Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken or the characters within the series. This awesome series and the wonderful characters within it are the property of Namco. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

Journey Inside a Dangerous Mind
Chapter 3: Isabella
By: Kadeana

Julia Chang found herself almost cursing the very existence of the universe, itself, as she found herself being escorted back through Jin's tower prison again. Why out of all the people in the world did they come to her to interview him? She detested Jin Kazama because he had used her and he took great pleasure in telling her he had done just that. He had looked at her as if she were dirt beneath his feet and no one could ever understand just how far that humiliation and hurt ran . . . Unless they had been the recipient of such a prestigious award.

Once upon a time, a younger more naive Julia, had fantasized about being the one that would save him. She was quite sure that Ling Xiaoyu, Asuka Kazama, and many others thought that they could save his lost soul from evil. They all had failed to realize one very important fact . . . you could not save someone who did not wish to be saved.

Oh Spirits, why didn’t they give me some other mountain to climb? Julia thought her hands balling into fists. They, being the government, made her an offer she would not refuse.

Could not refuse . . .

* * *

The dimensional traveling Kazama Jin watched the young Watanabe Taichi spy on Ling Xiaoyu, who was hiding behind a tree spying on the Kazama Jin of this dimension.

Taichi looked tortured and only a fool or a simpleton would not realize that the young ninja cared for Xiao-chan deeply.

“Tai-san.” The bumbling ninja lost his footing, falling out of the tree—taking out a few branches along with him, and then landed on the ground quite comically on his butt. Jin knew the skilled ninjutsu master was just fine and that his clumsy persona was just an illusion. “You know, you should tell her the truth about yourself.”

Taichi got to his feet with a graceful finesse that directly contradicted the way that he tumbled out of the tree. When his eyes focused on Jin, he almost had a heart attack. A body snatcher, he thought in horror. It was a conclusion that only someone highly skilled in video games would come to.

“You are here to take me away . . . Are you not?” Taichi asked swallowing.

“Wait—What?”

“I beg of you not to take me or Xiaoyu-chan.”

“What are you talking about?” Jin muttered. He’d forgotten Tai-san was just as simpleminded—or maybe the right word was gullible—as Xiaoyu, if not more so.

“Body snatching is not cool, under any circumstances.”

“I'm not a body snatcher.” Jin was trying to remain calm but he almost lost his patience when Tai-san snorted his disbelief. “I'm not.”

Taichi’s oval-shaped face soon morphed from in expression of distrust into one of seriousness. “You’re the real Kazama-san,” he decided. “Then that means . . . that he’s the impostor.” He pointed out the other Jin as his query, getting prepared to protect Xiaoyu-chan with his life.

“He is not an impostor,” Jin replied resisting the urge to grit his teeth.

“I knew it.” Taichi’s brown eyes focused on him again. "It was you all along."

“I am not a body snatcher, you asshole.” Apparently Devil had already lost his patience. “And believe me if I wanted to kill you . . . you’d already be dead.”

“Then what are you?” Taichi appearance was now one of submissive reserve. Jin was truly impressed with the young ninja's mastery over disguise.

“I just . . . am,” he replied, “but you, my young friend . . . or not.”

“What does that mean?” Taichi asked suspicious.

“There are two versions of you,” Jin replied. “One is slowly dying inside, and the other you that longs for her to reach out her hand to you . . . Because you know that she can save you.”

“H-how do you—”

“If she is your only salvation, she should know of her significance in your life,” Jin replied.

“All she sees is him, you—whatever,” Taichi muttered running his hand through his raven colored chin length hair. “No matter what I do or say . . . that truth will never change.”

“Believe me, it can.”

“He has her heart imprisoned,” Taichi replied. “She will not ever see Taichi.”

“He was lost to her when he was shot in the head by his ojii-san. The person she fell in love with died that night and nothing will bring him back. Life isn't a fairytale spell that can be broken and changed into a reality that it is not.” Not by humans . . . that is.

“Kazama-san.” Taichi looked as if he wanted to give Jin some hopeful inspiration but the thought only amused Jin.

“What about Yoshimitsu-sama?” He could tell that his question caught Taichi by surprise. The kid's expressive eyes widened and he staggered backwards until his back collided with the tree he had fallen out of. “You have all that you need to open her heart to you. You have saved her and always been there when I couldn't. It is you who holds back.”

“I don’t wish to be second in her life,” Taichi replied. “He will always be number one.”

“I think Yoshimitsu is pretty high on her list, as well.”

Tai looked at him cautiously. “How would that help me?”

“In so many ways,” Jin replied. “Good bye.”

“Wait!” Taichi called as the being disappeared into thin air. He swallowed nervously. Only select members of the Manji clan knew his secret—his curse. There was no way anyone outside the clan knew his family legacy.

Could they?

He sat down under the tree and waited patiently for Xiaoyu-chan, trying not to think about the awful mistake he’d made. It was a tragedy that caused the death of his comrades and his own beloved father—the Yoshimitsu before him. He started to think of the one person that gave him solace, Ling Xiaoyu.

* * *

This time Jin awakened to Julia lost in thought sitting on his futon. She was adorned in denim jeans and a denim jacket, to combat the cold temperatures. The prison was kept at very cold temperatures, as by his request, because Arizona was hot as hell.

Didn’t she realize there was only one reason he would be here? She was a smart onna. If she hadn't figured out the truth, yet, he had no doubts that she would do so very soon. “You’re early.” His observation startled her from her reverie. He stood to his feet, letting her use the time to recollect her wits.

Julia reply was a sigh that sounded as if the entire world was on her shoulders. “Can we just get started, so I can leave as soon as possible?” He glanced down at his watch and if the time was correct, she had to be sitting there waiting for over thirty minutes.

“Would you like a beverage . . . tea perhaps?”

“Arigatoo, but brought my own beverage.” A water bottle sat on the small table next to her tape recorder and notebook.

“I suppose you are wondering why I zone out the way I do?” He hoped that 'zone out' was the right phrase to use. His grasp on American slang was still kind of shaky. She looked up at him as he made his way closer to her. He was attired in a panda outfit and he knew that he had to look absolutely ridiculous. Black pants with a panda painted on the left leg and a black and white sweatshirt. A panda was decorated on back of the sweatshirt; a hideous gift from Xiaoyu that he wore with honor. If Julia, too, thought he looked ridiculous she didn't say so aloud.

He sat opposite her on the cushion on the floor, the small table being the only obstacle between them. “Yes, I am, actually.” She reached over to start the recorder. “Why make yourself so vulnerable to others?”

“I have the power to cross dimensions,” he revealed. “I use it to right things that went wrong.” Wrongs that I wrought.

“What wrongs?” She had the nerve to ask him that with a straight face.

“Did you know that the third dimension is five years behind our own?” he asked. She shook her head no. “The very first thing I did was knockout the Jin Kazama of that world. Then I destroyed Jinpachi for him.”

“Why would you do that?” She asked her brown eyes wide in surprise.

“I am strong enough to defeat Jinpachi. Jin Kazama never was and never will be.”

“But . . . you are Jin Kazama,” she replied for benefit of the recorder.

“I am Jin . . . Yes I am,” he replied with a nod. “But, you know from personal experiences . . . that I am something else . . . also.”

“Devil.”

“Yes, making me the perfect yin and yang specimen,” he declared. “The Kazama blood was just a strong of a pull as the Devil gene.”

“And . . . in theory . . . you were the perfect warrior to defeat that essence of evil called Jinpachi,” Julia stated. He nodded his head once in affirmative.

“To defeat the Jinpachi of this dimension, I completely embraced my evil side. And I assumed that the Kazama blood was my trump card to turn me back into my former self.” He smiled eerily. “But, as always in my life, lady fate turned her back on me. So when Jinpachi died, his dark energy attracted to Devil's energy like a sponge. The evil became stronger than the Kazama blood . . . much stronger.”

“You still had your freewill, Kazama-san. Why didn’t you fight it?” This was a question she had wanted to ask for years and unknowingly leaned forward in her anxiousness to hear his reply.

“Jin Kazama was tired of being the world’s ass.” Jin’s voice took on a high pitch. “Saving the world again, only to be screwed . . . again.” A weird half cackle escaped his lips as his left eye started to flicker a pale color. “There’s only so much an already lost soul could take. So we decided not to give a damn anymore,” he said solemnly. “We decided to be vindictive; to murder; to destroy”—he looked thoughtful—“but as always, I’m getting ahead of my story." He smiled softly, his flickering pale eye and the smoldering brown one, hidden behind his eyelids as he closed them.

Julia sat back, swallowing nervously. She was briefly in his presence. The one that Jin allowed to—no, allowed wasn't the right word—the one Jin allied himself with to destroy so many. Devil’s presence had a way of bringing fear in the most courageous of warriors. When Jin and Devil were one, she was a lot braver. If he had not killed her back in his evil prime . . . odds were in her favor that he would not do so now.

Devil, she did not trust. She wouldn’t be surprised if he was planning a mutiny from Jin, if it was possible for him to do so.

“You want to get back to your lovely Julia tale now, right?” she asked.

“Yes, and I humbly ask to not to be disturbed,” he said.

“You won’t be disturbed,” she mumbled.

* * *

Julia regained consciousness some time later. Vague memories of gentle hands administering some kind of warm ornament to her thigh surfaced but she quickly brushed them aside. She did a quick sweep of the room with her eyes, accessing her situation.

Her hands were not bound. She wasn’t outside but in a hut made of huge leaves and branches. She wasn't alone. Kazama Jin, the man she obviously failed at capturing, sat with his back to her doing something she couldn’t see.

She sat up slowly. Her left thigh was slightly stinging but she was too centered on him to concentrate on it. “Where am I?” she asked suspiciously.

“Safe.” He looked back over his shoulder briefly, but then he continued to put his homemade salve back in his gym bag. The hut was a home away from home for him. Kazama Jun, his mother, taught him how to build such structures.

“How did you get away from that stupid bear?” she asked still suspicious. Furthermore, why didn’t he let the thing finish her off?

Stupid bear, he thought amused. “Played dead.”

“You would.” She didn't attempt to keep the bitterness out of her voice. He glanced back at her again and then continued putting his things away as if she had just not insulted him. Did anything get to him?

“I cleaned your wound.”

“You what?” She asked her face heating. Oh Spirits, how could this get any worse?

“I am confident that you will not catch an infection.” Jin continued on choosing to ignore her tone which annoyed her to no end.

“He barely scratched me,” she explained, her aghast on display to his back. “You had no right, you . . . you pervert!”

He’d been called many things in his life ranging from bastard, mute, dumbass—all Hwoarang specials—but pervert was a new one. He felt his face heat in embarrassment. “I-I am not—”

“For some reason, I’m not surprised you are a pervert.”

I am not a pervert! “Such disrespect,” he muttered, “and I used my precious time and medicine to patch your wound.”

“It wasn't necessary.” She managed to grind this out between her teeth.

He finally turned to face her. “Really?”

“I could’ve done it myself.”

“A simple thank you would suffice,” he said folding his arms.

“Why are you being nice?” she demanded suspiciously.

What would Hwoarang do in this situation? He thought as he studied his pretty adversary. He decided that Hwoarang would say the most obnoxious thing possible and deal with the lethal consequences with an amused smirk. Jin was curious about why she was living on their lands . . . and why she was so angry with him and his ojii-san. It might be work better if he also applied all of the skills he learned from his ojii-san over the years.

Project Hwoarang . . . “Define nice?” he requested, “I just enjoy helping strays.” She bristled over his insult. Never let the opponent keep the upper hand. Even if they have it, do everything within your power to gain it.

She jumped to her feet forgetting the sting of her leg. “Call me that again . . . and I swear I’ll kick your butt!”

Be Hwoarang . . . “I should think that title fits you quite naturally,” he replied. “You are living, uninvited on Mishima lands.” He watched the look of surprised panic flicker in her honey browns. Revealing that he stumbled on her campsite by surprise would not do anything to let him keep the upper hand in this confrontation. Never give your opponent in edge. Keep them guessing your true intent.

It was over. She’d been found out. Julia imagined all Heihachi’s henchmen outside the hut ready to strike. Well, those jerks would have a fight on their hands. “How come I’m not dead?” she asked bluntly. Her eyes were now burning bright with determination.

“No one knows you are here but me,” Jin replied. That look in her eyes did not bode well for him.

And when I knock you silly, you won’t remember a thing, Julia thought with a deceptive smile. Or at least he would be out of it long enough for her to get her gear in split. “Why is that?” she asked, waiting for her chance to strike.

“I do not need the help of my Ojii-san to take care of a little girl.” The fury on her cute face was almost comical. If looks could kill he was quite certain he would be dead and then proclaimed a zombie.

“I am not a little girl,” she said, eyes narrowed. She was seconds from putting him in a chokehold.

“Our roles are now reversed,” Jin said, mimicking one of Ojii-san’s best smirks. “You are now my prisoner.”

“You’ll have to defeat me first, you pervert!” Please do not call me that, Jin thought his face heating again, momentarily losing his train of thought. “Any gentleman worth his salt never would have touched me there.”

“Really?”

“Not without permission.”

“Even if you were unconscious and wounded?”

“It was just a scratch,” Julia declared. “I swear you Mishimas are bad to the core.”

Project Hwoarang . . . that baka. “If I were the type to inappropriately touch girls, I would’ve done so yesterday. You know? When you were swimming in the lake,” he chided her. “You were so much more desirable then. Now . . . I’m seriously debating whether or not to tape your mouth shut.” Never let your opponent sense weakness. He decided that the word pervert—being used in reference of him—would now be on that weakness list.

“Do it, and die!” She toted her nose in the air determined not to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d rattled her.

“You looked so stunning rising from that lake like some long lost goddess,” he croaked futilely fighting a blush. He’d averted his gaze after realizing she was not only real but also naked. So much for not letting your opponent sense weakness . . .

Saying what he thought Hwoarang would say was not as easy as he first anticipated. How could one person have so much nerve? Actually the girl before him now rivaled that type of nerve.

“I was right . . . you're a pervert,” she whispered. Although, the interesting information was, that for such big words, the young Mishima blushed much of the conversation, fled from her mind. He saw me naked . . . Oh Spirits, can this confrontation get any worse for me? Her face heated in an embarrassment that she didn't want to even try to understand and she hoped that he wouldn't comment on that embarrassment but with the way his mind seemed to work—or not work—she felt that her hopes would soon be dashed.

That word again, Jin thought inwardly cringing. I was raised to respect women. The pervert in the room was the invisible Hwoarang. “Not so much a p-pervert,” he said closing his eyes to hide his humiliation. “I admire all beautiful creatures of nature.”

In Julia’s point-of-view, him closing his eyes appeared vindictive, coupled with that stupid, dumbass smirk. “Look, you freak, I don’t know what kind of weirdo scam you have going on here, but I'm not listening to any more of it,” she said trying desperately to regain the upper hand. “I’m leaving.”

“You might as well stay here.” She snorted over his ludicrous offer. “I mean, at least you will have shelter from the elements.”

“Oh yeah, that is a great idea. Stay here . . . so when I let my guard down you send in your henchmen to make me disappear,” she said angrily.

“You have my word that you won’t be harmed.”

“And my mother had Heihachi Mishima’s word that he’d help her. And she’s never been seen again,” Julia said calmly. “Believing anything you say . . . will make a fool out of me.” He hid the shock of her words, quite well. He looked at her with an eyebrow raised. “I’m, leaving,” she repeated seriously.

“Entering the King of the Iron Fist Tournament with so much anger in your heart . . . will only get you killed.”

“And not minding your own business . . . will surely get your ass kicked!” She rushed to the entrance, which consisted of two leaves and a few branches. She kicked it out of her way and rushed off. The small Tsunami known as Julia Chang disappeared among the trees.

It was official; the only other person he knew that feisty was Hwoarang.

Julia Chang. Jin had found out her name when he found her license and passport among her gear at her campsite. He had also found an announcement for the King of the Iron Fist Tournament. She was there for the tournament but she also was there to settle a score with him and his ojii-san.

Why had he been inducted into her personal vendetta with his ojii-san? He had to admit that the confrontation that he had just had with her did not help his situation. This . . . will turn out to be horrible.

* * *

He could tell that his smirk put her on weary guard. “Who knew that sweet little darling would turn out like you.”

“She grew up.”

“And she obviously took some anger management classes,” he said.

“Are you finished with your rather moving story about me and you?” Sarcasm dripped from Julia's whispered words.

“I’ve only just begun.”

“Will you tell me why you think any time you spent with me is worth mentioning in this interview?”

“If you have to ask me that, then why should I bother?”

“You’ve told me before that you did not love me,” Julia reminded him. “That I was beneath you and nothing more than a challenge.”

“You hurt my ego,” Jin said. “I only repaid the favor.”

“Repaid the favor . . . .”

Well, that was the wrong thing to say, Jin thought as her fist connected with his nose. He could have blocked her punch but knew he deserved it. It would take more than a punch from a mortal to draw blood from him, anyway. The problem with being immortal was that he still felt pain.

“I hurt your ego?” she asked loudly. “You are the one who asked me to be your mistress after what I thought was a great and equal relationship.”

“Well, I had a wife.”

“Something you neglected to mention,” Julia muttered.

“I had to marry her,” he pointed out. "It was a business deal."

“No you didn’t,” she snapped. “And even if you did you would’ve never married the 'Inferior American.' ”

“You are still stuck on that?” he asked sadly.

“Your actions after that, I will never forget or forgive,” Julia said icily. “I am only here to do this stupid biography interview thing. And when this is over I’ll never think of you again.”

“I didn’t anticipate that things would turn out the way that they did,” he muttered. “If I did, I never would have—”

“Stop it and get on with the events of the third King of the Iron Fist Tournament,” she requested her eyes gleaming with tears.

“What do they have on you to make you come back here?” He really wanted to know. He didn’t get a chance to manipulate the situation to where she had to come back on his terms. He had wanted to give her a few days to simmer down. The government had given her terms of their own and she had caved. Of course, he could easily get the information from them but he wanted to hear the answer from her.

“Isabella,” she replied honestly, with eyes closed. His own eyes widened in shock. “Can we continue?”

“Yes,” he replied softly. He wanted to know more but it was obvious she wasn’t saying anything more . . . yet. Isabella, she’s dead . . . isn’t she?
To Be Continued...