Silver Rain

Yugao

Summary: Julia told herself she came for her data, but what was it she was really after when she came back to Tokyo?

Author's Note: I promised to write a Jin/Julia, and so here it is. EDIT: This is now a oneshot, but it sort of explains Julia's feelings at the beginning of the 5th Iron Fist Tournament. Please read and review.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tekken and I don't think I want to, honestly.

The sky was cloudless, leaving no obstructions in the sun's way. The morning star shone brightly, its reflection in the water like silver rain against a blue sky. In the west, half a moon stayed, as if unwilling to let night pass into day.

Julia had always loved nature, and it was moments like this that sparked a bit of hope in her.

Or, more accurately, it was moments like this that made her forget she was on the balcony of the twelfth floor in one of the hotels in Tokyo that overlooked the sea.

Dark brown hair, blown by the breeze, framed a gentle face. Her skin was slightly tanned from the sun, and her eyes the color of honey. Her pink lips curved into a smile of contentment.

Breaking her peaceful thought, her cell phone, which lay on the satin-sheeted bed, rang shrilly. It persisted even as she walked towards it, as if trying to remind her that she was not here for the scenery.

She picked up the phone and spoke into it. "Hello?"

"Julia, I was so glad when I saw you check into the hotel a while ago. I thought I'd be stuck in Tokyo for months without someone to talk to!" Christie said happily, giving her friend a hug. The Brazilian capoeira student had met Julia in the previous Iron Fist tournament, and they had been friends since.

"Thanks a lot," Eddy punched Christie lightly on the arm, making the girl laugh.

"Except you, Eddy," she said with a grin. "But you know what I mean! Can I talk to you about the stuff we girls are supposed to talk about?"

The young man didn't answer, contenting himself with driving. When Christie had called a few minutes ago, she had invited her out to lunch, and she agreed. She was starting to feel a little lonely herself.

"So," Christie began the conversation once more, perhaps because she was uncomfortable with the silence, "Have you found out who else would be joining the tournament, Jules?"

She was tempted to say, "Jin Kazama, of course," but she kept quiet. No good would come from a slip of the tongue.

"Stop pestering her, Christie," Eddy said with a grin, "She's probably still jet-lagged."

She smiled a little. "No, it's nothing. I'm fine. I meant, I don't really know who's joining the tournament this time. I just came in today, remember?"

"No idea at all?" her friend asked curiously, "You usually know everything. How did that happen, Jules?"

Julia smiled mysteriously, and Christie had to content herself with that.

The café they had lunch in was a vegetarian's heaven, much to Eddy's disappointment. The three of them sat outside, at a table the color of green marble, with wrought-iron chairs and black cushions. The paths were lined with flower boxes adorned with red, yellow, white, and pink roses, giving the whole place a rather medieval feel.

Julia sat, picking idly at her food with an absent smile on her face. Christie noticed this, and, picking up on where she left off in teasing her friend, "Oh, look Eddy, Julia's smiling! One of the rare natural phenomena."

"Come off it, Christie," she answered, her grin now because of her friend.

"Not until you tell me why you're feeling all happy today. I swear, you almost looked like Xiao with that cheesy smile of yours," the young woman said with a laugh.

Eddy interrupted, and Julia was thankful for it. "Speaking of Xiao, there she is, with her Panda and her friend… what's her name again?" he said casually, pointing to a table not far from them.

"Miharu," she finished.

When they were done with their food, they paid the bill and went off to say hi to Xiaoyu. The two girls were positively ecstatic.

"Julia! Christie!" Xiaoyu said with a big smile as she hugged them both, "Miharu and I were just talking about hunting someone down and dragging him into a celebration, but it would be fun if we had a couple of girls in! What do you say?"

"Yeah! It'll be totally fun. We promise!" Miharu backed up her friend.

Christie looked at Julia sheepishly. "I don't know…"

"Please!" the two girls said in unison, their eyes wide with innocence.

Julia shrugged, a smile on her face. "Why not? I mean, if Christie and Eddy don't mind…"

"No, of course not," Eddy said with a laugh, "I wanted to sleep late since we arrived in Japan, but you know Christie, she just won't let that happen."

The Brazilian girl grinned. "All right, we're in. When?"

"Well, first we have to find the person in question…" Miharu said softly. Xiaoyu nodded. Julia had never seen her happier.

She didn't have to ask who they meant. It was Jin Kazama, of course.

That afternoon was too bright and fair to be spent in a hotel, so Julia decided to take a walk around the dynamic city. Christie had already left earlier to go shopping, while Eddy was fast asleep in his own hotel room. That left her to take her walk alone.

The day was warm, and so she left wearing her denim miniskirt and a short-sleeved brown shirt paired with her boots. Her hair was done in braids as they always were, and over her eyes were a pair of amber-tinted sunglasses. A silver feather-shaped pendant hung from a leather cord on her neck, and her hand absently twiddled with it.

As she wandered she found herself in a bookstore, and was greeted by an elderly old lady. "Good afternoon, miss – take a look around. See if we have anything you like."

"Yes, I will," she answered politely, "Thank you."

Julia's eyes scanned the bookshelves, picking up an interesting book and laying it back down. Finally she came to the poetry section, pausing.

She was never the hopeless romantic whose emotions were easily swayed by sappy lines that made little, if any, sense. But that afternoon, she picked up a thin, light blue book entitled Love – Ten Poems by Pablo Neruda.

Flipping it over, she read the quote on the back cover. "Love is so short, forgetting is so long."

A smirk escaped her lips. "You got that right, Pablo."

"You've… had your heart broken before, miss?"

Surprised, Julia turned to see the old woman looking at her earnestly. With the woman's face so close, she practically saw tears form.

"…Yes," she answered finally.

Somewhere from behind her, a young man rushed past, his shoulder brushing against hers as he walked by. A hood was over his head and his back was turned to her, but something about his bearing was familiar…

Without speaking she put down the book and followed him out. If she was right, she could not afford to miss this chance.

He had already walked out the door, his paces quick and measured, as if he knew she was following him and he wanted to get rid of her.

A smile was on her face as she pursued him.

You're not going to lose me that easily.

He disappeared into the crowd, but she was determined. She elbowed her way through the mob, saying the occasional "sorry" and "excuse me" to the people she inadvertently bumped on the way.

When she left the group of people, the world seemed to change, seemed to become so much smaller. It seemed as if they were the only two people in the world.

There was nothing for it.

"Jin!" she cried out.

The young man turned his head slightly, so that only his eyes were to be seen. Still there was no mistaking that mysterious, intense gaze. Though his eyes had hardened so much from the warm brown eyes she was used to seeing on his face, there was no doubt in her mind that it was him. For the first time in months something inside her warmed her to the core.

Until he turned and walked away.

She lay in bed that night, the image of Jin's cold stare frozen in her mind.

Was it my fault? She wondered, Was it because of me that he walked away?

She fell into a fitful sleep, dreaming disturbing nightmares.

It was after the third tournament that she hid behind a column of the temple in fear. Her mother waited for her, and was safe, but she looked out onto the dark, musty shrine, knowing that something was wrong.

The monster, the Toshin, the Ogre – it was destroyed. Jin had killed it.

Then why did she feel so uneasy?

Still she hid behind the stone pillar, making sure she was not to be seen, heard or felt. Even a breath too heavy would alert Heihachi and his lackeys of an intruder. Quietly, she watched.

She forced herself to remain silent when the old man held a gun to Jin's head. The gunshot closed her eyes with the violence of it. When she opened them once more, Heihachi and his men were down, and Jin nowhere to be seen. A hole was made right through the stone ceiling, and black feathers fluttered down to earth.

"Dear spirits…" Julia whispered to herself as she came awake. She sat up and said a quick prayer, asking the spirits to protect Jin.

He needed more protection than she ever did.

Still, as she prayed for him, his cold, hard gaze entered her mind.

Author's Note: Edited because I can't really continue. I'm really sorry, guys.