Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Sir?” 

Lee’s sunbathing was interrupted by one of the servants, Bastien, in his mansion; He sighed and gave an uninterested look at the man.

“What is it, Bastien?” He scoffed. “It better be important.”

“There’s a young boy at the front gates, wishing to see you.”

Lee raised an eyebrow; “Why?”

“He claims to be the son of Kazuya Mishima.”

…Lee sighed. Getting up, he got himself dressed and grabbed his phone, opening the cameras. Indeed, there was a young boy who was standing at the gates, hoodie up, jeans, sneakers, and with a small rolling suitcase; He seemed to be standing completely motionless.

Lee scowled and walked out to the front gates, Bastien right behind him, and opened them; The young boy straightened up, keeping his eyes on Lee.

“...Can I help you?” Lee asked.

The boy stared at Lee for a second, before lowering his hoodie; Lee’s fight-or-flight flared up upon seeing his hair, pointed and on end like every Mishima’s hair was.

“...My name is Jin Kazama.” Jin’s voice was surprisingly soft for a son of Kazuya’s. “I’m looking for my uncle, Lee Chaolan.”

Lee observed Jin’s face for a couple of moments. If he believed the story of every stray dog off the street, he wouldn’t be where he was now. 

But him and Kazuya being raised as brothers wasn’t really public knowledge, and Jin certainly had Kazuya’s hair and fierce look; If he was lying, he certainly put in a disturbing amount of effort, and if he was telling the truth…well, that opens up a world of possibilities.

Either way, it was certainly worth testing.

“...Hmm.” Lee mused, motioning for Jin to follow him; Jin seemed to hesitate before doing so, Bastien moving to be behind Jin to walk him onto Lee’s doorstep.

“Wait here.” Lee ordered, walking into the mansion and closing the door behind him.

…

…

…

Jin shifted his weight between two legs as he waited for Lee, looking around the front of the mansion. In between the steps to the door and the front gates he walked into, there was a large lawn with flowers growing along the edge of it. There were some human workers, but most seemed to be robots; Some of the robots seemed to be digging out holes and laying bricks around them in the middle of the lawn, as if some more plants were going to be grown in them.

As Jin observed the robots, the doors opened, grabbing his attention. A human butler opened the door as a robot came out and took Jin’s suitcase, rolling it into the manor. Before he could protest, Bastien put a hand on Jin’s shoulder.

“Walk inside, Mr. Kazama.” He said.

Jin tensed up before sighing, walking inside the mansion and seeing a large cleared out foyer; Furniture was moved to the side, imitating the borders of a fighting ground. Lee stood on the other side of the room, looking at Jin expectantly; He had changed out of the suit Jin saw him in, wearing a purple vest with a gold zipper and black pants, with a black belt.  

“If you are who you say you are, Jin Kazama, you need to fight me.” Lee got into a stance; Jin blinked, stepping back before Bastien pushed him further in and the doors were shut behind him. Hesitating, he walked towards Lee and stood a bit away, getting into the Kazama stance.

“...I was taught never to fight unless attacked…” Jin spoke; Lee raised an eyebrow. Fine.

Lee rushed towards Jin, familiar reflexes coming to mind as he punched twice; Jin blocked the first punch and sidestepped the second, turning with his right leg and kicking with his left. It connected with Lee’s face and he stumbled back; Jin hits hard, but not at all like a Mishima. 

Focusing more on Jin’s movements, Lee kept up the assault, first punching then kicking as Jin kept using the Kazama style to defend himself. Lee hmm’d before raising his leg and kicking down, his foot connecting with Jin’s arms as he pushed down on him.

“Hmph. I expected more. Your father raised you horribly.” Lee scoffed; Lightning suddenly sparked from Jin and the boy pushed back on Lee’s leg with a significant amount of strength. Well, that was all he needed to see.

Lee backflipped and lifted his hand.

“Alright, I’ve seen enough.” He crossed his arms. “So, did my brother send you here? What does he want with me?”

Jin, still in his Kazama stance and sparking lightning, answered with a shaky voice. “My father didn’t send me here. He left me and my mother before I was born to handle a personal matter.”

Wow. He left his son to compete in Iron Fist 2. Lee rolled his eyes; What an awful man. 

“So then, why are you here?” 

“My mother told me to seek you out…should anything happen to her.”

That got Lee curious, dawning on him that Kazuya had to reproduce with someone to even make Jin possible; Didn’t know he could do that. 

And the name Kazama…Besides the dojo in Osaka, he’s heard the name elsewhere.

“Alright, fix the room up.” Lee turned to his workers. “Put his stuff in the guest bedroom…and.” Lee turned to Jin before turning to Bastien. “Bastien, show him to his quarters. Once he showers, restyle his hair.”

Lee turned to Jin. “Your father and I are lifelong rivals. I will house you, but you will not walk around my estate looking like him.” 

As Lee walked off, the servants moving to their tasks, Bastien walked up to Jin. Jin simply nodded at him and followed him quietly.

—

Jin was able to shower in his room by himself but once he was dried off and dressed, new clothes laid out for him, Bastien was let into his bathroom to sit him down and iron out Jin’s hair. 

He held a green bottle and a blue bottle up to Jin’s eyes.

“The green one…is shampoo. The blue one is a conditioner. Both of them will help your hair retain this shape.” He put the bottles down and went back to Jin’s hair, putting the iron down and brushing it out. “You must use those two products when washing your hair, and you must wash at least twice a week. Otherwise your hair will lose its shape, and we will have to reiron it.”

“Mmh.” Jin nodded, staring at himself in the mirror; With his hair down like this…he looked like his mother.

Bastien pressed a cloth to his cheek and Jin realized he had tears streaming down his face.

Chapter Text

As time went on, Jin found himself adapting to the lavish lifestyle Lee had given him. It only got better after Lee was inspired by their battle, starting up a small company called Violet Systems; It’s starting out small, selling locally in the Bahamas but Lee seemed to have big plans for it. In the process, Lee seemed to have found a use for Jin, and began teaching him mechanical engineering and robotics in order to prepare him for an internship at the company.

Jin slowly found himself settling into a schedule: Wake up, eat, study, lunch, free time, quiz, dinner, free time, sleep. Lee was busy all the time, always on phone calls and creating contracts, but he always had time to quiz Jin on his studies and small talk at dinner. 

The unspoken rules were harder to get used to, but Jin managed: No mentions of Kazuya (unless as an answer to a question), no leaving the estate grounds, no leaving his bedroom after 9pm (at least it had a bathroom), and most importantly, no sparring indoors.

But all in all, Jin liked his new life. In his free time, he would find himself sparring with some of the robots, helping out in the garden, birdwatching, taking up paper crafts, and on occasion, accompanying Lee to Violet Systems and helping out with production.

This evening, Jin was letting Lee’s tailor take his measurements; He stood still as she walked around him, wrapping the measuring tape around him and writing them down.

“Right…white long-sleeved dress shirt…with vines on the chest area….and….?”

“Flames. On the arms.”

“I see. I’ll try and make something work.”

Jin smiled. “Thank you.”

The clock read 8:30pm; He had about 30 minutes before he had to head to his room, so it may have been best to head there now.

On his way there, he passed by the lounge room; Bastien and Lee were there, watching the news. He was going to walk silently past, but the headline made him stop at the mouth of the entrance and stare.

“An update on prestigious fighters going missing: Reports of a large, green creature with a shield have been more frequently appearing. It seems to have extended to any practitioner of any fighting style, and is moving outside of the continent of Asia.”

The screen displayed common civilians, as well as some teachers; All of their pictures displayed the words MISSING or CONFIRMED DEAD; Jin gripped his fist.

“Furthermore, it seems another, different large green creature has been reported in the middle east. It’s unknown if it's related to the first beast, or what it’s even doing at all. No casualties have been reported-”

Lee turned the TV off, catching Jin spying in the reflection; He turned his head. Jin stared back, unsure of what to say.

“...Walk with me, Jin.” Lee moved out of the lounge room and towards one of the balconies; Jin followed.

-

Lee leaned against the balcony as Jin positioned himself next to him, the two overlooking the quiet town they lived in; Bastien brought Lee a glass of wine, and he took it, swirling it.

“I think tomorrow…will be a good day to take you down to the lab, Jin.” Lee commented, sipping his drink.

“...for the whole day?” Jin replied.

“For a full shift. See how you do on your own working there.”

“Am I getting an official position?”

“If you perform well enough this week. We’ll leave around 7 tomorrow.”

“...Ok.” Jin nodded.

…

“Jin, what do you want out of life?” He asked; Jin perked up, giving the question thought.

“...I want revenge. For my mother.” Jin gripped his fist, lightning sparking this time. 

“Is that all?”

“....I want to see my father again.”

Lee stopped swirling his glass. Jin braced himself.

“...Hmm.” Lee said, going back to swirling before taking a longer sip. “Have you done any research on the Mishima Zaibatsu?”

“...Only for technological studies.”

“The Mishima Zaibatsu, to this day, has only had two CEOs. Your grandfather…and your father.” Another sip. “The last anyone saw of Kazuya Mishima was when he lost to Heihachi Mishima in the second Iron Fist Tournament.”

“...Does…Heihachi know where my father is?”

“The common theory is that he killed him.”

Jin went silent; Lee could hear more lightning sparks, and see the glow of it in his peripheral vision.  

“...common theory. It’s possible he’s alive. He’s…” Lee paused; Jin turned, looking at him expectantly.

“...No. Not the day for that conversation.” Lee finished his wine and put the glass on the stone banister.

Jin decided to take his chances. “....You grew up with my father…what was he like?”

“Hmm.” Lee seemed to grimace at the question. “About the same as your grandfather. Obsessed with power, looked down on those weaker than him, knew his way around people, but…he was much more quiet and straightforward. Always looking for a fight.”

Lee turned to Jin. “Not the type to start a family. I’m quite shocked he managed it.” 

Jin made a face.

“Everything else about your father is…a conversation for when you’re older.”

“What? But-”

Lee put a gentle hand on Jin’s shoulder.

“Please. When you’re older.”

“....” Jin sighed. “Alright.”

Chapter Text

“We’ll need to come up with a name for you.”

Jin looked up from his breakfast plate at Lee, confused.

“A name?”

Lee nodded. “No one outside this mansion knows your true identity. Even to the employees at the laboratory, you’re only known as my prodigy. I’d like to keep it that way, so we need to pick a name out.”

Jin rolled his spoon over his peas; “...Is it…dangerous for me?”

“Being a potential heir to the Zaibatsu?” Lee had taken out his phone and was going through something. “Absolutely. Now, what did you have in mind?”

Jin racked his brain for an answer. Jin Kazama. Kazama. Kaz.

“Kaz?”

“Short for Kazama?”

“Yeah...”

Lee mused. “Not to mention it means ‘peace.’ Hmm. Fitting.” Lee continued his meal with a smile; Jin felt  a twinge of pride as he finished his meal as well. 

Upon finishing their meals, Bastien cleared the table as Lee and Jin made their way to the limo. On the drive there, Lee handed Jin a lab coat.

“Since you’ll be actually handling the parts, I figured I’d have this ready for you.” The lab coat itself was of a Violet Systems’ engineer; White with a slight purple tinge and four pockets, two small ones and two large ones, with the logo on both sides of the coat.

“And remember to smile.” Lee said. “The people here are going to be your coworkers, peers. Your greatest allies. A smile will do you lots of good here.”

Jin nodded, putting on the coat and steeling himself, before giving a bright smile. “Thank you.”

“Excellent.” Lee nodded.

Arriving at the lab, Jin fussed with his hair slightly as they walked inside; He looked around at the sleek layout, the whirring machinery, and the familiar group of researchers and mechanics up ahead. When the group all began to notice Lee and Jin, he smiled.

“Good morning everyone!” Lee grinned, putting a hand on Jin’s shoulder. “I think he’s learned quite a bit observing your work this past year. About time we got a new member of the team, anyways! Let me formally introduce you all to Kaz.”

“It’s wonderful to meet you all.” Jin nodded. “I’ll finally be able to help instead of just shadowing you.” 

Jin got a bunch of smiles back, one of the mechanics grabbing his hand and dragging him further into the lab. Lee grinned before a chill went up his back; Exiting the laboratory, he took a deep breath before whipping his head around to a spot in the trees.

“Who’s there?” He demanded.

…

Someone lowered themself from the tree; A large figure in samurai armor and wielding a glowing katana placed themself in front of Lee.

Lee nearly got into a fighting stance, but watched as the samurai lowered their sword into the ground, and determined they weren’t here to fight.

“...May I help you?” Lee asked.

The samurai bowed. “Lee Chaolan. This humble one is called Yoshimitsu. I have sought you out for help.”

—

Anna rolled the thumbdrive she stole off the desk of that flowery scientist girl, taking out her phone and looking up her destination. G-Corporation. The Mishima Zaibatsu’s only real rival. Nina was absolutely going to work for Heihachi, that bitch was always loyal to money, and under his rule, she would have been released from cryosleep; It was only natural, then, that Anna would work at the rival company. 

She walked up to the G-Corporation office, entering the lobby and going up to the receptionist.

“I have information for whoever runs this place.”

“Uh, do you have an appointment?”

“It’s freshly stolen from the Mishima Zaibatsu.”

The receptionist went silent before getting on the phone. “One moment.” He turned away and spoke into the receiver before finally nodding and hanging up, flicking a switch and pointing Anna towards the elevator.

“Press the first and fourth floor button at the same time.” He instructed; Anna walked towards the elevator and entered it, doing so and feeling the device rise up to the tallest floor. The elevator’s door opened and Anna was standing in a large empty room that had windows for walls on three sides; There was a workdesk with a computer at the end of the room and sitting in the chair behind it was

Kazuya Mishima.

He seemed not to notice her, head on his hand and eyes closed; Anna stared at him for a long time, questions running through her head. Wasn’t he supposed to be running the Zaibatsu? Maybe she should have stuck around instead of just leaving…

Regardless, if he was in charge, he was her boss. She walked up to the desk, which seemed to rouse him back into reality; The two stared at each other.

“...Hmm. It’s you.” Kazuya mused. Is him remembering her a good or bad thing?

Anna simply placed the drive on his desk; He took a second before plugging it into his computer and taking a look at the Zaibatsu’s research on the two figures terrorizing the world. Kazuya reviewed it all, and Anna carefully watched his face, watching it shift from disinterested to intrigue, back to disinterested, before he printed something out and slid it over to Anna.

“Find me information on this.”

It was a news report of some ruins that had risen recently; Two Anubis statues sat at the entrance of it.

—

Deep in the labs of the Mishima Zaibatsu, Nina found herself drifting in and out of consciousness. Memories of before the cryosleep played over and over, Kazuya’s eyeroll as Anna asked to be put under with her, faint explosions sounds in the distance, a figure standing over Nina’s pod before leaving, scientists coming in and out to monitor her, an older man and a samurai, and then nothing…before it all repeated again.

There was a loud buzz.

Nina jolted awake, hyperventilating as the sensations of breathing again nearly threatened to choke her.

“Woah! Hey! Hey!” A small girl’s hands went to her face and held it still, helping her stabilize her breathing. “....Nina? Nina Williams?”

Nina’s hands went for a gun that wasn’t there and she glared at the girl; Her hair was tied back into two pigtails and she wore a Zaibatsu branded lab coat. 

“...Hi, I’m Xiaoyu.” Xiaoyu bowed. “You were placed in cryosleep under Kazuya Mishima’s rule. The doctor who made these chambers fell ill…so we decided to override the machine and wake you up.”

Nina took a deep breath, closing her eyes before opening them.

“You speak as if someone else is running the Zaibatsu now.”

“That is correct.” Xiaoyu nodded, beaming. “Heihachi Mishima is the current owner now.”

“...If there was a new CEO, why wasn’t I woken up earlier?”

Xiaoyu fidgeted, before looking over at the other empty cryosleep chamber. “We woke your sister up first and she stormed out in a fury when we refused to put her back in. We’ve lost track of her and…we didn’t want it to happen again.”

So Anna really did go under with her; Why she did so was beyond Nina. She stretched her arms and felt a ringing in the back of her head, detecting a person behind her. She whipped her head around, hand reaching out for the nonexistent gun again and laid eyes on a Swede in armor who was watching from the door.

“...Hmm.” He mused.

“Hi, Commander Lars!” Xiaoyu waved.

Lars rose to reply but got an alert on his phone.

“Excuse me.” He walked away.

“That’s Commander Lars. He’s the leader of the Tekken Force.” Xiaoyu explained.

“I gathered.” Nina rose to move her legs but nearly fell over, Xiaoyu catching her.

“Hmm, seems you’ll need physical therapy…” Xiaoyu observed. “Right! Let’s start with your left leg!”

Lars marched down the halls of the Mishima Zaibatsu, reaching Heihachi’s office and knocking on the door.

“You can just come in, Lars.” Heihachi said on the other side of the door; Lars grimaced before walking in. Heihachi sat in his office chair, watching the news on the large screen TV on the western wall of the room. 

“Has there been any update on the green beast?” Heihachi asked.

“Our sources say it resembles that of an ogre.” Lars reported. “It’s made its way to other parts of the world, but it’s moving back to Japan. The current theory is that it’s looking for you.”

“And the unidentified beast?”

“Also heading towards Japan. It still hasn’t hurt anyone nor destroyed anything.”

Heihachi, folding his arms, continued staring at the news before turning the TV off.

“...It’s clear to me. Both of these creatures are hunting me.” He took a long, long moment of silence before grinning.

“Lars, tell the Tekken Force to clear that Aztec temple out, where the green beast first rose.” He stood from his chair. “If these creatures are looking for a fight, I will gather the fighters necessary.”

Lars froze. “...What do you mean, sir?”

“It’s time to announce the next King Of Iron Fist!”

Chapter Text

Jin was awoken by a knocking at his bedroom door; He stirred sleepily, and when it was clear the knocker was not going to leave, he hauled himself out of bed.

He checked the schedule; He was off today. 

Slugging to the door, he opened it to see Bastien.

“Apologies for waking you, Master Kaz, but I must ask you come down to the breakfast table immediately.”

Fake name in the mansion? That’s not good.

“R-Right.” Jin nodded. “I…” Yawn. “I’ll be right down…”

Bastien nodded and walked off, leaving Jin to wash his face and get his clothes on. Opening his wardrobe, he saw the white dress shirt, with vines and flames had been washed and ironed; Smiling, he put it on and looked in the mirror.

Smile. Remember to smile. Every day is a step closer to revenge. Every day is a step closer to meeting him.

Jin smiled at the mirror. He saw his mother’s motivating smile in return.

Walking down to the dining room, he froze as he saw Lee in conversation with…a large…samurai thing? Both of them turned to Jin and Lee motioned for Jin to sit down, breakfast already laid out for him.

As Jin took a sit, visibly wary of the samurai, Lee decided to get right into it.

“Kaz, this is Yoshimitsu.” 

Yoshimitsu bowed.

“He is after the creature that’s been attacking fighters.”

Jin perked up, relaxing more. “You’re after it too?”

“Yes.” Yoshimitsu nodded. “The creature has special blood. Blood that will cure a close ally of mine that has fallen ill.” 

“Mmh…” Jin looked sad. “What can we do to help?”

“That’s what we were discussing.” Lee nodded. “I know you’ve been keeping up with your training, in addition to sparring with the prototype Combots…perhaps now is time to prepare to fight this creature.”

One step closer. Jin could scarcely believe it.

“If you can do this for me,” Yoshimitsu turned to Lee. “Me and the doctor would be eternally grateful.”

“Dr. Bosconovitch…” Lee mused. “I would be happy to have him on board, if he’s interested in leaving the Mishima Zaibatsu.”

The Mishima Zaibatsu? Jin looked at Yoshimitsu.

“He would want nothing more.” Yoshimitsu nodded.

Jin poked at his food. “The Mis-”

Lee got an alert on his phone; Looking at it, his eyes widened before turning on the TV.

Heihachi Mishima sat at a desk, staring at the camera.

“That’s right. The King Of Iron Fist 3 is on!” He announced, nodding. “It will take place in Mexico, in a temple located in the Maya Forest.”

The camera cut to an excavated temple, Tekken Force surrounding the location.

“The existence of a fighter-eating demon may be deterring many of you. Fear not, I myself will be there to protect the fighters as well as my own Tekken Force. And finally…”

Heihachi grinned wide, standing.

“The winner of the tournament will have any one wish granted!”

Jin didn’t realize he had his breath held until Lee turned down the volume on the TV; Letting out a gasp, he turned to his food and processed what he saw, what he heard.

“That’s…Was that…?” He looked up at Lee, who was scowling.

“...Yes. Heihachi Mishima.” Lee stood. “...To announce the third tournament at a time like this…he must be after Ogre as well.” 

“...Perhaps this is our chance.” Yoshimitsu kept watching the TV.

“...I cannot enter, he’d recognize me.” Lee shook his head.

“I lack the strength to take on that creature.” Yoshimitsu added.

After an uncomfortable silence, they both turned to Jin. 

“....I could enter.” Jin nodded.

“...Yoshimitsu. Could you leave me and Kaz for a second.” Lee asked.

“...Of course. I will be out by the garden.” Yoshimitsu got into a sitting position and vanished.

Lee walked over to Jin, hurriedly, and put his hands on his shoulders. “Jin. If you do this…you cannot let Heihachi know who you are.”

“I…I know.” Jin nodded.

“No, I mean it.” Lee shook his shoulders. “If he finds out about your lineage, who you really are…your life will be in terrible danger.”

“He’s…truly that cruel of a man…?!” Jin balled his fists.

“...There are many sides of the Mishima legacy that are…ugly, Jin. It’s why I forbade you from leaving the Bahamas, reading about your family. Heihachi…is a madman. A madman with the drive, power and charm to get anything he wants.” Lee let go of Jin’s shoulders. “And he does it with no regard to others. He…”

Lee stepped away, turning. “Did it to me. To your father.” He walked over to a rose vine growing along the walls and gently cupped one of the budding flowers. His face had the expression of reflection, realization, then he sighed.

“...Hmm. Perhaps Kazuya isn’t entirely at fault.” Lee decided, shaking his head and turning to Jin. “Apologies. We need to get you ready. The tournament is in one week’s time.”

Lee pulled out his phone. “I will wrap up what business matters I need to, should take all of today and tomorrow. In that time, you will train with Yoshimitsu. Then, for the remaining days….I will train with you, sunrise to sunset.” 

Jin’s eyes widened. “For that long?”

“With the disappearance of fighters, and Heihachi himself being there, we need to make sure you are strong enough to survive. The only way you can do that…is training like a Mishima.”

Lee looked down at Jin’s outfit.

“And…I’ll have some appropriate clothing made.”

—

Jin felt the week go by, agonizingly slow and disturbingly fast at the same time. 5am, wake up, eat, train, train, train, 6pm, rest. Repeat.

On this seventh day, as the servants were packing Jin’s bags, he stared at himself in the mirror. Through all the training, he hadn’t remembered to condition his hair, and it was starting to undo. The fronts of his hair were still ironed down, but the backs were standing on end again. Kazama and Mishima. Kaz and Jin. 

A gloved hand was placed on his head; Jin turned to see Bastien.

“...Seems your hair is becoming undone, young master. Shall we reiron it?”

Sitting in front of the mirror, hair freshly washed and being reironed, Jin found himself staring at dead eyes, his body more defined and larger than when he first arrived at the mansion. 

Lee had warned him that training like a Mishima was draining, damaging; That it was meant to break one’s self down to be built back up. But for Jin to barely recognize himself in the mirror? He couldn’t help but frown.

“Are you alright, Master Jin?” Bastien asked. 

“...I barely recognize myself.” Jin whispered. “This week…is the most separated I felt between…’Kaz’ and ‘Jin.’ He looked up. “...and learning that my family is…The Mishima history…I worry that…that my father won’t be worth seeing after all.”

“Hmm…Even then, wouldn’t you still want to?”

Jin fell silent.

“Watching you grow into the man you’ve become has been an honor, Master Jin.” Bastien began ironing the last of his hair. “You’ve grown to be such a kind character, always seeing the best in everyone.”

Bastien finished ironing Jin’s hair and put his hands on his shoulders, causing Jin to look up at himself. He had the hair of his mother, but the glare of his father. 

“Be true to yourself, always, Master Jin. Never give up that hope you feel for others and yourself.”

Jin’s glare softened and he closed his eyes, memories of days with his mother flashing through his head. Walking through the forest with her, in a quiet peace, looking out on a meadow of flowers and wishing to spread such beauty across the world. He opened his eyes and saw himself smiling.

—

Jin and Yoshimitsu both sat on the plane; Jin didn’t really understand how Yoshimitsu’s appearance wasn’t attracting the stares of everyone who saw them, but it made travel easier so he couldn’t complain. He was on a call with Lee, headphones in, as Lee’s face stared back at him through the screen.

“I’m once again sorry I couldn’t go with you, Jin.” Lee looked genuinely disappointed in himself. “Knowing Heihachi…”

“It’s ok, Lee.” Jin nodded, looking at Yoshimitsu, who stared back. “...I’ll be ok.”

“The clothes we designed for you fit?”

“Yeah…I tried them on before I left…I like the flames.”

Lee shrugged, a smile on his face. “I figured it’d be a good touch.” He picked up some papers. “Intel also managed to get a hold of the brackets. Take a look at who you’re up against.”

The brackets appeared on screen; Jin’s first fight would be against a man named Paul Phoenix.

“Paul Phoenix…?”

“I used to know him, back before I moved to the Bahamas.” Lee explained. “I still find myself fighting like him, funnily enough.” 

“Hmm…” Jin nodded. “Got it…! I should be able to beat him.” 

“The plane is landing.” Yoshimitsu pointed out.

“Got it. I’ll be watching from the shadows, Jin.” Lee nodded.

“Right. I won’t let you down.” Jin smiled, hanging up.

Landing in Mexico, Jin made a quick walk to the airport bathroom and got changed into his new fighting outfit. It was a set of pants and gauntlets, all beige, with flame accents on the end of the pants. On his right side was a practically invisible pocket and in that, Jin slipped the plastic syringe and bottle he would use to capture Ogre’s blood.

Once he was changed, he and Yoshimitsu exited the airport.

Yoshimitsu walked with Jin as far as the forest, before stopping and walking towards the trees.

“No spectators allowed…and some of the guards here may recognize me…I cannot be seen.” Yoshimitsu turned to Jin. “But rest assured, I will be watching over you, Kaz.”

Jin nodded, almost jarred at hearing his fake name. “Thank you, Yoshimitsu.” 

Yoshimitsu looked towards the trees before vanishing. Jin made his way to the tournament site, the Tekken Forces lining every barrier, corner and bit of the locale. Approaching the temple, he stood in stone building with ornately carved and painted walls; There was a back end of the temple with a very dark corridor lit with torches.

And in the entrance of that back end stood Heihachi; All the other fighters were standing in a square shape, turning to Jin as he walked in.

“Kazama Kaz.” He spoke; Jin felt chills threaten to rip his spine out. “The final fighter.”

“...” Jin simply took his place among the fighters. Heihachi moved to the entrance of the temple, gazing out the exit as if looking for something, before turning to the fighters.

“LING XIAOYU. ANNA WILLIAMS. Your match will be first!”

Jin watched as two women, one small and with golden ribbons in her hair and one with a bob and red dress walked into the center of the temple and began their match. Once they started however, he could barely watch, his eyes constantly drifting to Heihachi Mishima.

Heihachi wore a red winter jacket with a white fur collar. Underneath, was a formal white vest with a dark blue tie, white pants, white shoes and black gloves. He was watching the fight with little interest; Jin could tell his focus was elsewhere.  

He glanced in Jin’s direction and he quickly snapped his eyes back to the fight, right as Xiaoyu knocked Anna into the pillar, the temple shaking as she did.

“Hmm. XIAOYU WINS.” Heihachi declared, watching Anna not get up in time. “PAUL PHOENIX AND KAZ KAZAMA.”

Jin tensed up, before walking into the center of the room; A large, burly American walked parallel to him, and grinned.

“Hey there, kid.” He stomped his foot on the ground and Jin nearly fell over from the resulting quake. “Let’s do this!”

Jin steeled himself, getting into his Kazama stance before gunshots and yelling were heard outside the temple.

“Hmm.” Heihachi turned, before facing the fighters. “He’s here. Evacuate.”

Jin watched as everyone ran out of the temple, Paul pausing to help Anna up, before following. On his way out, he ran into Xiaoyu, who he almost pushed down the steps of the temple.

“Sorry!” Jin yelped; Xiaoyu didn’t answer. Jin looked up to see her staring at Ogre, who was slowly walking towards the temple on a course towards the two. Jin felt Xiaoyu grab his hand and run into the forest brush with him, they both ducked down and watched as it walked up to the temple.

…

…

Jin looked at Xiaoyu; Xiaoyu briefly glanced at Jin, before looking up into the sky. 

Jin turned to where she was looking, a second large creature breaking its way into the temple.

“Heihachi…” Xiaoyu whispered. She burst out of the bushes and ran back up the steps of the temple; Jin didn’t even process that he was following until he reached the entrance with her.

Heihachi was standing in the Mishima stance as the two green creatures looked at him and then at each other; Seems all three of them were trying to work out who was going to fight who. Jin looked at the beast, the ogre-like creature that killed his mother; He balled his fists up.

Xiaoyu noticed his glare; With Kaz being a Kazama, he must have lost someone to it.

“...That’s Ogre.” Xiaoyu whispered; Jin turned to her, raising an eyebrow. “I…work at a research lab, that’s what we’ve been calling it. It came from this very temple.”

“...” Jin turned back to Ogre and for a brief second, he could swear it looked at him and scoffed.

“Kaz, are-”

Jin rushed into the temple and charged Ogre, punching it square in the face; As the two of them fought, Heihachi faced the other creature.

“Who are you?” He demanded.

“....My name is Akuma.” Akuma explained, stepping to the side as Jin rammed Ogre into the wall. “And I’ve come to kill you on behalf of Kazumi.”

“Kazumi?” Heihachi stepped back in surprise; Xiaoyu ran to his side and got into a fighting stance. Akuma scoffed, about to charge before Ogre suddenly grabbed him, attempting to absorb his essence. Letting out a roar, Akuma smashed Ogre’s head and Jin followed up with two kicks to its chest, sending it backwards.

“Hmm, looks like this will be exciting!” Xiaoyu jumped on Ogre’s head, then Jin’s back (knocking him over), before kicking at Akuma’s head, hitting his arms as he blocked her; Heihachi smirked, charging in and swinging at Akuma’s chest.

Jin got up from the ground and grit his teeth, looking at Ogre, who was getting up across from him. He charged it down and assaulted its face and chest with punches and kicks, waiting for it to stop moving. Making sure Heihachi and Xiaoyu weren’t watching him, he bottled some of Ogre’s blood; Its body started to pulsate and Jin watched in horror as it assumed a second, bigger form.

Heihachi interrupted the transformation by being thrown into it; Ogre screeched and held up Heihachi, Xiaoyu running up and punching at its stomach to make it drop him. Jn decided to help and Ogre dropped Heihachi, Akuma running up and launching a punch into the fray and ending up nearly hitting Jin.

Desperately trying not to think about how he let it get to this point, he grabbed Akuma’s arm and used it to swing himself upwards, finishing off Ogre with a high kick to the face. Jin felt a swell of pride watching it evaporate, but it was short-lived by Akuma stomping his foot and causing the entire temple to shake, a pillar falling on Jin.

Searing hot pain shot through Jin, the worst that he’d ever experienced. His vision blanked multiple times, he could see Xiaoyu caught between helping him or fighting Akuma, ultimately deciding to do the latter.

Jin felt something in himself change and he suddenly put his claws(?) on the pillar and kicked it off him. 

Something sprouted out of his back and he turned to Akuma, scratching at his chest and leaving a pretty sizable scar.

Akuma, realizing he was outmatched, scowled at Heihachi.

“I will fulfill my promise.” He spat. “Run while you can.”

As Akuma left, Jin could see Heihachi and Xiaoyu staring at him; Xiaoyu was holding something but he couldn’t see what it was. He looked down at his hands and saw golden claws, gold feathers were falling from his back.

“Kaz….?” Xiaoyu spoke; Jin ran out of the temple, taking flight and flying somewhere off into the forest.

—

Yoshimitsu sat in silence on the helicopter, making sure Jin’s body was stable as it landed at the Violet Systems laboratory. Lee was there, pacing the helipad until the helicopter landed, and practically vaulted himself inside and looked at Jin; There were odd markings on his face and gold claws and wings.

“...The devil’s blood.” Lee figured, his voice was shockingly shaky; Robot servants wheeled a stretcher towards the helicopter 

“...Heihachi and one of the contestants watched him transform.” Yoshimitsu informed him; Lee gripped his fist and picked up Jin, carefully putting him on the stretcher. He reached into Jin’s pants pocket and removed the bottle of Ogre’s blood, handing it to Yoshimitsu.

“Heal up the doctor and bring him here as soon as you can.” Lee said. “...Make sure the Zaibatsu doesn’t know.”

Yoshimitsu nodded, taking the bottle. He looked at Jin for a second before disappearing. 

Lee took a deep breath, wheeling Jin into the lab and putting him in a Resting Chamber; As the machine examined his vitals, he took out his phone and viewed the news.

GLOBETROTTING MONSTERS KILLED BY MYSTERIOUS CONTESTANT OF IRON FIST 3 TOURNAMENT.

The two beasts seen wandering the Earth were reported to have been slain at the Iron Fist 3 Tournament. The host of the event, Heihachi Mishima has declined to comment at this time. Reports of a flying beast leaving the temple have-

He turned off the news, taking a deep breath; Looking at Jin’s sleeping face, he cursed Heihachi under his breath.