Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken
A/N: Hello and thank you for reading my story. For those who know me, I know it's been a little while, and I have some unfortunate news: I'm leaving the 'Tekken' section for a while, and will be venturing into a brand-new section. I will be back however. Anyway, I wanted to leave with something, and had a seemingly good idea. Also, this is my first story that is an alternate timeline to my series. Those who know will see why. And here … we … go:
Forest Walk II
Nothing… There was nothing around for miles, no sights, no smells, and no sounds… In the midst of this quiet, white void was Jin. There, he floated in tranquil oblivion, lying calmly and at peace. Suddenly, a sound pierced through, and shattered the calm… Jin's eyes slowly flickered open as he awoke in the field of tall grass he dozed off in. Thinking quickly, he realized that the sound was of a cracking twig. Someone was there…
Jin lied still and waited, barely hearing and sensing a person approaching him… The next moment, a foot raised above him, ready to crash down. Jin quickly rolled to avoid his attacker's axe kick, and rolled onto his knees just as his attacker threw a punch. Countering, Jin hooked his assailant's arm, spun them around, and subdued them with a full nelson. That's when Jin realized he knew his assailant: it was a spirited seven-year-old boy struggling mightily to get free. The long bangs that ran down his cheeks were unique to this youngster, but the backwards-pointing crest of hair on the back of his head was unmistakable.
Jin said kindly to the youth, "Sorry, Haku-kun, but you have to be a lot quieter next time."
"Aww, Dad…" Haku replied as he relaxed into the hold, "I thought I had you. You mean you could hear me the whole time?"
"Don't worry about it, son…" Jin comforted while releasing the hold, "Now, where is your sister?"
Haku quickly ducked away as Jin focused on his second visitor. Jin settled himself in preparation; he couldn't hear this one at all, but he could sense them close. His second attacker finally ran up from behind and attacked with a flying kick. Jin ducked under just in time as the second assailant sailed over his head, and rose back up just as the visitor spun into another kick. Jin again countered, caught the leg, flipped the person in his arms, and held them upside down. Jin also knew this person: it was a seven-year-old girl who struggled slightly before relaxing and realizing she was caught. Her long hair hung down as she was subdued upside down, but she too had the distinctive crest of hair on the back of her head.
Just as he said to Haku, Jin said kindly, "You have to be a lot faster on the attack, Jun-chan."
"Sorry, Daddy…" Jun replied.
"There's no reason to apologize, sweetheart…" Jin reassured her as he flipped her back on her feet and continued complimenting, "You two are getting very good. I might be in trouble … if you both attacked me at the same time, that is…"
The twins only had to look at each other to know they were thinking the same thing, and wasted no time taking Jin's hint. The pair started furiously attacked their father, who was still on his knees, in tandem. The two children showed very developed skill and fluid teamwork. Jin was actually tested by their assault.
Jin complimented them as he blocked their shots, "Strong. Fast. Working well as a team… I'm impressed, you two."
Immediately after, Jin stepped up to one knee and, rocketed forward with a thrusting punch, red electricity shooting off his arm as he fires his fist forward with a 'Dark Thrust'. The twins dodged the strike at the last moment as it barely missed them and whiffed between them. Still, the duo froze in place, stunned by the power.
As he drew his arm back, Jin continued complimenting them, "And smart too. I'm really impressed."
Haku, slightly shaking from the strike, "Dad… you weren't going to actually hit us with that… were you?"
Jin shed a smile and said, "Of course not… but one thing's for sure… You two are definitely going to be stronger than me one day. I'm proud to you both."
Driving the point home, Jin affectionately hugged his son and daughter. The twins hugged him back, smiling brightly at their father's praise.
Jin finally asked as they separated, "By the way, what are you two doing out here anyway?"
Jun answered in a matter-of-fact way, "Mommy sent us out here to get you."
"Then, let's not keep mommy waiting."
With that, Jin rose to his feet and started back… Through the forest, Jin and the twins traversed as they usually did whenever they were together. Haku enthusiastically ran ahead, often cart wheeling and flipping whenever he had room. Jun walked right next to her tranquilly-strolling father, imitating rather faithfully the way he was walking. Jin, seeing this, deliberately walked slower so she could stay with him.
Jun then yelled to her brother, "Haku-kun, slow down! You see Dad's not going that fast?!"
"It's alright, Jun-chan," Jin said, "Your brother can run around if he wants."
Haku added his two cents as he ran back to them, "Hah, see! Dad thinks you should run too."
"Now, now, Haku-kun; it's alright if your sister wants to walk."
Confused by what they thought to be a mixed message, the twins looked at their dad.
"Well…" Haku asked for them both, "Which one are we supposed to do, Dad?"
Jin chuckled and said, "I'm fine whichever makes you comfortable, and you should be the same way with each other too. You're both different, but you can learn from each other. For instance, with our exercise back there, if you were faster to attack like your brother, Jun-chan, you would have gotten me, and Haku-kun, if you were quieter, you would've gotten me… That's why I'm happy to see you both working so well as a team… You have your own strengths and weaknesses, but, together, no one can beat you. Do you understand what I mean?"
The twins looked at each other before answering in unison, "Yes, Dad."
The three continued walking, when a question crossed Haku's mind…
"Daddy …?"
"Yeah, son?"
"Which one of us do you love more?"
Jin couldn't help but chuckle at the question, and replied, "What?"
"Me or Jun-chan? Which one of us do you love more?"
"Well, I love you both equally, son."
Haku then responded in a large stage whisper to Jun, "It's just like uncle Hwoarang said."
"Hm? And just what did he say?"
Jun explained, "He said that's what parents say when they have favorite, but don't want to tell who it is."
"Oh… Well, I'll just have to pay your uncle Hwoarang a visit then."
Jun continued, asking rather innocently, "Are you gonna kick his a—Dad?"
Jin looked at his daughter in shock as he inquired, "Who taught you that, Jun-chan?"
The twins answered in unison, "Uncle Hwoarang…"
"Uh-huh… Even with a daughter himself… In that case, Jun-chan yes. I have to, now; he shouldn't have said that around you two."
"Why not, Dad?" Haku asked.
"I'll explain it to you later, but, for right now … don't say that around your mother or else all three of us will get in trouble. Promise?"
"Now… Is there anything else your uncle has been telling you that I should know about?"
Haku thought for a moment before revealing, "Umm… he did say something else strange."
Jun said, "He said you 'mellowed out' lately. What does that mean, Dad?"
Jin tried to explain, "That just means… I'm not … I'm not as … mean as I use to be."
"You were mean, Dad?!" Haku exclaimed with a hint of shock.
Jin stopped as he replied, "For the most part … yes. I used to very sad and angry all the time."
Both twins stopped as well as Jun inquired further, "Then, what happened, Daddy?"
Jin mused fondly as he answered, "Your mother came along … and then you two. And I wasn't sad or angry anymore. That's why I love the three of you so much…"
"We make you happy, Dad?" Haku asked with that bright smile of his.
Jin smiled back at him, "That's right… I don't know what I would've done without you guys… For a long time, I didn't think you would ever come, but you did… and I wouldn't want it any other way. That's why I love you both equally, and why I love your mother."
Jin started walking again, the twins running up behind to catch up…
"And mommy loves you too?" Jun asked even further.
"Yes, sweetheart. That's what she tells me."
Jun then asked innocently, "So… is that why you and mommy wrestle?"
"Wrestle?" Jin reacted in confusion.
Jun went on to naively explain, "Yeah. You and mommy do it at night in your room sometimes, and mommy says your name really loud over and over again."
Jin wasn't sure at first of just what his daughter was talking about … but the shock set in as soon as he figured it out. His eyes grew wide as a large bead of sweat rolled down his head.
"How do you know about that?" Jin said quickly, "Have you been watching us?"
Jun, thinking she'd done something wrong, replied with slight fear, "No. I-I only saw you once. I heard noises, so I looked through the door, and I saw you and mommy wrestling. I can still hear you sometimes, but I never looked again I swear."
Jin, sensing the nervousness in her voice, said reassuringly while trying to hide his mortification, "Oh, it's alright. You didn't do anything wrong, Jun-chan. (I am going to start locking the bedroom door though)."
Haku innocently added, "But Dad… If you and Mom love each other, why do you wrestle so much?"
Jin couldn't help but let out a small laugh at that either, let out a nervous chuckle, and awkwardly tried to explain the best way he could, "Well … uh … Your mother and I … you see … We weren't trying to hurt each other, and we weren't arguing… What we were doing was a … 'special kind' of wrestling. This kind is only done by two people, who really love each other, and sometimes … people can get loud when they do it… and when the two people love each other a lot like your mother and I, they … tend to do it a lot…"
Jin slowly looked down at his children. Somewhat, he was trying to gauge how well he was doing, but mostly, he was hoping they'd stopped listening… They didn't. The twins just looked at each other scratching their heads, and finally looked up at Jin, visibly confused as they didn't understand a thing he was saying.
Jin, seeing this going nowhere, let out a resigned sigh and spoke truthfully, "Listen… You two didn't do anything wrong, but you really aren't supposed to know about that yet. It's something adults do together, and I just can't tell you about it right now. I promise I'll explain everything when you're older, but for now … please forget what you saw, okay? Can you guys do that for me?"
The twins still didn't understand, but they complied anyway, saying, "Okay, Dad."
Jin was understandably relieved by their agreement saying, "Thanks. Now … where is your mother parked anyway?"
Haku happily offered the answer, saying, "Not that far; she's right over that hill."
Exiting the forest and coming into a clearing, the trio walked up the hill. At the summit, Jin suddenly stopped and looked away toward the horizon. The twins quickly took notice, stopped as well, and stared at their father, wondering what stopped him. Quickly, the pair ran back toward Jin.
Haku wondered for the both of them, "Is something wrong, Dad?"
"No…" Jin said before pointing forward, "Look."
The twins did as their father said, turning to see what he was looking at, and soon they staring at it too. Their respective jaws almost dropped when they saw, and they met the vision with oohs and aahs. All three gazed at an incredible sunset. The sky was painted with a myriad of colors captured and emitted from the clouds. The sight above, painted like a canvas, held vibrant reds, oranges, blues, purples, and even some green. In addition, the clouds moved and shifted making it look as if the colors were dancing in the sky. It was truly something to be seen.
As the three looked on, Jin placed his arms around his son and daughter. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his wife walking up the other side of the hill towards them…
Thinking to himself, Jin mused, "Now, this must be what they talk about. This… This is a life."
End Story
A/N: Before you ask, the mother is whoever you want her to be. (Those who know me know who I want her to be). I hope you liked it, and I hope you read more from me. Now, I will be leaving for a little while, but I will be back. Also, I will still be posting in another section; maybe I'll see you there. Nevertheless, I will see you later. Please R&R, and, as always, Rant, Rave, and Review.