Author's notes: This story is set after Tekken 4 but is not related to Tekken 5 (though I am wishing it is) This fanfic is inspired from the song "Even In Death" by Evanescence and is from Jin Kazama's point of view. It is also the sequel to my first Tekken fanfic, "As Purity Lay in the Arms of Evil" so this has some relation to the Tekken Anime Movie. Rated G
Disclaimer: Jin Kazama, Kazuya Mishima and all Tekken characters are the property of NAMCO. This is only a fan fiction from the imagination of an obsessed fan. No copyright infringement intended.
Chapter VI: Memoirs
The bus slowed to a stop in front of the path leading to the forest of Yakushima. Yes, I was finally back in Japan. Unfortunately, I can only manage a short visit. I knew I was taking a great risk returning to the place of my birth, but there was something I felt I had to do.
I paid my fare and stepped out of the bus, inhaling the fresh scent of pine while the afternoon breeze played with strands of my dark hair. I took out the gold locket and once again, gazed at the picture of my grandmother and her infant son. Letting out a short breath, I tucked the necklace back inside my shirt and trekked down the path.
It had been well over a week after I narrowly escaped Devil...thanks to my father. Yes, my father. I have come to accept that fact wholeheartedly now. Though I am still quite resentful about a few things, I don't hate him as much as I did. Maybe it's because...he had loved my mother and still does. Everything I witnessed in the underground lab within the G Corporation proved that. It may be a strange, obsessive love, but it is love nonetheless. It more than made up for some of his mistakes and it made me feel better about myself.
Three days ago, I worked up the guts to send an e-mail to my father, asking about Mother's well-being. His response was quick and obviously hurriedly typed, as if he didn't want anyone to know he was writing to me:
she's fine. there has been some significant progress. she's awake more often now. i think it had something to do about your visit last time.
the researchers told me that your angel gene can have a great impact on Jun's health. i cant tell you the full details now. i'll tell you all of it after the tournament. for now, use a public computer when you contact me. i still have to work on subduing devil.
K.
I quickened my steps until I was practically running through the woods. The twigs and fallen branches cracked beneath my pounding feet with each step I took. I have to hurry. I have to reach there before sundown. Then maybe I could finally see the why that place was so special for my mother...and maybe even my father. After all, he did search for her there: something I hadn't even thought of.
I broke away from the woods, basking under the rays of the setting sun. I walked over to the edge of the ravine. The place was absolutely enchanting, but I already knew that. I have been here with Mother so many times before and still I couldn't see why this place had been important to her.
A strong gust of wind blew from behind me. I turned and saw Mother, standing underneath a nearby tree, her white kimono waving as she held her loving smile. I blinked hard and she was gone.
No. I didn't think I was hallucinating. Mother was surely trying to tell me something. I walked over to the tree and knelt beside it. I touched the ground with my palm and at that moment, a bizarre impulse overwhelmed me.
I grabbed a flat rock and began pounding at the soft earth, occasionally using my hands to dig through the stones. I had gotten to around four or five inches when I hit something hard and hollow. I dug some more until I unearthed a wooden box. I recognized it to be the time capsule Mother had buried here when I was sixteen, a few days before Toshin attacked. It had a lock but it was so old I was able to unlatch it easily. I opened the box and found several papers inside a plastic bag.
I untied the bag and ruffled through its neatly arranged contents. There were several pictures of my mother and father: Mother strolling on the lake, my father preparing the boat, both of them in an obvious self-picture struggling not to get their faces off the frame, my father fishing, my mother tending to the garden...just simple pictures of the everyday life of a couple. No special occasion or whatever but it brought a wide smile to my face. My father hadn't lied. They had lived together and even though my father had that permanently angry look, I thought I could see a slight smile on his lips, showing he had been very happy with my mother. But what really caught my attention was a small envelope.
The envelope was already yellow on the sides. I picked it up carefully, afraid that it might crumble in my hands. I opened the flap and took out a piece of paper. It was a letter from my father to my mother.
Jun,
By the time you read this, I'd have gone far away so please don't come after me. I know, from past experiences, that you would go to the ends of the Earth just to look for me but there are reasons why I had to leave you. I assure you that if I had a choice, I would never leave your side.
You may be confused and maybe even angry, but you have to understand. For the past two days, a lot of things have happened and so much truth was revealed. All these got me to thinking of our future and after much deliberation I realized that there are some things that needed to be taken care of to secure that future.
When my father's mercenaries came for me that day, I almost lost you. Just the thought of losing you appalls me. I can't let that happen again. My father is relentless. He will do anything to hurt me...even if it means dragging innocents like you into the picture. He won't stop until he sees me dead and so, I've decided to confront him one last time. With him gone, we can live free from all anxieties. You may be against it, but I have to do this. I vowed to protect you and I don't intend to go back on that promise.
Today, as I watched you in your sleep, I couldn't help but think how lucky I am to have spent the last several months in your arms. I don't deserve you, Jun. You're too good. Too pure and innocent. I on the other hand, am a creature of darkness. And yet, you welcomed me into your life not with hesitation, loathing and disgust, but with love, kindness and warmth. For that, I am eternally grateful.
For now, I am asking you to keep your lips sealed about me. That way, my father can never trace you. Tell your relatives what you must but just be careful with what you reveal.
I don't know why I can't say it outright. I can't even write it down. Maybe it's because I can't find the words to describe it but I do hope you know how I feel about you.
I promise I'll return to you someday. I may not know when, but I will come back. Until then, please wait for me.
Kazuya
I bent my head down and closed my eyes as a gentle breeze swayed through the green grass. Slowly, I began to return these precious memoirs back in the box and put it inside my backpack. Somehow, I knew Mother would have wanted me to keep it.
I stood by the cliff and watched the sun sink down the mountains. Today, questions were answered while others began to surface. I still don't know why this cliff had been dear to my parents. Maybe it's because this was where their destinies entwined. As for me, this place gives me a sense of belonging...of security...of safety...of contentment...and of life. Strangely, this place makes me feel alive.
"Wait for me, Mother...Father..." I thought as a flock of cranes flew above me, following the rays of the fading sunlight. "I swear I'll make this family whole again..."
THE END
A/N: Though this isn't as good as the prequel, I hope you enjoyed it. I want this to be part of Tekken 5...maybe the ending of Tekken 5 or something. I'm wishing, I know. But doesn't every author in wish? Hehehe. Boy! If Jin knew what happened in that place...hihihi! That's why he felt alive. Don't know what I'm talking about? Why don't you read "As Purity Lay in the Arms of Evil" ? I'll be making a new version of that one soon, through the eyes of Kazuya.