A/N: What's up fanfiction readers? Been playing a bunch of TTT2 recently, and as such I was inspired to write what I thought would make a good plot line for Tekken 7. This is just the prologue, which I thought I'd post while finishing up Chapter 1. It takes place directly after the credits of Tekken 6. Read on amigos, and enjoy.

Prologue

Raven sat patiently in the front seat as his subordinate drove across the desert back in the direction of Azazel's temple. The ninja had just been informed by his superiors that a body had been recovered nearby the ruins of the final battle and he had been tasked to recover it. Whether the body belonged to Jin Kazama was too early to tell, but Raven knew that it would not be surprising if that was the case. The mysterious devil gene truly did seem to make an individual invulnerable...

...even if it was against their own will.

"Sir."

Raven turned his head slightly towards his driver. "We're here."

The duo left the vehicle and made their way towards the scene. A large section of the desert had been squared off and Raven recognized only the more established men of his unit inside its confines. They were surrounding what he assumed to be the body. He was not even questioned as he made his way through the barricade.

"So what's the verdict?" he asked impatiently.

The captain of the team stood up and joined him as he started towards the body. "It's him, sir. Jin Kazama. At least it looks like him. The body has his trademark hair and tattoo. Not only that, he appears to be breathing."

Raven sighed. Of course he was. As he and the captain reached the body, he turned it over and examined it.

It was definitely Jin. The specimen was riddled with fresh cuts and gashes and his remaining clothes were torn in many places, but there was no mistaking that stubborn ducktail, thick pair of eyebrows and set of bangs that seemed to never change shape. As the captain had said, the devil tattoo was also there on his arm, along with...other tattoos. Notably, there were now strange markings on Jin's forehead and upper torso, though he still looked completely unconscious.

The ninja turned to the captain, "What do we know about the other markings? I've never seen them before now."

The man shook his head, "We don't know much, though if I had to guess I'd say they were connected to the one on his arm. So they are likely part of the devil gene."

Raven stood back up and crossed his arms, "Move the body into our backseat and pack up yourselves. We're done here."

"Understood," nodded the captain.

The man then ordered two of his subordinates to gather up Jin's body and load it up into Raven's vehicle, which they did with obvious nervousness. As they were cleaning up, Raven tapped his earpiece to call his superiors.

"It's Kazama's body. How do we proceed?"

"And he is alive as we suspected?"

"Yes."

"Good. Bring him back to headquarters. We will need to detain him as quickly as possible before we begin interrogating him. He will try to escape the first chance he gets, so we're sending a helicopter to get you about 50km south of your current location. If I were you, I'd put more of your men with you as you transfer the body, and keep the rest of them as close as possible."

Raven nodded to himself, "Understood."

When all was said and done, the ninja asked four more soldiers to accompany him as they transferred Jin's body back to the rendezvous point. As his superior had ordered, he kept the rest of the convoy no more than a couple meters behind their own vehicle at all times. The drive went surprisingly smooth; Jin made no signs of movement other than the slight elevation of his chest from breathing.

At least, the drive was going smooth...until Raven spotted a familiar face.

Through the window of his vehicle the ninja spotted a man in the distance standing in the way of his convoy, blocking the road. He was wearing a rather nice dress shirt and white pants, which admittedly looked a bit out of place considering their location, and was leaning against his black SUV. He also noticed a woman beside him with her arms crossed, who's attire looked much more appropriate for the desert.

Zafina, he recalled vaguely.

Raven grabbed his radio and pressed a button to message the other car. "Stop the convoy, and stay in your vehicle." He then turned to his men in his own car before opening his door, "You too."

Lars Alexandersson and Zafina made their way towards the ninja, meeting halfway between their respective vehicles.

The rebel commander outstretched his hand, "Raven. Good to see you aga-"

"I told you that next time we meet, we might be enemies. I meant it too."

Lars hesitantly lowered his hand, "Would that day be today?"

Raven looked between the two of them for a moment, "Not yet, but if you don't move out of our way it might be very soon. My convoy and I need to get somewhere rather quick."

"Precious cargo?" asked Lars with a smirk.

Raven said nothing.

"We know you have him, Raven. And you can keep him if you really want. In return we just want a moment of your time."

"I don't remember owing you anything. You're wasting my time."

"This bickering is wasting ours as well," added Zafina, "there is an issue of great importance we must discuss."

There was tense silence for a couple moments before Raven reluctantly relented. "Make it quick."

Zafina nodded and knelt down towards the ground. She produced a dagger from her belt and drew a perfect circle in the sand.

"There is a story of my people. It says that centuries ago, before civilization blossomed, humans were savages that brutally murdered and destroyed each other in order to gain superiority and thrive. The gods, in disgust of our actions, produced a being that would force us to atone. The being's name was Azazel – a demon with no sense of compassion or understanding. It only knew suffering and death and made humans its slaves for seemingly eternity."

"I said make it quick," Raven reminded.

Zafina continued on, apparently not even hearing the ninja's warning. "The source of this demon's power was said to be an orb nestled deep within it's heart. This orb was known to my people as "The Heart of the Damned", and it contained what is still thought to be immeasurable power. The only thing that was certain was that this orb was a beacon for all the negative energy in the world. As such, Azazel's life force was driven solely by the negative emotions it perceived around it. Thus, the only way to defeat Azazel was to learn compassion and understanding, thereby weakening the orb's powers and in turn the being itself."

Lars let out a chuckle, "Kill it with kindness, as they say."

Zafina stood back up and smiled, "A lesson taught to civilization through my ancestors, or so the story goes. With positive emotions on our side, my people were able to weaken Azazel enough so that we could temporarily overpower the beast and successfully imprison it, where it remained for centuries...until recently."

"How is this history lesson important information?" asked a now highly irritated Raven. He was very close to forcing the two out of his way himself.

Zafina re-crossed her arms, "The Heart of the Damned has the power to absorb all negative energy – including the curse that afflicts the Mishima Clan. If it is destroyed..."

"...the devil gene becomes a distant memory, and the world is saved." Lars finished.

Raven let out a long, outstretched sigh. "So that's your next course of action? Find a mythical orb that you're not sure even exists and destroy it?"

Lars just smirked and nodded, "That's right."

"And who's to say it wasn't destroyed when Jin killed that beast? Didn't you say it was inside Azazel's heart?"

"The orb cannot be destroyed by mortal means," Zafina pointed out, "but there must be some way to shatter it. The gods would not create such an evil object without a way to rid the world of it."

"Look Raven," Lars leaned forward towards the ninja slightly, "I know this is a bit out there. But I saw that thing myself back in that temple...we both did. You know as well as I do that the orb's existence is plausible, and if we find it and destroy it then this whole thing is over. And then you can go back to jumping across rooftops or whatever it is you do with your free time."

The ninja regarded the two people in front of him in silence. It was true; this theory was not only ridiculous, but was also a completely separate mission from his current orders. In other words, even if Raven wanted to entertain the idea, he simply wouldn't be able to. Unless his superiors of course-

"Do it."

Raven's eyes widened from behind his glasses and he turned away from Lars and Zafina.

"What?"

"We saw that thing too, you know. We have visual confirmation that it existed. It's at least worth looking into."

Raven said nothing.

"Raven."

"Still here."

"Good. Bring the body back to us as planned, but not before confirming your re-allegiance to the rebel commander."

Raven sighed, "Understood." He then turned back to Lars and Zafina, who to his annoyance, had small smirks on their faces. "Looks like we're allies again. But don't get too comfortable, things could change at any moment."

"Welcome back to the rebellion, Raven."

"I'm not part of your rebellion. I'm just reluctantly part of your cause."

Lars shrugged, "Well either way, it's a pleasure to-"

A fierce explosion suddenly sounded throughout the area. The Swede's eyes widened, but only for a moment as he realized what had happened. With a sudden burst of speed, Lars and Raven bolted towards the ninja's convoy, where one of his vehicles had suddenly exploded. Zafina followed closely behind them.

Raven's men were scattered. His captain and the remaining men were shooting at something, but the trio couldn't see anything yet behind the thick smoke. Raven picked up the pace and soon arrived at the scene where his fears were confirmed:

Jin had woken up.

The unmistakable sight of horns and black feathered wings now accompanied the former head of the Mishima Zaibatsu as he held Raven's captain above the ground by his throat. The man's body looked completely lifeless as Jin dropped it to the ground. He turned around and pierced the Raven, Lars and Zafina with dull, grey eyes. Instead of attacking however Devil Jin simply laughed manically before leaping up high into the air before anyone had time to react.

And within seconds, he was gone.

"Ugh," Raven groaned, "what now?"

Lars, who looked less upset at the turn of events, motioned towards his own unscathed SUV. "I say you tag along with us, and I'll let you know what our next move is."

Raven shook his head, "I said I'm working alone. But I wouldn't be opposed to hearing what it is you have planned before I leave here."

"I've met some people throughout these past couple months while traveling with Alisa that would make good candidates in making a search party of sorts for the orb, which could be anywhere in the world by now."

The ninja crossed his arms, "Recruitment? Who's first on the list?"

The Swede smirked, "Well, let's just say if you need to get a hold of me I'll be in Monaco."

A/N: As we start the story in the next chapter, Lars starts assembling a team...stay tuned!