DISCLAIMER: Namco owns Jin Kazama, Ling Xiaoyu and all other characters
associated with Tekken. I am just toying with them, and intend no offence.
A/N: My first ever Tekken fic. Hope you enjoy!
P r o l o g u e
Ling Xiaoyu scattered the sand with a dainty kick of her bare foot, watching it sink into the swishing waves. The moon shone a swirling silver pattern on the navy sea, and she took a deep breath of fresh air, relishing the freedom she felt. The night was soft and tender, calming her nerves and aching body. Finally, after a summer of long fighting, the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4 was over.
She carried her sandals at her side and padded silently along the shore, admiring the shimmering water to her right and the mountainside to her left, glittering with a thousand city stars. As far as she knew, there were only two people on the beach that night. Herself and a man standing up ahead, staring out to the horizon, lost in some distant daydream. His hooded jacket was pulled right over his head, shielding him from the outside world. From his fine posture and careful stance, she knew it could only be Jin.
He gave no indication that he either saw or heard her approach, but somehow she felt he knew she was there. Jin had always had some sort of sixth sense about these things. Scraping at the sand with her toes, she hummed a gentle rhythm, some old Chinese hymn she had learnt in childhood. She was in no hurry to reach him. She knew he would wait for her.
When she reached Jin, she took up a similar position beside him, searching the distant waves for what he saw. His breathing was soft, and he seemed at peace. His eyes were vague and glassy, and she knew better than to disturb him when he was in one of his contemplative moods. So she waited, watching the deep blue ocean and the occassional splashes far away from the beach of a dolphin or two. They frolicked happily, swirling their bodies through the water, slapping their tails in glee. She grinned to see them so carefree.
"How are you, Xiao?" Jin asked eventually, inclining his head in the slightest movement towards her.
"I'm okay," she said automatically.
"I won," he stated quietly, still looking out towards the sea, still lost in his thoughts.
"I know," she replied, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, "Did you kill him?"
"I couldn't," he said.
"I know," she told him, with a mixture of sympathy and pride.
They fell into a companionable silence. She wondered if he was watching the dolphins like herself, but he seemed to have his sights set on a goal much further out to sea. A sense of floating peace spread through her body, and her eyes fluttered shut for just a moment, unwinding in the cool evening air. Then she shivered.
Jin put out an arm automatically and pulled her to him, and she allowed her head to rest back on his shoulder, enjoying the warmth he offered. They stood there for a moment, before she felt the need to begin questioning him.
"What you gonna do now?" She asked without turning to face him. She felt him shrug slightly at the query, as he always did when asked something.
"I think I might travel," he informed her after a while, "What about you?"
She shook her head in a brief, helpless moment, and sighed. "Dunno."
"You could build your theme park," he suggested. Her eyebrows wrinkled at the notion, and she thought of all the overwhelming constraints on that idea.
"No money," she stated.
"You could use some of mine. I own the company now," he replied.
"I couldn't take your money," she said sadly, "It's yours."
Jin, for the first time, turned to face her, and put both hands on her shoulders. He swirled her around and looked directly into her eyes.
"Don't give up like that, Xiao," he said firmly, "And don't refuse a fair offer. It offends me. I don't need the money – my dreams have nothing to do with finance. Yours do."
"But..." she began.
"If you truly want to meet your dreams, Xiao, then you must meet them yourself," he said, "No one can meet them for you."
She fell silent, and lowered her eyes from the serious stare of his. His words made sense, and she valued Jin's opinion very much. He had never given her bad advice, and never lied to her. He had always stated the truth in the way he saw it, and she knew that Jin's vision was far wider ranging that her own.
"Maybe," she muttered under her breath.
Jin gave her the briefest of smiles, and it lit up his face for a moment. Then the shadow was down again, the clouded expression back.
She returned the smile and pushed herself up onto her tip toes, brushing a tiny, soft kiss against his cheek in gratitude. She felt lighter immediately. Hopeful, optimistic. Perhaps she could make her dreams come true all by herself. She did not need Heihachi or his tainted wealth. If she set her sights firmly on her goal, then maybe one day it would come true, as Jin said it would.
Pulling back, her brows furrowed into a frown. Jin's expression had changed from one of fondness and friendship to one of confusion.
"Jin, what is it?" She asked, stepping away so as to see him better.
"Did you feel that?" He questioned her, his eyes darting to the ground and back to hers, then to their surroundings. She shook her head in reply.
All of a sudden, it seemed as though his face twisted in agony, his features contorted by some all-consuming force. He staggered back and groaned, and she started in alarm.
"Jin?"
"Get away," he said through gritted teeth, his hand flying to his stomach.
The last thing she noticed was his eyes fly to hers, wide open and searching, before a brilliant blue light flashed over the beach, lighting it for an instant and blinding her. She cried out his name in fright, and the blue light closed into a bubble around him.
"Jin! Jin!!" She called, at a loss, her heart gripped with sudden panic.
Inside the bubble, Jin stumbled, his eyes flashing in pain, his cheeks twitching under the strain of controlling himself. Ling's eyes widened in horror and she looked around desperately, searching for someone to help. But they were alone, completely alone. No one could help but her.
She did not have time to wonder what was happening. Jin began to fade, and then he became clear again, and then he faded again, as though he was a blinking light on a dashboard.
"Jin!!" She shouted, one last time, hoping to distract him. He did not even react, crumbling under the pressure.
In one blind moment of heroism, she took a deep breath, steadied herself, and leapt with all the bravery she could muster into the icy blue bubble, hoping to pull him out.
Nothing could have prepared her for the overwhelming crushing force on her body. She felt as though she would pop like a balloon, and she let out a faint cry before collapsing on Jin.
Together, they stumbled and fell.
Then everything went black.
* * *
Hope you liked! Chapter One should be up soon. Please review :)
A/N: My first ever Tekken fic. Hope you enjoy!
P r o l o g u e
Ling Xiaoyu scattered the sand with a dainty kick of her bare foot, watching it sink into the swishing waves. The moon shone a swirling silver pattern on the navy sea, and she took a deep breath of fresh air, relishing the freedom she felt. The night was soft and tender, calming her nerves and aching body. Finally, after a summer of long fighting, the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4 was over.
She carried her sandals at her side and padded silently along the shore, admiring the shimmering water to her right and the mountainside to her left, glittering with a thousand city stars. As far as she knew, there were only two people on the beach that night. Herself and a man standing up ahead, staring out to the horizon, lost in some distant daydream. His hooded jacket was pulled right over his head, shielding him from the outside world. From his fine posture and careful stance, she knew it could only be Jin.
He gave no indication that he either saw or heard her approach, but somehow she felt he knew she was there. Jin had always had some sort of sixth sense about these things. Scraping at the sand with her toes, she hummed a gentle rhythm, some old Chinese hymn she had learnt in childhood. She was in no hurry to reach him. She knew he would wait for her.
When she reached Jin, she took up a similar position beside him, searching the distant waves for what he saw. His breathing was soft, and he seemed at peace. His eyes were vague and glassy, and she knew better than to disturb him when he was in one of his contemplative moods. So she waited, watching the deep blue ocean and the occassional splashes far away from the beach of a dolphin or two. They frolicked happily, swirling their bodies through the water, slapping their tails in glee. She grinned to see them so carefree.
"How are you, Xiao?" Jin asked eventually, inclining his head in the slightest movement towards her.
"I'm okay," she said automatically.
"I won," he stated quietly, still looking out towards the sea, still lost in his thoughts.
"I know," she replied, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, "Did you kill him?"
"I couldn't," he said.
"I know," she told him, with a mixture of sympathy and pride.
They fell into a companionable silence. She wondered if he was watching the dolphins like herself, but he seemed to have his sights set on a goal much further out to sea. A sense of floating peace spread through her body, and her eyes fluttered shut for just a moment, unwinding in the cool evening air. Then she shivered.
Jin put out an arm automatically and pulled her to him, and she allowed her head to rest back on his shoulder, enjoying the warmth he offered. They stood there for a moment, before she felt the need to begin questioning him.
"What you gonna do now?" She asked without turning to face him. She felt him shrug slightly at the query, as he always did when asked something.
"I think I might travel," he informed her after a while, "What about you?"
She shook her head in a brief, helpless moment, and sighed. "Dunno."
"You could build your theme park," he suggested. Her eyebrows wrinkled at the notion, and she thought of all the overwhelming constraints on that idea.
"No money," she stated.
"You could use some of mine. I own the company now," he replied.
"I couldn't take your money," she said sadly, "It's yours."
Jin, for the first time, turned to face her, and put both hands on her shoulders. He swirled her around and looked directly into her eyes.
"Don't give up like that, Xiao," he said firmly, "And don't refuse a fair offer. It offends me. I don't need the money – my dreams have nothing to do with finance. Yours do."
"But..." she began.
"If you truly want to meet your dreams, Xiao, then you must meet them yourself," he said, "No one can meet them for you."
She fell silent, and lowered her eyes from the serious stare of his. His words made sense, and she valued Jin's opinion very much. He had never given her bad advice, and never lied to her. He had always stated the truth in the way he saw it, and she knew that Jin's vision was far wider ranging that her own.
"Maybe," she muttered under her breath.
Jin gave her the briefest of smiles, and it lit up his face for a moment. Then the shadow was down again, the clouded expression back.
She returned the smile and pushed herself up onto her tip toes, brushing a tiny, soft kiss against his cheek in gratitude. She felt lighter immediately. Hopeful, optimistic. Perhaps she could make her dreams come true all by herself. She did not need Heihachi or his tainted wealth. If she set her sights firmly on her goal, then maybe one day it would come true, as Jin said it would.
Pulling back, her brows furrowed into a frown. Jin's expression had changed from one of fondness and friendship to one of confusion.
"Jin, what is it?" She asked, stepping away so as to see him better.
"Did you feel that?" He questioned her, his eyes darting to the ground and back to hers, then to their surroundings. She shook her head in reply.
All of a sudden, it seemed as though his face twisted in agony, his features contorted by some all-consuming force. He staggered back and groaned, and she started in alarm.
"Jin?"
"Get away," he said through gritted teeth, his hand flying to his stomach.
The last thing she noticed was his eyes fly to hers, wide open and searching, before a brilliant blue light flashed over the beach, lighting it for an instant and blinding her. She cried out his name in fright, and the blue light closed into a bubble around him.
"Jin! Jin!!" She called, at a loss, her heart gripped with sudden panic.
Inside the bubble, Jin stumbled, his eyes flashing in pain, his cheeks twitching under the strain of controlling himself. Ling's eyes widened in horror and she looked around desperately, searching for someone to help. But they were alone, completely alone. No one could help but her.
She did not have time to wonder what was happening. Jin began to fade, and then he became clear again, and then he faded again, as though he was a blinking light on a dashboard.
"Jin!!" She shouted, one last time, hoping to distract him. He did not even react, crumbling under the pressure.
In one blind moment of heroism, she took a deep breath, steadied herself, and leapt with all the bravery she could muster into the icy blue bubble, hoping to pull him out.
Nothing could have prepared her for the overwhelming crushing force on her body. She felt as though she would pop like a balloon, and she let out a faint cry before collapsing on Jin.
Together, they stumbled and fell.
Then everything went black.
* * *
Hope you liked! Chapter One should be up soon. Please review :)