«She...she had nothing to do with any of this.» Jin Kazama's voice trembled, as he looked at your sleeping body in the arms of his silent father; you had been involved from the beginning, but he couldn't accept you were the only one to pay the consequences.

Kazuya bent over the cold stone to place you there. You were still warm, but feeling like there was no life left in you made the blood boil in his veins, anyone against him had to die, but not you...you were the only thing worth continuing to fight for.

«Power isn't everything. You were supposed to protect her, but you decided to let her go, like you did with my mother...» Jin took another look before hiding his emotions in a pair of gloves to keep fighting that hateful man. Kazuya remained silent the whole time, almost accepting any criticism which came from the younger one, your sacrifice shouldn't be in vain and so, he tasted the blood left on his mouth before getting into position.

«You had been as unworthy as me in protecting her.»

They went back to fighting and sadly, no one could stop them anymore. But, as he did that, Kazuya had your image fixed in front of him, every expression of yours ran like a train through his mind, stopping at his last memory; he had never been fond of anyone, but it was also true he had never felt as good as he did with you and now that you were about to disappear from his life, nothing else would have mattered anymore...a sweet scent wafted through the air in that moment, he didn't know where it was coming from but was strangely familiar and there, Jin looked over with shocked eyes.

«...mother?!»

Kazuya turned and unexpectedly, saw a female figure kneeling in front of you, with a hand pressed to your chest. Those moves, black hair and tender brown eyes, he couldn't believe it was really her...

«So, you were alive all along.» He thought she was dead, but Jun Kazama was there and that scent came exactly from the pink flower she was holding in her hands; she whispered something, as she dropped the petals over your body, sending a bright, healing energy over you.

«Forgive me Y/n, I brought you into this.» The woman thought aloud and caressed your cheek, previously hit by her husband's fist «This power exists to protect those who are dear to me...I passed part of it to her, so that she could use it to save you, Kazuya.»

The man didn't understand, until he saw your eyes suddenly open and there, something in him was triggered.

«W-what happened to me...» You slowly regained consciousness, without remembering why you were lying on the ground; your gaze met the woman's and you wondered if you were still dreaming «Please don't tell me...I'm dead and I won't be able to stop them anymore...»

You put the arm over your eyes, trying to not to cry at that discovery, but Jun smiled silently and without revealing you were alive and well.

«...if you had the chance to go back, what would you say to Kazuya?» Jun knew he was listening and because of that, she wanted you to express your real thoughts about him; you took a long breath, now that you no longer had the chance to say it, you decided to tell everything you had been holding back all this time.

«He's the biggest bastard I've ever met. I should hate him, but he's never rejected me and I can't get away from him...I may be a fool, but I love him - I loved him, since I can't do it anymore. I just hope the world doesn't collapse because of his madness...»

«Mpf, it sounds like you had a lot to say.»

You widened your eyes in disbelief after seeing Kazuya was a few meters away from you. You thought the worst, but then you also saw Jin and realized that you were full awake.

«...am I not dead?»

Jun started to giggle and helped you to your feet. Without letting go of your hand, she led you towards the two men, who stared at you two with severe and confused looks. Jin was the first to reach you and as expected, he hugged the mother tightly.

«You have defeated Evil. I'm proud of you, honey.» But as he said that, Jun looked over and saw Kazuya walking away from the cliff, towards the valley below.

Even if it was what you wanted, you were too embarrassed to move a single muscle and so, you felt someone push your back.

«Go Y/n, Kazuya needs you.» Of course, Jun said that to assure you, but in the end, it was your last word. You could choose whether to hate, or be the solace that man needed so much, even if the path was still full of battles to overcome...you took one last look at Jin then, you hoped he understood that you weren't mad at him, thanking him for never blaming you for your decisions.

«Wait, KAZUYA!» You lost your breath screaming and running towards the older fighter, who advanced slowly on his own. He just stopped when felt the thud against you, hugging him from behind his back.

«Don't be ridiculous. You cannot love someone who tried to kill you...» He warned but didn't push you away, your body exuding the warmth he had missed earlier and you just shook your head at him.

You thought you were strong enough and wrapped your arms around him, though his muscles were tougher than rock, you felt his heart was far from that and so, you held him tighter.

«It can't be anyone else...I want to start again and show you that I'm right for you, Kazuya.»

Even though his silence was painful, you didn't stop talking, revealing the tremor behind your voice; you feared he would reject you to not hurt you again, freeing you from the chains with which he had tied your life to him...he grabbed your wrists just to hold you under his impassive gaze.

«Your life won't be easy with me and I won't even be the loving man you deserve...are you sure you want this, Y/n?» Kazuya put his hand on your nape and with his lips, he touched yours, which were parted and still sore from the punch. That was the least tempting of the proposals, but you were determined to move forward and that's why you came closer, with a hand in his spiky, black hair.

He already knew the answer and his eyes looked at you differently, without that red eye anymore, he was free from the evil in which he had been corrupted.

«...are you sure this is what you want? I thought you were in love with her, Jin.» The mother told him, moving the gaze towards her son who had stayed silent the whole time, not even when you reached Kazuya he had reacted to stop you.

«This is her decision, not mine. Whatever it is, I will respect it.» The young Kazama replied in a calm tone, he had always been fascinated by you and wanted to protect you from his father, but in the end, you were the one who did that.

«I will accept this truce with Kazuya just because Y/n is with him.»

Jun caressed her son's tired shoulder with a peaceful smile, he had succeeded in his task in defeating the Devil Gene forever. Jin took her hand then and together, watched the dawn of a new day, over the horizon...

A better time was about to blossom.

• ● •

Tokyo - 2 months later:

That was just your second sip of coffee. Although it was your dear break from work, you couldn't ignore the multitude of journalists who had besieged the headquarters to interview the big head of the powerful G Corporation...sometimes you felt more like his watchdog than a secretary.

«Relax there, dammit. At worst, he'll wipe out those idiots in one fell swoop.» You rolled your eyes, as always it was useless to ask Anna for help if she was the first to light the fire. She wasn't willing to go back to work for Kazuya, but she was a good ally to deal with, as Nina had resigned...for all you knew, she had gone to perform her service for someone who paid her more.

«I know, but it's still boring. I'll have to do double duty for him.» You sank into your chair, getting a chuckle from the other, honestly you couldn't understand how she could enjoy that cup of hot chocolate in the middle of summer.

«Things seem to be going well between you two...how many times have you done it so far?»

Of course, you were ready to receive such a question from the most frank and sensual woman you have ever met, but it wasn't as uncomfortable as before. You were about to give a curt answer when your eye went to the clock, it was past noon and the interview seemed to never end.

You finished the meeting with Anna early and with hasty steps, you went to chase away the unwelcome visitors personally at the top of the Millenium Tower.

«Excuse me sirs, but it's time to leave–»

«What can you tell us about your private affairs...who is your leading lady, sir?»

Luckily, you hadn't knocked on the door and from inside, Kazuya Mishima had been annoyed with those people asking stupid questions all the time. However, he didn't refuse to answer and you stood in the shadows, listening for his statement.

«...the path I've tread is one consumed by conflict, so much so that she tried to kill me during our first meeting. Although conflict and combat are regular parts of my life, she has never stopped standing by my side in her own strength...» You stood there, waiting for him to finish, peering through the excited people, somehow his words had enchanted you too.

Was he really talking so openly about you?

«I have no use for weaklings. And she is...»

«Time's up for the interview, out!» You suddenly came out and after recognizing who you were, the crowd left the room with disgruntled noises, many of them were so interested in the potential romance of the world's most feared CEO that they were disappointed to be left dry.

«You could have sent them away if they were so annoying.» You tucked a lock of your hair behind the ear, as you closed the office door behind you, obviously noticing the smirk on the man's lips, it was more fun seeing you do the dirty work for him.

«Or talking about your love affairs was more important than your work?»

Your cheeky attitude was surprisingly attractive and Kazuya started to giggle again, as you moved away the chairs and tables with a frowning expression. When you turned around, you found his chest and in a quick move, he put his arm around your waist.

«You know exactly who I'm talking about, Y/n.» He whispered against your cheek, his perfume was strong and honestly, he looked really sexy with that black shirt and scarlet red vest.

«...you could at least take off your gloves, they hurt me.» You looked away, but that just attracted more attention and with a snap, he placed you against the desk, letting his fingers slide over your curves.

«Wait, you still haven't said what this woman is.»

Kazuya grumbled gravely when you placed a palm between your mouths, still letting you speak in a jealous tone; you knew he was referring to you, but you wanted to be the only one to hear what he thought of this "lady", who apparently had made him lose his mind.

«Let me show you with facts then.» He explained himself, freeing his hands from the gloves, the way they showed themselves was really virile and you couldn't take your eyes off «I hope you had locked the door, because I won't accept any more interviews today.»

After that, you slowly removed your hand and Kazuya threw himself on you with a hungry kiss, making you moan with laughter.

«Sure, we don't want this tough hunk to show his soft side huh?» You raised his chin with two fingers in a provocative way, he was letting you play whatever you wanted...but instead of reacting as expected, he took your hand to kiss the back of it.

«I think you made me like this.»

His reaction surprised you, he was no longer the same Kazuya Mishima as before and though he was an evil boss at work, he was a perfect lover for you.

«Ok time to get back at work, you have a world to conquer, Mr. Mishima.» Again, the older man's tension grew more when you broke contact and called him formally. Kazuya followed your movements without stopping smiling, for the first time someone else had reminded him what his main objective was.

But maybe, he had already achieved it and now was standing there, in all her beauty...if there hadn't been an opponent ready to kill him, this strange "love" for you would certainly have brought him to his knees and with a little jewel for your finger.

«Pathetic drivel.» He thought to himself, but without holding back a chuckle. He didn't notice you were looking at him in that moment, most likely he was thinking about the collection of sneakers he had already acquired for himself, which he couldn't stop reminding you of...

«Now I know why you left him to me, Jun.» You sighed with a soft smile and your eyes directed towards the large office window. The skyline of Tokyo shone beneath you, but this time no white birds appeared on the other side of the glass.

«Why did you stumble there.» Kazuya reached you, as you were absorbed in your thoughts and there, his arms held you, making your shoulder sink against his chest «Do you want me to take you here?»

You wanted to snort, but his hand grabbed your face and kissed you from above, making you gasp at the sudden lack of air.

«D-don't talk nonsense, it's still daytime—mph!» His tongue advanced inside your mouth, crushing you between the glass and his imposing body; he continued to kiss behind your ear and down your neck, taking the collar out of the way.

«I-I'm serious Kazuya, I have to do something outside!»

«What is it about? I'll kill you if you have to meet another man.» He spoke over your skin, tickling you and you moved your head away to give him more space. He was so possessive, but you liked that and to his surprise, you cupped his cheek to whisper something in his ear, assuring him there was no one else in the way.

«We'll continue this tonight, don't worry sweetheart.» Kazuya's throat vibrated nervously, he wasn't about to let you go now and when he did, he gave you a look that seeped into your limbs.

«I'll pick you up at 6.» You nodded but as you were opening the door, his hand stopped it and you felt his breath on your skin again «Don't make me wait too much, baby.»

You turned around with red cheeks and Kazuya refrained from leaving another kiss on your anxious lips, as you finally walked out of his office still intact. You put aside all the excitement of the moment to focus on what you had to do and so, you reached the elevator to leave G Corp in a hurry.

• ● •

You were supposed to meet someone out of town. You hadn't told Kazuya who he was for fear that he would stop you from doing so, but luckily, he hadn't sent anyone to follow you...you called a taxi to take you towards the port, in an area particularly populated by green fields and colorful flowers.

«Is this the right place?» You looked around, but there was nothing but the wind ruining your bun; you thought you were wrong, until you saw a white silhouette, dazzling you in the distance.

«Happy to see you again and beautiful as always, Y/n.» You missed that gentle voice, grateful it wasn't another dream of yours. Jun Kazama had left you a message telling you to meet up, but you were hoping Jin would be with her too.

«The same goes for me...what did you want to tell me to come all this way?» You were curious to hear from her, but she just directed you to walk with her among the flowers; she loved nature and in a way, it was as if she was in perfect harmony with every element around her.

«I talked to Jin and I understood one thing...he no longer intends to make war on his father and this is also thanks to you.» The older woman explained in a calm voice, however her smile disappeared when she announced the second part of the story «But there's one thing I want to ask you...do you despise the fact that Kazuya was married to me?»

That question left you perplexed, honestly you never thought about that badly, but her sad face made you uncomfortable, as if you were wrong.

«Of course not! You are an amazing person and I wouldn't be here now, if it weren't for your powers.» You said out loud and with your hand against the chest, you really meant those words and respected who she was, but now you didn't know what else to say, though you were dating her ex-husband now...but Jun didn't seem to care, on the contrary she was happy to see Kazuya in love with someone, even if it wasn't her.

You wanted to know where Jin was and if he was okay, until you decided it was the best thing not to do it, or things would get complicated again...Jun read your moment of discomfort in your eyes and took your hands to rub them with the fingers.

«Jin isn't mad at you and remembers that if you ever need anything, he'll be there for you...I wish you that everything goes well with Kazuya, my dear.»

Seriously, you wanted to burst into tears, her words were too kind and without holding back, you hugged her heartily; you let time stop for a while to finally let go of all your worries, along with that fresh scent of blossoms...cherry trees were everywhere in the country and with them, the world had started to purify itself, taking away the toxic past and letting you enjoy the breeze of a new life.

You had obtained your ransom.

• ● •

NOTE: Dear readers, thank you all so much for following me this far, soon I will publish an extra chapter before the conclusion of the story and which will concern the night between Y/n and Kazuya, of course I couldn't leave you in suspense and I hope you will enjoy a little more romance between our Angel and Demon 🤍🖤 see ya later in the next and final chapter!