DISCLAIMER: All Tekken characters are property of Namco.

Prologue:

Running away from a problem never helps. At some point it has to be confronted and dealt with. Little did Ling Xiaoyu know that she was about to learn this lesson the hard way. Upon returning to Japan to attend her grandfather's funeral, she is forced to face a lot more than dealing with her grief but her racked guilt of abandoning her friends seven years ago with no explanation and worst of all, an unresolved feud with Jin Kazama. He might have made attempts to rekindle their lost friendship but Xiaoyu was not a naive teenager anymore. Once she was done sorting out her grandfather's business, she would leave Japan and put the past behind her once and for all, but then again, Jin could possibly change Xiaoyu's well-laid plans...

Chapter 1: Returning to Japan

It had been a long 3 hour flight from Beijing, China to Tokyo, Japan. As the plane had finally reached its destination, an uneasy feeling began to settle upon Xiaoyu. She had promised that she would never return and yet here she was 7 years later. Just as she had expected, a taxi she had organized was waiting for her at the airport. As the taxi made its way through the busy city, she couldn't believe that she was actually taking a few weeks off from work as she couldn't remember when was the last time she had some time to herself. She was on her way to her grandfathers funeral. She hadn't seen him in years since she left Japan but the two of them had stayed in touch over the years. She had always told him that she would visit him one day but became too caught up in her work that before she knew it, that visit never happened. She felt an overwhelming sense of regret and a tear roll down her cheek. She wiped it away immediately when she realized that they had just pulled up at the temple. Before she stepped out, she inspected herself in her pocket mirror.

Here it goes, she thought to herself while taking in a deep breath. She stepped out and made her way up the steps. She was greeted by her father who had been waiting for her.

"Dad!" she cried as she rushed to give him a hug.

"Xiaoyu, I'm so glad that you've arrived safely."

"Where's Mom?"

"She's inside. As you can imagine, she's taking it pretty hard."

"I wish that there was something more that I could've done," Xiaoyu wept into her fathers shoulder. Feeling the gravity of the situation sink in.

"Xiaoyu, what matters now is that we're all here for each other. We've taken care of everything. There's no need to worry," her father tried to sooth.

"I was suppose to come back to visit Grandpa but I never did. I promised that I would return but I never did!" Xiaoyu broke down.

"My dearest, you became a busy woman. You barely had time for yourself let alone anyone else. It was out of your hands. I'm sure your grandfather understands and is very proud of you as much as we are."

Instead of feeling comforted, hearing those words stung at her heart for she knew the real reason behind her busy lifestyle. If only they knew she thought to herself. Busying herself was her only way of coping but she knew that that in no way justified her sudden departure and cutting off all contact with her friends.

The funeral passed in such a blurr. Xiaoyu hardly remembered what had happened. She did remember seeing a handful of people who had entered the previous Tekken Tournaments at some point or another. It was no surprise that they had the utmost respect for Wang given his reputation as a great martial artist. In a strange way these tournaments brought people together despite being a competition between fighters. Her thoughts kept trailing back to the days she spent with her grandfather. A strong sense of nostalgia had crept up on her. She thought of the days when her grandfather had started training her and when they use to spar together. She longed for his teachings and when she use to be such a carefree child. They were so close that during a time when her parents had financial difficulties, he decided to bring her along to Japan. The novelty of moving to a new country soon wore off when the day of departure had finally come. She became homesick and confided in her grandfather since he was the only reminder she had left of the homeland she was leaving behind. Her thoughts then trailed back to the place where it all began...