10 years later...

Challenges and battles always caused them a rush of adrenaline, which ran lightning fast in their veins. Heart was pumping blood faster, the senses were heightened, the concentration was at maximum. The muscles were tense to spasm. They both stood in attack position, waiting for someone to make their move. Who would attack first? What part of body would they aim for? And eventually who would win? Instinct suggested hitting, common sense to wait and dodge, or defend themselves. Both studied thoroughly, squinting and holding their breath. They counted mentally up to three. At two, no one moved yet. A fraction of a second before one instead they moved both. Every kick and every punch was stopped. Every trick and every lever turned. A situation of extreme equality always characterized the conduct of their fights. Although they were both extremely competitive, no one fought with the intention of hurting the other: their matches were a sinuous and well coordinated dance of clean and fast movements. But in the end there was room for only one winner. And that winner was her, who as fast as wind, managed to subdue him with one of her usual catches. She had taken so many people's lives in the past, acting in such a lethal way. But she would never harm him.

"I won. Again." she whispered in her opponent's ear, who was lying on the ground.

His neck and arm were firmly anchored in her arms, while his chest was wrapped in her muscular legs. The other replied with a grunt, but could not help but smile back.

"You've become slow. You're getting older." she teased, beaming at his frowning expression.

But it was a fatal distraction, because the other took the opportunity to get rid of that grip and to turn the situation around, finding himself on top of her and holding her wrists firmly anchored to the ground.

"You were saying...?" He said, his face a few inches from hers.

This time it was her turn to snort, but the pouting lasted a short time. Within a few moments they both burst out laughing. He released her wrists and laid down in the shadow of a gigantic tree of their property, which stretched to the borders of the Sugi forest, typical of Yakushima Island. The wind blew lightly and carried with it the scent of the rhododendrons in bloom and the sea breeze, a real panacea on that sultry summer day. The blonde leaned her head on the boy's chest, who wrapped her in a delicate embrace and together they enjoyed with their eyes closed that moment of peace, warmed by the rays of the sun, refreshed by the wind and lulled by the chirping of the birds that chased each other among the branches and flew high in the clear sky. However, the quiet was short lived, because soon a shout so familiar to them roused them from their moment of bliss.

"Not true!"

"No, it is!"

"No, it's not!"

"Yes, it is!"

"MOOOOM!"

"Come on guys, stop fighting!"

Nina got up and sat down, ready to handle yet another spat that Steve had failed to sedate. Jin did the same, sitting cross-legged next to his wife. Two children ran in their direction, closely followed by their older brother, obviously sweaty and windy. Even though he was an athlete with a sparkling career in boxing, keeping an eye on those two pests was physically more exhausting than any training. Especially when they were ganging up on him.

"What happens now?" she asked, sighing.

"Keiichi says I cheated!" exclaimed the youngest.

"It's true, she didn't jump over the last hurdle and went around it!" replied the older child.

"That's not true, I'm much faster than you!"

"Elly that's enough, you were practically equ..."

"No way, I was in the lead and she cheated!"

"You are slow!"

"That's enough!" the blonde called, standing up.

"But mom, I..."

"No buts! First of all, I don't want you to fight over stupid things like this. Second, Steve said you were equal, so stop accusing each other!"

They were only two children of 10 and 6 years, it was true, but for Nina to see them quarrel was a re-opening of her old wounds every time. She and her sister Anna had also started this way, with envy and competition, until finally ruining their relationship. And despite the fact that so many years had passed since her passing, she still regretted never having been able to mend their relationship in any way, except during her very last moments of life.

"Third..." Jin intervened. " A little healthy competition is fine to spur you on, but remember that training and improving in sports as well as anything else is something you do for yourself, not a pretext to prevail over others!"

And then there was Jin, who with a few simple words could put everything back in the right perspective. Undoubtedly Nina was the most severe, but also incredibly fair and impartial. Instead, he was decidedly more malleable, but always firm on the pivotal points on which they had erected their family: respect, trust and understanding. The two children kept staring at each other, angry with each other, but also deeply brooding. They were both stubborn, but they loved each other. Keiichi was always there for Eileen, when accomplice to the height difference she could not get to the cabinets to grab the cereal and he took them for both, or when she fell off the bike and peeled her knees, he was always there to help her get up. And then Eileen never failed to share her candies with him, or lend him her colored pencils and her Lego bricks. They were both growing up so fast they forgot how much they really loved each other. Sometimes they needed that extra push, and when their parents didn't come in, their big brother Steve was always there, watching over them.

"Courage guys... If you apologize to each other and make peace, then I'll take you to the cinema. Are you in?"

"Cinema?" Eileen exclaimed, suddenly glowing.

"Do we go see the new Gundam movie?" asked Keiichi, hopeful.

"Sure!" replied the boxer, smiling. " BUT... You have to listen to what mom and dad tell you and of course ask them for permission."

"Oh mom, dad, please, can we go?"

"Come on, come on, pretty please..."

Nina and Jin stayed silent for a moment, exchanging a look of understanding.

"You heard what Steve told you, didn't you? You have to apologize first," Jin said.

"And above all, listen to what we told you. Do you guys promise us that you'll be good with each other?" Added the blonde.

"Yes, yes, yes! Sorry, Keii if I said you're slow!"

"Sorry, Elly, if I called you a fraud."

The children embraced each other, forgetting any bad mood and bickering, under the benevolent gaze of the couple.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go shower and change clothes, the movie starts in two hours!" their father urged them.

"Yes, thank you, Dad!" Keiichi said, running to hug both parents and then rushing home.

"Yes, you're the best!" Eileen repeated the dose, doing the same, but lingering in his father's arms a few moments longer, also paying homage to him with a loud kiss on the cheek.

Nina grinned, not at all jealous of that manifestation of unequal affection towards her. Eileen Jun, that crazy golden-haired and amber-colored eyes little elf, had been the last piece to make her family perfect and to send her husband completely into a ball game. Jin was a great father, always present, loving and caring, and she knew how sorry he was for not being there for her while she was pregnant of Keiichi. Despite the initial bewilderment of having discovered that he was the father of a child already born, he had not in the least shirked his responsibilities, thus fulfilling one of his greatest desires, in a totally unexpected way. However, despite the tragic circumstances at the time, he deeply regretted not being able to follow Nina from her first moment on the journey of motherhood. A few years later, however, one evening after spending hours making love and rolling onto their bed, Nina had leaned her forehead on his, looked at him straight in the eye and made a confession that would have changed their lives again.

"I'm pregnant."

Jin would never, ever forget that moment and how he held her tight, sobbing silently in the throes of emotion and happiness with his face hidden in the crook of her neck. Although the second pregnancy had been much quieter and less troubled than the previous one, Nina for the first time felt embarrassed to see her body changing again. New stretch marks, new hormonal changes and mood jolts, new kilos to dispose of and her perfect physique that began slowly to give in. She even began to feel uncomfortable showing herself to her husband. But the latter was too amazed and too fascinated by her changing body to notice those flaws: in his eyes Nina was even more beautiful than before and he did not fail to spoil her, pamper her and do everything to make her feel divine. And finally there she came, their little girl, who was growing up beautiful, strong and healthy every day more and more. Just like her older brother, Eileen was extremely intelligent and adored animals. Coincidentally, just like her paternal grandmother, whose name she was named after.

And then there was Steve, who over time had managed to leave behind the horrors of the past and forge a relationship of deep mutual respect and esteem with Jin. His boxing career had finally taken off and every year he collected medals and one victory after another. But when he was not around the world to jumps on the ring and fight into tournaments, he lived with them as a normal family, even if they were very little normal. He was practically the same age as Jin, and although his mother was older than 50, she was still a beautiful woman in her 30s. But they didn't care. They had managed to create their own happy island within their home walls and to live a life full of love and serenity, even in front of small daily challenges. Nina was actually a mother to him, giving him advice, being close to him, supporting him and talking freely about everything. With Jin things were obviously a little different, certainly he couldn't be a father figure to him, but there were moments between them in which they confided in each other their dreams and their fears. And Nina couldn't have asked for more.

"They drove you crazy today, didn't they?" asked Nina, sitting back to the ground.

"Those little punks are pure dynamite. But I am happy that despite everything they are so close..." commented the blond, opening a bottle of water. " At least being off season they help me keep in shape."

Everyone laughed at that joke.

"Thank you for accompanying them to the cinema. If anything tonight they will sleep like logs..." Jin joked, glancing eloquently at his wife, who caught him perfectly.

"Rather..." began the blonde. " We're so glad you're spending so much time with your brother and sister, but don't you think I should call Julia back and hang out with her this weekend?"

Steve coughed loudly.

"How do you know about Julia?" he asked, surprised.

"Feminine intuition..." she replied slyly. " She's a good girl... You'd look cute together..."

"I confirm. You think, her mother Michelle was very friendly with mine, they often collaborated together for different environmental causes." added Jin, with an air of approval.

"Well..." replied the boxer, who conspicuously blushed, "Actually, I find her quite interesting... I like spending time with her."

"Take her somewhere and have fun tomorrow, then. We'll take care of those lil' brats."

"Thank you, Jin."

"And make sure those two don't eat crap at the cinema, they're going to the dentist next week," Nina added.

Steve smiled at both of us.

"Yes, mom! See you later!" he replied, saying goodbye.

Mom. Not Nina anymore, but Mom. On the other hand that what she was for him and never thought she would be so happy and proud. She watched him as the boy walked home, then let herself go back into Jin's arms, with a deep sigh. The latter welcomed her and together they lay back on the grass, gently stroking her hair. How their lives had changed so quickly... It often happened that the monsters of the past appeared at their door, but as long as they remained together nothing became insurmountable. Jin, above all, had gone through very dark times, devoured by guilt during the day and nightmares at night for what he had done, but thanks to Nina's help and a lot of therapy, he had gradually come to terms with it. The past could not be changed, many people still hated him, some others had forgiven him because they had recognized in Kazuya the real threat, which they had managed to get rid of only thanks to him. He understood that there was no going back, so he had done his best to improve as much as possible and try to make up for his catastrophic mistakes.

First he had taken over the reins of the Mishima Zaibatsu and put all its resources at the disposal of all humanity to help it to stand up, rebuilding entire cities, devoting huge sums of money to those who had nothing left and promoting all kinds of charitable initiatives to ensure that no one was left without support. After that, he had decided to hand it over to Lee, Lars and Alisa, letting Violet Systems acquire and guide it, always in favor of progress to help others. He and Nina would continue to be part of it, but from behind the scenes, so that the whole project was not further questioned. Over the years he had managed at least in part to redeem his name, and having two children had encouraged him even more to improve, to avoid that because of him they could be pointed out, or discriminated. He knew that one day they would grow up, discover everything and ask him questions about his past: by then he only hoped to be ready to give them all the answers.

After all power, money, fame and glory no longer mattered to him. There was no longer that horrible tribal tattoo to deface his arm and poison his mind. Now there was only him, with his judgment, his strengths and his fears. However, as his beloved mother told him before leaving permantely, he was no longer alone. And she was right. He had beside him the woman of his dreams, of whom he was madly in love and to whom he owed everything. The woman who had given him two wonderful children, and who for years proudly called her wife. He had his children, from whom he learned a lot, even though he was the parent, and for whom he would do anything to make them live a happy and peaceful life. And day after day he had also learned to make peace with himself and with his past, trying to maintain his last promise to his beloved mother.

It had been so hard to say her goodbye again. She had left behind only a crow feather, as tangible proof of her return after believing she had been lost for years. Now that feather was always buried there, in Yakushima, where the house where they once lived stood. That gesture allowed him to put a closure to that painful chapter of his life. It hadn't been easy, but Nina was there with him during that difficult moment, holding him tight while he let himself go to a thousand tears and sobs. His wife's embrace was always a balm for his soul in his moments of crisis, her warmth, her perfume and all the feeling she felt for him helped him every time not to collapse.

But they made it. They had managed to move forward, never looking back. And so they would contintue to do it. They had to endure hell. They had to feel broken to find the strength to start again. But now everything was fine... Now they could finally live...

Author's notes: The first chapter of this story was posted on February 17, 2018: when I started writing it I had more or less in mind the plot and the characters I wanted to include: Tekken 7 had left me soooo dissapointed for both Nina and Jin's stories, after the amazing work they did with the 6, to encourage me to write something about them, which is my version of what I would have wanted to happen instead. Clearly and sadly for me to dear Harada such ideas don't cross his mind any close; surely the game is about fighting and the struggles and saga of the Mishima family, which is the main focus. But what has always made me mad is not to characterize the characters, especially the historical ones. Nina has been there from very beginning and even has a spin off completely dedicated to her, in T6 had a prominent role and in T7 what happens? They make her look helpless and put on her a ridiculous wedding dress to throw off her sister's wedding. That being said, even though I had my ideas pretty clear, it took me almost 6 years to complete this fan fiction and I'll tell you, I'd probably still be halfway if Tekken 8 wasn't about to come out and put fire in my ass. In the course of the work I have been stuck for months and months on points that seem insurmountable to me, because I had no idea how to put the pieces together. I'm not good at describing the fight scenes and I don't even like to, yet at times they were necessary. I am not a writer and I have a very conflictual relationship with verbs (I think you see), yet I feel quite satisfied with what I did. In the end it was just a matter of putting myself in front of Word and simply writing, had I waited for the perfect come up, more than half the story would still be to be written! I am well aware that the couple JinxNina is not appreciated, that everyone sees him better with Xiao (what a nuisance of woman), Asuka, Julia, even Lili, and random people he never interacted with... Nina, to most people is just a ruthless paid assasin, the ultimate ice queen. Not for me, for me she is much more, she's a strong woman, resolute, lethal and beautiful, but a human like all of us, with her weaknesses and above all worthy of being happy. I hope I haven't distorted her character too much, but it's precisely on her insecurities, her past and her human side that I wanted to shed light. Same for Jin, who before being destroyed by his curse was a normal boy, who lived a normal life, with dreams and fears. I don't know what will be next and I think T8 will be last chapter of the saga, but as far as I'm concerned, let all the trailers of this world come out now, my job here is done XD Finally I would like to thank all those people who have read and followed this story, even if they left no comment: it means I've managed to arouse their curiosity. Thank you for all the reviews, which always made me smile a lot. Huge and special thanks to AkemiRie, who inspired me to keep writing: you're a darling and your works are amazing and so inspiring! Also big thanks to my darling friend Serena, who translated everything for me, when I barely had the time to breath. Without her I wouldn't have been able to post this story here too. It took me forever to get here, I've never written such a long story (and I think it will never happen again XD), but as far as I'm concerned it was worth it. Now, with all the calm of the world, I can think about writing some one shots always on my fave pairing, which clearly, will all be connected to this story (pre-during-after). Because in the end the characters are Harada's and Namnco's, but the freedom to dream and imagine them differently is for everyone. Thanks again to everyone, I hope you enjoyed it. See you soon and marry Xmas and happy new year everyone :)