Author's notes: This story is mostly based on Tekken 4 and the currently (2004) released information on Tekken 5 and its characters. Though some infos were taken from Tekken Official, some situations, events and characters are all fanmade. This is also the sequel to my previous fanfics, Tekken 5: The Kazama-Mishima Connections & The Kazama-Mishima Connections 2. Rated G
Disclaimer: Kazuya Mishima, Jun Kazama, Jin Kazama, Asuka Kazama, Wang Jinrei, Ling Xiaoyu, Hwoarang, Steve Fox and all Tekken characters referred in this fanfic are the property of NAMCO. This is only a fan fiction from the imagination of an obsessed fan. No copyright infringement intended.
Chapter 31: Keepsake
Jin and Asuka simultaneously fell down on their knees, their hands shooting out to stop their weak bodies from crumbling down the cold, rock-blanketed earth. Their heavy and labored breathing were in unison as large beads of sweat made its way further down their brows, following the trail of blood from their wounds.
Jin grimaced and held the gash on his right rib. It was bleeding, but not too much. It would stop in a few moments, he thought. He turned to check up on his sister. Like him, Asuka was bleeding, almost from head to foot but they were mostly from small scratches. Jin had done his best to protect her.
"Oni-chan? Daijobu ka?"
"Hai."
The siblings stared silently at each other for a while, before turning towards the rubble in front of them, where their grandfather lay stiffly. He had returned to normal, his body covered with new wounds that would surely become scars.
Jin and Asuka could barely believe, after what felt like an eternity of fighting for their lives, that they would emerge as the victors. They were bruised and bloodied, but they had won. By some miracle...or perhaps, because of the strange power given to them by their mother, they had managed to survive.
"I wonder...if it's all over..." Asuka spoke softly and sat up, her hand on the dark bruise of her shoulder. "Is it over, Oni-chan?"
Jin didn't answer. He had been in situations like this before. He had learned to expect the worst of things especially when it came to Heihachi but he didn't want to frighten his sister.
Sure enough, Heihachi rose slowly, like a vampire rising out of its coffin. His head was tilted to his side at a grisly angle. The ghastly cracking of bones resonated through the frigid breeze as he set his head into place and laid his menacing eyes towards his grandchildren. Jin and Asuka quickly got up to their feet, though the pain from their injuries were more than just a bother. They spread their black and white wings and readied themselves once more...but before they could make a move, Heihachi spoke first.
"I underestimated you," he admitted and levitated into the air, the Kazamas' brown eyes following his ascent.
"C-COWARD!" Jin called out and shook a fist at him. "Where do you think you're going!"
"I'll see you in the next tournament..." was all Heihachi said before disappearing into thin air. Jin gritted his teeth angrily and brought his fist down. Furious as he was, he knew he should be thankful. Another strenuous fight after the first one would definitely rob him and Asuka of their advantage.
"Unh!"
"Oni-chan!" Asuka rushed to her brother's side and helped him to a sitting position. She frowned at the wound on the side of his body, remembering clearly how he had gotten it. "You shouldn't have done that, Oni-chan..."
"Done what? Scream at that old fart!"
"No! That wound," Asuka pointed out. "You shouldn't have pushed me away. I cou--"
"And then what? Allowed him to claw you? You already have enough wounds as it is."
"You're the one who's seriously injured, Oni-chan!" Asuka had fresh tears in her eyes but she dared not let them fall. "You could've died! I can take care of myself! Why'd you always try to protect me anyway!"
"Because I promised Dad I would," came Jin's calm reply, which silenced his sister. "You were there. You heard his last wish..."
"Dad's last wish...Mom's last gift..." Asuka bent her head down and tried to blink her tears away. With Heihachi's departure, the sorrow of their loss came back to her again. "They...really are gone..."
Jin avoided Asuka's eyes when she tried to hold his gaze. He didn't want to see the reflection of the same pain in them. As he turned, a blast of wind blew some particles of sand away, exposing something curiously shiny. Asuka noticed it too and crawled over to retrieve it. When she did, she let out a gasp.
"The locket!" she exclaimed, moving back to Jin's side.
"What!" Jin grabbed Asuka's hand to make sure it was real. And it was. "But...everything was destroyed! How could it have..."
"Last I saw this was in Dad's car back in Osaka," Asuka flipped the locket over and over, inspecting it from every angle for damages. There wasn't any she could see. She started to pry it open, but her shaky and bruised fingers slowed her down. "So all this time, he had this with him. I wonder what's inside?"
"I think it's picture of Dad and his mother...our grandmother," Jin answered and moved closer to have a look at the picture. It had been a very long time since he had last seen it; back when he was only four or five in fact.
A short click was heard when Asuka snapped the lid open...but this time, even Jin went speechless. The locket didn't contain the picture they expected. Instead, it contained two different pictures, one on each side. They stared at it for a long while, stunned by the what the small images revealed.
Slowly, Jin and Asuka turned to look at each other. The tears Asuka had so tried to stop, began flowing uncontrollably down her cheeks. Jin wasn't sure if his sister's face mirrored his own, but he thought he could feel something warm trickle down to the side of his face.
Then...for the first time ever...the siblings closed in on an embrace.
A/N: Did you really think I forgot about the locket? Hehehe. Anyway...sadly, the next chapter will be the last chapter of this installment. Everything's gotta come to an end...
Chapter 32