Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The temple was cold, freezing even, but that didn’t really matter to you; Not when you were finally here at this moment.

You watched in awe as Paul fought the beast, the two of them exchanging blows, and not getting tired at all. You had seen this battle so many times before, but finally being here standing, watching them, both the temple shaking with every movement, the ground nearly knocking you over with every step both fighters took? It was enough to make the pain worth it.

Every now and then you would carefully glance over at Heihachi and Jin, just to make sure that they hadn’t spotted you. The two of them were watching off to the side, and you couldn’t help but notice that Jin looked a little more sickly than you remember him being. You shook it off and go back to watching the fight sitting on top of the stone pillar and kicking your feet and excitement; As long as Jin could jump in and fight Ogre, it should have been fine.

However, in your infinite bliss you had failed to notice one of the loose rocks on top of the pillars was getting closer and closer to falling. As Paul landed in a solid hit, you pumped your fist and swung it wildly hitting the rock down towards the fighting area below. You watch in shock, horror, and ever so slight intrigue as Ogre took a step back, tripping on a rock that shouldn’t have been there and impaled himself with his shield.

But despite all that should’ve happened, Ogre did not come back; He did not turn into his true form. Your eyes widened as his body began to evaporate inexplicably.

“…Shit.” You mutter to yourself as Paul looked around in confusion.

Heihachi stepped forward into the ring to examine the battlegrounds, but by then you had hopped off the pillar and made your escape towards the entrance. You wait there for a while, hoping that Heihachi would continue the plot and shoot Jin in the head, but the gunshot never sounded. You look back into the temple to see Paul win the tournament and Jin looking more lost than ever.

The Mishimas begin to leave the temple and you hide out of sight able to hear the two of them talking.

“…no reason to lose sight of your training, nor your studies."

“…”

“Do you understand me, boy?”

“Yes…father.”

Jin and Heihachi began to leave, a helicopter ready for them; You stay behind and processed what you just heard.

Heihachi being a decent parental figure? Devil Jin not awakening? There was no way kicking that tiny little rock was going to change the entire story, right?

You panic for a moment before relaxing, deciding not to worry about it. ‘No.’ You say silently to yourself. ‘There is no way that kicking that tiny little rock was going to change the trajectory of the entire story. The plot would pull some shenanigans and everything would get back on track in no time.’

As the many helicopters from the Zaibatsu begin to fly away you look back into the temple. It may have been cold, but all things considered. It would probably be a decent sleeping spot.

Chapter Text

The Tekken force trained loudly on the battlegrounds, the leader overseeing the drills with a glare as hard as his grandfather’s; Jin watches the drills with interest, not hearing the padded paws sneaking up behind him.

“...AAH!” Jin yelped as Panda launched him into the air and onto her back, running in circles as Jin grabbed her neck.

“Panda!”

Xiaoyu ran up, books in hand, before stopping and smiling at Panda and Jin; “Jin! Thank goodness I found you…”

“X-Xiao-” Jin was bucked off of Panda and slid on the ground, hitting his head on a nearby tree. He groaned slightly and picked up his art book before sitting up and propping his body against the bark.
“Hi, Xiaoyu…”

“You’ve been watching the soldiers train a lot lately.” Xiaoyu stood over him. “Is there a reason?”

“No…not anything special.” Jin said, opening his art book. “Just wanted to draw them.”

“Show me!” Xiaoyu sat next to Jin, glancing at his sketches. Many of the pages were filled with the soldiers in fighting poses; There were various shots of punches and kicks and even a couple of weapons.

”Wow! You’ve gotten a lot better at art!” Xiaoyu smiled. “When did you start doing lifeform instead of small doodles?”

“…only recently.” Jin looked back at the soldiers, looking at their leader. Xiaoyu followed his lead, before looking back at the sketchbook.

“Is that man their leader? You drew him a lot!”

“Doesn’t he remind you of father?” Jin pointed out.

“…hmm, I do see it…suppose he’s related?”

Jin laughed. “I’d know if he was…”

“Ah! You laughed, though!”

“Yeah? You say funny things sometimes…”

“Still, I like making you smile! I’ll say as many silly things as I have to!”

“I’m going to class.”

“WE’RE going to class. You got held back, remember?”

“I’m not smiling at being reminded of that.”

Jin and Xiaoyu stood and walked towards class, Panda following close behind.

~

“Air resistance…torque…” Xiaoyu groaned, putting her notes away as Panda carried an ambiguously conscious Jin out of the lecture room.

(What a pain that was.) Panda growled, looking at Xiaoyu.

“No kidding…This is going to be a difficult lesson.” Xiaoyu looked at Jin, his eyes open but clearly in a daze. “Jin, Jin wake up!”

Jin blinked, before focusing; His body suddenly jerked and he fell off of Panda’s back.

“…ugh…what…what happened?”

“You zoned out during the lecture…We have a lot to catch up on!”

Jin groaned as Xiaoyu grabbed his arm and dragged him across the hallway floor, out of the exit and to the courtyard.

“Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.” Jin said ‘ow’ for every rock Xiaoyu dragged him over.

“Come on, get up and walk!” Xiaoyu encouraged.

“Ok…just stop dragging me over rocks.” Jin groaned; Xiaoyu dropped his foot and he pushed himself up to his feet, brushing all of the dirt off.

Panda let out a small growl; Xiaoyu turned her head.

“Panda? Panda, what’s wrong?”

Panda had been staring at two girls in the distance, both of them sparring in the courtyard while a small crowd of students watched.

One of the girls had long, flowing blonde hair and seemed to be yelling in French. (Which, since everyone has subtitles, was of no consequence to the Japanese students)
The other was a brunette, who wore a blue hat but was otherwise in uniform.

Xiaoyu and Jin approached the crowd, watching the girls move with interest. Jin kept his eye on the brunette, drawn by something.

“Look at them go…” Xiaoyu whispered to Jin; Jin nodded, before his eyes widened and he raised his hand.

The blonde girl overshot her kick and nearly hit Xiaoyu, her foot an inch away from her face, only stopped by Jin’s hand.

“Oh! Pardon me!” The blonde said, embarrassed as she put her foot back down.

“Good going!” The brunette walked over. “You could have hit her!”

The crowd began to disperse.

“Well! Thankfully I didn’t…my apologies, regardless.”

“Oh…Well it’s fine, I think!” Xiaoyu went right back to smiling. “My name is Ling Xiaoyu. And this is Jin Mishima!”

“Mishima…?” The blonde looked Jin over. “You’re related to founder, then?”

“…yes. He’s my grandfather.” Jin nodded.

“Fascinating!” She stepped back and took a bow. “I am Emilie de Rochefort, I believe my father may know your grandfather?”

Jin blinked.

“Ah, I see.” Emilie frowned. “Not caught up on your family’s business affairs?”

“…I guess not.” Jin sighed. “I’m too focused on my studies.”

“Business? Is that why you’re at this school?” Xiaoyu asked.

“Is that why you’re picking fights?” The brunette butted in.

“You bumped into me!” Emilie fired back.

She rolled her eyes. “I’m Asuka. Asuka Kazama-“

“Kazama?” The other three exclaimed.

“Yes. That Kazama.” Asuka nodded. “I came here because I heard the next generation of Kazamas is around here. My family sent me to go find them!”

…

Xiaoyu glanced at Jin; Jin stared at Asuka. Asuka stared back. Emilie decided to break the silence.

“Well! Even if you aren’t caught up on your family’s affairs, I’d still love to hear what you know!” She exclaimed, grabbing Jin’s arm and walking off.

“H-huh? Wait- where- where are we going?” Jin asked, stumbling and walking with her.

“Sorry about his silence! He tends to zone out when people mention his mother’s side of the family…” Xiaoyu explained.

“….wait- what?” Asuka processed what she said, before realizing Xiaoyu ran off to follow the other two. “Hey! Wait!”

- 【┘】-

The soldiers were using weapons now and their drills were twice as long, three times as rigorous. Jin watched, before going back to his sketchbook.
He had finished drawing Asuka’s hand before feeling a snout nudge him.

“I knew he’d be here!” Xiaoyu smiled. “Whenever I can’t find him, he’s always here watching the soldiers!”

“Jin! What’s the big deal!” Asuka demanded.

“…sorry, did I miss lunch?” Jin asked.

“Only by an hour.” Lili shrugged, looking at his art book. “…were you drawing something again?”

“Well-“

“Hey! Is that me!?” Asuka demanded, crouching down by Jin. “…is this when we all met?”

“Oh, the dress I was wearing that day was sublime! I need to have one of my butlers find it again…” Lili stood over Jin’s shoulders.

“I’m glad you remember that day, Jin.” Xiaoyu smiled. “It’s a day I hold close to my heart.”

“…I do too.” Jin smiled.

Xiaoyu looked up at Asuka. “I still can’t believe you and Lili were fighting over something like that!”

“…hmm.” Asuka mused. “…Jin, do you know how to fight?”

“What?” Jin paused. “I mean, slightly yeah.”

“Mind if we spar?”

…

“Sure.”

Asuka smiled and walked back as Jin stood up, Xiaoyu moving to his side.

“Are you sure, Jin? You don’t fight at all outside of Grandpa’s training.“

“It’s what she wants. Who am I to deny her that?” Jin replied. “Besides, maybe I could get back into it?”

“…maybe.” Xiaoyu moved away from him.

Jin stood across from Asuka, getting into the Mishima fighting stance.

“I went through all the trouble of finding you and you won’t use the Kazama style?” Asuka heckled.

“Just fight him!” Lili called out from next to Xiaoyu.

“Fine, fine!” Asuka got into position.

…

There was a brief pause before Asuka rushed forward, kicking two legs forward and aiming for Jin’s face. Jin managed the block and pushed her back swinging out both of his fists. He landed one hit but missed the other, Asuka ducking under it and countering with an open palm strike to his stomach, making him slide back.

Jin coughed slightly before standing back up and rushing back towards her, anticipating a punch but felt a kick to his left leg. Asuka managed to trip him and grab him by the arms, flinging him into the ground. Something shifted in Jin’s body and he suddenly grabbed her arms and flung her into the chain fence and down the hill that separates the Mishima Polytechnical School campus from the Tekken Force training grounds.

“ASUKA!”

Lili’s voice brought Jin back to his senses and he twitched before running to the hole in the fence and jumping through it, sliding down the hill down towards where Asuka lay.

“Asuka..! I- I’m sorry, I didn’t…I don’t know why I- I-“

Asuka coughed. “Don’t worry about me, Jin. A fight’s a fight, right?” She stood and brushed off, stumbling slightly as she tried to keep steady.

“I uh, want to forfeit then.” Jin grumbled, looking back up where Lili and Xiaoyu stood.

“What!? I just said not to worry-“

“I’m forfeiting, Asuka! I don’t…” Jin looked down. “I don’t fight anymore. Not when I don’t need to.”

“Jin-“

“And I should have kept it that way.”

Asuka was silent as the two of them climbed back up to the school campus, the leader of the Tekken Force watching them from a distance.

Chapter Text

“She could be your bodyguard.”

Lars looked at Dr. Bosconovitch’s latest project with slight interest; The humanoid robot sat in an open pod, deactivated. There were multiple electronic weapons, including chainsaws and rockets, on the doctor’s desk and he was examining all of them as he spoke to Lars.

“My progress was slowed when I was brought here, but since your father- err, since our leader took back the Zaibatsu, I’ve been making great strides in completing her.”

“He’s not my father.” Lars pointedly growled. “...In any case, I’m the strongest soldier the Tekken Force has, why would I need a bodyguard?”

“For exactly that reason.” Dr. Bosconovitch nodded. “You’re the strongest now…but with a flying android by your side, you’d be invincible.”

“Flying?”

“Again, I’m working on it, but flight functionality will be the first thing she has.”

Lars looked back at the robot body, considering the doctor's words as the door to the laboratory opened.

“Commander.”

Lars turned his head to the soldier, giving an expectant look.

“All of the soldiers are armed, and ready to move. We’re awaiting your command in the hangar.”

Lars nodded. “I’ll be there in a moment. Be ready to walk out at 1300 hours.”
The soldier saluted and took his leave; Lars watched him leave and turned back to his watch.

“Hmm? You’re going out on the field?”

“Kazuya Mishima’s body has been found at G-Corporation. He wants me to lead a raid on the building and bring him to the lab.”

“Fascinating…” He sized up Lars before nodding and turning back to the android parts. “Best be on your way then. Thank you for your time, Commander Lars.”

“…”

Lars merely nods as he leaves the doctor to work.

On his way to the hanger, an echo of running footsteps slowly got louder as he approached a turn. He waited a few seconds before reaching a hand out and grabbing a small teenager that had turned the bend.

Leo yelped, kicking at Lars’ side before realizing who was holding them and clasping their hands together.

“Commander Lars! I didn’t notice it was you! I’m sorry!”

“I thought I told you and your brother not to run in the halls.”

Leo smiled sheepishly. “Sorry…”

Lars stared down at them before sighing and giving a small smile, letting go of Leo’s arm.

“If you two are playing hide and seek, the lounge room is empty.”

Leo blinked before smiling.

“Thank you, Commander.” They saluted before quick-walking down the hall towards the lounge; Lars continued on his way.

-

The receptionist at G-Corporation was quietly reading a tabloid as the front wall of the entrance exploded and the Tekken Force stormed the building.
Lars immediately went for the stairs, taking an elite force to the very top of the laboratory as the rest of the force raided the rest of the building.

As his soldiers marched through the top floor, Lars finds a door, electronically locked. He makes sure he’s alone before flexing his hand, overloading the lock and opening the door. Making his way into the dark room, he nearly trips over some wires but catches himself on a large glass container.

He turns his head and freezes; A body is inside, floating in some liquid.

Kazuya Mishima.

Lars takes the sight of him in for a moment before pinging his squad and looking for a way to haul him out. As he moved around the room, pressing random buttons on various terminals, one button he presses makes a large buzzing sound, and Kazuya’s tank begins to drain. The body inside twitches violently before opening its eyes.

…

Kazuya breaks out of the tank; Lars moves quickly, rolling out of the way as Kazuya misses his punch.

“Commander!”

The Tekken soldiers rush in, guns firing, but the bullets bounced harmlessly off of Kazuya and he faced Lars with a fury in his eyes. Lars sighed and got into a battle stance.

-

Steve chased Leo around, the two siblings running throughout the lab before a loud rumbling alerted the two and stopped them in their tracks.

“The soldiers are back!” Steve exclaimed, grabbing Leo’s hand and dragging them to the main room.

The Tekken Force marched into the foyer, Lars leading them with a large glass container containing an unconscious Kazuya inside.
The siblings watched as Heihachi walked forward, nodding towards Lars and ordering the soldiers to carry the tank off.

“That’s Kazuya.” Steve explained, watching the soldiers in awe. “He was in charge of the place before Mr. Heihachi took over.”

Leo oh’d, slightly terrified as they watched the soldiers carry Kazuya away; Steve grabbed their hand.

“Mom’s probably going to get to see him! Come on!”

“S-Steve-“

Leo was cut off by Steve dragging them towards their mother’s laboratory. He opened the door, smile wide, before it dropped.

Emma Kliesen was standing, back turned, holding a man’s hand; The man looked at the teens and that caught her attention, her head turning to the door.

“Steve! Leo! Meet my colleague, Mr-“

“Nishi is fine.”

“…This is Nishi.”

Steve and Leo looked at each other.

-

“I’m sorry about the fence, father…” Jin mumbled; Heihachi didn’t reply.

“It…It really was an accident-”

“Silence.”

Jin flinched, his words dying in his throat as he gripped his jacket tightly.

“Jin. It’s time to test your combat skills.” Heihachi said, stopping his walk; Jin halted his own steps before he ran into him.

“My- My combat skills?”

“I must make sure you can hold your own in a simple fight. I’ve trained you in the Mishima style over all these years, and now I will test your ability to use it.”

“...yes, father.”

Heihachi had brought Jin to a set of brass double doors. He opened them to reveal a grand stadium, with large seats that surrounded a cage; There was a large, smoky container inside.
Jin was shoved towards the cage with a heavy hand. Jin entered inside and an audible lock clicked.

Heihachi strode around the front of the seats, observing Jin inside the cage.

“Never be shaken by any opponent you face, Jin. No matter who opposes you, beat them swiftly, without mercy. Power is everything, and you must show yours now.”

“Power is everything…” Jin repeated, getting into the Mishima stance as the container opened.

A foot stepped out. Another foot.

Jin’s breath hitched and his eyes widened as a pair of wings sprouted out of his opponent, before morphing back into his body.

‘...Kazuya!?’ Jin thought to himself.

Kazuya stretched wordlessly, opening an eye and staring Jin down; He swayed back and forth as he walked forward, before getting into a combative stance as well.

Jin took one breath, another, and another and another and his vision blurred, his mind starting to leave reality again before.

Focus! Focus for once and kill him!

A voice echoed in his head and Jin found himself back in reality before he could leave, rushing forward and launching a fist at Kazuya’s face; Kazuya moved to the side and brought his leg up, kicking Jin in the ribs and sending him across the cage; Jin coughed, wiping some of the dirt off his face before moving to the side and dodging another kick, going for an uppercut to Kazuya’s head.
He managed to make contact, sending Kazuya stumbling back.

Follow up with a kick.

Jin followed up with a kick, hitting Kazuya’s stomach and earning a groan from him.

Now-

I can do it myself!

Jin was frustrated at the voice, grabbing Kazuya’s head and headbutting it against his own in an effort to quiet it. There was a sickening crack and Jin stumbled backwards, his vision waning as the image of Kazuya falling to his knees as Heihachi punched his chest played.

“Jin.”

Jin gave a disoriented blink, trying to focus.

“That’s enough for today.” Heihachi said, approval in his voice. “You passed.”

“I didd?”

“Go to the infirmary.”

Jin was finally able to orient himself and he saw Heihachi haul Kazuya over his shoulders.

“Is-”

“Go.”

Jin snapped his lips shut before stumbling forward, making his way to the hallway and passing out at the door to the nearest infirmary.

Chapter Text

Jin walked in the white void, not standing but not sitting either. He tried to reach out to touch the ground, but his hands disappeared everytime he tried, so eventually he just scrapped the idea.

He kept walking before reaching a large hand, chains growing out of it. As he stared, the chains retracted and a couple of black feathers fell out of it, starting to make a trail off in the distance.

He followed the feathers and they led him to a cliffside. At least he assumed it was a cliffside. The guy that looked like him was sitting on an edge, so it was reasonable to assume it was a cliffside. Speaking of the guy…

Jin stared at himself with devil horns and wings; It didn’t look like he noticed him staring. That may have been because Jin wasn’t real. Not here. Not in this moment.

The ground beneath Jin didn’t change, the texture at his feet did; Sand. Quicksand. He was sinking.

Jin stood still and let the quicksand take him.

.

“Jin?”

Jin blinked. He was back at school and Asuka was shaking him; She and Lili stared at his face before giving relieved smiles.

“Jin! Thank goodness! I thought we’d lost you there…” Lili breathed.

“You’ve been zoning out like that more, what’s going on?” Asuka demanded.

“Where are we?” Jin droned.

“It’s Saturday.” Xiaoyu, who was behind Jin apparently, explained. “You go home on the weekends! I’m coming over for a bit, as well!”

“Right…”

“Jin, Xiaoyu. Do you both…really not have any concerns for these…moments Jin has?” Lili asked. “I understand you told us it wasn’t a big deal but memory loss isn’t a good sign.”

“There’s no concern, Lili! Jin’s been like this for years and nothing bad’s ever come of it!” Xiaoyu smiled, petting Panda’s head.

“What kind of an answer is that?!” Asuka shook her head. “You seriously don’t think this is worth looking into?!”

“...It might be.” Jin clutched his books tightly as a Zaibatsu branded limo pulled up to the sidewalk. “...regardless, we’ll see you guys on Monday.”

The girls waved goodbye to Jin and Xiaoyu, Lili quickly walking to the open window once they were in the car.

“I just think your lack of fear is off, that’s all.” She said to Xiaoyu.

“I do understand, because I do get afraid sometimes. But, Jin’s never shown concern, so I’m not going to worry about it either.”

Jin looked away from the window as the car started.

~

“Grandpa!” Xiaoyu cheered, running to Heihachi and jumping into the air, attempting a kick. Heihachi smirked and blocked it, patting Xiaoyu’s back as she landed perfectly on her feet.

“Hello, father.” Jin greeted, walking to Xiaoyu’s side.

“Jin. I have a task I need you to complete.” Heihachi handed Jin a manila folder. The words ‘Iron Fist 4 - Official Brackets’ were written on it.

“...Another competition?” Jin looked up.

“Publicly, it will be to celebrate the Zaibatsu, but…” He put a heavy hand on Jin’s shoulder. “You and I know better. I was very impressed by your work yesterday.”

“...is this to celebrate me…?” Jin’s mind goes back to yesterday; The rush of adrenaline as he realizes he fought and defeated Kazuya Mishima finally hits him.

“I’ve made the announcement of this competition after your accomplishment, and the amount of fighters filled instantly. You get to organize who fights who.”

“...thank you, father.” Jin nodded.

“Keep up the good work, Jin.”

Heihachi continued on his way, as Xiaoyu smiled at Jin.

“Wow! That’s incredible, Jin! …what did he mean by work, though?”

“Uh…it…uh.”

…

“I’m going to go organize these now.”

“Wait for me!”

Jin thumbed through the bracket folders as he walked down the hallway, Xiaoyu and Panda trailing right behind him.

“Organizing the brackets…you’ve come so far Jin…” Xiaoyu whispered.

(Such an important event, is it too late to enter?) Panda looked at Xiaoyu.

“It might be. Jin! Would you enter the competition if you could?”

Jin stopped walking. “...no.” He said, starting his walk again. Xiaoyu tilted her head and jogged to his side.

“Are you still caught up with what happened with Asuka?” She asked. Jin gave her a look. “You can’t be afraid of fighting your entire life, Jin. That’s not healthy.”

“Throwing my friends through the side of a chain fence isn’t healthy either.” He deadpanned. Xiaoyu sighed in response, electing to stay silent.

Along their walk, the two passed by a laboratory window, two scientists and their assistants were experimenting on Kazuya’s body.

“I can’t believe Grandpa managed to find him…” Xiaoyu said, looking at the body. “Does it bother you, Jin?”

Jin stared at Kazuya for a solid minute, before looking at one of the assistants; He…She…They were looking back, the nametag on their jacket reading “Leo Kliesen.”

“Leo…” Jin looked back at the bracket folders; The name Leo Kliesen sat on the paper. “They’re in the tournament.”

“Both of them?”

“Just Leo.”

“Hm!” Xiaoyu looked over at Leo and waved; They waved back, a small smile on their face, before turning back to Kazuya.

“Leo looks young, how do you suppose they got a job here?” Xiaoyu asked, keeping Jin’s pace as they walked.

“Same as all the young workers here, they probably know someone.” Jin said. “...Asuka and Lili entered?”

“Did they?!” Xiaoyu moved to look at the paper; Asuka and Lili’s names were indeed there. “Oh- OH! That’s what they meant by entering a competition! I was wondering what they meant!”

Jin gave a confused look.

“They mentioned it while you were zoning out.”

…

“...Maybe I should look into that.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Jin nodded, closing the folder. “Maybe Lili’s right. I should probably show more concern about it.”

“Mm…” Xiaoyu looked down.

-

Lars watched Xiaoyu and Jin walk down the halls from the floor above them, before a quiet ‘sir?’ snapped his attention back.

“Apologies.” Lars bowed. “...You were saying?”

“...The suits from Violet Corporation are turning out nicely, Commander. Mr. Mishima wants to further the partnership so Mr. Chaolan will be around for a while.”

“Great.” Lars gritted.

“And finally, Dr. Bosconovitch wants to see you again.”

“...Is that all?”

“...Y-Yes-”

“Dismissed.”

Lars walked away from the soldier and headed straight for the laboratories. He found Dr. Bosconovitch’s lab and entered, eyes immediately going to the android.
It was more complete when he last saw it, the metallic body now the color of flesh and with a missing head; He approached and ran a hand over the arm, his hand involuntarily sparking.

“COMMANDER!”

Lars jumped as Dr. Bosconovitch’s voice echoed behind him, the doctor in question walking to the android’s sides and checking for damage.

“I would ask that you be careful around Alisa, your electric powers could break something in this stage.”

“You named it Alisa?” Lars questioned.

“Of course, that’s her name after all.”

Lars gave no further comment. “You wanted to see me?”

“Yes, yes, come here.”

Dr. Bosconovitch led Lars towards a large machine near the back of the lab room; A girl’s head was inside a large, electronically locked case. The doctor unlocked it and pulled the head out, placing it on a stool that was eye level with Lars.

“I want to test her scanner, that’s all. Since I’m making her to protect you, it made sense that you would be the first thing she sees.”

“About that…” Lars started as the head activated. “Wouldn’t this be better suited for our leader’s son?”

“Jin?”

“Yes. He’s not very good at fighting.”

“On the contrary, I would say he’s outstanding. Haven’t you heard the news?”

“Yes, yes, he beat Kazuya. Something any of us could have done after *I* weakened him.”

“Jealousy isn’t very becoming of a Tekken Force commander.”

“Watch how you speak to me, doctor.” Lars growled; A beep sounded from the head.

“Annoyance detected, what is the matter, Lars?” A girl’s voice asked; Lars stepped back.

“She works! And she got your name right…fascinating! Perfect!” Dr. Bosconovitch cheered, typing something onto a nearby computer.

“...is this all you needed?” Lars looked off to the side.

“Oh yes, you can go if you’d like.”

Lars walked out of the lab.

-

Days went by and soon enough, The King Of Iron Fist 4 was underway.

Mishima Stadium was packed, crowds of people coming from all across the world just to watch. Jin and Xiaoyu were escorted to the VIP stands by some of the Tekken Force, including the captain they saw performing the drills during their school hours.

“That’s him, isn’t he?” Xiaoyu whispered to Jin.

“Yeah, some of the soldiers called him Commander Lars.” Jin nodded. “...the resemblance is uncanny…”

“I can hear you.” Lars said, not turning to look at them.

“Sorry!” Xiaoyu apologized; She glanced at Jin and turned back to Lars. “Jin likes watching your soldiers train, you know.”

“I know. I saw you throw your friend through the fence the other day.”

Jin flinched, turning away.

“Nothing to be ashamed of.” Lars followed up. “It means you’re strong.”

“It’s not always a good thing.” Jin mumbled; Lars’ face twitched.

“We’re here.” He said, tone cold.

Jin and Xiaoyu sat next to each other, the crowd looking infinitesimal as they cheered and cheered.

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!” An announcer said. “IN HONOR OF THE MISHIMA ZAIBATSU, WELCOME TO THE IRON FIST TOURNAMENT 4!”

Chapter Text

“THE WINNER IS…PAUL PHOENIX!”

The stadium corrupted into cheers as Paul held up his fist, hyping up the crowd as Leo laid beaten on the floor.

“Were you expecting Leo to get this far, Jin?” Xiaoyu asked.

“…Honestly no. I never would have paired Leo up with….him.” Jin replied, trying his best not to look at Paul.

“He looks so proud, beating up someone less than half his age…” Xiaoyu sighed.

“I’d expect more backbone from the head of the Zaibatsu’s son.” Lars suddenly chimed in. “Can’t you two just quietly watch if it bothers you that much?”

“He’s my grandfather, actually…” Jin mumbles.

“…what?” Lars turned his head to him.

“I just call him my father because he’s raised me since my mother died.”

“I’m sure you would too in his position, Mr. Lars!” Xiaoyu nodded.

“….” Lars was racking his brain for a reply as the announcer’s voice sounded out again.

“PAUL PHOENIX. VS. ASUKA KAZAMA!”

“If Asuka wins this, she and Lili will fight in the finals…!” Xiaoyu cheered.

“Exactly as I planned.” Jin nodded, feeling proud of himself. “I knew both of them would make it no matter what.”

“…I wonder…” Xiaoyu stopped. “No. She can do it. If any of us could, it’s Asuka.”

Down on the field, Asuka stared down Paul as he showboated, amping up the crowd.

“Good grief…” Asuka sighed to herself, getting into the Kazama stance.

“FIGHT!”

Asuka immediately rushed forward, sticking her left knee out and kneeing Paul in the stomach, causing him to keel over. She spun and immediately kicked with her other leg, sending Paul backwards with a groan. He quickly caught himself and let Asuka approach him, getting in a solid hit on her stomach and sending her way further back than he went on one knee.
Asuka grit her teeth as Paul charged at her, getting up and blocking a low kick. Her right leg went for the face and she followed up with a low kick of her own before doing another high kick and getting his shoulder in the process.

Paul growled and grabbed her leg, throwing her into the ground. Asuka yelped and had a difficult time getting up, the crowd gasping and cheering as Paul picked her up and kneed her in the face.

“Asuka!” Jin and Xiaoyu gasped, standing up in their seats; Asuka felt a chill go up her spine and she looked up, briefly catching a visual of the two.

Paul went in for a kick to her face; She caught his foot and pushed back against it. She looked back towards the stands and saw Lili, watching her with interest (and a frankly unneeded, smug look on her face.)

If she didn’t win here, Lili would have to fight this guy.

Asuka loosened her grip and ducked under his foot, kicking him in the machines, then the chest, then the face. Before Paul could counter, she punched him in the chest one more time and hit him in the head downwards, before using her leg to kick his face back up. Paul let out another groan before slamming his fist down towards her head, but she quickly invaded it and jumped up into the air, doing the exact same thing to him. Her fist collided with his head and he fell to the ground, unable to get back up.

“THE WINNER IS…ASUKA KAZAMA!”

The cheers were quiet at first, before picking up to a roaring symphony; Xiaoyu clapped her hands, laughing in both excitement and relief.

“SHE DID IT! I got concerned for a second, but she did it!” She cheered; Jin let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding before smiling at Asuka cheering on the field.

Lars suddenly stood, looking down at an electronic device of his, seemingly confused, before putting it away.

“…My authority is needed. I’ll see you two around.”

He left the stands before either of them could ask.

“….Ok.” Jin said, turning back to the field.

After a small wait, Lili and Asuka walked out onto the field; They looked determined as the two of them immediately got into a fighting stance.

“FIGHT!”

Xiaoyu and Jin leaned forward as Asuka and Lili ran towards each other.

A large explosion sounded as the two collided.

The crowd gasped as the top floor of the Zaibatsu Headquarters, a couple blocks down from the stadium, shattered into bits, sending glass, stone, and other building materials down onto the city below.

“Father…?” Jin gasped, before being jerked out of his seat; A large bit of debris crushed it a second after.

“JIN, RUN!” Xiaoyu exclaimed; The two of them ran out of the VIP section, heading down into the evacuating crowd below.

“Jin!”

Asuka and Lili managed to catch up to the two, and the four of them ran out of the collapsing stadium. Jin’s vision got hazy as he attempted to stay in reality; He stumbled forward, feeling his face go numb.

“Jin? Jin!?”

Xiaoyu was shoved around until she managed to get behind the evacuating crowd; Asuka and Lili stood by her, calling out for Jin as well.

“Jin!? Dammit, where are you!?”

“How could we have lost him!?”

Xiaoyu yelped as a familiar snout tossed her into the air and onto a fuzzy back.

“Panda! Have you seen Jin?! And what’s going on?” Xiaoyu frantically said.

(We need to clear the streets, now!) Panda began moving towards the evacuating crowd, Xiaoyu on her back.

“Hey! Where are-“ Asuka stopped talking and Xiaoyu turned around.

From the stadium, and the Zaibatsu, the Tekken Force soldiers were moving out, filling the empty city streets as if they were mobilizing.

“…Asuka, Lili! Let’s go! We need to find Jin!” Xiaoyu shouted, letting Panda take her down the streets. The two girls looked at each other before running to catch up.

-

“Jin…?” Someone was calling him.

Jin.

Was someone calling him?

Jin! Your friends are looking for you!

Who are you?

What?

Your voice sounds like mine. It’s been like that since birth.

…

Who are you?

I don’t know. You?

You’re me?

I think so.

…can you…do this for me?

Do what?

Live.

What?

I’ve never been so lost in my own head before.

…Nothing you’re saying is making sense, Jin.

…

Jin?

…

Fine. Just this once.

Something took control of his body; Jin sank into the white void.

Devil woke up in the middle of the screaming crowd, stopping his horns and wings from coming out, but unable to prevent his face markings and red gem from showing; Fortunately, everyone was too busy panicking to notice. Less than fortunately, it seemed Jin somehow managed to get separated from the others.

‘In the five seconds it took me to seize control…’ Devil grumbled to himself, following the crowd.
As he ran, a hand pulled him into a narrow alleyway.
On instinct, he reached his arm around and punched, but his fist hit the brick building as a figure dodged to the side. Devil got into a fighting stance, before hitching his breath as he stared at the two people.

~

“Throwing my friends through the side of a chain fence isn’t healthy either.” He deadpanned. Xiaoyu sighed in response, electing to stay silent.

Along their walk, the two passed by a laboratory window, two scientists and their assistants were experimenting on Kazuya’s body.

~

Devil looked at the two scientists, a woman and a man. His breathing slowed as the two stared at him.

“...Jin Mishima.” The lady finally spoke. “My name is Emma Kliesen, I’m a scientist at the Zaibatsu…along with my colleague, Nishi”

Emma gestures to the man, a tall brunette with glasses; He had unnaturally bright, blue eyes and a pale blue skin patch around the left side of his face. He had a lab coat, shirt and jeans on and was holding a suitcase; Devil could tell he was a lot more built than his clothes made him out to be.

“...your face.” Nishi reached out to Jin’s face; Devil pulled back, about to slap his hand away.

“...don’t touch me.” Devil growled. “What are you two doing out here?”

A loud march of people interrupted Devil’s train of thought; The Tekken force was mobilizing out of the stadium and the Zaibatsu Headquarters. Devil looked at the streets, wide eyed, as Emma stepped forward.

“Come with us to the headquarters. We don’t have much time.” She said.

“Time for what? What is going on?!”

“There’s little time to explain.” Nishi replied. “Jin. You must come with us. Your grandfather has mobilized the Tekken force throughout the city, and we need to find out why.”

“Father…why…” Devil paused before looking at Nishi. “Even then, why do you need me for this? I need to-”

“Jin. Please. We don’t know why Heihachi Mishima is doing this. As his grandson, if something is wrong you can get through to him better than us.” Emma explained.

Devil stared at the two, the sound of the Tekken Force getting closer and closer.

What would Jin do? Easy. He’d go after his friends.

….

But…what would…I do?

“...Alright.” Devil nodded. “Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

Panda, Xiaoyu, Lili and Asuka continued to run through the streets, as the Tekken Force continued to take the city. 

“Jin. What are we going to do about Jin?!” Lili called. 

“I don’t know! I…I don’t know if we can just hope he’s ok…” Xiaoyu grimaced. 

“Of course not! His memory issues, and the fact he fears fighting…” Asuka looked around for soldiers before continuing. “He may as well be dead now!”

“No! He’s not” Xiaoyu replied, angry. “Yes, he fears fighting, but he wouldn’t just die! He doesn’t have that in him!”

“Even then, you’ve seen what happens when he zones out!” Lili said. “Put him in any situation and he’ll just-”

“FREEZE!”

The group ran right into an ambush, Tekken soldiers surrounding and aiming their weapons at them. As they closed in, the three girls ended up back-to-backs as Panda stood in front of Xiaoyu; Xiaoyu could feel Asuka and Lili’s hands clasp together for a brief moment. 

One of the soldiers stepped forward, gun still aimed. 

“We’ve received orders from Head of the Mishima Zaibatsu, Heihachi Mishima, to order all residents of the city indoors!”

“This doesn’t feel like a simple order!” Asuka protested.

“Seriously! Back off!” Xiaoyu yelled. “We’re not hiding indoors for any reason!”

“I don’t think we even have a place to ‘hide at’…” Lili pointed out. 

“Do not resist, we-”

Xiaoyu stepped forward and kicked the gun out of the soldier’s hand; The rest of the force raised their weapons as well, fingers all going on their triggers.

“Stop.”

Lars walked forward, visibly annoyed, as he stared down the girls (and the bear.)

“...Mr. Lars?” Xiaoyu breathed.

“You’re all so stubborn.” He sighed. “We have our orders, just make this easier on us and find the nearest building to hide in.”

“...” Xiaoyu stepped back towards the girls. “...what’s going on? Why has Grandpa ordered this?”

“Where’s Jin, for that matter?!” Asuka stepped forward and pointed. “Did you all take him?”

“No. Honestly, I’m surprised he’s not with you.” Lars scanned the three as if expecting to catch them in some lie; Asuka scoffed and rolled her eyes. 

“...so then where is he?” Xiaoyu asked, looking back at the Mishima Stadium. 

“How should I know?” Lars scowled. “He’s probably fine.”

“We can’t take that chance! He can’t handle being on his own!” 

Lars blinked at Xiaoyu before rolling his eyes.

“I feel as if I’m not going to talk any of you out of this.”

“No.” The three girls (and one bear) got into a combative stance. Lars shrugged and flexed his fist, sending lightning down his arm.

-

Devil ran down the halls of the Mishima Zaibatsu with Nishi and Emma, the goal being the very top floor where Heihachi’s office was; They managed to make their way to the research section of the building, a large grand elevator at the end of the hall. 

As they headed towards it, it began to open, Tekken Force troops inside. 

“This way!” Emma called; The three dove into one of the laboratories, Emma locking the door and turning off the window as the troops began to walk by it. Devil ducked under one of the tables, looking at one of the papers on the floor; It seemed to be a lab report on the Devil Gene.

“....” He picked it up and read it over as the troops marched on outside the door. The report detailed a way to turn the Devil Gene into an immortality injection; Interestingly, it seemed it was made a month before Jin fought Kazuya, when the Devil Gene wasn’t even in the Zaibatsu’s hands.

Devil’s head began to spin, his horns starting to pop out of his head as he pushed himself further under the table; Emma’s footsteps began to approach him.

“Jin, are you alright?” She whispered, crouching down; She looked at the report in his hands. “..ah, that’s mine.”

“...why do you have this?” Devil growled, pushing his hands against the sides of his head to stop the horns. 

“Oh…it’s the results of my research on the devil gene, I-”

“This is from before w- I fought Kazuya.”

…

Emma sighed, picking up the paper. “I guess there’s no harm in you knowing. Before your grandfather ordered for G Corporation to be raided…I was going to defect over to them.”

…

Devil crawled out from under the table, his head slightly better as he lowered his hands. “...really?”

“I only went over to their lab a couple times!” Emma protested, picking up some scattered papers around the room; Nishi seemed to be watching her. “...to study Kazuya before he was brought over.”

Devil looked to Nishi. “...did you know?”

Nishi didn’t stop watching Emma. “Of course not. I’m shocked.”

“...But, after the raid, plans fell through.” Emma sighed. “...I ended up giving up the results of this research to the Zaibatsu.” 

Devil looked between the two of them, trying to figure out if one or both of them were lying when Nishi stepped forward; Devil’s head experienced a sharp pain.

“...Horns.” Nishi noted; Devil gritted his teeth as his hands shot to the horns on the side of his head, the gem on his forehead pulsating slightly.

There was a click. Emma gasped as Devil looked down the barrel of a gun, Nishi’s hand on the trigger.