Chapter 16: Enough Problems
"Friends are there forever, no matter what the challenge."
Disclaimer: I don't own. Namco does.
Kotou: Ok, here's the deal! Later In this chapter the characters will be somewhat grown. Kinda! What I'm trying to say is, they won't be babies anymore! Let's just start the chapter, shall we?
"Happy birthday to you! YAAAAYYY!!!!!!" Said the noisy crowd. Jin held up Zenrei and whipped the icing off of her tiny button nose. Ling grabbed the camera and took a picture of Zenrei and Jin.
"Happy first birthday!" Miharu said, giving Zenrei a small bracelet she had made a while ago. Europa smiled and grabbed some of the icing off of Zenrei's cheek and licked it off of her finger.
"Eew!" Ling said laughing.
"What? You've never done that before?" she asked taking some of the icing from Europa's finger. Ling just laughed at her crazy friend.
Law walked by with his son and sat at the table, serving themselves a piece of cake. Zenrei reached over to Paul and patted his head, little did he know, his tall hair now had icing all over it. Ling and Jin both looked and laughed, trying their best to keep in their laughter.
"What?" Asked Paul as he looked around and saw the people in the room laughing at him. Forest handed Paul a mirror and as always, Paul checked himself out. His eyes widened as he saw the huge clump of frosting in his hair. Everyone laughed at Paul's priceless expression.
"Oh come on Paul, its not that bad!" Ling said laughing.
"Uh, Paul? Isn't the idea to eat the cake, not to use it as gel?" Forest teased. Marshal laughed along with his son. Paul just rolled his eyes and turned his head.
"Whatever." He grumbled.
"Yeah, if you wanted to take some back home, you could've asked for a plate. I don't think hiding the cake in your hair was such a good idea." Marshal added. Paul stood up and pouted, wiping the rest from his hair.
"Here, let me help you with that." Ling said, still trying not to laugh.
After everyone had eaten, they all moved to the living room and watched Jin play with Zenrei. He held her by her arms and stood her upright on the ground. She stood there looking brightly at her father. Slowly, Jin had moved away and watched as Zenrei kept her balance. Everyone clapped and gave their shares of ooo's and ahh's.
"Let me try!" Miharu said, standing Europa next to Zenrei. Razan sat across from the two of them and watched. Europa stood up without a look of worry. She was very confident in herself, which made Miharu laugh. "Ha, ha, wow this is fun!" Miharu said cheering for her daughter.
"Now try to get her to walk." Said Razan with her arms crossed looking over at Miharu. Miharu chuckled, thinking that it wouldn't be any challenge at all.
"Sure!" She said arrogantly. "Come on Europa! Come to mama." She said extending her arms out to her. Europa stretched out her tiny arms and leaned forward.
"Is she planning to levitate herself?" Ling asked. Everyone laughed except for Miharu.
"Oh...shut up!" She said sticking her tongue out at her. "Come on Europa! I know you can do it." She called out again to her, but Europa just stood there.
"Watch a pro." Said Ling as she stood a few feet away from Zenrei. "Zenni, come to mama!" Zenrei turned her head towards Ling and slowly put one foot in front of her. "She's doing it!" She yelped. "Come on Zenni!" She called again and clapped her hands. Feeling the pressure from the sudden contest, Miharu was urged to have Europa up and walking.
"Please Europa, I know you can do this! Please, for mommy?" Europa smiled and took two steps forward, straining to keep her balance. Both Zenrei and Europa were walking in sync with eachother. Everyone clapped and laughed as they watched. Just as Zenrei and Europa were about to reach their parents, Zenrei tripped over Europa's untied shoelace and fell, causing Europa to fall along with her. As the two collided, they laughed and giggled. Miharu and Ling sighed, relieved that their babies weren't in any trouble.
"That was so cute!" Said Julia kneeling next to Zenrei and Europa. At first sight, Razan felt chills down her spine. She clenched her fist and gritted her teeth, hiding her anger deep within her burning soul. Ling noticed how she acted, and how it reminded her of how she acted when a girl would come up to flirt with Jin. She smiled, but Razan did not. She just gave Julia hard death stares every time she would pass by. "Here, let me show you how well JiEun can walk." Julia said. She took JiEun and placed her on the floor. All by herself, JiEun picked herself up and stood on her own. Everyone stood in awe at the little child. She walked passed her mother and into her father's arms. Everyone began to clap for JiEun. Miharu and Ling stood there shaking their heads.
"Well, JiEun is older than Zenrei by a year...so that's why I'm not surprised." Ling scuffed. Julia smiled at her little girl and kissed her cheek giving her praises and thanks.
"Don't worry Zenni, one day you will surpass her. I know you will." Ling whispered to her daughter.
That night, when everyone had gone home, Jin, Ling, and Zenrei shared their first Christmas on the rooftop. Jin helped Ling to the top as she carried Zenrei in her arms. They looked up at the colored sky and felt the tender white snowflakes hit their skin. The wind blew gently, carrying a cool breeze. Ling wrapped Zenrei in her small baby blanket that Jin had given her. Jin held Ling close to him so that she wouldn't be cold.
"Jin, is this what it was like in Brisbane?" She asked, keeping her gaze on the heavens above her. He looked around at the peace within the woods.
"Somewhat like this. Brisbane was a crowded city and all the houses were brightly lit up."
"Did you think about me, when you saw how happy the other people were?" This time she turned her head towards him and looked at him in the most caring and gentle way.
"Every second. My only wish was to be with you that Christmas." She leaned her head on his shoulder.
"Good, because I felt the exact same way. Even though we were apart, and even though there were others who shared our feelings, we were always together, weren't we Jinny." He kissed the top of her head.
"Right. We were always and will always be together."
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Simple as that. Everything had been going smoothly, just the way a normal family would go on living their lives. Zenrei was their most precious possession and they came to face every evil that threatened their lives. Jin had been especially over cautious of his child, being the son of a Devil and an Angel, and cursing his daughter to be the same way. But Jin had always loved Zenrei, no matter how she came out to be. Europa, a few months older than Zenrei was always there for Zenni; even though she was just a baby. Their destinies are secretly intertwined with one another's but they are completely unaware of it.
Four years came and passed quite quickly. The Kazama family were living their lives to the fullest, and watching Zenrei grow up. She was a young five year old and looked so much like her father. She was skinny and had a quite graceful figure. She still wore her hair in two pigtails like her mother. Zenrei, Jin and Ling were out by the lake.
"Just spread your legs out a bit further and you got it." Jin said kicking Zenrei's legs to the side. She stood in that stance.
"Like this papa?" She asked. Jin looked over Zenrei's stance.
"Perfect." She leaped back up to her feet.
"Papa, when are we going to spar?" She asked. He laughed and patted her head.
"Eager to fight?" She eagerly nodded her head in agreement. "Well, what are we waiting for?" He asked standing in his fighting position.
"Yay!" She clapped her hands and bounced around, then stood in her fighting stance. Ling laughed, noting that her daughter had the same free-spirited heart she has. "Come on daddy, show me waccha got!" She said with a bold smile. She ran up to Jin and cartwheeled to the side of him. Jin wasn't surprised. He saw it coming and grabbed her leg. Zenrei gasped, but slipped her leg from his grasp. When she had made contact with the ground, she kicked Jin's ankles and tripped him, letting him fall on his back. She hopped up and stood back.
"That a girl Zenni!" Ling cheered. Zenrei took her eyes off Jin and smiled at her mother. When she looked back to where Jin had been, he was gone.
"Uh-Oh!" She said aloud. She looked to the left, then to the right. He wasn't there. She closed her eyes and concentrated. She felt aware of everything around her, using her four senses. "There you are!" She said as Jin came in contact with her. She sidestepped out of the way as quickly as she could. Jin missed her, but she had swung her hand around, doing a full quarter turn. Jin grabbed her wrist and spun her around and around and around until she was dizzy. He let go with a force and Zenrei was left to stay on her two feet. "Eeh, I feel sick!" She said holding her head and looking at the spinning earth. Jin grabbed her from behind and pulled her down.
"Thought you were getting away, didn't you?" He asked. Zenrei tried to punch, but she couldn't even see straight.
"No! I can do it!" She said as she swung her arm and pushed Jin out of the way. She shook the dizzy feeling from her head and looked directly at Jin. "Father! You're going easy on me! You haven't even landed a punch, you didn't even try!" She whined. She crossed her arms and frowned. "Don't you think I'm strong?" She asked, giving him that sorrowful look. Jin sat next to Zenrei, placing her on his lap.
"Of course I think you're strong. You've mastered both your mother and my fighting style." He said, moving her bangs out of her eyes.
"Than give me a chance to show you." She said with a new smile on her cute face. Jin knew that Zenrei was talented, but there was still a lot of training that she needed.
"Ok. We'll fight fair." He got up from the ground, tightened his glove, and gave Zenrei a cocky smirk. This was the fight Zenrei asked for. She wanted so much to show her father her true strength.
Lurking in the shadows of the forest stood Hinotama. He watched closely as the young girl sparred with her father.
"She sure has grown." He said in a deep and low whisper. "I would say that she is at the brink of her martial art skills, but she lacks power. I could be the one to offer it to her." He picked up his cellphone from his pocket and dialed in some numbers.
"Lord Akuma, I have some interesting news for you. I will meet you tomorrow and explain the situation, I may even have a small 'gift' for you." He hung up and looked at Zenrei closely. "Yes, you will do just fine for our plans. Tonight will be you're last night with them." He gave out a sinister and horrendous laugh and disappeared.
After a half an hour of sparring with both Jin and Ling, Zenrei collapsed on the ground.
"I won!" She yelled, deeply out of breath. Ling and Jin exchanged looks.
"You won?" Ling asked.
"I don't remember us giving up." Jin added. Zenrei lifted her head up and smiled.
"But I won! I always win!" She smiled. Jin and Ling both charged at her, and began to tickle her. (^__^) "Mommy! Daddy!" She cried out in laughter. "Stop, please!" She rolled around screaming and crying with joy. After their 'Tickle fest' was over, they all laid side-by-side resting their bodies. "That was fun." Zenrei said, opening her eyes and glancing at her parents. "Mama, papa?" She began. Her voice was low and sounded worried.
"What's wrong Zenni?" Ling asked. Zenrei sat up and crossed her legs.
"Well, I have been having bad dreams."
"About?" They both asked.
"There was this bad man, and he tried to hurt daddy." Jin rose up and had a serious look of worry on his face.
"What happened?" Ling asked.
"He..." It was tough for the young child to go on. Tears welled up in her eyes and she couldn't do anything to stop it. "He killed daddy!" She cried and went to hug Jin, holding onto him tightly. Jin hugged her with an equal amount of strength.
"It's alright, I'm here." He whispered, holding him very close to his heart. She looked up and gave the weakest smile she had ever given to him.
"And then he took mama away from me and took me to a bad man's house." She explained. Her words were soft and full of sorrow. "I never told mama goodbye, or I love her. He just took me far away and I saw mama in the fire." Ling crawled next to Zenrei and kissed her hot cheek.
"Zenni, that won't happen, you're father and I made a promise that we will not let any harm come to you." Zenrei wiped her tears and stood up. Ling and Jin also arose from the ground. "Come on, Miharu and Europa are coming over soon and you still have your classes with Razan." Zenrei took Ling and Jin's hand and walked alongside them.
Zenrei was in the living room playing with Yuki. She sat on her back and roamed around the house. Yuki and Zenrei had produced an unbreakable bond of friendship and trust, just like the one she had created with Europa.
Knock, knock, knock!
Ling went to the door and opened it.
"Hey Miharu! Hi Europa!" She greeted. Europa bowed politely and smiled.
"Good morning aunt Ling." She said. Zenrei walked to the door and stood next to her mother. "Zenni!" Europa said happily. She went up to Zenrei and hugged her tightly.
"Hi Europa! Hi aunt Miharu." Europa and Zenrei were very close and considered eachother family, even though technically they weren't. "Mama, can Europa and I take a walk in the forest?" She asked. Ling smiled and nodded, letting Miharu in.
"Sure, but take Yuki with you."
"Ok." They said.
"Hey you two, don't be gone for too long. Remember, we start training in one hour." Razan said as she passed by.
"Aw, do we have to?" Zenrei asked. "Mama, papa, and I just trained!" She whined.
"Yes! You do want to grow up strong like us don't you?" Razan asked. Europa and Zenrei exchanged looks. "Don't worry, Europa will be there too."
"I will?!" She asked in shock.
"Europa! You always come training with us!" Zenrei snapped. Europa lowered her head and rolled her eyes.
"I will see you two in an hour." Razan said patting them on the head.
"Oh, alright." They moaned. Yuki walked towards them and bent down so they could climb on her back. The three were headed off into the woods.
As soon as they were deep enough, they had found their little hideout that they would always stay at.
"Europa, I think my daddy used to stay here." She said looking around.
"Why is that?" She asked. Zenrei grabbed her hand and guided her to the tree and showed her the engraving on the bark.
"It says Jin and Jun Kazama. And look, there's a heart around it." She pressed her finger on the trunk. "That's my daddy's name, but I don't know who the other person's name is." She said.
"Maybe you have another mommy!" Said Europa with her eyes as wide as can be. Zenrei looked astonished, almost believing that was possible.
"No!" She shouted back. "I look like mommy, and daddy loves mommy. She is my mommy!" She assured herself.
"Yeah, at least you know who your papa is...I never knew mine." She whispered. Zenrei lowered her head.
"Oh, sorry." She said sympathetically. The two sat down by the tree and played with Yuki.
"So Zenni, you still havin' those weird dreams?" Europa asked. Zenrei didn't answer at first. Just the sudden thought about those nightmares made her want to cry.
"Uh, yeah." She said in a low tone. They stood away from that conversation, but there was something that had caught their attention. "Europa, do you hear something?" She asked. Yuki stood in front of the two girls.
"Kazama!" Yelled a small female voice.
"Ugh! Not her!" Zenrei moaned as she fell on top of Yuki. Europa fell back down to the ground and crossed her arms.
"As if we didn't have enough problems already!" Europa said. The two girls playfully giggled amongst themselves.
"Finally! I was beginning to think that you were avoiding me." Said JiEun. She was a six year old with a cocky attitude, just like her father. She had long brownish reddish colored hair in one ponytail and dark brown eyes. She was wearing a navy blue tank top and tight jean pants. "So you two, this is where you guys hide. Nice." She strolled around looking at the surroundings.
"What do you want JiEun?" Zenrei said seeming quite upset.
"Look, my father taught me a new fighting strategy! I just wanted to show you guys. But, if you're too chicken..." Zenrei and Europa snapped their heads up.
"We're not chicken!" They retaliated.
"Oh no? Than show me waccha got!" She said standing in her stance. Zenrei sighed and stood in front of Europa.
"Come on!" She shouted.
"Zenni! Let me fight her." Europa said purging her friend to let her fight. Zenrei stood poised in front of JiEun.
"Listen Europa, I've got it! You can have her once I'm through." She said with a cute little smile.
"That's not likely!" JiEun retaliated. "Put up and shut up!" The battle had begun. Though the children were five and six, they fought just like experts. Zenrei's punches and kicks were on target, same as JiEun's. Europa stood watching as her brave friend fight her female rival.
JiEun had noticed that Zenrei was a hard puncher, and all of her attacks were aimed at her face.
'I've got it! I'll use father's technique and kick. Her punches will never reach me.' JiEun thought. As Zenrei came close to her, JiEun leaned to the right, letting Zenrei fall forward, and then kicked her high into the air. Zenrei flew high, and came crashing down. "Now for the great attack!" She said. She leaped into the air and performed her hunting hawk. Zenrei was kicked far across the plains and hit the trunk of the tree hard.
"Ow!" She moaned, rubbing her back. Europa ran to her friend.
"Zenni!" She called. Zenrei looked up in pain at her friend. "Hey! That's not fair! You're older than her. Why don't you pick on someone your own age, like me!" She stood in her stance.
"No, Europa. Let me handle this. Mother and father told me that I am strong, and that I must prove it to myself." She got back up on her two feet and stood poised.
"Zenni, are you sure?" She asked. Zenrei looked at her caring friend and gave her a hug.
"I'm very sure!" She said with a smile.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Jin, I'm worried." Ling said as she snuggled next to Jin on the couch.
"About...that dream?" He asked. She nodded silently.
"Yeah. I know she has slight psychic powers, but do you think that could be a premonition?" She hugged him tightly and stared him deep in the eyes.
"We shouldn't worry about the future. All that matters is the present, and if we do our best to protect this family, we'll be fine." She smiled and kissed him deeply.
"You're right." She whispered.
"Oooh! Look at the two lovers! That's just so cute!" Hworang teased as he walked in the house. Ling backed away from Jin blushing.
"Uh, hi Hworang." She said in a low whisper."
"JiEun is out with Zenrei and Europa." Julia said sitting next to Hworang. "We just finished training, how about you guys?" Ling smiled and looked at Julia.
"We're all doing fine. Zenrei has already mastered a lot of out fighting skills, I knew she would be strong just like her father."
"Well, that's nice to hear. Has she had any recent...transformations?" Julia asked. Jin and Ling looked at eachother. Ling didn't want her child to sound like a freak.
"What? Oh, of course not! She is pure and without any trace of evil within her blood." She lied. Zenrei had only transformed once, but that was when she was a baby.
"Oh really? I thought...since Jin has the devil-gene in him...that maybe, Zenrei might have it in her as well? I was only saying that because I can only imagine how hard it would be on you two to raise such a thing." Ling rolled her eyes. She knew that Julia was hinting that her daughter was better than Zenrei.
"She's not a thing, she's a breathing human just like us! With or without her devil-gene." Ling said sternly. Julia sighed, and smiled at Hworang.
"Oh please, don't take what I said seriously! I know she's good. You'll except her anyway she is." Julia said bobbing her head up and down. Miharu looked at Ling who had a lot of anger hidden inside.
"OK! Let's change topics shall we?" Miharu said getting up. "I'll go make us all some nice hot tea!" She went into the kitchen.
"I'll go too." Said Ling as she followed.
"Wait Ling! I would like some too." Said Julia as she chased after the two of them. Razan lifted herself from the ground and looked at her watch. She stretched and yawned.
"It's about time for the kids' lesson. I'll see ya in two hours Jin!" She said waving goodbye. Jin and Hworang were the only two left. They just sat there, looking at eachother, not sure what to say.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Zenrei was on one knee, panting and breathing heavily. She wiped her tiny mouth of all the blood she had.
"You're strong!" She said getting up. "But I am stronger." She leaped back and shook off the pain as if it were nothing. JiEun crawled up from the ground and twisted her wrist back and forth.
"Sure you are strong! You're a devil!" She yelled. Zenrei stood in silence. She was hurt. She couldn't believe what she had been called.
"What?" She asked in a chocked voice. She was crying.
"You heard what I said! I said that you're a devil! You and you're father! My mama and papa told me!" Europa went up to JiEun and pulled her braid. "Ouch!" She screamed. Europa pulled harder until she cried. "Why did you do that?" She asked wiping her tears.
"Now you know how hurt Zenni is. You made her cry." JiEun took her braid out and still began to cry.
"Yeah, but you hurt me! You pulled my hair!" She whined. Europa went over to Zenrei and wiped the few tears she had.
"And you called her a devil! That hurt her too!" Razan had just walked in and seen the two crying.
"What happened?" She asked. Europa stood up before her and explained everything.
"JiEun called Zenrei a devil. I pulled her hair because I wanted to show her how bad she had hurt Zenrei." Razan nodded her head. She went towards JiEun and picked her up by her arms.
"Who told you Zenrei was a devil?" She asked. JiEun looked at Zenrei, then back at Razan.
"My mother and father. They told me that I shouldn't fight with her because she could turn into a devil and kill me." Razan smiled, pretending it was all a lie.
"Oh, that's not true. Zenrei just practices really hard, that's all." JiEun smiled. "I'm sure if you practice as hard as she does, you will be just as strong." She set JiEun down. "Now go back to your parents, we have business to take care of. JiEun waved goodbye, but not before apologizing to Zenrei for her crude remark.
They walked to their training area in silence. Zenrei walked with her head down and she walked very slowly.
"Razan?" She whispered. Razan looked at her and smiled.
"Yeah Zenni, what is it?" She stalled for a while, not knowing how to ask her question.
"Why did she call me a devil?" Razan's smile quickly disappeared. She was going to have to tell Zenrei the truth. The truth that her parents dreamed that she would never have to know.
Kotou: The End...Of the chapter! Whew! Sorry it took so long to post! My mouse isn't working! So what did you think? Good? Bad? Recessive? Annoying? Should I stop? Ok, Hinotama will be back in the next chapter and so will...ANGEL!!!! Ok? Ok! I hafta go now! Till next chapter!
Jai Ne!
"Friends are there forever, no matter what the challenge."
Disclaimer: I don't own. Namco does.
Kotou: Ok, here's the deal! Later In this chapter the characters will be somewhat grown. Kinda! What I'm trying to say is, they won't be babies anymore! Let's just start the chapter, shall we?
"Happy birthday to you! YAAAAYYY!!!!!!" Said the noisy crowd. Jin held up Zenrei and whipped the icing off of her tiny button nose. Ling grabbed the camera and took a picture of Zenrei and Jin.
"Happy first birthday!" Miharu said, giving Zenrei a small bracelet she had made a while ago. Europa smiled and grabbed some of the icing off of Zenrei's cheek and licked it off of her finger.
"Eew!" Ling said laughing.
"What? You've never done that before?" she asked taking some of the icing from Europa's finger. Ling just laughed at her crazy friend.
Law walked by with his son and sat at the table, serving themselves a piece of cake. Zenrei reached over to Paul and patted his head, little did he know, his tall hair now had icing all over it. Ling and Jin both looked and laughed, trying their best to keep in their laughter.
"What?" Asked Paul as he looked around and saw the people in the room laughing at him. Forest handed Paul a mirror and as always, Paul checked himself out. His eyes widened as he saw the huge clump of frosting in his hair. Everyone laughed at Paul's priceless expression.
"Oh come on Paul, its not that bad!" Ling said laughing.
"Uh, Paul? Isn't the idea to eat the cake, not to use it as gel?" Forest teased. Marshal laughed along with his son. Paul just rolled his eyes and turned his head.
"Whatever." He grumbled.
"Yeah, if you wanted to take some back home, you could've asked for a plate. I don't think hiding the cake in your hair was such a good idea." Marshal added. Paul stood up and pouted, wiping the rest from his hair.
"Here, let me help you with that." Ling said, still trying not to laugh.
After everyone had eaten, they all moved to the living room and watched Jin play with Zenrei. He held her by her arms and stood her upright on the ground. She stood there looking brightly at her father. Slowly, Jin had moved away and watched as Zenrei kept her balance. Everyone clapped and gave their shares of ooo's and ahh's.
"Let me try!" Miharu said, standing Europa next to Zenrei. Razan sat across from the two of them and watched. Europa stood up without a look of worry. She was very confident in herself, which made Miharu laugh. "Ha, ha, wow this is fun!" Miharu said cheering for her daughter.
"Now try to get her to walk." Said Razan with her arms crossed looking over at Miharu. Miharu chuckled, thinking that it wouldn't be any challenge at all.
"Sure!" She said arrogantly. "Come on Europa! Come to mama." She said extending her arms out to her. Europa stretched out her tiny arms and leaned forward.
"Is she planning to levitate herself?" Ling asked. Everyone laughed except for Miharu.
"Oh...shut up!" She said sticking her tongue out at her. "Come on Europa! I know you can do it." She called out again to her, but Europa just stood there.
"Watch a pro." Said Ling as she stood a few feet away from Zenrei. "Zenni, come to mama!" Zenrei turned her head towards Ling and slowly put one foot in front of her. "She's doing it!" She yelped. "Come on Zenni!" She called again and clapped her hands. Feeling the pressure from the sudden contest, Miharu was urged to have Europa up and walking.
"Please Europa, I know you can do this! Please, for mommy?" Europa smiled and took two steps forward, straining to keep her balance. Both Zenrei and Europa were walking in sync with eachother. Everyone clapped and laughed as they watched. Just as Zenrei and Europa were about to reach their parents, Zenrei tripped over Europa's untied shoelace and fell, causing Europa to fall along with her. As the two collided, they laughed and giggled. Miharu and Ling sighed, relieved that their babies weren't in any trouble.
"That was so cute!" Said Julia kneeling next to Zenrei and Europa. At first sight, Razan felt chills down her spine. She clenched her fist and gritted her teeth, hiding her anger deep within her burning soul. Ling noticed how she acted, and how it reminded her of how she acted when a girl would come up to flirt with Jin. She smiled, but Razan did not. She just gave Julia hard death stares every time she would pass by. "Here, let me show you how well JiEun can walk." Julia said. She took JiEun and placed her on the floor. All by herself, JiEun picked herself up and stood on her own. Everyone stood in awe at the little child. She walked passed her mother and into her father's arms. Everyone began to clap for JiEun. Miharu and Ling stood there shaking their heads.
"Well, JiEun is older than Zenrei by a year...so that's why I'm not surprised." Ling scuffed. Julia smiled at her little girl and kissed her cheek giving her praises and thanks.
"Don't worry Zenni, one day you will surpass her. I know you will." Ling whispered to her daughter.
That night, when everyone had gone home, Jin, Ling, and Zenrei shared their first Christmas on the rooftop. Jin helped Ling to the top as she carried Zenrei in her arms. They looked up at the colored sky and felt the tender white snowflakes hit their skin. The wind blew gently, carrying a cool breeze. Ling wrapped Zenrei in her small baby blanket that Jin had given her. Jin held Ling close to him so that she wouldn't be cold.
"Jin, is this what it was like in Brisbane?" She asked, keeping her gaze on the heavens above her. He looked around at the peace within the woods.
"Somewhat like this. Brisbane was a crowded city and all the houses were brightly lit up."
"Did you think about me, when you saw how happy the other people were?" This time she turned her head towards him and looked at him in the most caring and gentle way.
"Every second. My only wish was to be with you that Christmas." She leaned her head on his shoulder.
"Good, because I felt the exact same way. Even though we were apart, and even though there were others who shared our feelings, we were always together, weren't we Jinny." He kissed the top of her head.
"Right. We were always and will always be together."
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Simple as that. Everything had been going smoothly, just the way a normal family would go on living their lives. Zenrei was their most precious possession and they came to face every evil that threatened their lives. Jin had been especially over cautious of his child, being the son of a Devil and an Angel, and cursing his daughter to be the same way. But Jin had always loved Zenrei, no matter how she came out to be. Europa, a few months older than Zenrei was always there for Zenni; even though she was just a baby. Their destinies are secretly intertwined with one another's but they are completely unaware of it.
Four years came and passed quite quickly. The Kazama family were living their lives to the fullest, and watching Zenrei grow up. She was a young five year old and looked so much like her father. She was skinny and had a quite graceful figure. She still wore her hair in two pigtails like her mother. Zenrei, Jin and Ling were out by the lake.
"Just spread your legs out a bit further and you got it." Jin said kicking Zenrei's legs to the side. She stood in that stance.
"Like this papa?" She asked. Jin looked over Zenrei's stance.
"Perfect." She leaped back up to her feet.
"Papa, when are we going to spar?" She asked. He laughed and patted her head.
"Eager to fight?" She eagerly nodded her head in agreement. "Well, what are we waiting for?" He asked standing in his fighting position.
"Yay!" She clapped her hands and bounced around, then stood in her fighting stance. Ling laughed, noting that her daughter had the same free-spirited heart she has. "Come on daddy, show me waccha got!" She said with a bold smile. She ran up to Jin and cartwheeled to the side of him. Jin wasn't surprised. He saw it coming and grabbed her leg. Zenrei gasped, but slipped her leg from his grasp. When she had made contact with the ground, she kicked Jin's ankles and tripped him, letting him fall on his back. She hopped up and stood back.
"That a girl Zenni!" Ling cheered. Zenrei took her eyes off Jin and smiled at her mother. When she looked back to where Jin had been, he was gone.
"Uh-Oh!" She said aloud. She looked to the left, then to the right. He wasn't there. She closed her eyes and concentrated. She felt aware of everything around her, using her four senses. "There you are!" She said as Jin came in contact with her. She sidestepped out of the way as quickly as she could. Jin missed her, but she had swung her hand around, doing a full quarter turn. Jin grabbed her wrist and spun her around and around and around until she was dizzy. He let go with a force and Zenrei was left to stay on her two feet. "Eeh, I feel sick!" She said holding her head and looking at the spinning earth. Jin grabbed her from behind and pulled her down.
"Thought you were getting away, didn't you?" He asked. Zenrei tried to punch, but she couldn't even see straight.
"No! I can do it!" She said as she swung her arm and pushed Jin out of the way. She shook the dizzy feeling from her head and looked directly at Jin. "Father! You're going easy on me! You haven't even landed a punch, you didn't even try!" She whined. She crossed her arms and frowned. "Don't you think I'm strong?" She asked, giving him that sorrowful look. Jin sat next to Zenrei, placing her on his lap.
"Of course I think you're strong. You've mastered both your mother and my fighting style." He said, moving her bangs out of her eyes.
"Than give me a chance to show you." She said with a new smile on her cute face. Jin knew that Zenrei was talented, but there was still a lot of training that she needed.
"Ok. We'll fight fair." He got up from the ground, tightened his glove, and gave Zenrei a cocky smirk. This was the fight Zenrei asked for. She wanted so much to show her father her true strength.
Lurking in the shadows of the forest stood Hinotama. He watched closely as the young girl sparred with her father.
"She sure has grown." He said in a deep and low whisper. "I would say that she is at the brink of her martial art skills, but she lacks power. I could be the one to offer it to her." He picked up his cellphone from his pocket and dialed in some numbers.
"Lord Akuma, I have some interesting news for you. I will meet you tomorrow and explain the situation, I may even have a small 'gift' for you." He hung up and looked at Zenrei closely. "Yes, you will do just fine for our plans. Tonight will be you're last night with them." He gave out a sinister and horrendous laugh and disappeared.
After a half an hour of sparring with both Jin and Ling, Zenrei collapsed on the ground.
"I won!" She yelled, deeply out of breath. Ling and Jin exchanged looks.
"You won?" Ling asked.
"I don't remember us giving up." Jin added. Zenrei lifted her head up and smiled.
"But I won! I always win!" She smiled. Jin and Ling both charged at her, and began to tickle her. (^__^) "Mommy! Daddy!" She cried out in laughter. "Stop, please!" She rolled around screaming and crying with joy. After their 'Tickle fest' was over, they all laid side-by-side resting their bodies. "That was fun." Zenrei said, opening her eyes and glancing at her parents. "Mama, papa?" She began. Her voice was low and sounded worried.
"What's wrong Zenni?" Ling asked. Zenrei sat up and crossed her legs.
"Well, I have been having bad dreams."
"About?" They both asked.
"There was this bad man, and he tried to hurt daddy." Jin rose up and had a serious look of worry on his face.
"What happened?" Ling asked.
"He..." It was tough for the young child to go on. Tears welled up in her eyes and she couldn't do anything to stop it. "He killed daddy!" She cried and went to hug Jin, holding onto him tightly. Jin hugged her with an equal amount of strength.
"It's alright, I'm here." He whispered, holding him very close to his heart. She looked up and gave the weakest smile she had ever given to him.
"And then he took mama away from me and took me to a bad man's house." She explained. Her words were soft and full of sorrow. "I never told mama goodbye, or I love her. He just took me far away and I saw mama in the fire." Ling crawled next to Zenrei and kissed her hot cheek.
"Zenni, that won't happen, you're father and I made a promise that we will not let any harm come to you." Zenrei wiped her tears and stood up. Ling and Jin also arose from the ground. "Come on, Miharu and Europa are coming over soon and you still have your classes with Razan." Zenrei took Ling and Jin's hand and walked alongside them.
Zenrei was in the living room playing with Yuki. She sat on her back and roamed around the house. Yuki and Zenrei had produced an unbreakable bond of friendship and trust, just like the one she had created with Europa.
Knock, knock, knock!
Ling went to the door and opened it.
"Hey Miharu! Hi Europa!" She greeted. Europa bowed politely and smiled.
"Good morning aunt Ling." She said. Zenrei walked to the door and stood next to her mother. "Zenni!" Europa said happily. She went up to Zenrei and hugged her tightly.
"Hi Europa! Hi aunt Miharu." Europa and Zenrei were very close and considered eachother family, even though technically they weren't. "Mama, can Europa and I take a walk in the forest?" She asked. Ling smiled and nodded, letting Miharu in.
"Sure, but take Yuki with you."
"Ok." They said.
"Hey you two, don't be gone for too long. Remember, we start training in one hour." Razan said as she passed by.
"Aw, do we have to?" Zenrei asked. "Mama, papa, and I just trained!" She whined.
"Yes! You do want to grow up strong like us don't you?" Razan asked. Europa and Zenrei exchanged looks. "Don't worry, Europa will be there too."
"I will?!" She asked in shock.
"Europa! You always come training with us!" Zenrei snapped. Europa lowered her head and rolled her eyes.
"I will see you two in an hour." Razan said patting them on the head.
"Oh, alright." They moaned. Yuki walked towards them and bent down so they could climb on her back. The three were headed off into the woods.
As soon as they were deep enough, they had found their little hideout that they would always stay at.
"Europa, I think my daddy used to stay here." She said looking around.
"Why is that?" She asked. Zenrei grabbed her hand and guided her to the tree and showed her the engraving on the bark.
"It says Jin and Jun Kazama. And look, there's a heart around it." She pressed her finger on the trunk. "That's my daddy's name, but I don't know who the other person's name is." She said.
"Maybe you have another mommy!" Said Europa with her eyes as wide as can be. Zenrei looked astonished, almost believing that was possible.
"No!" She shouted back. "I look like mommy, and daddy loves mommy. She is my mommy!" She assured herself.
"Yeah, at least you know who your papa is...I never knew mine." She whispered. Zenrei lowered her head.
"Oh, sorry." She said sympathetically. The two sat down by the tree and played with Yuki.
"So Zenni, you still havin' those weird dreams?" Europa asked. Zenrei didn't answer at first. Just the sudden thought about those nightmares made her want to cry.
"Uh, yeah." She said in a low tone. They stood away from that conversation, but there was something that had caught their attention. "Europa, do you hear something?" She asked. Yuki stood in front of the two girls.
"Kazama!" Yelled a small female voice.
"Ugh! Not her!" Zenrei moaned as she fell on top of Yuki. Europa fell back down to the ground and crossed her arms.
"As if we didn't have enough problems already!" Europa said. The two girls playfully giggled amongst themselves.
"Finally! I was beginning to think that you were avoiding me." Said JiEun. She was a six year old with a cocky attitude, just like her father. She had long brownish reddish colored hair in one ponytail and dark brown eyes. She was wearing a navy blue tank top and tight jean pants. "So you two, this is where you guys hide. Nice." She strolled around looking at the surroundings.
"What do you want JiEun?" Zenrei said seeming quite upset.
"Look, my father taught me a new fighting strategy! I just wanted to show you guys. But, if you're too chicken..." Zenrei and Europa snapped their heads up.
"We're not chicken!" They retaliated.
"Oh no? Than show me waccha got!" She said standing in her stance. Zenrei sighed and stood in front of Europa.
"Come on!" She shouted.
"Zenni! Let me fight her." Europa said purging her friend to let her fight. Zenrei stood poised in front of JiEun.
"Listen Europa, I've got it! You can have her once I'm through." She said with a cute little smile.
"That's not likely!" JiEun retaliated. "Put up and shut up!" The battle had begun. Though the children were five and six, they fought just like experts. Zenrei's punches and kicks were on target, same as JiEun's. Europa stood watching as her brave friend fight her female rival.
JiEun had noticed that Zenrei was a hard puncher, and all of her attacks were aimed at her face.
'I've got it! I'll use father's technique and kick. Her punches will never reach me.' JiEun thought. As Zenrei came close to her, JiEun leaned to the right, letting Zenrei fall forward, and then kicked her high into the air. Zenrei flew high, and came crashing down. "Now for the great attack!" She said. She leaped into the air and performed her hunting hawk. Zenrei was kicked far across the plains and hit the trunk of the tree hard.
"Ow!" She moaned, rubbing her back. Europa ran to her friend.
"Zenni!" She called. Zenrei looked up in pain at her friend. "Hey! That's not fair! You're older than her. Why don't you pick on someone your own age, like me!" She stood in her stance.
"No, Europa. Let me handle this. Mother and father told me that I am strong, and that I must prove it to myself." She got back up on her two feet and stood poised.
"Zenni, are you sure?" She asked. Zenrei looked at her caring friend and gave her a hug.
"I'm very sure!" She said with a smile.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Jin, I'm worried." Ling said as she snuggled next to Jin on the couch.
"About...that dream?" He asked. She nodded silently.
"Yeah. I know she has slight psychic powers, but do you think that could be a premonition?" She hugged him tightly and stared him deep in the eyes.
"We shouldn't worry about the future. All that matters is the present, and if we do our best to protect this family, we'll be fine." She smiled and kissed him deeply.
"You're right." She whispered.
"Oooh! Look at the two lovers! That's just so cute!" Hworang teased as he walked in the house. Ling backed away from Jin blushing.
"Uh, hi Hworang." She said in a low whisper."
"JiEun is out with Zenrei and Europa." Julia said sitting next to Hworang. "We just finished training, how about you guys?" Ling smiled and looked at Julia.
"We're all doing fine. Zenrei has already mastered a lot of out fighting skills, I knew she would be strong just like her father."
"Well, that's nice to hear. Has she had any recent...transformations?" Julia asked. Jin and Ling looked at eachother. Ling didn't want her child to sound like a freak.
"What? Oh, of course not! She is pure and without any trace of evil within her blood." She lied. Zenrei had only transformed once, but that was when she was a baby.
"Oh really? I thought...since Jin has the devil-gene in him...that maybe, Zenrei might have it in her as well? I was only saying that because I can only imagine how hard it would be on you two to raise such a thing." Ling rolled her eyes. She knew that Julia was hinting that her daughter was better than Zenrei.
"She's not a thing, she's a breathing human just like us! With or without her devil-gene." Ling said sternly. Julia sighed, and smiled at Hworang.
"Oh please, don't take what I said seriously! I know she's good. You'll except her anyway she is." Julia said bobbing her head up and down. Miharu looked at Ling who had a lot of anger hidden inside.
"OK! Let's change topics shall we?" Miharu said getting up. "I'll go make us all some nice hot tea!" She went into the kitchen.
"I'll go too." Said Ling as she followed.
"Wait Ling! I would like some too." Said Julia as she chased after the two of them. Razan lifted herself from the ground and looked at her watch. She stretched and yawned.
"It's about time for the kids' lesson. I'll see ya in two hours Jin!" She said waving goodbye. Jin and Hworang were the only two left. They just sat there, looking at eachother, not sure what to say.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Zenrei was on one knee, panting and breathing heavily. She wiped her tiny mouth of all the blood she had.
"You're strong!" She said getting up. "But I am stronger." She leaped back and shook off the pain as if it were nothing. JiEun crawled up from the ground and twisted her wrist back and forth.
"Sure you are strong! You're a devil!" She yelled. Zenrei stood in silence. She was hurt. She couldn't believe what she had been called.
"What?" She asked in a chocked voice. She was crying.
"You heard what I said! I said that you're a devil! You and you're father! My mama and papa told me!" Europa went up to JiEun and pulled her braid. "Ouch!" She screamed. Europa pulled harder until she cried. "Why did you do that?" She asked wiping her tears.
"Now you know how hurt Zenni is. You made her cry." JiEun took her braid out and still began to cry.
"Yeah, but you hurt me! You pulled my hair!" She whined. Europa went over to Zenrei and wiped the few tears she had.
"And you called her a devil! That hurt her too!" Razan had just walked in and seen the two crying.
"What happened?" She asked. Europa stood up before her and explained everything.
"JiEun called Zenrei a devil. I pulled her hair because I wanted to show her how bad she had hurt Zenrei." Razan nodded her head. She went towards JiEun and picked her up by her arms.
"Who told you Zenrei was a devil?" She asked. JiEun looked at Zenrei, then back at Razan.
"My mother and father. They told me that I shouldn't fight with her because she could turn into a devil and kill me." Razan smiled, pretending it was all a lie.
"Oh, that's not true. Zenrei just practices really hard, that's all." JiEun smiled. "I'm sure if you practice as hard as she does, you will be just as strong." She set JiEun down. "Now go back to your parents, we have business to take care of. JiEun waved goodbye, but not before apologizing to Zenrei for her crude remark.
They walked to their training area in silence. Zenrei walked with her head down and she walked very slowly.
"Razan?" She whispered. Razan looked at her and smiled.
"Yeah Zenni, what is it?" She stalled for a while, not knowing how to ask her question.
"Why did she call me a devil?" Razan's smile quickly disappeared. She was going to have to tell Zenrei the truth. The truth that her parents dreamed that she would never have to know.
Kotou: The End...Of the chapter! Whew! Sorry it took so long to post! My mouse isn't working! So what did you think? Good? Bad? Recessive? Annoying? Should I stop? Ok, Hinotama will be back in the next chapter and so will...ANGEL!!!! Ok? Ok! I hafta go now! Till next chapter!
Jai Ne!