That forest again, that darkness again, that weeping child again. And also that house destroyed by the flames, that burning smell, that feeling of anguish and bewilderment. The nightmare kept repeating itself every night. A timely appointment with an increasingly oppressive vision and with less and less sense. Nina had ran in every direction, only to return to the same starting point, trapped in an endless loop. But that night something changed: she was there, trying to understand where those childhood laments came from, when she decided to head towards that smoldering pile of rubble to look for some clues. And actually she found something: blackened by flames and ashes, she saw a piece of fabric. With trembling hands she picked it up to study it better: although it was always pitch dark, she was miraculously able to see anyway in that dimension. That piece of fabric, once shiny white, was a very simple headband, similar to hundreds of others. There was nothing special about it, and she didn't understand how it got there. Maybe it belonged to the previous owner of the house, who unfortunately perished in the fire. Or maybe it was the wind that took it there. A very common object, without any value, then why did Nina perceive a certain importance? Or maybe it belonged to that crying child? Yet she was sure it was a male voice..
"Mom..." she suddenly heard between sobs.
The blonde turned suddenly to the direction of that voice, but even this time it seemed impossible to understand where it came from. It just resonated everywhere. Who could it be? Not his Keiichi, he still couldn't say a word. So who was calling her mom? She squeezed the headband in her hands and decided to look for that child everywhere, even if she had to go around forever, but it was then that a flashback crossed her mind. She looked again at that seemingly normal object in her hands. And she finally understood. She understood where she was. Sh understood whose house it was. She understood especially to whom that band belonged. A rustle forced her to turn, suddenlybeing hit by a cool breeze and a strong floral scent. Cherry blossoms. And then she saw a crow. And then two. And then three. Four. Five. So many to become a small flock, circling toward her gracefully.
"You finally got to remember, Nina. I'm glad you never forgot me and realized who I am."
Nina looked out. Suspicion became absolute certainty. The vague memory became vivid as a plunge into the past. She knew that voice, now she knew very well who it belonged to. Disbelief took over.
"I-it can't be..." she murmured in shock.
The flock of birds began to thin out with elegance, revealing who they were hiding. The figure of a tall and slender woman outlined itself before her. She proceeded in slow and measured steps, with a grace and delicacy unique in the world, typical of her. She hadn't changed a bit since the last time they had seen each other, 22 years before: her beauty had remained totally unchanged, as had her fine posture and sweet features. She was wearing a very simple, white jumpsuit. Along the left leg were drawn crows, which continued towards her chest. To complete everything, simple black sandals and a stole of the same color wrapped over her shoulders. Only one thing was missing, which was the headband that Nina had found moments before. It couldn't really be her, and yet she was standing there, strong, proud and beautiful as ever.
Jun Kazama smiled benevolently at her, as she did to anyone. She stopped at a little more than five feet, just in front of her, the sweet and gentle look looked at her with enormous attention. She knew how to read the emotions and soul of those who were in front of her better than anyone else, even though she was human, she was endowed with an extraordinary spirituality. But above all what left Nina really speechless was the incredible resemblance to her son, who over the years had become even more accentuated.
"I know you're confused and scared, my dear. I know you have a thousand questions on your mind and you hope I have a thousand and one answers for you. But unfortunately there isn't much time left now, we must act quickly..."
"W-what does that mean? Time for what?" she replied the increasingly bewildered killer.
"To stop this war. To save the whole of humanity." she replied with a certain haste.
Nina was completely stunned. She? Saving humanity? And how could it have been possible, she was just a common human...
"Jun, please explain yourself. You've been appearing to me in my dreams for months, what are you trying to tell me?" she begged, now exasperated by that situation and those sleepless nights.
The woman looked at her with compassion, but it wasn't enough to reassure her.
"Oh Nina, I am so sorry... I would never have involved you in such a difficult mission, but you are the very last hope. You're in terrible danger, all of you are, so please listen carefully to everything I have to say, because this is gonna be crucial."
Nina nodded, despite being half paralyzed by a near-primitive fear. Now that she had too much to lose, she felt it even more amplified than she had ever felt before. Yet she never ceased to wonder about that woman in front of her, who had reappeared before her as if nothing had happened, after years and years thinking she was dead.
"Are you really real?" he asked with a thread of his voice.
"No, Nina. My body was destroyed by Ogre that damn night, right in front of that house behind you. That monster was too powerful for me, and it managed to capture my spirit and fuse it with his own to harness my energy and knowledge. I was an easy target, but I didn't let him hurt my son when they came face to face at the end of the third tournament. It was there, when Jin defeated him, my spirit and that of all the others before me who had fallen in battle were freed. And on that same occasion I took the opportunity to move into his body in an attempt to continue to protect him."
Nina didn't say a word, she was completely stunned, even if at that point she shouldn't have been surprised at anything. Jin had spent years searching for his mother and not making peace with what had happened to her, but she had always been there.
"But then... How are you here? How did you get into my dreams?"
"If you remember correctly, Ogre took possession of your mind at the time, taking advantage of your amnesia. That also made part of your spirit move into it, and that's when I bonded with you. But not only..."
Jun advanced again, filling the distance between them. She slowly laid her hand on Nina's cheek, without losing eye contact for even a second. That touch was so gentle, so maternal, but above all so damn real, she could feel the warmth of her skin against her own. How could that be possible?. "When I say you're the last hope, I mean it. Because you are. You were the only person in my son's life who introduced him to and felt positive feelings after I died. You were the one who finally taught him what love really was. The Devil's Gene has corrupted his soul more and more over the years, fed by all the terrible events that have happened to him and by the counterpart who lives inside his father and who claims it from birth. Yet, even as I was about to sink into the blackest abyss, even when I was about to fail in my attempt to keep a shred of humanity alive in him, you were able to fuel a flame of hope. Without you, Nina, Jin would have succumbed to evil much sooner and his soul would have been lost forever. And it is also thanks to your memory that he is still alive now and that he is trying to find a solution to end this bloody war".
Her love. Never in her life had Nina felt able to convey such a feeling, grief and misfortune had demolished her more and more, making her an ice woman. Yet with Jin it was so natural to let herself go. And now that she had become a mother again, she realized that's what it was all about: letting yourself be loved. This was discovered thanks to Jin, Steve and Keiichi. She remembered Jun's words from about twenty years ago, when he told her to give up her mission to kill Kazuya.
"So when you told me 22 years ago to stay away from Kazuya...".
"... It was to protect you. Kazuya is no different than Jin, incredible as it may seem. They have more in common than anyone else. Unfortunately the feud with his father and his disappearance for all those years prevented me from saving his soul. When I was killed, I was unaware that he was still alive. I know you hate him, he caused you terrible suffering, I know very well what he did to you. But please believe me, it wasn't his fault. The Kazuya that I knew and that I loved unfortunately I'm afraid that it no longer exists and not having saved him will forever be my greatest regret. That's why I can't let the same thing happen to our son, I can't tolerate the fact that his own father is taking his life."
She would never change. Jun was totally incapable of hatred, she would forgive and find a glimmer of goodness in anyone. Nina hated Kazuya for a thousand reasons: for using her sister against her, for forcing her into that damn tub for 19 years and violating her body, for what he had done to the world and to Jin. He was absolutely unable to empathize with what he had just heard, but it was not time to focus on that. The urgency in the woman's voice was obvious.
"All right. Go ahead... What's going on?"
"Jin believes that you are dead. That mentally destroyed him, he came out of custody of Lee and Lars and that attracted Kazuya. He almost killed him, but it was the part of Gene from Jin that made him stop, that hid to avoid being absorbed. This saved his life, but it made Kazuya even more furious and eager to gain the full power of the Devil's Gene. Now he's trying to recover, but he's struggling... He is very weak, yet he is clinging to the only light he has left: your memory."
"Me? Dead? I don't understand..."
"Someone must have covered up your disappearance and spread the word that you were dead. He feels terribly guilty and is taking all the responsibility for it, but at the same time the desire to get revenge, but above all to remember you, is what is keeping him alive. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that's not enough... And that you're now facing an even more serious issue."
What could be even more serious than this? Nina immediately understood when she saw Jun's eyes getting shiny.
"I am so sorry... But Keiichi is also in great danger. He owns the Gene too."
Nina felt herself dying. Although she knew in her heart that the risk was real, which is why Jin would never want to have children in his condition, she decided to give birth to him. However, the realization that her son was also carrying the Devil's Gene hit her harder than a slap in the face.
"P-please Jun...Don't tell me..." she mumbled, starting to cry back. " N-no... He can't... Please..." she exclaimed in despair, falling to the ground and crying desperately.
She was ready to protect her son from everything and everyone, but she also knew that against Kazuya she could do nothing. Jun knelt next to her and embraced her in a comforting hug, which had the power to calm her down after several minutes.
"There is still a chance, but we must act quickly." she whispered, wiping the tears from her face and taking it in her hands. "The Devil's Gene has perceived the presence of an entity similar to it, which is the part that lives in Keiichi. However, it is still dormant, because fortunately nothing has happened that could trigger such a reaction that the Gene awakens in him yet. He's safe for the moment, but we must absolutely prevent this from happening. The fact that he is a newborn plays to our advantage, because he's not able to remember yet, however you will have noticed how incredibly fast he grows, more than a normal child and how he already reacts to stimulations. At the moment Kazuya is aware of this, but is too focused on Jin, so much so that he underestimated Devil's words for the first time in his life. He's hunting you, that's true, but you're not his priority right now, and that should buy us some time."
"What do you want me to do? I'm just a stupid human." she replied between sobs. "I'm useless."
Jun put her hands on her shoulders and shook her slightly, to bring her to her senses.
"You are the one who saved my son from oblivion and I will be eternally grateful to for it. You are the one who, in the face of life's hardships, has always bent over, but never broken. You are the one who bravely overcame her fears and finally chose to follow the light."
"Don't you think I'm just a cold, ruthless assasin?"
Jun shook his head.
"No, Nina. I don't think so. I believe that despite the crimes you have committed, even in your heart the feeling of love and justice burns alive. Otherwise, you would never have been able to help Jin like you did. I am no one to judge and itìs never too late to make amends and try to make up for their mistakes. Now listen carefully: I know it's risky, and I know what I'm about to tell you may sound meaningless and tremendously dangerous, I don't deny it will be, but... You have to go back to Japan, Nina. Jin needs to know you're alive, he needs to see you, to get out of the vortex he was swallowed in. The Devil's Gene is extremely sensitive to the mood changes of the mind that hosts it and feeds on negative emotions. If these fail, it weakens. If these disappear, it gradually dozes off. As long as Jin was with me, his curse was dormant, and if Ogre had never attacked us, he almost certainly would never have awakened. Also in Keiichi the gene, although present, is much weaker, as in his veins flows Mishima blood only for a quarter. For this reason Kazuya doesn't perceive him as a threat yet. However, the baby is like a time bomb, for this reason it's essential that my son is able to defeat his father. If Kazuya is annihilated and Jin manages to stay sane and not corrupt by giving up claiming the other side of Gene, its will weaken until it disappears. And once his is dissolved, so is Keiichi's. Unfortunately, the only way to eradicate that damnation is to make it lose power to the point of annihilating itself, like a candle that consumes all the oxygen. There are no magic wands, there are no rituals, there are no prayers. We have no choice."
The blonde nodded, completely bewildered by that encounter, by those words, by that enormous sense of responsibility that now weighed on her shoulders. She just wanted to lay on the ground and cry, hold her baby, take Steve and run away, to the end of the world. But unfortunately there was nowhere to hide from all this. She had no choice but to face her fate, Nina Williams would never give in to cowardice and fear.
"Do you think it will work?" she asked.
"I'm sorry my dear, I want to give you certainty, but this is not in my power. But know that you will not be alone, I myself will do my part. Always remember that as long as Jin is alive, my spirit will live in him and guide him to the light. But I would never have made it without you... You don't know how happy I am that your paths have crossed and that from your feeling something so beautiful was born. You know, the idea of being a grandmother fills my heart with joy, I've always wanted grandchildren." answered the woman affectionately, showing off one of her best smiles. " Of course you must have realized that that cry you heard was Jin looking for me after Ogre destroyed our lives beyond repair. But notice, now that you know everything, he's not crying anymore. Now he feels safe."
It was true, the cry had stopped.
"I never imagined that I would be like this... So... Important, crucial to someone." Nina admitted, observing the smoking rubble. "I've felt like an empty shell for my whole life, it's just so crazy."
"All of us are made of light and darkness, Nina. I found myself unwillingly to possess a dark side too, and that was precisely what attracted Ogre."
"Really?" she replied in dismay.
"I swear. But hey, each of us has a good part and a bad part, it's all about deciding which side to stand on, whether to choose one road or another. How many men and women have let themselves be corrupted by the thirst for power? But think also of how many have returned in their own way. It's never too late to change our minds and our dualism shouldn't frighten us in any way, because it's always up to us what to choose. No one else can do that for you."
"Thank you Jun... I needed to hear these words..." the killer admitted with gratitude.
She promised herself that if they ever survived that mayhem, she would definitely change her career. She was such a bright woman and full of positive qualities, she could do so much more. For herself and her family both.
Jun smiled lovingly, but something immediately changed her expression.
"Oh no..." she exclaimed with alarm.
"What's going on?" Nina asked, noticing the sudden change.
"It's going to happen... No, not now... Why Kazuya, why?"
"Jun, talk, what's going on?" Nina yelled, shaking her shoulders.
"The time is up." she declared in a dismal voice. "The war has begun again. G Corp found out you're still alive and they're coming to Ireland to find you. There's not a second to lose, Nina... You gotta get out of here!"
The panic came upon her, shaking her from head to toe.
"Jun, wait, don't go away! I still don't know what to do..."
"I can't stay any longer. Follow and listen to your heart, always. And now... wake up..."
Nina opened her eyes shut, waking up in a pool of sweat. Keiichi cried again, but she ignored him. She rushed out of the room with so much force that she ended up waking Steve, too, who reached her in the living room with his eyes full of sleep.
"Nina, what the hell is going on?" he asked, rubbing his eyes, bewildered.
But the woman didn't answer him. She grabbed the remote control and turned on the TV and tuned into the satellite channel that broadcast the news in real time.
"No...no..." she muttered before the apocalyptic images that appeared on the screen.
Tokyo was once again under attack. Houses were burning, people were fleeing, planes were hurtling through the sky, overcoming the cries of the population. As Jun predicted, Kazuya had failed to restrain himself and had unleashed hell again.
"There are already thousands of deaths in Aoyama district alone. The number of victims is still rising in Odaiba, where air raids have continued incessantly for a couple of hours. Meanwhile, dozens and dozens of invasions have been detected in France, Germany, the Czech Republic, England and Ireland by G Corporation troops, which..."
Ireland. The frost fell in the room. They had already arrived. The boxer was awakened by the state of trance in which he was plunged by his mother, who was vigorously clutching his forearm.
"Steve... We have to go back to Japan. NOW..."
Author's note: I've never been so satisfied for a chapter written by me. I've always had this part in my head and it took me years to link all the dots and write it down. Jun's back, ladies and gentlemen. Let's see what will happen next.