Author's Note: Long time, no update again. Just figured I would take the time to thank those who have read this but to tell you guys of two things. One, there are five chapters remaining in this fic, then it's done! But two, I don't know if I will be able to complete it. There's not as much drive as there used to be (understandable given I began this in 2008 and its now 20-effing-14). I'll try, but I can't guarantee it. Either way, enjoy this chapter.
XXV.
Devil Kazuya approaches slowly, a wry smirk sitting comfortably on his face. He confidently flashes his teeth briefly and speaks thereafter, his third eye unblinking, "Welcome, son. I'm pleased to see that you've overcome your humanity, at long last..."
Devil Jin does nothing, instead watching Devil Kazuya's movements intently. A purple hand intercepts his field of view, before gingerly trailing along the markings on his forehead. He still remains motionless and listens to the man he once called his Father, "We had always wondered when your true self would burst through. It was unusual to see that for so long, you maintained the false pretence of being completely human after all... But you're not, because you are my son.
"I know what stories Jun had told you as a boy, Jin, but I will tell you now – they are all a lie. Yes, I was sent to Okinawa, and yes I hid from Heihachi. But no, I never once felt anything like love for that ridiculous woman," he licks his teeth, "She was always so proud of you, and so happy with the world... She was so naive with her perfect image of a family that she never asked about the neighbour's deaths, or how people would hide from me... She was so enrapt in it that she never truly saw, nor loved who I really am.
"So one day, I infected her. I tied her down and forced her to drink my own blood so that she would turn into something similar, turn into something demonic like the man she loved – and she did. The infection continued, she began to produce the dark ooze you are familiar with, her eyes began to change... her outlook on the world forever altered, and with no need for a name. Only then did I give an inkling of care towards her – because only then she truly understood why my own damn Father sought me out – because I've been blessed. We could be together, revelling in the darkness, and tear down the world until we were all exactly the same."
"That's insane," Hwoarang hisses.
"You know nothing of the world, pirate," he retorts, looking down his nose at him, "You sail along the waters, drifting from here to there, but never doing anything, or going anywhere – all because we as a nation ripped your life away from you. Your Father. Your home, and everything you ever knew. I would say you are almost just like us."
He moves to protest, but he's silenced with a glare. All former statements die on the end of his tongue.
Devil Kazuya turns back to his son, "Your murdered your Mother, but it was a necessity. The more of Azazel's servants that are lost, the stronger the beast within would become, until it came to a head here tonight... I do not begrudge you for killing her, not now when we can sail the skies and bring destruction to the world," he extends a clawed hand, smirking, "Come with me. Let us finish what your Mother and I began."
Devil Jin quietly regards him for a long time. His eyes never leave his Father's, and he still does not shift from his position.
His hand slowly moves to grab the offered one – but just as he's about to touch, he seizes Devil Kazuya's wrist, lifts him off the ground, and throws him into the opposite wall. Stone crumbles around the form, caving into the next cell, where people scream in confusion.
Devil Kazuya sits up, ignoring the men that are clambering through the gap, and glares, "You..."
The younger demon stands straight and tall, arms shielding the people who are hiding behind him. His voice rumbles to life, and aside from a slight husky tone from the pain of changing, it is the same, "I am... human. I have always been human – nothing will change what is in my heart."
With a mighty beat of his wings, Devil Kazuya flies up and grabs his son by the horns, tugging at them as though he's trying to pull them off from his skull. Devil Jin screeches and uses his untamed strength to fling his Father into the bars. Everyone watches as he bursts through the metal, leaving a gaping hole in the cell.
Devil Jin flies from the cell and begins relentlessly punching Devil Kazuya. He's met with a clawed hand to the face, trying to push him off. When he is pushed away and his Father manages to stand again, he sees Hwoarang, Julia and Miguel rush forward from the cell, like ants from an anthill. Their weapons are raised and ready to attack.
It all starts then. The endless dancing, weaving, cutting and punching. The way that everyone put in everything they had just to take this demon down. Even though Devil Kazuya's words ring clearly through their minds – that if he dies then Azazel will be at his strongest – they also know that this fight is more than bringing down a bad man and avenging deaths. It's about making sure that they survive, so that they can do what no one else will even come close to.
Miguel thrust his rapier forward, but Devil Kazuya moves to the left. Julia, though, anticipates the move, so she brings down her axe with as much force as she can muster. She manages to cut one of his wings right off. The scream is loud, morbid and almost unbearable to humans, but Devil Jin simply lurches towards his Father and attacks with as much fury as he can muster. It's not the anger of a demon, but the anger of a human man. For losing his family. For being cursed and not ever knowing it. For being manipulated.
Devil Kazuya can no longer fly, but he can use his good wing and what remains of his other to force them away. He spins in a quick circle, forcing everyone away. He starts to charge another laser, but Julia throws one of her smaller axes at him. It digs into his scaly shoulder and entirely disrupts his concentration. Enraged, the demon lunges for Julia, but Hwoarang stops him with a good knee to the gut and a gash across the chest.
Devil Kazuya suddenly jerks and looks over his shoulder. Miguel's stabbed him from behind, hoping to pierce his heart in some way. His lips curve upward into a wicked smirk as he grabs the rapier and manages to snap it, leaving half of it in his body. He begins to laugh, because he knows that this wound isn't affecting him as much as the Spaniard would like, and the fact that Devil Kazuya can operate with a weapon ebbed in him just frightens the others more.
"I'm not so easy to get rid of," he sneers, all teeth. He punches Miguel in the stomach with one hand and attempts to gouge out his eyes with the other. He's almost there but Devil Jin rams him from the side, his horns sticking awkwardly into his neck. With effort, Devil Kazuya throws his son off and moves to bite his hand off, but this time Miguel interjects, tackling him to the ground and calling for Julia.
Hwoarang glances back at Steve, who looks as though he's trying to work something out. Steve's very smart, that he knows, but by standing completely still, he is making himself a potentially easy target for Devil Kazuya. Why is he standing still like that? What is so important that he has to stop moving just to try and think?
His eyes drift downward, to the other man's pale, white hands. And then he understands. The gun is lowered, but it's ready to fire at any moment, the Korean thinks. But maybe he is waiting to get a clear shot of Devil Kazuya's head. Hwoarang knows that those things, that this new equipment has the power to kill if its strike is precise... but Devil Kazuya is no ordinary foe.
He quickly thinks back to how they killed Unknown, Jin's Mother. Jin had sliced open her throat and dragged his katana down the entire length of her body before pulling it out, leaving the body to glow and disappear into nothingness. He thinks back to True Ogre and how Lars sliced off his head with his lance, disappearing into colourful wisps thereafter. Hwoarang knows that it won't be as easy to defeat Azazel's greatest servant, but maybe they are already half way there.
Perhaps what remains of the rapier is affecting him, piercing at his heart and affecting his physical being. Maybe all that's left is to destroy the will, the mentality that's keeping him going. Maybe he needs to be shot in the head. Maybe... two attacks will wear him down instead of being sliced open or beheaded like the previous servants. It seems fitting, after all. Hwoarang doesn't think that Unknown or True Ogre's loyalty to Azazel was on par with Devil Kazuya's.
"Can you get me a clear shot?" Steve asks. Hwoarang nods brusquely and rejoins the fight full on, parrying a claw strike from the opponent.
Julia's suddenly struck in the stomach. When she looks down, she sees blood gathering. Gritting her teeth, she exhales sharply and slams the flat end of her axe into Devil Kazuya's face, and then she tries to hack at his neck with the sharp end. She gets in a good swing, but somehow, the axe doesn't seem to move past some of the muscle. She then shoves her buffalo knife into Devil Kazuya's jugular, watching as blood pours out and down her fingers, but it doesn't affect him either.
Devil Jin roughly pushes her to the floor and out of the way, thereafter slamming his entire body into Devil Kazuya's. There's a roar – Hwoarang realises that what remains of Miguel's rapier's been pushed further into his body because of the wall. Miguel seems to notice this too and throws his body against Devil Kazuya's briefly as well, hoping to jostle it further in. Hwoarang shouts, "Hold him there! Quickly!"
The boys use their force, trying hard to hold him against the wall as Julia clambers away and sinks to her knees. The Korean soon joins Devil Jin and Miguel, and with their combined weight, Devil Kazuya seems to tire from struggling. He begins to form another laser, and it continues to gather energy even as Devil Jin attempts to stop him by biting him fiercely on the neck, tasting blood.
It all happens so fast, then. Steve, who'd been as still as a statue for a majority of the fight, swiftly raises his arm, aims and fires. It hits Devil Kazuya right in his third eye, causing him to scream and convulse. But soon, the demon stops moving altogether and, like the servants before him, vanished into thin air, leaving the boys to collapse against the stone wall.
Something soon falls to the floor. It's a key. Devil Kazuya must have recollected it recently from Miguel's parents. Hwoarang immediately picks it up, missing how Miguel shied away. He looks to Steve, who is tending to a wounded Julia with a deep frown. Hwoarang asks, "Is she alright?"
"She needs treatment but she should be alright, I hope," Steve replies, gently stroking Julia's clammy forehead. His gaze shifts from the woman to Devil Jin, who seems to be standing completely still and with closed eyes. He asks, "Are you alright there, Jin? Do you need any help?"
Truthfully, no one knows how to help Jin back to his human form. But they notice the way that creases form on his face, because he's desperately trying to focus and find that piece of himself again. The good, human one that he held on to for the whole fight. Hwoarang swallows and approaches, placing a hand on his grey shoulder. He shakes him lightly, as though to try and move him back into a sense of self.
It takes some time but Jin soon returns to normal, remembering who he is. The wings, horns, claws and jewel in the middle of his forehead vanish like Devil Kazuya had. The markings change to his normal skin colour. That he's the prince of Japan and has literally travelled across the world to look for keys – and that appears to be one in Hwoarang's grasp. He outstretches his hand, hoping to take it and put it with the others in his pocket, but the Korean retracts his hand and says, "Prove to me that you're Jin again. Not... not whoever that was. Then you can have it."
"What would you like me to do?" Jin asks.
"Tell me the first time we connected. Not the first time we met, but the first time we connected. Then I'll know it's really you."
Jin thinks quietly to himself for a moment, but then the answer spills from him easily, "When we were at Gumi, still in Korea. When we were racing to Seoul. We were eating by the fire... and thinking about what made us the same."
Hwoarang lowers his hand a little. His body slumps. No, that's not how he had thought of that time. When Jin pushed so hard for answers, for an idea on who the pirate was... only to learn that like him, he lost his parents. Only now they were truly gone, both of them murdered by their own son for the sake of humanity's safety.
It wasn't that they were orphans that made them the same. It was the way that had affected them both, pushing them to perform their best and look after themselves, and in Jin's case, his sister too. It was the way that they grew, the way that the deaths of their parents made them into who they were.
Because at their core, the prince and the pirate are the same. They have different upbringings, different privileges and different personalities, but at their core, they are the same. They fight for what they believe in and what they love. People or country, strangers or themselves, it didn't matter. If they believed in it, they would viciously, passionately fight for it to make sure it survived and thrived.
"Are we not the same, Hwoarang?" Jin asks slowly, reaching for the hand that held the diamond key.
Hwoarang smiles a little, nods slightly and holds out the key. He doesn't say it, but he sees it now. It took him entirely too long to notice it, but now that it's there, he won't forget. Jin has not been the enemy for a long time, but now he truly understands.
He'd like to think that Baek would be proud of him for finally seeing it.
A loud crash sounds up above. Miguel looks and finds that more guardsmen and both of his parents have finally caught wind of something occurring and have joined them downstairs. His Mother screams, noticing his sister's dead body, and rushes by them all to cradle it, even as Miguel wipes away the tears that are falling from his eyes. His Father orders the remaining bodies to be taken away and then asks, "What on earth happened down here?"
Miguel's explanation is hurried. His words tumble over one another as he continues to look at his sister. But his Father seems understanding and orders that Julia be taken upstairs to be tended to.
As the rest of the party begins to follow, Miguel seizes Hwoarang's arm and hisses through slowly bubbling sobs, "I wish you never would have come here."
They stay for part of Julia's recovery and for the princess' funeral, hoping to show Miguel that they never meant any harm. He seems to appreciate that, so he even walks the four down to the harbour, now wearing more regal attire, as though his parents have accepted him again or realised the errors of their ways. And although his sister is dead, it is clear that he is still glad that the key has been taken away from his parents.
"You will find the boats you need over there," Miguel says, gesturing to the far side of the harbour. He places a hand on his chest and bows slightly, "I wish you all a safe journey. Please stop the world from coming undone."
The four watch quietly as he walks away with a longer stride. Although they can't help but feel bad for what had happened, although they feel like they've ruined lives... they know that they had to come to Madrid to be rid of Devil Kazuya.
"Okay, so we just need to find the boat that goes to Egypt, pay them and get moving," Hwoarang babbles, clearly excited to be so close to the ocean once again. Jin smiles at his friend's joy, but notices that Julia and Steve are much quieter. Hwoarang soon picks up on it as well and asks, "Are you guys okay?"
Julia, whose hands gingerly rest over the wound that Devil Kazuya gave her, tries to smile a little, "Hwoarang... I don't want to go on this journey with you and Jin anymore. My part in this tale is done now."
"What?" Jin asks. "Why? You are valuable to the quest and your company is most enjoyable."
"I know now, Jin, that I never could have defeated Azazel in the first place," she begins, walking forward and standing between them both. "I couldn't even take down one of his servants. What chance to I have against the real thing? And either way, I can't think of anyone better to look after those stupid keys. I can't think of anyone better to stop Armageddon than you two. You balance each other out, and you can do this. You can, my friends."
Hwoarang's eyes are looking to Steve, who is standing behind her. He notes the way that he fights to remain expressionless. The realisation dawns upon him, "Steve... you're not coming with us either, are you?"
Steve grins, "You're smarter than you give yourself credit for, Hwoarang. Very intuitive. Remember, intelligence is not just based on books or your education... I am going to take Julia back to England by boat so that she may continue treatment for her wound. Besides, I think she will like it there. More things to learn, am I right?"
Julia nods. Her smile almost splits her face open. Hwoarang notes that the fire he saw in her eyes when she first met Steve has increased tenfold. She gently shoves him, "No more running from your problems, okay? When we go back there, let's go see your birth Mother and your Aunt. They need to see how amazing you have become."
"Well, I wouldn't say amazing..." Steve begins sheepishly. He stops speaking, though, when he sees Jin and Hwoarang shaking their heads, disagreeing with him.
Jin reaches across and places one hand on Julia's shoulder and the other on Steve's. He squeezes them firmly, as though he is afraid to let them go, though he knows he has to. Like Xiaoyu, Lars and all the rest. After all, they have their own lives to lead, and he would rather that they are not in any unnecessary danger. Their part is over, but it will not be forgotten.
Hwoarang soon imitates Jin, but he can't bring a smile to his face. That doesn't make him any less sincere, "You two take care of each other, alright? Have a safe journey and all."
Julia gently pets the hands on her shoulders, "You too, boys. You both need each other. Don't fail. You're nearly there. One more stop to go."
Hwoarang and Jin watch quietly as Julia and Steve cross to the other side of the harbour, where the boats to England are waiting. They continue to watch until their friends disappear out of their sight before they begin to search for the boat to Egypt. As they look around, Jin begins to count the keys in his pocket, "Five."
"I thought we had the sixth one already?"
"No," Jin states, clearly still affected by the revelation. He had thought so too.
It doesn't take long for them to board. They pay the guardsmen the appropriate amount of coins and, ignoring the odd look thrown their way, they clamber onto the ship with Hwoarang up front. They see salesmen, fishermen, travellers and crewmen bustling about on board, trying to get everything ready to go.
At least an hour passes before they are on their way to Egypt, and many more hours go by before Hwoarang settles in one space. Jin quietly watches Hwoarang's excitement, now that he's finally back on a boat in the water. He watches as the pirate constantly sticks close to the edge, breathing in the salt water and enjoying the rocking motion.
He approaches the Korean and clears his throat, "Listen, about what happened... I didn't know it would happen. I just felt very sick... I didn't know what it was at all. I've never known."
"That's okay," Hwoarang says, watching his reflection get destroyed and reform continuously in the water, "Wasn't fun to watch, though. Why didn't it happen any of the other times? When we encountered Unknown and True Ogre."
"I don't know. Maybe they weren't... strong enough to pull out the demon in me."
It makes sense, if Hwoarang thinks about it. That only the strongest servant could wake what was waiting in his blood, maybe even after repeated encounters. But the events concern him – will Jin go through this again when they face Azazel? Will he be able to control it, or will he be controlled? Will Hwoarang face the beast alone?
Jin seems to sense what Hwoarang is thinking, so he says, "We will see what happens when we reach Egypt. Remember, we still have to locate not only the key, but where the beast is hiding. It's not over yet."
"Yeah... It's not over yet."
They stay there, watching the water and the horizon. Nearby, a woman in the shadows watches them with great interest.