Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Strength and Beauty
Chapter One
"Ha…ha…ugh…!" sounded above the constant roar of the surrounding observers, the owner of the voice sounding fatigued and breathless but not without strict determination present in his every, skilled maneuver that forced such noises to escape him.
The vivacious crowd, seemingly just as ruthless as the fighters with all of their cheers and taunts towards each of the men, bordered the premise that was reserved for the battered and bruised competitors as the official match was being held on a blocked-off section of road underneath an elevated overpass in the middle of Tokyo.
The bright, city lights shone down from above and illuminated the area for the occupants, making the darkened, cold street below almost glisten with the rain that had fallen earlier that day, and provide an overall, crystallized glow that absorbed the two in their deadly, well-trained actions.
Steve Fox, the professional boxer turned martial artist, was breathing heavily on the solid, unforgiving concrete of the city street, his nose oozing blood down his face while other various cuts and scrapes littered his cheeks and bare arms, as the jaguar mask-wearer King stood his ground a little ways away from him with his gloved hands at the ready.
Sucking in a bit of air, Steve pushed his body off of the ground with a violent shove with his hands that quickly propelled his feet towards King's stomach, connecting firmly with his target that made the avenging orphan stagger backwards as he clutched his ribs in agony.
King growled and hurriedly brought his hands back up to protect his face and receive any oncoming blows as Steve maneuvered completely back on his feet and delivered a fast jab aimed at his opponent's chin while still situating back into his stance.
The well-placed jab struck King's forearm uselessly and the fiery, well-built Mexican wrestler used his opportunity side-step the blonde boxer combined punches to follow, as he suddenly leapt high into the air and swung his legs around Steve's neck.
"Gah…!" Steve bellowed as he was roughly slammed down onto the ground once more, his air getting harshly choked off by King's impossibly strong legs wrapped around his neck, the classic move that of provoking an opponent to either pass out or tap out of the match.
"Time;" a licensed and Mishima Zaibatsu approved referee suddenly called loudly as he hoisted up his arms to gain the fighters' and onlookers' attention, "Winner…King!"
The crowd went wild, many languages flooding the dark, damp area of the prosperous city as King obediently released Steve Fox from his death grip and made to stand up, growling as he did so in victory as he leisurely walked towards the hoards of shouting people with his hands held high.
However, standing right in the thick of the people that surrounded the tournament fight, a man wearing a mask of glinting steel and a long, hooded cloak narrowed his beautiful jade eyes at the spectacle he had just witnessed.
The covered, masked man had watched the fight intimately, closely following the styles of the two competitors and the moves they utilized, as well as if weapons were allowed in this particular tournament which was so very like the others he had been in since his underground cage-fighting days.
As the medical team hurried over to a still lying Steve Fox to hoist his heavy form onto a stretcher and tend to his injuries, the mysterious mask-wearer turned away from the crowd and easily slipped through the close-knit group of onlookers as he sought out the people whom he needed to speak with in order to participate in the King of the Iron Fist Tournament, smiling as he did so.
Meanwhile, Jin Kazama had watched the match with little to no interest on a number of large-panel monitors from his office in the grand, tall headquarters of Mishima Zaibatsu, his fist tucked under his chin as he sat seemingly bored at his impressive desk.
"King has won his second match," Jin commented dryly, darkly sarcastic to himself as he reached for his remote to turn off the monitors, "…I suppose it's good for those kids."
"Kazama-sama!" sounded a voice over the monitors, making Jin cock his head back towards the largest one in front of him so he may regard his subordinate who appeared on the screen.
"What is it?" Jin asked exasperatedly, not particularly caring too much as to what another one of his suit-wearing and seemingly panicky employees had to report to him.
"Please excuse me, sir, but there's…there's a man here who…wants to enter the tournament!" the employee struggled to say, fear either from Kazuma himself or the man of whom he was referring clearly setting the reporting subordinate on edge.
Jin was just about to say something when the camera panned from the stuttering employee to the man in question, immediately making the corporate CEO rethink the words he had intended to say as he observed a tall figure, shrouded by the darkness of his cloak, where only his brilliant green eyes could be seen positively glowing from behind an ominous, sleek mask that covered his entire face.
Jin licked the roof of his mouth as he began formulating a new strategy with which to deal the situation; the Kazama's narrowed, black eyes transfixed on that silvery mask and the odd design located on the left side, as well as the few strands of golden hair that strung down on either side of the fighter's face.
"He may enter the King of the Iron Fist Tournament;" Jin reaffirmed smoothly as he leaned back in his chair and gracefully folded his hands on his lap, "have his first match tomorrow since he'll need to catch up with the others."
"Yes, Kazuma-sama! Right away!" the employee sounded from off-camera before the feed was cut and the image of the unknown warrior blurred into a stoic picture of black, prompting the raven-haired CEO to flex his fingers before refolding them once more comfortably.
"Well, things just got a bit more interesting," Jin spoke aloud once more, his own voice lightly bouncing off the many, glass windows that formed most of the enormous, round office at the top of the corporate building he was in, before he turned in his high-backed, leather chair to sit properly at his desk so he may look over the next day's agenda and see where he could spare some free time.
X
The next day…
On the dirty, dusty outskirts of town, another crowd had already gathered as news of a new fighter entering the competition had quickly spread amongst the masses and those well-versed in the prominent grapevines, as people sat on the run-down, wooden fence pieces that stuck up from the ground or gathered under the shade of the few trees that the open, barren area provided.
Vega, clad in his traditional purple and yellow pants, red sash, and white leggings that showed his origins as a matador, strolled proudly through the masses of people until he reached his end of the arena perimeter.
His opponent, the rejuvenated Interpol officer Bryan Fury, visibly took in Vega's almost regal posture as the masked man stood perfectly straight with his tattooed chest slightly turned to the side and raised his single, clawed hand up so that the three, long blades crossed in front of his covered face.
"Begin!" called the referee from the sidelines, officially starting their match and prompting Bryan to run at full speed towards his seemingly statuesque opponent, his inexperience and rough nature being more than clear to the veteran blonde warrior who could already surmise that his hard-earned patience and discipline regarding receiving opponents would serve him better.
Just as Vega had anticipated and planned, as soon as the officer had rushed to about six feet of Vega, the blonde brought down his lethal Tiger Claw to his side, almost as if to say that he accepted his challenge, and then spun on his heel as he raked the blades cleanly across Bryan's protruding, vulnerable chest.
"Agh! Y-you basta…"was all the rogue fighter got to say clearly before Vega completed his rotation, sharply jabbed his claws at Bryan's gut, and then swiftly delivered a solid, frontal kick that sent Fury skidding backwards in the dirt.
As Bryan grit his teeth on the ground, trying in vain to ignore his bleeding wounds and the aching in his bones, Vega merely stood up to his full height again and tossed his extraordinarily long and braided hair off his shoulder so that his ran down his back again.
"I'll make you pay for that…!" the officer grumbled out as he willed himself to his feet, the hollering of the crowd perhaps driving him to do so, as he assumed a wide, offensive stance with his eyes narrowed dangerously at his stoic, unreadable foe before him.
With a great lunge forward, Bryan threw a myriad of punches towards Vega who immediately brought his hands up as he, in turn, either knocked them away or simply took their blunt force on his forearms, and Fury could have sworn that he had heard a muffled laugh sound from beyond that frightening mask.
Enraged and more than annoyed at being matched up against someone so haughty in their method of fighting, Bryan swung his body around in a circle as he tried to reverse his punch into a hard-hitting backhand and then follow up with a combined kick right into the side of that mask.
However, Fury had only caught a small glimpse of Vega's striking green eyes glint with some kind of horrid emotion, almost as if the latter was blatantly smiling at his efforts, before the long-haired blonde man smoothly sank his upper body backwards, completely dodging all of Bryan's attacks with graceful ease as Vega had bent back so far that his hair touched the ground and he had a perfect view of the bright, afternoon sky.
Bryan gasped and tried to right himself back into a stable fighting stance as he watched as Vega practically glided back into his position, placing his masked face right in the officer's stunned expression as he had slightly spread his strong, well-honed arms in the process, the entire gesture appearing exactly how one would when being baptized in water and then lifted back up.
"Game over, little man; you lose," Vega commented sinisterly before crossing his arms right in front of his face, and making another deep, set of slashes across Bryan's torso that crossed the earlier ones he had made at a sickening slant.
Bryan Fury gasped for air that was not coming to him fast enough as the Interpol officer stilled before suddenly dropping to his knees, prompting Vega to leap out of the way, and then fall face-first onto the gold-colored ground that surrounded the grimy, desolate area.
"Winner…Vega!" the referee called at once, seeing as how Fury was no longer able to fight.
The crowd cheered in Vega's favor as the matador raised his clawed hand up in the air briefly before bringing it down to his opposite side as he bowed over and over again to the many onlookers, his long, heavy braid once again falling over his shoulder in the process.
Vega straightened back up from his courtesy, waved at the people with his free hand, before turning back towards a certain direction that he knew would lead him out of this place and back into the city, feeling pleased that he had won his first fight in the King of Iron Fist Tournament.
"That was quite impressive," a cool, somber voice suddenly sounded from behind Vega, instantly making the masked warrior turn around in his spot to seek out the owner and meet his gaze with his own.
Deep, onyx eyes looked straight into his from behind jet-black bangs as Jin Kazama held out a gloved hand politely and spoke solidly to the tanned, blonde fighter before him.
"I am Jin Kazama," the corporate CEO offered professionally as Vega cautiously placed his hand inside Jin's and shook it respectfully, "and who might you be?"
Their hands parted naturedly and Vega only slowly shook his head, indicating the negative, as he kept his keen, emerald gaze glaring straight into Jin's relaxed yet highly-maintained expression – the matador more than wary of the powerful, Japanese martial artist in front of him who was known throughout the world as the influential leader of the notorious Mishima Zaibatsu group.
"Oh? You don't have a name? Perhaps I can give you one…"Jin said with a daring quirk of an eyebrow, just as much acid-edged amusement present in his melodic timber as there was obscene fascination that did not go unnoticed to the weapon-user.
Vega cast one more, unsavory glare towards the confusing tournament master before turning away from him and finally walking away from the match arena, easily navigating passed the chatting people on all sides as he made his way back towards the city.
Jin watched as the mysterious blonde walked away from him with narrowed, cunning eyes on his back, his interest in the tattooed and claw-wielding man having intensified all the more now that he found out that he did not speak much as well as how he had not been able to see his face yet.
Just the same, the information that the Kazama heir had been able to notice was serving to be devastatingly alluring to the raven-haired warrior, as he had not been able to help taking in even the smallest of details about the mysterious warrior who came out of nowhere to fight in his tournament – Jin having already known that the man's name was Vega, and only wanting to hear the man say it himself.
The way Vega had fought Bryan Fury had been most curious to the Kazama heir as the matador's movements had been purposefully poised to make for beautiful shapes and lines with his body, his strikes often using too much strength and composition to execute, but they would always look just like the work of a master artist as Vega sought to fight his battles with well-orchestrated maneuvers rather than strict, blunt attacks.
Even the man's name, Vega, was capable of stirring great interest within Jin as he could not entirely place its origins straight away, but could already register that that name suited the masked warrior perfectly. It spoke of simple obscurity, like something right in front of one's face even though they had no idea, and offered utter chaos to those who knew of it.
Only a few inches shorter and a bit leaner in chest size and overall width that Jin himself, Vega's impossibly long, blonde hair had made for an enticing view as it swayed to and fro alongside his firm, supple ass that curved into a strong, broad back, and powerfully-honed arms and legs that Jin could not help but picture inside his mind.
Decision having been made, Jin deftly fished out his cellular phone from an inside pocket of his black, long-tailed suit jacket, flipped it open, and then pushed one button in order to speed dial his most trusted assistant, his other hand sliding neutrally inside his pants pocket.
"Cancel my meetings today and ready the car," Jin said curtly to the person on the other end before quickly snapping his phone shut and simply holding it in his gloved hand for a moment as he stared off into the fading afternoon sunlight that was slowly giving into the early evening, casting lovely shades of navy to battle against the struggling orange and pink as a darkening nightfall drew near.
Jin smirked as he watched the darker colors ghost across the lighter ones until the inky hues of the navy and purple completely overtook the dying orange and faint blue, the epic battle and eventual conquest of the dark over the light acutely paralleling in Jin's mind as to what course of action he had planned for the loner warrior known only as Vega.
X
A little while later…
Vega, covered once again in his long, thick cloak in order to ward off the increasing cold as well as to hide his ominous mask and frightening stature, walked through the expansive courtyards that interconnected throughout the several hotels that touched far into the sky in this particular business district.
The people working under Kazuma had set him up at one of the hotels once he had registered into the tournament, informing him that all the other fighters stayed here as well since the grand, lavish buildings offered multiple gyms and exercise facilities as well as their own in-house medical groups that were to see to match-related injuries at once.
Vega sighed quietly to himself as he stepped passed another, intricately-designed shrub, the three, large hotels within view to the blonde fighter but still a ways off as the grounds were extraordinarily huge and covered a great deal of land around each of them, and the matador silently mused to himself that it was going to be midnight and pitch black outside before he reached the one that had been assigned to him.
"I happen to think…"a voice suddenly purred from the murky shadows, prompting Vega to quickly spin on his heel towards the sound and bring his Tiger Claw into view from the folds of his cloak, ready to defend himself as he bent his knees for agility and sharpened his senses.
"…that 'Vega' is a beautiful name," Jin finished his silken, provocative statement as he used one hand to fix his leather glove on the other as the CEO casually stepped out of the inky depths on Vega's left, immediately catching his adamant attention as Vega did not lower his weapon nor his stance.
"What's the matter? Nothing to say?" Kazama goaded playfully as he continued to step closer to the tense, blonde warrior, an evident smirk on his handsome, diamond-cut features as he sensed Vega's defensive nature, like prey ready to strike back at its predator out of sheer, blind anger.
"What do you want from me?" Vega suddenly growled out, his voice muffled substantially by the sounds of his voice hitting his solid mask so closely, but that fact was completely lost to Jin whose smile widened even more upon succeeding in getting Vega to speak to him.
"Want? I think I want…"Jin cooed in a deceptive, conversational manner before abruptly dashing from his spot towards Vega's unarmed side to avoid any fast attacks from his claws as he suddenly grabbed the blonde man from behind, "…to see that face of yours."
Vega immediately struggled within Jin's iron grasp, trying to work his arms in between their bodies so he could pry the other man away and slash him to death, but all he managed to do was allow just enough space to suddenly tear himself away from the surprisingly strong Jin Kazama.
Vega's cloak was left in the raven's hands that he carelessly chucked away as the blade-wielder quickly got into a much more defensive fighting stance where his claws were pointed in Jin's direction and his other fist was kept tucked closely by his masked face.
"I see. It must be a touchy subject with you," Jin continued to jab at Vega with his words as he watched how ideally violent and savage the other could become just by a few, short moves, "What is it; are you scarred horribly and too deformed to walk around without that mask…?"
They were all rhetorical questions, questions that grated against Vega's very resolve as a skilled, disciplined warrior as he heard and processed them, before hurriedly stepping close to Jin in an attempt to jab his claws right in his face in a consecutive number of times.
Jin easily dodged the first, two jabs that sang through the air and nearly trimming his hair for him, but suddenly changed his defensive tactics as he grabbed onto Vega's extended arm and twisted it behind his back in a painful display of power and dominance.
Vega hissed as he felt Jin easily pull his claw and glove from his hand and toss it to the side, the Kazama's hand squeezing his wrist too tightly before the latter mercilessly pushed Vega forward now that his kitten had been de-clawed.
Vega only took a few, rushed steps forward on account of Jin pushing him, an amused smile on the latter's face the entire time, before the matador hastily swung his body one hundred and eighty degrees in order to deliver a swift round-house kick to Jin's smirking, arrogant face.
However, much to Vega's chagrin and utter dismay, Jin caught his high-flying kick and used his grip on him as leverage to easily topple the blonde-haired man down to the ground.
"Ugh!" Vega voiced as his breath momentarily left his lungs from hitting the cold ground so hard, barely even noticing as Jin Kazama carefully straddled his hips and snatched both of his wrists in his hands.
Jin pinned Vega's wrists down to the ground, just above his head, with one hand while his other slowly trailed down Vega's long, golden bangs that lay splayed across his forehead, just taunting at the fact that now he had complete control over Vega and that mask he always wore.
"At last, my prize…"Jin commented sickeningly sweetly but still not without much darker undertones that automatically made Vega try to squirm away from his touch and his grasp, desperate for Jin not to go through with what he wanted.
"No!" Vega said angrily as he felt Jin slowly pull his well-crafted, steel mask off of his face so that Vega's bangs would be pushed from his eyes as well.
Vega had his immaculate, white teeth grit, his head turned as much to a side as possible in his position, as his thin, blonde eyebrows were lightly scrunched together in obvious agony that he had lost and that Jin had won their little spat.
Midnight-colored eyes had widened upon first removing Vega's mask, Jin's lips slightly parting as he had been immediately taken aback from seeing such gorgeous, unmarred features that he had honestly not expected to see – the CEO shamelessly taking in the striking contours of Vega's high cheekbones, the long, straight bridge of his nose, his luscious, full lips, just everything truly made Vega a thing of bold, unquestionable beauty in this world.
"Wow…I guess…you're not horribly scarred," Jin said, perhaps purposefully in need of some light humor to rouse himself out of his blatant reverie as he stared at the way Vega's perfectly-shaped lips were parted as he drew in more breath so he could struggle against his grip some more.
"Shut up. Give me back my mask," Vega demanded of the awestruck raven, fire underneath his velvety-smooth words, no longer obscured by the solid steel of his mask, as Jin was obviously even more astonished upon hearing such lovely-sounding words coming from such an attractive man as well.
"Your accent is fascinating. Where are you from?" Jin asked nonchalantly, dismissing Vega's furious commands as if he had all the time in the world to go about this situation with him.
Vega sighed, feeling defeated yet hugely annoyed as he relaxed all of his tense muscles, realizing with a bit of rue that he was not going to get anywhere if he kept trying to struggle against Jin Kazama without playing his games first.
"Spain," Vega answered, looking off to the side as the blonde simply refused to make eye contact with his easy-going attacker who was obviously stronger that he was.
"Spain…"Jin echoed, seemingly entranced by Vega's delicious willingness to cooperate and be tamed after all as he began lowering the upper half of his torso down closer to the Spaniard's exposed chest and face, "…you're far from home. Don't you get lonely…Vega?"
"Get off of me now! You are breaking my wrists!" Vega nearly hollered in Jin's face, prompting the Japanese male to quirk up an eyebrow at the blonde's sudden outburst as he licked his lips and then obligingly made to stand up from his lying, sprawled-out form.
Vega immediately sat up, grateful for the weight now off of his wrists, as he rubbed them gently with his hands and cast his handsome attacker a sharp, sideways glare as the latter merely watched his actions.
"You'll live," Jin commented smartly about Vega's evident pained wrists and hateful mannerisms towards him as he tossed the blonde man his cloak that he had picked up from the ground.
"Hmph," Vega remarked as he snatched the cloak out of the air, hastily draping it over his shoulders as he also stood up from his spot, automatically intent to continue venturing towards his hotel so he could finally get some sleep and exercise before his next match that was to take place in a few days.
Jin could not help but smile as he watched Vega haughtily turn away from him, the folds of his cloak fanning out briefly behind him by the force of his sharp movement, as the Spaniard took only a few steps away from the Kazama and the scene of their short fight before suddenly stilling his every muscle, seemingly against his own will.
"I suppose I should have mentioned this to you earlier, Vega…"Jin began as he easily stepped to Vega's unmoving side and then maneuvered to be directly in front of his confused face, "…but I placed a small needle inside your cloak. It seems that you are already feeling the effects of the drug, I take it."
Vega's beautiful, jade eyes widened as he listened to Jin's wicked words that had been practically sang in front of his face, before the tattooed, blonde-haired man also heard the sounds of a car pulling up and stopping on the road closest to where the two men were standing in the courtyard, making him want to panic all the more in this situation.
"…why?" Vega only managed to ask the smiling raven before him, the pure shock in his green eyes having transformed into total malice as he watched Jin casually free a hand from his expensive suit pocket and slowly bring it up to the side of his stunning face.
"Why?" Jin reiterated before licking his dry lips in thought as he gently ran his gloved fingertips down Vega's smooth, sun-kissed cheek with almost tender affection and praise, "…because I always get what I want."
Vega's lips parted as his muddled brain could not get over his puzzlement, not understanding the meaning behind the simple touches to his face and Jin's often cryptic, ambiguous words to him, as his vision continued to blur around the edges, making all of the royal blue-stained scenery around him fade into a maddening black that had him wavering on his feet for a moment before Vega completely closed his eyes and felt his body be overtaken by the unknown chemicals manipulating his systems.
Jin easily caught the unconscious Spaniard in his arms and diligently hoisted his slightly smaller body up so he could carry him bridal style over to his car – the Kazama pleased to no end that he had succeeded with every detail of his plan as he relished in the feel of Vega's tightly-muscles curves and smooth skin underneath his hands and pressed up against his chest, almost as if he was touching something forbidden that no mere man should ever have the privilege of knowing as he did so.
Jin felt Vega's natural body heat warming him pleasantly as he carefully situated his gorgeous, blonde-haired prey inside a few of the back seats so he would not be jostled around during the brief drive to the family estate, the raven already formulating a whole new set of plans to execute now that he had to tame his ravenous kitten.
X
Early the next morning…
Ring. Ring…
Ring. Ring…
Jin Kazama cleared his throat groggily as he woke up to the incessant ringing of his cellular phone that he had placed on the nightstand beside his end of the bed as he sluggishly blinked open his coal-colored eyes and moved to sit up.
Ring…
"Yes?" Kazama growled pointedly into the voice upon hurriedly snatching it of the small, glass-topped table and flicking it open before he lost the call.
"Sir, I have news about one of your fighters," an employee began on the other end dutifully despite Jin's ever-present stoicism regarding his subordinates' reports to him at all hours of the day, "…it seems that the competitor Vega did not check into his hotel room last night."
Jin almost laughed out loud at his employee's 'grave' report as he cast his tired but lovely, black gaze over to the other form still sleeping by his side – a strong physique bundled in his predominately white blankets and bed sheets as Vega slept soundly on his stomach with his long, golden hair splayed all over the area behind him.
"I'll take care of it," Jin somewhat fibbed to his employee as he reached out his free hand to carefully brush back some of Vega's impossibly soft locks out of his face and neck, before ending the call and replacing the phone on the table.
Jin Kazama's master bedroom, oddly-illuminated by the pressing, morning sunlight trying to spill in from beyond his large, dark drapes that were strung across the many, remarkable windows, was kept simple yet tasteful with somber, white walls where honey-colored Baroque-esque filigree designs curved along the corners as if it highlight the boundaries of the spacious, open room and offer a touch of classic sophistication.
The rich, dark oak of the modernized accents pieces, such as that of the bottoms of the matching bedside tables and the large, stained armoire and accompanying dresser, created solid fixtures within the room for the eye to focus on, while still offering an aura of superb cleanliness and organization towards the whole presentation and upkeep.
Jin brought a hand back to his own neck and squeezed the flesh hard in between his fingers, trying to wring out any tension he had acquired during his time of rest, before the martial artist pulled the soft covers off of his legs so he may stand up from his impressive, canopy bed and navigate to the adjacent bathroom that was actually closest to Vega's side.
Wearing only a pair of loose-fitting, jet-black cotton pants, Jin shuffled around the foot of his bed, occasionally glancing at Vega's peaceful form, just taking in the tiny views of his half-hidden face that looked positively breathtaking as there was absolutely no trace of ill-will or defensiveness…just Vega looking like a fallen angel as he slept surrounded by a variety of overstuffed, white satin pillows.
A pleased smirk graced the Kazama's often cruel and unforgiving features before he slipped inside his bathroom and quietly closed the door so as not to rouse his slumbering Spaniard.
However, after only a few minutes of Jin being in the similarly-designed bathroom, did the door to the master bedroom suddenly open and two women dressed in matching, black business suits step inside the area, continuing their chat with each other that had been carrying on before their arrival.
"I wonder why Kazama-sama suddenly wanted all this fruit and stuff brought up to his room…?" one woman asked her co-worker who was holding a tray of assorted and cut strawberries, melon, pineapple, and a few bread items.
"I know! He always has his breakfast on the balcony," the other woman replied to her friend, equally as puzzled before she spotted the sleeping beauty that lay nestled comfortably in Jin's large bed.
"Oh…my God!" the second woman commented aloud, almost dropping the round tray of food as both females gaped at the surprising yet greatly appealing sight they were beholding,"…he's gorgeous…!"
Gradually, Vega began to lose his hold on his deep, recuperative slumber as the two women standing a little ways away from his bedside were not being quiet whatsoever with their evident gawking at him.
"I'll say!" the first employee agreed merrily as the second carefully set down the tray she had been holding onto the nearest nightstand, "…I wonder what his name is!"
"…Jin?" Vega tried to say but it merely came out as a crack in his voice as he opened his eyes, his senses already letting him know about the two women and their troublesome proximity as they talked about him.
"I wonder where he came from. And just look…he has green eyes!" the second continued, the sounds of both the females' voices only serving to rouse Vega from his sleep all the more and grate against his nerves.
"Jin!" Vega called out once more, fully awake at this point and wanting greatly for the two, blabbering woman to leave immediately so he would not have to hear how many different things they could come up with to prattle on about.
"Oh! He is too perfect. I can't…"one of them began before Vega's risen, desperate voice cut her off and practically shook the walls with all its heavily-accented might.
"JIN!" Vega yelled angrily, fortunately being rewarded straight away as Jin Kazama rushed out of the bathroom and immediately caught the girls' startled attention with a grave, aggravated expression on his no-nonsense face.
"We...we're terribly sorry, sir! We were just leaving," the two stammered pathetically before bowing deeply to their intimidating employer and scuttling out of the room.
Only when he had heard the door shut to the bedroom did Vega sigh in relief from finally being rid of such horrid noise so early in the morning as he brought a hand to rake through his own long, hay-colored bangs.
"Perhaps that is the reason you wear that mask; to keep girls from fawning over you night and day?" Jin teased good-naturedly as he watched Vega merely roll his eyes at him as his own off-put reply to the comment.
Vega lethargically tossed the many, cloud-soft blankets off of his chest as he simultaneously tried to sit up in bed, but his actions immediately grew cautious and guarded as he heard the subtle but ominous rattling of light-weight chains that sounded with his every move.
Suddenly, Vega brought a hand up to his throat and felt a soft, fabric collar around his neck with his fingertips, a thin, but extremely long chain connecting it to one of the thick, wooden posts of the canopy bed.
"What…the hell, Kazama?!" Vega growled out, turning his torso around so he may look at the chain and see how long it was as he gritted his teeth in refueled anger towards his raven-haired captor, only now remembering in full exactly how he had ended up in this position in the first place.
Jin smiled patiently as Vega noticed that the chain connecting him to the bed was long enough for him sit up or even stand up just beside the bed while still being bound nonetheless, before the Japanese martial artist spoke.
"We're going to play a little game, Vega…a sort of a trade-off," Jin began to explain calmly to the infuriated Spaniard as he picked up a chopped piece of melon from the food tray at the bedside table, and sat down in front of Vega on the firm mattress, "…you answer my questions, and I let you eat."
Vega had to admit that he was extremely hungry, having not had dinner last night even after his few rounds of fighting, but the blonde-haired man stubbornly narrowed his gaze at his raven-haired captor and said, "Go to hell."
"You know, with your accent, even those words sound erotic," Jin remarked playfully as he brought the sweet piece of cool, green fruit to his own mouth and slowly pushed it in between his lips, making sure that Vega knew just how satisfying the tropical taste was.
Vega swallowed hard upon seeing such a show, his uncomfortably empty stomach internally protesting his harsh words to the man willing to feed him.
"Let's try again; you answer my questions, and I will let you eat," Jin said almost as if he was speaking to a child as he deftly picked up a cut strawberry from the tray.
Strawberries were Vega's favorite.
"Fine," Vega agreed miserably, momentarily casting his lovely green eyes off to a side as he slightly pouted at his shameful predicament.
"Why did you enter the tournament?" Jin asked, genuinely curious as to what could have motivated the skilled and unique Spaniard to willingly come out of nowhere to take part in the King of the Iron Fist competition.
"If you must know, I am doing it for the money," Vega admitted as he kept his gaze cool and measured into Jin's steady, onyx eyes, the Spaniard seemingly proud that that was his only reason for putting his life in danger and going through with such extreme measures.
Jin extended out the bright, red strawberry towards Vega, letting the latter know that, as per the game, Vega had to let Jin feed him the food he had earned.
Perfectly-shaped lips slowly parted to receive the candy-sweet piece of fruit as Jin obligingly eased the soft, plump morsel into Vega's opened, tempting mouth, watching as he received it almost like a blessing.
"Who is it that you work for?" Jin asked the blonde-haired man before him as he finished his strawberry and already craved another one, deep, black eyes never ceasing their endless trail over Vega's broad, tanned shoulders and solid chest that displayed parts of his beautiful and intricately-designed snake tattoo.
"I used to work for Shadowloo under a man named Bison," Vega recounted honestly, finally explaining the details as to what had happened that had driven him to abandon his master and seek out another high-paying tournament, "…but after he was defeated, his organization fell and so did all of the military backing that he had, which was quite easily done thanks to the pull your company seems to have in that area."
Jin listened intently to Vega's story, loving how his rich accent slightly skewed his dry-witted words in a very pleasing manner the entire time, as he also surmised straight away that with his employer's organization's destruction, Vega had been instantly out of a job.
This time, Jin ripped off a chunk of a wheat bagel that was sitting on the tray and popped it into Vega's mouth, knowing that the Spanish warrior could not survive on fruit alone and would also need some whole grains during his meal.
"What was your job in Shadowloo?" the raven-haired man asked as he already picked up the largest piece of pineapple from the tray and patiently awaited Vega's next answer so he may give it to him.
Vega swallowed the food he had had in his mouth before answering with a bit of nostalgic lament present in his velvety-smooth voice.
"I was one of Bison's four bodyguards," Vega replied and immediately opened his mouth to eat the tempting pineapple that Jin was holding.
However, the cunning Kazama merely brought the dripping, tangy fruit to Vega's parted lips and slowly rubbed it against the Spaniard's luscious bottom lip, teasing him with the flavor before actually giving it to him.
"This Bison sounds like a fool," Jin purred closely to Vega as he slid the juicy pineapple over Vega's lips once more before carefully easing it onto his tongue, watching with half-lidded, fixated eyes how the blonde reacted to being teased as he was, "…one would think that yours would be a body worth guarding."
After swallowing his bit of fruit, Vega licked his lips for the juice that Jin had placed there before blinking his exquisite eyes as Jin's features so very close to his own, unable to read the latter's expression as he felt the Kazama's warm breath ghost over his flesh as he continued to watch the chained but delightfully cooperative Spaniard.
"Vega…"Jin began in a timbered, melodic voice, making sure that he had the blonde –haired warrior's attention before continuing as he added,"…if I take your collar off, you are not to try to run away. Is that clear?"
"How do you know I won't try to kill you?" Vega shot right back in a very edgy voice as his stunning green eyes glinted as he narrowed them at the Kazama, almost daring him with his taunting words that he knew would not scare off the martial artist but definitely rouse his interest.
"Because I'd have to kill you first…and I don't particularly want that to happen," Jin reasoned with just as much pointed edge in his low voice as he already began bringing his large, strong hands up to either side of Vega's neck and gently latch a few of his fingers onto the collar that felt like velvet material and lace.
Four, soft clicks sounded before Jin eased the collar off of Vega's throat, their eyes never wavering from the other's the entire time, but the Spaniard did breath easier now that he did not have something tied around his throat.
"I'll lay some clothes out for you," Jin began in a much more casual voice as he backed away from Vega's sitting form before standing up from the large bed, "I want to show you something."
Again confused about Jin's ambiguous words that could very mean anything from his very death or something along the lines of discovering the meaning of life, Vega frowned as he watched Jin walk over to his huge, oak armoire and sift through the many racks of clothes that he had.
Before Vega realized it, Jin tossed onto the foot of the bed one of his smaller-sized pairs of black suit pants, and a long-sleeved dark-blue satin shirt that the Kazama had basically made his best guess towards the size and cut.
"Dress quickly. I'll let you have the room to yourself," Jin said fairly as he did not even wait for Vega's opinion about the matter before quickly stepping out of the room and shutting the door behind him.
Vega grumbled in his throat now that he was alone, having wanted to protest the whole ludicrous idea, but his attention towards anything else had been instantly void as he stared at the stylish, expensive clothes that Jin Kazama had laid out for him, the contours of the garments simply marvelous to the regal Spanish fighter who had not worn anything other than that in which to fight, for a very long time.
His wealthy Spanish upbringing possibly getting the better of him, Vega chucked the remaining blankets off of his lap, before turning towards the food tray nearby and grabbing the rest of the wheat bagel that he had had a bite of, quickly eating more of the hearty bread item as he rose to his feet from the bed.
Vega realized that he was without his usual brown loafers and white leggings, but it only made his task of changing into the clothes provided for him all the easier as the Spaniard chewed the rest of the bagel while he lifted up the sleek, navy shirt from the mattress with both hands.
Sighing and feeling a little defeated by the whole arrangement, Vega routinely shrugged the light-weight, long-sleeved shirt on and began fastening the buttons that ran along the front.
Yellow and purple matador slacks were tugged off and placed on top of the ruffled, disheveled bed as Vega slipped the tasteful, black pants up his long legs, where he then took to the personal task of folding up the sleeves of his shirt so his forearms could remain free.
"Well, this is just great," Vega commented aloud in the quiet room with dark, biting humor as he finished rolling up his second sleeve just under his elbow, knowing that he needed to tend to his disaster-struck hair next, "…I wonder what kind of mess is in store for me this time…"
With that, Vega headed into the adjacent bathroom to finish getting ready before meeting back up with Jin Kazama and seeing whatever is was that the influential CEO wanted to show him, not even bothering to close the door behind him as he went about his business and personal grooming habits in order to look somewhat presentable around so many people in this place.
Vega still had his pride as a native from Spain and a rather narcissistic warrior, after all.
X
Author's Note: Thank God for wikipedia. Please drop me a line and tell me what you think about this story so far because I greatly need the help, and we minor fandom writers/fans need to stick together, yeah? Yeah! XD Thanks a bunch and stay tuned for chapter two!