The Return

by SomeStoriesDeserveToBeTold

- AFTER TEKKEN 6 – Lars is missing... Heihachi has retired... Jin is dead... And Kazuya knows that those are all nothing but lies. Now, HE is the one in control of the Mishima Zaibatsu, and finally he is on the verge of attaining true power. Everything is going in his favor, until he is visited by the one person he thought he would never see again. KazuyaxJun

31. Feel

(Hello fans of Tekken! Ok… this is gonna be one hell of a chapter. Right off the bat, you're going to notice a very significant storytelling technique which I have never done before in The Return, but which I think you might be excited to see. The Return is reaching its true conclusion, and as I get closer and closer to that point, my certainty about how it's all going to end has become only more open-ended. Also, this chapter is by far the longest I've ever uploaded (lol I know I know) so you might want to carve out a bit of time to fully read it. I'm gonna keep the AN short cause this chapter is massive, but I just want you guys to know that I'm still here, I'm still writing, and despite the breaks in between chapters getting longer and longer, I WILL be finishing this story. I look forward to seeing you all whenever that day comes. Thank you as always and I hope you enjoy it!)

The Return

Chapter Thirty One

(1996)

(11:39 PM)

(Downtown Tokyo)

…

Her eyes flashed wildly.

Jun leaned in close and raised her hand until it hovered daringly within inches of her partner's face.

The man watched leisurely; a mix of amusement, interest, and spite.

With the slow deliberation of a menace, she uncurled one slender black-nailed finger and held it up directly in front of his eyes.

"One dance." She breathed.

"One dance..." Kazuya scoffed back, rolling his eyes.

For a fraction of a second, the tiniest miniscule moment of time… the rugged young man almost looked like he was considering it.

Then-

"No." He said plainly.

"No?"

"Not at all."

"Not at all?"

"Absolutely not."

"Absolutely not?! Could you give me one good reason why?"

"Nope."

"You aren't even going to TRY to justify yourself?"

"I cannot dance."

"You cannot dance…" The woman repeated slowly, breaking each word down to the syllable, as if dissecting it. "As in… you're physically incapable of moving your body? Or you CAN technically dance, but you just don't think you're good enough to do it here."

"I don't see why the distinction would matter."

Jun raised an eyebrow seductively, "You're avoiding the question. This suggests the more intriguing answer."

The pair paused.

Silent tension; heat fills their surroundings.

Kazuya Mishima and Jun Kazama sat alone at Tokyo's most bizarre nightclub.

Tucked away at a dark stone booth, facing forward to a flashing sea of human bodies twisting and jumping with loud, pounding dance music, their isolated table felt like it might as well have been a private island thousands of miles away. All around them on the crowded dancefloor basement, dozens and dozens of formless, outlandishly dressed people swayed and stirred to mesmerizing spells of music. The air was dark and distorted, and pulsing beams of wild light ricocheted wildly from all directions. Between it all, the shadowy dancers could hardly be recognized as people at all.

"Where did this sudden intensity come from?" The man asked, his calm voice rising carefully above the distant music as he leaned backwards into the circular velvet-clad booth. His arms rose up and settled carefully onto the stone rim surrounding their closed-off table.

The woman observed her companion's slouch and refused to take the bait. "Where has yours gone?"

Another moment of tense, heat-filled silence.

Then, returning, the man leant forward and dropped both elbows firmly onto the table, laying a scorching gaze of incurious bemusement upon the raven-haired woman seated at his side.

"You're too quick-witted for your own good." He declared shrewdly.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it is. You're like a rose, Jun. I think that's what you most remind me of…"

"A rose?" The woman said, almost blushing. Then she caught herself. "You're not about to write me a cheesy poem, are you?"

"I certainly could," He fired back, not skipping a beat. As he spoke, his eyes fell lustfully across her shaded form. "And with you as my subject, it would be impossible to write a bad one."

Jun rolled her eyes and struggled to restrain a smile.

"But… that's not what I meant." The man continued, pulling her attention back. "Have you ever tried to hold a fresh rose? Do you know the problem with that?"

"What." Jun asked knowingly as she flashed a coy glance, playing along to Kazuya's game.

The man leaned in closely, drawing out a dramatic pause against his partners incredulous expression. "Thorns, Jun. It's covered in thorns." He whispered profoundly. "Sharp as a needle. Sharp as you are."

"Me? Sharp? No…" She responded, feigning surprise.

"Yes." He affirmed, blowing straight past the sarcasm. "And not just sharp, but TOO sharp. Far too sharp for your own good. Never in my life have I met someone wo can turn every conversation into a fencing match like you do. Striking forward, testing your opponent, checking their advances… It's fascinating. But it's also dangerous."

"I don't feel very endangered." Came the tempting reply.

Now it was Kazuya's turn to reign himself in. "Mmm." He muttered busily. "The way you speak to me… it's almost as if you don't care that I'm the most powerful man on the face of the planet."

"Maybe I don't. How does that make you feel?" Jun asked poignantly, her shadowy eyelashes sparkling with the promise of challenge.

Kazuya paused, nearly falling straight forward into those eyes, then hastily scrambled back for control. "Honestly… It makes me want you more than you could ever know."

Jun immediately looked away, refusing to show her reaction.

"Mmm." She pouted with her back turned. "I had a feeling you've been enjoying this back-and-forth. Just don't get swept away."

Kazuya scoffed encouragingly. "Me? Swept away? You're so overwhelmed you can't even look me in the eye… you're the one who's playing with fire."

The woman spun abruptly to challenge him, all traces of fluster now vanishing from her face and replaced with a plucky, provocative smolder.

"Please." She dismissed playfully. "Why on earth should I be afraid of a man who's too scared to get up and take me for one dance."

Finally, Kazuya couldn't hold it in. "Touché..." An infectious smile of surprise, humor, and frustration spread tenderly across his face. "The answer is still no."

Jun frowned, pouting.

"But…" He continued, catching her eye. "If you promise to keep getting sharper and sharper with every word… I'll consider it."

Jun smiled. "You're teasing me. I know exactly what you're doing." The mystical woman spoke deviously. "Don't assume a single little thing about me."

Jun wore a black, buttoned, sleeveless top and dark leather pants; a stark image that blended perfectly with the darkened atmosphere engulfing them. Kazuya as well, dressed head to toe in pitch black garments, aligned decidedly with the room. Even amongst this chaotic environment, the pair felt as though they belonged. It was especially strange, from Kazuya's point of view, to see the saintly and crystal-clean Jun Kazama dressed so rebelliously in underground dance clothes.

If he didn't regularly remind himself to look other places, Kazuya was afraid he might end up staring at the woman all night.

"I still can't believe you chose to come here." He commented, hurriedly forcing his gaze away. It trailed inquisitively out onto the pulsing atmosphere that raged beyond.

"Why is that?" Jun asked back. "Do I not seem like the type of person who would dress in all black, go out to a secretive nightclub, and lurk devilishly around a basement dancefloor?"

"No, you do not." Kazuya answered honestly, subconsciously reveling in the woman's playful, defiant sarcasm.

"Well, you're right." Jun admitted with a smile, finally breaking the façade. "This place has always been a strange favorite of mine."

"Why do you like it so much? Is it the music? The dancing? The people?" He ventured.

"I think it's a mix of everything." She answered, the sheltered stone enclave protecting her words from the drowning noise that pounded outside. "There's just something I love about this strange, ghostly world, and I have a very hard time pinning it down."

"It's just so… dark and intense in here." Kazuya observed, still enthralled by the flashing sights. His eye lingered on the chaos beyond. The view seemed to trigger deeper thoughts from within. "It's not like you, Jun. You couldn't be further away from all this. You're a bright, gleaming, honest human being. You're so full of life and truth… but this place is filled with harshness and shadows."

"Perhaps I'm just not as one-dimensional as I seem." Jun posited back, gazing thoughtfully into the colorful shadows as well.

"Hmm." Kazuya mumbled back. He heard Jun's response, but his mind was still miles away.

Jun paused as well, slowly noticing Kazuya's abrupt stop. She flashed a look at his contemplative expression from out the corner of her eye, then followed his gaze where it led. The silence crept on, and Jun was about to say something which would change the subject, when he finally spoke.

"Tell me more about your attraction to this place." He asked distantly, without force. "That feeling you can't pin down… Then I'll relent. I promise." His gaze still hadn't shifted from the boiling masses beyond.

Jun weighed the words and then nodded. She thought for a moment, then raised both arms and stretched them into the air. Her head rolled back as she took in a deep, comfortable breath, then fell again as she leaned serenely back into the seat.

Throughout the motion, Kazuya still hadn't looked over.

"Like I said, it's hard to pin down." The woman explained, taking her time. "There's something exciting about embracing an environment which you normally would never belong to. It makes me feel like I'm getting a taste of the life which other people dedicate years exploring. It throws me off my guard. It teaches me things about myself I would otherwise never have been challenged to learn. It helps me imagine that I'm someone else; it lets me become somebody that I'm not."

Finally, Kazuya turned to face her. His inquisitive expression read of dense fascination.

"Tell me more." He breathed seriously.

Jun laughed. "You… are too much." She poked, raising her hand with black painted nails to swat lazily in his direction.

"What? What did I say?" The man protested, abruptly dropping his serious tone and showing confusion.

"You're so focused and analytical." She giggled, bringing her soft, assuring eyes to level. "I told you, I like this place because I enjoy being here. I never really tried to break it down any further than that. Why should I?"

"I don't get it… It sounded like you were genuinely onto something there. And now you say it's not worth thinking about?"

Jun shook her head. "Kazuya Mishima… do you notice how every time you don't perfectly understand something, you bend over backwards and force yourself to coldly reason it out?"

"Of course." The man agreed naturally. "Why? What do you do?"

"You mean what do I do in life?"

"What do you do when you encounter something you can't understand?"

Jun sighed, a contemplative expression overtaking her shadowy features. "Well… it depends. But, I guess… if something feels right to me, or if something feels wrong, I think I've learned to trust it."

Kazuya furrowed his brow.

Jun spoke slowly, finding her footing. "Ok, I can see you're a little concerned by that answer. Of course I'm not just some fool that never thinks anything through; I don't randomly rely on gut feelings. But when it comes to serious questions about my life… questions of preference, interest, morality, the things that make up my spirit and which are the hardest to understand… I don't drive myself crazy trying to methodically prove an ultimate answer. I am the shaky source of my own shaky feelings, and I trust that."

As she spoke, Jun watched Kazuya struggle as if he were hearing an alien language.

"Interesting…" He commented hazily, his expression unclear. The man's mind churned at a hundred miles an hour.

"Does that make any sense?"

"Not really…"

Now it was Jun's turn to wander off in thought. "Oh…" She mumbled as her attention fell back onto the dancing. "Well, I guess it just-"

"You and I are very different people." Kazuya commented suddenly.

Jun's attention broke and drifted quickly back to meet Kazuya. She meant to say something, but lost her train of thought when her eyes locked with the man's grey and crimson stare.

"Do you ever think about that?" He asked.

"Constantly." She said instinctively. "Constantly…"

"Yeah. Me too."

Jun paused. Yet again, nothing came to mind.

"Does it bother you?" Kazuya asked earnestly. "Do you ever question why on earth we're doing this?"

Jun looked away. "Of course I do… sometimes." She answered nervously. "I mean, we are practically polar opposites in personality... and everything else. We couldn't be less compatible if we tried."

"And yet somehow I feel like I could talk to you for days…" He continued blankly.

"I know. It's a bit… confusing."

"You never seem confused though."

"Well, normally I'm not."

"So you are right now?"

"Now that you mention it…"

"I feel confused every day."

"About what?"

"Everything."

"Why?"

"Uh…"

"Wait- I'm sorry, that's a ridiculous thing to ask. Forget I said anything."

"It's okay."

"I don't want to give you even more to feel unsure about."

"It would probably be easier for me to ask why you DON'T feel confused every day."

"Like I said, I think it's because I trust myself. And I trust the way that you make me feel."

"Huh. You didn't even need to think about that."

"Yeah. I didn't."

"That's crazy."

"I don't know… I just didn't think about it."

"Huh."

"Yeah. Huh."

The pair paused again. Beyond their stone shelter, the music shifted into an ethereal, downtempo electronic beat.

Kazuya shot the side of his partner's head a quick glance. Adorned with a matching black headband holding back her flowing raven hair around a smooth, lively face, the woman looked immaculate.

"The tournament's going to end." He blurted out.

Jun's expression sank.

Kazuya immediately cursed himself. He had no idea where the words had even come from.

Jun took a deep breath. "I know..." She finally spoke.

Suddenly ashamed that he had caused such a noticeable downturn in the woman's mood, Kazuya scrambled to find more words. "You- fought really well, you know." He said, hoping not to sound patronizing, but instead found them earnest. "I didn't honestly expect you to fight like that at all, but you impressed me. You… always do."

"Thank you." Jun replied sincerely. "To be completely honest, I wasn't really expecting much out of myself either… but I guess I just found something inside that helped me."

"What was it."

"I don't know… but it felt good to fight. And it felt good to win. Even if it was only one match. And even if I lost right afterwards..."

"You can't be down on yourself for that second match… I mean, the guy did have a sword after all."

Jun chuckled, her somber expression warming. "Yeah, seems kinda OP if you ask me."

"You're right. Somebody should have done something about that."

"What do you mean, somebody?" Jun questioned. "It was YOUR tournament, after all."

Kazuya cocked his head to the side. "Huh. Figure that." He pondered jokingly.

Jun couldn't help letting out a real smile as she caught the hints of a humorous performance from Kazuya's face. It was truly rare to see the man act even the tiniest bit jokey, but oh how she loved whenever he did. It was like a rare treat, a fleeting moment in time that revealed a completely different person behind his forced, stoic exterior.

"It's fine," She continued, centering back down to an accepting tone. "I wasn't taking my placement too seriously anyway. Nothing was truly at stake for me." Then she paused awkwardly. "Not like it is for you…"

Kazuya heard the words and immediately reverted back to cold silence. His eyes fell vacant.

Jun noticed the shift, and now it was her turn to feel regret. "Kazuya I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's okay." Kazuya spoke flatly. "It's the truth. Three days from now I'll have to fight him. For the last time."

The implication was clear.

"You don't know that for sure…" Jun added, trying to give comfort as best she could. "The semi-final round still hasn't finished yet."

"It will be Heihachi." Kazuya dismissed prophetically. "No one in this tournament ever stood a chance."

His expression told not of fear… but grief.

Jun watched her partner's face and felt an ominous fear come over her heart. Usually the man appeared so strong, so untouchable. Never once, even in his most strenuous moments, did that façade crack. She had almost begun to believe that it never would, but moments like this told her that she was wrong. No matter everything that had been done to him, nothing could take away the fact that Kazuya Mishima was still human.

Gently, she reached out and placed a hand on top of his, which sat on his leg. Kazuya accepted the gesture, but didn't move an inch. His eyes locked firmly onto the vague mass of pulsing shadows in the distance.

"I don't know what will happen to us, Jun." He spoke seriously, hints of pain scraping through his unsteady voice. "I want to tell you that everything is going to be fine, that I have a plan, and there's nothing for you to be worried about. That in a week's time we'll be right back here in this exact same spot like nothing's even changed. You have no idea how badly I want to say that to you… But I can't."

Jun frowned and felt with her fingers until they locked lightly between Kazuya's.

He took a breath. "All this time… this connection we've built… could be over."

"…"

"I just… I never thought a person like you could ever exist."

"…"

"I didn't think it was possible to care about something… anything… the way that I care about you. Every day I'm shocked by how much I think of you, how you make me smile when you aren't even around, how I wonder what I might say to you next and what you might say in return. You take up so much of my mind, Jun, and even through all that I've never wanted anything else. You enthrall me."

"…"

"And now you've amazed me again. Only this time it's something I wish I could ignore... I never thought I could fear losing something as deeply as I fear losing you."

"Kazuya…"

"What will happen to us when I lose?"

"What?" Jun asked quickly; a rush of panic. "What are you saying? You don't know that'll happen." She hurriedly dismissed, acutely aware of the visible concern that was spreading across her face. "You don't know any of that."

"Neither do you."

"Y- You're right. I don't. But I still-"

"Are you afraid."

"I-"

"…"

"… I am."

"…"

"…"

"… I'm sorry."

Jun looked up at Kazuya through scared, searching irises. Slowly, the man turned to meet her with a sobering gaze of light crimson and a soft, vulnerable grey. Their eyes met, and the pair waited.

And waited.

And waited.

"Jun, whatever happens, I just want you to know that right here, tonight, I love you." He said.

"And I love you too." She said back. Fully readable.

The pair waited again.

Time passed.

And passed.

Their connection didn't waiver in the least; Kazuya staring faithfully into the eyes that had awakened his spirit, and Jun staring right back into the eyes that had provoked her fight.

In the distance, music had long faded into meaningless background.

"No matter what…" Jun whispered. "We will always have this."

"Right now." Kazuya finished.

"Yes." She agreed with a cautious nod. "We do."

It was a meaningless sentiment. It was nothing. Yet somehow, as the devilish man and the angelic woman waited together in that dark, secluded corner of the earth, it meant everything. Clinging on to that tiny comfort in the face of a crushing, impending fear, they slowly began to feel that it was enough. It was more than enough.

At last, his hand flipped over and his fingers slid to interlock with hers. Holding the woman's soft, beautiful hand tightly in his own, Kazuya gave it the tiniest embrace, then released.

Before them; a chaotic mess of uncertainty. There was no telling what new shock could enter their lives next, be it hideous defeat or a fresh, glorifying future. It was incomprehensible, a tangled array of doubt that neither Kazuya nor Jun had the energy, nor the patience, nor the desire… to understand.

Yet even as this maelstrom raged to the fore, behind them followed a history. Their meeting, the careful testing and scouting of personalities. The long hours and seconds spent in precarious conversation as it dipped dangerously towards flirtation, then retreated hastily back to safety. Their embrace, like a renewed introduction to each real human mind puppeteering their outward demeanors. So many countless days and nights of a whole new world, each one more unexpected than the last, feeling as though it had gone on for years.

And then tonight.

And with such an insignificant, asinine revelation as that, it was hard to overthink anything else.

"I'm sorry I try to overanalyze you so much." Kazuya admitted candidly, breaking their reflective silence.

"You wouldn't be the same if you didn't." Jun dismissed, tilting her head all the way back until it rested against the stone wall.

"You're right. I would probably be bearable."

Jun chucked. "Come on. You know I didn't mean it that way."

"I know. But things would probably be easier."

"No." She disagreed absentmindedly. "I don't want you to change. The way you think doesn't upset me, it doesn't harm me."

"Sometimes I just feel… so… stupid around you." The man spilled out. "Like I struggle to dissect the most complicated thoughts and emotions, but then the same things come as second nature to you. Effortlessly. Naturally."

"Kazuya." The woman interrupted sternly.

Kazuya looked up at the mention of his name and met Jun's tender yet authoritative stare.

"You are a man of realities." She decreed. "Of concretes and absolutes. You've never let something escape. Nothing in the world scares you because you view nothing as beyond the grasp of your mind. Even the most daunting, impossible questions of life, morality, and enterprise… you don't view them as impossible. To you, there are only inevitable victories. And a mind like that is incredibly, incredibly, incredibly unique."

"Are you trying to say you will be my inevitable victory."

Jun laughed. "It's the journey, not the destination." She teased. "Who knows, I might just be your mountain too far. Dancing perfectly outside the range of your grasp until the end of time."

"That sounds torturous." He lamented.

"Kazuya." She assured, calling him back in sternly. "The point is, your brain is not a broken thing that needs to be fixed. You have the most intense, unique, and frankly endearing mind that I've ever known. And when you leverage the way you think to produce something real and powerful… it's a beautiful thing."

Kazuya's position hadn't moved an inch.

"It's just frustrating to always search for certainties in a world filled with grey." He spoke wistfully.

Jun narrowed her eyes. "Hm."

"Hm what?" Kazuya pressed.

"Just thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"Yes. I would."

Even from the outside, fierce ideas could be seen swirling through Jun's mind.

"Okay..." She whispered. "I'll tell you what I'm thinking."

Kazuya watched carefully, his heart rate rising as he recognized the mysterious, unpredictable energy that raced through her sparkling brown eyes. This intense, unreadable force… it was one of the many great mysteries the woman possessed. Only one of the countless aspects that made her spirit shine.

"Words can only convey so much, I suppose." She mused. "What you need are actions."

Kazuya eyed her suspiciously.

"Do you want to be certain of something tonight?" Jun asked with sudden confidence, slowly tucking back a raven-colored strand to clear her vision. "Do you want that satisfying taste of cold understanding?"

"Yes." Kazuya answered immediately, his stark, soulful eyes warming to Jun's fire. "Let me give you something absolute. Let me show you something real."

"Good. I want you to give me something."

"There are so many things I could give you."

"I only want one thing right now."

"And how much do you want it."

"Enough to demand it."

"Oh. You're making a demand."

"Yes."

"You're making a demand… of me."

"Yes."

"You're bold."

"I don't think you'll have any problem with my demand."

"Then it's not really much of a demand, is it."

"No, it is. Because it's exact. And it's not optional."

"How exact."

"Six words."

"How often do you want it."

"Only once."

"You're sure you only want it once."

"We can start with once."

"Then tell me. Demand it. Tell me once, exactly what you want."

"I want you to kiss me."

Kazuya moved his hand into the brief space between them and raised his palm expectantly upwards.

Jun eyed the invitation with intrigued judgement, then lightly placed her hand onto his.

Kazuya's fingers closed gently around her palm…

…then all at once- he was pulling her in.

Pulled forward by equal parts physical strength and the immaterial, unspoken powers of attraction, Jun felt herself drawn desirously onto the warm, firm chest of her companion, her arms bent and resting on his shoulders as her upper body spun to lay against him. She could feel Kazuya turn to meet the growing embrace, one arm snaking delicately around her waist until it rested lightly on her hip and the other rising until his palm held the side of her face just barely above her neck.

Warm bodies brushing together; their faces were inches apart.

Kazuya showed one final, desirous glance to her widened eyes and then leant forward, kissing Jun gently and carefully on her soft, captivating lips. The girl could only smile.

Then he pulled her in, and the world vanished. Their lips met again, and rushed into contact with passionate intensity. The arm resting around her waist tightened, and she was helplessly falling in on him. His hand slid lower onto the back of her neck and held her firmly, lovingly closer. Her resting arms pressed closer together under pressure, squeezing tightly between his muscular body and her soft chest. The booth, the table, the entire city, all of it faded away into pointless background noise as the contained explosion of their passion raged on. Even the music, pulsating and visceral, vanished from their minds as the embrace cascaded. Everything was meaningless. There was nothing else. Only the divine, exhilarating contact of their bodies and the warm, knowing embrace of their lips could have even existed at all.

Then at last… at the moment when their embrace verged on going over… they separated.

Jun pulled her head back from the kiss and slowly re-opened her sparkling eyes. She made no effort to escape the pressure with which she was pulled leaning onto Kazuya, and likewise he made no effort to let her go.

"Be careful holding me so close." Her lips whispered bewitchingly. "You know what they say about roses."

Kazuya smirked. "Trust me. If it didn't hurt just a little bit to hold you, I wouldn't want to do it."

Jun chuckled as a questioning smile spread across her face. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not sure." Kazuya answered as he felt his hand gently along the fabric on her waist.

Jun shook her head in playful, half-hearted annoyance, then sighed. She leaned forward until her temple tucked lightly into the space between Kazuya's neck and shoulder. Closing her eyes and murmuring a tired noise, she nuzzled closely into him.

Somewhere nearby, or perhaps even a thousand miles offshore, the steady beat of music faded pensively back in. As the fiery heat of their tension cooled slowly back into a warm comfort, so too did the crushing, unnatural silence fade as well.

Kazuya felt the woman's head rest pleasantly against him and breathed out slowly, utterly entranced as his arms continued to draw circles around her.

"Jun…" He spoke hazily.

"Mm?" Came the muffled reply. Jun adjusted her head, still tucked lovingly into his shoulder.

"Tell me how can I love you."

Jun shuffled again, this time turning until her face poked carefully out from its shelter.

"What was that?" She murmured, still caressed among the man's neck.

"Tell me… just one single way is all I'm asking for… how to love you." Kazuya asked again, his unwavering voice somehow full of doubt.

The woman shuffled from her nest until she could look up at him. "Why? Do you think you aren't doing that now?"

From her vantage below, Jun could sense his mind churning. "There's just so much that I don't understand about you…" He confided, voice faintly wavering. "And I know that's a natural thing to you- embracing the uncertainties and trusting them. But I've never done anything like that in my life. I… I'm…"

Jun watched him pause, struggle to form the words he had already found. Then at last-

"I'm afraid that I won't be able to show you the same kind of love that you give to me."

"But I don't want the same kind of love." She corrected caringly. "I want YOUR love. The unique kind that only you know how to give."

"But how do I know I'm doing it? Every time it comes to you- I have no idea what I'm doing..."

"Kazuya."

"Please, Jun." He pressed, almost desperate. "I'm not asking you for some ultimate blueprint to the concept of love. I know that's impossible. But it's like you said- I think in the language of absolutes. And I understand that loving you is an adventure that's going to be full of uncertainties, but it doesn't have to be that way every second. There is room amongst us for realities. Our love can also contain truth, if we only find it. I just want you to give me one thing. Something simple and honest- something like that kiss."

Jun sighed, a look of mild worry on her face. "One thing?" She finally asked, unsure even as the words came out.

"Yes. You have no idea how much one thing could put me at ease."

"I… I don't know…" Jun stammered. "Telling someone how you want them to love you is much more complicated than just telling them how to kiss you."

"Please."

The woman let out another deep breath. There could be no getting around Kazuya's request. This was the most powerfully driven man on the face of the earth, the man who had built an empire and ruled it through with unstoppable ambition. His mind had been set on a fundamental truth: that Jun deserved to be loved, and his personal essence demanded that he would never stop until the goal had been achieved.

All that remained was the knowing how.

Jun slid the back of her hand along the man's arm and deliberated on what to say.

"You really aren't going to stop until I give you an answer… are you."

"No."

Was it a good idea to boil down all the delicate, intricate desires of her mind into a single sentence? Was it even possible? Kazuya wanted to know HOW to love her, but what if Jun didn't even know that for certain herself? What if Jun wanted Kazuya in a million different ways, and each one was harder to fit into words than the last?

And what could happen if he interpreted her words the wrong way?

"I figured as much." She whispered, her mind still spinning.

"You should know me better by now."

Even amongst all the pressure, Jun couldn't hold back a slight chuckle. "Yeah." She conceded. "You don't give up."

"For you…" Kazuya spoke seriously. "And I mean especially for you, I would never."

Jun nodded her head silently.

"Jun…" He whispered, building up to the words.

"Mm?"

"Sometimes when I'm with you…" Then he paused. "I think I can feel."

"… Feel?" She asked back quietly, surprised at the sudden shift. All night, Kazuya had felt more scattered and inconsistent than she had ever seen him. "Feel what?"

"Just… feel something."

"…"

"Jun-"

"Can you feel me?" She asked. "Right now?"

"I… I think so." He admitted.

"You don't just think it, Kazuya. You feel it. You do."

"I don't know if CAN feel…"

"Kazuya." She whispered softly. "You can feel anything."

"I just don't know-"

"That's fine." Jun promised. "It doesn't matter whether you know it or not. If you don't believe in yourself, then I'll believe for you."

"…"

"…"

Kazuya took hold and lifted up Jun's hand. Reaching his face, the man kissed it softly on the back of her palm, then gently placed it back down upon her hip so that his arm encircled her again in an exhausted embrace.

Jun looked up one last time, her own perfect brown ovals finding love and determination etched into the grey and red irises that stared back.

She reflected on everything that the man had meant to her; his strength, his resolve, his humanity. There were countless things that she admired about the man known as Kazuya Mishima, but these stood out among the rest. The way that he pushed forward on his goals and desires with caseless ambition, refusing to compromise on the truths that his aspiring mind had deciphered, it filled her simultaneously with awe for his beleaguered human spirit, and also a deep, personal lust. To become the subject of that drive... To become the sole focus of this unstoppable man's carnal desire… To see him tear down heaven and hell in his relentless, bedeviled pursuit to claim her. And then at last… at long, long last… to be his.

Taking in a deep breath, Jun had finally found an answer. At last she realized the thing that not only Kazuya desperately wanted to hear, but also that she had always desperately desired to say.

"Take me." She breathed, a fiery passion filling her eyes. "Take me and never stop… until you have me."

…

…

(Present Day)

(Yakushima)

…

…

Take me.

Stained with blood of the present and scarred by memories of the past, Kazuya Mishima stared hauntingly into his future.

And never stop.

Self-contained, immeasurably hot, the fire of his sole red eye swirled with a lumbering, forceful focus. Hanging lifelessly to its side, his dull grey eye echoed on a repressed conflict mixed with anticipation, measure, and exhaustion.

Until you have me.

The hulking skeleton watched silently as gentle wisps of grey and white mist materialized near the center of the clearing. With each dancing movement they coalesced, slowly molding to suggest the outline of a human form. First just the legs, then the arms, the clothes, the face, and then finally… there she was.

Jun's eyes flashed wildly.

There was no caution or regret in those pupils; only focus.

Unreadable.

Take me and never stop until you have me.

In the instant that those eyes revealed themselves, all traces of Kazuya's tiredness vanished. Replacing them instead was a familiar, comfortable hostility.

As the final tendrils of smoke fused to complete her image, Jun's chest rose slowly with the drawing of a breath, then fell lightly back down as it released. The woman stood tall and postured. She wore a white outfit, topped by a black shawl that wrapped around her shoulders and a pristine white headband holding back her dark, raven-colored hair. It was a sharp contrast to Kazuya's lumbering, predatory slouch. His dark black clothes, mottled with a mix of blood and dirt, juxtaposed sharply against the clean, angelic image that greeted him.

The man's hollow irises shot back flames.

The endless angel, or at least the woman whom for years Kazuya convinced himself to be, bored down at him with unmistakable challenge. Her stifled expression alone was enough to show that she had arrived with much to say.

But Kazuya did too.

Faced, accusingly challenged by Jun's pristine and untouchable aura, the man made no effort to match her tone. If anything, he embraced the burned, dusty, jagged image, contorting his face to a ferocious scowl and hanging two bloody hands threateningly at either side as he leaned haphazardly forward. Maintaining impeccable poise, Jun appeared his total opposite. Her composed expression of disdain revealed that she sensed the difference as well, and that fact alone provided Kazuya with every bit of motivation which drove him deeper still.

Meanwhile, caught between these silent statues, half-shrouded by the darkness of the overhead canopy, there lingered a third observer; The Wolf.

Covered from head to toe in dripping purple slime, the creature's seductive feminine form created a nearly perfect, yet horribly twisted mirror. It had her height, her shape, her curves, her face, all of it matching perfectly with the image of real Jun Kazama.

Although, who exactly the "real" Jun Kazama was is difficult to say. The mind or the body…

Who amongst us is to say what is real?

Rather than entertain a philosophical debate, the sole conscious man in the forest clearing had decided on his own, simpler solution: Reunite the mind with the body.

Then every problem… ALL of them… would be over.

As his tortured mind steadied firmly around this belief, the vicious, molten intention that arose within his sunken eyes affirmed one simple truth: he would do ANYTHING to make it happen.

"Jun." He finally spoke at the glowing image.

"Kazuya." She replied coldly.

They paused.

Between the trees, an ominous breeze slid cautiously round their ankles. Clothes ruffling lightly to the touch, neither person moved an inch.

"You know why we're here." He ventured.

"I do." She answered coldly again.

Wolf's slender brow rose slowly as it took turns surveying each scene. A droplet of vacuous purple liquid slid lazily across its eyeball. No reaction.

"You know what I'm going to say."

"I do."

"Then don't make me say it."

Jun did nothing.

Kazuya's eyes narrowed accusingly into the silence.

Perfectly still, she hadn't even blinked.

Kazuya looked ready to strangle the space itself that separated them. Like a great dam holding back immeasurable force, both of their cold and lifeless expressions seemed to restrain a catastrophic emotion that welled from within.

"I won't do it." She finally declared; impenetrable.

Kazuya exhaled loudly. His posture slouched. He eyed the woman's features for hints of uncertainty… and found nothing.

Unbelievable…

Off to his side, the slime-coated seductress smiled.

It was too good to be true.

The man shuffled his stance and mumbled distantly. "If you ever hope to gain your body back and experience life again… You must agree." His eyes faltered.

"I know." Came her detached answer.

Kazuya's tired eyes nearly drifted closed, telling of fatigue and frustration. "You MUST agree…" He continued laboriously. "Give up the Fox's body, and breathe life back into your own. You understand that there is no other way…"

"I do." Jun answered, betraying a hint of pain.

At last… whether she meant it or not… a sign was shown. And the truce broke quickly.

"You're going to throw away EVERYTHING!" Kazuya yelled, raising not only his voice but his posture as well, from a slouched whisper to a towering bellow. His fist curled fervently into the empty air.

Jun didn't move. Her blank face watched the menacing display and told of complete apathy.

A dull grey focus bored into the woman's apathy, circling and challenging it. Kazuya's sight was clear. He saw betrayal.

Then, slowly motioning to the ground; "You're gonna throw away everything… for this." Below, the silent body of Kunimitsu lay crumpled amongst vines and dirt. The unconscious fox girl, her face no longer shrouded from the world, could say nothing as she came into focus. Her chest rose and fell in staggered, exhaustive motions.

"What you intend to do to this woman is wrong." Jun spoke unconditionally. "It's reprehensible." She continued, her sympathetic eyes falling briefly onto the silent victim below, then steadying forward with a fiery offense. "Don't act like you're stupid enough not to know any better."

Kazuya's gaze narrowed.

Jun's aggressive tone advanced; "Listen to me." She ordered, her quiet voice quickly matching the intensity of Kazuya's earlier outburst. "If you choose to commit senseless atrocities for your own sake and your own purposes, that's one thing. But if you dare to condemn this woman's life in my name… for my unwilling benefit… you're crossing the final line."

"Unbelievable…" Kazuya whispered angrily, his frustration welling up with every word the woman spoke. "You've allowed a pathetic, hypocritical morality to completely take control. You've allowed it to override everything in your life that matters."

"Hypocritical morality?" Jun challenged back, immediately calling him out. "Tell me what's hypocritical about this. About the black and white evil that you're about to commit."

"Millions die every day." Kazuya shot back darkly, his mind drifting to the all-too-familiar images of pain, destruction, and injustice that had followed him throughout his life. "Millions died yesterday, and millions more will die tomorrow. Innocent people are butchered, burned, and forgotten. And all this while, the most monstrous scum is free to walk the earth for as long as they like. What good have your morals done for this world?" He hissed, remembering how the same disagreement had already arisen before. Finding himself overcome with anger yet again at this perfect woman's aura, he hurled the same infuriating questions toward her that had plagued him for years; half-rhetorical, half genuinely demanding an answer. "What purpose does your pathetic self-sacrifice serve?" He pressed. "You can talk all you want about idealism and bright ideas, but none of it means a thing until you can actually point to REAL changes in action. So where is it? Go ahead Jun, let me know." He lingered, taunting her. "Your morality is a joke."

The woman listened patiently, intently, as Kazuya's cadence rose and fell with impassioned anger.

Sensing no response, Kazuya regressed to a bitter slouch and swung his head dauntingly around to diverge against his serene, composed opponent. "I didn't create this world, okay?" He growled dejectedly. "I never wanted things to be this way… but unlike you, I don't fool myself with lies about righteousness just because the truth is too ugly to handle."

Jun shook her head with a sharp, deploring disillusion. "It's truly incredible to hear the self-proclaimed 'most powerful man on the face of the earth' talk about himself in such a weak and helpless way."

Anger flashed across Kazuya's face, nearly erupting. "You don't know what you're talking about…" He denied furiously through clenched teeth.

"No Kazuya." The woman halted rigidly, her brows turning in above soft brown eyes as strength swept across her pristine face. "You don't get to lecture me about being blind and foolish while you spend half your time acting like an unstoppable force of divine willpower, and the other half like a pathetic defeatist who's too small to change the world." She accused sharply. Her kind aura had morphed strictly to the attack. "How dare you call me a hypocrite when you do this to yourself every single day."

"Look in the mirror." Kazuya countered hastily. "You don't get to tell me a damn thing about willpower, when you lose all your nerve the moment you have to get her hands dirty." He jabbed back bitterly. "You're all lofty ideas and no action. Nothing but talk. That's ALWAYS how you've been."

"Is that all this means to you?" Jun charged, her tone growing confrontational. "Destroying an innocent person's life is nothing more than getting your hands a little dirty?"

"Don't act like I'm a fool, Jun. I know exactly what I'm doing." He dismissed. "And I'm standing by it because it NEEDS to be done."

"Tell me what you're doing then."

"I have no qualms about it."

"Then tell me."

"I told you I have no qualms with it."

"I want you to say it."

"…"

"…"

"I'm going to kill her." Kazuya snarled, refusing to show an ounce of remorse as he bit the words out with fierce intention. "And why am I doing it? To bring your body back."

"No Kazuya, you're not just killing her." The woman corrected calmly, focusing back in on his words. "Although killing an innocent person should already be bad enough... You're doing so much worse."

"What are you talking about."

Jun raised her arm and extended an accusing finger to her right, proclaiming the silent observer who lingered nearby.

Instantly, like a spotlight swinging across a stage, the creature of waste was thrust into focus. Nearly undetected from within the shadows all this time, the swaying body suddenly stiffened. Its yellow eyes, more accurately Jun's yellow eyes, darted rapidly back and forth between the now-silent pair as violet sludge dripped sluggishly down its slender waist.

Jun's aiming finger centered furiously on the beast even as her eyes remained locked on Kazuya. "I want you to look." She commanded tensely. "Look at that thing."

Wolf's features, a twisted reflection of Jun's own face, feigned the slightest hint of surprise. Its dazzling canary irises pulsed with dismay… and then excitement.

At first Kazuya did not comply, seemingly set to defy to Jun's wishes outright. Then finally, begrudgingly, his scarred face turned to eye the creature. He frowned angrily.

"It exists for one reason; to corrupt." Jun declared. Having also turned to face it, the serene woman stared viciously into her own yellow eyes. "When it claims a spirit… It doesn't let go. She'll be trapped deep inside that thing forever, unable to move, unable to think, unable to live. And she'll suffer in there for as long as it wants. A clean death would be more merciful than that…"

The slime-coated mouth opened slowly, revealing perfectly clean white teeth, a pristine tongue, and a horrifyingly dark abyss of violet slime.

"Jun Kazama…" It named powerfully. Somehow, even as it spoke, the creature's mouth did not match any words. Instead of forming the sounds with physical lips, the demented image let its mouth hang limply open while Wolf's ethereal voice echoed disjointedly throughout the forest. "… it tastes so sweet to hear your voice again."

"Don't even look at me." Jun lashed back fiercely, her eyes narrowing down to deathly slits. "I don't want to hear another depraved word from your sick mouth." Her tone was venomous, merciless, and cruel; far more aggressive than any manner she had taken with Kazuya that night.

The man took note.

"Oh… but it is YOUR mouth, isn't it?" The Wolf suggested with a twisted chuckle, almost seeming to revel in Jun's hate-filled tone. "Ironic."

"I said I don't want to hear you speak." The woman repeated harshly, shooting another barrage of daggers at the creature's façade.

"Yes dear, I heard you." It replied degradingly.Then the maligned body cocked its shadowy head to the side. "But what are you going to do to stop me?"

It taunted her.

Jun inhaled deeply as a furious scowl overtook her face. She eyed the creature for one more second, something vitriolic and alien rushing through her face until it nearly burst… then turned suddenly back to face Kazuya.

"I warned you!" She declared angrily through pure dismay. After nearly shattering her entire image with an uncharacteristic thrust of rage and fury, the angelic woman appeared to have re-centered. "I told you not to come here! And now look at what you've awakened."

"I didn't awaken anything." Kazuya dismissed with an irritated edge. His attention returned slowly from the slack-jawed creature until it settled back on the sparkling image before him. "Wolf has been here the whole time. She's been waiting."

"IT." Jun corrected irritably. "Not she. IT. And IT isn't what matters here." She swiped back.

Wolf licked its lips with devilish provocation. "Careful now. You're going to hurt my feelings…" For whatever reason, 'it' seemed to enjoy every successive mention more and more.

Ignoring the comment meant to incite them, both combatants retained focus on the person to their front.

"I told you not to come here." Jun repeated, her voice raising the tiniest level as her frustration mounted.

"Yes, you did." Kazuya admitted coldly, employing the same precision he would use to line up a deadly strike. "But you know what's worse?" He hinted. "You never even told me that this thing existed."

"I never told you about this place for a very good reason. For this EXACT reason."

Kazuya brushed straight past. "It has your body, Jun." He stressed. "It holds the key to-"

"You knew I didn't want you to come here!" She exclaimed with a desperate expression, emotion steadily overtaking the anger in her voice. "I begged you!"

"You tried to hide it!" Kazuya accused. "But you couldn't stop me from finding the truth… A truth that I NEVER gave up trying to find."

Jun's posture sank, and her solemn eyes drifted away. "You're not listening to me..."

"I know exactly what I did." He maintained sternly, straightening his demeanor in a subconscious contrast.

"You ignored me…" She mumbled distantly. As she spoke, loose raven strands fell out from her headband.

Kazuya eyed the woman's collapsing energy and scoffed with contempt.

"I did what needed to be done."

Suddenly Jun's fading composition erupted violently into focus. "No Kazuya!" She yelled as her intense eyes swung wildly back into unexpected strength. "No. You DECIDED what needed to be done."

"What's the difference." Kazuya shot back quickly.

"Oh…" Wolf muttered condescendingly in the distance.

"What's the difference!?" Jun yelled, her eyes darting violently towards the unwelcome comment, then furiously back to her partner. "Are you serious?!"

"Yes I'm serious." Kazuya rushed to defend. "I learned that there was a chance! A chance to bring you back for good! Do you realize what that represents?"

"I cannot believe how blind you are…"

"Blind? Blind!?" He echoed in disbelief. "I was right! Wolf is real! Your body is real! I can bring you back!"

"You aren't listening to a word I'm saying."

"And you're not listening to me!" He denied. "I'm trying to do what needs to be done! For both of us."

"No Kazuya. You didn't do this for me..." Jun muttered, her stance falling quickly back down to somber.

Kazuya's expression turned livid. "I did all of this… for YOU!" He asserted firmly, stomping forward with frustration. "I came here to bring YOU back! I came here to save YOU!"

All at once, Jun's façade exploded again.

"When did I EVER tell you that I wanted to be saved!?" She screamed.

The whole forest, but the scarred man in particular, fell deathly silent.

"Did you ever think of that, Kazuya!? Did you!?" She screamed again, emotion welling up violently in her wavering voice. Fists tightening at her sides, Jun demanded the question with a force that only could have come from years of steady, painful building.

Kazuya opened his mouth to fire back a hurried response, then slowly backed down. The longer it lingered, the more Jun's question stunned him.

"When did I tell you that I wanted ANY of this!?" She pressed as her voice shook. "Did you ever even ask me whether I wanted you to bring my body back!? Well!? It never happened, Kazuya. Never."

Wolf's yellow eyes darted excitedly between the distressed woman and her silent, reflective partner.

"Do you see what I'm saying? Do you?" She pleaded, anxiety boiling over as near-panic entered her voice. "We didn't decide to come here and do this! We didn't decide to kill this woman and sacrifice her life! WE didn't decide anything! YOU did. Only YOU. And even on those rare times when you would ask for my opinion, you never even gave a damn what I said at all!"

"That's not true." Kazuya protested carefully.

"It is!" Jun yelled, overruling. "I don't know if you even realized you were doing it! You just went straight ahead with what YOU wanted and what YOU needed, because that's always how you've done it, and now you're trying to tell me that all of this horror and pain was meant to be done for MY OWN GOOD!?"

"You're upset, and you're frustrated... I know that." He pivoted diplomatically, still lingering on the words Jun spoke during her initial outburst. "But there's just no way..." He trailed off. "Experiencing life again, exactly the way you remember it- that's always been what you've wanted. Right?"

"I honestly don't think you even bothered to assume that much." Jun shot back coldly, striking down his conciliatory approach with a scornful punch. Another strand of raven-colored hair fell haphazardly across her face as it shook. "I'd be shocked if the thought of what I wanted ever even crossed your mind. And even if that's true, you never told me ANYTHING about your plan! You tried to hide it from me! Next are you gonna tell me that you assumed I would be okay with killing an innocent woman?"

"Narcissist… and now he's expecting you to THANK him…" Came a derisive voice drifting in from the edge of the clearing.

Jun instantly spun with fury in her eyes. "I told you to shut the Hell up!" She yelled ferociously, stabbing a tough finger towards the beast.

It slinked back like a scolded child.

"Jun." Kazuya ventured carefully, calling her focus away from the monster she appeared ready to leap over and strangle. "I hid this plan because I knew that if you learned the details, you would become conflicted. And even though this is what you've wanted all along, I feared that your sense of morality might get the better of you, and you'd make a terrible mistake." Then he paused as a hint of malice slowly re-entered his voice. "Clearly, I was correct."

"I've had enough of you telling me what I want." The woman hissed, her expression sharpening beneath the scattered shadows. "I am not your puppet. And you are not my master."

"Of course I'm not." Kazuya dismissed, his own frustration slowly gaining ground after a temporary retreat. "And I never said I was. What I'm saying is that we both KNOW you want this. To come back. To wake up and breathe the air of this world through your own, real lungs. Tell me that I'm wrong."

"You don't know what I want." She repeated harshly. Her eyes narrowed. "You don't know a damn thing about me."

"Tell me I'm wrong." Kazuya challenged aggressively, not backing down. "Tell me you never wanted to come back to life."

"You don't know what I want!"

"Tell me I'm wrong!"

"Can you?"

"Arghh!" Jun yelled in frustration, an anger fixed equally against Kazuya and the voice that refused to stay silent. "You're ignoring everything I'm trying to say! Again!"

"How!?"

"Kazuya!" Jun begged desperately. "I'm losing my mind because I can't tell if you even value me as a real person!

"Of course I do!" He dismissed, insulted. "Do you honestly think I would-"

"Right now!" She interjected. "One of the few times you've ever actually been forced to consider what I'm saying, you're simply telling me that my thoughts are wrong! You're doing it right now!"

"But you-"

"Is that the only way your mind can handle people…? Instead of hearing their words, you only know how to challenge them."

"You're wrong-"

"Why do we even bother arguing about anything!?" She halted him again. Then her voice fell to a dejected indifference. "You're only going to end up doing exactly what you wanted to do anyway…"

Kazuya shook his head. "You know what Jun?" His voice was growing more and more irritated with every word. "Maybe I did go ahead without asking you. But guess what? If I didn't do that, if I didn't act a bit arrogant and ruffle your perfect, precious feathers, where would we be now? Huh!?"

"Well for one thing," She sneered back, "you wouldn't be covered with blood in the middle of the woods, surrounded by demonic spirits and half-dead bodies."

"Ha…"

Even at her most disorienting moments, the woman's striking wit refused to sit idle.

Brushing past the infuriating comment and the equally infuriating chuckle that came from the forest edge, Kazuya leaned forward into his attack. "I'll tell you where we'd be right now if it wasn't for MY decision making." He bellowed. "We would be nowhere! You'd still be a ghost playing shallow tricks with my mind, and our dream of being together would be OVER. Without me doing what needs to be done, our future would be a complete impossibility."

Jun didn't respond. Her stark silence rested powerfully upon an aura sustained with visible anger. Her piercing eyes spoke volumes and anticipated the man's next statement.

"If you're willing to let flimsy traditions and ridiculous morality hold you back from achieving the things you desire, then that's on YOU." Kazuya said condescendingly, hints of bitter, pent-up emotion rising within his voice. "You always loved to come up with these grand ideas…" he moved his arms in a wide arc, "…but you never made any plans for the future. You never followed through. On anything!" Then he paused, almost reconsidering the words he had already spoken. Then he settled. "And that's why you come to me."

Wolf stroked its pale neck with one hand. "Doesn't sound very equal to me..."

"So that's it?" Jun whispered. "I'm just not as strong as you are?"

"This is about foresight, not strength." He corrected sternly. "This is about you REFUSING to make concrete plans for your future. Sure, maybe you do know what you want out of life. But having that knowledge alone is empty and meaningless if you always avoid the tough decisions required to make your ambition into reality. Despite all your lofty ideals, this is something you've always ignored. Instead… you've relied on me for it."

"…"

"It's ridiculous." The man lamented, glancing angrily across the tangle of trees. "You depend on me to make every hard decision for you, and then when I actually put in the work and make things happen, you start kicking and screaming. Every. Time. When are you ever going to make up your mind!?"

"You don't see me as your equal. Do you." Jun asked calmly.

Kazuya's campaign of grievances paused.

With its mouth hanging limply and its glowing eyes fixed, Wolf's exaggerated investment in the conflict resembled the wide-eyed wonder one might see on a baby's face watching fireworks.

Despite the woman's serene image and tone, Kazuya could feel her imposing gaze level intensely upon him. He took a deep breath. Meeting Jun's soul-piercing gaze while maintaining a level head had always been difficult, even from the start. For a moment, he weighed the strength of his next punch, almost unsure.

"Do you?" She repeated.

At last, a decision was made.

"Despite all your best efforts, I've always tried to see you that way." He answered sharply.

Jun didn't flinch.

Hearing no response, his tone turned harsh, doubling down. "Although right here, right now, as I listen to your ridiculous objections of morality and conflicting desire, you're making it very difficult for me to see you as anything more than a pouting child."

Wolf smiled.

Jun's fist tightened at her side as more cracks of anger shone through the serene façade.

"A child." She repeated, testing the word. "That's right. You've always treated me that way since the moment we met. You've never seen me as anything more."

"If you insist on playing trivial games with my head at every turn, how else am I supposed to see you?" He pressed angrily, sounding unsure. "If you refuse to take your own life seriously and rely on me to make every decision for you, what else can you be?"

"You're ashamed of me." Jun whispered, suddenly calm. Her cold, empty voice shook Kazuya to his core.

"That's not true." He objected instinctively, quickly pulling back, though not understanding why.

"It IS true." encouraged a slippery voice.

"Why else did you keep me a secret all these years." Jun asked pointedly.

"I did that to protect us."

"I think you did it to protect yourself."

"Protect me from what?"

"From the shame that you'd feel if others knew."

"I don't care what anyone thinks about me."

"You do when it relates to me."

"You're wrong."

Jun judged him silently again.

It could be argued, Kazuya often thought, that calm moments like this where when Jun was at her most frightening. Devoid of emotion, placidly in control, sharp, direct… it invoked something deeply powerful to which nothing else could even come close.

"You're wrong…" He found himself muttering.

Jun moved straight past his objection. Her focus was terrifying.

"You hid me because you see me as an embarrassment."

"I do not."

"He does."

"You fought to keep me a secret with the ferocity of a mean in fear, NOT a man in control." She dictated. "Any records that mentioned me would be destroyed. Any person who spoke my name would vanish. You were terrified, Kazuya. Terrified that the world would find out about me… But why?"

"I don't care what the world thinks of me!" He deflected.

"I think you do."

"He's scared."

"You're wrong!"

"You care if they think you're weak. And if the world knew about me… about the bond we shared… you're afraid that people would stop seeing you as a monster… You're afraid that for once in your life, they might finally recognize you as a real human being…"

"…"

"And that terrifies you."

"No!"

"You hated to be seen at the gala. Why? You swore your closest assistants to secrecy every time I was involved. Why? You nearly killed your own brother when he learned the truth about me! And why? Who cares if the world knows about me? If you truly loved me, nothing should have needed to change!"

"If he's truly the most powerful man on earth… what difference would it make…?"

"Exactly!" Jun charged, so caught up with emotion that she didn't even realize where the suggestion had come from. "You practically own our entire world! All that power… all that influence… and you honestly thought that I'd be at risk!? You're lying to yourself."

"I've always cared about you!" Kazuya charged intensely, the unexpected shift speaking volumes. His demeanor quickly regained a sense of impassioned determination as he moved away from their previous topic with incredible speed. "That's why I'm here! That's why I came all this way and put myself through everything! That's why I would be willing to put myself through so much more."

His declaration came off as a surprisingly genuine foil to the hurrying anger he displayed before. It almost felt like pleading.

Wolf's yellow irises darted quickly to Jun, observing every millimeter of her reaction. Her response could go one of two ways…

Jun's eyes narrowed. "You don't care about me." She seethed. "You only care about conquering me."

Wolf smiled.

The forest took a breath.

Now it was Kazuya's turn to draw narrow eyes.

"I can't believe you." He condemned slowly, every final hint of his pleading and fearful tone evaporating. "After everything we've gone through..."

"Not we. You. Get over your arrogance and recognize that you did this for yourself." Jun returned coldly, acknowledging his aggression but refusing to give an inch.

"Everything you've ever done has been to torment me." Kazuya declared reticently, a pang of disgust tinging his voice. "You never truly respected me. Even after everything you said about me and the way I viewed you… You only ever wanted one thing: to string me along for your own juvenile fun."

The rich forest air between them felt empty and dead. Neither body moved as their dagger-like stares launched wordless volleys back and forth. Steady breath in, steady breath out, they allowed each piercing word to hang like a brandished weapon.

Wolf's attention turned expectantly from one side to the next, mirroring each adversary's blank stance. Despite its unmoving nature, there could be no denying that the thing was reveling with ecstasy at the struggle unfurling on its doorstep. Yet even as the creature basked in demented shades of corruption, it recognized that the best was still far from over…

"I showed you the tiniest taste of life… a life beyond cold, calculating emptiness… and you call it torment." Jun offered bitterly.

"I don't need you to tell me how I felt." Kazuya echoed.

A moment of shock in Jun's eyes showed that a fatal nerve had been struck. "The words you speak…" She muttered through baring teeth.

At last, it had finally boiled over.

"YOU LIED TO ME!" Kazuya yelled with two threatening steps forward.

"She always did…"

"AND YOU LIED TO ME!" Jun shot back, planting one foot forward in defiance.

"More than you even realize…"

"You KNEW there was a way to bring you back!" The man challenged with a boiling emphasis. "You knew all along! And you did nothing. No... You did even worse… You lied about your own death straight to my face!"

"When did you become entitled to commanding every detail of my life!?" She returned with disgust. "Are you my master!? You act like you own this information, like it's yours by right, and I betrayed you for keeping it to myself. Why!? You have no right to demand ANYTHING from me!"

"This isn't about 'owning' anything! This is about CHOOSING not to tell me!"

"Funny how she loves to talk about respecting people's choices…"

"I chose not to tell you because I knew you would become obsessed!" Jun denounced. The irritated expression meant she had definitely heard Wolf's comment, but her attention was focused elsewhere. "And look at where we are now."

"I see exactly where we are. We're standing on the precipice of your rebirth."

"A fate that YOU decided."

"Because I KNOW it's what you always wanted. Tell me that I'm wrong."

"You still haven't told him he's wrong…"

"We are not going down that path again!"

"Because you know I'm right!"

"Is that the only thing you care about!? Being right and beating me!?"

"It's the one thing he's never had…"

"You tell me Jun- is defying me, infuriating me, is that the only thing that YOU care about?!"

"Oh, someone stands up to you for once in your life and suddenly nothing makes sense!?"

"She NEEDS to do it. She risks everything if she loses your anger…"

Kazuya paused.

If either person had actually been listening to the dark, contaminating sentences that slid around them, neither seemed to show it. Yet, as the two paused so abruptly in the midst of their battle, a new, wider sense of awareness had begun to creep in.

"… Why didn't you tell me." Kazuya asked grimly, his intensity drifting down as he returned to the ominous question that had consumed him for weeks. "Why didn't you tell me that there was a way to bring you back."

The dark observer laid a languorous yellow gaze onto the man who stood nearby.

Jun drew a slow breath, then opened her mouth to speak… But instead-

"She was afraid you would make the obvious decision…" The mischievous voice whispered. "…the obvious decision that would endanger her ability to control you."

Kazuya didn't turn to face the comment, but the subtlest shift in his expression showed that this time he had, indeed, heard.

Jun stepped forward and opened her mouth to quickly rebuke the beast, finally having had enough… but before she could, she was cut off.

"Of course…" The man spoke slowly, his mind churning. "You chose to hide it from me because you were scared. You felt fear."

"Fear of what?! Fear of what, Kazuya!?" Jun pressed challengingly, shifting quickly away from Wolf to face her newest attack.

Kazuya's teeth grinded as his seething eyes threw up a wall before the woman's question. Trembling focus held defiantly forward, but then… just for an instant… his eyes flashed towards Wolf.

Two swirling yellow pools of infinite madness, infinite strength, rushed to meet him.

Yes.

His glowing red vision snapped back and settled into a cold, icy rancor that singled upon Jun.

The wind slowed and a fearful silence descended as the air around them waited to hear what Kazuya would say next. Then at last-

"You're afraid that once I finally get you out of my head… you'll never be able to control me again." He accused with a vehement, deathly bite.

A terrible smile spread across the pale creature's face.

It basked in joy.

Jun's expression fell into shock. She met the despicable grin emanating from the deformed body at her right, then swung to confront her accuser head-on.

"Kazuya." She spoke with a deliberate, diplomatic tone. "You can't seriously tell me you're listening to a word that thing is saying."

Was there a hint of desperation there too?

Wolf accepted the accusation silently; it waited eagerly to see Kazuya's response.

"You're not answering me." Kazuya pressed back aggressively. Two fiery irises told that his grip would not be letting go. Whereas before they may have hinted towards a second, yellowish influence, now they told of he alone.

"I am not going to entertain a single word that comes out of that things mouth." Jun maintained defiantly.

"It's not coming out of Wolf's mouth." Kazuya corrected. "It's coming out of mine."

Jun grimaced.

"You're letting it manipulate you." She scolded.

"You're one to know about manipulation." He charged, immovably focused on the question at hand. "You've always controlled me. And you never even tried to hide it. But now that I'm finally about to get you out of my head… now that I'm finally on the verge of setting myself free… you're panicking. Because your control is in jeopardy."

"You're insane!" Jun yelled, her frustration finally boiling over.

"And you're refusing to answer!" Kazuya slammed back, returning the anger in kind. "You always played games with me because YOU KNEW that it made me mad! You wanted to drive me crazy and keep me focused on you no matter what! No matter how unhealthy it was for me to fixate on you!"

"I never did anything to purposefully drive you crazy!?"

"The gala."

Kazuya's intensity doubled. "Then what the happened at the gala!?" He demanded.

Jun paused, her furious gaze flashing to Wolf, then hurriedly back towards Kazuya. "That-!"

"I hadn't seen your face in years, Jun. YEARS!" He cut her off, his voice tearing at the seams. "Do you have any clue how traumatizing that was for me? To see you alive!? Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to accept that you were real!?"

"Kazuya that goes both ways. I hadn't seen you for years either." Came the calm response.

"BUT YOU KNEW!" He yelled passionately. "All those years- you were in my mind the whole time! Years spent watching and waiting, you knew that one day, you'd be strong enough to speak to me again. But what about me? What about someone who had NO IDEA!?"

"She doesn't understand…" A voice added somberly. "She doesn't WANT to understand."

Kazuya looked away, took a deep breath as if reconsidering whether he should speak at all, and then made his choice. "When you died…" He spoke, starting at a whisper. "It took years for those wounds to heal. Years and years and YEARS. And guess what? They never even healed anyway. I didn't get to experience the grieving process, okay? I was thrust out of this life in a raging inferno, and when I finally woke back up again, the entire world had already moved on. No one even knew your name! No one cared! I never had the chance to grieve because I woke up in a world where you were even LESS than a memory. You were NOTHING. And what was I supposed to do? Your death hurt me like it happened yesterday. For me, you died in real time."

"…"

"I TRIED to grieve!" Kazuya screamed, his voice creaking under stress and buckling back in, practically yelling at himself. Then his voice fell into muttering. "But I couldn't do it. I thought about you every single day. Either you were right there, waiting at the front of my mind the moment I woke up every morning, or you were lingering someplace dark on the inside, reminding me without even understanding why, that I must always feel sorrow. There are healthy ways to move on from someone's death… but I never found them. Instead I wrestled with that feeling for years, just trying to drown it. And when that failed, I tried to rationalize it. I tried convincing myself that it was okay to feel broken, because it was normal. But that only made it worse. And finally, after grappling and cursing this depression for so long, I finally just let it be. I curled up around it… made it feel as small and pointless as I could, and sure enough the numbness set in. Maybe I wasn't furious anymore, but I never forgot. And it never stopped hurting... It just hung around my neck like a millstone and kept pulling me down further every night. Of course I knew you were dead… and I knew there was nothing I could do about it. Curling up around that simple fact was the furthest thing from acceptance that you can imagine. But it helped me grow numb, and it helped me regain control."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"And on the night of the gala…"

"…"

"… that's the man YOU DECIDED TO PLAY GAMES WITH!" He erupted, his voice shattering throughout the forest like a raging fire.

Jun said nothing. Her eyes glistened with the hint of teardrops.

"You never thought about THAT, did you?" Kazuya asked jaggedly, his eyes pulsing with frenzied pain. Can you imagine what that was like for me to see your face that night? To touch your hands? I was manic! I was a mess! I should have had a complete breakdown right there on the spot! I just couldn't believe what I was seeing… there were so many questions. So, so, so, so, so many questions that stormed into my mind, rising up out of the hurried graves that I had numbly thrown them in years ago. I just wanted to talk to you… I wanted to go as far away from anyone else as possible and simply speak! I was devastated there, more vulnerable than I've ever felt in my entire life. I… I could have finally found a way to begin healthily processing this pain. It was finally time for me to stand up and address my cold, dead, numbness face to face and find out whether I might ever feel something again."

"…"

Kazuya's gaze steadied. His raging hatred was replaced with the coldness of death.

"But instead you decided it would be funny to make me dance."

Jun looked away.

"So yeah. You want to talk about playing games? About driving someone crazy for your own enjoyment?" He paused, refocusing his attention. "What about MY pain? What about MY feelings? You're the one who's always told me; "you're a human being, you DO have feelings", but when I finally showed them to you, did you even care? Did you even pause long enough to consider what I might be going through?"

"Kazuya hold on."

"I don't think you did." He continued. "I think you were so high on life, so eager to finally remind me that you were a force to be reckoned with, that you rushed straight to immediately force a conflict with me because it felt exciting. But was a conflict honestly what I needed? How would you react if someone you loved, someone thought had died years ago suddenly appeared on your doorstep one day and the first thing they do… the very first move they make… they don't hug you, they don't say hello… they immediately try to instigate you. Before you can even process their presence, they start manipulating you… and forcing you into the most uncomfortable situation they can."

"Kazuya…"

"You were." He shot coolly, disagreeing before the response had even been spoken. A hint of reigned fury rumbled quietly beneath his voice.

Jun waited patiently. She didn't want to be interrupted again. Then at last-

"I'm sorry."

Wolf watched suspiciously.

Kazuya's head leaned back as his eyes narrowed in distant distrust. He didn't reply.

"You were in pain." She said slowly. "A pain that I couldn't fully understand because I alone knew the truth." Her voice was genuine and remorseful, yet the tone felt far from surrendering. "We've discussed that night before, and what I told you then was not a lie. To finally feel the world around me after spending so much time as a helpless observer… the rush of life overcame me. I was nearly swept away."

Kazuya continued to listen with stoic distrust. He may have accepted the words as true… but there was more to it than that. He watched her with an expectant eye, almost as if he knew that something else was coming.

Jun allowed the silence to linger, then rose to her full height and grew serious.

"I'm willing to apologize for the mistakes that I have made. But you need to understand something." She warned, her tone shifting subtly from conciliatory to defiant in less than a heartbeat.

Kazuya crossed his arms. His suspicion only grew.

"Everything I did that night… I did on impulse." The woman paused, taking in the image of her defiant, furious partner. "There was no plan. There is no hidden agenda. You're convinced that I did it all because I'm trying to manipulate you and get inside your head. I can see it in your eyes; you think I'm cryptic, controlling, and self-absorbed. You think I'm hiding something… something that you should fear." The creak of trees echoed distantly behind her steadfast words. "But you're wrong. I didn't know a single word I was going to say until they began literally falling out of my mouth. That was pure, unplanned emotion pouring out of me from the moment you turned around and said my name. It came from a place… of exhilaration. And I will NEVER apologize for the rush of life that I felt that night."

Kazuya rumbled quietly, his discontent manifesting.

"And you know what? I think you felt it too." She pushed boldly, slowly regaining her edge after falling quiet. "Even amongst all the shock, you cannot look me in the eye and tell me that you didn't feel more alive that night at the gala than you've felt in years. Would you have felt any of that, if I appeared quietly one afternoon and calmly said hello? Would you have really felt anything? No. Instead of coming outside your comfort zone by dancing with me, you would have tried to coldly rationalize everything you were seeing all at once like it was psychotherapy. And yes, we both know how well that would have gone… THEN you would have had a mental breakdown. THEN you wouldn't have been able to handle it." Suddenly her voice fell quiet. "And if I hadn't come to you in a way that caught both of us off guard…would you have even recognized me?"

Wolf rolled its eyes.

Either Jun didn't see the motion, or she simply pretended not to. "Ever since I met you, you've always viewed me with suspicion." Her voice drifted. "Sometimes you would seem so comfortable around me, but then other times I could feel you staring me down… boring into me with your mind… desperately searching for some grand master plan that I was waiting to reveal. But that was never me! There was never anything to find! And how was I supposed to show you that no such plan existed? How could I convince you that I was genuinely being myself when every motion I ever made was being endlessly scrutinized and speculated?"

Kazuya growled. His posture seemed far from understanding.

"Everything I did that night came from a place of honesty. Not from some nefarious challenge to control you… It came to me from an impulse. From someplace I don't even know."

The dark canopy circled them like a great hall; vague flitters of light passing quietly down from the sky where they were distorted with time and memory.

Jun's tone shifted briefly inwards, almost as if she were speaking to herself. "Why did I ask you for one dance?" She spoke distantly. "Where did I even get that idea? I… I honestly don't know. For a moment that night, the words felt hauntingly familiar… almost as if one of us had said them before…"

Kazuya stared without a word as Jun's voice faded off, lost in reminiscence.

The woman gazed up silently into the vague, black, pulsing treetops, then came slowly back down. "… if we ever did speak those words, we must have been at a very different place than where we are now."

In passing, both noticed a gentle breeze sweep around them. The pair, briefly lost in their sea of memories, floated calmly back down to the present.

They paused for a moment, the pain of their situation nearly forgotten.

"Do you remember?" Asked Jun quietly.

"…"

"I wish one of us could say that they did."

"Would it change anything."

"…I guess not."

"No. I guess not."

More silence passed.

Their breeze died down, and the quiet died.

"Even if you do act on impulse…" Kazuya spoke blankly, still trudging out from the web of memory he had found himself in, "Even if you didn't plan anything that happened at the gala, and even if you didn't plan all the other nights you've done these things to me… It doesn't change the fact that they happened." He affirmed, a tinge of betrayal filling his slowly rising voice. All traces of peace and reminiscence fell further away with every word. "I don't think you understand my grief, and I don't think you ever have."

Jun, still with her gaze fixed on the dark and swaying treetops beyond, finally pulled her attention back down. Rather than react reluctantly at Kazuya's renewed grievance, the woman came ready.

"Grief." She said flatly, laying the word out on a slab. "That's the other thing. Do you think you're the only one who's felt grief before?"

Kazuya's eyes narrowed.

The woman intensified her stare right back.

In mere seconds, like a pendulum finding its natural resting point, the energy of their conversation had swung back to hostile.

"Grief is not yours to own." She challenged. "You don't have the right to claim grief as your sole exclusive pain."

Wolf's attention turned intriguingly towards Jun. Coated fingers traced distant, focused lines across its thigh.

"What do you mean." Kazuya asked cautiously.

Jun held her silence for a second, searching Kazuya's cold face for signs of recognition. Finding nothing, she spoke…

"I'm not the only one to endure Death."

"Hm."

Kazuya let out a knowing sigh. It led frustration and unwilling recognition to a mix that could only show he knew exactly where Jun's intention lay.

"At the height of our time together… you were burned to death." She finished.

"Yes." The man confirmed, admitting his own mortality with a frigid breath.

"How do you think I took that?" Jun asked. "It utterly destroyed me. It tore me down to the very base of my spirit and showed me an underside of fear, hate, longing, and greed that I could have never even imagined. It made me do the most purely evil thing that any mother is ever capable of doing..." She drifted off.

"…"

"Kazuya, I understand that you were in pain. And I know that it was impossible to grieve for someone who had vanished off the face of the earth… Why do I know that? Because I had to go through it too."

"…"

Jun's eyes sharpened. "Do you not understand how wrecked I became after I learned what happened?" She asked genuinely. Then her tone abruptly turned deeply attacking. "Or have you chosen to forget anything horrible that I've ever told you… because empathizing with me would get in the way of convincing yourself that you alone know what's ultimately best for me. More than even myself…"

Kazuya's eyes narrowed. "I can't believe you-"

"No." Jun interjected harshly, forcing him down. "I sat here and listened to you. Now you need to listen to me when I tell you that you are taking all of this WAY too far. You've become obsessed! And if you continue down the road you're on now, you're going to get yourself killed."

Kazuya tested the woman with his eyes. "If that's what it takes." He finally declared.

"Are you hearing yourself!?" Jun yelled in dismay, abruptly raising their volume. "What good does it do for me if you're dead?! What's the point of even bringing me back?"

"And what will happen to you if you continue to hold out? You're going to condemn yourself for eternity, live out the rest of your days in misery, over what? This girl?! Someone you've never even met before?! How idiotically principled are you?!"

"This stopped being about her a LONG time ago."

"Is it?" He challenged back, searching for a fight. "Because so far, the only reason I've heard you give is that you're just too mighty and righteous to allow one single worthless life in exchange for your own."

"Yes, the evil you're about to commit has a lot to do with it. And by the way, that woman's name is Kunimitsu." Jun spoke angrily. "But this goes beyond her. Way beyond her. This is about YOU."

Kazuya nodded sarcastically. "Yeah? What about me."

"I can't pretend that I don't know the type of person you are any more."

"Go on, Jun. Tell me what kind of person I am."

"Your own actions speak louder than I ever could. The choices you've made… violence, oppression… destruction…"

"Don't forget peace." Interjected Kazuya. "And prosperity. And order. And growth."

"I'm not forgetting anything. I've been there to see it all."

"Good." He challenged back. "I'm glad you were watching. I haven't tried to hide anything from you."

"You've tried to hide plenty from me."

"Don't humor yourself. If you're referring to this Yakushima trip, I didn't hide the details because of fear. I did It to protect the mission's success. The success which you are, as I predicted, trying to implode."

"I'm not talking about your research." She said coolly. "You took my brother."

Kazuya took a step back.

"You kidnapped one of my last living relatives and you nearly murdered him with your own two hands…" She stated slowly, eyes drilling holes into Kazuya as she spoke. "That's right… You never answered for what you did. The last time I brought it up, you changed topics in an insant. Because you were ashamed to face it."

"I did what I had to do."

"You always retreat to that line."

"Because I'm a man who does what needs to be done!"

"No, you're a violent and vengeful man. A man who always jumps straight to the most destructive and extreme option every time he's faced with a challenge. For all your talk of overthinking things, you seem far too willing to make up your mind when it comes to exerting your own urges of anger and dominance."

"Well then, if you claim to know me so well, what's your problem with me? Go on, what your psychoanalysis of my poor, cruel mind?"

"Your problem…" She began, considering her words… then steadily finding the one. Weighing the phrase like a fresh weapon, Jun finally put it to use. "… lies in feeling."

Kazuya seemed unfazed.

Reflective brown eyes looked through him, distantly. "You know... I really thought that one day you might be able to learn it for yourself. I actually thought that I felt tiny incremental progress during the time we spent together, and eventually if I just believed in you enough, you could someday grow a conscience... but I… it… It's pathetic to see how naïve I truly was."

Kazuya scoffed.

"You're amoral." She renounced. "Nothing but a sad, defeated nihilist who couldn't tell the difference between right and wrong… or more likely, just doesn't WANT to."

"There is no difference."

"OF COURSE THERE IS!" Jun exploded at the top of her lungs. Her steadily growing frustration had erupted, turning her face to a mix of fury of rage that had rarely graced it in all her life.

Kazuya was almost caught off guard by the motion.

Before he could respond, Jun spoke again. "Gahh! I can't even fathom the kind of mental gymnastics you must put yourself through every day to try and justify yourself! How self-absorbed do you have to be to honestly look me in the eye and tell me that there's no such thing as right or wrong?!"

"Jun. We've been down this road countless times. And yet again, how can there be good in this world if-"

"No Kazuya." She interrupted. "I'm not gonna listen to your long-winded justifications anymore! Just like you always do, you've gone so far into your own head that you're completely blind to the basic truths of life."

"You-"

"No!" She denied fervently. "For once in your life, you need to step away from those giant, logical, metaphysical arguments that have completely overrun your brain and just- just- close your eyes and just FUCKING FEEL SOMETHING! Okay!?"

"…"

"Can you do that?" She pressed. "Can you step out of the dead, emotionless cage that you've put yourself in for one god damned second and actually try to feel something?! It's not hard! There is no math behind it! There are no books you need to write to justify anything! You just shut up and trust in the simple, human emotions you have!"

"You love to make this sound so easy."

"Do you FEEL that there is no such thing as good or bad in this world?"

"No."

"You're lying!"

"I'm not."

"You are! You're full of anger! And pride! And you're surrounded by self-imposed lies!"

"YOU DON'T GET TO TELL ME WHAT I CAN FEEL!" Kazuya bellowed at the top of his lungs.

Jun stopped. The entire forest held its breath as the fury in her eyes sharpened, refined, and focused into a blade.

"I don't have to." She sliced coldly. "Because you don't feel anything."

…

Stillness fell harshly upon the forest clearing like the unsteady eye of a hurricane.

Kazuya's head instinctively tilted back, maintaining a direct line with Jun's piercing reflection. Genuine surprise crossed the man's face as his eyebrows furrowed inwards. Not a look of fury… but of shock.

Jun drew a slow breath and straightened her posture. The woman felt Kazuya's gaze searching her face, and gave him nothing.

At the forest's edge, corruption purred.

The tense muscles Kazuya hadn't even realized he had been clenching slowly tightened, then released. They were only words, and yet somehow, he suffered every syllable.

You don't feel anything.

Kazuya had been speaking those five words to himself over and over and over for his entire life. It was far from a new concept. In fact, it was something that he embraced; something he always viewed as a strength. Without feeling, there could be only reason. There could be no room for the emotional errors which scarred and crippled the rest of humanity.

So then, how could the words strike so deep?

Jun still hadn't moved. Her posture was rigid and cold. Her eyes were steady.

Vaguely, ancient lines from a distant memory began to flitter through Kazuya's consciousness.

It doesn't matter whether you know it or not…

Where had those words been spoken? Who had promised them? And what had they truly meant?

If you don't believe in yourself…

It must have been decades past, or perhaps another life. The words didn't feel real at all. They felt warm and honest… comforting… and foolish. They contained a sensation that Kazuya hadn't dared to trust since he was a boy. And one other time…

Then I'll believe for you.

No.

They just felt like lies.

The silence grew harsher.

Thousands of silent words passed between them.

"You said it." He whispered through a knowing, reluctant daze.

From the outside, Jun showed nothing.

"Do you mean it?" He asked.

"Yes." Came the answer.

Was there any hint of uncertainty in the woman's face? Was there any regret?

Kazuya searched desperately, poring over every inch of his lost friend for something, anything that could end his uncertainty. And though he could sense the subtlest outlines of something etched in her features, the signs themselves remained completely unreadable.

Kazuya lingered, waiting for more, but nothing came. Finally, his eyes closed and he released an exhausted breath.

"I'm done."

Jun still said nothing. And she didn't need to, either. The impact of her words had left a visible effect, and her silence in confirmation spoke volumes.

"Do you remember…" He trailed suddenly, still swimming through the distant words and unsure when he even made the decision to speak. "You once claimed that I could feel anything."

"Did I." Jun returned coolly.

"You were the first," Kazuya affirmed, "And also the last. The only person on earth who has ever truly embraced that delusion."

"Well then. I'm glad I finally shook it off."

The red eye flashed.

"I'm relieved." Kazuya snarled, his voice suddenly growing intensely hateful.

Jun nodded, her serene expression condemning the animalistic anger that faced her.

Kazuya rose to full height and reigned in his pulsing anger. "The endless struggle between us is over." He declared harshly, forcefully taking on the tone of authority. "We both know that this can only end one way."

"One way?" Jun asked back confrontationally. "What's that."

"You're going to reclaim your body," He explained with a cold, deathless intention. "You're going to re-enter it, and then you're finally going to get out of my head. All of you… out. And once you're out, you will never come back." His voice didn't waver in the least.

"..."

"Whether you cooperate or not, whether you even WANT this or not… I don't care." He growled. "This is what's happening."

Jun's eyes narrowed. "So you're not even asking anymore."

"I think we're past that point."

"You're telling me."

"Yes."

"You're going to force me?"

"If I must." Came the fierce, stinging response.

Jun nodded slowly, her fiery gaze never leaving Kazuya's face. If Kazuya's threat had intimidated her, the woman didn't show it. She greeted his cold gaze; a deathless empathy all too familiar, with her own unique brand of resilience.

The dirty ground, the very Earth at their feet, seemed to patiently await her next move. But it wasn't the woman who got a chance to respond first.

"That's awfully bold of you… Mishima." Spoke Wolf suddenly, twisting the wind with its impossible voice. Having been silent for so long, its dark presence in the clearing was nearly forgotten.

Neither person turned to acknowledge it.

Despite the snub, Wolf still teemed with obvious interest in their tense affairs. "And what about me?" It asked pointedly in Kazuya's direction. The pale creature's messy hair fell damply across its forehead. "You already know my terms. I won't allow the exchange unless your woman agrees to it."

Both of Kazuya's eyes ignited with a scalding fury as he spun to face Wolf with a snarl.

"I don't give a fuck what you want." He spat.

Wolf nearly fell backward in shock.

Jun watched intently.

Partly exaggerating its own dramatic surprise, Wolf quickly regained composure. As its slender frame straightened out, a small pool of purple slime had begun to form around the body's feet. "So you're saying-"

"Yes." Kazuya breathed. His fists tightened at both sides.

"Not only her… but now me? You're going to force me too?"

"If. I. Must."

Everything fell deathly silent as Wolf locked into a wordless, breathless stare down with the devil man who dared to threaten it. The cool purple slime that had been steadily slipping across its body suddenly seemed to stand still. No longer moving, it hung frozen around Jun's pale, twisted form. For the first time, even its blank and seductive expression had evolved into something more animated.

Hanging silently below the cold war that raged above her, Kunimitsu's body didn't stir. The girl was unconscious, but even if she had the means to be awake at this moment, she rightfully wouldn't want to be. Meanwhile at the edge of the clearing, equally oblivious to the teetering carnage churning nearby, Captain Reike hadn't moved either. After the crushing blows his body had been forced to endure, he could easily be dead.

Then at last, someone spoke.

But surprisingly, it was neither the murderous devil man nor the twisted spirit of corruption…

"That's enough." Jun said suddenly. Neither of the would-be combatants turned to meet her. Refusing to accept the dismissal, the woman spoke again with a much-hardened tone. "Both of you." She addressed firmly. "This will not go any further."

"Why not." Chided Wolf breathlessly, all traces of playfulness vanishing. "Are you afraid someone might get hurt?"

Jun ignored the question and focused harshly on her partner. "Kazuya." She called, half-commanding, half-pleading. "Stop it right now. You are NOT doing this." Whereas his spoken name contained a bit of pleading, the woman's second sentence held no doubt. It was an order.

Kazuya didn't even turn to address it, responding to her command more or less as one who was familiar with Kazuya would expect him to respond.

"We're done talking." He shot down.

"You're right. We are." Jun agreed, latching on to any words she could get. "You need to leave the island right now."

Kazuya turned to lay a furious scowl at Jun.

"I don't care if I have to kill every last person on this island with my own hands." He threatened with bloodlust in his voice. "I am taking your body back."

"Ka-"

"Don't even say another word."

Jun immediately ignored the command and opened her mouth to respond, but Kazuya had already begun addressing his foe before she could defy him.

"This is your last chance, spirit." He warned ominously as his gaze swung away from Jun to challenge her lifeless, slime-coated shell.

"Or else...?" Came the lazy, unimpressed response that dripped from its mouth.

Instantly, Kazuya charged forward with a ferocious strike.

"KAZUYA NO!"

Cocking his fist all the way back over his shoulder, the fighter launched forward with lightning-fast aggression. It was an unbelievable transition, faster than the blink of an eye. Like flipping a switch, his entire form had shifted from broken and staggering to razor-sharp and unstoppable. With one bruised and bloody fist raised high, the man cleared space between himself and the slime-covered target in milliseconds.

A destructive force like no other, Kazuya zeroed in for a single, crushing, killing blow.

Wolf's yellow eye rose to meet him.

It narrowed.

WHAM!

Out of nowhere- A massive pillar of black slime crashed thunderously down upon Kazuya's back, slamming him against the ground with incredible force.

Immediately, the impact kicked clouds of dust in every direction. Bucking under immense pressure, the man felt his body rattle against the forest floor and let out a hacking cough.

The thick pillar, now revealed to be more of a solid flowing tentacle, slid slowly across the ground as it retreated backwards. Wolf observed the scene with an air of predictability and vague amusement. It stood ankle-deep in a pool of swirling slime that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

If the creature was able to freely manipulate this ferocious slime with such incredible speed and control… its true strength could only be unknown.

"Cute."

Unfortunately, the monster's taunting sense of humor had remained.

Kazuya stirred on the ground, letting out another haggard cough before pushing himself up to rest on one knee. His red eye glowed with fury as it pointed towards his foe.

"…"

His crimson fist tightened-

Suddenly Jun rushed between them, raising both arms as a shield.

"That's enough!" She demanded with desperation as her eyes darted. "I said that's enough!" She repeated feverishly.

"Jun Kazama, please step out of the way…" Wolf asked politely. The request wasn't optional. "Can't you see the adults are talking?"

"Shut up!" Jun yelled with fury at the smug monster, then pivoted to face Kazuya. "What the Hell are you doing?!" She demanded angrily.

Kazuya steadied himself on one knee and eyed the woman with distrust. "Don't try to mess with me, Jun…" He warned between harried breaths. "It's not going to work."

Jun's expression flashed to bewilderment, then quickly hardened into pure frustration. "You could have died!" She yelled with disbelief, simultaneously betraying hints of terrified concern. "You nearly just got split in half! And yet THAT is all you can think about!? Me, messing with you!?" She stammered. "Are you out of your mind!?"

Still catching his breath, Kazuya steadied himself with one hand on the ground. "You've been trying to keep me away from it this whole time…" He muttered incoherently. "You and your manipulation…"

"You ARE out of your mind!"

"Get away from me…"

"You're going to get yourself killed!" Jun pleaded, fluctuating wildly between furious anger and desperate fearfulness.

Shaking like a cornered, injured animal, Kazuya snarled with disapproval. "I said get away from me!" The man swung an arm defensively out at Jun, forcing her to step back.

Initially shocked, Jun's demeanor quickly revealed anger. "What are you trying to prove!?" She demanded, planting her feet in defiance. "You can't do this! You're condition to fight ANYONE right now!"

"Dear." Called Wolf impatiently from the corner. "If the man wants to fight, then get out of his way..."

"Just SHUT UP!" Jun found herself yelling with vitriol for the dozenth time. Turning back to address her old friend, she found that Kazuya had stumbled haphazardly back up to his feet, and now lumbered menacingly above her.

"Get back." He commanded with fleeting patience. "What don't you understand about that."

"Listen to me! You need to get a hold of yourself."

"No Jun." Kazuya denied with boiling frustration. "I'm not going to LISTEN to you anymore! I'm sick of it!"

"You never even listen to me in the first place!"

"I think I listened WAY more than I should have."

Jun rubbed her face with tired palms and growled frustratingly into them. "You're driving me insane! Can't you see that this is impossible!? How do I even need to tell you this!?"

"Honestly, I don't think you ever learned the difference between difficult and impossible." Kazuya corrected as his left hand reached to clutch at his side. It pressured a point slightly above his hips that could only signal broken ribs. "As always… You've left it up to me to do what needs to be done."

"This doesn't need to be done!"

"It does."

Jun refused to back down. "Why!? What do you NEED to do here!? Die!? Because that's all you're going to get if you try this! You might put up a fight, but look at yourself! That thing is going to annihilate you, and it's gonna savor every second!"

"I guess you never believed in me either." He spoke coldly, intending the words to cut.

"This isn't about your fighting skills!" Jun dismissed immediately. "You're exhausted, your whole body is bruised and cut and broken! For God's sake look at yourself! How much blood have you lost?"

"You know, she makes a decent point." Taunted Wolf leisurely. "Facing such a weak, pathetic shell… it almost feels unfair."

Kazuya fired a deathly stare at the spirit. His eyes burned with freshly renewed aggression.

It was exactly the response Wolf had intended to provoke.

"Please Kazuya, please, please listen to me." Jun pleaded, a rare moment of genuine care shining through the anger and mistrust that engulfed them. "Right now, in your condition, fighting this thing is suicide. I know you're experienced enough to realize this."

Kazuya looked away, exhaling tight, anger-filled steam.

Jun took a cautious step forward and held up both hands to face him. "It's over." She pleaded. "We need to leave. If you do this, you're going to get yourself killed, and then what? What's going to be the whole point of anything if you just end up dead? Just so that you can prove a point to me?"

Kazuya shook his head. "I'm not the one who's obsessed with proving a point here."

"What are you talking about!?"

"You and your morals…" Kazuya growled, every muscle in his body shaking. "At any moment in this… Any moment! You could have simply agreed to the trade, and this would be over. We could already be heading back home by now! What would you have lost? Huh? Your precious moral victory!?"

"Kazuya-"

"No! I know you're trying to frame this like I'm the one who's unwilling to compromise, but you need to realize you're doing the exact same thing!"

"…"

"It's not like I've never killed anyone else before! And YOU KNOW THIS! You've seen it! That's never stopped you from living with me before, right!?" He argued, asking the question with equal parts rhetorical bite and genuine uncertainty. "Your precious morals didn't stop you then, but now when everything is finally on the line between us… you can't. All you had to do was accept the damn trade. But no… instead you'd rather watch me die because you're THAT hell bent on defying me. That's always how you've been, too! Obsessed with denying me at every single turn because you think that's the only way I'll ever respect you! You're scared that if you stop defying me, you'll lose what makes you special, and you'll be just another person… You need that special status so badly… you crave it so deeply… that you'd sooner let me die than lose it."

"You don't know what you're talking about…"

"Don't I? Then prove me wrong. Stop this insanity and just take your body back! Show me that you don't want me to die."

"This is NOT about wanting you to die."

"Isn't it? Then just accept the trade!"

"No…"

"Jun."

"No."

"Jun!"

"I said NO!" She screamed with fury in her eyes. "I will not let you pressure me and treat me like this ever again! You are done forcing me to do anything!"

Kazuya sneered. "There it finally is. That's right..."

"Get up." She demanded.

"I'm not going to give in to you."

"I'm not going to give in either."

The forest waited.

"Then my blood will be on your hands." The broken man sneered.

"Suicide is YOUR choice." She spat. "You make me sick."

"I can't believe you ever said you loved me."

"I wish I never did."

"You're completely full of shit."

"Fuck. You."

The forest exploded.

"AHH!"

Electricity bursting through his veins, Kazuya rushed to his feet and thrust viciously against the pulsing mass of slime listening patiently from the forest's edge.

Wolf smiled.

Immediately a flowing column of slime rocketed out from behind the tree line, heading straight to intercept Kazuya's erratic lunge.

Sensing motion, Kazuya ducked under the strike with staggered instinct and accelerated even harder. It wasn't the cleanest decision, but the maneuver had paid off.

Perhaps not expecting Kazuya to move so precisely during such a frenzied rage, Wolf's expression fell flat. Quickly its entire slender body sprung into motion. Raising one arm high, Wolf leveled a shield of pale flesh and defensively absorbed the devastating force of Kazuya's punch.

His first attack blocked, Kazuya growled and leaned back to give himself leverage for a following kick. Before he could act, however, another rushing tentacle of slime caught his attention, forcing the man to sidestep desperately away.

Re-centering his balance, Kazuya found himself eye-to-eye with the beast. Its pale arm swung forward in a quick jab. He was able to block, but upon impact the man quickly realized his arm was in far even condition than he imagined.

"Ahh!"

Recoiling with pain, hardly able to process the blow that had just crushed him, Kazuya felt a second punch slam into his turned shoulder. Though it was only a jab, the attack collided with incredible, inhuman force. It forced him to stagger backwards, losing proximity from his target with each haphazard step.

"That's enough."

Wolf raised one slender arm with hand extended downwards; a clear command. In response, an enormous sphere of purple sludge materialized directly above Kazuya, then rushed down upon him like a waterfall.

CRASH!

The shattering force of sweeping liquid immediately knocked Kazuya off his feet and sent him tumbling to the ground below. Unable to catch his fall, the man pounded onto dirt and twisted roots, where he lay motionless.

Wolf observed the crash with vague boredom, then stepped gingerly closer; arm still raised high above the defenseless combatant below.

"Sigh…"

Another sphere of putrid black materialized.

Jun's pale, twisted face twitched.

"STOP!"

The piercing cry caught Wolf off guard, who had become so engrossed in savoring the final kill that it had nearly forgotten it was not alone.

All at once, the human Jun Kazama had become planted firmly between predator and its prey. Standing high over the crumpled image of Kazuya below and dwarfed by the hideous monster that towered above, the woman's calm ambiance now radiated an entirely different aura from the chaotic sense which had obsessed her only moments before.

Dark brown eyes flashed wildly.

"Again…" Sneered the tired spirit. "Back to plead some more? I hate to break this to you, but it doesn't look like you're getting through to him."

"I accept the deal."

Instantly Kazuya's mind cleared. Still lying dazed and broken on the ground, his intensely swelling emotions of pain, hatred, and despair suddenly vanished. Replaced with… something unexpected.

Defying all logic, the inhuman specter appeared equally surprised.

"You accept?" It parsed distantly, turning the words over and examining them like a prospector handling delicate gold. "Is that so?"

"Yes." She responded. Utterly unreadable, Jun looked up at the destructive force of nature that rose over her like a tsunami, and refused to budge.

"You're willing to give up the fox girl's life."

"I am."

"Interesting..."

Jun said nothing. Her composure strained.

Kazuya watched silently from below, only able to see the back of Jun's head from where she stood defensively above him. Even from such an angle, he could tell that the woman's defiance was intense.

Pale slime receded ever so slightly, and Jun's demented young head tilted carefully to the side. It was thinking.

"Are you content now." Jun charged, seizing the silence.

"I am." Wolf responded, still deep in thought. Or at least… pretending to be. "In all honesty, I'm elated."

"Good." Jun pressed, not giving It the opportunity to follow up. "Take the girl." She asked directly, clearly not intending to waste any time.

Wolf glanced lazily down at Kunimitsu's body. "I will."

"Now. Please."

"Don't rush me…"

Jun breathed slowly, refusing to break her cold eye contact with the spirit.

Kazuya sensed a shift in Jun's disposition. As if the simple question had confirmed some terrible fear.

"You're asking me to take the fox right now…" It continued, rambling as its voice danced from branch to branch. "Then drop your body, slink back off into the woods, and wave goodbye as the two of you fly away."

Jun said nothing.

"That's what you want, isn't it?"

Again, nothing. Her expression was stone.

Wolf observed the woman for another lingering second. The silence between them held, then suddenly-

"You know what?" It realized theatrically. "I think I'll kill you both and keep the body anyway."

Jun released her breath.

Kazuya felt his stomach drop.

"That was not the deal." Jun spoke diplomatically, holding back an angry tone.

Swirling yellow eyes peered back at her as a slack-jawed smile spread across the creature's pale lips. "Look at you…" It purred. "Adorable."

"We had a deal!" Jun pressed again, raising her voice.

Suddenly Wolf erupted, sending tendrils of slime shooting up from the blackened forest beyond.

"YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT DEALS!?" It roared, shaking the very trunks of the trees around them with a booming, twisted echo.

Kazuya was immediately taken aback. He couldn't believe that Jun maintained her posture after such an explosion.

"What about the deal that you and I made, twenty years ago?!" Wolf asked with obvious malice and resentment.

Jun looked away, her stark gaze finally breaking.

Wolf observed the motion and growled lightly, leaning its pale body forward to draw closer. "Yes… that's right. Not so adamant now, are we?" It taunted. "If it wasn't for my intervention… if it wasn't for my warning and my cooperation… you wouldn't even be standing here today, would you."

Jun said nothing.

"That's right. The Ogre would have ripped you to shreds, and your precious little boy would be fully under control of the… the… that other one." It hissed, stumbling through the words with deep annoyance.

"Devil." Spoke Jun, brandishing the word like a knife.

Kazuya felt his blood boil at the name.

Wolf almost physically recoiled in disgust. "Uch…" It snarled. "The arrogance you must have possessed to even DARE bring that demented thing to my island so many years ago… I despised you for it."

"I know."

"Good." Wolf spat quickly. "I hope you knew it, and I hope you hated me too. Did you?"

"…"

"Did you hate me?"

"Yes."

"Good." It stepped back to think for a moment, seemingly lost in some dark, distant memory. Though it was impossible to say whether human concepts like 'memory' could even exist in such a twisted spirit as this. Finally, "We had a deal, Jun. The only reason you are alive today is because of that deal. And now you've come all the way back to Yakushima just so you can steal your body… and break our deal."

"It wasn't my decision to come here."

"Oh yes, that's right." It spoke, dripping with sarcasm. "Poor Jun Kazama never got to make an honest choice in her life… It's always someone else's fault that bad things to happen to her. NEVER her own actions… no… that's impossible."

"I never said tha-"

"I don't really care what you say. Or what you think." The humming voice cut off harshly, suddenly laden with threat. "I only care that You. Came. Back. You're here right now, and you want to break our agreement."

"…"

"I must admit, this Mishima certainly must have done his research. The fox girl… her purity… let's just say there are very few things on Earth I would EVER be willing to take in exchange for giving up your body. You were, after all, the most extravagant corruption I've ever had the pleasure to… extract. When he first proposed the deal, I was very nearly ready to accept."

"…"

"But now… due to an amusingly poetic series of events… we ended up here. The fox girl is nearly dead, the captain is nearly dead, Kazuya is nearly dead, and you're nothing more than a helpless apparition. Bravo, it was truly amazing to watch." Then it paused as a rare look of genuine wonder slipped across its lifeless face. "The self-destruction you mortals are capable of… incredible."

"…"

"Now, I could go on about how enjoyable this evening has been… and perhaps I will later… but right now, I think your little play is coming to an end. All the actors have expended themselves, and now it's time for the curtain to close." Wolf let the words curl out of its mouth like an unfurling banner; tempting, and taunting. Then suddenly its tone and appearance grew darkly grim. "I will take the fox for my new host. She is simply too sweet to ignore. Then I'm going to kill Kazuya… remove the demonic filth that plagues him… and keep his conscious spirit for my own. Then I suppose I'll take the poor Captain's body too, living or dead, because why not? It's nice to have options. And then… then… well, you've become boring to me. I think I'll simply wipe your spirit from existence."

"You can't do this."

Wolf smiled.

It raised a slender purple arm, fingers outstretched towards Jun, then turned its palm to face upwards. A pulse of dark yellow flashed through its swirling irises…

And suddenly Jun's entire body was sent flying straight upwards.

WHOOSH!

"JUN!"

She crashed through the dark canopy overhead, snapping branches and loosing leaves that fell chaotically down to the ground below. After a second, the treetop settled, and she was gone.

Kazuya stared up in utter disbelief, his entire body freezing with terror. In the blink of an eye, he watched the woman rocket away at impossibly fast speed, and all without so much as an effort. Without even realizing it, he found himself standing.

"Whoosh." Mocked the echoing voice that curled round his ears.

Kazuya looked back down to see a demented body staring blankly at him. Palm still outstretched, it dissected him like a test subject, watching and observing his every move… basking in it.

"Bring her back. Now." Kazuya commanded, well aware that he had no power left to back the demand up.

The thing raised an eyebrow, but shockingly, it complied. Twisting its purple palm to face downwards, Wolf waited.

Seconds passed… still nothing.

Kazuya was about to move, then suddenly, the canopy shook. Looking up, he saw the branches part, and Jun came crashing back down into the clearing below.

Instinctively he reached out to catch the woman as she barreled towards the ground, but Kazuya found his legs resisting motion from all the untold damage they had already endured.

Just inches away from slamming into the hard forest earth below, Jun's body froze.

Suspended in mid-air, Jun breathed heavily and she visibly struggled against the invisible forces holding her in place.

"Jun. Kazama. Dearest. You have no power to touch me." Wolf spoke, offering to explain despite knowing well that its demonstration had sufficed.

"Let go of me." Jun bit out.

Wolf lowered its arm, and she tumbled lightly onto the dirt below. "Honestly… I love the way you carry yourself so proudly." The beast taunted. "Making demands… holding leverage… as if you mean something. But you've got nothing to back any of it up. You're nothing."

Jun climbed haphazardly back to her feet, enduring the taunts with visible pain.

"Are you listening to me!?" The voice suddenly shouted, demanding Jun's attention. "You're nothing! Even less than a ghost, you're just a helpless, drifting spirit with no home. No physical form. Nothing… your opinion means nothing to me."

"You needed my consent in order to perform the trade." Jun defended meekly.

"You honestly believed me?" It taunted as slime slipped round its ankles. "Pathetic."

"What-?" Kazuya stammered in furious disbelief.

Turning its attention to the bloody man, Wolf smiled darkly. "It's true." The thing giggled hauntingly. "Please… I never needed her. Do you honestly think this weak little spirit, this severed consciousness, can hold ANY power over me? If I wanted to force her into a physical body I could do it in a heartbeat. Don't make me laugh."

"But why?"

"Why did I tell you that she needed to agree? Simply because I knew she wouldn't." It parsed, reveling in each word. "You two are so blind and dysfunctional, you're like powder waiting to explode. All you needed was one push… hardly. Would I pass up an opportunity like that? Me? The spirit of Corruption? It's incredible how you can read so much about me, and yet still be so stupid."

"You…"

"But I must admit, even my wildest hopes couldn't have prepared me for the absolute disaster that you brought to my home. I thought you two would need more encouragement, but I hardly needed to say a word! You were at each other's throats faster than I could even open my mouth."

"…"

"…It was beautiful."

"Shut up." Ordered Kazuya.

WHAM!

A huge tendril of slime burst forward from the pool surrounding Wolf's feet and crashed headfirst into Kazuya, sending him tumbling back down into the dirt like a rag doll. His body rolled, then crashed against a dark tree trunk at the edge of the clearing.

The man's head slumped forward.

"KAZUYA!"

"As I was saying…" Wolf droned on, ignoring Jun's cries with clear disinterest. "Aren't you two supposed to be in love?" It asked.

Jun said nothing, her eyes still frozen on the image of Kazuya laid up against the tree.

"Well, you could have fooled me, that's for sure." The voice rambled, answering its own question. "Both of you are so obsessed with defeating the other person… proving your point to them… it almost feels like you value the fight more than you value the person. Is that love?"

"You don't know anything about us!" Jun screamed, finally triggering a proper response as Wolf's words drew dangerously close to words that Kazuya had said to her only moments before.

"I think I do." It countered leisurely.

"NO!"

Suddenly Jun rushed forward, sprinting towards her own pale body with violent fire in her eyes.

Wolf calmly raised a hand and opened its palm to face her head-on.

Instantly, Jun was sent flying backwards, lighter than air, and crashed hard against the same enormous tree that had absorbed Kazuya's impact only moments earlier. Her pristine white image crumpled onto the dirty ground below.

Kazuya, utterly exhausted, struggled to pick his head up as Wolf stepped forward. The swirling pools of violet followed obediently behind, surging and flowing across the dirt and broken branches where it passed.

"Once again, you are NOTHING to me." The monster hissed, stressing each word to the syllable. "You may believe your family is gifted in spiritualism, but even with a physical form to strengthen them, the Kazama clan has always been nothing more than a pathetic collection of delusional magicians. You don't even have a body! What on earth makes you think that you can test me."

Reeling, Jun failed to respond.

Wolf watched her expectantly for a moment, a knowing expression of malice spreading laboriously across its distorted face.

"Please… you're not in pain." It complained. "You have no nerves to even feel pain. You have nothing." Then it paused, appearing to wander in thought. "Although… I'm sure you don't want to be left out. Physical pain is far from the only-"

"Don't… touch her." Kazuya muttered suddenly, fighting to raised his bloody head back and lean it against the hard tree behind him.

Wolf smiled, reveling in the eye contact.

"Devil." It named with vitriolic passion, finally finding a stomach for the word. "My most hated foe… to think that I once feared you. I hope you realize that you've chosen a pathetic host."

Kazuya's red eye glowed…

The forest held its breath.

Wolf almost seemed to stand still.

…Then his eye faded back down to dull emptiness.

Wolf's disposition, displaying the most microscopic shift at this symbol, shifted relievedly back to taunting.

"I assumed as much." Came the confident tease. "You've been repressed for far too long. Your host is weak… and his weakness has cost you your strength. Have you truly grown too feeble to fight back? Will it really be so easy to expel you?"

The rhetorical questions received no answer.

"Honestly, part of me was looking forward to our fight... But now it's just shameful to see how far you've fallen." Then it paused. "I shall enjoy killing your host."

Even as the beast issued yet another command to his death, Kazuya found himself unmoved. Fatigue and blood loss had long since rendered his senses dull and hazy. Slowly losing focus on the twisting voice, Kazuya suddenly found himself mumbling.

"Jun… I…"

Exhaustedly, her head turned slowly to face him. To his side, leaning against the hard wood for support and covered in dust, the woman's perfect, untouchable aura had suddenly started to appear remarkably more human. From that fallen spot where she lay, legs tucked tiredly under her, shrouded by dirt and shadows, Jun had almost become demystified.

For the first time since they had landed on that Island, Kazuya felt like he could finally read her.

"Kazuya…" The image spoke, finding nothing to say.

"Yes…" Coaxed their captor's hated, vile whisper. "Reach out to the one you hate, the one you curse. It fits so well that you should both die reaching for the person who has wreaked so much pain in your lives."

"I…" Kazuya stuttered again, losing the strength to speak.

At last, he could see her face and recognize the mind that existed behind it. All of the hate… all of the distrust… began to fade foolishly away against a simple truth. But now, at such a miraculous moment when he could finally see Jun and not feel that familiar chaos of frustration and fear… The man was losing his grip.

Kazuya felt a cool breeze sweep across his face, and a disjointed thought wondered if the subtle sensation could become the last thing he would ever feel.

A low rumbling echoed throughout the forest. Slowly from all sides, new tendrils of deep purple and black slime coaxed into the clearing. From nothing, the blackness emerged like a hungry vulture descending around its prey. They wrapped wildly around trees, suffocating branches and covering the earth with a despicable sludge.

The pulsing liquid swarmed all around, concentrating at Wolf's pale, barren feet, then spreading out equally in all directions.

Wolf drew in a long breath of air. It must have been the first visible breath that the creature had taken all night.

Raising both slender arms with palms outstretched, Corruption reached to the fallen heavens. It's was a hideous, dark, grotesque, and yet stunning beautiful display of pure art. Twisted columns rising from the ground like great gothic architecture, the subtle forest clearing had become a black cathedral.

The devil man's eyesight staggered hazily through blobs of grey to absorb the display. Fighting against fatigue and the sweet allure of death, they struggled to survive.

"Vile purities." Wolf declared, almost in a trance. "Cleanse in me."

Something warm touched his bloodied hand.

"Kazuya…" hummed a sweet, dying voice.

It was her. Of course it was her. It was always Jun.

"I have no idea what I'm doing…" She whispered.

The man felt her calmness overtake him. "Jun." He murmured, "I… I don't know either…" Finding so much release in the simple, stupid words, it almost brought him to tears.

"I'm sorr-"

WHOOSH!

The wicked slime pulsed, then swept gracelessly forward with a terrible breakneck speed. The anvil of black death rushed to meet them… And the pair surrendered.

There was nothing to do.

Even if there could be a chance for survival… even if a miracle of life were to sweep them from the condemning pit they faced… there would still be no resolution.

Their conflict, their pain, their pain, their disharmony… It would all still be there.

Nothing could change.

And so… it could only be better to die.

The pair let go.

…

…

"Wait."

…

The word echoed smoothly.

Where?

…

"Both of you. You only need time."

…

Blinding and bright, an incredible white light erupted from the center of the forest.

The spirit Wolf recoiled in shock, sending pillars of slime flying wildly in all directions…

Then all at once it froze.

…

Breathlessly still, the entire world froze.

…

Barely watching through one eyelid, Kazuya absorbed the image with wonder, and thought quietly to himself, that this… an endless world frozen at the point of annihilation… was exactly how he had always pictured death would look.

Calmly, he began to close his eyes.

"Kazuya," Called the voice again.

They opened.

Suddenly, his existential hopes for release were dashed.

There rose a woman, directly before him, bathed beautifully in whites and golds. She stood lightly, almost floating, with so much blinding light surrounding her that his eyes couldn't hope to understand.

"And Jun," The voice named.

Instantly Kazuya felt a surge of surprise at hearing the sound. In his delirium, the comforting name rushed back to embrace him, not even realizing how swiftly and totally it had gone.

Then, even as he thought of the mysterious woman he had left behind, he heard her voice.

"You…" Jun's voice drifted distantly.

Where was she?

Lost in light, the mysterious glowing woman smiled. Her image was the only thing that Kazuya's eyes could even vaguely wrestle out from the overwhelming supernova that raged around him.

"You…" Jun's voice repeated again, breathless.

At last, Kazuya found the last bits of strength left in his body, and raised his arm to shield against the onslaught. Slowly, the blinding image began to form.

The floating woman was tall, clothed in long white fabric that billowed around her waist. Stunning blonde hair came into focus… then a dazzling metallic lace strung around her head. Branches of lush green leaves hung delicately from her perfect white tunic, and then at last he saw it.

The source of the light

"No." Kazuya breathed, a mix of wonder, disbelief, fury, and knowing.

Wings.

The bright, blinding light that enveloped her: there was no terrestrial source. Instead, it shone forth from two enormous, brilliantly white feathered wings that arched all the way around her body; the perfect halo.

"You see me."

Quietly beside him, Jun breathed the name that had arisen silently within Kazuya's mind.

"Angel…"

The glorious spirit smiled. It was an expression not of pride, but care.

"Yes." Angel comforted, her sweet voice soothing minds with every syllable. "My dearest loves… You have come so far… and yet you are now so lost. You have reached the end."

"Death…" Kazuya asked, almost begging for an answer.

Angel turned her head to gaze lovingly at him.

"No."

"Are you here… to save us?" Asked Jun.

"No." The vision confirmed sadly. "Do not assume that your peril is ended. My dear sister will not be stopped so easily... And it is not my place to save you from the death you have both asked for."

Kazuya and Jun said nothing.

"You understand, yes?" It asked, her angelic voice mirroring that of a concerned parent. "The choices you have both made here tonight… Is death not what you both clearly want?"

Again, no answer came. Both were too ashamed to speak.

Angel waited, a warm expression of understanding and care adorning its otherworldly features.

"Yes." It spoke, answering its own question. "You were given all the tools to create harmony, but instead you chose discord. You are too hurt… and ashamed… and confused… to confront the problems that plague you. And so, perhaps unknowingly, you have chosen death."

Kazuya's head lurched forward and hung helplessly in self-disgust.

To his right, Jun's eyes had begun to form tears.

"I only want to respect your wishes." Angel spoke, hinting that her appearance could be less of a rescue… and more of a final farewell.

At the sound of his love softly sobbing… Kazuya felt no other choice.

"However…" It spoke carefully, "This is one mistake which I shall not allow you both to make."

Kazuya's head, bathed in tears, suddenly lifted up.

"Death may be what you're asking for… but you've failed to convince me. I simply don't believe you."

Jun choked back a sob as fresh confusion overtook her with every word.

"I am here…" Angel whispered. "To give you the short time you deserve. Time which you could use… or time which you could waste."

The brightness began to intensify.

"Wait-"

"However you choose to spend this time you are given, please… please… use it together. If for nothing else, then at least to say goodbye."

The brightness grew unbearable. It blocked out every bit of sight and burned their eyes.

Suddenly they both began to feel weightless. The ground, the trees, everything faded into emptiness.

Kazuya felt his mind slipping.

The light engulfed everything… until only blank whiteness remained.

"Please Kazuya… I know that you can…."

Kazuya's spirit faded away.

It vanished.

"… feel."

End Chapter Thirty One

(When I first started The Return and the events of my personal life were fueling each word, I deeply hated the fact that I could feel so much. Just a constant, endless, exhausting cloud of emotions and wants and fears that followed me around from the moment I woke up until the moment I fell asleep. I can't even tell you how badly I tried to force myself to feel nothing. THAT was what I wanted more than almost anything, and the fact that I couldn't do it drove me insane. Once that particular chapter in my life started to end, and my obsession was slowly replaced with clear reality, I began to notice that I was feeling a lot less. Less love, less anger, less confusion, just less extremes overall. And this trend continued over time, until I reached the point in my current life where I consider myself(and all of my IRL friends lovingly agree) to be a cold, rational, and nearly emotionless person. I can honestly say that being cold is not a bad thing in my eyes, I think it's my greatest strength. And I feel infinitely more stable and happy these days compared to where I was. However… do you think I sometimes look back on those days with a bit of fond reminiscence? Do you think every so often that I look at someone and wish quietly to myself that I could experience an ounce of that same unbridled rush of chaotic love for them which I once felt for someone else? Do you think I still kindof remember how it felt? Well… I think I might have accidentally given you some hints to those questions here in this chapter. ANYWAY! Personal stuff over with… What did you think of chapter 31? I know this one got pretty intense at certain moments, but that was because I wanted to honestly show what Kazuya and Jun's relationship could look like at its worst. Having a relationship founded on tension between two opposing forces can be intensely exhilarating and romantic, but it's a double edged sword. I also tried to juxtapose it by including the flashback of Kazuya and Jun at a moment where that tension works in their favor, because I think the whole situation is really a lot more nuanced than simply saying "its bad to have a relationship like that" or "its good". Either way, we're now primed for a very special chapter 32, as you can probably guess. Angel appeared! And what exactly did she do? Well, don't worry about that, you'll find out exactly what she did in chapter 32 ;) But just to put your troubled minds at ease, I'll clarify that Angel is NOT here to abruptly rescue Kazuya and Jun from certain death. I hate the writing trope where something magically happens to save the day (deus ex machina is the term… I think), so IF Kazuya and Jun are going to survive this… and that's a big IF… then it's gonna need to happen due to their own actions. Will they even survive this? And more importantly, do they even deserve to survive this? I have many many broad ideas for chapter 32, but I think one of the biggest ideas I'm gonna explore is whether Kazuya and Jun, considering all the Hell they put each other through, truly should be together at all. There are some strong arguments to say that their constant tension is genuinely detrimental to both of them, and if I want to do this story justice, then I can't treat that question as if it's a foregone conclusion. I will be doing a lot of thinking on that in the coming months while I write, and if the honest conclusion I arrive at is that they shouldn't be together… well then… I just want to warn you that I might legitimately choose to end the story that way. Don't think I wont do it! Hahaha oooooor I might have them end up happily ever after. Who knows? But also try not to worry too much about it, the resolution will arrive eventually. And I really really really hope the emotional conflict and strained, hateful events of this chapter aren't sitting badly with any of you who read it. There is just so much negative energy and information flooding in at us right now, especially in 2020, so the last thing I want is for The Return to cause any kind of sadness for anyone. I love all of you readers out there, those who have stuck with me since day one and even those who just found the story today. If chapter 31, or any point in the story really, made you feel uncomfortable or depressed, then I urge you to re-read it with a different, calmer, more reflective mindset. Read it as the story of two people who are just as confused as you are. Yeah, Kazuya and Jun both put up a LOT of screens to make themselves look all-knowing or all-powerful, but one thing I've tried to do time and time again in this story is show that at the end of the day, they are human beings just like you and me. Don't feel sorrow for them, but rather put yourself in their shoes and consider how you would react. Ask yourself confusing questions like "what would I do if someone I thought I loved said this to me?". And then try to turn that into a learning experience. That's basically the big secret to my writing style haha(especially in the early chapters). I would just ask myself those questions over and over again and write down the answers. It's a deeply therapeutic experience for me, and I hope that it can be at least a bit relaxing or therapeutic for you too, because you're a deeper and more complex human being than you realize :) Anyway… this is getting to be another one of those way-too-long ANs, isn't it? Oh well. Leave a review and let me know what you think about the chapter, and I look forward to reading it! Stay safe and work smart everyone! Until next time.)

M.g- Hello! If the last chapter and the one before that made you feel somber… this one probably made it even worse lol. I'm sorry! Real love is a complicated and oftentimes somber thing, so if readers like you are having real emotional reactions to the story then I think I'm accomplishing the goal. I hope this one doesn't make you too stressed out though! If it's any consolation, I feel the same way when I reread older parts my own story sometimes(which sounds ridiculous I know). What did you think about Kazuya and Jun in this latest chapter? I tried really hard to make it ambiguous and unclear whether either one of them was truly "wrong" in this situation, because they both share blame in different ways for what their relationship has become. Despite this, do you think they can redeem it?

Tifanny91- I really liked what you said about Kazuya fighting for an unusual reason compared to how he usually fights. As I said in a previous chapter, Kazuya is finally vulnerable for someone else. This might seem like a weakness, but perhaps he's using it and turning it into a strength? Hm… very interesting. Thank you for what you said about Reike and Kunimitsu too. Those two were probably the hardest characters for me to write about, but eventually a new path appeared which I felt they could take, and slowly it became easier to write them in an honest way. And as for Jun, I absolutely agree. One of the biggest themes within The Return is the slow, steady breaking down of Jun's image as a perfect, untouchable angel. She is a real human being with flaws, and it's taken both of them, Kazuya AND Jun, a long time to accept it. Do you think that Jun and Kazuya are good for each other in the long run? I know the events of this particular chapter might skew the question one way, but considering their whole history and everyting that happened over the course of this story, should they truly be together? That's the biggest question I'll be considering as I prepare to write chapter 32, and I'm curious what your take on it might be.

Guest/ Aevora Myonsarys- Thank you for reading and reviewing! I love that you said you wanted Jun to be selfish for once. Sometimes it really does feel like she's constantly been the one to back down and sacrifice for their relationship! In chapter 31, refuse to back down is exactly what she did… but as you can see, things can get complicated very fast lol. And now, considering what might happen next, do you think there's still a chance for that cliché ending to come true? I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you're ready for whatever is to come!

Keitaro073190- Welcome to the present! I know it must have taken a long time to catch up, so I apologize for making you wait like 8 months before I posted again hahaha. Anyway thank you for reading!

Jin- You know, since about chapter 10 I've never actually sat down and read my entire story all the way through in order. However, I bet that if I did, it would take me a lot longer than 6 days to complete, so that's very well done. This chapter probably felt very stressful too, because Kazuya and Jun have VERY heavy exchanges during it. Writing tense, heavy dialogue like that might be my favorite part of writing The Return, because it makes me feel strong and unexpected emotions while I write. I'm curious what you thought of this story as well, and what you think of Jun and Kazuya's relationship now. And of course, thank you very much for reading and reviewing and for messaging me too.

Cipher 56- Well, if you insist. Hahaha it's pretty funny that you wrote that review literally a few days before I finally got around to finishing chapter 31. Consider yourself lucky, you've got some great timing! Anyway I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for reading!