Disclaimer: Tekken…is my property…NOT! XD

A/n: agh! I can't believe that it took me that long to update! O_O

Round Them Up

"Don't let them escape!" Jaez yelled at one of the Guards.

The Endowed had turned out to be trickier to corner than had been thought before. All of the other demons had been easy enough. One look at the Royal Guard and they had surrendered, for the most part, without a struggle. Apparently back in Hell, the Guard was known for it's ruthlessness and power.

"Damn it!" she heard someone curse as the dozen Endowed had suddenly vanished into a gray wisp of smoke.

Jaez snarled, "Where did they go!" as she looked around for the demons. The looks on everyone's faces clearly showed that they had absolutely no clue.

"Jin! Can you hear me?" she put her finger to the thin headset that was attached to her left ear.

"Perfectly," came the distant yet clear response.

"Can you run a thermal scan of the area for me? If they've simply disappeared from sight, their heat signatures should still be visible," she gave a final glance at the spot where the demons had gone from sight.

"Yeah. One sec."

Jaez could hear the faint tapping of a keyboard as Jin began to readjust the visual range of one of the Zaibatsu satellites from HQ. It had been decided, with much complaining from Jin, that he was going to be heading the technical aspects of the hunt from the Mishima Zaibatsu. Julia had been all in favor of Jaez' plan. While Jaez was out with the Guard, Jin would help keep watch via the extensive satellite systems. Jin had constantly objected, saying that he was perfectly capable of joining his sister. However, there was the problem of Devil. They had discovered, with Obsidian's and Freeze's help, that he could be heard by demons. They could not risk him sending out commands to the Guard that would interfere with the rounding up of the demons. The last thing they needed was Devil attempting to regain his status as supreme ruler of the demon race. He was, technically, after all…still the supreme ruler. Jaez and Jin couldn't actually override anything he said. As long as they kept Devil away from the Guard, they would be okay.

"Jin?" Jaez asked after a few more minutes.

"The satellite is still repositioning, Jaez. Chill for a sec."

"I've chilled for various seconds Jin," she was slightly annoyed.

"Alright, here we go," more tapping, "And…they are still there. Not in the exact spot in front of you, but they are still around."

"Can you tell us exactly?"

"Yeah. I've got a bunch of them…maybe five, who are all grouped together to the south, and the rest are scattered. I'll send you the thermal image," Jin said.

Jaez reached for the pocket computer that was strapped to her right hip. She opened the screen and found an image uploading, "There you are you little cowards," she spat.

"Need anything else Jaez?" Jin spoke to his sister.

"Yeah…If you could have a bubble bath ready for me when I get home that would be great," she mocked. Jaez could almost see her brother's face twist in annoyance from his place behind the computer screen.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny Jan-Izumi," he said dryly, "I don't think I'm going to do that."

Jaez smirked, "Fine. Keep an eye out for any sneaky demons would you?"

"Absolutely," Jin cut off the connection before Jaez could say anything that would annoy him more.

She turned back to the demons, "Alright, I want a dozen of you to head to the south and look for the Endowed that are hiding out in a nearby cave. The entrance is hidden by a waterfall, so follow the river until you find it," Several of them moved out with surprising stealth, " I want the rest of you to group up in threes and search for the others in these general areas," She pointed to the computer screen as they approached her. The moment they had taken a look at the image, they quickly, and wordlessly, assembled and jumped into the sky, leaving Jaez with another dozen Guards that acted as her personal security entourage. She looked at the demons and sighed. She hadn't wanted bodyguards, but Jin had insisted. If he was going to have to stay out of the fight, she would have to have a dozen Guards with her at all times. She and Jin had verbally squared off; each of them trying to put some sense into the other. Of course…they didn't get very far. In the end, Julia, Verity, and Obsidian, had convinced them to accept the compromise.

Suddenly, Jin's voice interrupted Jaez' memories of the near-past, "Hey. You're not going with the rest of them. Why not? I was under the impression that you were rather blood-thirsty when it came to hunting the Endowed." his voice hinted at a sense of teasing.

Jaez frowned, "Well, I want to take them out. But I'm getting tired of running all over the globe in search of them," she reached down to pick up a small, smooth, blue stone and then turned it over slowly in her hands.

"Yeah, you must be exhausted," Jin said with empathy.

"You have no idea," Jaez said curtly.

Jin was silent for a few moments before he spoke again, "When do you think you'll be done?"

Jaez threw the stone in her hand up over the treetops, "Well…If we're lucky and those bastards don't slip through our fucking fingers again…today."

"Hmm…" Jin said thoughtfully, "Really? Today? It could all be over…today?"

"Yup. Today," Jaez said simply, "Just today, and all of the renegade demons will have been caught and shipped back to Hell so that they can rot there."

"My Lady?" a Guard had approached her.

Jaez looked up at him, "Yes."

He pointed to the demons who were returning, "They have been captured, your Majesty."

She looked over to the Guards who were returning with the Endowed demon's slouching over. A good number of them had stab wounds in their stomachs.

She smiled, "Good work demons. You know what to do with them."

The fiends began to retreat back into the air and headed off to the portal.

Jin spoke again through the earpiece, "You know what? I think I will have someone get that bubble bath for you." He laughed once.

"Really? Cause that would be amazing," she laughed.

"Yeah. Just tell us when you are five minutes from getting home. You wouldn't want your water to get cold while you get here," he laughed again.

"Yeah, sure. I'll get a hold of you guys," she sighed, "I'll be home soon."

"Come back in one piece, please," he joked.

Jaez shook her head in amusement before spreading her wings and taking flight, the dozen Guards trailing closely behind her.

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"It's over…?" Julia whispered, "It's really over?"

Verity walked next to her, "I still can't believe it."

"Well. Believe it ladies," Jaez smiled as they made their way to Jin's office on the top floor of the Mishima Zaibatsu main headquarters. Jaez' leather trench coat billowed out slightly behind her.

Within a few minutes they had reached the top floor, and proceeded to meet Jin in his office.

"So, dear brother, what are you doing?" Jaez said loudly as she pushed open the double-doors and walked in unannounced.

Jin looked up from his computer screen, clearly startled, "What happened to knocking before you come in?"

Jaez laughed, "I felt like giving you a hard time."

Julia and Verity giggled as they walked in behind her.

"Will you look at that…I'm popular today," Jin said with a smile as he stood up.

Julia walked up to him and gave him a kiss, "Very popular indeed."

Jin hugged her and then spoke while Julia's arms were still wrapped around his waist, "So. What brings you ladies here today?"

Julia rested her head against his chest, "We just came to see what you were doing. As you can tell, we're a tad bit bored today. Elated, but bored," she laughed.

Verity plopped down in one of the swivel chairs in front of his desk, "So. Whatcha up to Jin?"

Jaez also let herself drop slightly into a chair and then turned it to see everyone. Jin and Julia walked over to the leather couch that was pushed up against one of the walls. Julia leaned against Jin and he wrapped one of his arms around her shoulder and then put his other hand on her stomach. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. For several moments, no one said anything.

Jaez raised an eyebrow, "So….Jin…are you going to answer Verity's question or not?"

Jin looked up, "Well…I'm just approving the withdrawal of Tekken Force troops from the major cities around the world. Although, the cities don't seem to mind keeping them around now," he shrugged.

"So…the troops are coming home?" Jaez questioned, while tapping her foot slightly.

"If they want to," Jin said plainly, "If they want to stay, they can. You never know when having the troops around the place may be helpful."

"Hmm. I see," Jaez said.

Suddenly there was a slight buzz as the intercom turned on and the secretary outside spoke, "S-sir. There is someone here to see you. He goes by the name of H-Havoc and claims to be one of the commanding officers o-of the Royal Guard. W-Would you like me to let him t-through?" her voice quavered a bit, no doubt at the sight of the massive demon.

Jin, Julia, Verity and Jaez all glanced at each other quickly. Jaez caught Jin's eye and after a moment, Jin nodded. She stood up and pushed the button to the intercom, "Go ahead and let him through," she said quickly and then released the button.

After a few moments, the doors swung open and the jittery secretary stepped to the side to let the demon through. She quickly closed the doors and returned to her desk.

Jin and Jaez stood up and walked up to him. Verity dashed across the office and took Jin's place next to Julia.

"Why have you come here demon?" Jin asked firmly. Jaez' eyes narrowed slightly; she knew this couldn't be good.

Havoc bowed before speaking, "Forgive my unannounced visit, my Lord," he looked at Jaez, " my Lady. But I am afraid I am here to discuss a rather delicate matter."

Jaez crossed her arms, "What matter?"

"A matter of authority, your Majesty," this demon was not afraid to make eye-contact with Jaez.

"How so?" Jin asked.

"I'm sure you are aware of the fact that the DemonRealm has been ruled by the High Council for the past three thousand years," the twins nodded, "However, since your…appearance…there has been a dispute over that authority. Although it is clear that you are meant to rule, you cannot do so from this realm."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jaez said tersely.

The demon continued, "It means, my Lady, that in order for the Council to cease ruling and all future conquests of the Human realm be halted, one of you must venture to our realm and take your rightful place as sole ruler."

Julia and Verity gasped. Jaez' jaw dropped, and Jin tensed.

"We…what?" Jin said between clenched teeth.

Havoc repeated, "One of you must leave this realm and rule Hell," he paused, "The Royal Line must do what it was meant to do."

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A/n: and just when you thought their troubles were over…O_O

Next Chapter: "Choice"