeling was so nice and needed, he didn’t want to do any moves to scare it away — and so, he was just sitting there, letting himself be overwhelmed with this unfamiliar state of mind and body. 

 “I’m serious,” Xiao added, moving a little closer to him, looking at him seriously. He couldn’t hold the chuckle.

 “I know,” he whispered and added quickly before she frowned. “Thank you. I… really needed that”.

 Xiaoyu’s face became softer, her grip on his palm got a little loose — just for it to be held by her other hand. She moved closer, their foreheads were almost touching each other, and Jin felt how a familiar yearning is filling his mind. A sudden, quiet voice of the Devil — his own voice — sounded like it was so far away but also, from his own heart.

 “Let her be. Let yourself be. Let us be”.

 His breath got shattered by a moment, making Xiaoyu raise her head in silent question. Jin felt how his entire body pulled closer to her — slowly, carefully — to hug her, pressed his forehead back into hers and froze for some time, hearing her breathing, her heartbeat, her silent, weak half-question, half-pleading:

 “Jin…”

 He followed her voice, lowering his head to hers, cradling her face, pressing his lips on hers — gently, clumsy, but genuine. They both froze once again, getting used to these unnamed feelings, senses, wishes, trying to stay together by holding each other’s hands, while their lips were moving more hungry and yearning. Finally, Jin pulled himself away to take a breath and then buried his forehead in Xiaoyu’s neck, hearing her raspy breath, feeling her fingers moving on his own hands, then his back and shoulders.

 “That’s…” he heard her weak voice and felt how the warmth in his body turning into straight fire — not the same he could feel during battle, but something more private, hungrier, powerful. He tried to take a breath, but, to Jin’s surprise, it turned into a silent moan. He felt how Xiao’s fingers were gripping his shoulders tighter and came back to his senses. He gently pulled her away, still caressing her hands as gently as he could.

 “Sorry…” he breathed, having a hard time looking at her. “Not now”.

 She released his shoulders, caressing them to his fingers as gently as he did. Then, she gripped his fingertips, while looking at Jin. There was no hate, no offense or shock — Xiaoyu was looking at him with the same understanding and yearning as before. She nodded.

 “Then we’ll wait?”

 He nodded back, feeling how all his body just wanted to hug her back, kiss her again, getting lost in her care, kindness and love. But his mind was still locked in the medical room, in the same sense of loss he could feel from there, and the thought itself about Asuka being alone in this nightmare didn’t let him go.

 As a confirmation of his decision, the lamp above the door started to flash, accompanied by a loud call from the radio. 

 “Jin, can you hear me? It’s Lars, we need to talk”.

 He stood up, reaching his hand to Xiaoyu, who also focused her attention on the call. She accepted his gesture and stood up also.

 “Hope there’s some good news for exceptions…” Jin muttered.

 “Well, there were only bad ones recently, so you might be right,” Xiaoyu stepped to the door to open it. “Let’s hope that’s the case!”

*  *  *  

 “Is there a problem?”

 “What? No, of course not,” Victor said hastily. “I was just a little surprised, to be honest”.

 “Hope that wasn’t me who made you fell that way,” Lidia huffed while reaching for the wine glass. “Got to say, that dinner was perfect. You sure know how to impress people”.

 She looked over all the empty plates before her, that quickly were taken away by the hands of waiters — or, to be more specific, UN agents who were wearing waiters’ aprons along with their weapons. They disappear into the darkness of a hangar, where Victor and Lidia had their dinner, and despite the calm music sounding somewhere under the ceiling, Lidia still could sense agents’ nearby presence, though they didn’t seem to be hostile to her.  

 “Well, I did know you are a gourmet, so I tried my best to make a worthy table,” Victor said, following her gaze. He signed. “In other circumstances, I most likely would do better and find a more appropriate place. Maybe I would’ve even called a most impressive chef to assist — she's quite famous…”

 “Thanks, but I’m afraid that I have to wait for the next occasion,” Lidia said. “Now, when we're done exchanging compliments, I guess it’s time for a serious talk, right?”

 Victor sipped a little from his own glass and nodded. 

 “Now, when you seem to be in a good mood, I have to ask you… Are you absolutely sure of your judgement towards Kazama?”

 Lidia felt silent for a bit, looking at her own glass with a furrowed gaze. Victor gave her a slight nod, but she slowly shook her head.

 “Before the war started, I wasn't that interested in Mishima family clashes," she said. "I’m sure no one was, despite their constant attempts to draw attention to themselves through all these tournaments. I was a rookie back then, tried to do the best for my family and country, and made a worthy career. And when I finally did it… he appeared on the world stage with a literal bang”.

 “Not quite the best first impression, I suppose?”

 “For me, yes. I wonder what yours was at the time,” Lidia smiled slightly. “You were observing them for quite a time, and did nothing to stop them? Was Mishimas that strong in weapon resources for you to go against them directly?”

 “Precisely. You may be young for a political arena, but I hope you can understand that Mishima Zaibatsu were outplaying us not only because of their resources. Most of the world-wide technologies, medicine and equipment we have came straight from Mishimas. So we were basically in a chokehold, cause we can lose all of it, along with everything else”.

 “Medicine, you’re saying…” Lidia muttered.

 “Indeed. Ironically, the most important medical improvement humanity gained lately was around the time Jin Kazama was the CEO of Zaibatsu. Some of my informants were saying that he put a lot of the company's financial resources to medical research”.

 Lidia didn’t answer, remembering her talk with Eddy — about his master’s treatment and the sudden orphanage sponsoring. She shook her head again. more aggressively this time.

 “Well, according to what we know, it makes sense for him to do this research,” she said. “He was still possessed by that… Devil gene, so most likely he wanted to know what benefits he could have from that”.

 “And these benefits later got out for other people to use? I thought that kind of work had to be very classified”.

 “I know, it sounds like I’m putting straws to try make Jin Kazama look like a villain,” Lidia leaned back on her chair. “But after you see two of three Mishimas tearing each other’s throats for power, and the third one starting a world war right after he got access to his family’s empire — what else I suppose to think?”

 “Well, your friend Eddy was in contact with him after he joined Yggdrasil, as I remember? And monsieur Alexandersson was indeed a good influence on him. In the end, Jin even helped to save the world he once tried to destroy”.

 “He could not do that in the first place. Yes, I do believe that we all can change for the better, and I do believe there’s a way for all of us to atone…” Lidia signed and took a sip from her glass, feeling how the storm of emotions started rising in her chest.

 “But there’s people whose crimes are NOT repentable. And I have to say, all of Mishimas are these kinds of people. That’s not a bias, that’s a straight fact, Pan Chevalier. All they can do is to make others lose their way, and sadly, I know an example of that. These people… they have too much power and being defeated by them brings nothing but despair in this world”.

 “It seems that battle with Heihachi was quite a shock for you”.

 “I was raised to believe that my willpower will accumulate my strength to fight for those who need help and protection — not to conquer. But it all was futile against Mishima… I still feel like a fool that I trusted him — and I for sure will not repeat that mistake again. Never”.

 She breathed out and folded her arms on the table, looking straight down on them.

 Victor kept his silence, waiting for any other words, but Lidia was quiet. He then picked up his glass and started talking, after taking another sip of wine.

 “Our life is full of reality checks, isn’t it? I understand that you feel crushed and disappointed after that fight, but sadly, some people can and will be stronger than we expected. And, most importantly, our most important and valuable beliefs do not always help us to claim victory”.

 Lidia didn’t answer, but a little movement of her head let Victor know that she was listening. He continued.

 “Mishimas used to believe that the pure strength of a man holds in his physical and financial resources. The things that let you powerplay others, scare them, subjugate them. They even refer to spiritual power as a source of their strength… but what IS it, actually? The ability to hold himself against stronger opponents? The will to forgive, not give up on yourself and others? The wish of improving yourself and the world to make it a better place to live? What do you think?”

 Lidia slowly raised her head, with a look of slight recognition on her face. 

 “All of it?”

 “Indeed, but that’s not all. You may say it sounds quite corny, but we all need other people’s perspectives to build our own. Sometimes there are our like-minded people, sometimes there are Mishima-like ones, who don't value the same things we do. That’s the nature of the world, sadly, and by being strong here means that you can accept that and still be able to make the world better based on your beliefs”.

 Lidia chuckled, then raised her head to the hangar’s ceiling.

  “All this time I believed that evil can be obvious and I followed my senses to make things right… Guess after all that I forgot that life isn’t so black and white as we see it. Perhaps after the threat Mishima represents, we can’t put only our idealistic beliefs against that”.

 “I didn’t say that’s a bad thing, though. We actually need these ideals as a blueprint — concept, to be more precise. The reality just has a habit to make them more realistic to implement in life”.

 Lidia raised her eyebrow.

 “So, basically, you’re saying that I should keep my expectations for Jin a little higer to give him a chance?”

 “Frankly, yes. I’m not saying you should trust him — you have all the rights not to. But sometimes, we all have to lower down our expectations to see a real deal. Take this dinner, for example — we are supposed to have a serious talk about your trust issues, and we could do it in any other way, but I arranged dinner, because I know you are a foodie”.

 “Buying my respect, aren’t you?” Lidia smiled sincerely.

 “A bit of it, yes. But I did it because I respect your habits. That’s a part of obtaining true power — find the perfect balance between expectations and reality”.

 Lidia hummed, feeling how her thoughts started to swirl in some unusual course. 

 Suddenly, a loud sound from outside made her jump on her chair.

 “Sir!” one of the agents ran towards Victor. “It’s Shin Tekken Force!”

 “Where are they attacking from?” Victor asked, reaching for a napkin calmly, like the assault wasn’t bothering him at all.

 “They’re coming from everywhere, sir. It doesn’t seem they have any particular plan of attack”.

 “Really now? That’s not like them, actually…” Victor muttered, while wiping his mouth.

 A loud crashing sound shattered the whole hangar, while the wall behind Victor fell apart. He was sitting still, continuing wiping his mouth nonchalantly, but Lidia quickly jumped off her chair.

 “Pan Chevalier, we have to fight back!”

 “Of course,” that was all Victor said, before disappearing from his seat, while the wave of Shin Tekken Force soldiers was running towards them. Lidia didn’t have time to be surprised, as the other UN agents ran towards attackers, defending her with opening fire. That stopped the assaulters for a moment, enough for Victor to jump at them from above with a wide swing of his sword. 

 Another wall got broken through and more Shin Tekken soldiers got inside the hangar. Before some other agents turned back to them to resist, Lidia rushed forward, scattering attackers with several kicks. Just when she finished the last kick, a faraway buzzing sound catched her ears.

 “What is it?” she muttered, noticing how enemies suddenly started to retreat from them. She crossed her gaze with Victor’s and noticed his worried look.

 Her instincts made her get down on the floor before the blasts of a gatling gun started to shred the hangar's walls. Lidia quickly turned her head to Victor, who already was on the ground, covering his ears. Most of the agents followed them, but several unlucky ones were shaked by the bullets penetrating them, before they flopped on the floor.

 Shots stopped, but the maniacal laugh that followed them continued to rang under the ceiling. Lidia gripped her fists — that laugh sounded very familiar. And, as she noticed by a quick glance on Victor’s tensed face, not only to her.

 Another wave of Shin Tekken Force soldiers barged in the hangar, but this time, they were unarmed and went straight to agents, keeping them away from closing holes in the walls. Some of them surrounded Victor, and he took a defensive stance, putting out the karambit. Meanwhile, the squad leader rushed towards Lidia, still laughing, While she managed to block his running fast punch.

 “You couldn't pick a worse time to show up, Fury?” she muttered, being pretty sure he doesn’t listen to her anyway. Lidia never fought him before, but based on the reports she got from her soldiers, Eddy and the information from the last tournament, her opponent wasn’t a negotiating type. 

 And Fury quickly proved her worries — one slight dash towards her, and before Lidia could do any counterattack, she gasped from a sudden knee strike into her chest. While she was trying to recover, a series of gatling-like punches started to crush her defensive stance, until Lidia opened for a final blow that sent her to the wall. She slowly slid to the ground, groaning, as the pain from this attack and older wounds made their presence known.

  Is that it? She lost again?.. 

 A flashes from the past days flickered before her eyes, as she tried to stand up. Bryan Fury approached her slowly, but triumphically - just like Heihachi right after he defeated her, Eddy and Yoshimitsu. A familiar hopelessness started to consume Lidia’s mind, making her body to weigh down to the floor.

 There’s no way she can win against this pure power, pure chaos. Neither Mishimas or Fury would give her that chance.

  Focus, Lidia. 

 She blinked, as she was trying to detect where this quiet, familiar voice was coming from. Bryan took one other step, very slowly, as he and everything else got frozen in time, except for Lidia herself, as she continued to sponge a faraway voice of her grandfather.

  Those who rely on pure strength, always forget to keep balance between mind and body.  And those who understand that mistake and work on it, can have a chance to claim victory. Focus. Be mindful not only of his power, but yours.

  She slowly stood up, feeling the unimaginable heaviness of her body that slowly but surely goes away. She raised her head, her eyes squeezed towards Bryan and his amused grin. She inhaled deeply, breathed out and took a stance, not losing her focus on Bryan:

 “No dawaj!”

  He dashed towards her once again, but this time Lidia did the first strike — she got down quickly with a chopping low swipe on Bryan’s ankles. Not giving him time to recover, she followed with a strong elbow strike that knocked him away for a bit, then she ended her attack by another powerful blow, sending Bryan way farther. 

 His power is dangerous, so the best she can do for now is not give him any opportunity to use it. She ran towards him with a running jumping kick, but missed, as he rolled aside in the last second. While she was trying to get up quickly, Bryan crashed his leg on her with an orbital kick. Not giving her any chance to defend or escape, he followed his attack with a series of knee strikes and powerful punches, each of them making Lidia's body writhe from pain and weight. She went to the wall once again, slid to the floor and stopped moving.

 Bryan chuckled and stepped towards her. He didn’t seem to care about other opponents in the hangar, or giving an assist to Shin Tekken Force soldiers who still fought Victor and UN agents. He was focused on Lidia’s unmoving body, as if there was still something he could take from her, or test on her with all his battle modifications. 

  He stopped right next to her head, raising his feet as he was going to crash her spine.

 Suddenly, his vision spinned from ceiling to the floor, as he felt his standing feet got grabbed and locked in. As Bryan’s head touched the floor with a loud thump sound, Lidia quickly kneeled next to him, still holding his feet, then let it go to land a couple of strong punches on Bryan’s head.

 She stood up immediately, feeling how head was still spinning, her body aching, but she couldn’t stop yet. She kept her gaze focused on opponent’s body, jumping away quickly as he started to rise up. 

  He’s stubborn. But not for the sake of his ideals, his pride or anything… he just can’t get enough of this fight. He’s looking for more power, more violence, more chaos — no matter what the source is. Have you seen anything like that before?

 She stopped for a moment, observing Bryan, trying to find in her memory something similar, but got nothing. Only he was there — the true embodiment of unjust power, threatening the world and all these innocent people she vowed to protect, no matter where they were born or what sins they committed. They still deserve their chance to do good — but not this one.

 “Come on, girlie!” Bryan shouted and rushed towards her, grinning. “Don’t stop the fun!”

 She didn’t move and continued looking at him, as he started his attack, only to stop it at the last moment, since she hadn't made her move yet. Bryan started to move away slightly, to possibly do another sneak attack, but Lidia quickly took a stance and caught him during sidestep with her lightning-speed punch, followed by the series of kicks that shooked Bryan enough to make him wobble from the strength. Not waiting any more second, Lidia switched the stance, followed by the powerful two-hand strike, causing Bryan’s body to fly away, right into his followers,  who were still trying to defeat Victor. As they all fell into a giant pile of bodies, several UN agents threw into them some grenades that made fallen attackers convulse from the electric shock.

 “What a lousy troop”, Victor sighed, putting away his sword and turned back to Lidia. “You’re still standing, mademoiselle?”

 “Could be worse, but I’ll manage,” Lidia huffed, but suddenly, all the pain and fatigue made her almost lose her balance. Luckily, Victor noticed nearby one of the chairs they were sitting before the assault, that was still intact, and with a swift leg swipe, he moved it right under Lidia, so she landed right on the chair safely.

 “Thanks,” she breathed out, leaning to the back of the chair, smiling. “That dinner is the most unforgettable thing in my life”.

 “Glad to hear it,” Victor nodded and turned back to other agents. “Secure all these clowns, be careful with Fury. We may not get anything useful from him, but we better lock him up”.

 “Uh, sir… he got away”.

 “What? When?” Victor, shockingly ran towards the pile of bodies, still convulsing from electroshock grenades. Some bodies were laying farther than others, like they were thrown away by someone who was trying to escape through them. 

 “Damn it,” he clicked his tongue, when one of the agents walked to him with a worried expression.

 “There’s still several troops of Shin Tekken soldiers outside, sir. They’re all moving here”.

 “Our party already got too bloated,” Victor said. “Is there a way to give them a hint?”

 “We can call small-range mortars, but it’s too risky. The backup will be there in five minutes only, so we have too little time to keep them out by ourselves”.

 “Then let’s use these five minutes to the fullest,” Lidia said, getting up from her chair with a notable effort. 

 “I respect your wish to go all-out, mademoiselle Sobieska, but leave it to us. I won’t forgive myself, if you'll sacrifice your life here”.

 “It’s not about sacrificing, Pan Chevalier,” she said, turning to him slightly. “It’s about standing your ground to the end — no matter what outcome we’ll get!”

 Victor chuckled and put out his sword once again, turning back to his subordinates.

 “Everyone, prepare for attack!”

 A small group of agents stood in a circle, along with both Lidia and Victor, taking their stances. Weapons clicked, getting ready to open fire, but among these sounds, Lidia’s ear caught something unusual.

 “Wait a second…” she muttered, getting Victor’s attention. “Do you hear it?”

 He raised his hand, making everyone felt silent, so the rising sound was able to hear for everyone in the hangar, along with the roar of approaching foot troops.

 “A helicopter?” Lidia asked, then she noticed how Victor’s face slightly changed. “You… know who it is?”

 “Get down!” he shouted. 

 Everyone followed his order, as another series of gatling gun blasts raised outside. But to Lidia’s surprise, no single bullet shredded into the hangar. Furthermore, this one sounded different that the one Bryan Fury carried. Along with gatling gun’s shots, there were a lot of other guns blazing, that were more familiar to Lidia — in a pleasant way.

 “Guess we don’t have to wait five minutes, huh?” she shouted, not getting up. Victor chuckled, laying next to her:

 “Oh, we don’t have to do ANYTHING at this point for sure!”

  A strange whistle rang into the air outside, and the sound of a huge blast shook the hangar’s walls, as they weren’t damaged enough already. Some silhouettes ran into the walls’ holes, and to Lidia’s pleasant surprise, one of the troops was led by the familiar figure. 

 “Follow me, quickly!” Eddy shouted, waving to her. “This place is going to fall any second now!”

 “I swear, I will demand compensation from Mishimas for this one…” Victor muttered, following Lidia to the exit. The further they were approaching to the outside, the more noisy it became, until they arrived at the battleground. However, the battle was almost over, as other troops of ex-Tekken Force and UN agents were already cleaning up the assault.

 “Guess that’s it,” Eddy said, going towards one of his men. “All clear?”

 “We are still trying to locate Fury, sir, but it seems that he managed to escape”.

 “Shame. At least we got here just in time to avoid larger losses,” Eddy turned back to Lidia with a notable concern. “You look awful, though”.

 “Could be worse,” she chuckled. “By the way, how did you manage to arrive there so fast?”

 Eddy turned away slightly, as he was embarrassed by the question.

 A sudden click of the heels made Lidia jump and prepare her fighting stance once again, looking around. This time, she noticed a silhouette of a helicopter nearby, and a coat-wearing figure, walking towards them from the vehicle. The smoke and evening twilight made it difficult to recognize the person, but when it came closer, the lights of a fire from a recent explosion illuminated the face of a beautiful woman with an asymmetrical bob cut. The red coat, as much as the red highlights in her hair, were looking almost golden.

 “It seems you were having a great time without me,” the woman chuckled flirtatiously, putting her hand on her hip. “I would’ve hurried if you warned me, Sir Phantom Raven”.

 “My bad. I wasn’t expecting that, actually,” Victor shrugged before reaching for the woman's hand to kiss it politely. “Pleasant to meet you again, mademoiselle Williams”.

 “You can just call me Anna, mon chéri . We don’t need to confuse anyone anymore,” she said, with a notable bitterness at the end, bordering with a sensible fury.

 Lidia blinked, putting two and two together.

 “I’m afraid the person you were looking for is not here,” she started carefully, getting Anna’s attention. “We have no idea where she is now”.

 Anna looked at her in silence for a moment, then smiled sincerely, making Lidia confused.

 “That’s quite alright. I knew this bitch wasn't here, but she still left a little gift for you,” she put her hand in the pocket of her coat, pulling out some unrecognizable scrap of metal. Victor frowned.

 “And that is?..”

 “A little souvenir from her employer. I got a little closer to him before burning it to smithers, and it seems it was spying on you for quite a while — six months, or even more. There was also a transmitter, so I suggest you have to redo all the inner structure and weapon supply from scratch — she got your current ones in her backyard right now”.

 “And that’s right when we’re already short on money to do so…” Victor muttered. “At least, that explains how they got information about our equipment. I’m in your debt, Anna”.

 “Don’t be,” Anna waved her hand. “I already got a deal with our common friend, and he promised that he’ll get all the information about the owner of this little piece of  junk,” she threw away the metal scrap with an indifferent look.

 “Now, then… Since this party is already over, and I still have a little time to receive the details from Lee, I guess we can arrange a little victory feast, sir Chevaliere?”

 “If the kitchen is still intact, I suppose. But I’m sure these imbeciles blasted it away before attacking the hangar”.

 “You don’t need the kitchen here, my dear, as I’m here,” Anna smiled, suddenly taking a step towards Lidia and Eddy. “I’m pretty sure one of you knows where we have to start cooking, and the other can’t wait to have a decent aftermath meal. Am I right?”

 She looked straight at Lidia, and the latter felt a sudden embarrassment, along with a famish. Still, Lidia tried her best to play it cool — after all, she still had to know Anna not only as a famous assassin, but a probably good cook. 

 “Sure,” she smiled back, seeing Victor’s approving nod. “I’m looking forward to it”.

 After all, there’s still a lot of new discoveries for her to find and accept. The road of true strength is still open for her. And, who knows, maybe after that meal, she will find herself a way to accept Jin’s deeds and ask him for help directly.

 With a suave hand gesture, Anna turned away and walked off, with Lidia, Victor and Eddy following her. The rest of soldiers left behind, clearing the mess and securing the survived attackers.

Chapter Text

 “Glad to see you’re both alright,” Lars didn’t hold his relief with his voice. “I was worried you could get in trouble”.

 “Well, there were some difficulties, I’m not gonna lie,” Niklas took off his hat and waved it to make some breeze on his face. “But fortunately, we got some support from my kid’s acquaintance”.

 “It’s not like it’s an old friend though, father,” Leo interrupted. “We just share a common enemy, that’s all”.

 “Aren’t we all?” Niklas shrugged. “Anyway, we obliged to this person for providing us some further materials for you to discuss. No idea how it was found, but luckily, it’s still intact to be researched”.

 He then carefully handed over to Lars some old scroll.

 “Father forgot to add, that all we got is coordinates to find it,” Leo interrupted once more. “Or, shouldn’t I say that? How did you plan all the briefing?”

 “Agh, it’s already hyped enough to make any more surprise reveals, I guess. So, Commander Alexandersson, I have to ask you to gather everyone involved in this here — there’s quite a lot to discuss”.

 “I’m afraid, there can be some inconceivables,” Lars lowered his head a bit. “Asuka Kazama is still in a coma, we can’t wake her up”.

 “Oh, that’s unfortunate. But at least, Jin is still here, right? He might be interested as well”.

 “Sure he will,” Lars nodded. “Give me five minutes or so, and prepare all that you found”.

 He turned away and almost left the room, when in the doorway he encountered Jin and Xiaoyu.

 “Oh, you’re already here?”

 “You’re the one who called,” Jin shrugged and nodded to Leo and Niklas. “Can we start?”

 “Actually, wait a bit, I need to find Claudio and Zafina. That also involves them to some degree. While that, feel free to talk,” Lars waved his hand and finally left the control room.

 Jin felt slightly alienated, looking at Kleisens. Though no one of them showed any hostility anymore, it was hard to break ice, even for important reasons. As she felt his struggles, Xiaoyu stood next to him and looked at Niklas in curiosity.

 “Your hat is very cool, sir,” she said. “It’s hard to keep it on during your expeditions, right?”

 “Sometimes, but it makes the adventures more thrilling, young lady,” Niklas tilted his hat in approval and smiled. “The last one, for example, was the closest one to completely losing it”.

 “Really?”

 “That’s because you were careless, father! Remember, you were the first one to break the number one rule — don’t touch anything without further examination!”

 “Sorry, I got too hyped out… But it was worth it in the end, wasn’t it? We still got some great photos and a sample!” 

 “And also my twisted ankle, I guess…” Leo sighed and turned to Jin. “Forgive us, my old man is quite reckless sometimes”.

 “No. it’s okay, really,” Jin replied, while trying to catch what just happened.

 The father and child bantering, the cockiness of them both, something really unknown for him — and, to his own surprise, kinda earning. Could he wish for something like that in his relationship with Kazuya?

 He never thought about that before. Kazuya was always the last person he would see as a father, since Jun never talked about him in this grade, despite holding him close to her heart, as Jin believed. And furthermore, after realising his own life became a nightmare thanks to this man, Jin couldn’t even imagine fatherly respect to Kazuya. After all, he was a Mishima — one of those who could and would oppress the whole world.

 But after so many fights with him, after defeat and victory, after their pure clash without any devil or Kazama powers, Jin started to realise that there still was something in the man who was his father. Something he couldn’t give a name, but understood the feeling and attraction that held his mother to Kazuya. 

 If only he could see her or even him one more time — in or out battle… He might understood what was the reason they even got together and brought his life in this world/

 “Sorry for the wait,” he suddenly heard Lars’ voice. “We can start now, so please, everyone, sit whenever you like”.

 Jin raised his head and his gaze crossed with Zafina’s who just entered the room. For a moment, he felt something familiar, like very far away for his understanding, even despite his connection to his family roots. He held his eyes on her face a bit longer, waiting for an answer, but Zafina just nodded slightly, without a smile, and took a seat near the exit.

 “What is it?” Xiaoyu asked. “Something wrong with Zafina-san?”

 “No,” Jin shook his head slightly. “It’s not anything dangerous. Let’s sit down”.

 As soon as everyone, including Lars and Lee, sat around the table, Niklas placed on it the scroll from before, some old books and a tablet.

 “Is it possible to transmit the info from it to your main computer?” he asked Lee.

 “I think so, but beware, if you have any viruses, I have to throw you out from this ship,” Lee took the tablet, looking at the researcher with a bit of suspicion. “So?”

 “Don’t worry, there’s nothing of the sort. Plug it in”.

 “Of course”.

 Lee took some gestures to activate the main display on the table, then, with a raise of his palm, left the image of the screen in the air for everyone to see. He handed the tablet back to Niklas.

 “Your turn, Kliesen-san. The audience is ready for your lecture”.

 Niklas nodded and cleared his throat before starting to talk.

 “Gentlemen, ladies — here’s some really great finds I and my kid got their hands on during our restless research for several months. I’m sure, they can help a lot with the mysteries both the Mishima and Kazama families have held for all these centuries, and let me start with this…”

 He opened something on his tablet, and the display showed it to everyone else. 

 It was silent for a long minute. Claudio and Lee were intrigued, Zafina and Jin weren’t amused at all, and Lars and Xiaoyu were confused. Leo was the only one who facepalmed, while Niklas was seemingly confused.

 “I’m sorry to butt in, Niklas-san… but was it necessary to take a selfie with this thing?” Xiaoyu was the first who broke the silence after looking at the giant photo of Niklas, making a face near some giant tree-like crystal with a familiar purple color. 

  “Very brave of you,” Jin buttered in. “If that’s what i think it is… it could pierce your head easily, making it your last adventure”.

 “Jin!” Xiaoyu turned to him in shock. He shrugged.

 “What? I know at first hand what abilities Azazel or his spawns could have. Just speaking the truth”.

 “Unfortunately, he’s right,” Zafina said. “This thing… where did you find it?”

 “You probably won’t believe it, but it was near the Osaka caves,” Leo said. “Which also brings us to one of the topics my father should’ve explained further… if he won’t fumble again”.

 “Give me a break, okay? I forgot to delete this photo before arriving here!” Niklas swiped the selfie away and opened another photo, this time only with a tree-like crystal. 

 “As Leo said, we found it near Osaka. Funny thing, that despite being organic, this thing showed a high level of spiritual energy within. So, if you think it looks like a tree, you’re not so far from the truth”.

 “As I was afraid…” Zafina mumbled. “Azazel really sprouted his power all over the world”.

 “Let me notice that it wasn’t your or Jin’s fault though,” Niklas said, giving her a reassuring nod. “By analyzing some samples me and Leo took from this crystal, it seems it was there for thousands of years, which means it may have appeared here long before you and your people sealed Azazel in the Egyptian Temple. But the energy, though… it seems it got activated at least a year or two ago”.

 “Just when I found his temple and he started to give me his visions…” Jin said. 

 “It more likely was an indicator of Azazel’s growing powers, in my opinion. Since, after Kazuya took his energy to himself, there weren’t any visible changes in this crystal. And, as we all can see for ourselves now…” Niklas switched to another photo of a crystal - this time, in a glass tube, placed in some sort of laboratory. The glowing of a shattered piece was clearly brighter than it was in previous pictures.

 “He’s still in this world…” Zafina muttered, slowly grasping her left hand as if she tried to contain something that could’ve been left from Azazel. 

 “I knew it,” Jin leaned on the back of his chair wearily. “There’s no way I could get rid of it entirely”.

 “The good news is, there’s no information about its energy spikes on a global level. So, maybe for a short moment, you did your job well, Herr Kazama,” Niklas nodded to him in reassurance. “Now, as I mentioned before, we found this exact crystal near Osaka. Assuming these crystals would work as some sort of radar or indicator of Azazel’s activity, there’s a high chance Osaka was a home for those who could contain that energy in the past. Which, as I’m suspecting, can explain some other things about the origin of the Kazama Clan… Herr Lee, can you make a scan of the scroll I brought here today?”

 “No problem,” Lee thumbed up, while carefully unfolding the scroll with other hand. He kept holding it, his other palm hovering above, connecting the display of the table with sensors of Lee’s glove, as they scanned the scroll and displayed it on the upper display momentarily.

 Jin and Xiaoyu recognized that image. It was almost the same as Lili showed that to them back in their flight towards Yakushima. But this time, the Kazama family tree was slightly bigger, as if Lili managed to get only an incomplete version of it.

 “Just how big is your clan?” Xiaoyu gasped. “Back then there weren’t so many names and families… and they existed for that long?”

 “Hold on!” Zafina suddenly stood up and pointed at the almost unrecognizable name at the upper part of the picture. “I know that name… my guru told me a lot of stories about that man. He was one of the several people of my ancestors who originally sealed Azazel, but after that, he left our home”.

 “To search for anything left after the demon who you defeated, I assume?” Niklas opened another picture, this time some sort of mid-eastern ancient mural.

 Despite it being almost unrecognisable, everyone still could see a miniscule human figure that got in a fight with a giant serpent, armored by a familiar-looking crystals. The human was armed with a simple staff, but it beamed some sort of energy towards the serpent, making him yield. Jin squeezed his eyes — it reminded him of a familiar power.

 “As you can see, here’s the first known showcase of a purification power, or, as some of you can say, a Kazama power. This man, as I suspect, was the first and most powerful helder of the purification energy, and without him, Azazel would’ve destroyed our world. He wasn’t the only one, but still more powerful than the others. So I’m at this point sure he’s the one who could be the founder of the Kazama clan”.

 Jin and Zafina shared glances for a bit, then both brought their attention back to the display, where appeared another several murals, this time mostly Japanese-like ones.

 “As he continued to travel, he stopped in Japan, where there were enough monsters and Azazel spawns to fight. Some of them were the sources of great disasters, so he gained a lot of glory and veneration for making them gone. Then, he stopped traveling and most likely decided to finish his quest in a spot with a great spiritual energy, in case Azazel will awaken again… and you all know, what place was that”.

 “Yakushima…” Lars nodded slowly.

 Niklas snapped his fingers and opened another picture — this time, on the Japanese mural everyone saw two men. One of them, wearing ceremonial white clothes, was clearly declining something as the other, the heavily-armed warrior was aggressively debating with the white clothing-man. Jin looked closer at the warrior’s armor and noticed the familiar symbol, in a gold color.

 “He’s a Mishima?” he pointed at the chest plate of the warrior. 

 “Not just any Mishima — that is Hachiman Mishima. He was one of the greatest warriors of the Sengoku period,” Niklas folded his arms. “Some can say that the deity figure by the same name was actually referring to him, and considering what we found on this guy, it may be right”.

 Jin scratched his chin. 

 “I don’t remember Heihachi mentioning this man at all. Furthermore, I didn’t find anything about him, when I was searching through Zaibatsu data back then,” he said. 

 “Perhaps you didn't because this part of your clan’s story was supposed to be forgotten,” Leo said. “That’s from the archives we get thanks to that weird ninja guy, and as I remember, he mentioned it was a lot of trouble for him to get it out”.

 “Guess that sponsoring from our mutual lady friend was very huge if he decided to go through the end,” Lee leaned forward. “Wonder how she is right now — there wasn't any news from her, Victor or Anna-san…”

 “I’m keeping in touch with them right now, don’t worry,” Lars said. “You will be the first to share anything about them, but now, let’s keep on track”.

 “Right. So, according to these archives, Hachiman Mishima was a very powerful and influential figure in the history of Yamato province — now you can know it by the name of Nara Prefecture. This fellow was a strong and loyal warrior, who, despite being just a human person, could destroy even inhuman monsters he met in his battles”.

 “Seems on track for me,” Lars said. “Still have no idea how it’s possible, especially in the past”.

 “Some of the family gifts could help even back then. You know the ones,” Lee chuckled, making a suave gesture with his palm. Both Jin and Lars looked at their own arms, as two little lightings, blue and red, flickered all over their hands towards the table, making it flicker back.

 “Hey, careful!” Claudio said. “We weren’t asking for a lighting show!”

 “My bad,” Lars moved away from the table, while Jin just folded his arms on his chest, not moving anywhere further, but with a visible embarrassment on his face.

 “So,” Niklas cleared his throat once more. “This guy Hachiman was surely a powerhouse, but he was just a loyal servant of the emperor. And, according to this mural, he wanted to be something more, if he asked for the services of a fellow Kazama exorcist”.

 “Hold on,” Jin leaned forward slightly. “Kazama? Why?”

 “Mostly, because at the time, some of your ancestors were serving the Emperor as well, and, as you already know, they could use their powers. Hachiman, as it seems, was wanting more power and influence that he had at the moment, and most likely, he wanted to take down the Emperor as well”.

 “Well, that sounds familiar,” Lars huffed. “And is it known what happened next?”

 “Not much, but, as we see in usual history classes, Hachiman didn’t get what he wanted, although he also didn’t lose his life or status for such a clear intention of betrayal,” Niklas scratched his cheek, looking at the mural. “Unfortunately, even despite Yoshimitsu’s research, we don’t have a final for that story right now. Furthermore, which is strange… that’s exactly the moment where Hachiman's popularity and his image turned to being a deity”.

 “I don’t get it…” Xiaoyu hid her face in her palms. “So, he wanted to take down the Emperor, but became a hero anyway? That’s weird”

 “And there’s no further info about that exorcist after?” Claudio asked. “Because, if you don’t mind me interrupting, there’s a little bit in the history of mine that can be connected to our mutual friend from there…”

  “Which is?” Lars asked. Claudio turned to the scientist.

 “Senor Niklas, do you, by any chance, remember my request? Just after Archers of Sirius got shut down, I asked you to check their libraries for some clues”.

 “Yeah, I’m glad I got something from there before they turned the place into a museum. Here you go,” Niklas reached into his bag which was on the floor next to the table and put some old volume out of it. He handed the book to Claudio.

 “I suppose that’s what you’ve been asked for?”

 “Exactly! May I continue from where you stopped, then?”

 Niklas nodded, then Claudio stood up from his chair and stepped out, opening the book. He smiled slightly, seeing a bright-green bookmark on some pages, nodded to Niklas in gratitude and opened the exact page.

 “That’s it,” he said. “I knew there’s something familiar between our methods and Kazama power, but couldn’t see the exact connection… Now that explains everything!”

 “What is?” Xiaoyu asked, stretching out her neck a little.

 “Originally, our abilities came from several demons. Our founders were able to catch and use their powers for a good cause. Some of you may see some resemblance,” Claudio said, as he activated his blue flames with a slow hand motion. He turned his head, so Jin and Lars could see the little tattoo on his face, along with the changed eye color.

 Jin frowned. “You're saying your power came from Azazel too?”

 “More like, from one of his spawns that left after his confinement. And that's what is actually interesting, because having that kind of power would be impossible without some help from the outside. And by that I mean him ”.

 Claudio pointed his hand, still glowing with power, back to the Japanese mural with Hachiman and a Kazama exorcist.

 “Now everything falls into place,” he said, raising up the opened book on the other hand.

 “As it's written in our chronicles, this man is one of the founders of the current home of the Archers of Sirius. He was known by the name of Procyon — assuming he was the one who opened us the way of using the power of Sirius, he naturally took the name of what was before its power”.

 “And no one suspected anything from a man from the East who took the Greek name and had so much power?” Lee said with a bit of disbelief. “That was careless, if you ask me”.

 “Perhaps, but at the time he arrived in Rome and taught his followers the secrets of harnessing demon powers, there was no one to be against that. Besides, no one followed him from Japan, so he was safe for the rest of his life”.

 “So, this Kazama exorcist declined the request of the Mishima warrior and fled to Rome to avoid his death. And then he helped you to gain control of one of Azazel's servants and take his power, did I get that right?” Jin asked.

 “Yes. He died, and most of his descendants unfortunately left Rome and the home of Archers as well. And I assume, most of them lost their connection to the spiritual realm and its powers as well. Most likely, senorita Asuka is a descendant of these exact people of your clan… although…”

 Claudio stopped, pressing his palm to his chin, thinking. A long pause followed, and Zafina, feeling that Jin was looking at her, turned to him in silent questioning.

 “That’s probably the worst moment to do so, but… I’m really sorry for how it turned out to you,” Jin said with a little but genuine bow. “If I knew what would happen after, that you would become his vessel…”

 Zafina raised her hand — the left one, free from the Azazel’s curse.

 “Don’t be. I was trying to stop you before, but unfortunately, I couldn’t see the bigger picture, that he was already free in spirit. Perhaps the fact I had to seal him in my body was predetermined and you couldn’t change much even if you were aware of that outcome,” she saw Jin lowering his head and turning away and continued. 

“My power is to see the future builded by others, and by that, guide people to a better path. Following my words, you’re already taken an important first step into making that world a better place. If you wish to continue that path, you have to find a way to give others the same hope you got”.

 Jin looked at her back again.

 “So you’re saying that’s on me to save Asuka? I was planning to do that anyway, but how will that change the whole world if she’s probably not have the same powers as me and my mother did?”

 “She may not have the purification powers, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have any Kazama-related powers at all,” Claudio interrupted, making both Jin and Zafina turn to him in question. He scrolled through some pages of the same book he opened earlier and continued with a nod to himself.

 “The reason or a real outcome between Hachiman and Procyon remains unknown, but I dare to believe that the conflict has a banal reason. Although Procyon arrived in Rome alone, there’s some proof that he had a companion — a fellow Kazama by name, not sharing his powers, but still having a huge secret in her mind”.

 “Her? It was a woman, like his sister or something?” Xiaoyu tilted her head. “And she was without powers?”

 “Fact is, Hachiman would have some plans for this woman that were necessary for him to reclaim the Emperor's throne. I assume that if he needed the help of an exorcist, and the fact Mishimas at the time also were demon hunters, this Kazama lady was actually a demon-possessed one”.

 “A Kazama with demon power? Is it even poss~ ah, yeah, it is,” Lars shook his head, giving Jin a quick glance, which he took with a sigh and a head tilt.

 “Then what happened to that woman?” Xiaoyu asked. “Did she get rid of the demon?”

 Claudio scrolled some more pages of the book and shook his head, then turned to Niklas. He, seeing his gaze, looked for something on his tablet and hummed.

 “There’s no such information about any relatives of Procyon or himself, known to history, I’m afraid,” he said, shrugging. “However, interestingly enough, right after the foundation of the Archers of Sirius, they became insanely famous thanks to their success in exorcism and services for influential people. Assuming the Kazamas fleet in Rome to find a way to get rid of the demon, I suppose they succeeded in that and then the woman left or disappeared to avoid being caught by Mishimas”.

 “It may be the case,” Claudio finally closed the book. “Sure, you can get rid of demons thanks to the Sirius exorcism, or being purified by natural powers like the ones from the Kazama clan… But if the origin of a demon has deeper roots or connects with a potentially powerful being, like Azazel himself… then even the purification of a host is just a temporary solution”.

 “Wait, so Zafina-san can be possessed by that thing again?” Xiaoyu asked shockingly.

 “It depends on the source. Luckily, Azazel’s powers right now at its lowest point thanks to Jin’s efforts, but it’s only a matter of time until they could rise again in any of his servants — and sadly, Zafina became one of them,” Claudio lowered his head, looking at his belted right hand. “I wish I could have the method to completely destroy this being, but even by using the most powerful techniques there’s no guarantee they will work”.

 “But this woman didn’t awaken her powers while she was alive, right?” Jin said. “What would’ve happened to her or her possible descendants then?”

 Claudio thought about it and fell silent, while Niklas went forward.

 “I think, even despite not using demon powers as a supernatural tool, those who had thm, could still be extraordinary individuals. Longlive, a colossal physical strength that is able to challenge even gods themselves, immune to most of the illnesses of the time — you name it,” Niklas then opened several pictures with various mythology characters from all over the world and continued.

 “Most historical or mythological heroes who aren’t described as gods but held these traits, may have a crazy luck, or a bit of a demonic or supernatural power within them. And I dare to say that some of the Kazama clan ancestors could not have the purification power, but still hold some supernatural talent within them. Since it most likely wasn’t cultivated or completely gotten rid of, it’s fair to say that in time, it became a natural trait for these people, part of their genetic code, if you will”.

 Jin didn’t say anything, remembering the fight back in the downtown. How he was surprised and shocked to see Asuka’s transformation, not being similar to his own or anything else he witnessed before. Her state at the time was so unbelievably natural for her that for anyone else she really would’ve looked possessed. But no demon being, no vengeful spirit or anything were there in Asuka’s case. All this rage and chaos were brought only by herself, her heritage, whatever it could’ve been.

 “So Asuka may not have Kazama ones, but some demonic powers…” Xiaoyu muttered, an expression close to despair appeared on her face. Jin noticed that and slightly shoved her arm with his own, trying to encourage her. While she slightly turned her head to him with a weak smile, Niklas continued.

 “For now, there’s no proof that is the case. But, I was studying several videos and datas Leo brought me right after the Yakushima fight and I found something interesting…” he then opened one more picture, so everyone could see a Yakushima map.

 “This photo was taken during the battle with G-corp army right before Kazuya arrived,” Niklas turned to Lars. “As you were fighting on the frontline, I believe others went to other locations?”

 “Jin and Xiaoyu sure did. I’m not sure where Asuka Kazama was at the moment,” Lars shook his head and turned to Jin in question. He frowned, and then, he remembered.

 “The shrine!”

 “Wait, THE shrine? The one you mentioned before?” Lee asked, while manipulating the map. “But it’s in the other direction that Miss Rochefort gave me back then! There was another shrine, perhaps? Right here?”

  He displayed a region near shores, close to a mountain, and zoomed the map, until everyone could see the rocky platform with some sort of entrance on it. Everyone turned to Jin, who was shocked.

 “I… didn’t know about this place,” he breathed out. “I never explored the island there, and my mother hasn't told me about it. So this is also a Kazama shrine?”

 “Seems like it,” Claudio nodded. 

 “The entire island has an enormous energy,” Zafina added, raising her hand. as if she could sense something from the photo. “But this particular place… I assume this was the spot of its origin. Your roots, the source of power of your clan”.

 “A mountain kami?” Xiaoyu breathed out. “This is amazing… and kinda spooky, to be fair”.

 “So, Asuka and Miss Rochefort went into this shrine,” Lars muttered. “Niklas, you mean there’s something they could’ve found or changed or something would’ve influenced them — I mean, Asuka?”

 “Most likely that’s the case,” Niklas turned to Leo for some other scrolls that they unfold on the table. “And not just Asuka, I suppose — I’m certain that everyone having at least a bit of the clan power, could have awakened it that day”.

 Jin closed his eyes, remembering that battle. He remembered a short flight through the whole island towards Kazuya, their crash into some… cave? Hall? He didn’t remember well, but the sense of someone’s or something’s presence stuck in his mind back then. Not the hostile one, but more like the reassuring feeling, as if the whole island — or at least some part of it — blessed him to win this fight. 

 “I could’ve lost back then,” he muttered, putting his hands on the table, looking at his palms. “I managed to use the Devil power once more… but it wasn’t enough. If my mother didn’t reach me back then…”

 “Hold up a second,” Lars stopped him. “You mean, Jun also was there? On the island?”

 Jin shrugged.

 “I’m not sure where she was. But I felt her there. Like she is still alive… somewhere, I don’t know. I didn't sense anything right when we landed on Yakushima, and I assumed it happened because I was fighting Kazuya there,” Jin raised his head and looked at everyone. “But now after what happened downtown, I’m not so sure”.

 “Meaning?” Lars squinted his eyes, as everyone else closed their attention to Jin.

 “I managed to stop Reina back then, when she was in her Devil form. I was thinking I don’t have any purification powers, so as Devil ones… but then I managed to strike her the same way I defeated Kazuya’s Devil form… And it happened while I was holding Asuka, unconscious”.

 “Now that’s interesting…” Niklas muttered. “May I ask a question - before that, did your powers activate by themselves, without any trigger from outside?”

 “I don’t get it,” Jin shrugged.

 “I mean, did they work without someone’s or something’s influence before, purely by themselves? Sure, Azazel’s servants can activate powers of each other, but purification ones? If there weren't anything like that before, that could mean only one thing…”

 He placed his hands on the table, looking at everyone with confidence.

 “That means Fraulein Kazama is the catalyst!”

 No one reacted — just silence, followed by beeping of computers. Niklas’ confidence began to fade away.

 “A catalyst… of what?” Lars asked, confused. Niklas beamed, as he was too excited to share his theory with everyone.

 “Think about it — while Jin was fighting Kazuya and reclaiming his Kazama heritage, his relative also made contact with her family roots, just in another shrine. Assuming the whole island is a source of the clan’s power, there’s no surprise that both Kazamas gained a power boost from it!”

 Niklas started to walk nervously around the room while actively gesturing with his hands.

 “However, if in case of Jin this is more obvious, since he gained the purification power and control of his Devil, with Asuka it’s a little more complicated… but, we all forgot the last piece of the puzzle,” Niklas stopped and turned back to others with some strange fire in his eyes. “Jin, can you remind all of us, what happened with your mother? I’m deeply sorry for that question, but that may be very important…”

 “I lost her. That’s all,” Jin replied harshly, not feeling like talking about it.

 Niklas shook his head.

 “Again, I’m deeply sorry, but I need details. Did it happen on the island?”

 “Why are you asking? It’s not like she stayed there…” Jin almost snapped, but his own words made him stop. He blinked, recovering what they were talking about just now, and for the first time in such a long time he felt actual hope. He felt how the air in his chest was squeezing, as he was about to burst.

 “She… all this time, she was still there?..” Jin muttered, closing his face with his hand.

 After the Yakushima battle he felt she was out there, somewhere, and was waiting for their meeting no matter the place. But the thought of her being this close, for all this time, even when he returned there right after Honmaru, followed by all these nightmares — it was unbelievable. It was even hilarious. He could’ve actually avoided all his horrible decisions if he wasn’t so dumb and looked around the island once more…

 “Hey!” he heard Lars’ voice. “Jin, we're still here!”

 “I know…” he whispered, trying not to laugh. “This is absurd… I was so close to her back then…”

 “You couldn’t know,” he heard Xiao’s voice. “No one could’ve known. Don’t blame yourself”.

 He opened his face, looking at her, then at everyone else. To his surprise, Jin met no judgement in response — but there was little sympathy. Not much, but enough for him to recollect himself.

 “I’m sorry, everyone,” he said with a little bow. “I lost control… again”.

 “You can blame me, for instance,” Niklas replied. “In the end, that was my little theory that got you upset… but to be fair, it has some basis to be true”. 

 “Like what?” Lee asked. Claudio followed his question, trailing from the location of the mountain to the place of another shrine on the map.

 “Despite Jin’s efforts, he was too weak to use purification powers back then. Even if he balanced his mind, he still needed a serious boost, which he couldn’t have without a tight bond with this island. And, as I assume, the only person who could’ve been able to have it, is his mother”.

 “Indeed,” Zafina nodded. “The amount of power Jin got didn’t come from his efforts alone — if he managed to make contact with his mother and then gained the purification power, that means she was on the island, but for some reason, was able to act just at the exact moment”.

 “The moment that happened right after Asuka arrived at the shrine!” Niklas snapped his fingers. “That’s it! She IS the catalyst — and she was the key to your victory!”

 “Insane…” Xiaoyu breathed out. “And she didn’t even know she was that much of a help!”

 “It was insane luck that she got there,” Lars muttered. “Wonder is Miss Rochefort planned to take her there long before our battle”.

 “Does it matter? Right now, Asuka can’t do anything,” Jin stood up and turned to Claudio. “Is there any way for us to wake her up now?”

 The exorcizor thought about it and shook his head.

 “To be honest, I never dealt with cases like this before. But if you believe it’s the same comatose you were after the fight with Azazel, then I have to ask — how long did it take for you?” 

 “Couple of weeks, as I remember”.

 “How was it? I mean, the process? Was your awakening fully conscious or something triggered it from the outside?”

 Jin closed his eyes for a moment, then turned to Lars slightly. 

 “I’m not sure… I don’t remember much — it was like a long dream without any dreams. Just darkness, full of distant sounds, feelings. Sometimes I heard what was happening outside, sometimes some flashes were there — images of ruins, battlegrounds… Not sure if all of them were real. Then I felt something had changed. It wasn’t Azazel, but I could still feel his influence and couldn’t just not do anything… Then I woke up”.

 “It was around that time Kazuya supposedly killed Heihachi,” Lee clarified. “He had to use all his powers to finish the task, and perhaps you, as another servant of Azazel, sensed his energy”.

 “Don’t forget — the activation of Devil power based on desire of its owner,” Niklas added. “So, in the case of Jin, his willpower helped him to wake up. But now, I suppose Fraulein Kazama doesn’t have much to do the same”.

 “She’s afraid”.

 Everyone turned back to Jin, as he looked at all the pictures and scrolls at the table with awareness and overwhelmness.

 “I was thinking she’s going through the same mistakes and fears I once did… and it seems I was right. She got the power she didn’t ask for, she used it unknowingly trying to help, and that turned her into a monster she actually isn’t,” Jin said, clenching his fists. “I know that kind of a struggle too well, but she seems to not have a desire to be alive anymore… as she doesn’t have a place to live”.

 “What do you mean?” Xiaoyu asked worriedly.

 “When I just got the Devil power and realised it… I was disgusted with myself. Wanted to stop existing so no one who I know could be hurt. That’s one of the reasons I was hiding… and planning to end my life when I destroy all the Mishimas who were the reason for that curse,” he said, turning to her with regret. “And now, I suppose, Asuka just doesn’t want to come back at all — she doesn’t feel herself as worth living”.

 “But you’re not planning to leave it like that, right?” Leo asked with hope.

 Jin nodded.

 “That’s why I was asking if there’s a way to wake her up. I wish I could do something — give her the same support and reason Devil gave me back at Yakushima”.

 “That was possible thanks to your inherited connection with the place,” Zafina said. “Your will, along with the strength of your clan roots, helped you to recollect yourself. I’m not saying it’s not possible to do the same right now, but the chances are really slim”.

 “You have a strong will, that’s for sure,” Lars added. “Not sure about everything else — like we don’t have a magical sacred tree on the ship to help you with the rest”.

 Jin chuckled.

  “It may not be needed. When I fought Reina back then, Asuka did activate my purification power — and it was enough to knock Reina out, when she was in Devil form. Perhaps that’s gonna be enough, considering Asuka can trigger this power unconsciously”.

 “It’s still not enough,” Claudio shook his head. “Perhaps me and Zafina can lend you a hand with the ritual, but it will take a lot of energy from everyone involved”.

 “As long as it will bring us a better future, I wouldn’t mind,” Zafina reassured him. “We can’t rely only on Jin’s choices for that — we need to do something too”.

 She turned back to Jin — this time, there was a slight smile of approval and admiration on her face, along with a confident look. Jin was confused by that expression and just slightly nodded in response.

 “Well then, I suppose we better get to the point and awake our little sleeping beauty,” Lee clapped his hands and stood up. “Do you need any preparations for that, like a steady plane? We can land somewhere so there wouldn’t be any emergency”.

 “I don’t think it’s necessary,” Claudio replied. Lars shook his head.

 “Actually, we really need to make a stop right now. We’re arriving at the UN base right now to pick up Lidia and others”.

 “We couldn’t do that before?” Jin tilted his head.

 “Too risky. Also, she had to talk with our mutual friend about you, actually,” Lars took a step towards Jin and nodded. “Don’t worry, though, it wasn’t about your imprisonment, at least for now. They actually have someone who may help you and Claudio with the ritual — as Lidia says, there is a person who knows a lot about spiritual battles”.

*  *  *

 Lidia closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

 The feast Anna gave her and all the agents of the UN was truly spectacular, but Lidia couldn't allow herself to relax even after Victor’s guarantee, there’s no more danger outside. Furthermore, she really had to work out all these meals.

 Unfortunately, neither Anna or Victor didn’t join her in training, so now Lidia practiced in a hastily repaired hangar alone, in accompaniment of construction workers buzzing from outside. Lidia's steps and blows were loud enough to fill the entire place, but her inner ear still could catch any unfamiliar sound.   

 So, when she heard a sound of an air transport landing that was different from the vehicles of the UN, Lidia tensed at first. However, there was no alert or any hostile reaction from agents. Furthermore, she heard a door in the hangar opening, and familiar steps, although they didn’t approach close enough.

 “It’s Yggdrasil,” Eddy said, notably relieved. “Don’t know why they’re here exactly, but it seems, there’s nothing serious at the moment”.

 “You seem glad they came,” Lidia noticed. Eddy folded his arms.

 “I’m just glad that’s not any of the old Mishima men. But to be fair, I still worried…” he took a step closer and looked at Lidia. “If the main ship of Yggdrasil is here, that means the whole team of it also”.

 She didn’t say anything in response, taking her fighting stance once again. He nodded.

 “Gotcha. Sorry if I ruined your day by this news”.

 “Don’t blame yourself. I just need to focus, really,” Lidia turned her head to him and smiled slightly. “Give me a little more time”.

 Eddy nodded back and left the hangar. Lidia came back to her practice routine, however, her thoughts were already clouded.

 She wasn’t ready. After battle with Heihachi and her own inner struggles, she couldn’t be sure she wouldn't unleash her anger and weakness to Jin — even if he may not attack her at all. The trust was way too low, even after her talk with Victor - but this time Lidia didn't trust not only Jin, but herself.

 She needs to fix that. Right now.

 One more step, one more strike, turn right, repeat. She felt deep down in the sounds of her own steps and punches, as before, but still kept an ear to any sound from outside of her inner shrine of thoughts and moves. And when she heard unfamiliar heavy steps, followed by light ones right behind, she didn’t let it bother or interrupt her, waiting for unfamiliar visitors to make their first move.

 “Your katas are impressive”.

 She turned to the voice direction and took a deep breath. Jin was looking much different than before, and Lidia saw him only on world news mostly. The person before her was far from a famous CEO of a giant Japanese conglomerate, whose plan was to spread world conflict. His face was pale, with dark circles under eyes, like he hadn't slept for days. His gaze was heavy like he bore the burden of his deeds, but still sharp and determined. And unlike before, he was looking at Lidia with a notable respect, which was unusual. A young Chinese girl with twintails in black and white dress stood next to him, bowed slightly, but didn’t say anything.

 Lidia turned to them fully, stopping her practice. She wasn’t ready yet, and still, Jin for some reason decided to visit her instead. What’s his move? Why did he suddenly want to see her?

 “Eddy told me about you, Sobieska,” he said, answering her silent question. “I’m sincerely thankful for everything you’ve been able to do for him. Wish I could do the same”.

 Lidia opened her mouth to a sarcastic answer, but stopped, feeling his sincere regret. That was… unusual. Even back when Heihachi acted as a reasonable and redemptive person, she couldn’t feel the regret from him, only the thrive for the true mastering of Mishima style. But Jin’s gaze, drilling her with some strange fire, was keeping Lidia on her toes.

 Finally, she talked. 

 “You don't have to thank me,” she said, perhaps in a too harsh tone. “All that matters is that Eddy is okay now… despite everything he came through. He still holds you in high regards, which, I’m not going to lie, is surprising”.

 Jin didn’t say anything, looking back at her. Lidia felt silent, and they continued to drill each other with searching gazes, without any hostility. Finally, the silence was broken by a Chinese girl, who stepped forward and pulled Jin’s hand.

 “Come on, how long are you planning to play silence? Didn’t you want to have a talk with her?”

 He turned back to her, surprised.

 “About what?”

 “Huh? Wait, you said back then you wanted to see Sobieska-san, to check how she’s doing after the fight with Grandfather Heihachi, didn’t you?”

 How it was Lidia’s turn to be shocked.

 “Grandfather Heihachi?..” she asked the Chinese girl again. “Wait, are you his granddaughter?”

 “Oh, no, I’m not, sorry,” the girl bowed again in apologise. “He let me live with him and Jin a long time ago, that’s why I call him grandfather. I’m Ling Xiaoyu, by the way, nice to meet you”.

 “You know, maybe you’re the one who should do all the talks here,” Jin said with a slight smirk. “You have a knack for it”.

 Xiaoyu turned back to him, smirking in response.

 “So you don’t mind me spilling the beans and saying you’re too shy to talk with Sobieska-san and ask her to spar with you?”

 Jin’s eyes widened. “Hey, that’s not!..”

 Lidia chuckled, surprising even herself. Jin and Xiaoyu turned to her, both confused. She stopped, feeling how the lightness in her chest is dissolving any doubts and mistrust completely.

 “Forgive me,” she said, not hiding her own smile. “I wasn’t expecting you two to be that close and… sincere”.

 “That’s all on Xiaoyu,” Jin folded his arms and tried to look away, but Lidia managed to catch a slight blush on his face. “However, she got a point — I wouldn’t mind having a little spar with you… considering you’re fully recovered at the moment”.

 “You both really need that,” Xiaoyu nodded. “Jin is that kinda guy who speaks better with his fists, and as I believe, you’re the same, Sobieska-san”.

 “Well, I would have argued about that. I’m the Prime Minister, after all,” Lidia said. “But I admit, we both can benefit from this fight. Are you ready, Jin Kazama? In my opinion, you don’t look sharp enough to give it all right now”.

 Jin hummed and fixed his gauntlets, his gaze became even more focused. He stood straight.

 “I promise, I wouldn’t disappoint you”.

 Lidia exhaled, feeling how all her struggles finally left, making her able to think clearly. She really needs to fight this man, to see his vision, ideals and judgement to make sure they can work together. And, assuming he’s eager to fight, he might want the same from her.

 So be it.

 “Good,” she said, her voice has become stronger. “Let’s begin!”

 They both bowed to each other respectfully and took their stances. Xiaoyu stepped away and sat on one of the crates to spectate.

 Lidia made the first move, flashing a quick one-two punch forward. As she expected, Jin not only blocked it successfully, but stepped aside, away from a possible third hit. Not waiting any more second, she made a roundhouse kick, trying to catch him.

 “Not happening!”

 Lidia didn’t manage to react on time, as her foot got caught but Jin. He quickly kicked her standing foot off balance and finished his attack with a quick elbow strike in Lidia’s head. She rolled away quickly, trying to recollect herself.

 “Good one,” she huffed, taking a stance once again. “Didn’t know that Mishima moves have that, even monks never used it”.

 “It’s not Mishima style,” Jin said, rushing forward for the next attack. Lidia prepared, but he suddenly stopped, as if he was waiting for her own move. She switched her stance, placing the weight of her body on another foot, waiting for his approach. 

 Jin rushed forward once again, crouching, and Lidia switched her stance quickly, approaching further. She noticed that Jin didn’t throw out any attack, probably waiting for her reaction, but she couldn’t let him have advantage. She quickly made a straight middle kick, caught him still in crouch, and followed by a quick straightforward punch that knocked Jin away.

 “Interesting,” Lidia said, switching back to her usual stance. “We really are alike - I also have some more things in my sleeve”.

 “Yeah… I noticed,” Jin breathed out, while getting up. “Let’s continue - I’m really interested in how it will turn out”.

 They stepped back and forward to each other several times, not letting the opponent make any mistake, in almost total silence. Xiaoyu even stood up from her crate in curiosity, but didn't cheer for any of them. Lidia observed Jin’s moves, making mental points about how his movement, tactic and approach are nothing alike she saw before in any of his battles she could find.

 It was like the person she was hoping to meet was clearly different from her expectation, but still had some similarity with those she fought before. Despite being the son of Kazuya and Heihachi grandson, Jin was unique in his fighting style - and that, to Lidia’s own surprise, was very intriguing.

 Finally, Jin made the wrong move - he left off the left axe kick, probably to stop Lidia from stepping. She blocked the attack and quickly pulled out another pair of two punches - just for the first one being parried. Before Lidia could recollect herself, Jin attacked back with a powerful right hook that made her fly away to the wall. She could hear Xiaoyu’s shocked gasp, as her back of the head met the wall and created a dull sound in her ears.

 Trying to roll away from a possible follow up attack, Lidia noticed the familiar crouching dash Jin was doing. She quickly put out a low kick, hoping that would stop his approach, and got that right, hitting his ankle. While he was recovering, she stood up for a powerful chop that landed right on Jin’s back, making him fall on the ground. Lidia followed her attack with a straight punch and swayed away momentarily, to avoid a counter.

 Suddenly, she felt how her body left the ground from a quick somersault rising kick. Not waiting for her to fall, Jin finished his attack with three consequence punches, making Lidia fly away with the last one. She, however, managed to stop her body, rolling in the air and landing on her knees.

 “That’s… definitely not Mishima style,” she huffed. “And not looking like the move she used…”

 Jin stopped, hearing her words, noticing something strange in Lidia’s last sentence.

 “Who do you mean?” he asked, frowning, not letting other thoughts destroy his focus. “Have you fought someone using these moves before?”

 She stood up, not taking a stance yet. 

 “I have no idea who you mean by that,” Lidia said and took a deep breath. “I can tell you the details, but we have things to finish… so come on!”

 She took her stance again momentarily and started with a barrage of her own attacks, not letting Jin away with any step or countermove. Stance after stance, confusing him and cutting off his options — Lidia didn’t want to win that much, but her pride and desire to fight were fueling her offence and spirit, making her wish to go all out, no matter what. There was no hate or despise towards Jin — she wanted to show him what a fighter she is.

 But after what he showed her, after the whole another image of himself he demonstrated, what else can he get? What else does he have to say in a language of fists?

 Suddenly, one of her punches got stopped by an unknown energy, as Jin quickly took a defensive stance, raising both his forearms. Lidia felt how the great amount of that energy pushed her away, how the atmosphere around them literally gets electrified. She tried to get into defence, but Jin didn’t let her use it, followed by a powerful right uppercut. She, however, managed to block it at the last second, and tried to get away once again, but Jin didn’t stop there, trying to catch her with a low leg sweep.

 “My turn!” 

 Jin didn’t even have the time to get surprised — his leg got parried quickly, and Lidia followed by a getaway kick and elbow strike, stopping his attack entirely. She rushed forward, feeling how he finally showed all his cards, and decided to finish it by opening her own hand. Just let him attack with a punch one more time, and all she needs to do is make her final move…

 He answered with a double lift kicks.

 She couldn’t answer that, as her body once again got juggled by a series of various familiar punches she suffered from Heihachi, along with some unfamiliar strings of punches and kicks. He finished by spiking her to the ground with a cartwheel double kick and a strong dash with another uppercut, not lifting her in the air once again, but still strong enough to her to feel old wounds.

 Jin stopped, observing her. Was it enough? Or he once again got too far away?

 “Are you yielding?” he asked. Surprisingly for him, Lidia stood up slowly, wiping her face - from sweat, luckily.  

 “Not yet,” she said. “Bring it”.

 She took a stance again, her eyes drilling Jin, as if she put everything she had left for her final attack, to make it count. He couldn’t ignore that determination, so similar to his own one.

 They once again started to approach each other slightly, looking for an opening. Jin made a quick punch and low kick, jumping away momentarily, ready to parry her counter attack, but Lidia didn’t follow him, although she notably winced from the hit in the leg. She’s on her limit — and surprisingly, Jin felt how he was getting tired too, but the feeling was almost pleasant, like from a good training. 

 He enjoyed that sparring session as much as he loved to fight Xiaoyu or Hwoarang or Lars.

 However, he lost focus for a mere second, getting away with these thoughts, and Lidia saw the opportunity. She rushed forward, not giving him any more time, following with a series of two quick punches, a knee strike and a final one-two punches, throwing Jin away with the final blow. As she finished her attack, she felt the strength she saved for that last rush, is finally leaving her. Lidia fell to her knee, breathing heavily. 

 “Are you okay?” Xiaoyu ran towards her, helping Lidia to stand up. Jin, knocked out, was slowly getting up too, while looking at her with a visible concern.

 “That… was a good fight,” she breathed out, nodding to Xiaoyu in gratitude. Then, she walked to Jin, reaching her hand to him, while he continued sitting on the ground.

 “Our styles may be different, but not our desire for peace,” Lidia said. “And I have to say, yours is way more interesting than I imagined. It tells a whole story… which I wouldn’t mind to hear, if that’s alright”.

 Jin took her hand and stood up. He smiled slightly.

 “I’m glad you had a good time in this sparring. There’s not too much to say, however… the style I use is my heritage, as you probably figured out”.

 “So, you also use the Kazama style? I haven’t heard about it much, if I’m being honest”.

 Jin blinked, remembering their short talk during the fight.

 “You didn’t?”

 “If you mean the girl I mentioned earlier, she hasn't used any of the moves that reminds of the Kazama style. However…”

 Lidia walked to the crates, sat on one of them, and Jin and Xiaoyu followed.

 “That girl used something from Mishima style, am I right?” Jin asked, already having a good idea who Lidia meant. She nodded.

 “What’s her deal with you? How did you even meet?” Xiaoyu asked.

 “She was our secret informator who gathered all the plans G-corp had at the time back then. She also asked me to look into Tekken Monks right after your and Kazuya fight in New York,” Lidia pressed her hand to her chin. “You don’t know this girl well, do you?”

 “Actually, we do now,” Jin said. “She’s definitely Heihachi’s daughter”.

 Lidia huffed.

 “Well, that’s not surprising. I believe pan Alexandersson is also his son? What a stary chuj… ” 

 “What?” Xiaoyu asked, but Jin stopped her, shaking his head silently. Assuming the despise Lidia put in her last words, the meaning of them could be way too explicit.

 “So, that explains why that girl wanted me to find monks, I suppose,” Lidia continued. “But I don’t get the final goal of hers…”

 “Nothing good, that’s for sure,” Jin said. “She attacked us not so long ago and has renewed the Tekken Force army at her disposal”.

 “Basically, she tries to reunite with Heihachi, but for what?” Xiaoyu pressed her head on her hands,placing elbows on her knees.

 “The reasons may be many, but the danger stays the same,” they heard the booming voice behind them and turned to the direction of it.

 The visitor, who turned out to be Seiryu, noticed their attention and bowed.

 “I’m glad you are alright, Sobieska-dono. And I didn’t expect to meet you, Jin Kazama”.

 Jin frowned, observing the figure of the monk. Tall, muscular, covering his face with a dragon mask, but he still could feel the same power as he sensed while fighting Kazuya and Heihachi. 

 “So you’re the one who saved him,” he said, not having any pleasant feelings towards the visitor. “What do you want from me, then?”

 Seiryu walked towards him in silence. Lidia and Xiaoyu felt how the atmosphere got electrified between monk and Jin, while the latter didn’t hide his hostility. Suddenly, Seiryu bowed low.

 “I admit that we made the greatest mistake, saving Heihachi from his death and trusting him to obtain the ultimate Mishima technique. While I was recovering, I got known about your history, and I…”

 “If you want forgiveness, forget it,” Jin said harshly, to the shock of everyone. Lidia tensed, feeling how his rage makes the atmosphere even more dangerous. She slowly groped her fists, ready to stop Jin in case he would try to attack Seiryu.

 “You shouldn’t even think about giving your secrets to this family, no matter who it will be,” Jin said, still in hostility in his voice. “Even if you wanted to get it for the greater good, the Mishima never should have this in their disposal”.

 Seiryu didn’t answer, still standing in his bowing pose.

 “However… I understand you. More than I could even imagine”. 

 The sudden regret and drop of hostility in Jin’s voice shocked everyone. Even Seiryu stood up, not having words to say.

 “You may know what I did with this world after obtaining the power of Mishima legacy. I’m not proud of it, I despise it, I wish I could never do that… I made a great mistake that can’t be undone, but I still want to do everything I can to make this world better,” Jin gripped his fist and lowered his head, turning it towards the exit. “But before that, I want to help a person who got involved in all this more than she should and put her life at risk”.

 Seiryu didn’t answer, but Jin could feel how his eyes under the dragon mask were inspecting him, testing his words. He felt the same, trying to find any trick, any lie in the monk's posture and gestures, but couldn’t see anything.

 “It seems you’re even more similar than you expected,” Lidia’s words broke the silence. “We all made mistakes we can’t forgive ourselves, I admit. Despair is the most dangerous opponent of ours, even if we think we overcame it. But we still can and we should fight - make a next step forward if we all want to do best for this world,” she stepped up and stood next to Jin and Seiryu, extending her hand to them. “So how about we take this next step and start working on our mistakes together, gentlemen?”

 Seiryu turned his head to her.

 “So, you’re not against my idea, Sobieska-dono?”

 “I’m open to suggestions. But you really should ask Jin, if you need a straight answer”.

 “About what?” Jin tilted his head slightly. 

 Seiryu put his hand into his belt and put out another mask. The gnarl of the white tiger flashed  by the lights of the hangar. Jin frowned.

 “I understand if you won’t take this,” Seiryu said, holding the Byakko mask. “The strongest of our warriors should have the balance between body, mind and soul - and as I can see, you managed to achieve that not so long ago”.

 “As I said, the secret of the ultimate technique of Mishima style should never be gotten by this family,” Jin turned away slightly, looking at Lidia. She nodded understandingly. “Even if you think, I’m worthy to bear that title, I have no reason to do that. I’m sorry”.

 “You don't have to agree right now,” Seiryu said. “We were desperate, trying to find any way to stop your family and Devil from oppressing the world. Now, since we failed, and the Star crusher trial will never come in the next two hundred years, we have some kind of a freedom of choice.”.

 “What do you mean?”

 “I heard about your relative’s spiritual struggle. Sadly, the person who could help us with that, has passed away, but I still keep some of his knowledge to provide help,” Seiryu put away the Byakko mask. “Very well. I’ll try to redeem myself by helping you with the ritual to save the girl. And later, when the time comes, you can give me your answer”.

 Jin’s face lightened.

 “You mean you can help Asuka?”

 “I can help you to get to her, but everything else depends on both of you,” Seiryu turned to Lidia. “My request to you is still the same. Can you take it?”

 “You should know I have no slightest idea how your spiritual training works…”

 “Doesn't matter. Just like for Jin, my offer to you still here,” he turned back to Jin. “We must prepare now. If the situation is as dire as I was told, we don't have much time”.

 Jin nodded and everyone left the hangar.

Chapter Text

 “You sure he’s going to help us?” Claudio asked Zafina quietly, while they both observed Seiryu from a distance. The monk, asking Jin something, inspected Asuka, then folded his arms.

 “As I was afraid, her time is running out. The amount of her spiritual powers possessed her entirely. We must begin immediately”.  

 “Do you know the steps of the ritual, though?” Claudio asked with doubt. “We’ve been told you have some knowledge in spiritual battles, but this one is quite…”

 “I can provide you with enough energy to do the rest,” Seiryu said. As he finished talking, one of the Tekken monks, who came with him, bowed and gave the high priest a little black and golden pouch and a staff. 

 “I must ask to leave those of you who will not participate in this ritual,” he said. The other monk, Xiaoyu and Lidia left the room. On her way to the door, Lidia turned back to Jin.

 “Good luck”.

 He just nodded in silence. Claudio walked towards him.

 “To begin, you should sit next to her and hold her hand. If your purifying powers are activated through physical contact, you shouldn’t let her go no matter what”.

 “What is the ritual like?” Jin asked. Seiryu stood opposite Asuka’s bunk, the rings on his staff chimed slightly.

 “I’m going to use the forbidden technique of our clan which will bring every dark thought, every wish to destroy on the surface. Considering you already balanced your own desires and have purifying powers to keep them in line, you shouldn’t worry for yourself”.

 “The desires you will face would belong only to Asuka,” Claudio added. “While you will be there, me and Zafina will provide enough energy to keep you both in the spiritual realm”.

 “Yes. However, you must haste,” Zafina flexibly stood next to Jin, looking him in the eyes. “Neither of you will have not much time, since we couldn’t hold you in this realm for too long”.

 “Got it,” Jin said. “So for now, all I should do is not let her hand go?”

 “Keep it until you get in her mind,” Claudio replied, already opening the lock on his right hand. “Now, we should begin”.

 Jin sat next to Asuka, taking her palm in his. He tensed — her hand was slightly warm.

 “Hold on,” he said. “I’ll be there soon”.

 Seiryu banged his staff on the floor once, the rings chimed loudly. The pouch in his left hand that he reached above Asuka, started to emerge black smoke that filled the room quickly.

 “Zafina!” Claudio shouted, forming the light blue seal with his right hand and placing it under the bunk. It followed by another one, hovering above, guided by Zafina’s left arm, still emitted with the leftovers of Azazel’s power.

 “Now, Jin Kazama,” Seiryu said, looking at him. “The purifying energy you hold, shall move you into this girl’s mind”.

 Jin gripped Asuka’s palm a little stronger, trying to remember how he used his powers against Kazuya. How the energy that was given him from mother, filled his body, making it lighter, but with that stronger, destroying any dark thoughts in his head, leaving only determination, will to fight, live and let live. And save.

 And it returned.

 He felt how the familiar sense of light was gathering around him, becoming even bigger, getting mixed with the black smoke and giving the both seals a golden light. He could hear Claudio’s surprised gasp, but didn’t lose his focus, sensing how his own mind started to slip right into the smoke that suddenly met him with a cold blast of air. Jin closed his face with free hand, feeling how drops of water and ice were flying into him.

 What is going on?

 He moved his arm away and realised that the other one doesn’t hold Asuka’s palm anymore. Jin looked around in tense.

 He wasn’t in the medical room anymore. There also hasn’t been Claudio, Zafina and Seiryu. Jin was all alone among the unfamiliar town’s square. The streets were completely empty, the various food stores and kiosks were closed, and even the statue of Billiken, usually wielding the aura of luck and happiness, greeted Jin with a cold grey color of its paint. In the distance, a high tower was reaching the dark grey skies, as if it was some sort of giant ridiculous sword.

  Is that… Osaka?

 Jin looked around once more. He never visited Osaka before, but could recognize the infamous Shinsekai neighborhood almost instantly. Now, when he got a closer look, the city was not just abandoned — it was partially destroyed. Not only by a human hand due to the robbery or a vandalism — Jin could see trails of natural disasters, as some kind of typhoon knocked over some signboards, street lights and store windows.  A single lightning flashed above the city, highlighting all the destruction before Jin’s eyes, so as a strangely clean path through the streets towards the Tsutenkaku tower.

 She was waiting for him.

 Jin followed the path immediately, walking through the streets at a fast pace. The closer he moved to the tower, the busier the road became. It started to fill with broken trash cans, pipes, bicycles and bodies of men, beaten up to almost unrecognisable state, despite most of them being armed with guns, knuckles or baseball bats.

 Jin moved forward, almost breaking into a run, but stopped as soon as he found himself at the wide sandy yard. The skies became darker, as if the downpour could have started at any second, the thunder rumbled in the distance, but Jin still could see the cracked sigh at the dilapidated building before him.

 “Yup, that was the Kazama style dojo some time ago”.

  Jin squeezed his eyes, looking in the dark of the entrance where Asuka’s voice came from. With slow and booming steps, she came out of the dojo, stopping at the doorway. 

 “Shoulda come here sooner… maybe you could see it workin’ properly” Asuka said, stepping outside and sitting on the threshold, looking at Jin with a visible hostility. 

 He didn’t say anything, looking at her attire.

 Instead of the usual plain shirt and shorts she wore before Reina and Nina attacked, Asuka was wearing some kind of high waisted purple biker pants with her chest being bondaged and covered by a purple jacket with the same design as the pants. The faraway lightning struck again, flashing out the red and brown stains on Asuka’s face, clothes, gloves and a wooden kendo sword she groped in her right hand. She noticed Jin’s worried expression and chuckled gloomy.

 “Yup, I smacked a lotta people here and there. Most of them deserved it, though,” she pointed out her sword to the side.

 Jin followed, seeing the bodies of Emilie de Rochefort and some muscular Chinese monk in the corner of the yard. The most strange thing was that the bodies were plural — lots of identical monks and Emilies were piled there, most of them beaten cruelly, almost unrecognisable.

 Jin felt the same shock and disgust he felt a long time ago when he decided to read reports about multiple massive attacks of the Mishima Zaibatsu air forces on every region of the world. Despite trying to tell himself that all was necessary, how the Devil was sure that’s the only way to save the world and bring everything as it should be, the realisation he violated all the teachings mother taught him in the most horrible way, was making him disgusted with himself. He tried to be the most horrible and villianeous Mishima the world even knew before he would put their deeds to an end — and he realised he couldn’t take this burden.

 And now, for some reason, Asuka repeated his mistakes - to a lesser extent, but she was already on the edge.

 “You should be there too. With them,” he heard her voice, surprisingly way closer than before.

 Jin turned back quickly, as Asuka materialised behind him, but didn’t attack her. But she, however, raised her kendo sword, its tip was targeting Jin’s throat.

 “I understand,” he said slowly, not making any move, looking her in the eyes. “I did a lot of things that aren’t excusable at any point”.

 Asuka chuckled again, her face started to distort with rage and disgust.

 “Oh yeah, ya sure did. Power is everything , ya say,” she mimicked his own old line semi-mockingly, semi-hatefully. “Been cosplayin’ yer shitty dad to the last button, laughing at people who didn’t want to get involved in your shit… and after all that, you suddenly decided to play a noble hero… Are you kiddin’ me with that crap?”

 “I’m serious. I wanted to make things better,” Jin said, taking a slow step forward. Asuka tensed and raised her sword higher, the tip of it targeted Jin’s forehead.  

 “I’m really sorry. About everything, about what you had to go through. That’s why I’m here — I want to help”.

 “With what?” Asuka muttered through her teeth, gripping her sword tighter. “And why? To prove that you’re better? Congrats, shithead, ya already did that - all of them are mocking me cause yer the certified good guy who saved the world meanwhole I can't do a single thing! That pisses me off — you shouldn’t be there!” 

 Jin didn’t say anything, sponging her words into his mind. As he expected, he was the reason for her crashout — but was it only jealousy? Why then she turned berserk, trying to save him from the Spaniard?

 He breathed out slowly. That talk was going nowhere, so he had to turn their conversation in a more approachable way — the only one she could’ve been honest with.

 If she wants to beat a villain, she will get one.

 Jin slowly folded his arms and smirked, noticing how furious expressions on Asuka’s face slightly changed.

 “You got a point,” he said. “I shouldn’t have been there — but what makes you think you’re the one who could save everyone?” 

 Asuka gasped, weakening the grip on her sword for a moment. Jin continued, looking at her top down with the most contemptuous look he could provide and made it believable enough.

 “Power IS everything. I have it to do what I must do, but you clearly lack it. Even with those abilities you got, you're still a joke. Perhaps Miss Rochefort was right and you really should’ve stayed in the dojo to…”

 “SHUDDUP!”

 He wasn’t able to finish, as the strike of the sword across his face made him fly back to the fence of the dojo’s yard. Jin fell on the ground, coughing, as the blood from the strike filled his mouth immediately. 

 He rolled sideways just in time to avoid another slashing strike by Asuka’s kendo sword. It hit the ground, breaking it, and some of the debris hitted his side slightly. Jin stood up quickly, realising his bait worked as intended. 

 “Stop clowning with this stick,” he said and change the stance to a reversal, the Kazama one . “If you want to fight, then do it properly, as you were taught”.

 Asuka screamed, but didn’t let go of the sword, swinging it at Jin once again like it was some sort of a baseball bat. He caught the moment and, gripping the sword with one hand, he snatched Asuka’s wrist and tossed her over, making her drop her weapon.

 “Ugh… you asshole…” she snarled, rolling back and getting on her feet. “I’m not done!”

 “Good”.

 That was all that Jin managed to say as he took his usual fighting stance momentarily to meet her attacks. Asuka was using all the traditional moves of Kazama style, and Jin blocked them perfectly. However, he did not engage in an attack, as he was waiting for her to blow everything she had.

 But something still was holding her. Just like before, when they fought for the very first time.

 “You’re making the same mistake,” he said. “How am I supposed to take you seriously, if you don't give everything you got?”

 Asuka huffed and made another approach to attack him, with a familiar forward dash to uppercut. Jin, however, caught her by surprise by interrupting her strike with his own down jab. He didn’t approach further, waiting for another attack.

 “Stop mocking me!” Asuka shouted, as she swung another blow from above. Jin didn’t evade, letting her attack hit and made her continue her approach with elbow strike and wide open palm slap.  

 She needed to vent her anger, and he had to find her true reason to fight. To live and feel something different than hate and jealousy.

 He let her continue with a barrage of explosive punches, kicks and swings. That, as Jin admitted, hurt a lot, but for him that kind of pain wasn’t anything new. He tried to analyze Asuka’s movement, intent and willingness, as she spiked him with another punch from above, making him feel sharp, strong pain, as the familiar energy from her attacks ran through his body like a thunderstruck while he was trying to recover and get up. 

 She’s still holding up. It wasn’t like his last fight with Kazuya, where both of them put everything on the line to take the win. What was bothering her?

 Jin didn’t have the time to ask or react, as the wide soccer kick threw him away, right into the pile of Rochefort and Chinese monk’s bodies. To his surprise, they dissolve into thin air as he landed on them, as they had never been here from the start. A thought sneaked into his mind, little, but clear enough for him to finally get the full picture. 

 He rolled at his back, not worrying about another attack, as Asuka, after the previous kick, stood still, with a mix of rage and confusion on her face.

  “Why are you letting me do this?” she asked, and Jin caught some sort of confusion in her voice. “I did whatcha asked, so fight me already!”

  Still not enough, then…

 Jin stood up. Took his stance, looking in Asuka’s eyes, seeing how her uncertainty pushed the rage away, making her vulnerable to her inner struggle. She had to put everything out in this fight, no matter what it is — and he had to admit her true nature as he did with himself.

 Suddenly he felt how something changed in the atmosphere of this place. The dark grey skies gained more cyanic color, visually making this realm lighter and more spacious, but along with it, the dojo building, the city background, the bodies of Asuka’s victims — all of that started to dissolve into familiar cyan light, that started to surround Asuka, who, for some reason, haven’t been surprised by that.

 Jin tensed — it could mean he had no time left.

 He rushed forward, not giving Asuka any more time. He didn’t know what he was about to do, but something told him he had to finish the fight now with any outcome. 

 She evaded — strangely faster than usual, and Jin prepared himself for something from the Kazama style arsenal. But instead, he gasped from a sudden quick knee strike, along with a smash from Asuka’s both hands that landed on his benched back.

 As he tried to recover, Asuka continued her attack with a series of wide and undirected hits, targeting his torso and head, until she finished with a jumping overhead kick, pinning him down to the ground once again.

 Jin stood up, distancing himself from her, trying to recognize the moves she just used. He could swear he saw or at least heard about them at least once before. But Asuka didn’t give him enough time to recognize her attack, continuing her offense with a ruthless quick series of elbow strikes, making the last one a straight eye poking attack. Jin quickly parried this one, and pushed her away with a kick.

 There it is. He should’ve guessed long ago, as she constantly threw herself in fights like this way before this moment. How she gladly engaged herself in these fights, no matter how she was feeling at the moment.

 “You’re a thug”.

 He didn’t imply any humiliation or disgust in his words — just a state of facts. But his statement was enough for Asuka to totally lose it, as her eyes literally lightened with cyan light, as her face deformed into absolute fury. As Jin quickly took the defensive stance, Asuka blew him up with everything she got — the familiar brawling punches, Kazama style moves, attempts to grab Jin — all this she did in seconds, screaming constantly. Jin didn’t waver or give in, blocking her every attempt to attack him, breaking out of her grabs, not doing anything in response, waiting.

 Her moves were still lacking the one thing he waited for, and Asuka was supposed to understand what she needed to do as soon as possible. The cyan light, surrounding them both, start to absorb the environment, the ground and even skies, making Jin realise their time is on its limit. 

 He had to do it by himself, since she was way too stubborn to give up by herself.

 Jin caught the moment Asuka opened herself with another wide swing, and countered her with his uppercut, making her fly away, into the cyan light. He followed her scream and the sound of her body that landed on the ground, and took a step forward.

 They were inside the dojo. Jin quickly looked around, but didn’t find anything strange or ominous. No destruction or piled bodies - just a wide, tide hall for training, and Asuka in the center of it, laying down in training hakama. Sniffing, as she tried to hide her face from approaching Jin.

 “What… what the hell?..” she mumbled, not looking at him while he hovered above her in silence. “I don’t get it… I can’t do shit even if I have this… stupid power. I’m just doing everything worse…”

 Jin quietly sat next to her, letting her continue. Asuka, as if she didn’t notice him, curled herself into a ball, hiding her face in her knees.

 “I was living a normal life… I was okay with training with Pops and teaching town idiots to live peacefully… Why did it have to end? Why should I have this? Why can't I fix my mistakes as you did?!”

 “Because I didn’t,” Jin said bluntly. “And I never will. But the thing is — you still can fix yours”.

 She raised her head and looked at him, confused, tarnished, tired. For a moment, Jin caught himself thinking he could see himself in Asuka - just like he was right at the end of his first tournament, when he was also scared, disgusted of himself and lost. He turned away.

 “Believe me, I understand what it means to hate yourself. How despite all your efforts, everything is still getting worse. I was there… That’s why I started the war. I lost all hope to make it right, but no way I will let you make the same mistake”.

 He turned to Asuka, who was still sitting next to him, eyes puffed from tears.

 “I always thought I can’t let myself be weak. For mother, for our home. Later I was sure weak people have no chance in this world, as I was taught by Heihachi. And after that, I was proven long enough that he’s right… But I still wanted to not involve other people in this… I considered all of them weak. I was wrong”.

 Asuka sniffed, looking at him with a heavy stare, almost like she was going to lose it again.

 “So you’re sayin’ I’m weak”.

 “It’s not a bad thing. Because I’m weak too”.

 She opened her mouth in silent surprise. Jin turned away, looking at the wall of the dojo. A familiar motto caught his eye as he continued speaking.

 “Even with all the power in the world I was still weak, because I gave up. I lost the balance, so important for the heart of a true fighter… and a person. You lost it too, despite having it for all this time right here… but that doesn’t make you a bad person”.

 He didn't turn his back to her but knew Asuka also was looking at the same wall.

 “I didn’t lose it,” she said, muffled as if she hid her face in her knees again. “The thing is… it’s not enough for me”.

 Jin turned back to her, noticing how Asuka changed her clothes yet again, in her street outfit she was wearing before the ambush in the town. Her fists, gripping her own knees were covered with bruises, scratches and blood, that started to heal slowly, as the familiar cyanic light sneaked on them from under her skin.

 “You’re right. I guess I'm a thug,” Asuka muttered, her shoulders starting to shake. “I… can’t help myself. I know it’s wrong, since I shouldn’t do that, but I want to fight! I want to win! I want to be strong, because the Kazama style isn’t enough for me to deal with all this! I’m too weak to make a change! And that’s pissing me off, because THAT’S TOO MUCH!”

 Her breath became raspy as if she was trying to hold back her tears. Jin slowly put his hand on her shoulder.

 “I know. Want me to help you carry it?”

 She froze for a moment, shocked from his touch and his words. And then, in this moment, Jin felt how familiar energy goes straight from his mind to his hand, to her shoulder, filling them both with caring, gentle light.

 Asuka finally burst into tears, as the purifying energy not cleansed her from her own powers, but instead calmed them down, harnessing them, rerouting all the energy back into her body, balancing its light with light green sparks. Jin was looking at it silently, not letting Asuka’s shoulder go, feeling how this light, this feeling is somehow familiar to him. As if he felt it so long ago he couldn’t even remember it clearly. The voice of Niklas rang in his head, trying to find any clues, reminding him about the fight in Yakushima, the particular part in the caves.

 He sighed with relief and slightly gripped Asuka’s shoulder, asking for her attention. She turned her head to him, still crying.

 “You are a Kazama,” Jin said with the most gentleness and confidence he had. “All you have to do is admit your weakness — but that’s not making you a bad or weak person”.

 She stopped crying, whimpering weakly in shock.

 “Haw?..”

 “The biggest strength and the strongest enemy is ourselves. I was thinking about my powers as a curse, not even daring to think I could have used them in any other way. I was thinking about myself as a thing that shouldn’t exist — but now I think I still can do something for this world to really make it better. And if it includes helping you I wouldn't mind”.

 Asuka wiped her tears while still not saying anything.

 “The fact you want to fight doesn’t make you a bad person. The fact that you have admitted your weakness doesn’t actually make you weak — that is, if you want to overcome this. Are you?”

 Jin stopped, then stood up and extended his hand to her.

 “I want you to be a better person — you have it all to be one. If you want to go further, let me help you… please”.

 Asuka’s eyes widened as she heard his plea — genuine, kind and hopeful. She felt how something heavy finally let her chest and mind go, as she was looking at the man who she was jealous of, despite wanting him to do the right things. 

 And now, he turned to her, trying to help, confessing his mistakes, telling her she could be better.

 “You ARE a Kazama,” Jin repeated. “We may not be a close family, but we still can overcome this together, if you want”.

 Asuka breathed out, the voices of neighbors shouting at her, her own father’s disgraceful glare, bodies of thugs, Lili and that Chinese kenpo were still in her ears, in her mind.

 But so was Jin. An ex-criminal, the one who almost destroyed the whole world for his stupid reasons, the one who tried all in his abilities to save the same world later — the one who came after her to help. Because he also was still a Kazama.

 And so she is.

 She reached for his hand right at the moment when gentle cyan light from her own body and the environment cocooned them both.

*  *  *

 “Is it done?” Zafina asked, trying to contempt the seal that was already dissolving under the pressure of the unfamiliar energy, coming from Asuka. Her powers were at their limits.

 “A little more!” Claudio shouted back, also having struggles with his seal. That power… he couldn’t even imagine how enormous it can be. He admitted that it was on par with Kazuya, when he absorbed Azazel’s energy, and the realization of it made Claudio shiver. 

 If everything went wrong he had to do the most inexcusable deed in his life, even worse than possible betrayal of Xiaoyu he had in mind back then.

 Claudio looked back at Jin, who, still unconscious, was still holding Asuka’s hand tightly. The unfamiliar golden light was covering both of them, and, as Claudio suspected, it was also holding the limiting seals.  

  So that’s the true power of the Kazama clan… The true purification.

 A seed of slight envy sneaked into his mind as he heard the knock of the Seiryu staff and chime of the rings. The black smoke that filled the room, became to dissolve, so as seals.

 “It is done,” the High priest said. “You can open the seals now”.

 Both Claudio and Zafina slowly lowered their hands, letting the light to calm down and disappear in the air. The exorcizor abruptly dropped into the nearest chair, breathing heavily, as Zafina, who tried to lean on the wall.

 He raised his hand to her, trying to reach her and offer help. She noticed that and, smiling slightly, reached her hand to his.

 “Don’t do that!” Seiryu shouted as their fingers touched each other.

*  *  *

  A bright and colorful light flashed all over the medical room, the hallway, the whole UN base, even reaching Víðópnir’s captain's bridge.

 “What the?..” Lars shouted, looking at the monitors which also fixed the strange flash from the base. “Jin!”

 “It’s a high level of an unknown energy!” Alisa warned him, but he still jumped over the rail to the nearest exit. 

 Of course the energy is enormous. He felt something similar at Yakushima, where he tried to hold Kazuya with everything he got, but still wasn’t strong enough. And now, with Heihachi coming back and having another child who held the Devil power, Lars felt how their chances to actually stop Mishima’s threat are decreasing constantly. But furthermore, he couldn;t let Jin to lose again — after all he did and started to thrive, being Lars’ secret weapon, his partner, his family.

 This man, despite everything, deserved a better fate, so did his relative.

 Lars didn’t remember how he blitzed through the UN security, rushed through the hallways, crashed into Xiaoyu who also already ran to the medical room along with Lidia. He came to his senses only when they appeared at the door of the room. 

 Suddenly, a familiar loud scream rang through the doors.

 Lars felt how the shiver came through his spine — he knew that scream very well, as he was the one who tried to help Jin subdue constant rampages of the Devil through sparring, but sometimes that wasn;’t enough, since Devil always wanted more.

 But that one scream was… different. Still scary, loud, but as if its wielder was more shocked by the situation than wishing for instant destruction.

 “Jin!” Xiaoyu shouted, rushing to the door, but Lidia held her hand.

 “Don’t! We don’t know what is happening out there!”

 Lars, however, didn’t held any second thoughts — with a quick step back, he kicked the door, knocking it out entirely. But before he was able to run inside, he got almost knocked over by Claudio who bolted out with a horrified expression.

 “Come back, ya dipshit! I’m gonna exorcise yer ass straight into the stratosphere!.. Oof!”

 That was Jin’s voice… but why is he speaking like that?..

 Lars didn’t manage to ask that question, as Jin crashed into him as he tried to enter the room. They looked at eachother and Lars noticed straight away other unusual things.

 His infamous spiked hair went down, making Jin look more like a casual, even normal person. That is, if it wasn’t followed with an angry, embarrassed and shocked expression he never showed before. 

 “Ah,” he muttered, taking a step back in surprise. “I remember you, Yggdrasil dude”.

 “Dude?” That was all Lars could answer with. Xiaoyu took a step forward, looking at Jin.

 “What is wrong with you?”

 “Everything,” Asuka's voice, tired and harsh, came from the medical room.

 Both Lars and Xiaoyu, followed by Lidia, look inside finally to get the whole picture. Both Zafina and Seiryu were lying next to the opposite walls, and Asuka was sitting at her bunk, looking at her hands shocked. She raised her head towards others, and Lars and Xiaoyu saw a familiar frown between her eyebrows.

 “Looks like the ritual failed,” Jin said with a grumpy Asuka voice. “We somehow switched bodies”.

Chapter Text

 “So that’s all you managed to get? Not impressive,” Reina said, as she dodged another kick with a roll, distancing herself from Nina.

 The latter chuckled, not engaging further, but also increasing distance between them, while Reina took her fighting stance again.

 “If there’s anything that is different between you and other Mishimas, it's the fact you’re not seeing all the possibilities,” Nina said, stepping backwards.

 As she predicted, Reina rushed forward with a fast straight right jab which was still too far from Nina. She used this opportunity immediately, launching Reina to the ceiling of the training hall with her spinning kick.

 “If you would have taken a closer look at my information, you could’ve noticed something important,” Nina said, as she juggled Reina’s body to the wall and stopped by pinning her to the floor with her foot. Reina shouted, not from pain, but from admiration.

 “That’s good! Teach me your ways then, Nina-senpai!..”

 She gasped, as Nina’s heel pressed on her chest harder, making her stop talking. A familiar pain started to grow inside her body, making Reina to hiss and her thoughts started to slip away, back in the past. But another pain turned her back into reality, as Nina kicked Reina’s body away, making her roll on her stomach.

 “Not when you’re talking with me that way,” Nina’s voice was cold. “You may be my employer, but when it comes to a fight, you’re simply an amateur”.

 Reina hissed again — this time she could feel how her pride got stinged even worse than her chest. It took her a lot of inner strength to save her face and make an amused smile.

 “Oh, I know that. Otherwise, I wouldn’t hire you,” she grunted, standing up. “So, what I’m lacking from your information? Say it straight”.

 She took a stance again, observing Nina, who didn’t wait for another attack, rushdowning Reina with a series of light pokes and strings, along with the required information.

 “When Mishima Zaibatsu were lacking any guidance, they decided to move on to full autonomy. However, that cost them a lot — mostly, financially. While they were losing their money, they still kept an eye on the whole situation, looking for an opportunity to rise up again, even without any Mishima at the head of the organization”.

 “And?” Reina managed to parry one of the attacks and quickly turned the table, starting her own offence with a series of powerful kicks. “It seems they found what they were looking for?”

 She gasped, as her leg suddenly got caught by Nina’s hands, and Reina found herself on the floor once again, recovering from a reversal throw. She rolled away quickly, as Nina tried to catch her with her long leg sweep.

 “The fact they decided to send a bear to the tournament actually had an ulterior motif. They got their attention from the receiver of their money who was generous enough to let them use Kuma for their plans, to keep their own prize away. Any guesses what it was?”

 “Something powerful!”

 Nina almost got caught by the familiar electrical uppercut which could let her fly to the ceiling, if she wouldn’t block in time. Stepping away, she observed Reina, who was zapping towards her relentlessly, looking for any opportunity to catch her off guard.

 Interesting girl. She indeed was a Mishima, determined and relentless, but still, too rash and predictable. 

 “Quite”.

 Nina let her guard down for a second, so Reina tried to attack her with another quick strike. She, however, didn’t change her stance, like usual, but stepped for a moment and switched to another stance, trying to use the given time as rewarding as possible, not realising she already got trapped.

 As she tried to grab Nina with a quick throw, her hands sparkled with electricity, like a hungry pair of deep water eels. Nina ducked at the last minute, along with a powerful blow with both her hands, throwing Reina away once again, straight into the wall. The training hall boomed from the blow, chips and splinters fell from the ceiling and the cracked wall, when Reina’s body ended be. She groaned, obviously not having any more strength to get up.

 Nina huffed and shrugged, before going forward to her young employer. She quickly grabbed Reina by the shoulder and put her body out of the wall, letting go quickly to not give her any chance for sneak attack. Reina grunted, founding herself on the floor once again, but grinned triumphantly for some reason.

 “You’re really strong!” She shouted gleefully, sitting up.

 Nina noticed how Reina’s face for a moment contorted into a grimace of pain. Her left hand twitched to raise and hold her chest, but stopped momentarily, as if Reina didn’t want to show any vulnerability. Nina pretended not to see anything strange and continued looking straight at Reina.

 “The prize Mishima Zaibatsu got their eyes on, is a Thai fighter. Very powerful and argubally, he’s even stronger than any of Mishimas who even existed. Practically, a living weapon which could bring a lot of profit… or problems”

 “A fighter, huh?” Reina huffed, standing up slowly. “And why did no one see him at the tournament, then? He could defeat Kuma with ease — I’m sure even Jin couldn’t stand a chance against him, if he’s as strong as you say”.

 “It seems he was way too valuable for the Thai government to throw away - even if it could save their whole country,” Nina scoffed, walking around the hall, away from Reina. “The most interesting fact is, Mishima Zaibatsu had their eyes on this man for a long time… since Heihachi was still here”.

 That line piqued Reina’s interest quickly enough for her to make a step forward. She stopped, however, not engaging further, as she was not going into another Nina trap, but her attention was focused on the assassin's back. Nina could feel Reina’s slightly changed expression and her non-amused gaze, so she continued.

 “If anything, Heihachi wanted to get this man for a long time. Not as a fighter, but as a weapon, and considering that your and his plans are strangely aligned — he’s worth getting our attention right now”.

 Reina put her hand into the pocket of her jacket, feeling the cold metal of the Chang’s amulet. An unknown energy collided with her own senses, charging her, making the pain in the chest disappear. She breathed out slowly and smiled.

 “Well, that settles it. We’re going to get this guy. I always wanted to visit Thailand, to be honest”.

 “I’m going alone”.

 Reina froze, not believing what she just heard. Nina finally turned back to her, looking at Reina with a slight disappointment.

 “If things will get as bad as the last time, there’s no chance we will manage to get anyone at our side,” she said coldly, observing Reina’s face for any expression changes. “You better get a grip of yourself and your powers — no one will cover you here otherwise… boss”.

 Nina wasn’t surprised by the change of Reina’s face, as she predictably grinned with agreement.

 “Well, I’m not going to argue! You said it yourself — I’m an amateur, so I left this one to you! However…” Reina’s tone lowered, along with her head, while she was looking at Nina insightfully ”...you better get this guy here fast. We don’t have much time”.

 Nina smirked slightly and turned away, leaving the training hall.

 As soon as the doors closed behind her, Reina slumpered her shoulders and walked to the throne next to one of the walls, lightened by fiery lamps. She dropped on the throne and gasped, as the chest pain suddenly came back, sharper than before, almost burning her from the inside.

 Reina unzipped her jacket, looking down. Under her crop top shirt, a giant S-form scar was glowing bright red, as if her body was made from lava that was leaking out of this wound. It glowed with each shaked breath Reina did, and its light reminded her about the origin of this scar.

 The sign of her defeat, disgrace, and most of all, the hate that was born from it. Hate to the person who left this scar andhe one Reina had to leave behind, along with her chance to settle the score.

*  *  *

 Her thoughts once again slipped back in time, when she could feel the cold wind of the storm, icy water droplets on her heatened body, that just went back to normal after the transformation.

 Her plan was a great success. She got the Devil power she was looking for, and the only thing she has left to do is to finish Jin and Kazuya. Even if both of them could still have their own powers, Reina for now had more chances to defeat them, assuming they fought each other until death.

 And if one of them has already fallen, her job will just be easier.

 She transformed once again, feeling how her wings obediently guided her to the shores of the ruined Yakushima. A lot of bodies of G-corporation, United Nation and Yggdrasil soldiers were under her, but Reina wasn’t bothered. She could sense her target, thanks to the ancient connection through Azazel, and now she had to move to the west, where she could already see the first lights of the rising sun.

 They’re both there.

 She landed, not flying to the shore entirely, saving her strength for the future clash. Transforming back, Reina took several steps to the plateau, and stopped, feeling how her senses suddenly went haywire, along with her emotions.

 There was someone else. 

 Reina stopped completely, looking around. The plateau was completely empty, although she could see the trails of the struggle that happened recently. Damaged rocks, cracks in the ground with visible light of the leaking magma, footsteps of two people having a decisive fight here… 

 No, wait. That’s not right.

 Reina slowly walked around the plateau, inspecting footsteps that were supposed to belong to both Jin and Kazuya. She could trace almost the entire fight by it, along with the fact that in the middle of the fight, Jin’s fighting style changed at least twice - as she could see by the way his footsteps changed by their position and pressure to the ground. She already knew that Jin knew several different styles, but the particular moment, when he placed his feet differently with almost unnoticeable change of balancing his entire weight, made Reina slightly tense. 

 That wasn’t Mishima style, or Kyokushin karate, or whatever style Jin started to use while hanging out with Lars Alexandersson. That could mean only one outcome…

 The familiar unnerving feeling made her freeze, as Reina noticed a huge but not very deep compression in the ground, with the almost clear form of a human body. She gritted her teeth — Kazuya was lying down here at the time of the sunrise, but then suddenly, he got carried away… by who?..

  “Who?”

   Reina jumped, gasping slightly, as the unknown, unrecognizable voice ringed right in her head, causing her to grimace with a sudden unpleasant weakening. She felt how her newfounded Devil powers suddenly started to dissolve in her body, making the fresh chest wound from Kazuya’s laser beam sting from increasing pain.

 No way…

 She looked around again, but saw no one nearby. Only in faraway distance, on the other side of the island, could she see little dots of helicopters and jets, flying away one by one.

  “Who are you?”

 The unknown voice ranged again in her ears, making the chest pain almost unbearable. Clenching her teeth, Reina tried to use all her senses to locate the source of the voice — or at least a trail that could lead her to Kazuya. 

 And then, she finally saw it. Another pair of footsteps, not as big as any of Mishimas, but visible enough, as if their wielder had some overweight… or carried someone away from the plateau.

 Reina dashed, following the footsteps, not giving any more attention to her wound. The adrenaline, anticipation and a bit of rage overwhelmed her mind. She wasn’t planning to give any of the Mishimas a getaway from her until she’ll get some more Devil power from them. And she was going to stick to that plan to the end, no matter what or who will be in her way.

 She ran through the forest, jumping effortlessly over some fallen trees, rocks and fires that most likely happened due the fallen meteor or Mishima’s fight. Reina navigated herself perfectly even though the trail of footsteps had already long gone — her intuition and some sense of unknown power were calling for her.

 Finally, she ended up under a giant yakusugi tree, surrounded by little water ponds, lots of defeated JACK’s, wardening ropes and talismans. Reina chuckled, looking at the latest with contempt. These Kazamas really are naive if they thought this junk could protect their land from anything.

 But the familiar chest pain started to make her doubt in these thoughts. In the end, if Jin is really in possession of the power of purification… would these talismans also hold some of that strength?

 Some quiet, but still distinguished sound made her focus back on the largest yakusugi tree — or to be more precise, at the entrance in its roots. Reina took several steps forward, trying to see what’s in there. An ancient stone entrance to some sort of shrine, covered by faded patterns, was half-opened — just enough to fit a body with a complexion close to Kazuya’s.

 He’s there. 

 Not giving any second thought, Reina went inside, unceremoniously moving away the stone borders even if she could already sneak inside with ease. The thought of destroying the precious temple of the Kazama clan for some reason gave her a shot of energy - as if the entity inside her was feeding by these little acts of destruction she was doing right now.

 Perfect.

 Reina found herself in a narrow cave, the path was straight and single, with a dim, light cyanic light at the end. She went forward slowly, but confidently, preparing herself for anything the shrine would throw at her as soon as she walked out to the end.

 She stepped out into the wide room, the light became brighter, making Reina close her eyes with a hand. She slowly moved it away, to see that she finally found what she was looking for.

 Kazuya was there.

 Unconscious, he was laying on some sort of the ancient stone altar — so old that it had become covered with grass and wildflowers over time. The sunlight was falling onto Kazuya’s body, the fresh wounds he got after the battle with Jin were slowly healing by themselves, as if they used the sunlight to do so. Or, as Reina noticed, it was on the slow green and cyan sparks of light that was hovering in the big hall, surrounded with stonewalls, most likely builded hundreds or thousands years ago. The ceiling wasn’t made by a man — it was literally a cave, imbued by strangely big roots and rocks, shimmering with the same cyanic-green light.

 “Who are you?”

 Reina jumped — this time, the voice sounded outside of her mind, ringing against the walls back to her. And the voice belonged to a woman.

 What the?..  

 The familiar uncomfortable feeling became worse, as Reina suddenly felt a lump in the throat. A tall, slime figure in white stepped out from the dark depths of the hall, letting the sunlight and cave’s shimmering show themselves.

 Reina’s eyes widened for a moment, before she squinted, feeling the familiar rage and contempt flushing in her own mind. 

 “Vile woman…” she hissed. “Shouldn't you be dead?..”

 Jun Kazama took another step forward, not answering. She was looking at Reina in silence, with a bit of concern and hostility, as if she was trying to see something familiar. Well, of course.

 “Don’t waste your time,” Reina smirked slightly. “If you’re looking for any familial resemblance, I got nothing… but this!”

 She dashed forward, zipping through the air with speed and electricity, her right fist was prepared for a powerful uppercut. And she used it momentarily, targeting Jun’s upper body… only to hit the air. 

 Reina made a quick backdash, looking around, only to see Jun slightly moved sideways, but not attacking back. However, she took a stance, her gaze became more hostile, but still concerning, as something in Reina’s activity still bothered her. And yet, she didn’t say a word.

 “Why did you even bring Kazuya here?” Reina asked sardonically, her stance changed slowly, preparing to do another powerful attack. “He’s long gone… even your almighty powers can’t save him from his fate…”

 Jun also changed her stance — but her moves were too fast for an eye. Reina felt her own senses going hayware again, and did a somersault to the left, just before a strange beam of golden light went from Jun’s right palm, targeting Reina.

 “What the?..” she shouted.

 Jun didn’t give her time to retaliate — with one graceful move, she slipped towards Reina and quickly grabbed her. Not having time or ability to escape, Reina felt how the entire world spins around her, as her own body got twisted before falling on the ground.

 Finally, Jun spoke.

 “I don’t know who you are, but I can sense a great power. It’s almost the same… just like Jin and Kazuya-san…” she said, hovering her right hand above Reina’s body. The familiar golden light covered her palm and started to flow down, right to Reina’s chest.

 She regained her senses, just to feel how her powers started to disappear, how her whole body gave in under the light, filling her with sensible weakness. A familiar pain in the chest made itself known once again, making Reina scream.

 Jun’s focused stare changed. Her gaze became concerned, as she kneeled down to Reina, moving her hand lower.

 “Let me help you…”

 “Go away!..”

 As Reina shrieked, her body started to act autonomously, making her roll on her stomach and kick away Jun’s hand. She gasped, as the power of the kick made Jun fall on her back, but she rolled away almost immediately. Not giving her time to comeback, Reina transformed, gathering all remains of Devil power she still had, standing on her feet again. 

 “You won’t get rid of me so easily,” she said, spreading her wings. “As for you… I’ll make sure you’ll regret that you decided to come back!”

 Jun dashed forward to attack, but Reina was faster — she stepped right and did another uppercut.

 This time she hit the mark, making Jun block it at the last second and step back from the power of the attack. Not waiting for her to recover, Reina rushed her offense down, pressing onto Jun with a series of powerful blows, adding some spikes with her every strike so Jun wouldn’t even dare to attack back.

 After attacking long enough for Jun to get used to her rhythm, Reina suddenly changed her tactic — instead of a punch, she went for a grab, not giving Jun time to duck it or try to break out. Feeling how the energy of her own body and blood are combining with Devil power into one powerful electric burst, Reina sent it right into Jun’s body, laughing hysterically, as the woman was convulsing in her arms. As the discharge stopped, Reina threw Jun’s body straight into the altar, with Kazuya’s body still laying on the top of it. She breathed out, while the electricity was still running through her body, giving her endless adrenaline shots.

 “Nothing is more humiliating than trying to adapt to your enemy’s oppression,” she said, placing her knee on the nearby rock, and looking down at Jun with a tilted head and a disdainful look. “Your vaunted Kazama style holds nothing against the true power — and soon, your purification ability will go down also. But don’t worry!”

 Reina chimed, while Jun, with slightly tattered white clothes and small wounds on her face, opened her eyes slowly. Her eyes focused on Reina's smiling face, lightened by the cave’s cyan shimmering and red glow of her own eyes.

 “I’ll make sure Kazuya will join you soon. So as Jin-senpai.. and that worthless Kansai brat who’s just mockering your clan’s name by her presence alone”.

 Jun slowly blinked, which made Reina smile. Oh, so this woman still worries about her son, isn’t she?

 “Be honored, Jun Kazama,” Reina said, slowly raising her hand, which started to cover with lots of spikes, her eye glowed with red even brighter. “You will be the first who will fall by my hand… for my father’s wishes!..”

 Suddenly, a flock of birds flew out of nowhere, closing Reina’s vision, surrounding her with loud croaking.

 Crows?.. Where did they?!.. 

 She started to brush off the flock, trying to drive them away with her spiked hand, but the croaking became even louder. The sounds of disturbed birds were filling Reina’s head, making her body froze with an unexpected sense of a fear she never felt before. It was like some sort of ancient deity suddenly decided to pay her a visit, and she definitely wasn’t ready to face it.

 “Please, spare her!” she suddenly heard Jun’s plea. But, instead of a shock, the rage and disturbance filled Reina’s mind.

 This bitch… How dare she make these choices for her? How dare she think of her as a weakling?!..

 She shouted, and her piercing shriek filled the cave, making walls crumble. The flock of crows weakened for a moment, enough for Reina to completely drive them all away with another burst of Devil power. Not waiting any longer, she rushed towards Jun and Kazuya, preparing to strike them both with one blow.

 “You’re open!”

 Reina didn’t realise how or when it happened, but Jun successfully parried her attack, following it by the overhead kick that made Reina knock down. But she didn’t manage to fall to the ground, since Jun followed with her knee attack and then the uprising graceful swing, throwing Reina up in the air. Reina tried to get out of the combo, spreading her wings, but stopped when her attention got focused on a strange golden sphere that flowed somewhere from above, straight on Jun's hand, turning into a little white dove.

 “You give me no choice!”

 Reina felt how the fear, almost primal horror, clouded her mind momentarily, making her whole body freeze. Neither herself, nor the Devil in her body couldn’t resist that small glimpse of purification power on the hand of this woman.  

  Why? What is happening?!.. 

 As the dove turned itself into the golden light again, it flowed into both of Jun’s hands. She made an immediate powerful strike into Reina’s chest, which exploded with familiar, but now almost unbearable pain. Reina gasped for air, kneeling, feeling how her transformed body gave in to the coming white light, beaming out of the whole of Jun's body, as she made step after step towards her.

 “The Kazama style is about protecting others… Foster life and cleanse the evil of this world,” Jun said, reaching her right hand towards Reina’s chest.

 The pain from the old laser beam focused on her skin, making Reina scream, as she felt how her wound gathered on her chest in a spiral scar that immediately started to glow red. But its light got immediately overwhelmed by golden shining from Jun’s hand, which reached Reina’s chest.

 “Let’s clean all the sins and impurities from you,” Jun continued. “No one has to bear this power anymore”.

 The golden light exploded around Reina, as she felt how it emptied her entire energy in one strike. She got blown into the wall, almost breaking it through, and coughed, as her body slowly transformed back to normal.

 “I don’t want to hurt you any longer,” Jun said, observing Reina, but not making any other step to her. “However, if you say you’re doing all this for your father… Then I should stop him to put an end to all this”.

 Reina finally regained her breath and squeezed her eyes on Jun’s face. The familiar rage and hate filled her once again.

 “You should’ve stayed dead…” she hissed, trying to stand up slowly. “My father… he could have it all if it wasn’t you! You and that power… always making themselves feel high and mighty over some old story about being blessed by gods! But you aren't worth anything! Especially you — ‘the chosen one’! Heh… I can see why — you’re really the chosen one whore and coward! Great job to hide yourself for seven years! You didn’t even show up when your beloved son started a world war!”

 Jun’s expression, however, hasn’t changed a bit as she was observing Reina’s attempts to stand up straight.

  “And soon, you’ll see…” Reina muttered, feeling how somewhere, in the depths of her mind, the spark of Devil Power was flaring up again, which made her smirk. “My father, Heihachi Mishima, will have everything in this world on his palm again - as it is supposed to be for the Mishima clan!”

 She stood up abruptly, letting the Devil power fill her body once again. Jun dashed forward to stop her, but Reina brushed her away with one hand gesture, feeling how her strength is still not enough for a full comeback. 

 She had to leave.

 Reina jumped back to the cave’s entrance, avoiding the altar, even despite wishing to somehow make it worse for Kazuya’s recovery — wound him deeply, crash his head with her spiked hand, anything. But she realised the potential risks, as she could feel Jun’s gathering her own energy to try to stop her. 

 Spreading her wings, Reina bolted out of the shrine, breaking the entrance completely, along with the entrance in the tree itself, gathering altitude to fly away from this damn island.

 It might be the greatest and biggest place for the Kazama clan to gather their powers… but she now will do everything to delete it from existence… along with all the bearers of the purification power - no matter how many of them. The Italian exorcizor, luckily, was already off the list, thanks to Kazuya. Jin probably isn't a problem anymore, but his mommy is — and Reina decided to leave her for the dessert.

 There was something else that was bothering her mind, as if she missed something, back in Italy, but as the thirst and rage from the defeat towards Jun were boling her blood and mind, Reina could care less about anything else.

 Perhaps it wasn’t worth her attention anyway.

 *  *  *  

 Reina took another deep breath, zipping her jacket back. 

 She made too many mistakes. Back then, letting herself fall into emotions against Kazama and now, letting her guard off with Nina. The assassin woman wasn’t stupid, Reina understood it well, but the last thing she wanted was to make Nina feel better than herself. 

 She had to become stronger. And be more careful. Especially with Nina, who could betray her at any moment, no matter how much she's been paid before. After reading lots of reports of the Mishima Zaibatsu inner archives, Reina perfectly understood Nina's preference to work with powerful people, not those who rely only on her abilities to gain something for them.

 She had to admit — she respected these principals.

 Reina felt how the sweat is making her forehead itch and wiped it with one quick move. Everything still was going on track, despite big mistakes she made, trying to catch both Kazamas. Despite feeling disappointment about the nature of Asuka’s powers, she was still interested to find Jin. After all, her theory was correct — the Devil didn’t go forever neither from him or Kazuya.

 So she still can have hands on his powers… and then eliminate him as the bearer of the purification ones. Or leave that honor to father… he might be thrilled.

 One thing she can do for now, is to wait for him. Reina and Nina, along with some remainers of Tekken force and some defectors from the United Nation army, founded their base in one of the oldest Mishima Zaibatsu residences, which could be a perfect spot for Heihachi to start his grand return. All that is left to do is to keep attention to these doors being wide open by Heihachi’s arms… and give him appropriate presents.

 As for this exact moment, she can take a little break.

 Reina leaned back on her throne, looking out of the terrace of the training hall. The leaves in the garden were shining with dark blue thanks to the moonlight, and her thoughts went back to the clash in the city. Despite everything, the one little thought was still concerning.

  Who the hell is Asuka Kazama after all?.. 

*  *  *

 “Come back here!”

 “What’s going on?” Lee wondered, as Jin's sudden shout from below distracted him from studying Mishima archives. The fact his nephew sounded seriously enraged wasn’t the one that surprised him — it was more about the tone of Jin’s voice — he didn’t sound like himself.

 One of the monitors showed the white figure of Claudio, that flashed through the hangar into the depths of Víðópnir, followed by Jin. Lee frowned, noticing strangely unkempt hair of his nephew, the different way of his running, like an enraged bull, and the constant threats towards Claudio.

 What’s happening this time?

 “Mr. Lee, the Combot Training Program just got launched!” one of the soldiers reported.

 “Oh, so they’re arrived into my training hall, then. No big deal,” Lee shrugged, then he got an incoming signal on his earpiece. “Lee here. What the hell happened down there, Lars?”

 “Where’s Asuka?”

 “What do you mean? Didn’t you send her to the UN base?” Lee got confused, but then gasped from realization. “Damn it!”

 “What is it?” Asuka's voice, more lower and gruff than it was during the one and only meeting Lee had with her in the past, fully confirmed his suspicions.

 “Just come back, all of you! I’ll try to stop the training program, before it’s too late!”

 “What?” Lars shouted. “You still got this?! I asked you to shut it down!”

 “Sorry, it’s my fault. I asked him to keep it… for training purposes,” Jin muttered with Asuka’s guilty voice. “We’ll be there soon!”

 Lee groaned and rushed to the computer, looking for a process of training simulation. Luckily, he found it fast… but it was the final stage. The one that even Jin sometimes had problems finishing.

 “Oh no…” Lee muttered and reached his earpiece again. “Alisa? Where are you? Come in!..”

*  *  *

 “Get back here!”

 Asuka rushed into the giant hall where that damned exorcizor went just a second ago. But she found herself — or to be more precise, himself — into the absolutely empty room with no trace of any other person.

 Asuka catches her breath, placing palm on her chest. She groaned in annoyance, tapping the wide broad body of Jin she somehow got in, looking at the muscular hands once again, as if she still hoped for this all to be just another nightmare. The body felt alienated and unusually heavy.

 “Damn it… What did I do to deserve this crap?” Asuka whined, slumpering her(his?) hands and lowering head.

 Suddenly the room lit with bright, white lamps which were high under the ceiling. Asuka jumped and finally looked around.

 The room was equipped with little boxes, walls and mannequins, placed in some unreadable route. On the farther wall Asuka noticed strange panels that reminded her of those baseball machines that usually were in the batting center. 

 If that room is just a batting center, it’s the strangest one she ever saw. 

 “Welcome back, Jin-san,” some unknown robotic voice made Asuka jump from surprise. “I’m glad that you decided to continue your training routine”.

 “What? No! It’s not me! Who are you anyway?” she shouted, looking around.

 To Asuka’s surprise, the robotic voice rang once again, but this time even closer — straight from the nearby mannequin.

 “Processing the visual confirmation… No, I afraid, you are mistaken. You are Jin Kazama, despite the change of your hairstyle”.

 “Argh, no! I’m not Jin, and ya didn’t answer MY question!”

 “My apologies, Jin-san, for that mistake," robotic voice replied politely. "My name’s Hachi. I’m an improved artificial intelligence, based on the latest development of the Combot Training program, created by Lee Chaolan”.

 “Uh… Nice to meetcha, but I‘m NOT Jin!”

 “You are mistaken again — all your biological, physical and visual parameters are the same as before, Jin-san. Aside from your hair, as I previously noted, and also your manners of speech”.

 “And that’s not enough for ya? Some AI you are…” Asuka muttered. “Hey, forget about me — have ya see the priest-looking Italian running here, by any chance? He was like… some flamboyant guy in white closes, kinda like that…”

 Asuka tried to remember Claudio’s manners and features, but the fact she saw him only once in the Coliseum, made it harder for her to choose an exact pose. So she spread her legs a little, arched her (or Jin's?) upper body slightly backwards, crossing arms with the most bizarre pose she could imagine. 

 “According to my research, most Italians don't act like that, Jin-san. You probably overestimate them thanks to some media”.

 “Oh please! He was strange, he’s an exorcist or something, he's supposed to be weird! And I’m! Not! Jin!”

 “I can sense your level of aggression is close to the situation ‘red’. Do you want to stabilize it with the final stage of the training?”

 “Just tell me where the heck that weirdo ran!”

Asuka finally lost her temper and kicked the mannequin. The white light flickered for a second and changed to red.

 “Situation ‘Red’ activated,” Hachi’s robotic voice rang under the ceiling. “Prepare to launch the final training program. Course established”.

 Asuka jumped again, seeing how walls, mannequins and wall panels were rearranging around her, and the entrance door she got through, shut down completely. She gulped.

 “Ah… hey, Hachi! I’m sorry, ‘kay? I’m not myself today, I just want to find this guy so he can fix everything… Can you stop this program? I’m not in the mood for it right now!”

 “The final training program is made to stimulate all your senses and refresh your skills to fight Kazuya Mishima and control the Devil in your body,” Hachi’s voice was dispassionate. “I recommend you prepare yourself, since the damage from this routine can be fatal”.

 “Wait, what?!..”

 “First stage - golf bombing. Start!”

 Asuka caught by her ear some strange noise, as if something fast was flying towards her. Then it felt nearby with a slight thump sound, and she saw a little golf ball.

 “Haw?”

 The ball exploded with a large, wide blast that made Asuka scream in terror and jump over some wall to hide from the explosion. She heard some more noises of the flying golf balls, but this time, they started to explode right in the air.

 “Stop it!” she shouted, jumping from one shelter to another. “Ya tincan moron!”

 “Tincan… voice request failed. Looking for associations… preparing…”

 Asuka jumped to the next shelter right when some of the golf balls exploded right above her. She dropped on the ground, sliding towards some mannequin to cover herself under it, but at the last moment, it slided straight into the floor. Asuka’ eyes widened, as she felt the heat of the explosion on her back and the smell of burning leather.

 “JACK dummy units — prepared,” Hachi announced.

 As Asuka was getting rid of burning jacket, trying to put down the fire on the floor around her, the large figure suddenly fell from above next to her. Asuka dropped the jacket, looking at the gigantic robot, similar to the one she and Lili took down at Yakushima. And another one, that landed nearby with the light shockwave across the floor. And another. 

 A dozen of JACK’s surrounded Asuka, preparing for attack. She looked around, as the wall panels moved once again with the familiar recharging sound.

 “Final stage of the training program has been activated,” Hachi announced. “Good luck with finishing it, Jin-san”.

 “I’m not Jin, you idiot!” Asuka shouted again, but it was still in vain. The JACK units rushed towards her, along with another series of exploding golf balls.

 “Crap!”

 She tried to avoid the explosion, hiding between JACK’s, shielding behind them, making their approach difficult with swift throws and evasions. However, with the unusual weight of Jin’s body, Asuka started to get tired sooner than she used to, and in one moment she tripped for a second, letting one of the JACK’s grab her from behind.

 “Lemme go!”

 Asuka started to break out, accidentally hitting the JACK that grabbed her, with the back of her head, along with kicking away a couple of others. The power of these strikes was strong enough for Asuka to get out of the pressure, and she looked around scattered JACK’s, realising she doesn’t have to avoid them.

 After all, Jin’s really strong, isn’t he?

 Another series of golf balls started to fly towards Asuka, but now, she decided to change her tactic. She rushed towards the JACK units that were still standing, ducked under the first punch of one of them, and stood up straight in his face, grabbing him. She pulled his body towards her knee, wincing for obvious pain, but the knee strike was enough for JACK to lose coordination, and Asuka grabbed his body tighter for a giant swing, tattering around other dummy units, which also tanked incoming explosions by the golf balls. 

 “Amazing tactic, Jin-san! However, it’s very unusual even for your alternative form…”

 “Shuddup already, will ya?!..” she shouted, throwing the JACK from her hands right into the panel that was shooting golf balls. Asuka ran away, bulldozing through the rest of JACK’s, as another, big explosion boomed behind her back, with the shockwave strong enough to lift her in the air and throw her into the opposite wall, near the small door.

 “Training routine completed. This is the new record, Jin-san,” Hachi’s voice got distorted, probably because of the explosion damage. “Would you like to try again?”

 “Ughh… piss off…” Asuka moaned, trying to roll on her back, as the door nearby opened with a loud hissing voice. Red lights of the training hall changed back on the white color, highlighting the black figure with the familiar silhouette that stood right above Asuka.

 “You sure know how to make a mess out of nowhere,” the figure sighed with Asuka’s voice. “You better not be hurted or anything”.

 “I better be, cause… uhh… it’s yer fault I got into this mess!” Asuka shouted, trying to sit up. The muscles in her forearms suddenly ached from fatigue, and she felt herself as some sort of rag that got tossed around for a long time.

 “The Final training program can be activated only by my command or biological data that fits to its activation. Usually, it activates when I have to repress the Devil power.. or, as you could say, when I’m pissed off,” Jin helped Asuka to stand, unusually easy, considering he was piloting her body. While he was looking over her to find any injuries, both Lars and Lee entered the room.

 “Oh my…” Lee’s eyes widened, when he saw an exploded panel at the wall and deactivated JACK’s lying around. “You know, Jin, you better take some notes from your sister — she found an effective and quick way to stop the pressure instead of just shooting lasers all over the room, as you did before”.

 “I’m not his sister!”

 “She’s not my sister!”

 Both Jin and Asuka shouted simultaneously, then looked at each other with confusion. Asuka grabbed her head and shook it desperately.

 “Argh, why did it even happen? All I wanted is to understand what to do with this power, I even agreed with Jin to help me! I didn’t ask to be placed in his body to do that!”

 “Neither do I,” Jin shrugged. “But, if we think for a moment, it may be a good start”.

 “For WHAT? And why do you sound so cool when you’re me? That’s unfair!”

 “I know,” Jin chuckled. “It’s a shame you sound like an embarrassing kid now”.

 Asuka groaned and gripped her fists, trying not to strangle Jin right where he stood, but the quick look at Lars and Lee both stepping forward to top her, made her change her mind. She breathed out and lowered her head.

 “Y’know what? I AM embarrassed — the last thing I wanted is to change bodies with the ex-criminal,” she said  looking at Jin with a corny smirk, trying to get at his nerves. However, he didn’t react to it as she expected.

 “As I said — it might be for the best. Remember what I said before we came back?” He took a step towards Asuka to stand right in front of her. “I understand your struggles, because I’ve been there. And believe me, if you stay for some time like this, you can understand what I mean — to be alienated with your body and senses that can make you go insane. Thing is, I'll be there to do the same, until we find a way to revert this back, we can try to understand each other by this”.

 “Speaking of revert… where’s Claudio?” Lee asked, looking around. Lars shrugged.

 “Considering how fast he ran away, he was most likely at fault in this situation. I’ll check around, and you two better leave for a safer place for now,” he turned to Jin and Asuka. “I don’t know how much time we have until Heihachi and Reina decide to make their strike, so we better be ready”.

 Jin frowned and nodded. The door opened once again, and Alisa, along with Xiaoyu, entered the room.

 “Sorry I’m late,” Alisa bowed to Lee. “We tried to look for Claudio… he most likely hid somewhere at the base through the ventilation shaft”.

 “I never could imagine he would be that scared,” Xiaoyu added and chuckled slightly. “Especially when he planned to find Jin and capture him before”.

 “I don’t think that was me who scared him,” Jin folded his arms and looked at Asuka, who scratched her nose in embarrassment.

 “Hey, don’t blame me! He switched our bodies somehow, then ran away when I tried to catch him! So what if I said I’m gonna grill his ass? He should’ve seen it comin’!”

 “Please stop talking like that,” Jin asked with a tired tone, but Xiaoyu burst into laughter.

 “‘Grill his ass!’ Ahahaha, Asuka! Can you say it again, please, it’s so funny when you’re saying that with Jin’s voice!”

 “500 dollars,” Asuka said with the most serious tone.

 Xiaoyu gasped.

 “What?”

 “If ya wanna me to be a clown, you hafta pay for that. I deserve compensation for all that crap I got through!” Asuka shouted, putting her hand onto hips. “No money — no funny!”

 “Huh? But I don’t have much!” Xiao folded her palms. “Pleeease, just one more time!”

 “I said, no!”

 “I said — enough!” Jin shouted at them, making both Asuka and Xiaoyu jump from his low but firm tone, unusual with Asuka's normal voice.

 The room fell silent, while Lars, Lee and Alisa just looked at the trio in confusion — until Lars’ face cracked with a smile.

 “You know, Jin, maybe you’re right. It’s a good thing you got switched, it makes us see your unusual side”.

 “Very funny,” Jin turned his head to him in slight annoyance. “Shouldn’t you look for Claudio?”

 “I doubt he’s going to leave us, even having the vengeful Kansai spirit after him,” Lee gestured with the thumbs up. “But seriously, you two have to relax and leave everything to us - it worked the last two times almost perfectly, the third one is definitely going to be fine!”

 “Maybe I’ll walk Asuka-san into your room, Jin?” Alisa said politely. “You and Xiaoyu-san can come too, if you want”.

 “Hey, I don’t want to go into his room!” Asuka waved her hands actively, but both of them immediately got grabbed by Alisa and Xiaoyu.

 “That’s actually a good idea,” Jin nodded. Suddenly, Lars’ phone buzzed with an incoming call. He stepped away, taking out his phone and muttering something for a second, but then, he turned back to Jin in confusion.

 “This is for you. I don’t know how he got this number, though…”

 “He?” Jin asked, tensed, but a loud familiar voice dissolved his suspicions immediately.

 “Yo, Kazama, are you there? Need to talk”.

 “Hwoarang?” Xiaoyu slightly rose up on her tiptoes.

 “Haw-rang?” Asuka raised her eyebrow, as Jin, smirking, took the phone from Lars and extended it to her. The familiar voice from the dynamic rang again, in a more serious tone.

 “Hey, I’m glad you’re in the flower garden now, but there’s something we need to wrap up now. You’re in?”

 “Nope,” Asuka blurted out. “I’m not a bouquet to wrap up. Gotta cut the stems first”.

 “Eh? What’re you talking about?” Hwoarang’s voice filled with worry. “You don’t sound right, Jin, you okay?”

 “Nope, cause I’m not Jin,” Asuka pushed the phone back, while Jin was scoffing sincerely, along with Xiaoyu. “Come on, he’s up to yer ass, explain to him!”

 “Heh, fine,” Jin chuckled once more and picked the phone. “It’s me. What do you want?”

 Now it was Hwoarang who cackled at the other side of the call.

 “Pffft… you’re shitting me, Kazama? You’re now…ahahaha! Oh man, I’m glad I'm already near your new home, I HAVE to see that!”

 “Yeah, sure, but why?” Jin interrupted his laughter with a cold voice.

 While he was observing girls walking Asuka out of the room, Hwoarang caught his breath and took a more serious tone.

 “It’s about that brawl you guys had the other day, remember? Sad I wasn't there, but the thing is, one of my men was. And that almost cost him his life”.

 Jin felt silent, feeling how the spike of shock slipped through his body. He knew well who Hwoarang could have meant, and it was surprising how long he waited before calling to pay the debts.

 “I just got word from your medics about him,” Hwoarang explained, answering Jin’s unvoiced question. “He was going to be relocated back in Spain, but the entire situation is kinda tense right now, so he’s in rehabilitation nearby”.

 “Is he?..” Jin said, and the sudden thought slipped across his mind. He gripped the phone tighter, meeting Lars’ worried look. “Do you know where he is right now?”

 “No, that’s why I called you, I mean the guy you work for. Snatched his number right before the Yakushima raid, just in case — glad it was the right choice. So, do any of you know?”

 “I can find the info in an hour or something,” Lars said, hearing Hwoarang’s loud voice. “What’s your plan on it, Jin? He was going to kill you, remember?”

 “Yeah, it’s not the greatest choice to visit him, Kazama”.

 “And you both should know already — I love making bad choices,” Jin shrugged. “I need to understand what drove him to do all this. He may not understand my reasons, but I want to know his”.

 “For what?” Hwoarang asked.

 Jin didn’t answer — he just nodded to Lars and left the room. 

 “I’m going to let him in,” Lee said. “Maybe this guy also can help us a little more — as I remember, he had some experience in the army before”.

 “Hey, you better not include me in your games anymore. I’m here just for Kazama, that’s all!”

 “Which one?” Lars asked bluntly, feeling how the smile once again appears on his face. Despite the dire situation, this entire body switch fiasco made his head lighter and his thoughts were clearer than before. Perhaps the laughable situation like this was the thing he really needed.

 Hwoarang scoffed at the other side of the line and ended the call. 

*  *  *

 Anna couldn’t stop laughing.

 After taking out the trash and feeding Victor and Lidia, she was completely bored, so she wandered through the UN base in case Nina still decided to show up. Unfortunately, her bitch sister didn’t have any plans to come soon, so Anna decided to take some measures in preparation.

 With Victor’s permission, she looked around equipment, hangars and security systems, and decided to play a little with the latter. Hacking it to be connected with Víðópnir cameras wasn’t too hard, and after all, it was Lee’s idea to stay in touch. Anna was even hoping to make some fun of him, by catching Lee off-guard in the most uncomfortable moment.

 However, the scene she witnessed just now was as funny as she predicted her little prank with Lee would've been. Anna never saw Jin face to face before, judging him only by the media, information she gathered while working at G-corp and not so pleasant opinion from Kazuya. She could somehow relate to this conflict between father and son, but not enough to fully compare it with her own feelings towards Nina.

 In any case, Jin on the hacked cameras was nothing like Anna could’ve imagine. She set cameras on Víðópnir after he visited Lidia, and now his angry face, relentless chase after the Italian exorcist and goofy attemtps to handle Lee’s training program made Anna laugh almost hysterically. At the moment, Jin was the funniest Mishima she ever saw.

 “What’s got into you?” she suddenly heard Lidia’s voice behind her back.

 Anna turned to her immidiately, pulling out her bazooka which was standing nearby all this time. Hovewer, Lidia wasn’t even bothered by the weapon, as her gaze was glued to the monitor.

 “Does Victor know you’re spying on his guests?” she asked calmly.

 Anna huffed and pulled away her Lovely Tom.

 “After his total exposure he better be glad I’m keeping an eye on everything around. Who knows, there still can be way too suspicious rats nearby”.

 “Not this one,” Lidia got closer to the monitor and saw Jin, being obviously discomforted, along with Xiaoyu, Lars, Lee and Asuka. The latter was holding surprisingly calm — but Lidia could say for sure that’s Jin by that composure.

 She still couldn’t believe what she witnessed in the medical room, even after everything she and Eddy got through lately. And seeing Jin in Asuka's body, standing still and even bickering a bit with his relative, was very surprising for Lidia. But in the end, that little weird scene once again confirmed that his intentions were truly for the greater good.

 “Still, it’s a great comedy. Don’t you agree, miss Sobieska?” she heard Anna’s voice. 

 “You can say that,” Lidia nodded. “But, returning to the rats… Why are you so sure there’s still some of them?”

 Anna lowered down to the monitor, switching cameras. She slightly nodded, inviting Lidia to come closer.

 “Well, your friend Eddy got some friends from the ex-Tekken force. Interestingly enough, guys we managed to deal with, have the same equipment… and trust me, it’s nothing like Tekken Force had before”.

 “How so?”

 “For example…” Anna pushed the button, enhacing the image of some Yggdrasil soldier, highlighting the information about his armor.

 “These augments were made by the Violet System, for example. And, as you know, Yggdrasil got them only a year ago, after Lee Chaolan became their sponsor and advisor. However, look at this, darling…”

 Anna switched the cameras again — this time, to show the room with Shin Tekken Force armor, gathered in one of the UN hangars. She highlighted the equipment once again.

 “Very tasteless, if you ask me. Those who recreated these costumes, tried to implement technologies from both the UN and Violet Systems”.

 “Well, that was already confirmed how they got the info about it,” Lidia shrugged. “I still don’t understand your motives to hack cameras on Yggdrasil”.

 “Well, knowing Heihachi, he still may be after other Mishimas to reclaim their power. Including the brave leader of Yggdrasil army, of course — which brings us to his closer friends…”

  Anna switched cameras again — this time it was following Jin, Xiaoyu and Alisa, slowly walking through some hallway of the Víðópnir. Anna zoomed the camera, so Lidia could see Alisa’s worried face.

 “Tell me, Miss Sobieska, is any of your family members knew Dr. Bosconovitch?”

 Lidia hugged her chin with the thumb and index finger.

 “Not much. My grandpa told me a little about some Soviet genius, but he disappeared after his daughter’s death…”

 “Well, you can clearly see that he managed to resurrect her,” Anna chuckled. “It’s not an identical copy of his daughter, however — after Alisa’s death, Gepetto almost got insane. No wonder he decided to work with Mishimas once more — he wanted to bring his child back by any means”. 

 Lidia scratched her chin, observing what's happening on the monitor. On the screen, Alisa suddenly stopped, and her head fell off her neck, making both Jin(or Asuka, to be more precise) and Xiaoyu scream in terror.

 “What’s got into ya?! Hey, come on!” Asuka shouted with a strange accent, kneeling towards Alisa’s head and picking it up with the mix of horror and shock on her face.

 “Hey, careful, Asuka! What if it explodes?”

 “Ah, crap, I just got enough golf balls to explode on my ass! But… I can’t let it go!” Asuka whined, while looking at Xiaoyu in silent plea. “Y’know what, you take it!”

 “No way! I’m scared!”

 “Please don’t worry, everything is going to be okay,” said Alisa’s head suddenly, while laying in Asuka’s hands innocently. 

 Then there was a scream again.

 Lidia was shocked, how, despite the obvious horror and uncharacteristic fear, Asuka was still able to hold Alisa’s head tightly, while screaming at the top of her lungs. But then, she remembered about the whole situation and just shook her head in empathy. Poor Asuka definitely didn’t have a good day today.

 In the end, the muffled Lee’s voice were heard on the dynamics builded in the observed hallway:

 “Please, ladies, calm down. Alisa, I was asking you to recharge this morning, have you forgotten?”

 “Sorry,” Alisa’s head answered quietly. “Thing is, Lars was asking me to help him, and… I…”

 Even on the security monitor with a poor palette of colors both Anna and Lidia could see how Alisa’s cheeks became bright red. Her head also started to be covered by some kind of light smoke, coming from somewhere in her head.

 “Hey, yer head is hot like a teapot!” Asuka shouted worriedly. “Do ya need some cold water?”

 “No, please, I just need some calm place to stabilize,” Alisa replied. “We can stay in the room we already planned to go to”.

 “And leave your body here?” Xiaoyu sounded confused.

 “You can’t move it anyway, since it has to recharge. But don’t worry, it’s a wireless zone, so I can replenish the energy by standing here! It’s nothing special”.

 “Ya just a talkin’ head, it IS special!” 

 “I also can be an explosive talking head, Asuka-san, so please, carry me carefully to Jin-san’s room”.

 “Urgh, you guys killin’ me! Fine, let’s go!”

 Asuka stood up, carefully stretching hands towards her, carryng Alisa’s head like some sort of sacred cup.

 As soon as the girls leave the hallway, Anna bursts with laughter.

 “This is Asuka Kazama? Oh my! Why didn’t you tell me about this little switcheroo?”

 “I thought you already knew? With all these cameras?..” Lidia was surprised. Anna stopped laughing and waved her hand.

 “Trust me, I haven’t enough time to connect with the entire security system of the base, the airship got my attention the most… Ahaha, sorry,” Anna coughed a bit and turned the monitor off. 

 “Anyway, where were we? Ah, right, Bosconovitch. So, as you can see, he was able to create Alisa thanks to Mishima Zaibatsu technologies and his own genius mind. Which raises a question… who will be after his work now and when he will decide to strike?”

 “You think Heihachi will go after Alisa?” Lidia asked.

 Anna shrugged.

 “I didn’t say that. This android is great, no doubt, but as my friend, professor Nakamura would have said, never chase after all the golden eggs, but get the hen instead. In our case…”

 Anna put her hand into the inner pocket of her coat and pulled out the little photo of an old, almost bald man in round glasses and a lab coat.

 Lidia frowned.

 “We better let Yggdrasil know. I’m going”.

 “Not now, dear”.

 Lidia jolted, as Anna’s hand grabbed her forearm tightly. She looked back, meeting the intense glare of her savior assassin.

 “I won’t let this chance slip away this time,” Anna hissed, drilling Lidia with determination, mixed with wrath. “She WILL come after Dr. B, I’m sure of it”.

 Lidia didn’t say anything, shaking her hand off in silence. Then she left the room. Anna sighed and looked back at her bazooka, waiting nearby.

 As Nakamura helped her with this weapon and some advice, she was planning to use all his gifts to get herself close to her goal. Anna admitted she found Lidia somehow interesting and wouldn’t mind spending some more time with her — after all, she loved to see people enjoying not only her killing but also cooking skills.

 But the chance to encounter Nina once again was also here, and the pain of her loss was as stingy as before, even despite the fact her deceased so-called husband was an actual piece of shit. So was her sister, who was always striving to make her life worse.

 Well, two can play that game. As they always did.

 Anna just hoped she wouldn't wait too long for her wishes to come true.

*  *  *

 It was an easy job.

 Nina checked her bike’s engine, while looking at the faraway big fire of some unremarkable warehouse in the Thai suburbs. If these idiots were thinking it wouldn’t be suspicious enough to hide the most enormous fighter here, they were wrong — and they just paid for their stupidity with their lives.

 Near her, the compact helicopter started its engine too, as soon as Shin Tekken force units finished loading the target on. Nina glazed over the gigantic iron case being placed inside but not enough thanks to its size, and sighed slightly. In any case, there’s no one left to notice this strange cargo in the sky.

 Now it’s time for the second part.

 She pulled out the portable tablet, checking for new information. To her pleasant surprise, Víðópnir made the stop nearby the biggest UN base. This one was supposed to be destroyed already, along with their leader and Polish Prime minister, but Nina wrote it off as a mistake or sloppiness of Fury, who, to be completely fair, didn’t care about his job.

 Considering that he most likely arrived there with full blast, she better make a different approach.

 “We finished with the loading, ma’am!” one of the Shin Tekken froce reported, despite Nina staying right next to the helicopter. “What next?”

 She turned to him, putting her tablet back into the inner pocket of her jacket.

 “Deliver the cargo to the base. Wait for Heihachi and the next instructions there”.

 “Yes, ma’am!”

  Nina followed the raising helicopter with her gaze for a moment and then started the bike engine.  

 She knew well enough by this point that Doctor Bosconovitch would never leave his creations, and vice versa. So, she better made him come out by taking out the most precious one of them.

Chapter Text

 “Whoa, looking good!”

 Jin didn’t say anything on that Hwoarang remark, as they both went out from the airship. He just looked down on his legs, not being covered at all with the shorts he had to put on. At least, the buttoned up white shirt was long enough to cover the upper body and short red top under it.

  Jin has no idea how and why Lee could have clothes like this in his disposal, since this kind of clothes didn’t look like they were designed for Alisa. However, there was no way he could put on Asuka’s old clothes, with them being tattered and drained by dirt and blood, and his own clothes were still too big, even for Asuka.

 “You actually have great legs, you know,” Hwoarang remarked again, while Jin started walking to the transport compartment of the Víðópnir. “You should wear stuff like this more often, Kazama”.

 “Sure,” Jin replied, opening the door. “I’ll let her know”.

 “Wha?.. Hey, don’t you dare, Kazama! I didn’t mean it in that way!..”

 There was a noticeable panic in Hwoarang’s voice, which made Jin smile for a bit, while he was looking for his bike. It was there, near the wall, as good as new.

 Good.

 “Wanna race on our way?” Hwoarang asked, staying at the entrance, leaning to the wall slightly. “There’s about ten minutes or so to drive to the hospital, though”.

 “I know,” Jin went to his bike. “Start the launching sequence”.

 The bike beeped loudly, as if it was angry.

 “Incorrect vocal data”.

 “It’s Jin Kazama. Start the sequence based on that name”.

 Another angry beep.

 “Name and vocal data don't match”.

 “Try to say please, maybe?” Hwoarang suggested, smirking widely. “I have enough space on my seat, you know, all you need to do is hold me tight”.

 Jin hummed in annoyance. How could he forget about the voice input?.. He could try to contact Lee or Alisa and ask them to rewrite the access program, but he didn’t want to waste more time. Who knows, what that Spaniard will do in these next several hours? And Jin didn’t want to lose him.

 It seems he had to take Hwoarang’s offer in the end.

 “Hey, don’t sweat it, Missy! I promise, I will deliver you there in full package”.

 Jin helplessly looked around, hoping to find another bike without the digital lock, but no dice. All the bikes on the Víðópnir were one way or another controlled with a digital lock, binded to names and voices of the Yggdrasil leaders, including Jin himself, and there was no way to hack or falcificate the access, thanks to Dr. B’s security enhancement in digital locks.

 “Fine, I’ll help you”.

 Jin didn’t realise when Hwoarang managed to walk into the room. He calmly walked to one of the bikes, the one that got a slight dent on its frame. Waiting for a second, Hwoarang tapped on a frame with his finger.

 “Yo, it’s Hwoarang”.

 “Vocal data — accepted. Name — accepted”.

 Jin felt how his eyes widened a bit, while the bike obediently launched by Hwoarang’s command. As he was standing still, the latter took the bike out.

 “Ok, you guys really should do something about this locking system of yours. We were lucky that this thing still got my data from that Yakushima ride”.

 “Sure…” Jin mumbled quietly and followed him. 

 Hwoarang rode the bike to his own one and scratched the back of his head. 

 “Well, since this beauty is kinda binded to me, I guess we have to switch for this time. Hope you know how to use models like this beast,” he nodded towards his motorcycle.

 “I’m a quick learner,” Jin chukled. “So, you’re still on about the race?..”

*  *  *

 “Man, this is weird”.

 “Yeah… I never thought it would turn out to be like this”.

 “I don’t see anything unusual. If it will make you both feel better, I’m not detecting any sexual tension between you”.

 “Did ya hafta say that?!” Asuka jumped at the bed she was lying on just now, and looked at Alisa in shock and disgust.

  “Alisa!” Xiaoyu, who was sitting near the small window, also jumped, covering her momentarily blushed cheeks with her hands. 

 “Sorry if my observation got you both embarrassed,” Alisa apologized. “I wanted to make sure the situation is under control by all of us”.

 “Not you for sure! You can’t control anything without yer body, no?” Asuka bent forward, still sitting on the bed, and looked at Alisa’s head, which was calmly resting at the table. Not waiting for her to answer, she looked around and sighed.

 Jin’s room wasn’t that big, but had enough space for two people to hang out (it also was helpful that Alisa didn’t take too much room right now). It wasn’t cluttered, and actually was very tidy. Along with Alisa’s head, there were only several books at the table and a small laptop. In the corner, close to the door, a big punching bag was hanging on, with another small door next to it, which led to the bathroom. Across the door, there was a narrow bed near a small window. An additional chair was standing there, taken by Xiaoyu at the moment, as she was still hiding her face in her palms.

 “This place is kinda comfy, not gonna lie,” Asuka muttered. “I was expecting something more… empty”.

 “Actually, some of the furniture was given by Lars and Lee after Jin woke up from his coma,” Alisa explained. “Jin just requested some of the books and his old stuff he had back in the Mishima Zaibatsu HQ”.

 “What, he wanted to reread his war records or somethin'?”

 “I don’t know details, but it was somehow connected with his past in the Mishima family, way before he took command”.

 “Oh?” Xiaoyu raised her head, as she heard something important. Asuka turned her head to her, while Alisa just blinked in confusion.

 “Oh yeah, ya were living with Jin for some time…” Asuka said, scratching her ear, then smiled. “Maybe he wanted to pick up some love letters from ya?”

 “No! I mean, there were no letters at all!” Xiaoyu claimed embarrassedly, but then, as if she remembered something, she leaned back on her chair, looking in the window.

 “We had some nice times back then. Training, going to school together… I even got him out in an amusement park a couple of times — but he sure was grumpy for that. Jin would spend all his time training, but in the end, even he got a great time to relax there”.

 “Yeah, guy for sure loves to get buffed,” Asuka muttered, looking at Jin’s, or more precisely, her own muscular arm. Her eyes stopped for a bit on the familiar tattoo, which made her remember how Mishima Zaibatsu used the same symbol during the war. She looked away.

 “Once, when we went to walk, he even helped Panda. She ate some bamboo sprouts that day and some of them stuck in her mouth,” Xiaoyu chuckled slightly. “It was really awkward, since we had nowhere to go to help Panda to wash her teeth, and her reactions were weird for other people. And Jin… he calmed her down. Even borrowed some toothpicks from the cafe nearby to clean Panda’s teeth. And… he was so unusually kind all this time — not like he was during his training with Heihachi or myself”.

 “Huh,” that was all Asuka could say. She was trying to recreate this situation in her head, and, for some reason, the thought of Jin helping animals was so bizarre, she couldn’t hold a little chuckle. Luckily for her, neither Alisa nor Xiaoyu heard that.

 “Thing is…” Alisa started suddenly. “My father created me with the purpose of protecting Jin. For some time I didn’t know that, but when Jin activated that directive… It made me attack people I started to cherish. I didn't realise that until Jin gave me his final order to be free when he’s done. Then I realised what I was doing… but that realisation wasn't enough to overwrite my prime directive".

 “Dickhead,” Asuka muttered, looking down at her hands, with slight disgust. Suddenly, something else caught her attention, and she moved her gaze to the punching bag, while Alisa continued.

 “Your disturbance is understandable, Asuka-san. However, I wanted to point out how apologetic Jin was after we met again. I analyzed our previous conversation before the reboot of my system, and I noticed the same feelings from him, but even more noticeable, as if there was nothing that made him hold his true feelings anymore. I suppose that change was mostly thanks to the fact Jin spent more time with Lars and got some positive influence from him”.

 “You know, that Lars guy looks really reliable!” Xiaoyu nodded in approval. “He reminds me of grandfather Heihachi… without all the plans about taking over the world and stuff”.

 “It makes sense since they are related, Xiaoyu-san”.

 “Yeah, it's hard to miss, if you think about it… Asuka, what is it?”

 “If you need to use the restroom, Asuka-san, it's the door right next to you”.

 “Yeah, thanks for letting me know, but what's that?” Asuka stood up from the bed and walked to the punching bag. When others followed her with their eyes, they noticed a small knapsack that was hidden in the punching bag’s shadow.

 “I'm not detecting anything dangerous or unusual,” Alisa announced. “It seems that bag was here for a very long time”.

 “Well, you just said he brought some stuff from his Mr. Evil Bossman days here”.

 “That bag seems way older, however”.

 “Let's open it!” Xiaoyu suggested. “I really want to know what it is about!”

 “Well, fine. We'll excuse it as if I opened it by some muscle memory or whatever,” Asuka shrugged, pulled out the bag and opened it.  “What do we have here?.. Huh?”

 “Let me see!” Xiaoyu sat next to Asuka, trying to look inside the bag.

 “Me too, please! I still don't have X-ray visual sensors to see through the materia!” Alisa pleaded.

 While Asuka was pulling out the bag’s contents, Xiaoyu reluctantly picked up Alisa’s head and brought it to the bed to place it next to her. When they both got comfortable, Asuka finally got out the pair of battered silver gauntlets. The confused look on everyone's faces was shined for a moment with a glimpse of sunlight, reflected from a spiral three-piece crest on the gauntlets. As soon as Asuka saw it closer, she froze with shock.

 “What the?..”

 “What is it?” Xiaoyu asked, looking closer.

 “I found the origin of that symbol in my database,” Alisa chimed. “That’s…”

 “...the Kazama family crest,” Asuka muttered, placing the gauntlets on her lap slowly. “When did he get them? And why did he drop them away?..” 

 The answer to that last question, however, was already in her head. Of course Jin would drop it, given what he was doing last year. The familiar sense of unbearable shame and guilt clouded Asuka’s mind, as she continued to drill the familiar silver spiral with her gaze. She always thought that crest looked like a windmill, an innocent toy to catch the wind, but now, after all she’d been through, she couldn’t see anything else but the eye of the storm.

 “They look cool”.

 “Haw?”

 Asuka raised her head and almost bumped it with Xiaoyu’s. They both gasped, while the latter tried to hold Alisa’s head on her lap steady.

 “Sorry!” Xiaoyu gasped. “I… wanted to look closer”.

 “Well, I getcha on that. What was it about looking cool though?” Asuka asked, inspecting gauntlets once again. Aside from the Kazama crest, they were almost similar to those Jin was wearing all this time — a mix of silver, red and gray colors, elbow length. But with that, these ones were way more simple, with straight plain forms, nothing fancy or edgy in the entire design. 

 She admitted she was kinda like this pair.

 “They are cool! Maybe you should try it?” Xiaoyu offered as she could hear Asuka’s inner thoughts. Even Alisa’s eyes blinked for a moment, as she also got filled with curiosity.

 “You know I wouldn’t wear it as myself, yeah?”

 “Well, at least they will fit you?”

 “According to my measurements, Asuka-san, they would be a little big for your default body”.

 “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?!” Asuka shouted, while putting the gauntlets on. “Seriously, ya could have a lil’ more tact with the way ya speak…”

 Xiaoyu was observing her, and the notable difference between Asuka and Jin doing the same familiar movement with fixing gauntlets, was striking. Jin was always focused on the task at hand, not having time for idle chat or bickering, and Xiaoyu, despite being very sociable, liked his determination. And now, looking at Asuka, how she was being obviously embarrassed by Alisa’s words, while fixing gauntlets almost unconsciously, Xiaoyu didn’t see familiar focus or readiness to fight. 

 Could Jin act this way if he didn’t experience everything that happened to him during these seven years? Or he still would be the same as Xiaoyu remembered him?

 “Mhmm… Ya know, this ain’t too bad”.

 She woke up from her thoughts, looking at Asuka, who casually examined gauntlets on her arms, smiling slightly.

 “Dunno why he picked up that design back then, but it kinda… fits, ya know? Makes me feel I still have a place here… or something worth fighting for”.

 “Perhaps that's because of your family crest?” Alisa suggested.

 Asuka shrugged reluctantly. “Maybe. Still, it really looks cool. For me, at least”.

 She stood up and walked to the window to have a better look at the gauntlets. The sunlight highlighted a lot of little scratches, dents and dots of dirt or blood. But somehow these little marks made Asuka more comfortable, as if she could feel connected with Jin’s life through all these tracks of fighting he left on these gauntlets.

  I understand what it means to hate yourself.

 She took a deep breath, feeling how these words from Jin made something in her chest crumble and curl up into a sensible ball of bitterness, mixed with regret.

 He really is a good guy… Just messed up in a lot of ways, but he still found the strength to make it right. And even tries to help her, after all.

 If only she could somehow return the favor. 

*  *  *  

 “And why exactly are we supposed to follow this plan?” Victor folded his arms as he was looking at the 3D map before him, provided by Lee.

 “As the lovely lady Williams suggests, the Shin Tekken force may target our flagman to capture doctor Bosconovitch,” Lee explained, showing everyone the projection photo of the scientist with a flick of his fingers. “We can’t risk getting your base under the attack once again. However, it wouldn't be wise to lose our chance to understand Heihachi’s plans about the man”.

 “I don’t think his army will crack so easily,” Lars nodded his head. “And there’s a little chance they’ll send someone capable after Bosconovitch”.

 “They will”.

 Anna’s cold and confident voice interrupted along with the slight click of the iron nails of her glove, as she pointed at something on the table display. The blurry photo of Nina, surrounded by the Shin Tekken force soldiers, standing next to the helicopter, shown above the table for everyone else to see.

 “This rat is just done with delivery packages, so she definitely will go after the bigger fish,” Anna said, tilting her head slightly. “No idea why she was doing that last job, but knowing her — and believe me, I know her well — she’s going after good old Bosconovitch by herself now”.

 “I still don’t see the reason we should wait for her,” Victor fixed his glasses, looking at Anna with suspicion. “Especially letting her go after the Yggdrasil”.

 “I have no doubt in their competencies,” Anna chuckled. “Furthermore, I inspected their resources for some time and have to admit — they fit perfectly for that little plan of mine”.

 “And if we don’t agree with that plan?” Lars asked, not seeing Lee’s warning look. In reply, Anna snapped her fingers, and a lot of screens showed up, with different parts of the Víðópnir being observed.

 “You do realize I can do a lot more than just hacking your cameras, right?” she asked, with an unusual coldness in her voice. “I may play at the side of the good guys now, but it comes with a price. And, as I recall, the price was my sister’s head, one way or another. You remember our deal , right, mister Lee Chaolan?”

 “What the hell?!” Lars turned his head to Lee, but he just shrugged.

 “That’s why I didn’t tell you all the details. Sorry, but knowing you, you would refuse to follow it”.

 Lars sighed. “You’re not giving me enough credit, especially after all we did”.

 “My bad,” Lee bowed slightly and turned to Anna. “I'm still holding on our part of the deal, so you don’t have to worry, dear Anna”.

 She chuckled and blew him a kiss. Lars shook his head and turned back to Victor.

 “I’m sorry for all that”. 

 “Unless it decides the future of both our organisations and alliance, I let that slide. However, I still don’t understand what exactly your plan is, Mademoiselle Anna”.

 She chuckled again and pointed at the photos.

 “What if we give them exactly what they want?..”

 *  *  *

 When Zafina opened her eyes, she had to squint them, as the light of the fluorescent lamps from the ceiling blinded her almost entirely.  When she slowly looked here again, the huge familiar figure shadowed over the lights, making her vision tolerable.

 “How are you feeling?” Seiryu asked. “That ritual must took a lot of your energy”.

 “Were we… succeeded?” she asked, trying to sit. Suddenly, a familiar warm hand from the other side helped her by holding her back and right hand. As Zafina sat in her bed, Claudio did the same next to her with the most apologetic look on his face.

 “I’m sorry for what happened,” he said. “We ruined it at the end”.

 Zafina’s eyes widened. She never expected that outcome — neither of her visions has even a glimpse of that.

 “What have we done?” she whispered in shock. “What about Jin and Asuka Kazama?..”

 “They're fine, if you can call it that,” Seiryu said. “However, there’s nothing we can do to revert things as they should be”.

 “Why did this even happen?” Claudio asked, trying not to think about that look of sheer fury on Jin’s face, whose body got possessed by Asuka’s soul. He could admit he screwed badly, but not enough to be killed by this mad girl — especially when she could still use the power of the Devil in her current body.

 “I suppose that’s because your powers still have instability,” Seiryu replied, nodding to Zafina’s left hand. “They clashed with the power from your exorcism arts, which are mostly opposite to the Devil”.

 “The Sirius arts aren’t exactly opposite,“ Claudio said. “But I guess, that doesn’t matter now. Is there anything we can do?”

 Seiryu shook his head in reply.

 “At this moment, bodies and minds of both Kazama are in disarray. The only solution could be a perfect harmony they had to build within themselves. And there’s no answer when and how they can do this”.

 “Oh no…” Claudio closes his face with his palms. He jolted a little, as Zafina’s hand gently covered his own.

 “I see no chaos or catastrophe right now,” she said, trying to listen to her senses. “In fact, I wouldn’t even predict that outcome. Perhaps, that is supposed to happen — for reasons we still don’t understand”.

 “How would you know?” Seiryu wondered. 

 Zafina closes her eyes, trying to see something, anything. Usually, the vivid images could appear in front of her easily, not demanding any further explanation. But now, all she could see was two bright lights in the dark, red and cyan.

 Both of them were almost equal in size, clashing into a spiral of familiar energy. It didn’t have a sense of destruction, but something else — fresh, new and completely unknown, as if both sources were going to rebirth in something new.

 “I don’t know myself,” Zafina said, smiling. “But the fact I sense no danger says a lot for me. All we can do now is put faith in both of them”.

 “That’s going to be hard work, I’m not going to lie,” Claudio muttered. “I may believe in Jin, but the girl, Asuka? For me she’s still quite unstable and unpredictable”.

 Zafina opened her eyes, looking at Claudio with an unusual curiosity in her face.

 “Perhaps all this world needed now is a breeze of unpredictability”.

*  *  *

 “Hey”.

 Jin didn’t answer, letting his thoughts focus on the road ahead, the grey sky above and the roar of the bike under him.

 “Yo, Earth to Kazama!”

 He side eyed Hwoarang, who was unusually close, with a look of concern on his face.

 Despite mutual agreement to do the race, both of them kept their speed slow. Jin couldn’t say what was the reason, or who was the one to call the brakes, but he still could sense the awkwardness of the situation.

 “Sure you don’t want to call it quits?” Hwoarang asked. “It wouldn’t make me feel better if I ran your ass over in that state of yours”.

 Jin didn’t answer, going back to their last fight in his thoughts. There was something Hwoarang said to him back then — something he kept in his mind till this moment. 

 These weird powers are just a part of you.

 But Jin wasn’t himself now. He couldn’t even feel something that he could identify as a part of Asuka, as if it got completely shut down after their switch. He wondered if he himself was the cause of that.

 “Nah, I’m out! That’s boring as shit!” Hwoarang yelled, stretching his arms, not looking at the road.

 Jin was amazed by his ability to keep balance, but still didn’t say a word, only smiling in appreciation. He tried to sense the familiar warmth of the Devil or Kazama powers he could feel before this, but still got nothing. 

 That’s a problem.

 At least, he got lucky. Asuka back there might have more serious problems, as with her explosive temperament things can get bad in a flash. But since there was no emergency call from Lars or Lee, perhaps she got it under control? Or Xiao is helping her?

 Jin tried to feel some anger, and that was weird — he couldn’t sense any of it at the moment. His mind was perfectly calm, thriving even — to the endless skies, the road ahead, the breeze in his face. Absolute freedom.

 He liked that feeling.

 Jin sensed something unusual in his mind — not the thrive to compete against Hwoarang, as he could expect from himself. Not even a heat in anticipation of a challenge. Just the desire to move forward, as fast as the wind, free from everything, to see and feel everything.

 There it is!

 He didn’t notice how his foot pressed the gas pedal, making the bike bolt forward, leaving Hwoarang and his short cry of surprise behind. The sense of open world, the quick and unstoppable motion, the realisation of his own possibilities has overwhelmed Jin, as he was rushing forward at the max speed, with an unexplained happiness in his mind.

 “You cheater!”

 Hwoarang caught up to him quickly, but that didn’t bother Jin even a little. He continued to move, not reacting at his rival’s attempts to slow him down with mean kicks, letting himself lose in all these senses of a ride.

 How he didn’t feel all this before? What prevented him from realizing these? Perhaps he didn’t look for these exact feelings back then?

 That’s not enough for me! I want to fight!..

 As Asuka’s words ranged in Jin’s head, he let Hwoarang to break ahead of him. 

 Not enough.

 She wanted to be something more than just a Kazama, but was afraid of this desire.

 She wanted freedom of choice, and these powers of hers, perhaps, became the key to her freedom.

 Jin rushed forward, feeling how the passion of the race overwhelmed his mind with a familiar heat. He may not be himself right now, but he wasn’t planning to give up just because of that.

 As he caught up to Hwoarang, the latter side eyed him with a familiar smirk. And then tried to kick Jin again, leaving him behind. Jin did the same, feeling how unusually light Asuka’s body is to move like that. He almost fell out of his seat, trying to keep balance, which made Hwoarang laugh.

 Not like this!..

 He managed to keep steady, as his leg still reached Hwoarang’s thigh with a tangible and heavy kick. It didn’t get him out of his bike, but Hwoarang swayed a little, giving Jin an opportunity just right at the sharp turn. 

 He turned his bike momentarily, continuing to brake with another foot. Muscle memory was strong, so was Asuka's legs, as if she was doing the same tricks almost every day. Jin remembered by the back of his mind she was talking about using a bicycle…

 “Don’t think you won, Kazama!”

 Hwoarang appeared in front of him in a second, almost making Jin lose his focus and fly off the road. However, he managed to keep focus, balancing his bike after the turn and caught up to Hwoarang almost instantly. That was the finish line, as the city outline was looming ahead.

 Jin pulled the gas pedal to the max, feeling how his(or Asuka’s?) face is grinning at the unusual excitement. He admitted he never felt so great in his life and even wished for it to last as long as possible. But the feel of competition, the desire to win were overlapping this sense of pure freedom, as he couldn’t stop trying to push Hwoarang off the road by any means necessary, avoiding his kicks in return.

 They pulled the brakes simultaneously, as they reached the checkpoint. The soldier in familiar United Nation uniform saluted them with a visible reluctance, as Jin and Hwoarang stopped completely right next to him, giving each other a look of satisfaction.

 “That’s a draw,” Hwoarang said. “Don’t think you won this one”.

 “Agree. We should do it again… when I settle things right”.

 “Yeah, yeah, your usual excuse… Hey, buddy, got a question for you,” Hwoarang turned to the soldier. “Don’t know if you got informed about it from your head honcho, but there should be a friend of mine, a Spaniard”.

 The look on the soldier's face darkened for a second, which made both Jin and Hwoarang tense. 

 “He… left the hospital an hour ago. He’s still in town, but we don’t know where”.

 “Well, at least he’s smart enough to not run after your ass,” Hwoarang scoffed, looking back at Jin. His gaze changed a little as he was inspecting him from bottom to top. “If I was in his shoes, I would’ve…”

 “No,” Jin said with a dead cold tone.

 “What? I mean, I could run to look for you as soon as I got up! In fact, I tried to, but Master stopped me back then, when you kicked my ass with your powers!”

 “Seems your Master is a wise man”.

 “Well, no shit. So, any ideas where our mutual angry friend could go?”

 “You don’t have one?” Jin turned to Hwoarang in surprise. “Weren’t you both brothers in arms with this whole Resistance mess?”

 “Hey, if we cooperated against you back then, that doesn’t mean I know the guy well. He was more of a lone wolf. Kinda like you, actually”.

 “Yeah… thanks for the honesty,” Jin sighed, as he was looking around the town. Some roof spires got his attention, along with a realization.

 “I think I know where he is now,” Jin said, turning back to Hwoarang once again. “But I need some time to be alone with him”.

 “You sure?” Hwoarang looked at him — again, with a notable concern. “He might turn you into ground meat even if you look like that”.

 “I know”.

 “Well, I don’t mind, but your sister, or whoever she is, may kick my ass if I don’t deliver you back in one piece. And knowing you, I’m not sure if I want to make her mad”.

 Jin smiled. 

 “I’ll be fine. And I’ll tell her how scary she is for you. Later”.

 Hwoarang hesitated, as Jin already went to the direction of the roof spires.

 “Hey, what the hell that’s supposed to mean? Don’t think I’m scared of some chick, even if she’s a relative of your crazy family! Hey, listen to me, Kazama!”

 Jin, in fact, heard him, but didn’t react, trying his best not to smirk. It was easier with each step he took, walking towards the town church, as Hwoarang and the checkpoint soldier both got left behind.

 It’s time for a serious talk.

 *  *  *

 Miguel didn’t know how long he was there already — an hour, or even a day. That didn’t matter anyway.

 He sat on the only church bench that was still intact after the bombardment. This place, however, got better than the one back from home — at least, there was a roof. And no casualties, by the looks of it.

 This whole church was like a mockery of his own tragedy.

 Miguel hissed, as his plastered arm got pierced with pain from the wrong movement, and he kicked the bench in front of him. It flew straight to the remnants of the altar, crashing into the organ with a loud, whining sound that ranged over the church’s hall for a whole minute. 

 Miguel groaned along with that noise, looking helplessly on his both hands. The other one, despite not being plastered, was still bandaged with a lot of layers, making his palm look like a stump. He didn’t feel any pain in it, despite the whole palm being pierced by the spike of that other demonic girl he was foolish enough to follow.

 He should’ve known better to continue his chase alone. He laughed, with his raspy, choking voice, feeling how the walls around booming from the echo, as if they’re laughing along with him.

 Suddenly, a single, unfamiliar sound thumped from the entrance. Miguel quickly fell silent, turning into alertness. Someone else entered the church.

 He didn’t turn his head, however, since it was already difficult to do so with all the other bandages he got. He turned into hearing, as the slow, heavy steps approached him. 

 This tempo was very familiar to him. 

 The anger fueled Miguel’s mind as the spark in the powder keg, and he bolted up from his bench, turning around. He didn’t care about his wounds now — hell, he was ready to die if that would be the price to struggle this murderer on the spot…

 He looked in the eyes of a familiar girl with sheer hate and froze. No sight of an unknown, strange energy around her or that bight cyan light. No sight of a vengeful, mindless beast who he struggled to defeat. Just a mere girl with an obviously mean fists… and familiar gaze, filled with remorse, determination and detachment. 

 This gaze didn’t belong to the girl herself.

 Miguel snarled, his whole body crumpled with exhaustion, but he stood still, looking for any chance to make a strike. Just once, but it will be enough to kill this monster.

 The girl didn’t say anything, instead, she looked around, inspecting all the damage to the church. Something in her face changed as she was looking at the holes in the roof.

 “You think that wasn’t enough?” Miguel couldn't resist the long silence anymore. “That you should’ve burned this place to a crisp, like lots of others?”

 The girl didn’t turn back to him, but still answered — with an unusually low, subdued voice, as if she was possessed by a person entirely different from her.

 “This place was ruined by the assault of the G-corporation. However, the damage is still the same,” she lowered her head and looked at Miguel, not saying anything else.

 He chuckled bitterly.

 “‘Damage’ she called it… It’s death! Lots of innocent lives were lost, and you act like it doesn’t matter shit for you!”

 The girl’s gaze filled with bitterness, as if she realized the irony.

 “You right — it didn’t matter in the end. It just got worse… and yet, I still can’t stop”.

 Miguel gasped, as her words filled him with a sudden realization. Everything in her behavior ade a complete sense now — and it just made him even angrier.

 “I should've known… You possessed this girl to hide behind her, aren’t you?!” he snarled. “No wonder she was trying so hard to protect you — and when she got out of your control, you decided to make it even worse! You really are a monster”.

 Jin didn’t say anything. There was no point to explain, justify or make sense with this man — he wouldn't listen. And he didn't have to — Jin realised that the Spaniards hate is actually way too familiar with his own — back when it was too fresh and painful to deal with, along with the loss. 

 He admitted he’s somehow was grateful to Heihachi, despite everything. Without his training — who knows, if the Devil in Jin’s mind could’ve awakened way earlier and destroyed even more lives than he did by his own choices later.