AN: That's right, I'm updating, you can pick your chin off the ground now. This is a bit short, but don't worry, I'm just setting things up for the long run. Also, I really appreciate the reviews. They're fuel; trust me.

Chapter 12: The Pieces of My Soul

"Kazuya, where are you?" Jun shouted to the skies.

Ever since that day when Jin had left and she had discovered the truth about Kazuya's presence—it was as if she could sense him everywhere at once, but at the same time nowhere near her. She wondered why she hadn't been able to sense him before. Could it have been because of her own hatred? It wasn't something she liked to admit to herself, but perhaps it was true, perhaps what Kazuya had told her was true. She no longer felt like crying these days, in fact the tightness in her chest which she felt on a daily basis seemed as if it had never been there. She remembered that once she had been able to love. She had been left with the image of a younger Kazuya in her mind and she felt an acceptance. That he could still look at her in such a way meant that she had interpreted his actions at the tournament wrong…and she was glad. That was why she called him this day. Instead of anger, she felt something else altogether—a sense of duty. There was something she had to do and she was determined to do it.

She waited for his form to have more definition until she could see him clearly. She hadn't thought it would work, but it seemed that even just calling him would bring him within her sights.

"I'm here as always," came his response.

They stood only inches apart. She could tell that there was something different about him today. "Did I interrupt something?" Jun asked a little worriedly.

"Nothing of the sort."

"You do seem a bit tired today."

"Do I? A true spirit doesn't feel those sorts of things as a living being would. Perhaps I have stronger ties to Kazuya than I suspected."

"It still sounds kind of weird to hear you refer to yourself in third person."

"Well, for lack of a better name, you continue to call me Kazuya as if I were him—it's rather flattering. A living being is far more complex than I could ever be."

"I guess you don't think much of yourself, but it's understandable being separated from 'yourself'. I think I'll simply call you Kazuya, though, even if you are just a small part of him. But you do seem different today—is it Devil? Has it become too much to handle?"

"Perhaps it is Devil. As of late, Devil has become quite fervent. Jun, spirits don't often change on their own, there must be some external force that is egging him on."

"What does that mean for you?" Jun asked no longer able to hide the worry from her tone.

"It means I have my work cut out for me. But I would rather not continue to dwell on how my time is being spent. Wasn't there something you wanted to ask of me?"

"I want to fix things with Kazuya—I wasn't able to before, but now I see that I still have a chance. You say he's still alive."

"Yes, he is."

"So I would like to help. His soul is fractured that is why you are here instead of with him. If I could find the other parts of him and bring them together, bring them back to him, won't he be whole again—it'd be like nothing had changed at all."

"You are forgetting something. Devil was the one who cast out the parts of Kazuya which hindered it. Even if you were to do as you say, the Kazuya that you know, the one now controlled by Devil would not accept me or anything else as part of himself."

"Then I'll just have to get rid of Devil."

"Your determination is admirable, but you cannot simply "get rid" of Devil—Devil is eternal; it is a necessary part of this world. You cannot destroy that."

"I don't want to do that. I just…want Devil to get away from Kazuya."

"Can you do that?"

"I believe that I can."

"Well, whenever you put your mind to something, there's no one who can stop you."

"Will you come with me, then? Help me locate the other "parts" of him."

"I cannot go with you else Devil will follow you everywhere you go. I must keep him occupied for you. Devil does not know of Jin leaving nor should it know of you and what you intend to do."

"You can't just keep this up forever."

"I won't. Come back for me—I will join you lastly."

"Alright. You'd better be here when I do. I need some specifics, however. I don't know where to start or how many partial spirits were cast out. I was hoping you could tell me."

"There were three, one of them being me. You already know what I represent. Another will represent his righteousness—the part of him that is able to distinguish right from wrong. The third will represent his capacity for love."

"I thought that was you."

"No, I am a very specific kind of love—selfish in some ways, completely and utterly devoted—it does not allow for anything else but to honor you. That is different from love in general. Kazuya can no longer appreciate other people or things. He can no longer value things like work and effort unless it is selfish in nature."

"So those are the three parts. Where would I start?"

"It is difficult to say. It is true that a spirit will choose to stay in one place rather than continue to wander about and I sense that this is the case with the others. They will reside in places that resonate with them and, of course, are familiar to Kazuya. Love," he said closing his eyes for a moment, "will be located at his mother's grave. Righteousness will be located in the Mishima Gardens."

"Thank you, Kazuya."

"I wish you the best of luck. I have no doubt that you will be successful."

She watched mystified as he lifted up her hand and coolly kissed the back of it before disappearing once again.

/

Jin scrambled off to the bus once again, this time he was going to the airport. He used the money that he had gotten from the last bus driver to do as much. For some reason, even after leaving everything that was familiar to him, he felt at ease. He felt as if he was on some kind of adventure and at the same time he felt safe. His eyes stayed glued on the large windows on the city bus as the world passed him quickly by. It was as if the bus was taking the scenic route. Soon enough, the large, expansive airport came into view. Jin was only too eager to climb off the bus. For a moment, he felt very small and alone but the feeling passed quickly. He was already racing through the parking lot as if he were in a race against time.

The parking lot was huge and full of cars old and new alike. He'd never seen so many of them at once. He thought he saw a blue Corvette but decided against investigating it closer. It wouldn't make sense that his father would be here and even if he was, would he really be using the same car?

Not even close to running out of breath he glided through the automatic doors and into main lobby where tellers cheerfully helped the customers. It wasn't very crowded today so there was no wait required before he got to the teller. It was at that moment that he realized that he had no idea how he was going to obtain a ticket. Ask politely? Give her a sob story and she might waive the fees?

Jin found himself quite nervous when he looked at the lady across the counter. "Um…may I please get a ticket for Nepal, Nebraska?"

"Ah, I see you're flying internationally. Were you with that other group of children; they were going the same way."

"Y-yes," Jin answered almost in disbelief.

"You better hurry up. She asked me to hold the flight, but I don't have the power to do that. I'm sure she'll be relieved that you made it in time. Here you go."

Jin was handed a ticket, the very ticket that he needed and he stared at it in utter amazement. He never imagined it would be this easy.

"Now get going. Just go to the plane indicated on the ticket."

Jin nodded numbly and then ran off once again—his flight would take off in two minutes. This time, he really was racing. He went through the departure area and just as he saw the last person being helped onto the plane, he arrived as well. He had no luggage so all he had to do was find a seat. He went to the area indicated on the ticket and found almost immediately the group of children that the woman had been referring to. He ducked his head and sat as far away from them as he could. They weren't at all suspicious, Jin realized, as he watched them from afar. Soon he let out a sigh of relief and relaxed in his chair. He made sure to sit next to the window.