A/N: A Jin/ Nina fic, mostly from Jin's POV. Yes, I do realize that there is quite a change in the characterization of the Jin I started out with and the one at the end. I gave him a much more fleshed- out character than the one- dimensional Japanese eye candy that we are presented with in Tekken. Also, I believe both Jin and Nina are extremely complicated individuals, and Tekken's portrayal of them barely scratches the surface. That's why I'm here to explore and experiment.

Disclaimer: If I owned it I wouldn't be here, would I?


He had never thought himself to be vulnerable to the one thing that affected most males. He had thought he'd effectively cut himself off from all emotion, that desire was no longer a part of his bodily reactions, that he was determined to die without continuing his family line. Apparently, all that wishful thinking had amounted to nothing, if the sudden stirring of desire inside him was any indication that his resolve was nowhere near as strong as he thought it would be. He had never given much thought about women. The only woman he had ever allowed emotionally close to him was his mother, but then again, thinking about one's mother sexually was highly inappropriate and utterly blasphemous, in his opinion. So while he thought his mother was beautiful, that was it, and it incited a shudder in him to think about her in any other way.

While in school, he had been surrounded by many a pretty young thing, but their foolish giggles and coquettish smiles never much swayed him in his objective to remain solitary for life. When he had finally quit school and forayed into the business world, he was once again subjected to the wiles of conniving women who fawned over him and whispered foul things into his ear. Similarly, he had brushed them all off, and none too gently as well.

But now, now he found himself ensnared in a different dilemma altogether. He was not only physically attracted to the woman- and who wouldn't be, as a matter of fact- he was also emotionally invested in her, what with her being his most trusted confidant and right hand. He had once caught himself wondering at their future together, a thought he had immediately banished from his mind. As far as he could tell, the idea of them as a whole had certainly never crossed her mind. Her wit and intelligence surpassed that of many he had known, and with her killer skills and almost machine- like efficiency, she was the whole package plus a bonus. The fact that she was hands down, the most gorgeous woman he had ever laid eyes on in his 22 years of living didn't hurt her stand either.

He had berated himself for being so superficial at first, but as the months dragged on and the stirrings hadn't exactly gone away- rather, they had intensified- he had realized that truly, he was extremely attracted to her. Of course, this realization didn't come easy. It had taken a whole week of seclusion, intense training and rigid self- denial before he finally gave up and submitted to the truth of the situation. With the truth came obstacles, and right now, he was debating on how to broach the subject, or whether to touch upon it at all.

The woman that had enticed him and set off this explosive chain reaction of events was coincidentally, standing right in front of him at that very moment. In a tight, short skirt and a blouse with a plunging neckline, no less. And for the millionth time since his revelation occurred, he wondered why God- if there even was a God- had ever invented women. They brought nothing but trouble, and were the downfall of numerous powerful men that had been bewitched by their charms. A man could build an empire and conquer the world, but a woman could bring all that down with a tenth of the effort.

"Jin." Her soft, sultry voice commanded his attention, and his gaze flicked upwards to meet her curious stare.

"Is there something wrong?" She demanded worriedly, her eyes sweeping over his form.

For a moment, Jin found his confession teetering at the tip of his tongue, but the moment was fleeting, and he shook his head expressionlessly.

"I'm fine." He deadpanned, avoiding her suspicious glare.

Silence reigned for a moment before she spoke again, this time her voice lowered into a near- whisper.

"Are you worrying about that Chinese girl?"

Jin frowned briefly, puzzling over whom that 'girl' was, but the crease between his brows smoothened when he realized she was talking about Xiaoyu.

"Xiaoyu?" He asked, disbelief colouring his voice.

"Yes. She's an essential part of your plan, isn't she?" Nina remarked airily, although with the intensity in which she was scrutinizing him, he knew she was hiding something.

"What are you trying to ask, Nina?" He questioned warningly.

"Nothing." She turned away from him warily, crossing her arms and walking towards the large French windows that lined the western wall of his cavernous office.

He observed the stiffness in her posture and the discomfort that surrounded her, and sighed wearily, wishing she would open herself to him more.

"Why did you come to that conclusion?"

"It was a rather obvious option. What else could be weighing on your mind?"

"It could've been you."

A pregnant pause followed that statement, and Nina spun on her heels, her sleek ponytail flicking sharply as she cocked her head to look at him.

"Don't play with me, pretty boy."

"I'm not." Jin answered truthfully, gazing back at her intently.

Crystal blue locked onto chocolate brown, and a staring battle ensued, before Nina finally clucked her tongue and shook her head, turning to walk towards the heavy double doors that fronted the office.

"Where are you going?" Jin asked exasperatedly, leaning forward in a half- rising stance.

"I have my orders, and I'm going to fulfill them. Can't have you accusing me of skiving off now, can we?" Nina shot back over her shoulder, her hips swaying tantalizingly as she 'click- clacked' her way down the polished marble passage.

"Nina."

She paused in her confident stride, and Jin noted the heaving of her shoulders as she let out a great sigh.

"What is it, Jin?" She asked, not bothering to turn around.

"A question."

"I need to get going."

"Humour me. Please."

Nina finally spun around to face him, and they observed each other from across the room.

"Do you like me?" He asked boldly, narrowing his eyes as he watched for any facial tic or visible response from his personal bodyguard.

"What?" Nina asked, letting the shock bleed into her tone.

Whatever she had been expecting, it certainly wasn't that.

"Do you like me?" Jin repeated, this time slower, to make sure that she fully comprehended the meaning behind his words. He knew that if he didn't get this off his chest now, it was going to weigh on his mind until he confronted the issue. And although this technically wasn't a confession of his own feelings, he knew Nina was smart enough to have guessed by now, the way he truly felt about her.

Nina bit down on her lower lip, an unconscious gesture so uncharacteristic of her usual aloofness that he had to crack a smirk.

"Is there a point to this question?"

"Answer it."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then you're a coward."

At this, Nina hissed audibly, and the smirk of Jin's face grew at the sound. He knew his bodyguard better than anyone did, and he knew that she would never back down from a challenge. Especially not when her pride was on the line.

"Hypothetically, if my answer was yes, what would your next course of action be?"

Jin's heart pounded a little faster, but he showed no sign of it and when he spoke, his voice maintained its usual cool.

"Hypothetically, if you said yes, I would do nothing."

"Nothing?" Nina arched a perfect eyebrow skeptically.

"Nothing." Jin confirmed, although a strong hint of 'for now' echoed after his words.

"So for now, let's hypothetically assume I say yes." Nina bit out, turning a last time to reach for the heavy set wooden handles that adorned the double doors.

Jin gave himself a pat on his shoulder inwardly. She liked him! The admittance wouldn't have had been obvious to anyone else, but the very fact that she hadn't outright negated his question proved that she felt more for him than she was willing to let on. And that made him very happy indeed. Perhaps his fears were unfounded after all. He wouldn't have settled with being flat out rejected.

And as though she could feel the triumphant grin of Jin focused on her back, she called out before she left- "Don't get too carried away, pretty boy. Hypothetical situations may not be reflected in the eventual outcomes."

At this, Jin grinned even wider.

Oh yeah, she most definitely liked him.


A/N: Review! (Flames are disgusting. Constructive criticism is appreciated. Be polite, or you'll feel the fury of my wrath.)