By Indigo Siren
Disclaimer: Tekken is © to Namco. I am making no money from this fan fiction; it is just for fun. I however own all the characters that are not apart of the Tekken franchise. All rights reserved.
A/N: I am most sure you readers will like this chapter. Well, go on then, read away!
Chapter 14
The night was filled with boisterous sounds, singing out like a strange melody that could only be heard if you really listened. Dogs howled at the loud sirens of police cars as they screamed by and the urgent cries of car alarms bellowing off in the distance. Far off, the traffic seemed to bleat in an endless fury as the festivities of the early ours were dying down, and the city was racing to escape the night, wishing to welcome the slumber it well and truly needed.
All this went on behind a pane of glass that separated a small apartment from the outside world. Inside this quiet room, Miharu began to awake to the faint buzzing of those sounds that resided outside. She was disoriented, eyes not yet adjusting to the dark, and the fact her head had gone fuzzy didn't help matters in the least. She groaned, cringing. Her skull felt like it was going to explode from the inside out. She was glad to feel the softness and warmth of the bed she was lying on, though, it was too spongy for her liking. It was with this feeling that she knew she wasn't in her own bed.
She tried to remember what had happened to her, and at first, she couldn't think, her mind still willing to sleep, but she forced herself to recall the events that had transpired. Like a blurry slideshow, images kept popping in and out of her head, some too fast for her to grasp, but after a moment, she finally began to pull all the pieces together. The men from the Zaibatsu - Heihachi Mishima's men - they'd been there, wanting to take her away. She'd run, doing her best to escape them, even having to physically defend herself. She remembered distinctly the blow to the head, with a twinge of pain backing up that memory. She'd thought she'd been done for; but then, someone had come to her aid. Or had they? She was too damn confused to think about who was doing what and why; it was getting to a point where she didn't know who was on which side, and whether she was on the right one herself.
Her last fleeting memories were of being picked up by this stranger and flown away. After that, everything was completely blank. Though, the blank part wasn't worrying her, it was the fact that whomever had saved her had actually been able to fly.
'Okay, lets not panic…' She thought. 'There has got to be a logical explanation…' She groaned again. 'But being logical right now is not a good thing…'
Now that she had gained her bearings, the darkness had become much clearer as her eyes had become fully adjusted. The only light that reflected into the room was from a flickering neon sign on the opposite building, which glimmered through the window against a half-drawn curtain. She would have moved around a bit more, but at the moment, her body seemed to not want to follow her commands, and another part of her was fearful of where she was.
She lay there, contemplating what to do, and also wondering how long she'd been out for. It was still dark, and she didn't think that it could have been over 24 hours. It still had to have been the day of the last tournament, or, the early hours of the morning following. Now that she had established this, is time to get back to the matter at hand. Where was she, how was she going to get home and where was the person who'd saved her?
The first two items were going to be pretty hard to find out at that time, but when she heard a half-tired murmur from a dark corner of the room, she figured she'd get to meet this person. Question was, did she want to?
She listened, frozen on the bed like a statue. The breathing that carried through the darkness was heavy and scarily raspy. There was just something about it that wasn't normal. She guessed her own groans must have brought them out of their half sleeping state. She swallowed quietly and let her head drift to the side away from the sounds of shuffling movements on the creaky floor and the deep, throaty breathing. She closed her eyes, trying to stop herself from shaking as the person moved towards her.
There was a sudden break in the sound, and she could feel through the darkness that she was being watched. She had been composed so far, but the minute a warm hand graced her cheek, she jumped out of skin, leaping up on the bed. It was a bad move, as she felt a sudden dizziness swing and she was suddenly lying on her back on the floor. She scrambled, uncaring if her body was moving too fast for her brain to comprehend. It was only a few seconds later she was standing awkwardly with a lamp from the dresser in her hands, holding it as if her life depended on it. It was a pretty stupid looking weapon, but she didn't care. The person, from what she could see in the dark had backed up, still shrouded in the shadows. Miharu had to admit it was a strange shaped person. She was glad her sudden actions had scared them off, and at least she had a good bit of distance between them.
"Miharu…"
She didn't move a muscle, her head reeling as she listened to that voice. It was so deep and dragged like a low growl, but something behind it seemed familiar to her.
"Miharu, please, put the lamp down."
Her eyes widened. "Jin? Is that you?"
"Yes," he replied lowly.
She frowned. "Jin, it's so dark in here." She looked down at the lamp in her hands. "Let me turn on a light."
"NO! DON'T!"
But it was too late, she flicked the switch and the room suddenly lit in a soft glow of amber. She blinked so her eyes would quickly adjust, though when they did, she got the biggest shock of her life. She'd expected to see the boy she'd missing seeing all that time ago, so perfect and normal; but what she was seeing was far from normal. The minute she caught his eyes, she thought she would die in complete horror. They weren't the soft brown ones she was accustomed to, but a pair of glowing red orbs that looked as if they could burn holes right through her. His strangely darkened body, tainted with dark markings was suddenly leaping over the bed towards her. She was quickly backing up, trying to take in this new form of Jin, but her mind wouldn't accept it, especially staring at the man she loved who now adorned two, large, black feathered wings.
"TURN OFF THE LIGHT!" He yelled at her, that deep voice full of urgency.
She screamed sharply, as his clawed hand suddenly smashed the lamp from her grasp, obliterating it against the wall. The room was once again in darkness. In the next breath, Miharu was on the other side of the room, facing the wall, her hand covering her mouth.
There was a tense pause between them, with Miharu daring to look around, but her heart was still running well ahead of her with the fear not to. Jin was crouched next to the bed, watching her shuddering frame. He didn't know what to say to her, or for that matter, do. All he could feel right now was a sense of fright coming from her, putting him off slightly from doing much. He finally bucked up the courage to rise to his feet.
"Miharu, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry…" He said, waiting for a response from her, but as he expected, she still faced away from him, trying to slow her breathing. He approached her carefully, as not to alarm her any further.
Miharu finally removed her hand from her mouth, regaining some calm. She didn't want to turn around just yet, maybe when her brain would start accepting what she'd seen. Though, she didn't get a chance to think anymore as Jin's hands carefully came onto her shoulders. She jumped slightly, but only from surprise. As long as she didn't look at him just yet, maybe she'd be all right.
"I didn't mean to frighten you, I'm sorry," he murmured. She could feel the rumbling of that deep voice reverberate from his chest with him being so close against her back.
"It's okay," she managed to say. "I just wasn't…" She couldn't carry on after that.
"You weren't expecting what you saw. I guessed," he said and sighed. "I wished that you didn't have to see this yet."
"Why hide it longer then you need to?" Miharu silently counted to three and turned around in his hold. Some light from the outside reflected onto him, but not much, but just enough to make her stomach tie in knots. She did her best to keep her face blank as she looked up into his eyes. The red burned bright in the dark, and it made her feel even more scared then she wished to be.
He's face turned to that of sadness looking at her, but he knew there was no more beating around the bush. Avoiding her had been hard, but this was going to be harder, but she needed to know.
"Maybe you should sit down," he said as softly as his hoarse voice would permit.
How could she say no? She barely nodded, having to hide her startled gaze as she saw fangs as he spoke. She returned to the bed, sitting herself on the very edge. Now sitting in the direct centre of the light, as he came to kneel in front of her, he was completely illuminated in the soft glow coming from the window. His bangs had grown the length of his face and hid most of his expression in response to her uncomfortable look, but she seemed able enough to keep her eyes firmly locked on his, managing to be brave. He carefully took her hands in his, gently rubbing them. She didn't react to the grazing of claws against her hands; he was just being so tender with her that she didn't care.
"I didn't want to leave you," he said, filling the silence between them. "But I had to. There was no way I could let you see me… as this." He looked away from her, towards her soft hands instead.
"How did you… end up like this?" Miharu asked carefully, drawing his attention back to her face.
"It's a part of me. My blood is cursed, because of my father and his bond with a devil. It was passed onto to me…" He deeply wished this would all go away, so he wouldn't have to explain this to her, but he continued besides the nagging in the back of his head. "It was only realised at the end of the third tournament. I destroyed Toshin, but it wasn't what my grandfather wanted, and he had his Tekkenshu shoot me down. But what added insult to injury was when my grandfather, MY OWN GRANDFATHER, shot me in the head."
Miharu's mouth dropped open. "He shot you in the head! How can you be alive?"
"I don't understand myself," he said honestly. "But in killing me, he triggered this 'Devil Gene' inside of me, which I guess is a fail safe for when I'm severely injured. It revived me, but in doing so…" He rose up, releasing her hands, gesturing himself. "… This happened. And ever since then, I've had to live with this. In two years I've learned to control it the best I can. I'm even at a point where I can stop the change at an early stage when it occurs… but tonight…" He knelt to her again, hands leaning on her legs. "… Seeing you being attacked… being so helpless, just sent me crazy and I lost control."
She watched him shake his head, her heart welling with pity.
"You see, this is why I never tried to contact you. I didn't want you to be with a monster," he said, his voice nearly failing him. He moved away from her, sitting on the floor, head down with shame.
Miharu shook her head. "Jin…" She slid off the bed, down to her knees, inching towards him. "It doesn't matter to me what you are. You're still Jin Kazama."
He's head snapped up. "Of course it matters to you! I saw the look on your face when you switched on that light! I heard you scream!"
She sighed. "Jin, of course I'm going to react like that. I've never seen you like this before. It was a shock. But can you blame me for screaming when you're leaping at me, looking as if you're going to kill me?"
He sighed. "I guess not."
Miharu sat ahead of him, finally coming to grips with what she was looking at. She was looking at a man, trapped with a curse that ravaged his blood, making him into a demon. But it didn't bother her as much now as it did before. Hearing his voice, feeling how gentle he was with her and listening to the pain from his heart, she knew that she couldn't turn away. She just knew this was the same man she loved. She bit her lip, carefully reaching her hand out to his face.
He froze, watching her mindfully as she brushed the bangs from his face. He gave no resistance as he watched her expression change to a much calmer state. He was even shocked to see a small smile appear on her face.
"You're not a monster. You're still the same handsome Jin I remember," she said.
He was astounded by her certainty, and how she seemed to have changed from such a scared girl, to a bold and understanding young woman.
Now he remembered why he fell in love with her in the first place.
She carefully traced his face with her fingers, watching with intrigue as his eyes closed, a soft moan escaping his lips. She moved her fingers to run over the pattern that was depicted on his forehead, following it until she was tracing the red jewel in the centre. She turned her attention to those large wings of his, her hand moving to the left one and rubbing the soft feathers.
He opened his eyes to see what she was doing, watching her play with the feathers on his wings with curiosity. Strangely enough, it felt nice and he let out a relaxed sigh.
"You're like an angel," she muttered.
He scoffed, wanting to laugh at that, but not in anyway wanting to offend her. "Far from it actually."
She shook her head; not listening to him as her hand traced the firm structure of the protruding feather limb. He even stretched out the wing to its full large span just so she could take a look.
"It may look fun to have wings, but believe me, its not," he said, drawing her eyes back to his.
She just shrugged, sitting back. "Well…" She lost herself in thought for a moment, finding the right words she wanted to say to him. "… What do you plan to do now?"
"I don't know," he merely said.
"You won the tournament," she said. "Isn't the Zaibatsu yours now?"
"I don't want it," he plainly said, standing up.
"But, Heihachi will stay in control if you don't take it," Miharu said, standing with him.
"He's a washed up, weak old man," Jin spat. "He doesn't have long left anyway. Besides, I don't want to have to deal with his crooked organisation."
"But he needs to be exposed!" Miharu exclaimed.
"Once he's dead, it will be, and the Mishima Zaibatsu will fall apart." Jin turned towards the window, staring out. "No more greed and evil once it is gone."
Miharu just watched his back for a moment, wishing she could persuade him to go take the Zaibatsu for himself, instead of leaving it to Heihachi, but what could she say? He was so sure that it would all unfold on it's own.
"Why didn't you kill him?" She suddenly asked.
It was a short pause before he turned to her. "I wanted to."
"Then why didn't you?"
Jin sighed. "Because it would have made me as bad as him and my father."
Miharu sat back on the bed, unsure of what to do or say next. Jin just stood there for a moment, before letting out a frustrated growl.
"I can't concentrate to change back," he muttered. "I tried to revert back but my body refuses to."
She got up to join him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He looked down on her, unsure whether to wrap his arms around her.
"Maybe it will happen on its own," she suggested, shrugging slightly.
"Maybe…" He softly said, finally letting his arms envelop her, with no protest.
"You know, I really missed hugging you," Miharu said, so quietly, he barely picked it up.
He couldn't help but smile, closing his eyes and leaning his head into hers.
"I only ever got to do this in my dreams… and then you'd always leave me, all alone…" She felt the tears began to prick in her eyes.
He stroked her hair with sympathy. "I wanted to be with you, I swear."
"You are now…" She whispered, tears trickling down her face.
It was then in the calmness he felt a rising warmth take over him, enough to make him gasp. He stepped out of Miharu's grasp, red lightning crackling up his form. She watched in fascination as the features of his devil side disappeared, and those large wings melted to nothing more then dispersing, black smoke.
He was finally human again. She was finally glad to lock eyes with his normal chocolate coloured eyes, but her heart ached when she saw the sadness within them.
He turned away from her, leaning onto the window ledge. "My life's a mess. It doesn't feel like worth living anymore."
"Most of us have screwed up lives." Miharu went to lean next to him. "I'm one of the unfortunate people who gets a long run of bad luck."
A faint smile came to his lips, if only for a second, before he looked distant and full of longing. "I really wanted to end the Mishima bloodline. Not only for myself, but for everyone else. It's not even like blood, more like an acid that destroys everything. I should have killed my grandfather… but… my mother stopped me."
"Your mother!" Miharu turned surprised.
He nodded. "She came to me for a second before I could strike a final blow. The look in her eyes was enough to melt me. The sadness I saw made me feel a disgrace to the Kazama name." He turned to look at Miharu. "She is the only thing that keeps the good part of me going. Her memory is so strong inside me. She always made me see the good in all the bad things, even in people. She doesn't want me to go on with this hate. Just love and peace…" He shook his head, leaning down slightly.
"Your mother was in my dreams…" Miharu said, going back to flop on the bed.
This caught his attention and he was up straight, looking over at her. "She was? Are you sure it was suppose to be my mother?"
"I'm sure of it," Miharu claimed. "You had some resemblance." She smiled lightly. "She was beautiful. She was so graceful and so delicate looking. She had fairly long, flowing raven hair with a white band on her head. And she wore this white dress, which I must say was really nice. And her eyes, I remember them best of all. They saw no evil. Jun Kazama represented everything beautiful and good."
Jin stood there, absolutely stunned. Miharu was describing a woman she'd never truly met… his mother! It was shocking. But why would she visit Miharu's dreams?
Jin went to sit next to her on the bed. "She was in your dreams? What did she say to you?"
Miharu sat up. "Well… she was in quite a few of my dreams, warning me of dangers, and that I should be careful what I do. She also mentioned that I might think I'm taking the wrong path and fearing it. And my last dream, she said I shouldn't fear… the dark."
Jin watched her stand slowly. "Miharu? What is it?"
"Jin! That's it! I finally understand my dreams! She told me I would!" She spun around and took his hands. "It's all about you! I know it now!"
He just looked confused at her, but Miharu wasn't deterred, sitting down in front of him, wondering where to begin.
"Okay, with my first dreams I kept seeing monsters. You called yourself a monster. You see, it's what you see yourself as and what you wanted other people to see you as. And then, there is the dream I had about you when you were so cold. You're afraid of what I'd think of you, so you push me away, being defensive. And your mother, Jun, she was guiding me all along, pointing out things to me without even knowing it. She mentioned dangers, I think it meant your dad and your grandfather. And the wrong path and fearing it… when I first saw you as that demon, maybe for an instant I was afraid of what would happen with you like that. And me not being afraid of the darkness… not to be afraid of you."
He just watched her, slightly baffled what she was going on about, but he could see she was sure with what she was saying.
"And when I saw you with wings in my dream, it was a hint, though your wings were white. That's why I called you an angel. And you are… because you aren't evil. You see, I finally understand. It's always been about you, it just took me a while to understand."
She wrapped her arms around him with a smile on her lips that she never thought she'd ever do again.
"Everything is going to be okay," she said to him. "I promise."
Jin sighed. "Miharu… no."
She froze and slowly released him, looking at his sorrowful face. "No?"
"Just… no. Even if you admit to yourself a thousand times over that you love me, you'll still not be able to live with me as what I am. I can't even do that myself."
"Jin, what are you saying?"
He stood, moving away from her. "We can't be together."
It felt like she had been slapped hard in the face. "What! But, Jin…"
He shook his head, not turning. "It would be wrong for us to be together. To drag you into this mess."
"I'm already in this mess, Jin. Don't you see, with the men from the Zaibatsu!" She got up, taking his arm, but he slipped away from her.
"You have to get out while you can." He looked over his shoulder at her, seeing the tears well in her eyes. "It's the way it has to be. We can't love each other."
Those crystal tears spilled for the second time that night. "You're asking me to stop loving you."
"I'm asking you to move on," he said softly.
"No," she firmly stated, though her voice wavered as she sniffled. "I can't do that. And neither can you."
He was about to say something else, but she quickly cut him off.
"You asked me to wait for you when you came back, and what happened? You didn't! I've given my love for so long even though you haven't been here! All that time ago, you changed my mind to fall in love with you, and you made me the happiness person on the planet. And now, you're asking me to just forget you, after pining for two years! How can you do this to me!"
He stared at her, as she sobbed. He wished he could say something to stop the tears, but he didn't know what he really wanted to do; all he wanted was to keep her safe.
"I love you, Jin," she said. "And you can't stop me loving you. If I have to die to save you from everyone and yourself, then I will. You can't make these feelings go away! I don't care what you think you are, or about the hate in your family. I just want to be with you. Didn't you say yourself that your mother would want you to have peace and love? Then why keep running? You'll be running forever…"
"I don't deserve to live," he said, which seemed to shock her. "Monsters don't deserve to live."
She shook her head, ignoring the dullness in her temples. Her headache had faded off slowly but surely and the pain was very little.
"Everything deserves to live, Jin." She boldly stepped towards him, grabbing his arm. "If you have to run forever, take me with you! I can't live in a world where you're not with me!"
What could he say? She was offering life and death and all her heart to him. He could see she was determined not to let him go. He hated to make her so sad, and after all, it seemed that she could live with what he was. Maybe he could start doing so too? It was time to stop running and find a way to live a life.
He smiled at her, cupping her cheek. "You know how messed up my life has been, with all my running around, trying to escape my family and find a new hope for myself… I'm willing to open up a part of my life, just for you. You have to understand, it will take time to get around to that part of my life where I can be with you. Once I can find a way we can both be safe together, then it will be okay. I just need a little time, you understand. And I promise, this time, I will keep you close. Do you think you can wait for me, just a little bit longer?"
Her heart jumped and she nodded, having to fight the still flowing tears. "Of course I can wait! You won't leave me for too long?"
"Of course not, and I will keep in contact with you. But it will be discreet. I hope you plan on travelling away from Tokyo when you decide to go to college?"
She laughed nervously. "I hope I pass the entrance exams first."
He leaned into her, bringing her into a hug. "I know you can do it. And my grandfather won't bother you if you don't seem to be involved. If he truly thinks you have nothing to do with me, then that will be that. I don't know about my father, I will never figure him out."
"So… you promise, you'll come back to me, and we can be together properly?" She kept him close to her, afraid to let him go.
"I promise you. I will go through hell and high water to be with you," he said. "How could I ever give up someone as brave and stubborn as you?"
Her smile broadened. "I've missed you so much."
"And I have you," he whispered and put a finger under her chin, raising her lips up so he could lean down to give her a tender kiss.
After so long being apart, she didn't have to be afraid that the kiss wasn't real. No more waiting in her dreams. He was finally here.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling herself taken away by the passion of such a touch. Neither wanted to let go, as the fire burned between them, as their kiss became feverish, with the sense that there would be no tomorrow, though they knew, somehow or someway, that they'd be sharing many tomorrows.
She parted from the kiss leaning her head against his chest, smiling. 'My search has finally come to an end.'
A/N: And that was what you had all been waiting for! Hurray for me. LOL
Right, take note, coming next - Epilogue 1 is intended to lead on to 'Life so Complicated' while Epilogue 2 is intended to lead on to 'Hearts Everlasting'. So, its your choice to pick either to finish the story off with.