Once Upon a Time
By: Mako-chan
Wow. Finally at the final stretch. I'm tired. Aren't you as well? Anyway, thank you to all who have read this story. It was fun, wasn't it? Thank you too to my ardent reviewers. Not only does your encouragement help me but most of all it puts a smile to my face and makes my day. ;) --chu--
--Thank you to the brilliant people of Namco, for bringing such great characters into the best fighting game ever. There, that's enough flattery and admission that I don't own them.--
Final Chapter - All faery tales must come to an end
Hands clamped over her mouth, Xiaoyu almost sank to her knees, utterly shocked at what she saw before her. "I can't believe it...Jin, did you?" she asked, turning to him. All she got was a shy smile from him.
"I'm sorry if it took so long. The flight was delayed by three hours. Sorry to have made you wait."
"Oh, Jin, I-I don't know what to say."
"You don't need to say anything. What are you waiting for?" With that, Jin gave her a gentle push forward.
Unable to contain her emotions, Xiaoyu ran towards her brothers and sisters, landing in an embrace. "Feilang. Wensha. Weiling. Ruiyang." She each hugged and cupped their faces. "I missed you all so much!"
"We missed you too. They missed you. You don't know how much I had to hush them to sleep every single night." The elder Wang Jinrey stepped forward, hands behind his back. "Especially this little one over here. Zhesheng, didn't you always tell me that you wanted to see Sister?" Looking over at the shy boy perched against his knee, he continued encouragingly, "Why don't you give her a big hug? She's waiting for you, Zhesheng."
Xiaoyu gave a wide smile, knelt and opened her arms. "Come."
The little child, unable to contain himself, leapt into Xiaoyu's arms crying. "Sister! I missed you so much! I've been a good boy! I finish my vegetables and and I do as Uncle Wang tells me."
"I've missed you too. God knows how much I have."
A week passed, and the Mishima estate was the happiest and brightest place possibly in all of Japan. Xiaoyu's family gave light to the lonely house, the kids' play brought energy inside it. For the first time in his life after his parents' departure, Jin felt like he was home. In the morning, he would wake up to the children's chirps and games, in the afternoon, he would be with the elderly Wang Jinrey, who, he found out, much to his pleasure, was a very competent fighter and wise mentor. And in the evening, he would find himself basking in the warmth of Xiaoyu, bathed with smiles, stolen kisses and embrace that lulled him to peaceful sleep. For all that he has given them, they were truly grateful and modest. There was even a time that the children themselves adamantly refused when he had bought them each the toy of their fancy, or at least he thought they fancied, because he heard them say they liked it. And being an only son, he was awfully fond of the kids, especially the youngest girl. Weiling was a chatterbox alright, and he just loved hearing stories of Big Sister Xiao.
Each day he watched Xiaoyu light up in the presence of her family. It truly awed him how they could seem to have everything when they never really had anything at all.
----------
Jin sat inside his office, his shirtsleeves rolled up to the elbows and his long legs rested on top of each other on his priceless table. He had been sitting there by himself for hours, and barely noticed that the night was beginning to wear on. And for the longest time, he was looking at a picture of him, his mother and father, taken when he was around four. Seeing a very tearful and touching reunion, Jin couldn't feel any lonelier than he did his entire life. As far as he knew, he had been by himself as early as the day his voice broke. A knock at the door jolted his senses, and he quickly hid the picture inside one of his drawers. Acting cool, he called over, "Come in."
Finally done with lulling all of his brothers and sisters to sleep, Xiaoyu opened the door slightly, making a crack just to peek at what Jin was doing in the middle of the night. After her scanning she stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. "You should be resting. You must be very tired," she said worriedly.
"I'm fine. Don't make a fuss. How are they?"
"They absolutely love it here. And Uncle is loving your sake collection," Xiaoyu said merrily.
"He can have it. A little parting gift."
"I think that's a bad idea." She sighed and fell to the chair with a plop. "I wish everyday would be like this. Zhesheng and everybody else would probably hate me all over again." She ended with a chuckle.
Confused at Jin's unresponsiveness, she tipped her head to the side. "Jin, what's the matter?"
He gave a brief laugh. "Nothing. Everything's fine."
"Don't you lie to me, Jin Kazama." Her voice stern and straight.
"Easy. Easy now. It's just that, seeing you with your family reminds me of how much I want to be with my parents...that's all."
"Why?" Xiaoyu asked, hands on her chest.
"Why what?"
"Why are you...alone?"
"When you're born and raised the way I was, I guess it's inevitable. I've asked myself the same question over a million times...but it doesn't seem to matter anymore. With and without them, I believe I've become the man that I am now. Tell me, Xiaoyu, what do you think?"
She shook her head. Taking a step forward closer to him, Xiaoyu took Jin's handsome face in her small hands. "Thank you. Thank you."
"No. It's me who should thank you. I believe I've become a better man. You've changed my life, Xiaoyu. In more ways than you can imagine." He hugged her with all his love, knowing that it might be his last. "Go rest. You're gonna have a long day ahead of you."
"Alright. You too, Jin." Before she could exit the room, Xiaoyu was stopped by Jin's sudden beckoning. "Yes?"
"I love you."
She smiled and lunged at him with a kiss. Somehow she always knew, but it was the very first time she heard it from him. "Don't worry, I feel the same."
"Why can't you come with us?" Feilang asked, hiding the sadness in her voice.
"Why can't you go home with us?" Ruiyang shuffled his feet trying to bite back the cry threatening to break out.
Xiaoyu held his brother by the shoulders in an effort to console him. "I promise I'll come back. Not just now. I promise I'll be home soon."
"But you're not coming with us!" Wensha yelled furiously.
"Uncle Wang, help me," she begged defeatingly.
With Zhesheng cradled in his arms, he led the others up the young tycoon's private jet. "Your sister is doing this for you. Don't be selfish, children. And she never breaks a promise. You should at least be thankful that you had this time to spend with her. The least you can do is be good. Come along now."
"I could never thank you. I'll miss you, Uncle Jinrey. You take care, alright?" Xiaoyu gave her beloved uncle a gentle hug. "I can't wait to be with you again."
The elderly man smiled. "You know what, I have never seen you this happy. I was always scared of what might become of you. But...look at you, child. This is where you should be. Isn't it about time that you sought your own happiness? We were brought here together, at a time when we least expected it. Now I know that wherever you may be, there will always be a way for us to see each other. You have the love that you so rightfully deserve." His voice starting to croak, Wang distracted Xiaoyu by giving a chuckle. "Thank heavens this little man is sleeping. I would never know what to do with this one!" Then he turned to little Weiling, comfortably perched in Jin's arms with a raised eyebrow. He was greeted with a fervent shake of the head.
"I don't want to!" she exclaimed, increasing her hold on Jin's arms.
"She sure holds tighter than you," Jin said to Xiaoyu in a whisper. In turn, he got an elbow to the rib.
"Now, now, Weiling, be a good girl. If you do, Big Brother Jin will come visit you. Isn't that right?"
He turned to the persistent girl. "Yes. Go with your Uncle Wang now."
"Alright, alright. But on one condition," the young girl proclaimed. "I want him to kiss me!"
"What?!" Xiaoyu exclaimed.
Jin smiled sheepishly. Wang gave an embarrassed shrug.
"You promise?"
"I promise," Weiling replied, her right hand raised up high in the air.
"Alright." Jin brought her tiny forehead closer to him, and planted an affectionate kiss on it.
"Bye-bye." Giving a satisfied squeal Weiling's arms loosened their hold on Jin, and squirmed her way down. However, not before stealing a kiss on the cheek.
"Hurry along now." With a free hand, Wang held Weiling's tiny hands and boarded the jet.
"Well Xiaoyu, I guess this is goodbye."
For a minute, she almost said yes. But something told her that Jin's words meant something else...it meant...
"Come, let's go home."
When they had gone back, Xiaoyu was so exhausted that she went straight to sleep. Whereas for the young master of the Mishima house, sleep evaded him at every move.
Xiaoyu stirred at the persistent nudging at her arm. "What?" she asked, her voice muzzy.
"It's almost noon. You've got to get up. Now."
"But what for?"
Jin gave up. "We're going to the amusement park."
As soon as he said the magic words, the Chinese girl bolted right up like a spring.
----------
As soon as the signal lights went green, the stretch limousine took a turn down to the main road. Inside, Jin watched Xiaoyu sleep, her head on his shoulder, clutching the stuffed panda he got from the UFO Catcher in her arms. Quietly, he instructed the chauffeur to take the highway. Jin checked his coat pocket, making sure that everything he needed was there. He took a long, labored breath. It wasn't going to be easy for both of them.
After three hours of travel, they finally arrived at the airport. Gently nudging Xiaoyu into wakefulness, Jin straightened himself up and opened pushed the door open. Still sleepy, Xiaoyu wordlessly followed him. "Where are we?" she asked, stifling a yawn. Jin didn't respond however, and bitter wakefulness decided to show up when all was too late. A wave of disbelief and panic took over her senses, and Xiaoyu held onto Jin with a strong grip. "What does this mean?"
"Goodbye."
A hand flying to her mouth, she stared at Jin's outstretched palm. Her passport. A boarding pass? She shook her head furiously. "You're joking, right?" And for what seemed to be the nth time, he didn't utter a syllable. "But why?"
He couldn't stand the sight before him. Unable to contain himself, Jin pulled Xiaoyu into a tight embrace. "You belong with them. You belong to them. All I've said Xiao...they're not lies. But you can't be with me." He looked straight into her eyes and shut them tight not long after. He was scared of changing his mind if he held her gaze any longer. "I should've made you go with your family. I was supposed to. But I was too selfish. Please don't be angry with me because of this. I wanted to spend the time with you but...it's time for you to go home."
Hearing his words, she cried into his chest.
"I'm not worth your tears. You'll just look back on this someday and say you had a good dream. Forget about me."
"I'm sorry, but it's already time to go," the ground staff said quietly.
Slowly peeling himself from her, Jin let the devasted Xiaoyu be whisked away by the attendants.
Like the time she had gone away from home, she cried herself to sleep. And for the very first time, Xiaoyu didn't want to go home.
By: Mako-chan
Wow. Finally at the final stretch. I'm tired. Aren't you as well? Anyway, thank you to all who have read this story. It was fun, wasn't it? Thank you too to my ardent reviewers. Not only does your encouragement help me but most of all it puts a smile to my face and makes my day. ;) --chu--
--Thank you to the brilliant people of Namco, for bringing such great characters into the best fighting game ever. There, that's enough flattery and admission that I don't own them.--
Final Chapter - All faery tales must come to an end
Hands clamped over her mouth, Xiaoyu almost sank to her knees, utterly shocked at what she saw before her. "I can't believe it...Jin, did you?" she asked, turning to him. All she got was a shy smile from him.
"I'm sorry if it took so long. The flight was delayed by three hours. Sorry to have made you wait."
"Oh, Jin, I-I don't know what to say."
"You don't need to say anything. What are you waiting for?" With that, Jin gave her a gentle push forward.
Unable to contain her emotions, Xiaoyu ran towards her brothers and sisters, landing in an embrace. "Feilang. Wensha. Weiling. Ruiyang." She each hugged and cupped their faces. "I missed you all so much!"
"We missed you too. They missed you. You don't know how much I had to hush them to sleep every single night." The elder Wang Jinrey stepped forward, hands behind his back. "Especially this little one over here. Zhesheng, didn't you always tell me that you wanted to see Sister?" Looking over at the shy boy perched against his knee, he continued encouragingly, "Why don't you give her a big hug? She's waiting for you, Zhesheng."
Xiaoyu gave a wide smile, knelt and opened her arms. "Come."
The little child, unable to contain himself, leapt into Xiaoyu's arms crying. "Sister! I missed you so much! I've been a good boy! I finish my vegetables and and I do as Uncle Wang tells me."
"I've missed you too. God knows how much I have."
A week passed, and the Mishima estate was the happiest and brightest place possibly in all of Japan. Xiaoyu's family gave light to the lonely house, the kids' play brought energy inside it. For the first time in his life after his parents' departure, Jin felt like he was home. In the morning, he would wake up to the children's chirps and games, in the afternoon, he would be with the elderly Wang Jinrey, who, he found out, much to his pleasure, was a very competent fighter and wise mentor. And in the evening, he would find himself basking in the warmth of Xiaoyu, bathed with smiles, stolen kisses and embrace that lulled him to peaceful sleep. For all that he has given them, they were truly grateful and modest. There was even a time that the children themselves adamantly refused when he had bought them each the toy of their fancy, or at least he thought they fancied, because he heard them say they liked it. And being an only son, he was awfully fond of the kids, especially the youngest girl. Weiling was a chatterbox alright, and he just loved hearing stories of Big Sister Xiao.
Each day he watched Xiaoyu light up in the presence of her family. It truly awed him how they could seem to have everything when they never really had anything at all.
----------
Jin sat inside his office, his shirtsleeves rolled up to the elbows and his long legs rested on top of each other on his priceless table. He had been sitting there by himself for hours, and barely noticed that the night was beginning to wear on. And for the longest time, he was looking at a picture of him, his mother and father, taken when he was around four. Seeing a very tearful and touching reunion, Jin couldn't feel any lonelier than he did his entire life. As far as he knew, he had been by himself as early as the day his voice broke. A knock at the door jolted his senses, and he quickly hid the picture inside one of his drawers. Acting cool, he called over, "Come in."
Finally done with lulling all of his brothers and sisters to sleep, Xiaoyu opened the door slightly, making a crack just to peek at what Jin was doing in the middle of the night. After her scanning she stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. "You should be resting. You must be very tired," she said worriedly.
"I'm fine. Don't make a fuss. How are they?"
"They absolutely love it here. And Uncle is loving your sake collection," Xiaoyu said merrily.
"He can have it. A little parting gift."
"I think that's a bad idea." She sighed and fell to the chair with a plop. "I wish everyday would be like this. Zhesheng and everybody else would probably hate me all over again." She ended with a chuckle.
Confused at Jin's unresponsiveness, she tipped her head to the side. "Jin, what's the matter?"
He gave a brief laugh. "Nothing. Everything's fine."
"Don't you lie to me, Jin Kazama." Her voice stern and straight.
"Easy. Easy now. It's just that, seeing you with your family reminds me of how much I want to be with my parents...that's all."
"Why?" Xiaoyu asked, hands on her chest.
"Why what?"
"Why are you...alone?"
"When you're born and raised the way I was, I guess it's inevitable. I've asked myself the same question over a million times...but it doesn't seem to matter anymore. With and without them, I believe I've become the man that I am now. Tell me, Xiaoyu, what do you think?"
She shook her head. Taking a step forward closer to him, Xiaoyu took Jin's handsome face in her small hands. "Thank you. Thank you."
"No. It's me who should thank you. I believe I've become a better man. You've changed my life, Xiaoyu. In more ways than you can imagine." He hugged her with all his love, knowing that it might be his last. "Go rest. You're gonna have a long day ahead of you."
"Alright. You too, Jin." Before she could exit the room, Xiaoyu was stopped by Jin's sudden beckoning. "Yes?"
"I love you."
She smiled and lunged at him with a kiss. Somehow she always knew, but it was the very first time she heard it from him. "Don't worry, I feel the same."
"Why can't you come with us?" Feilang asked, hiding the sadness in her voice.
"Why can't you go home with us?" Ruiyang shuffled his feet trying to bite back the cry threatening to break out.
Xiaoyu held his brother by the shoulders in an effort to console him. "I promise I'll come back. Not just now. I promise I'll be home soon."
"But you're not coming with us!" Wensha yelled furiously.
"Uncle Wang, help me," she begged defeatingly.
With Zhesheng cradled in his arms, he led the others up the young tycoon's private jet. "Your sister is doing this for you. Don't be selfish, children. And she never breaks a promise. You should at least be thankful that you had this time to spend with her. The least you can do is be good. Come along now."
"I could never thank you. I'll miss you, Uncle Jinrey. You take care, alright?" Xiaoyu gave her beloved uncle a gentle hug. "I can't wait to be with you again."
The elderly man smiled. "You know what, I have never seen you this happy. I was always scared of what might become of you. But...look at you, child. This is where you should be. Isn't it about time that you sought your own happiness? We were brought here together, at a time when we least expected it. Now I know that wherever you may be, there will always be a way for us to see each other. You have the love that you so rightfully deserve." His voice starting to croak, Wang distracted Xiaoyu by giving a chuckle. "Thank heavens this little man is sleeping. I would never know what to do with this one!" Then he turned to little Weiling, comfortably perched in Jin's arms with a raised eyebrow. He was greeted with a fervent shake of the head.
"I don't want to!" she exclaimed, increasing her hold on Jin's arms.
"She sure holds tighter than you," Jin said to Xiaoyu in a whisper. In turn, he got an elbow to the rib.
"Now, now, Weiling, be a good girl. If you do, Big Brother Jin will come visit you. Isn't that right?"
He turned to the persistent girl. "Yes. Go with your Uncle Wang now."
"Alright, alright. But on one condition," the young girl proclaimed. "I want him to kiss me!"
"What?!" Xiaoyu exclaimed.
Jin smiled sheepishly. Wang gave an embarrassed shrug.
"You promise?"
"I promise," Weiling replied, her right hand raised up high in the air.
"Alright." Jin brought her tiny forehead closer to him, and planted an affectionate kiss on it.
"Bye-bye." Giving a satisfied squeal Weiling's arms loosened their hold on Jin, and squirmed her way down. However, not before stealing a kiss on the cheek.
"Hurry along now." With a free hand, Wang held Weiling's tiny hands and boarded the jet.
"Well Xiaoyu, I guess this is goodbye."
For a minute, she almost said yes. But something told her that Jin's words meant something else...it meant...
"Come, let's go home."
When they had gone back, Xiaoyu was so exhausted that she went straight to sleep. Whereas for the young master of the Mishima house, sleep evaded him at every move.
Xiaoyu stirred at the persistent nudging at her arm. "What?" she asked, her voice muzzy.
"It's almost noon. You've got to get up. Now."
"But what for?"
Jin gave up. "We're going to the amusement park."
As soon as he said the magic words, the Chinese girl bolted right up like a spring.
----------
As soon as the signal lights went green, the stretch limousine took a turn down to the main road. Inside, Jin watched Xiaoyu sleep, her head on his shoulder, clutching the stuffed panda he got from the UFO Catcher in her arms. Quietly, he instructed the chauffeur to take the highway. Jin checked his coat pocket, making sure that everything he needed was there. He took a long, labored breath. It wasn't going to be easy for both of them.
After three hours of travel, they finally arrived at the airport. Gently nudging Xiaoyu into wakefulness, Jin straightened himself up and opened pushed the door open. Still sleepy, Xiaoyu wordlessly followed him. "Where are we?" she asked, stifling a yawn. Jin didn't respond however, and bitter wakefulness decided to show up when all was too late. A wave of disbelief and panic took over her senses, and Xiaoyu held onto Jin with a strong grip. "What does this mean?"
"Goodbye."
A hand flying to her mouth, she stared at Jin's outstretched palm. Her passport. A boarding pass? She shook her head furiously. "You're joking, right?" And for what seemed to be the nth time, he didn't utter a syllable. "But why?"
He couldn't stand the sight before him. Unable to contain himself, Jin pulled Xiaoyu into a tight embrace. "You belong with them. You belong to them. All I've said Xiao...they're not lies. But you can't be with me." He looked straight into her eyes and shut them tight not long after. He was scared of changing his mind if he held her gaze any longer. "I should've made you go with your family. I was supposed to. But I was too selfish. Please don't be angry with me because of this. I wanted to spend the time with you but...it's time for you to go home."
Hearing his words, she cried into his chest.
"I'm not worth your tears. You'll just look back on this someday and say you had a good dream. Forget about me."
"I'm sorry, but it's already time to go," the ground staff said quietly.
Slowly peeling himself from her, Jin let the devasted Xiaoyu be whisked away by the attendants.
Like the time she had gone away from home, she cried herself to sleep. And for the very first time, Xiaoyu didn't want to go home.
