[UPDATE] This whole little project has undergone some beta changes thanks to my lovely fiancé CRYSTALMOONLIGHTII. He has helped me a bunch with my punctuation errors and helping with my wording. So big a shout out to him! I know I'll probably explain this in the chapter but RAISON D'ETRE has now been split into two parts! This is purely because I thought it was a bit much to dump all that into one chapter when there clearly was a stopping point. That has been fixed and hopefully that chapter won't be too daunting for new readers with it now two parts. Anyway, I hope everyone new and who have been reading enjoys and continues to enjoy this thing of mine! Thanks so much to those who left reviews and to the readers in general! THANKS! [waves like crazy]

THE HEAVENLY GARDEN'S CALLING

The wind blew with an eerie sense of melancholy, as Jun Kazama stood at a window in her homely cottage in the forest of Yakushima, before finally deciding to close it for the night. Something in her heart felt that her time on this earth was quickly coming to an end - even with that knowledge beforehand, it didn't stop her from feeling uneasy about leaving her two children.

A daughter and a son - with the former being two years older than the latter. Jun stood before the window a moment longer recalling the time she had spent with the father of her children… Kazuya Mishima.

Encountering him during the first King of Iron Fist Tournament as a spectator seemed to be a complete coincidence - the two ended up meeting each other after a few of Kazuya's matches. The two seemed to bond immediately and ended up being profoundly drawn to each other. Each of them finding the other mysterious, with a gravitational pull leading them into a night of passion, which resulted in the conception of their daughter.

What Jun didn't expect was encountering Kazuya once again at the second King of Iron Fist Tournament during an investigation into the ethics, importation, and experimentation on exotic animals as bio weaponry.

The chance meeting lead her to try to save his soul from an evil which seemed to be taking complete control over him. Alas, just like before, during the first tournament, the two were drawn together, and from that attraction; Jun and Kazuya conceived their son.

Even when she met Kazuya at the first tournament, Jun could already feel the evil within, but he seemed to have a bit more control over it - almost like it hadn't began to manifest entirely. He seemed to be a much kinder man than the one she encountered at the second tournament.

Because of the cold and merciless nature he seemed to have adopted Jun never told him about their daughter. She felt it was best not to tell him; not until she could save him. Alas, in the end, Jun couldn't reach Kazuya and the man she once knew no longer existed. The Japanese beauty could feel in her heart that the time she shared with Kazuya had to be fate, a tragic fate at that, not just for him and her but for their children as well.

Jun had determined it to be as such a long time ago, because she felt it had to be predestined for the two to meet, and ultimately have children. Even now as she stared into the black depths of the forest, she knew her children were destined to have a much greater purpose than she did or Kazuya, would ever think of or possibly imagine.

The loving mother spent the majority of her time teaching her children to defend themselves, as well as to respect all living things - to keep themselves grounded and calm. Her reasoning for passing on such knowledge was indeed because of the nature their father had possessed.

She could sense the very same evil in both her son and daughter while each were still nestled in her womb, or rather one of the two could be potentially susceptible to it, only time could reveal which one... the younger brother or the older sister.

Even with the presence of that evil and the possibility of it corrupting her precious children, Jun vowed to teach them to have a strong sense of justice. She taught them to love all living things; be it humans, animals, plants or insects. She vowed to raise them with unconditional love and support as a mother should and be a pillar of strength for them in hard times to come.

The Japanese woman sighed and took a deep breath; she finally began to turn away from the window, leaving the abyss of black trees and eerie silence behind her. She slowly walked through the cozy cottage as every step she took made the old wooden floorboards creak. The sounds echoed through the small corridor and bounced off the walls, it was as if the reverberation had a life of it's very own.

All of Jun's senses seemed to be very alert, listening for any sound that might signal incoming danger. Her reflexes were ready so the proud lioness could pounce to protect her cubs and get them to safety. Even if her life were to end, right now Jun knew her daughter Kazue would take care of her younger brother Jin.

She told the both of them to seek out Heihachi Mishima, their paternal grandfather, if anything should happen to her. Jin had objected to his mother's advice saying nothing would happen to her, seeming to be upset by the very idea of what she had said, while Kazue sat and nodded her head in silent understanding.

Kazue always seemed to understand Jun and took the things she said very seriously. Jun always wondered if Kazue could sense and feel the same very things she did. The loving mother took note of the many times her daughter would talk about feeling a strong evil presence looming around and how she was afraid of it throughout her life.

Kazue often described it as if the evil were watching her, studying her and seeing if she would be compatible. Knowing this, Jun would always reassure her to keep what she had taught her in mind and close to her heart. That way, the evil will never take hold of her.

Jin on the other hand seemed to be oblivious to it. He went about being the usual rambunctious boy and grew into a normal and mischievous teenager who loved to play tricks on his older sister. He never seemed to worry and didn't like to be too serious unlike his sister. However, on this very silent night everyone in the house felt the ominous vibe as the wind rustled through the tree leaves.

The two siblings turned and looked at their mother as she entered the small rustic front room. The three all stared at each other in silence while the fire crackled and snapped in its place.

"Is everything alright mother?" Jin asked trying to deny the troubling feelings in the very depths of his heart.

Kazue stared at Jin with a look as if to say 'Stop being so naive! Can't you feel it?' but stopped herself from speaking aloud. She knew Jin wouldn't take it very well and would fall apart if anything happened to their mother.

Jin always was the one to be more fragile than Kazue, the older sibling would always stay strong in times of crisis or hardship. A trait she shared with her mother, but Jin would always be the first to cry or to get angry, something Kazue figured came from their mysterious father.

Hearing her son speak to her, Jun pushed her worries aside and smiled gently at her two children. It was a smile of a loving mother, a smile of an angel, a smile that seemed to be made in the shining heavens above - it would light the sky in the darkest of nights.

Such seemed to be the very same smile the sun goddess Amaterasu would beam at dawn, greeting all the people of Japan and showering them in her warmth.

"Do not worry." Jun replied in a soft, comforting tone of voice. She wanted to soothe Jin, she wanted to keep him calm, to keep him from panicking and losing control.

Jin stared at his mother for a moment longer trying to push back the unease he felt deep within. He half smiled and tried to swallow the lump that was forming in his throat.

"Alright." He answered nervously, while trying to turn his attention back to the book he had been trying to read for the past hour.

Jun could see the fear written on his face as clear as the weather on a warm sunny day. It was like her son was a completely different person, as if the very sky of his soul had darkened and gray clouds began to roll in. A storm was beginning to stir within him and it was very visible to her. It made the woman worry even more for Jin and his future.

Her attention turned to the silent but knowing girl sat by the fireplace nestled in a white crocheted blanket- the one that had little intricate weaving of thin shining red thread running throughout the knit work. A single look of acknowledgment between the two and a simple nod of the head was all either of them needed.

"Kazue, might I have a word with you for a moment." Jun asked of her daughter.

Without any objections or asking what it was her mother wanted to speak about, Kazue began to unwrap herself from the white and red blanket her mother had crocheted for her as a gift for her birthday one year.

"Will you be okay for a moment in here alone Jin?" Kazue asked her brother, knowing and feeling exactly what Jun knew and felt brewing deep inside him.

Jin looked up at his sister and sighed, trying once again to shake off the unease he was feeling. "Yes, I'll be fine." He replied with a nod of his head.

Kazue smiled softly at her brother then ruffled his hair a bit in a loving way before making her way over to their mother. "Be right back!" The older sibling replied before she and her mother stepped out of the front room.

Jun gestured for her daughter to follow her to the small kitchen located quietly near the back of the house. Yet it was near enough to the front room to hear if Jin was in trouble or needed help. The mother decided it was far enough away so that the younger sibling wouldn't hear any of the conversation she was about to have with the older one.

Kazue silently followed her mother into the kitchen and patiently waited for her to begin to speak, not wanting to be rude.

With a sigh, Jun began to formulate the words she wanted to convey to her daughter. She didn't want to panic her by saying she was going to die. No… Jun wanted to reiterate what she had said in a previous conversation.

"Kazue, do you remember when I told you and your brother to seek out Heihachi Mishima if anything were to happen to me?" The loving mother began slowly and gently.

There was a small frown that began to pull at Kazue's brow, but she began to recall the discussion the family of three had some months prior.

"Yes mother, I do remember." Kazue answered quietly and calmly with a note of understanding in her voice.

Jun could feel heavy waves of sadness wash over her like a tidal wave crashing onto the shore. She could feel the tears begin to burn and threaten to spill over as the words she began preparing herself to say became very real to her.

"Kazue… The Heavenly Garden beckons me. I can hear it's call in the wind bouncing off the trees and rattling their leaves. I can hear it as the rain pours and soaks the dry ground below." Jun said trying to keep her voice level not wanting to frighten Kazue anymore with her overwhelming sadness. The words she had spoken were enough to rattle the young girl and shake Jin to his very core if he were in the room.

"Mother..." The young girl began to speak but Jun quickly turned and placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders lovingly, a look asking for understanding and forgiveness.

"Kazue… Something is coming for me. I can feel its presence." The mother said, "You must take care of your brother. Jin… He's going to need you if I'm not to be around."

Jun's eyes began shining with a mournful moisture as Kazue stared deep within the dark sable pools. They reminded her of a puddle of rainwater in the forest one day. The reason why she recalled that puddle was simple. the way the water glistened in the sunlight almost made the puddle itself seem to be in a deep sadness that the rain was over. Kazue never wanted to see her mother mournful or in any sort of emotional pain.

"Mother… Please." Kazue whispered. She hated seeing the pain and anguish in her mother's eyes.

Jun could see and feel Kazue's longing for her soul to not hurt or be in any kind of despair. Nevertheless, the mother wanted her to take heed of her words.

"My daughter, listen to me. You must take your brother and go to Heihachi. Take care of Jin and never forget what I have taught you. Be strong… No… you are strong Kazue! Protect him and protect yourself. Take care of each other and we will be reunited again when the time comes in the Heavenly Garden." Jun replied then placed a tender yet loving kiss on her daughter's forehead directly where her third eye should be.

It was a gesture so pure, one of such unconditional love that when the kiss was placed, Kazue could feel her mother's overwhelming warmth for her and her brother wash over her like a rushing yet gentle waterfall, bathing her and Jin in the glowing of their mother's heart, soul and eternal love.

"When you or Jin ever feel alone Kazue… just listen to the wind and rain. My voice will always be there to guide you and your brother and lead you both to the light. Listen and feel my warmth." The mother whispered softly.

When the mother and daughter finally parted, they both stared at each other knowingly. But as Kazue gazed upon her mother's face she saw a bit of panic grace her features and then the overwhelming sadness returned, a tear finally flowed forth trickling down her gentle face like soft rain.

The young girl turned and saw her brother standing in the doorway to the kitchen with his hands clenched into tight shaking fists on either side of his body. She stared at him for a moment watching him as he stood there not saying a word. Then the younger sibling looked up, his eyes darkened with anguish and in that instant Kazue felt Jin's intense pain and despair crashing into her like a tsunami - nearly drowning her in the dark watery depths of a raging ocean.

The look on Jin's face was one twisted with so much hurt and anguish it could have crushed a person's soul, never releasing it from the depths of hell that swirled and flared within his heart and mind.

"You can't…" Jin said in a broken whisper, his lip quivering as he tried to hold back tears and the increasing need to scream.

Jun could feel the very same intense pain Kazue felt coming from Jin. It broke her heart and caused even more tears to flow in a never ending stream. The intensity of her son's pain nearly threatened to swallow her whole.

"Jin… Please. I love you my son… Remember that. I will never truly leave you." She replied softly, trying to stop the anguish from consuming him. She could see and feel the angry aura pulsing around him violently. Jun knew he was vulnerable and that was the last thing she wanted.

"YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME LIKE THIS! LEAVE US! YOU CAN'T!" He shouted desperately.

Without any warning, something crashed into the kitchen making debris scatter everywhere and the sheer force of what seemed like an explosion knocked Jin and Kazue to the floor. Kazue's ears began to ring and her vision was blurry but one thing she felt was intense heat. When she managed to gain her sight back, the young Kazama could she a straight line of blazing fire separating her and Jin from their mother.

She could see a faint outline of her and a huge towering figure through the smoke and flames. What baffled the young Kazama was the state of their small cottage, it seemed to be in ruins compared to the way it was minutes prior. The young girl rationalized that she must have been unconscious for a long while for the cottage to be in the state it was in now.

She looked quickly to her left and saw her brother unconscious on the floor, flames threatening to lick at his skin. Immediately taking heed of her mother's words, she rushed to Jin's side to try to get him to regain consciousness.

Kazue rolled him onto his back and began to shake him in an attempt to wake him. After a while of shaking him gently, she decided on a more forceful method.

"Jin! JIN! Wake up PLEASE!" She shouted desperately shaking her brother and scanning the scene for their mother trying to keep an eye on her as well.

The flames where getting closer and more intense with their blazing heat and both Kazue and the unconscious Jin were being burned just by being near. In the crackling of the flames eating away at the old drywood of the cottage ruins, and forest trees, Kazue could hear her mother and a towering figure engaging in what sounded like a fight. Whatever that figure was, it sounded inhuman, and whenever she heard it shout it sent stone cold chills down her spine.

The young girl continued to try to wake her brother as desperation began to overwhelm her senses and threatened to break through her rationality. She had to keep calm for her sake, her mother's and Jin's. She couldn't let fear overrun her mind, heart or soul. No good would come from it if she were to let it control her.

She gazed down at her brother and held him tightly in her arms. The teenage girl whispered a prayer into the black winter night sky and placed a gentle kiss on her brother's third eye sending positive energy, and unconditional love to him, in hopes he would regain consciousness.

The older sibling waited and watched her brother very closely for any signs of awakening. The moments seemed to drag on until finally, Jin began to stir and Kazue felt relief even if it was just for a moment.

"Jin, We have to help mother! Come on, wake up okay?" She said gently while sitting her brother up.

Jin was still very dazed and much like Kazue earlier, his ears ringing and his vision was blurry. The younger sibling wasn't even sure who was pulling him to his feet or speaking to him - but he could feel that it was someone he knew very well.

Once Jin began to regain his vision, the sight before him terrified him. He stood with his eyes wide in horror as the home he and his sister knew all their lives was reduced to burning ruins.

"Kazue… What is going on? Where is mother?" Jin asked shakily.

Kazue stood beside her brother and gently grabbed him by his arm, trying to soothe and keep the frightened younger one calm.

"Jin, we have to find mother. She's fighting something… We have to go help her if possible," she replied.

Jin started through his sister in horror as if she were transparent like glass. His gaze wild as he watched everything around him, everything he knew, going up in a blazing inferno that would soon fall into ashes. The world as he knew, it was coming to an end much too quickly for his psyche to handle and process.

"Jin please! I need you to stay calm," Kazue said trying to reason with her brother who was in shock.

The younger sibling was still staring wide eyed at his current surroundings in disbelief. It wasn't until he felt someone violently shaking him that he turned to look at who it was.

"Jin, I'm going to need you to pull yourself together okay?" The older sibling asked of the younger gently.

The younger Kazama nodded his head trying to calm himself and focus on his sister.

"We need to help mother," Kazue continued, "Think you can stay focused on that right now?"

Jin closed his eyes and muttered an affirmation under his breath before looking back at his sister with eyes of determination. Kazue responded with a nod of her own and gently squeezed her brother's shoulder.

The two siblings stared across the dividing line of flames that separated them from their mother. They could both see the faint outline of her fighting a huge figure through the dense smoke. The older sibling was trying to think of a way to reach her, but before she could say anything, Jin began shouting and charged toward the flames.

"JIN! NO!" Kazue called for her brother but she knew her voice didn't reach him. She stood for a moment in confusion not sure what to do before deciding to steel herself and follow suit.

When she was across the flames, she could see the figure much clearer than before. It was tall almost seven feet and looked humanoid. The creature had well defined muscle and its skin was a slimy oily emerald-green. Its eyes glowed a fierce and violent orange red, the very glimmer of them in the dead of night could terrify anyone who saw them and freeze them in sheer fright like a Gorgon's stony paralyzing glare.

The creature stood adorned with an ancient looking golden headdress with what Kazue thought to be dyed horsehair or feathers spilling out of the top like an ornate ponytail. The creature also wore a golden stone like loincloth with ancient gold accents and a shield on its arm.

For a brief moment, the creature lost its focus and glared directly at Kazue and Jin. Jun who stood a few feet away from the creature after being knocked back, glanced over to see what it was staring at so intently that her worst fears were realized. There were her two children and the creature had turned its attention to them. The mother could see the evil intent in its mind as its eyes began to glow brightly as it began making its way toward them.

"NO! YOU WANT ME! NOT THEM!" Jun roared like a lioness on the hunt in the Savannah and charged at the creature.

The cruel orange red eyes flashed venomously at Jin and Kazue then turned its attention back on Jun. Once the mother was close enough the creature took its arm and violently smashed it's elbow into her stomach, throwing her like a rag doll across the burning cottage debris.

"MOTHER!" Jin screamed in horror as he watched his mother's body being flung across the cottage ruins like nothing, before her body finally smashed through a partially standing wall. She went limp, wooden boards falling down, covering her body.

"You son of a bitch! I'LL KILL YOU!" Jin roared in anger his aura pulsing and cracking with strikes of red lightning. The lightning might not have been visible to anyone who wasn't sensitive to auras, but Kazue saw it and heard it crackling around her brother, its power licking at his sweat drenched skin.

The towering creature stared down the two siblings, the look in its eyes declaring them problematic to its ultimate goal of attaining the one who was more powerful. The brother and sister stood in its way and it wanted them gone! It resumed it's advancement on the two - walking slowly and menacingly… The intent in it's eyes was clear and evident, the glow of death shining like a beacon of doom.

Kazue stood frozen in terror; she knew right then and there that she and her brother were no match for the towering ancient being. Jin hadn't even began registering what kind of danger he and his sister were in, the younger only blinded by rage and the need to protect and save his mother. He began bracing himself for battle completely disregarding the fact he was nowhere near prepared for it.

"Jin." Kazue muttered reaching for her brother's shoulder.

Before the elder sibling could say anything more their mother's voice came from behind the creature. She stood hunched over with her breathing ragged: her once white dress was blackened with dirt and adorned rips and frayed edges. Blood dripped and stained her ankles, arms, neck and face.

"You must run! PLEASE!" she shouted to her children in desperation which caused the creature to turn its attention back on the mother.

The towering ancient began making his way back to Jun sensing the power deep within the caring and loving mother. The proud lioness preparing herself for the inevitable onslaught of attacks the demon would no doubt dish out. Before the older sibling could reach for the younger, he had begun to run at the ancient being intent on attacking it before it could reach her.

"No! I will not let you hurt my mother!" Jin shouted in a blind rage.

Kazue rushed after her brother, trying to stop him from attacking. She knew they would not survive the battle... They were not ready. The ancient creature sensed Jin's approach and quickly decided on its course of action. The being swiftly raised its massive arm and swung it with full force - sending both Jin and Kazue flying like they were mere insects that bothered it.

The two rocketed through the forest, Kazue behind Jin, and the pair finally crashed into an old oak tree. The impact knocking Kazue out almost instantly... However, the last thing Jin saw before slipping into the black abyss with his sister was a fleeting glimmer of the final stand of Kazama Jun.

~X~