A Future Ally

Part 10

I went back to my hotel room, packing things up. I definitely enjoyed Greece more than Japan - maybe it was closer to home. The main problem was packing up my laptop computer. After a brief struggle, I managed to fit it into my luggage, and I left the hotel. Sitting in the back of a taxi cab which was due to take me back to the airport, I thought about the past two months, and how drastically my life had changed:

Drastically? Come on, man - take a look.

· From zero to hero - two months ago, you were a coward and you took everything literally. Look at you now - smart, brave and heroic.

· You still have your sense of humour and your generosity and kind personality.

· Life has dealt you a pretty good card, and you played it well, might I add.

· Most important of all...

· ...you have a new friend.

I smiled and let out a partially suppressed laugh. Looks like I did have a good run while it lasted, and I was certain that my friendship with Nina would never end, as I was not the type to betray one's trust. I had sought redemption and friendship, and I had achieved both. Nina's dark nature and cold demeanour contrasted with my light and warm outlook on life... well, they do say opposites attract. I told the driver to hold on for a moment, and I exited the cab, going back into the hotel to look for my friend. I looked around, and called Nina's name a few times. Nothing.

Where the hell could she be?

I gave up and went back to the cab. There she was! I did another double-take, looking at Nina, then at the lobby.

"Where...!? How...?!" She smirked at me.
"When you're in a business as dirty as mine, it is wise to go unnoticed." I stood there in shock.
"Are you going to get in the car or not?" I nodded and complied.

The car took us around a tour of Athens, since the plane was much later in the evening. The heat was scorching, which was unusual for this time of year. I had shaven my beard and moustache the previous day because of the heat. I went to see the Acropolis, and took a picture of it with me standing on the roof top of the national monument. I had gathered around 100 or so spectators. I began to remember just how badly I suffered from vertigo, which didn't help. I began to swerve and stagger on the top, eventually falling off the edge! I grabbed hold of the stone structure, and swung my legs across to a column, proceeding to climb down from there on in. I jumped off about 10 metres or so from the top, bending my knees to absorb the recoil from the impact of hitting the ground. Everyone looked at me, then applauded for handling the situation singlehandedly.

"What the HELL were you thinking, Sweevo?!" Nina asked in shock. "You could have killed yourself!"
"Yeah... but what a way to go." I smiled absently. She rolled her eyes, and I turned to face her. "Hey, I'm still alive, right?" Nina nodded. "There you go."

The sun was beginning to set. We went back to the car, which took us to the airport. As I boarded the plane, I took one final look at the Greek skyline, smiled, and turned away, with an air of fearless finality. Nina looked at me.

"You know, I fought at the Acropolis during the King of Iron Fist Tournament 2."
"When?" I asked, forgetting the timeline.
"Around 20-odd years ago, before... THAT happened." My anger returned at the memory, but was pacified by the thought of my noble act.
"A long time ago, when I was still a child, then." I commented. I held up a carrier bag.
"I got these for you, Nina. Like you said, I am probably the only friend you'll ever have." I said unusually tunelessly.

I opened the bag, revealing a picture of me and her. She was holding a noose which was around my neck, and she was smiling, whereas I had an exaggerated panicky facial expression, which equalled the phrase 'Say nothing, say nothing, say nothing!', á la Vila.

Taking the picture from me, Nina smiled, and laughed. The plane took off, and we were both thrown back in our seats, me taking the window seat and Nina taking the aisle seat. She was gripping my hand rather tightly. I could feel her finger nails digging into my flesh, but I didn't want to say anything. The plane eventually returned to normal in mid-flight, and everything seemed to be OK. I felt a release of pressure on my hand, and I examined it, looking at the finger nail marks embedded into my skin, thinking:

Ow... that's going to leave a mark for a couple of months. She's got a hell of a grip.

Before I could do anything else, I turned around to face Nina, who was smiling at me.

"Thanks for the picture." She smiled and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. I smiled slightly, then fell back in my chair, grasping my stomach in pain as I tried to stop myself from having a panic attack. The smile on my friend's face faded away as she looked at me in concern.

"What's wrong?" I caught my breath slightly.
"I can't... get involved... not again."
"What do you mean...? ...oh, I see." Nina understood.
"I'm just as scarred as you are, but I handle it in a different way - more like a fool with a light-hearted sense of humour." I regained my composure slightly.
"I'm sorry, Sweevo. When did this happen?"
"About... two years ago, when the King of Iron Fist Tournament 3 took place. I'm still recovering - she betrayed me to Heihachi... I can't remember her name. Don't get me wrong - it was not your sister!"

Nina made me face her, eye to eye.
"Look at me, Sweevo. I'm never, ever going to be like that with you. I might be a cold-hearted killer, but I have a human side, too - a warm, compassionate side which I give only to you." Her face and mine were millimetres apart. I pulled away quickly. My subconscious was screaming at me, repeating one sentence in a constant loop, over and over again:

For smeg's sake, Sweevo, tell her you love her!