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(Epilogue)
It had been six months since Lee had put a continent and an ocean as a barrier between him and his past. A physical barrier was a good start, but the mental one still needed work. There were days when Heihachi's presence lurked in the corners of Lee's conference room. Sometimes, he even felt the old man's disapproving glare watching him over his shoulder as he worked. It was one of those days. Not even the glorious sun filtering through his window could burn the feeling away.
Sometimes, the sun reminded him of Anna. Being with her on the beach in Italy. A couple of perfect days that were just a memory. He had not heard from her in so long. At first, he thought she was lying low or trying to avoid him after what he told her. But there was no sign of her anywhere after nearly three years. He didn't think Heihachi had anything to do with it because if he had, he would not have resisted the urge to gloat about it. The more likely scenario was that Anna had gotten herself killed during one of her jobs. And now, she was just someone else to mourn.
Lee got out of bed, wishing he had a gym in his house. One day. It would take a lot of work and even more money, but one day, the outdated mansion would be completely remodeled. Possibly rebuilt. He had bought it from a German couple trying to get rid of it. He had gotten it "cheap," but if he was honest with himself, and he had to be because the numbers didn't lie, he had paid more than he could afford. But the private beach made it all worth it.
He damn near gave his accountants a heart attack. It was bad enough that he moved his company to an entirely different continent so early on. Ideally, he should have waited a couple more years to make the move, but he did it for the sake of his sanity. Being on the same continent as Heihachi was too close. And he could make up the money quickly if he wooed enough clients and impressed the new investors.
He needed to make money not only to keep his company from going under but to invest in his personal project. A combat robot.
The idea that had materialized in his head during one of his darkest times had taken hold of him and become almost an obsession. Sometimes, when the memories of his failures replayed in his head over and over and when the darkness threatened to consume him, it was the only thing that got him out of bed. He had a prototype already, but it was bulky, slow, and couldn't do much more than walk and wave its arms around, but it was progress.
He looked at the phone on his bedside table, and all the thoughts about his project faded away. It had been a year to the day. That was why he had woken up in a dark mood. He had told himself that he would call her in the morning, and now it was morning. He inhaled deeply, then dialed Sayuri's number.
"Hello?" She answered in English.
"Hi, it's me. Just wanted to see how you're doing."
"Not too badly this morning. Surprisingly. But last night was rough. Actually, this entire week has been really rough. How are you?"
"The past few days haven't been so bad, but this morning is...not good."
"Are you taking care of yourself?"
"Yeah, I've been working."
She sighed. "I mean, doing things you like."
"I like working. Are you taking care of yourself?"
"I'm trying to stay distracted. I'm meeting some friends for lunch later today."
"That's good. I'm glad you won't be alone."
"I wanted to tell you…I started seeing someone."
"Oh…" There was an odd feeling. Relief and something he couldn't place. "I'm glad. That's good."
"Are you seeing anyone?"
"I've thought about it once or twice, but…"
"You're married to your job?"
"To science."
"Married to science?" She chuckled. "I hear she's very demanding."
"She's a total bitch."
Sayuri laughed. "As long as she makes you happy."
It had been years since he'd heard her laugh. It lifted his spirits. They were good as friends once they stopped blaming each other and took responsibility for their own actions. "Unfortunately, this relationship is bleeding me dry. I have to come up with a lot of money. I have a meeting with some investors next week, but I'm not feeling good about it."
"Why?"
"I don't know. I haven't had to impress anyone on this side of the world yet. I feel like I'm in their territory. Like I'm trying to sell myself first and my ideas second."
"But that's what you're good at."
"It was."
"No. It is. No matter what happened, you are still you. Show them a side of you they don't expect, and wear a nice suit. They'll be powerless against your charm. I believe in you."
"Thank you." She would never know how much that meant coming from her. "...I will find her. I promise."
There was a long pause. "I know." She sighed. "Call me next week. I want to know which of those investors tripped over themselves to give you a blank check first."
"I'll call you. Take care."
He knew Heihachi had to be responsible for Aya's disappearance even though he had denied it. But he did not have the resources to prove it or to go up against him. All he had been able to do was hire private investigators to look for her, but so far, no one had found anything. He needed more money. He really needed to impress those investors.
He was starting to hate everything in his closet. He needed a more appropriate wardrobe for his new setting. His new home. It was bound to feel like home eventually.
Before going to work, he stopped to see his new tailor. He came highly recommended; all he had done for him was a couple of alterations, but it was time to see what he could really do.
Lee chatted with the man as he took his measurements. He asked him about his family and tried to memorize their names. It was good to build relationships with the locals. To show them that he was more than an infiltrating foreigner. To get an idea of what their worries and concerns were with politics, employment, and the environment. If he was well-liked and donated to the right causes and charities, people would let him get away with a lot.
As he stepped off the platform and looked away from the mirror. Among the dozens of rolls of colorful fabric stacked against the wall, a particular one caught his eye. He walked over to it and slid his fingers over the soft lavender silk. He had always liked that color, but Heihachi hated it…
"I changed my mind about the jacket. Would it be possible to use this material instead?"
The tailor's wrinkled brow furrowed, making him look genuinely offended. "Of course."
"Can you still have it done by next Wednesday?"
"I am the best for a reason."
It was time to show the investors and the world a side of him they didn't expect.
Jun finished with her client, a middle-aged woman with a particularly stubborn spiritual attachment, and sent her on her way. She closed her front door and looked at the clock. It was nearly time to pick up Jin, but her mother wouldn't mind if she was a few minutes late. She lit the incense in the bowl on the coffee table and made a mental note to put it back on the shelf, beside her ceramic birds, away from little hands. She sat cross-legged on the floor, inhaled deeply, and cleared her mind. Moments later, she stood in the desert, among the endless dunes of sparkling white sand.
Angel stood before her. Beautiful and ethereal, as always, but somehow less radiant.
"It's strange," Jun said. "It's been over three years, but I felt called to contact you today."
Time is a curious thing. Insignificant in the grand scheme of things, yet I find myself bound and hindered by it in this world.
"You seem…faded. What happened?"
I am bonded with someone.
"Who? Where?"
I am not certain. Being bound to the very young can be…disorienting. There is so much they do not yet understand. It confuses my thoughts. But I must tell you that I sense Devil, and he is different. He is…in more than one place. He seems to be lurking nearby and far away at the same time.
Jun's heart drummed against her chest. "He's after my son. What should I do?"
Love him. Teach him your ways. Show him how to control his emotions so his emotions will not control him. Strengthen his mind and his body.
"But I'm already doing those things."
I expected nothing less from you, Jun Kazama. My intention was to make you aware so that you continue to raise your son as you have. I cannot stay any longer. I will call on you when I am able.
Jun opened her eyes and found herself in her tiny living room. She had to admit that she had resented Angel for a long time. How could a divine being make a miscalculation that had cost Kazuya his life? But now she wished she could have more time with her because she had so many questions. She sighed as she looked at the clock. It was time to pick up Jin.
She stepped outside and closed the door. The little garden plot was becoming overrun with weeds again. She had no idea how her grandmother had always kept it so well. She spotted the little tricycle near the gate and smiled. Her grandmother did not have a toddler to chase after, at least not when Jun knew her. She saw a sneaky little vine climbing up the sign in her front yard, and she gently pulled it off and guided it onto the garden fence.
Jun Kazama, Energy Healer
Jun took pride in that little wooden sign. Her career was certainly not traditional or glamorous, but it gave her purpose. She helped people realign their distorted spirit energy or detach from malignant spirits and had even come across a couple of demons. Lesser demons, nothing like Devil, but she had detached them from their hosts. She felt like she was atoning for her past failures in a small way, and it was also a way to earn a living, barely, but she was getting by. People paid her with goods, services, or cash. She wasn't demanding. Once in a while, she had clients from Kagoshima who paid very well. Thanks to them, she had a small amount of savings in the bank.
She arrived at her parent's house, knocked on the door, opened it, and stepped inside. The first thing she saw was Jin throwing a wooden block across the room.
"Jin," she spoke in a quiet, firm tone. "We do not throw toys."
The little boy smiled and ran toward her as fast as his tiny legs could carry him.
"It's all right," Jun's mother said. "It's adorable how assertive he is."
Jun picked up Jin and lowered her voice as she looked at her mother. "Bad behavior isn't cute. I don't remember you spoiling me or my brother like this."
"Well, of course not. I'm your mother, not your grandma."
"If we don't stop this behavior when he's two, it will be harder to correct later. Aren't you supposed to be giving me this advice?" She looked at Jin. "Say sorry to grandma for throwing toys."
Jin lowered his head and mumbled his two-year-old version of sorry.
Jun's mother ruffled his dark hair. "It's all right, precious."
Jun sighed. Her mother was hopeless, but it was good to have her nearby. There was no one else she would trust her child with. "Thank you for watching him. I have another difficult case on Wednesday. Is it all right if I bring him by at around eleven?"
"Of course, any time."
"Thank you. I need to get him home for his nap."
They said their goodbyes, and she began the walk home.
Jun never thought she would be a single mother. As a little girl, she had always imagined that she would marry someone from the island and have a couple of kids. As a teenager, she fell in love with helping animals and saving endangered species. She had made that her focus for years and did not think she wanted to have children. But here she was, raising a boy on her own. And now, she had to worry about Devil coming after him. She would never let it happen. She had failed Kazuya, but she would not fail their son.
She kissed Jin's cheek as she walked down the street with him straddled on her hip. Grandma was right. He was adorable. "But we have to work on that temper, mister."
The way the light illuminated his face made him look so much like Kazuya for a moment. The unruly jet-black hair and the intensity in those bright, little eyes. Even when he was happy and smiling, there was something in his eyes that reminded her of his father.
Her lungs grew tight when she was struck with a feeling that made her heart drum in her chest and her eyes fill with tears. She whispered, nearly out of breath. "I'm going to see him again one day." It made her heart soar because she was never wrong about those feelings. Never.
You are weak. What happened to you?
I split myself. I had no choice. You attacked me and made me weak.
You are useless to me now.
No, I'm not. Even in my weakened state, I kept you alive long enough to be found. You are the one who is weak. If you were strong enough to let me out of this prison, I could have you healed in mere moments, and we would both be out there, taking our revenge.
Where is your other half?
I don't know.
How long have I been…here?
I don't know.
Useless.
This conversation is useless.
There was silence again. He felt weaker than Devil. He was supposed to have made him a god, but... Where was he? He was tired. Always tired. Always needed sleep. Dreamless sleep was good, but sometimes, there were flashes of…things. He was awake enough to string a few thoughts together. That was improvement. Maybe next time, he would try to open his eyes. But for now, he needed sleep.
Revenge.
The word stirred something in him. But he was so tired…Maybe the next time he woke, he would figure out where he was.
A/N: If you read this behemoth: you're a legend.
I feel like I have to explain myself.
I have loved Tekken for probably twenty-five years. I started with T2. I loved the old school characters, and when T3 came out, I loved the new ones too. I got really invested in the characters and the story. When Tekken 4 was released, it was like Christmas. Lee was back, Kazuya was back, and was fangirling all over the place. Then, Jun appeared in Jin's ending, and I didn't even know what to do with myself. And that white feather at the end, meant (to me) that the next installment was going to focus on Jun's whereabouts, maybe on Angel, or at the very least, that it meant there was hope for Jin and he wasn't going to give in to Devil.
So at the end of Tekken 4, these were my thoughts:
Hwoarang deserted the military? Oooooh. I bet there will be consequences.
Xiaoyu has learned to be more independent and is going to look for Jin on her own? Oh boy, an adventure!
Holy shit, Nina is Steve's mom? Anna is going to be in Tekken 5? Williams family reunion!
And I could have forgiven all that. But then Tekken 5 came out and Jin sits his dumb ass on that throne and gets that stupid look on his face... And most egregious of all: no Jun. Not even a mention.
So my answer to that was to write an AU and fix the story. And the only way I could think to do it, was the first version of this story that I wrote in 2006. I deleted it and decided to rewrite it. And here we are.
My plan is to write an AU for the 5th tournament where I end Kazuya and Jin's story in a way that I feel they deserve. I will try to get on that really soon.
Thank you so much for reading. Thank you so much for commenting. Thank you for putting up with all the typos. It's just me and my tired eyeballs after I put my kids to bed, so I know that I miss a lot of mistakes. Feel free to let me know what you thought of the ending. Again, thank you so much for reading, you have no idea how much I appreciate it.