It was an entire week of training and sparring after the battles at Mishima High.

Jin and Asuka had stepped up their sparring sessions and he found himself having to use the enhanced strength that the Devil Gene gave to him. Of course, this didn't mean that Asuka couldn't hang with him- on the contrary. Her strikes were just as effective, and were becoming even stronger than before, now that Jin was tapping into his power.

He was certainly more resilient to her assaults when he used them, but that didn't mean that they didn't hurt- they just hurt a little less. And that little difference was a saving grace, compared to how much worse it could be if Asuka knew of the power within her.

However, the time was coming when the training and sparring would be tested… the King of Iron Fist was steadily coming as the week progressed. Tomorrow was the day of the opening ceremony, and she would be prepared for anything.

'Jin made sure of that,' she thought with a slight tinge of color on her cheeks and a warm smile. Maybe, when this was all over…


Kanto The Slayer presents a Tekken song fiction…

Caught Up!

Disclaimer: Not mine. Go away.


Asuka decided that today would be an off day.

Hell, she deserved it, with her grades still steady and her training at its peak, she believed that she needed a day to herself. However, she was entirely too bored while she was by herself. Yes, by herself… her father was still in the hospital. Just thinking about that got her blood boiling, but she couldn't do anything about it yet.

Not only that, but the fact that there was not much to do today- no calls from Ling, no sparring from Jin- seeing as he had said himself that there was nothing more she needed to improve… not to mention that all the work she had been assigned from school had been finished, as well as her studies.

Yes, she was bored. As she walked circles around her house, almost tracing a rut into the plush, soft carpet that sifted between her toes, she felt the need to do… something, anything. Punch something (or someone), go to the gym, go and bug Xiao for a while, head to Jin's house…

Suddenly, something hit her.

I made a friend, found out that I have a cousin that I didn't know about, have a crush on a guy… and I don't even know where he lives!

She suddenly had something to do. She walked to her room and picked up the phone, dialing Jin's number from the stored memory. At least it was better than being bored; besides, one learned something new every day, and she had a feeling that this wasn't just an ordinary house.

Should be fun! Now, if only he would answer the phone…


Jin was in the basement, training himself again.

He had to improve constantly- hone his skills to perfection. It would be the only way that he could defeat what was coming. The only way to fulfill his destiny, and destroy the Mishima clan forever. Sure, he wanted to live now… for the first time in months; he had something to live for, certainly. But now more than ever, he had to kill his father and grandfather, and end this nonsense, once and for all.

Once he took care of Kazuya, he would have the other half… and then, nothing would stop him from taking everything else. It was the best solution to the problem, after all. At least, he thought so.

After this… no one will ever come after Asuka. She can certainly defend herself, but many may want the power within her, once they find out. I can't let that happen. I have to take everything.

As he hit the sway bag with another hook from the right, it rocked to its full tilt, hung there for a moment, then came swinging back down. As it reached the center, he struck again, from the left. He began to go back in his mind… back to the last time he tried to kill them. He had let them live, as the image of his mother came before him, telling him to stop.

WHAM

Further back… he had been shot dead center in the chest, and the last thing on his mind before he felt the demon within him stir was that he was betrayed- played for a fool, nothing but bait for a trap… he let him live then, too.

WHAM

Further back… he found his mother dead on the floor, her head severed from her body, the house in flames…

WHAM

Surrounded by a malevolent purple aura, his right fist connected with the sway back with such force, that on the way upwards, the chain broke, sending the bag flying. Fortunately enough, it only fell to the floor, not into a wall. He was breathing heavily at the end…

I almost changed. I could feel it… can I control it? Is such a thing possible?

Before he could think any further, the phone in the training center began to ring. He picked it up, grateful for the change in topic, though it was still on his mind as a possibility. But he had other things to worry about… it was Asuka on the phone, and she sounded anxious- a bit nervous. He had never known her to be like this…

"Something wrong?"

"Ah, no… nothing big, anyway. I-I just wondered… y'know, if I could… maybe come over to your house?"

He quirked an eyebrow. That was what she was worried about? It was such a trivial matter that he almost laughed. Then, he thought about how secretive he had been acting earlier, not wanting anyone to know about what he was- what he was dealing with. Cutting himself off from anything remotely human, seeing as he… well, wasn't human anymore.

Xiao was right. I suppose that I'll just have to get used to living again.

"Sure, why not? I have nothing going on, anyway."

She sounded relieved and excited now. That was much more like it, he thought to himself. "Great! I was just bored out of my skull today- there's nothing to do until tomorrow, anyway, and I wanted to come see you, seeing as I'd never seen your house before."

Jin smirked. Of course- that would be a problem, wouldn't it? "Okay. Wait a bit- I'll be right over."

She sounded skeptical. "You'll be right over here… all the way from the Shinjuku stop? You must have something up your sleeve if you plan on moving that fast."

He smiled. She would be in for a real treat- that was, if she had never ridden a motorcycle before. "Don't worry… I've got just the thing. Just get ready and meet outside the training hall."


Two hours later, Asuka was standing outside, wearing her pale blue body suit, along with her backpack, full of a spare change in clothes (just in case she had to stay over) and she was waiting for him. Sure, it might seem like a long time, but it was a long drive to Osaka from Shinjuku. Jin had to have something fast if he wanted to get here in that amount of-

Huh? What's that?

She heard the whine of an approaching engine- an engine only whined when someone was heading at a damned fast pace- and ran over to see what the deal was. Her heart skipped a few beats and was stuck in her throat for a while when she saw Jin, heading towards the dojo on a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-12R. It was black with red and orange flames trailing from the front, his red tinted glasses glinting and flashing like two rubies.

Oh, hell yeah!

She almost jumped out of her skin as he skid to a halt, stopping just a few feet from her and cutting off the bike, moving the kick stand into place with his foot and climbing off. "Well? You like?" he said with a smirk. The look on her face was priceless- it was a stupid question, he knew. But he felt the need to ask anyway.

"Are you kidding? I don't like it."

He quirked an eyebrow… That was a surprise. Then her face broke out in a wide, giddy grin as she looked over the bike, admiring her reflection in the paint. "I goddamn love it! What is this, a Ninja? It's so awesome! And it even has your name on it," she sighed happily as she looked at his name, in a wild, sweeping cursive and blazing red and orange.

Jin Kazama. So the demon was right…She smiled happily to herself. It was always nice to know that she had someone to turn to- someone that was family, at least. But she had promised not to tell him until it was necessary, so she kept silent about it.

Jin shrugged, as if the sport bike were nothing special. "I've had it for a while now- few years, in fact. It's nothing special, really, but it does have its uses."

She looked at him skeptically. "You're telling me that you don't just drive this bad boy for fun? What have you been doing all your life, just locking yourself away from what you want? I never thought that you were a monk…"

He snorted. She didn't know how close to the truth she was. "I'm not. I just don't get out much- I've never really had a reason to until just recently. Thank you for that, by the way. You've been more of a help than you know."

She nodded. "Don't mention it; always willing to do some good for someone. Besides… you're cute."

Jin scoffed. "I'm not cute… let's just go."

Asuka smiled sweetly. Yes you are. Hell, even that was cute, denying a compliment.

She walked over, put on her blue tinted shades- perfect for riding, of course- and climbed on behind Jin. As the engine came to life again, she laughed in exhilaration. Just another reason to like him- he knew how to ride a bike. It was dangerous… and she liked being dangerous.


The drive would've taken, all things considered, a total of five hours. Jin however, pretty much knew his way around Japan, so then he knew routes that took time off. That and he were on his Ninja… so that made the trip exactly two hours shorter. But the real surprise was when they headed into the more secluded parts of Shinjuku, up near the mountains.

There, she was treated to the sight of a two story mansion. She just about squealed in delight. "Look at this place! You actually live here?"

He nodded, and drove his bike into the garage… two levels underneath the house… which happened to be more like a lockup than anything. There were separate doors, all open and each with a high-performance vehicle in it. Sport bikes, cars, ATVs… it was crazy that he lived in such class and never had any fun.

"Jin, you are really sick. I mean, really. You have all this stuff, and do absolutely nothing with it? You're not one to have any fun besides fighting, are you?" He looked at her, quirking an eyebrow. What was she getting at? He had done what he did for a reason. A reason that she didn't understand…

She suddenly looked a bit worried. "I'm sorry if I said something wrong… it's just that I can't imagine you being so reclusive all the time. I can't imagine anyone that way, matter of fact. It just…"

"…Doesn't make sense, I know. But there's a reason for everything," he said as he walked toward the elevator at the back of the massive underground lockup. "Come on; I'll show you around. And I'm glad you brought a backpack- you might have to stay for a while."

She smiled at him. He seemed like the kind of person who never did things for no reason, always acting so serious and not really having any fun. Well, she would have to change that before the tournament started, and it would start today. They both got into the elevator and rode it to the next floor, which was actually the first basement level.

As the door opened, her eyes widened in sheer shock.

"This is… just crazy."

It was a training facility; one the likes of which she had never seen before. The damn place was an underground gym, complete with a boxing ring, sway bag (it had been replaced while they were gone), sand bag, speed bag, weight training… heck, this was a fitness club, not a gym. A playground for anyone who wanted to stay in shape, plus it was a Mecca for anyone who was training to fight.

The shocked expression turned into an ecstatic one. "Damn, no wonder you're so good- you've got everything you need! We're playing around down here later, okay?"

He looked at her with a puzzled expression. "We don't need to spar anymore. You don't have anything else you need to work on- why be down here without a reason?" She looked at him, a bit hurt. "You need to learn how to relax every once in while. I said play around, not train. We really need to get you out a little more."

She walked around to take a look, while he thought about her words. Learn how to relax, huh? He had no time for fun and games- not anymore. Maybe he would learn how to relax again, once this was all over. For now, he had to be at his best. There was no time for emotions or anything of the sort, though he found himself attracted to her.

Hell, he even started to like her, if not respect her. There was just… something about her, inside of her, that reminded him of his mother. That may not have been a good enough reason, but to him, it was. In any event, he waited by the elevator while she practiced on the speed bag for a bit, her fists and elbows flying, slamming the bag into its ceiling again and again at a wicked pace.

She laughed as she gave the bag one final, hard punch, almost breaking the damned thing. But it stayed intact, and seemed all right, unlike the sway bag from earlier. The good news was that she liked what she saw. The bad news was that we now had a now worked up Asuka, who had her adrenaline and her blood pumping.

And the only way to calm herself… was a fight.

"Okay, I'm pretty much ready. C'mon, Jin."

He nodded and walked toward the elevator. Asuka poked him on the shoulder to stop him in his tracks. "Not there…"

He looked behind him questioningly, before turning around and frowning slightly as he saw her point towards the ring. "I meant over there. Forget the playing around later- I feel like playing now." He shook his head and simply said "There's no reason to fight. Let's just move on-"

She shoved him playfully. "You don't have one? Or are you afraid that I'll beat you again?" Yes, she knew that their battles had been mostly to a draw, but she had to provoke him somehow. It didn't work.

"We've been fighting to a draw mostly. I can't see what point another fight between us would have. You wanted to see the house, right? Well, let's go."

She stood firm, a determined look on her face. She started to get frustrated, and her energy level was only getting higher. If she didn't expound it soon, she swore that she was going to go crazy. As if her determination were a tangible force, a faint halo of light surrounded her.

Jin could feel her aura fill the room, could feel her intent to fight. Had she managed to finally tap into her energy without thinking about it? He actually smiled to himself. There was no way out, was there? "On second thought… if you want it that bad, then I can't possibly escape from this situation. I'll deal with you first."

She grinned. "That's what I like to hear!"

She ran toward the ring and slid under the ropes, standing up as she slid to a halt in the middle of the canvas, gesturing for him to come at her. "Let's do this!"


He could feel it, even from here.

An immense shockwave of power, somewhere in Japan… he made an attempt to pinpoint the exact location, but had his attempts blocked. Something was halting his efforts. Usually, nothing did. This meant that it could be only one thing. The One True Power had awakened- the power to subdue demons. It was a power that only came with the Angel Gene… the exact counterpart of the Devil Gene that he possessed, as well as most of the Mishima blood line.

He frowned distastefully. This would hinder his plans… he would have to interfere. But he knew not how… if he came within distance of her, the sheer force would be enough to tear him apart, seeing as it only seemed to work on those with the polar opposite inside of them, instead of just normal humans.

Hmph… it looks like I'll just have to wait until later to kill her. The tournament will give me a prime opportunity to kill them both, take what I need, and destroy everything.

He was very willing to wait.


Of course, the energy had to be released somehow, right? So what happened to have such a thing activate so violently? Well, it was very simple… the collision of two separate, but equal forces. Jin had tapped into his power as well, his devil side coming to the surface in response to the Angel Gene, as if the two were attracted to each other.

Thus as their fists connected, the two of them attacking at the same time, the shockwave of power stretched out through the training center, and out in a wide radius equaling about four city blocks. Anyone who was spiritually sensitive would be bombarded with this power, and have a major migraine during the fight.

It was a clash of wills and energies, and the one with the stronger spirit would win this battle. Asuka could feel his energy rising as he struck again, a right hook to her head, and she parried the attack with an outside block, coming at him with a high left spin kick, knocking him to the floor.

Not feeling the need to stop there, she cartwheeled through the air, attempting to stomp him flat with both of her legs. He managed to roll out of her path, letting the attack pound into the canvas, but as she stomped hard she bent her knees slightly, getting ready for the two circle kicks, hoping to catch him off guard and keep the pressure up.

For once, they worked. As he rose up, preparing to hit her with a right uppercut, the first of the circles hit him, her legs pounding into him twice. He staggered to his right, and the other circle kick hit him dead on, knocking him to the mat again.

By now, he was starting to get a bit frustrated. She had an unfair advantage in the Angel Gene- one that she was born with. As stand alone humans, they were on par. But when it came to this… he stood and advanced slowly this time, looking for an opening. She wasted no time in coming at him before leaning backwards, her hands planting on the floor as her left leg kicked up at his chin.

Not this time.

He blocked the strike, her energy field knocking him backwards slightly before she rushed at him with the trademark right uppercut. On instinct, he kicked out at her in a left roundhouse kick, his shin racing for the side of her head as she ducked low to deliver the strike. As expected, it hit her in mid move, making her get up as she was stunned from the sudden pain.

She had forgotten that he was just as powerful.

She would regret forgetting such information as he came at her immediately, his right fist slamming into her head as she got up, followed by a left overhead hook that pounded into her chest, almost knocking her down.

When he saw that she wasn't down yet, he figured that it was time to finish the job. He came at her one last time, coming at her with a right elbow to keep the pressure up and her guard down, and then lay into her with his own personal combination which he was quite proud of…

Kazama Fury.

The left punch came in quickly, straight into her nose bridge, followed by a high left roundhouse kick. While she was still heady from the attack, he tore into her with two body hooks, right, then left, before kicking her shin with his right leg. By the time he was finished, everything on her screamed in pain.

And it wasn't over.

His arms snapped outward immediately after the right shin kick, and his hands began to shine with his energy. Not even hesitating for a moment, he slammed into her with one final combination- four gut punches- right, left, and then right again before he sent her flying toward the ropes with a heavy left body thrust.

She bounced off of the ropes and collapsed to the floor, completely wasted.

He turned his back to her and walked towards the ropes, preparing to leave. As he stepped one foot out however, he felt her stir. Looking behind him in a shocked expression, he watched her get up from his assault, albeit slowly. She was breathing heavily, and looked like she had just seen hell, but she was conscious… and alive… and still ready to fight.

"N-not bad, Jin. I figured… I figured you'd be strong. But it's not… over… yet!"

Even Jin's Devil was afraid… they both had the same thought on their mind right now.

Oh, shit…

She came rushing at him, as if she were much stronger than before and with such speed that Jin was thrown off guard slightly. As she ducked low, preparing for the same right upper, he stepped foot back in the ring and started rushing toward her, crouching as he stepped forward and prepared to deliver a hard right hook, hopefully flooring her again.

It didn't happen. His fist sailed through the air as she ducked neatly under it, the punch not coming. Jin's eyes widened slightly, and he knew he was in for a world of hurt… She grabbed him by his head and slammed him down forcefully, bringing stars to his eyes. Asuka then tossed him straight up, sending him spinning at the same time before giving him a left punch while in midair, followed by a low right sweep, then a backwards right fist, before sending him flying towards the ropes in a hard right heel kick.

Up… over… and out.

She stood there for a moment, letting herself calm down. The fight was over, and her adrenaline had run its course… her aura died down just like it came- without her knowledge. And then, with a satisfied smile that she had actually beaten him, she let herself collapse to the mat and pass out.

Jin meanwhile, had hit the floor of the training center, and was very fortunate that the floor was padded instead of simply being concrete. Well, he would've been glad, had he not been knocked senseless while in mid air. But the last coherent thought that he had before he slipped into the ether was…

She's too strong!


"Mmmm…" She woke up much later, as the sun was setting. A little rest had done her good, seeing as she was just worked to exhaustion, and she also had time to think. What had happened that made her so powerful all of a sudden, when the two of them were usually at an even standing? She didn't know how it happened, but remembered vaguely that the first thing she felt before she started feeling a rush of sheer power was excitement.

She was working on the speed bag, getting a good rhythm in. She felt her heart race and her body settle into a comfortable routine as she closed her eyes, not even needing to see the bag, save for in her mind. She felt her fists and elbows impact with the bag, and heard it slam into the steel ceiling. She imagined that it was the head of the man who had put her father in the hospital, and started wailing on the bag, each hook, jab and elbow strike hitting dead on.

She started laughing with sheer glee. She had improved, and dramatically at that! Her excitement started to reach a high point, and her body seemed to show the effects as it seemed to get stronger from her warm up… perhaps a little too strong.

Whoa! What's this about?

She shrugged it off, not questioning it any further, and gave the bag one final, hard left cross before laughing again. She couldn't believe that he was just letting her use this. But there was a problem… she was warmed up now, and her blood was flowing nicely, as well as her energy. She needed a release.

So she asked Jin for a spar, just for fun.

He said that there was no reason to fight, in his usual pacifistic way. However, she wouldn't take no for an answer, and her sheer determination increased her energy ten-fold. Perhaps it was then, in the back of her mind, that she slowly began to realize that something was happening to her.

Whatever it was, it was something good.

On top of that, she had not only stood up to him, who was somehow much stronger and faster than before, and survived his attacks- which would've crushed anyone else, mind you- but she had won. She knocked him clean out of the ring, without another thought. As she collapsed to the canvas, she managed a smile.

I got you!

Now, she was on her feet in a rush. Suddenly thinking about Jin, she came to the hasty conclusion that she might have done more harm than good, and rushed over to the side of the ring. "Jin! Are you okay?" She looked over the ropes, and found that he wasn't there.

"I'm fine, thanks."

She looked over toward the bathrooms and saw him come out, wearing a white skintight shirt with short sleeves, and black pants with a flame motif flaring up the left leg. He had a towel around his neck and looked entirely too comfortable for someone who just got his ass handed to him.

"And I have to say, you've done well. I didn't expect most of your moves at all, much less for you to be so fast. You bested me fairly."

She smiled in relief and pride. He accepted his defeat awfully graceful- almost too gracefully. But it was better than having a sore loser pout over his beat down, like Tsai and his thugs. She liked his humility and his laid back attitude, and felt comfortable around him.

Very comfy, at that… he looks so damned gorgeous!

But she shook that thought out of her head for the moment. That was for later. "Well then, how about that tour?" Jin smiled and shook his head at her. "I'll never figure it out, how you can change the topic so quickly. Didn't you feel anything strange during all that?"

Ah, that. She bit her bottom lip, chewing it nervously. He wasn't one to let things go, now was he? But she decided to tell him what happened. When he heard, he nodded thoughtfully. "I see. Well then, you sure do have a strong spirit, that's for sure." Of course, he wouldn't tell her that he knew exactly what had happened- not only had his devil side reacted, but the Angel Gene in his blood- from his mother, of course- reacted as well.

Hence, he fought her at four times the strength and speed, though she had given him a good beating at the start. So when she got up from his massive assault… it was no wonder that he stared at her in shock. Anyone else would've been killed, enhancements or no.

But her… no, she was merely winded, and severely bruised. But even he could feel her injuries healing, though he figured that they wouldn't do so in such a short time. Now, he wondered if the scenario would repeat itself in the tournament proper…

She looked at him skeptically. "Strong spirit, huh? If that were all, then I would have barely won. But that… was no skin of the teeth win. I knocked you clean out of the ring, even after that beating you gave me. You know something, but you don't want to tell me, do you?"

Did she see that much? Was he that transparent that she could guess almost instantly? He shook his head at her. "It's not that I don't want to tell you… just that you're not ready for the truth of the matter yet." She looked at him sternly, her hands on her hips.

"When will I be ready then, smart guy?"

He looked at her with a piercing gaze. "You'll find out at the tournament. All the answers are there. You'll just have to fight for them." He walked towards the elevator at that, gesturing for her to follow. "Let's finish the tour around the house."


Chapter 6: The Awakening

Boo-yeah! Now, that's what I call a fight. There's nothing like a good round of ass-whoop to get a story moving. Thanks for your reviews, everyone. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside… or something like that.

Ja ne.