For the Love of a Devil

The King of Iron Fist Tournament 4 was nearing its end. Kazama Jin, who entered the tournament in order to put an end to the Mishima bloodline, had just qualified for the semi-finals and started searching for his opponent. On the other hand, Ling Xiaoyu, who had also advanced to the semi-finals, resumed her search for Jin. She believes he is responsible for the e-mails warning her about Mishima Heihachi.

Jin reached the Mishima Zaibatsu Labs where his opponent awaited, who turned out to be his father, Mishima Kazuya. But before he could brace himself for the battle, Heihachi’s special forces, the Tekkenshu, ambushed him with tranquilizer darts as if he was a wild forest animal. He was chained at Heihachi’s private building in Hon-Maru.
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Meanwhile, Xiaoyu’s opponent happened to be Heihachi, her adoptive grandfather, who someone had previously warned her about. They were to battle at the tournament’s main arena.

“Ne, Jii-san, go easy on me, will you?” Xiaoyu playfully (and pleadingly) asked her senior, knowing that he’s unforgiving in battle.

“Okay, I promise. Gyahahahaha! Let’s play this one out!” Heihachi cackled.

It was somewhat a fair battle, until it turned fierce and one-sided, in favor of the tournament’s host. Heihachi showed no mercy and defeated his adopted granddaughter.

“You said…you’ll go easy…” the Chinese schoolgirl wasn’t able to finish her words as she lost consciousness after the fight. Heihachi had proverbially beat her down to a bloody pulp and imprisoned her at Hon-Maru.

“As the saying goes, my child, promises are made to be broken. I have other plans for you. So just you wait,” and again the demented owner of the Zaibatsu maniacally guffawed.
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Back at the laboratory, Kazuya waited for his opponent for half an hour until he came to a realization that something fishy had just occurred. He suspected that his father was responsible for his opponent’s disappearance. He then advanced to the final stage to finish things once and for all.

“Where is Kazama Jin? Where are you hiding him?” the son inquired.

“I’ll tell you after this fight,” the father replied.

And so the finals began. Heihachi, overwhelmed by Kazuya’s newly acquired strength after being “resurrected”, succumbed to the power, and to the audience’s eyes; apparently, Mishima Kazuya had just become the fourth King of Iron Fist Tournament champion.

He then demanded, “Now, show me where my son is.”
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Heihachi fulfilled his promise and led Kazuya to Hon-Maru. After reaching the room where Jin was held captive, someone awakened within Kazuya. Someone Heihachi had never known before until that moment.

“So, you were with him after all, my half…” the evil presence addressed the slumbering Jin.

“Who the--? Who the hell are you?” Heihachi grunted with what seemed to be fear.

“You refer to me as Devil,” the entity possessing Kazuya introduced. “Twenty years ago, when I almost died by your hands, I lost a part of me. Now I’ll take back what’s mine from this man. The time for my resurrection is at hand!”

Taken aback by Devil’s words, Heihachi prepared for retreat, but before he could do so, Devil knocked him out with a laser beam from his eyes.

“What’s the matter? Wasn’t your science sufficient enough to measure the extent of my power?” Devil inquired, and then set his eyes on to Kazuya’s son. He began the extraction process, but to no avail.

“Why…why won’t you transform? Is this because of that Kazama blood?”

At that instant Kazuya attempted to regain control of his body and assume power over the Devil within himself; he succeeded.

“So, you didn’t know how to unify our powers? Well, this is the end of the line for you. Now I will be Devil!”
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In the middle of his slumber, Jin saw images of his father, telling him to give in to his anger. “Come on, hate me more! Kill me if you will!” the images told him. Kazuya, who had just taken full control over Devil, commanded: “Wake up, Kazama Jin!”

Jin finally broke up from his chains and his nightmares. He had been fully consumed with rage; his blood boiling with sheer anger, with the Devil Gene inside him reacting to that of his father’s. “If only you never came back to life…once I kill you, all will be over!”

And so the fateful battle between father and son ensued. Even though he had gained total control over Devil, Kazuya’s powers were not enough to stop Jin’s blinded rage; he eventually succumbed to the fury of his son. That time Heihachi recovered his wits and faced Jin.
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“Kazuya, you wretch…what a loser!” Heihachi told the fallen Kazuya with disgust, and then turned to Jin. “And as for you, grandson, I shall take your power for myself…Time to die, boy!” And then he struck his fighting stance.

But before Jin could land the first attack, a gunshot rang across the room; the Tekkenshu emerged, awaiting orders.

“Heihachi, you scum!” Jin roared.

“So, boy, do you hate me now? Gyahahahahaha! But that’s not all, grandson…”

At a snap of a finger, one of the Tekkenshu members released Xiaoyu, who was rendered bloody and limping after her vicious match hours ago. She was literally dragged to the room, and then thrown towards Jin, who caught her in his arms while being dumbfounded.

“Xiaoyu! Wake up! Xiaoyu!” He tried to talk to her. Xiaoyu somehow mustered some energy to reply, “Jin, you…were…right…” before finally passing out.

With what seemed to be tears from his eyes, Jin lay Xiaoyu down. “I’m sorry, Xiaoyu. You had to suffer because of me…” Then he stood up, now consumed with even more loathing. He let out a loud roar before he launched towards Heihachi. “I’LL KILL YOU, MISHIMA HEIHACHI!”

“It seems that you are forgetting something, boy. Take him down, Tekkenshu!” With that command the Tekkenshu showered Jin with machine gun bullets that rendered him mortally wounded; the exact scenario that took place after Jin avenged his mother’s apparent loss at the hands of Ogre two years ago.

“Damn…you…Hei…hachi…” After Jin muttered those words, he was put to silence when the dictator of the Zaibatsu planted a bullet on his forehead to complete the déja vu.
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“Tekkenshu, gather their carcasses and throw them at that damn volcano!” Heihachi referred to Jin and Xiaoyu. He wanted to give them the proper burial, the same burial he gave his son twenty years ago. That was his command before he turned his back. But before he could completely leave the room, yet another déja vu occurred: one Tekkenshu member was sent flying towards Heihachi’s direction. It was Devil Jin, in his complete transformation, now only more furious and hungrier for destruction…

“I believe I remember this damned scenario…Tekkenshu, make sure he’s gone for good!” Heihachi commanded.

“FEAR THE WRATH OF GOD!” Devil Jin roared in great rage.

Before the Tekkenshu could shoot out their ammunitions, Devil Jin had ripped them off to shreds with his claws and burned every member of Heihachi’s special forces with his blazing glare.

Heihachi was again taken aback. Even with the strength like that of a Devil, he was no match for this new and seemingly invincible power. He was at the mercy of this man, or demon. He tried to fight for his dear life until he couldn’t go on anymore. Devil Jin ultimately had Heihachi in tow.
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At that moment, Devil Jin knew nothing about voices of reason or conscience; the things that were running through his mind were death and destruction: the only things he need to exact his revenge perfectly.

But before he could deliver the final blow, the image of his mother appeared to him, stopping his rage momentarily. And then he heard a faint but audible voice. It was his friend Xiaoyu, who recovered a little amount of energy to tell him to stop and forget about revenge. Jin finally came to his senses.

He threw away the cowering Heihachi, came close to his friend and carried her in his arms. With mixed emotions of regret and delight, he exclaimed, “Thank my mother, Kazama Jun, and my most loved friend, Ling Xiaoyu. They made me spare your pathetic life.” They then flew off and left the rubble.
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Jin landed in a far-off forest. He laid Xiaoyu on his lap, while remembering his own words at the Hon-Maru.

“My most loved friend, eh?” Jin somewhat blushed and smiled. He never thought that would come out of his own lips. He rested his back on a tree for a moment.

“I am really sorry for involving you in my problems. Because of me, you got hurt. I promise not to get you hurt again,” Jin talked to the sleeping Xiaoyu. Unbeknownst to him, she was already conscious at that time.

“Jin…thank you…I’m sorry if I didn’t heed your warning…” she said, though she was still ailing after what happened.

“No, Xiaoyu, it is I who should apologize for what happened. It is also I who should thank you for opening my eyes.”

Xiaoyu, still reeling from her injuries, reached for Jin’s face and made her lips meet with his. Jin had once again felt the warmth that only his mother could give him; the warmth of love.

His wings opened as he healed himself and Xiaoyu using the power he loathed…or used to loathe. To him, from that moment on, he would think of the Devil Gene as the tie that bound them together.

“I promise, from now on, I will only dedicate my life to protecting you, even at the cost of being a Devil.”