This fic was inspired by the song 'ceilings' by Lizzy McAlpine. Feel free to put that on while you read this.

Running up the stairs two at a time, she felt no fatigue or discomfort. She couldn't afford to waste a single second hesitating or slowing down, not when what she wanted for so long was finally within arm's reach. As such, her focus was entirely on reaching the top of the stair case, where a door was left ajar and letting in blinding rays of light. She closed her eyes, refusing to let the harsh light stop her, and pushed through. Her feet finding solid, straight ground, she opened her eyes.

She recognised the surroundings well. It was the roof of Mishima Polytechnic, a place where some students would often go to escape their schedules. Of course she'd find him here. He was the best escape artist she knew.

He stood close to the railing, standing silently as he faced the infinite sky. His dark coat fluttered in the wind, and it didn't seem so intimidating now like it did on the news.

But she didn't come all this way just for him to face his back to her.

"Jin!" she called out to him. Despite having ran up countless flights of stairs to be here, her voice was surprisingly steady and smooth. The wind carried her cry to him, and soon enough he turned around.

The first thing she focused on were his eyes. They were so bright, a warm brown beneath dancing lights. She'd never seen them look so beautiful, had forgotten that was possible, when all she saw in the pictures was darkness.

"Xiaoyu."

His voice was the same as it was in her memories, deep, heavy and solemn. On TV, it was clinical and cold. Here, when saying her name, it was anything but. Her name uttered from his lips was all it took for her to throw caution to the wind.

Her feet moved of their own accord, closing the distance between them. The wind seemed to pick up when he was within arm's length of her. The sight of his hair, swaying in the winds like a dark wind-chime, made her heart swell with emotion. How could he have such an effect on her?

"Jin… why…"

It was supposed to be a series of questions, but she didn't know where to start.

And then, as if he read her mind, he stared into her eyes as he said "The war is over. I've called off all my forces, and dismantled the Zaibatsu. No more innocent people will be hurt under my name."

Her chest felt lighter from his admission, yet confusion clouded her mind. "That's a relief, but… why are you doing this?"

"This" referred to so many things at the moment, but she struggled to find the words. They all swirled and coalesced in her mind. He closed his eyes, and it felt like someone had covered the sun.

"I wanted to see you. I've wanted to see you every day, since high-school. Please believe me…"

She did, immediately. How could she not, when he looked at her with those shining eyes? How could she not, when these were the words she had hoped to hear for 3 years?

But she didn't say any of that, instead asking "Why now?"

His expression was unreadable, but he had to be feeling some way about this? About her? Right?

"I tried to look for you. I tried to find you for years. I tried to reach you now and your guards turned me away."

"Xiao-"

"I thought you hated me, or that you never wanted to see me again…" she interjected, her tongue now loose as her emotions began unravelling. Unwelcome tears began to well up in her eyes.

She hated it. Why couldn't she maintain her composure now? Why did she have to show weakness now?

"I just wanted to know you were okay, Jin," she admitted through tiny sobs, failed attempts to calm her emotions. "I wanted to know that I still knew you, that I still know you, but I don't know what to think now-"

Her world became dark in an instant. Jin has rushed forward to wrap his arms around her, smothering her in a tight hug. She let out a hiccup from the surprise, but his embrace only made her sob harder.

This was supposed to be one of the happiest moments of her life. Why was this tearing her apart instead?

"Don't think that, Xiao. Never think that. You're the only one left in my life. The only one who knows me," he said, his voice loud and clear as if it was coming from within her.

"Why did you stay away from me then?!" she cried out. Her outburst took him by surprise. He let her go and stepped away from her, and she immediately missed him. Curse her emotions…

"I'm a bad person now," he murmured, somehow perfectly audible despite the roaring winds. "I'm not the same boy you loved in high-school. It fills me with shame to admit, but it's the truth."

He turned around again, hiding his face from her, and her chest ached from the sight. "I would never forgive myself if I ruined your life, ruined you. I stayed away because you deserve better than a villain."

How ridiculous, she thought. It was ridiculous, that he thought he'd ever be anything but the boy she fell for in her youth. He could never be a villain to her, not when she knew who he was deep down. Her shoes scrapped against the worn cement as she rushed to Jin again, grabbing his arm and forcing him to face her.

"Jin, you stupid, silly boy! Look at me!"

She reached for his face with both hands and gently brought it down it so he could see her. Tears were streaming freely down her face, her hair was billowing wildly in the air, and she felt like a mess. His eyes seemed to take all of her in, and the colours in them mesmerised her. From this close, she could count five different shades of brown alone.

"Xiao…"

She sobbed again.

"You're so beautiful, it hurts…"

Why did he have to say that when she was a wreck? It hurt so much, and yet she'd never been happier.

He slowly leaned down, and they both closed their eyes in sync. Their lips met, and the sensation was so light that she almost didn't believe he was actually kissing her. The doubt disappeared from her mind, however, when one of Jin's hands travelled to the small of her back and pulled her whole body closer to him. When her chest pressed against his, so too did he put more force and energy in his kiss. The heat of his body, and the searing energy behind his kiss, wrapped her whole being in a cocoon of warmth. The wind continued to howl and whip at them, but Jin's warmth was overpowering.

She moved her lips against his, and her reciprocation seemed to be the spark they needed to burn their inhibitions away. Her hands left his face, instead tracing a trail down his body, starting from his broad shoulder to his firm waist. He took her lower lip in his mouth, his teeth gently following the shape of it, and his free hand materialised in her hair to pull it free. He was not gentle, and yet she didn't feel any discomfort when he roughly tugged at one glowing hair-tie. Her own hands decided yank his shirt free from his belt, slipping them under the cloth and touching the skin there for the first time. His abdomen, something she'd seen before, something she dreamed of touching before, burned under her cold hands, and he broke the kiss to let out a breathless groan.

"Xiaoyu…" he let out, his voice heavy with an unknown, exciting emotion. One that made her stomach squirm and her body grow warmer. She met his gaze with her half-lidded eyes, and saw only dark, bottomless pools.

It didn't frighten her. This was her Jin.

Without warning, he picked her up by the waist and twirled her in the air. The wind felt like a storm now. Her open hair flew alongside her, and she felt one with the air.

How she hoped he saw the beauty in her at that moment.

She was pushed against the railing when her feet touched the ground, before he kissed her again. There was an urgency, a fierceness, behind his actions now. His body pressed into her. His hands were everywhere. His mouth took all she had to offer. He enveloped her very being. She met all of it with enthusiasm, refusing to let the moment pass without savouring it.

"I love you."

She heard the words, but had no clue who said it. She pulled him even closer, without even stopping to think if it was possible.

Her legs lost their support. She felt herself flying through the air. A brief thought passed through her mind that she was in danger, but she dismissed it.

Jin was still here with her, kissing her like she was all that mattered, loving her like she always wanted him to.

"I love you."

She didn't hear it, but her mouth had formed the words. The wind moved at breakneck speed now, but it was okay. His limbs were intertwined with hers.

"Don't leave me."

She heard nothing but air rushing around her, but it was alright. She still felt his warmth. That's all she needed.

"This will hurt."

It's okay.

It's alright.

It always hurt.

Her eyes fluttered open. Her face and bare arms felt cold and her legs were bundled under a thick duvet. A few more seconds, and she realised she was in her bed.

Alone.

Her phone let out a sharp blink, cutting through her sleep-addled stupor. She moved her stiff arms, picking up her phone to check it.

Low battery.

She dismissed the message and it was replaced by a news feed. The thing she fell asleep watching last night.

"It's been a week since Kazama Jin, CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu was reported missing. The UN still conducts extensive searches in the hopes of finding some sign of him, alive or dead, in the hopes of finally bringing some semblance of justice to the world."

Her heart began to ache, the sensation dull amidst her drowsiness. She placed her phone on her bedside table, clumsily plugging it in to charge and raising the volume. Once that was done, she turned around to face the wall and curled into herself under the duvet. She stared at the plaster as her body slowly warmed up, but her stomach began to churn from anxiety again.

And the heart ache would only get worse, she knew.

"In the absence of the 'Destroyer of Worlds', many people from across the globe are at a loss on how to proceed after war ravaged their communities and homes. Despite the war being presumed to have come to an end, very few can seek solace from this development."

I actually fucking hate Jin x Xiaoyu, just so no one gets the wrong idea. I hate what they did in Tekken 8's story, and I was mad salty over it for a week at least.

This is not Jin x Xiaoyu in my mind, because it's not real. Much like the Tekken 6 Xiaoyu ending.

Anyway, hate aside, I wrote this after I listened to 'ceilings' by Lizzy McAlpine. That song kinda hit me at a time where I've been feeling some type of way about things, without going in depth. This one-shot was halfway done before the release of T8, but the story soured me on finishing this.

But alas, I finished it. This is basically a vent fic in a way, and it's always good to vent. I'll go back to writing fics for ships and characters that I actually like.

That's all from me now.

May Peace Be Upon You.