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Prologue
His human senses were giving way to the Devil inside him. The pounding in his ears muffled and distorted the sound of his labored breathing, of Heihachi's feeble attempts to struggle. Cold sweat matted his hair to his forehead and ran down his back, and his heart beat so hard and so fast against his chest that he was sure it would burst. But Devil's power kept it from bursting. It kept his bones and muscles intact, his blood from spilling. It made sure that Jin not only survived but emerged victorious. And he did.
Jin kneeled on the cold wooden floor and grabbed Heihachi by the neck, his fingers pushing roughly into the skin. The old man could barely move. He couldn't even defend himself, and that was fine because he didn't deserve the chance. Jin pulled back his left arm, ready to strike, and Heihachi looked away. He was afraid. Jin felt a new burst of adrenaline course through his veins. His muscles tensed, ready to deal the final blow and finally exact his revenge.
Take your victory. You have earned it.
But something cut through his tunnel vision and his blinding rage. He felt her presence before he saw her. Her image illuminated the room brighter than the fire from the torches and the gleaming golden statues.
His mother stood before him.
She was there and then gone. Impossible. He knew it was impossible because she had been dead for years. But there was a sense of calm inside his heart. His mind was clear. He saw Kazuya's motionless body lying on the other side of the room, then fixed his gaze on the frightened old man completely at his mercy. Jin hung his head. He couldn't do it. He wasn't like them. Jun would never have wanted him to–
He pushed Heihachi away and stood up. "Thank my mother…Jun Kazama…"
No. Devil's voice was almost a growl. It vibrated inside his head. You can't walk away from this when you have already won. Strike the final blow, and revenge will be yours.
Jin ignored Devil's hissing and screaming inside his head and turned his back on Heihachi and on Kazuya's motionless form.
He propelled himself into the air, breaking through the ceiling, wood cracking, splintering, and shattering around his body. It was a relief to breathe in the cold night air, to feel it drying the sweat off his skin as he flew under the black velvet sky. But the comfort of freedom and the cold breeze was short-lived.
Devil cursed and hurled insults. He screamed and roared. Jin had to quickly find a place to land because he didn't know how much more hissing and screeching he could take. When the noise inside his head became nearly overwhelming, he spotted a thickly wooded area and dove into it. He landed next to a tall evergreen and put his hand on it for support.
You threw everything away over a hallucination!
Jin closed his eyes and put his forehead against the tree. It wasn't a hallucination. A hallucination couldn't calm his heart and his mind. He had seen her. He was sure. She had been there in the dojo, clear as crystal.
He breathed in and out, keeping the image of her face in his mind. He held on to the feeling of her presence. It was almost the same as when he was little, and she put her arms around him, almost the same sense of comfort and safety. The wings retracted, and he opened his eyes.
As it grew quiet inside his head. He became aware of his surroundings: the cold wind swaying leaves and branches, an owl hooting in the distance, a small animal scurrying among the twigs and fallen leaves. And there was a new feeling in his heart. It made it beat fast against his chest, but it was different from before.
"She's alive…" He whispered.
He knew that she was. It was more than hope; it was a fact. And not Devil or anyone else was going to convince him otherwise. He was going to find her or die trying.
A/N: If you're not aware, this is a sequel to my Tekken 2 fic, "The Hardest Truth." It's not required reading to follow this one, but if you want to read it, thanks!
I'm writing a Tekken 5 AU because to me, having been a fan of the series since like 1995, the story went off the rails after Tekken 4. I won't go into it here as I don't want to be redundant.
Jun will not be featured very much in this story even though she was a main character in the last one and she's one of my favorite characters. I wrote this as a way to rationalize what happened to her. I guess we're going to get an official answer soon, but I probably won't like it, so I'm being proactive.
If you know my writing, you know that I often write OCs, so expect OCs.
Regarding updates, my time is always on very high demand so there will be times when I update twice a month and others when I update once in two months (or more). Please bear with me.
Please note, if there are any similarities to anything from Tekken 8, this story has been decades in the making, so it's pure coincidence.
Feel free to comment! I always try to reply to comments, but if I don't it just means it slipped my mind.
I will try to keep notes brief after this. Thank you!
