Chapter 13 – Honmaru

Heihachi and Kazuya walked together for several hours, leading deep into the Mishima Zaibatsu compound. They said not a word to each other during the journey, each focusing on his own grand scheme of what was to be done once they arrived at their destination. Jin had something they both wanted, and they both had every intention of getting it.

They came upon a massive temple enshrouded in fog: Honmaru.

The two entered the building. Heihachi slammed the doors open to the room where Jin was being held captive. Kazuya stood right behind him. Heihachi led with his son following right behind. They took a few paces in and then paused.

The room was surrounded by torches along the walls. Across from them, between two torches and in front of a large Buddha statue, Jin Kazama’s body hung from the ceiling by two chains holding up his arms. The young man’s head was down, and he was completely unconscious and unaware of their presence. His shirt had been removed.

“So you were with him after all, my half…” a new sinister voice, unifying with Kazuya’s own, emitted from Kazuya’s lips. Kazuya’s eyes had turned to glowing red. His body took a couple of steps forward.

Heihachi turned his head towards Kazuya, recognizing another presence. “Who are you?!” He asked in disbelief.

Kazuya’s head now turned towards Heihachi. “I am what you refer to as ‘Devil’,” the voice explained. “Twenty years ago, I lost a part of myself when you nearly killed me. Now I’ll retrieve what’s rightfully mine from him.” He nodded in Jin’s direction. “The time has come for my resurrection.” He held out his arm upwards in pride.

Heihachi started to back away nervously.

Devil brought Kazuya’s arm down as he said, “You saved me the trouble of having to search for him.” He turned to face Heihachi. “For your troubles, I’ll give you a taste of my power!”

Energy radiated out from his eyes and shoved Heihachi towards the entry doors of the room.

Devil chuckled wickedly, reveling in the moment. “What’s the matter? Didn’t your precious science provide all the answers you needed about my power?” He nearly smiled.

He turned to face Jin’s body. He lifted his arm and held out his hand, palm opened, in Jin’s direction, focusing…

In the depths of Jin’s mind, Jin loosely stood alone in darkness. His arms hung at his sides. His head was bowed.

“Give in to the anger!” Kazuya’s voice implored his son. “Hate me! Curse me!”

Three larger images of Kazuya’s upper body taunted him. Each image took on a differing hue of red, yellow, or green. They would intermittently disappear and reappear with the continuing taunt.

Jin’s body leaned back, then lurched forward. “Give in to the anger! Hate me! Curse me!” Symmetrical black markings appeared on his chest. As if the words themselves were hitting him, Jin’s upper body would sway one way, then another. The devil mark on his arm faded and became replaced with new markings on that ran along both his arms. He felt anger. He felt hate. He cursed his father. But becoming that thing again…no…

The giant Kazuyas laughed at his plight, mocking him. Jin fell to his knees and swiped his arms at the air, trying to fight off the urges being drilled into him. No…no…

Outside Jin’s mind and within the room in Honmaru, Devil saw a purple aura surround Jin’s body momentarily, quickly followed by the appearance of the black chest markings. However, he was immediately denied of any further changes beyond that point.

Devil brought Kazuya’s hand back towards his side. “What?!” he remarked, confused. “Why won’t you change?” This turn of events displeased him. He paused to give a moment’s thought. Then he looked up at Jin and stepped forward with a sense of urgency. “Is it because of that Kazama blood?”

Suddenly, he felt Kazuya’s own will overwhelm him. Kazuya’s body became surrounded in blue electricity and new light as the two, Devil and Kazuya, fought for control. The body lurched one way to another. “Kazuya! What are you do…?!” Devil cried out. The body fell to its hands and knees. “No! It can’t be!” He began to sit up. In a flash, the light faded, and the blue electricity began to fade as well.

On one knee, Kazuya looked at his own hand. “I see…” he remarked, his voice once again his own. “Didn’t know about this method of unifying our power.” He stood with his eyes closed. “This is the end of you…Now you’ll become…a part of me.” He opened his eyes, which had turned to their normal state.

He blinked and shifted focus back up towards Jin. “All I need to do is destroy you, then everything will be mine!” He took a step forward. “Rise! Jin Kazama!”

Basked in white light as the taunting Kazuyas had faded, Jin heard his father’s true words and suddenly opened his eyes. He gasped, looking to his right and left and realized that he was hanging by chains on his arms.

He struggled for a moment and broke free, falling to the floor on his knees. He gasped some more in pain. The purple aura swelled up around him for a moment, then faded. His arms started to form the black markings as well. His breathing was labored. His body ached with its conflicted longing to transform.

Still, Jin pushed the desire back, maintaining his human form. The markings faded from his body. “You!” he muttered bitterly. “If only you were dead…” Kazuya was the source of his agony, his scattered mind decided. His words dripped with pain. He lifted one of his knees. “Once I kill you, it’ll be all over!” he yelled out forcefully and charged at his father.

The two became locked in a brutal, fierce battle. Jin had little sense of anything besides the burning fury and enmity towards his father. Devil had done its part in driving him to the edge of madness. Kazuya hadn’t expected his son to be so strong.

In the end, the Jin defeated Kazuya. His father’s body lay sprawled out on the floor, unconscious. Jin stood a few feet away and eyed the body, eager to deliver the final blow, but he caught sight of Heihachi approaching first. The old man had awoken during their fight and watched its end.

“What a pathetic wretch…” Heihachi remarked in disgust as he looked down at his son. “You worthless coward!” He turned to face his grandson. “I will make your power mine…” He readied his stance. “Time to die, boy!”

Jin grimaced. Hate for his treacherous grandfather boiled in him.

Another vicious battle ensued.

To Heihachi’s surprise, Jin was still able to defeat him. He couldn’t grasp how. Wasn’t the boy tired after fighting Kazuya? That had been the plan. The two were supposed to wear each other out, making the victor easy prey.

But now, Heihachi was the one who found himself too exhausted to carry on.

Jin held his grandfather by the top of his gi. The old man could hear his grandson’s struggled breathing.

The black markings once again appeared on Jin’s chest and arms. The rustling of the black-feathered wings unfurling from his back could be faintly heard. He was transforming. He readied his left arm to deliver a fatal strike on Heihachi. His face flickered to a sneering evil grimace between his breathing. Finally, his long-awaited, long-desired kill... Heihachi struggled, turning his head from one side to another. He couldn’t believe what was happening, to lose and die now of all times. Jin swiftly pulled his arm back, poised to act when suddenly, he felt a flash of light upon him.

His head quickly shifted to his left.

And there she was.

In her white dress and white headband with brown eyes and dark hair, his mother, Jun Kazama, appeared. Her eyes pleaded with him to stop. Jin gasped in shock and began to reflect on what he was doing.

The vision disappeared just as quickly as it came. In its place, Jin saw the statue of Buddha. He bowed his head in frustrated shame. How could he be asked to show mercy now of all times? For her…

He shoved Heihachi down to the floor. Looking in the direction of where he’d seen his vision, Jin stated frankly, “Thank my mother…” He shifted his gaze to his grandfather. “Jun Kazama…”

He slowly, dramatically turned around, taking a few steps forward. Then he bent his knees and expanded his wings. He flapped them once to boost his body and tore through the rest of the building. Wreckage collapsed onto the floor in wake of his flight. A few scattered black feathers descended as well.

Heihachi lost consciousness.

No one lay witness to the solitary glimmering white feather that fell amidst the darkness.