A/N: Sorry this took so long! I didn't feel like editing any grammar. Sowwie! Enjoy anyway!

Chapter 25

The next night Miya awoke to find Jin missing. She got up and looked though out the house but he was nowhere to be seen. She finally came out on the back porch to find him hunched over the rail in the moonlight.

"Jin!" she rushed to him, hands on his shoulders. Devil Jin landed on his feet, sliding backwards, heels digging into the ground. He finally stopped, arms flared. He looked up to the moon in rage and began to howl wildly.

She turned him around, He's having a nightmare again! The black markings had appeared on his face. His eyes opened and were that same disturbing off white.

Shit! It's him! she backed off.

"You are the witch, just like the pure woman!" the Devil rasped in him.

How can I put the Devil to sleep! she was frantic.

"He's too upset for just your presence to do it, Miya," Jun said, "You're going to have to put some more effort into it!"

Miya grabbed his shoulders and kissed him strongly. She could feel the dark energy within him retreated. She released and his eyes were brown again but slowly fluttered closed and he collapsed in her arms.

Miya sat at the kitchen table, coffee mug in hand. Jin suddenly sat down at the table. She looked up, a bit startled, then back down. She slowly looked up at him. He was slightly hunched over, face looking down. He looked completely exhausted. His eyes seemed-darker?

"Good morning," he replied in a monotone voice. His eyes drifted up and as soon as hers met his Miya grabbed his shoulders and kissed him strongly. She could feel the dark energy within him retreated. She released and his eyes were brown again but slowly fluttered closed and he collapsed in her arms.

She blinked, then blushed, looking back down, "I can see you didn't sleep well."

"Yeah,' he scratched his head, "I've-been having all sorts of nightmares. I woke up in the bed…but I remember dosing off on the porch-did you-?"

"Yeah," she nodded, voice dull, "I put you to bed." He can't-? She then realized, "I have no recollection of what happened during that time. I remember waking up…but it was still all so blurry. I knew I had to get away from the Zaibatsu. I went away as far as I could manage."

She sat up straighter, He can't remember anything when the Devil takes over… so of course he doesn't remember me…

"Bugger me," she leaned on her elbow.

"What?"

She looked up, this scene all to familiar, "It's a saying Americans use. Like 'oh poor me' or 'this sucks'."

"Why say that?" he asked. She sighed, leaning up, "Jin-the gene in you-it's getting worse."

He buried his face in hand, "There's nothing-I can do."

"Well," she crossed her arms, "I think the best thing we can do is try to act normal and calm. Maybe its stress from what's been happening that allows it to come through. The less stress, the less you get frustrated, and it'll be just me and you, not Miya and Jin plus Hades."

He looked up, almost smiling, "Normal?"

"Jin!" she threw her hands up, "You're in a house, your house, that you own; no one can take it way from you, in your favorite place in the world with both your favorite settings on either side, trees and water, with your best friend in the entire world!"

"Point taken," he said.

"You can't let everything you hate collapse in on you. The more you're happy and comfortable and pain free then the more Devil free you'll be!" she grinned.

"You sound like you all got it figured it out," he mumbled.

She reached over and touched is hand, "It is that hard to figure out in the first place?" Her eyes softened at him, "You need some fresh air. Let's go for a walk in the woods. Then come back and get dressed and go to town. We need a few things from the store."

He looked up with a small smile, "Alright."

"Guess what Jin,' she stood, "It's my turn to take care of you."

That short walk she had planned upon had turned into a slow jog, a competitive sprint, and into a full throttle race. They both knew there was no changing it. They had been this way since they were kids. When they were around each other all they wanted to do was have fun, pick on each other, and be happy.

When they got back they both got quick showers. Miya had dried her hair and pulled it back to the usual. Jin stepped in, "Not ready yet. You're slow."

She turned, "Girls are slow."

He then eyed her hair, "The past few ways you've been wearing it down. Why are you pulling it-you always wear it like that. At school even when we finally met up again."

"I'm wearing it like this because we're going into town. It's so messy and frizzy when down. I know you don't care," she answered.

"It's not frizzy. You should wear it down more often,' he encouraged, "It's pretty. Hey, at least it doesn't stick up like mine." He pointed to his hair and she laughed then replied, "I'll take that into consideration."

She then pulled the dress off the bed and saw out of the corner of her eye that he still stood in the doorway, "I have to get dressed now, Jin. That means you out."

He chuckled, "It's rare when you wear dresses."

"This was a gift from Xiaoyu when I got back," she said, "She knows I never where them because I don't own any. If you're going to be difficult-" she turned around and pulled off her tank top and pulled the dress over. Then bent down pulling off her sweat shorts. The dress was a light sky blue. The skirt and short sleeves were airy. It had loose edgings at the collar and a droopy bow above her stomach line.

She turned around to see him smirking with a gleam in his eyes that made her nervous. "I hate you," she snapped.

"You're such a child," he turned, "You didn't have to do that."

"You didn't have to stay!"

He whipped his head around and held his pinky out, "Yes I did."

She suddenly smiled, "Jin Kazama, what are you supposed to be? A knight in shining armor?"

He grinned, "Just a guy in a pair of slacks and a shirt."

"Or a loser in tin foil."

She walked by his side on the sidewalk passing buildings and cars. He draped his arm around her and just like then four years ago she nestled under it safely, this time not caring if anything were to stop them.

Suddenly there was vibrating in her chest. Jin veered back, "What-"

She blushed and reach down into her bra and pulled out her cell phone, "Sorry about that-" then looked at the ID, "Hey, it's Xiao! Hello?" she flipped it open.

All she could her was blabbering mixed in with sobbing. "Xiaoyu? What's wrong? Xiao-"

Jin's carefree expression turned serious, "What's going on?"

Miya looked up at him, "I don't know. Xiaoyu, stop crying. I can't understand-" Jin held his hand out, "Let me see."

Miya handed him the phone and he put it to his ear, "Xiao, it's me. What's going on over there? Are you alright, are you hurt?"

"J-Jin-i-it's-"

"Jin…"

Jin looked over to see that Miya was standing at a newspaper stand with one in her hand. She turned it too him, eyes wide and full of surprise and discontent. In bold letters it read: HEIHACHI MISHIMA IS DEAD.

"I'm glad we invited her," Miya said quietly. Her and Jin sat on the sand together in their bathing suits. They sand on the sand bar where the sand wasn't really wet just packed together and firm, letting the tide splash their feet. Jin looked out to see Xiaoyu playing the water with Panda, them splashing each other.

"Yeah…" he was quieter than Miya.

"She cared about him…he took her in and you. Even me."

"They weren't for any good causes," he finally said, "You know that better than me. It was all for his own benefit. He needed young, strong fighters for his tournament so the victory would be in the bag and he could keep the company."

She shook her head, "I think our simple life plan isn't going to work now-what's going to happen to the Zaibatsu? Who's controlling it now. Kazuya?"

"No," he replied still looking out at the ocean, "They would have announced that. The Zaibatsu-ever since he died it seems that there's nothing for the media to say."

"As if someone is purposely keeping the company out of the open," she then looked away, "But it's hard to believe. Mishimas can't die. Trust me I've heard the stories from both sides. They've tried. I'm-I don't know what to think. I'm not sad. I hate him. He killed my father; so why aren't happy?-" She buried her face in her arms, resting on her knees.

They're was a brief tapping on her shoulder. She looked up to see him looking the other way. His fingers then motioned to the ground. She looked down and to see written in English was the word duck. She laughed and began to trace her fingers in the sand making the character in Japanese for duck. He looked down at the ground and smiled and began to write a new word: dog. She repeated the action and beside the character she made a new one saying: purity. He himself now wrote it out in English along with another word: happiness.

She grinned making that character and a new one. He smiled and wrote down his own name in English: Jin. He then wrote her name out and she wrote it in in own character. Her name was Japanese. It was like a few names, both American and Japanese.

He finally wrote out a whole sentence. She read and gasped a bit but also felt warm inside: Jin loves Miya.

She looked up, "And I'm the child." She then wrote out in Japanese: Miya loves Jin.

He leaned in and kissed her and she kissed him back.

Xiaoyu grinned, "Yes!" watching them from the water.

"Are you sure you two don't want to stay the night?" Jin asked walking Xiaoyu and Panda to the door. She shook her head, "No, it's alright. I've got classes in the morning tomorrow."

He nodded, "If you ever need anything-"

She hugged him quickly, "I know, I know. Thank you. You and Miya have been so good to me over the years. I hope everything works out well between you two."

He arched an eyebrow looking at her suspiciously, "Xiao…"

She giggled opening the door and sat on Panda's back, opening her umbrella to shield her from the heavy rain that was pouring down outside, "Shh! Ancient Chinese secret!"

He rolled his eyes, "Bye, Xiao. Bye, Panda."

She nodded and Panda begin to walk out in the rain, Xiaoyu riding on her like she was a horse.

Jin shut the door and walked back into the living room, "Miya?" But she was no where to be seen. He went into the kitchen, "You in here?" He then saw the toe of a sock poking out from under the coffee table. "Miya-?" he bent down and looked under to find her sitting up in the fetal position, "What on earth are you doing under there?"

She didn't answer, but just buried her face into her arms.

He crawled under the table and sat next to her, "Is something wrong?" She looked up, eyes dulled and clouded. Lightening crashed down flashing them with white, the power flickering. She jumped, squeaking out a cry.

'Are you afraid of the lightening?"

She shook her head.

"The thunder then."

"No," she half chuckled half sighed, "I just hate- the rain. I swear-I don't always freak out like this when it does but raining like it is now…rain stomping on the roof…beating against the windows…wind screaming outside…thunder and lighting exploding everywhere…it just becomes so fast and too scary for me. It rained just like this the day my mother left…"

His eyes grew serious as he listened.

"It wasn't my birthday, it wasn't hers, it wasn't a holiday, but she took me out anyway. We went to this restaurant, then went to a movie, then she took me to the circus…then that night she dropped me off at dad's…"

"Did you have a good time?" Violet asked as she helped Miya carry her bag to her room. Miya grinned, "Yeah!"

Violet sat her bag on the bed and held her arms out. Miya ran into them and hugged her mother tightly, "Thank you so much, Mom!"

Violet's eyes saddened over her daughter's head, "I love you so very much."

"I love you too mom."

Violet let her go and walked to the door, "Be good. Do your best."

Miya rolled her eyes, "Okay, okay, I will. See you Monday."

Violet glanced back with blank eyes and only walked out of the room. Miya's eyes became troubled and she sat on the edge of the bed. The last time I asked Auntie Anna when she was coming back and she made that same face…

"No-" Miya then dashed out the door, "Mom!"

She came to the front door and flung it open, running out in the rain, "Mommy! Come back!"

She ran, kicking up water, tennis shoes already sopping. She ran out into the street, "Mommy, Mom!"

HONK HONK! A truck came straight at her skidding on the wet road. "Miya!" a pair of hands grabbed her off the road. Richard held her close, "What are you doing!"

"No! Don't leave me!" she sobbed, "Mom!"

"Then just as I predicted she never came back. I cried so hard that day and it seemed like the whole world was crying with me when it rained."

He pulled her into a hug and they both sat in silence, listening to the rain outside. He finally said, "If you keep putting all you're effort and strength into it, even when you know there's nothing actually there then it will consume you into a false world-"

"-that will only lead you to downfall," she finished.

He chuckled, "You really do have photographic memory don't you?"

She laughed slightly but only closed her eyes, "I hate my father, I love my mother but it's so backwards. Dad was there, Mom wasn't. I hated my dad because he wouldn't let me be a kid. It was always 'Grow up Miya!'. I didn't want to grow, I wanted to live." She sniffled, "I had forgotten how to live for awhile, if it weren't for you and Jun I would have never learned how to fly again. Jin…."

He looked up a bit, "Hm?"

"I feel safe when I'm with you."

He closed his eyes, But you shouldn't…