Worlds Worth
Jin sighed after he stepped off the helicopter, a group of six people in his wake. As he stepped onto the elevator the group diminished to just four. As he made his way through the halls of his private home the group grew smaller still until there was only one set of a foot steps following his. That of his somewhat trusted body guard Nina - she wouldn't leave his side until he reached his bedroom. Along the way he shed his coat - haphazardly tossing it on the railing for the stairs. He didn't even turn to see if one of his servants got it. Right now there was one thing on his mind. Sleep.
He had been going for days. Checking on leads. Organizing strike teams. Budget meetings. His list of things to do seemed never ending. But for today, they were. The only task to complete was to take a shower and get some much needed rem. His ears perked up when he walked by one of the bedrooms. He slowed down as he passed it. He glanced at his watch and then at the door again. Nina nearly tripped over him when he suddenly doubled back. He opened the door a crack and peeked inside. The girl sitting in front of the computer on the other side of the room didn't notice his spying. She was listening intently to the person talking on the screen in front of her.
"...so then he just jumps, clear off the bike and lands in the bushes. The bike keeps going for all of three feet before it completely bursts into flames and explodes!" The girl on the screen said, the web cam catching her dramatic movements as she told her story. "So get this, the bushes catches on fire but this idiot doesn't even realize it until it's caught on to his sleeve." The girl laughed.
"So, what's the diagnosis this time?" She asked as she shifted her weight from one elbow to the other.
"Second degree burns. A skin infection from the pricker bush he fell in. And despite those ridiculous boots he wears, he stubbed his big toe and bent the nail backwards on his pinky.
"Ew."
"Yeah he's like a mutilated piece of jerky right now. And lucky me I get to take care of him." She said sarcastically. A fake smile plastered on her face for a second.
"Cas...I can't reach my back." Came a whine from off camera. She rolled her eyes.
"Serves you right. I should just let you suffer!"
"Jebal. Jebal jagiya..." Came another call.
"Want to switch places? Can I live in a mansion and you take care of this fool?" the girl asked.
"I wish." She replied. The girl on the screen suddenly looked up, spotting Jin behind her.
"Your warden heard us." She laughed. She looked over her shoulder and Jin pretended he was just now coming into the room. He cleared his throat.
"I gotta go." She said. "Say hi to papa for me."
"I know. I will. Bye, Max. Bye Jin."
"Cassandra." Jim addressed her with a nod. She waved before her screen went black. The girl in the chair turned around and forced a smile.
"To what do I owe this pleasure?" She asked almost sarcastically.
"Are you still mad at me?" Jin asked as he knelt down in front of her. He put his hands on her knees and smiled at her.
"Can I still not leave?" She answered his question with another question and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Max, we've been over that. And every time we go over it again - you tell me you understand but somehow you still end up hating me by the end of the day." Jin said.
"I'm tired of you treating me like some little porcelain doll. My father is one of the greatest fighters in the world. Hell, I made it to the final round in the last tournament - what could possibly happen to me if you just let me go to the movies or shopping or at the very least to see my family?"
"Whether or not you can protect yourself is not what I'm worried about. You made it to the final round by leveling half of the fighting arenas and putting your opponents in traction. You can't control your powers. Which means if you exhaust yourself using them it'll make you easy pickings for..." He took her hand. "For anyone that might take you away from me." Her heart sank when he admitted his fears. He pressed his face into the palm of her hand - nuzzling her skin and tickling the space between her fingers when he sighed.
"Who could possibly do that?" She asked as she ran her free hand through his hair reassuringly. He leaned into her touch when her fingers caressed his cheek. She cupped his chin and made him look up at her. She pulled her other hand from his grip and used it to sweep his bangs out of his face. "You look terrible," she blurted out when she saw the bags under his eyes. He snorted. "What are you doing that is running you ragged like this?"
"Budget meetings." He answered truthfully. She laughed. "I'm serious, they are murder." She took his wrist and looked as his watch. 3 a.m. She had been talking to her sister longer than she thought. She sighed as she stood up - with a persistent tug she pulled Jin to his feet. He staggered for a second - an obvious ruse to get his hands on her by pretending to steady himself by grabbing hold of her waist. "Oops." He feigned innocence.
"I thought you were tired." Max inquired as she eyed him. He bit his bottom lip as he pulled her closer.
"I got a second wind." He said as he pulled her towards the door. Max smiled sheepishly at Nina as they passed her and started down the hallway. Just a few steps and they reached the double doors of the master suite. Max sighed as she let go of Jin's hand. He opened the door and stood in the frame as Nina came and stood between them.
"Good evening Ms. San."
"Good evening Nina." Max returned her pleasantries as she spread her arms and legs.
"Have you been outside the premises today?" Nina asked as she began patting Max down.
"No." She answered and shot Jin a glare.
"Have you had any interaction with non-Zaibatsu personnel, visitors, received a delivery or witnessed any suspicious activity around you?" Nina asked.
"Only talked to my sister today." Max answered like she had been asked a million times. Really it was closer to just a hundred and fifty. She had to go through this routine every night if she wanted to enter Jin's bedroom. A barrage of security questions and a rather invasive pat down by Jin's personal bodyguard. Nina had a light enough touch and it was nothing serious, like a cavity search - it was just tedious. Even time Max thought Jin would stop Nina and tell her not to bother but apparently he still didn't trust her. Or care enough to spare her the humiliation.
"Her clearance number?" Nina asked - as if she didn't already know it.
"029843-KIv7." Max sighed. She jumped slightly when Nina squeezed under her breasts. Jin tried not to stare or laugh but he couldn't help himself. "This doesn't count as foreplay." she said. Nina snickered as she moved around to Max's back and continued the pat down.
"Have you been unconscious at any point in the day - where you do not remember falling asleep?"
"No."
"Anything else to declare?"
"Are we done?"
"You're clear. Have a nice night, Ms. San. Mr. Kazama."
"Good night Nina." Jin said as she turned and walked down the hall. Jin pulled Max inside and closed the door. Trapping her against it once it was shut. "I'm sorry about that." He leaned in to kiss her but she turned her head to the side.
"If you're so damn sorry, how about you tell her it's not necessary." Max said before she pushed him out of the way. She moved to the small bar in the corner of his room and poured herself a drink.
"You know I have to be careful—
"Well, you should know by now that I'm not trying to hurt you." She said before she took a large sip. Jin frowned – ever since he took over the company he had been holding everyone at arms length. It really wasn't fair to treat Max like some woman he picked up off the street for the night. His mother had taught him better than that. He felt ashamed – something else his mother had taught him to feel when he did something wrong. "I mean, if I was going to try something don't you think I would've done it by now?"
"Max, I—" He cut himself off when she dropped the glass. It shattered around her feet. "Max?" She suddenly collapsed to the floor and started convulsing. "Max!" he rushed to her and held her head still so she wouldn't knock it against the bar. Jin balked when he saw pink tinged foam seeping out of the corner of her mouth. "Nina!" he yelled. Seconds later she burst into the room, gun drawn. "Get the chopper started. We need to get her to a hospital."
Max opened her eyes a crack. For the moment it was all she could muster. She felt so heavy and weak. She could hear the low beep of a heart monitor as well as the whirl of other machines. There was an offbeat clicking sound coming from next to her. She used all her strength to turn her head and opened her eyes a little wider when she spotted Jin sitting next to her bed. He was typing away on his cell phone. He looked more haggard than the last time she had seen him – a thick five o clock shadow growing along his jaw. His eyes were squinted and the dark circles underneath had gotten darker and were joined by bloodshot corneas.
"Hey." She rasped out. It made him jump – like he wasn't expecting her to talk.
"Max." He sighed as he got up and leaned over her. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. She hissed – her skin was overly sensitive to the touch. She knew the strength he had and also knew he wasn't using any of it to hold her hand. Despite that her bones felt like they were going to break. "Thank God. How do you feel?"
"Like shit." She answered. She coughed to clear her throat. "What happened?"
"What I always feared." Jin answered. "Someone managed to get in the compound and poison my alcohol." Max trembled. The last thing she remembered was reaching for the decanter that held the brandy Jin liked the most. She wished she could recall if it tasted out of the ordinary.
"Who could've?" she asked. Security was so tight it could only be a few people. The cleaning staff, Nina, Jin and Max were the only ones allowed in that room.
"The list is longer than you think. I've got Nina on it." He assured her. She looked him over again.
"Have you left since I—
"No." Jin answered. "I don't trust anyone on my team to look after you right now. And as soon as you're well enough to travel I'm sending you to stay with your sister. It's not safe here anymore."
"The irony." Max scoffed. She cleared her throat again and he moved away from the bed for a second. He got her a cup of water before moving back. She tried to take it from him but she could barely lift her arm. Seeing this he just held it up to her mouth. After a few sips he took it away. "So, what was it? Seeing how I'm alive I'm guessing they knew what the poison was."
"Meperidine hydrochloride." Jin answered. Max just looked at him. "It's found in a pain killer called Demerol. There was an uncut, high dosage in the decanter. There shouldn't be any lasting damage. A day or two on the I.V.'s should have it flushed out of your system. Luckily, you only had one sip. If you had taken the whole shot…." He trailed off. He was noticeably unnerved. And she supposed it was understandable. His drink was usually bigger than the ones she had. If the devil gene hadn't protected her against it, then it wouldn't have protected him either. "At any rate I won't have you catching any more of my bullets."
"Jin." Max started. She reached for his hand and he quickly grabbed hers. "You should come with me." He smiled a little.
"Maybe for a few days." He said. "I hear Korea is nice this time of year." He looked at his phone when he vibrated. He pressed a button and put it to his ear. "Kazama." As he listened to who ever was on the other end he played with her fingers – threading his through them and rubbing the back of her hand on his stubble. "Well handle it. I'm busy." He rolled his eyes before he reached over and pressed the call button for the nurse. "I'm leaving the country for a few days….no right now….no, I'll make the arrangements myself." He hung up just as the nurse came in. "Yes?" "We're leaving." He told her out right.
Max was in and out of consciousness after that. One minute only the nurse was standing there talking to Jin. Then when she opened her eyes there was a doctor there too. The next time she woke up she was being moved. The gurney was moving fast and there were several packs of interferon on the bed next to her. All she could see of Jin was his back as he helped wheel the gurney out of the hospital. The next time she woke she wasn't in a hospital bed, or any bed she recognized. She sat up, moving easier this time. When she looked around she realized she was on a plane. The sound of the engines giving her a slight headache. "Jin?" She called out and half a second later he came through the curtains that led to the rest of the tiny private plane. "Where are we?"
"On our way to Korea." Jin said as he presented a bag of interferon. She looked at the needle in her hand and followed the line up to the empty bag, hanging on a coat hook next to the bed. "Should be landing in about half an hour."
"You know what you're doing?" she asked as she watched him change the bag.
"It's not rocket science." He said. After hooking everything up he opened the drip valve. She laid back and looked at him.
"You're amazing." Max sighed. Jin snorted.
"You've never told me that with my clothes on before. I'm flattered." He admitted. She smiled. "You should get some sleep." She said as she moved over. Jin shrugged his jacket off and put it over her before laying down beside her. "Wake me up when we land." Jin said. He handed her his cell phone and closed his eyes. He smiled again when she kissed him.
Jin put his sunglasses on as he stepped out of the car. It was a little conspicuous to have a chauffeured town car in such a moderate suburban neighborhood but neither he nor Max was in any condition to drive. Despite being poisoned she nearly jumped out of the car when they came to a stop in front of a house. Cassandra was already outside at the end of the driveway. She ran to Max and hugged her – letting out a high-pitched scream when she did. "You look terrible." She blurted out as she looked over Max's pale face.
"Yeah, being poisoned is a real energy drain." She said. Cassandra glared at Jin as he moved closer.
"You call this protection?" she asked angrily. Jin opened his mouth and then shut it. She had a right to her anger. He had done a shitty job of keeping Max safe. He had become too confident that someone would find the compound, much less make it all the way into his bedroom to taint his private liquor. He had been relying on security too much – it had made him soft. He fully intended to use the next few days to train a much as he could. Cassandra showed them inside. As soon as Jim walked through the door he spotted Hwoarang laying on the couch in the living room.
"The fuck-?" Hwoarang said.
"You two know each other?" Cassandra asked.
"We're not staying here." Jin said point blank.
"We?" Cassandra looked at him.
"Ah, you're here." Baek said. They all looked at the stairs when he made his appearance. Hwoarang grimaced as he tried to sit upright. Jin bowed politely when Baek approached him.
"Sir."
"But, why are you here?" Baek asked a little annoyed.
"Dad, we had a bit of trouble at the compound." Max interjected. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
"You look awful." He said bluntly. She rolled her eyes.
"I was poisoned." She admitted. Baek shot Jin a glare. "There is someone gunning for Jin. And since he has gone through the trouble of protecting me I owe him the same." She reached over and grabbed his hand. "If he's not welcome here, then neither am I."
"Maxine, you will always be welcome." Baek said as he took her by the shoulders. "This is your home."
"Thanks, dad." She let go of Jin to hug him.
"I'm sure you are tired." Baek said.
"I know the way to my room." She said before she looked back at Jin. "Come on." Jin ignored Hwoarang's glare as he followed Max upstairs. Right now the other man was irrelevant. It had been nearly forty-eight hours since he last slept. The cat nap he had gotten on the plane was not restful at all. His shoulders were tense and his neck was stiff. The bags in his hands felt like they weighed three times what they really did. He looked up at Max when she started talking. "I know you're used to more lavish surroundings but I think my old bed will hold both of us. I mean it's not the California king we usually—
"Anything would be fine at this point. This place is quiet and you are here with me." He said. When he stepped into her room he suddenly felt very large. Clearly she hadn't lived in it since she was in her teens. The walls were covered with boy band posters and martial arts ribbons and awards. The bedspread was an awful, bright, flowery pink. The surface of which was half covered by stuffed animals. Jin frowned at it. What on earth made her think they could both fit in a full size bed? "I misspoke." He quipped.