Warning: this is a powerful chapter, full of insight and sisterly bonding and other emotional baloney. Whether Nina and Anna are OOC or not, I leave entirely up to you. Enjoy!

Nina awoke in a very unfamiliar bedroom. After blinking a few times to restore her eyesight, Nina sat up in the bed to try and get her bearings. But as soon as she moved, immense pain flooded through her torso. The pain was so great that Nina began coughing violently. She coughed and coughed until the strength was drained from her body and she collapsed back on the bed with labored breathing. With no strength in her, all she could do was lay there and groan. She hadn't felt this bad since the day Heihachi shattered her ribcage.

"Finally." a voice said. Nina poked her head up and watched as the door swung open and in walked Anna. Judging from her wet hair and white bathrobe, it seems that she just got out of the shower.

"Anna... did you bring me here?" Nina wheezed, letting out a small cough.

"Yeah, you're welcome. For letting you use my bed AND wear my clothes."

"Your... clothes?"

Nina pulled down the covers and looked down; she was wearing one of Anna's red nightgowns. Now she knew why she was feeling so drafty.

"Ugh, I hate red..." Nina wheezed, rolling her eyes. Anna couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oh I know, but I figured you'd rather sleep in that than the wedding dress you came stumbling into my place wearing."

"Where is it?!" Nina asked, trying to sit up again but failing. Before she could fall back onto her pillow, Anna caught her.

"Why do you need it so bad?" Anna asked softly. She rubbed Nina's back in an effort to help her breathe better.

"Because... I want to kill him in it. It has to be the last thing he sees. Then he'll know that... he couldn't control me..."

Nina coughed loudly until her body went limp against Anna.

"You talk too much." Anna said, trying to keep Nina conscious. "Here, lay down against me."

Anna got comfortable on the bed, leaning back against the headboard. She grabbed the nearly unconscious Nina and leaned her back against her chest.

"There... that should keep you from doing anything stupid."

Anna tried to put her arm around Nina, but she accidentally put pressure on her ribcage and Nina squealed with pain.

"You bitch...!" Nina cried out before breaking out into an uncontrollable cough. Anna reached down and tenderly massaged the area until Nina's coughs died down. She had coughed so hard tears were in her eyes.

"My God, Nina... what did he do to you?" Anna whispered softly, still massaging Nina's torso.

"Get...away...from me..." Nina managed to utter before giving a muffled cough.

"Hey, just relax. I won't... I won't do anything. Not today." Anna replied.

"Liar... you'll wait until... my guard is down."

"Just be quiet! Be quiet... before I change my mind."

Nina finally calmed down and relaxed her body against Anna's. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths as Anna gently massaged the area that hurt the most. As much as Nina hated Anna, it was moments like this that she was grateful for her sister's existence.

"Anna..." Nina whispered. "Can you stay here for a while until I go back to sleep?"

"Fine, whatever. Just stop talking already and close your eyes." Anna whispered back.

Nina obeyed and closed her eyes, continuing her deep breathing exercises. Though she didn't want to admit it, laying against Anna was comforting. In the warmth of her sister's embrace, she could feel her pain easing away and her breathing becoming easier; it was a feeling that she didn't want to disappear. Nina's only fear now was that Heihachi would burst through the door any minute now and ruin her life again. And what's worse... Anna would be a victim as well.

"Anna..." Nina murmured.

"What is it now?"

"If he comes back... don't let him get me. Please promise you'll kill me..."

"Shhh... it's over, Nina. It's over..."

Nina finally drifted off to sleep, soothed by her sister's words. It was the best sleep she had in a long time.

THE NEXT MORNING

Nina opened her eyes and looked around: she was still here. She had survived the night. With a relieved sigh, she tried to get out of bed again; surprisingly, she was able to get to her feet. With a yawn, she exited the bedroom and made her way downstairs. As she went down, a very pleasant smell started to fill the air. Pretty soon Nina was just following the invigorating smell blindly until she reached the living room.

"Wow, you're a fast healer." Anna said from the kitchen when she spotted Nina approaching. Sure enough, the smell was coming from the food she was preparing.

"Why don't you take a seat? I made your... well, MY favorite. But you'll eat it and not complain, now won't you Nina dear?" Anna said in a teasing tone.

Nina rolled her eyes and plopped down onto the couch with a small groan. She was still in pain, but it wasn't as bad as last night. She was honestly more hungry than hurting. She wouldn't say it out loud, but she was looking forward to whatever Anna was serving. She had to swallow her saliva a few times when Anna finally brought a plate and set it down right in front of her.

"Th... this is..." Nina stammered. It was black pudding and soda bread: a favorite dish from her childhood. The crispy black blood sausage was coated in oatmeal, and there were raisins baked into the soft bread. Nina wasted no time stuffing her face with the savory Irish dish. Anna chuckled when Nina nearly choked from eating so fast.

"Hey, relax. You're not in any hurry, are you?" Anna joked.

"Sorry... I just didn't eat much last week." Nina said, taking time to chew her food before eating anymore.

"Here... before you choke."

Anna poured each of them a hot cup of Irish breakfast tea. Nina grabbed it, but sniffed it a few times before taking a sip.

"What? I put milk in it, just like you like. What, do you think I poisoned it? Let's switch cups if you're so paranoid."

"Relax, I know you wouldn't kill me in such a cowardly way." Nina replied. She took a big sip of the tea, sighing pleasurably at the feeling of warmth in her insides.

"Glad to see you hold me in such high esteem." Anna giggled as she sipped her tea.

The two of them ate in mostly silence, no animosity or pleasantries between them. It seemed like something out of a wild fantasy, but the two of them were actually civil for once in their lives. They were comforted by each other's presence, though neither one would admit it.

Nina in particular was extremely conflicted about her feelings; for as long as they've known each other, the two sisters have tried to kill each other. So how could what she's feeling right now be real? Anna was a soothing presence, a warm blanket of solace that was sheltering her from the horrors of what Heihachi Mishima had done to her the past week. Even while it was happening... Anna had been comforting her in her dreams. In some weird way ANNA felt like her savior: the savior Nina had wanted Jin to be.

"Why so intense? You seem like you're deep in thought." Anna asked, finally breaking the silence. Nina didn't even realize how scrunched up her face was until she saw her reflection in the glass coffee table.

"Sorry... I just have a lot on my mind." Nina muttered. She pushed aside her empty plate and refilled her tea cup.

"Well, now couldn't be a better time to talk." Anna replied, refilling her cup as well. "You still haven't told me what Heihachi Mishima did to you."

"I'm not sure... I can even put it in words."

"Did he...?

"Yes."

Anna had to set down her tea cup, lest she drop it. She just sat back in her seat and stared at the ceiling in disbelief. Her big sis... her strong big sis was used like that...

"Nina, I'm so sorry." Anna muttered, looking down at the floor.

"What are you sorry about? You can't possibly know how I feel." Nina said coldly.

"Actually, I know all too well."

Now it was Nina's turn to be surprised. She set her cup down and leaned over, her eyes wide.

"Wha-what do you mean?!"

"I was Kazuya Mishima's bodyguard for a couple of years, remember? More than twenty years ago, back when Kazuya had just dethroned Heihachi himself. I knew you were coming to kill him, so I took the job of protecting him so that I could meet you on the field of battle."

"But... you can't tell me that he seriously..."

"He's a Mishima, just like his old man. Did you expect him to be any different?"

"I had no idea..."

"Well it's not like you and I have been on speaking terms very often. Luckily, you were still there to help me through it whether you realized it or not. You see. I didn't have to keep the pain and resentment in with you around. I unleashed it on your face on the day of our fight in the King of Iron Fist 2. And then... the two of us went to sleep. And when I woke up... the nightmare had been long over."

Anna looked up at Nina to see just how she was reacting to her story. Her expression was just as Anna expected: pure shock and disbelief.

"So NOW tell me that I don't know how you feel!" Anna yelled.

"B-but... you returned to his side! When Jin started the war, you returned to Kazuya to oppose me! If he did things to you, why would you-"

"Well maybe I was expecting you to finally kill me!"

There was silence between the two of them after Anna said those words. Nina couldn't believe what she was hearing. Anna WANTED her to kill her?

"Since you're all I have in this world, I figured I might as well die by your hand." Anna continued. "Nothing Kazuya did to me could possibly be worse than living with the pain of having no one to comfort me. No shoulder to cry on."

"Anna..."

"Before last night, I was convinced that I would rather die than show you love or accept your love. But you've changed everything. You came to me, when you could have went to anyone else..."

"You're wrong. I don't have anyone else either." Nina responded, looking away.

A few minutes of silence passed between the sisters as they collected their thoughts. This was a powerful conversation, more enlightening to the two of them than they had ever been enlightened in their lives. Both of them could feel it: change.

"Coming here was purely desperation, or so I thought. But now... I'm starting to feel like it was more. I DREAMED about you those painful nights, Anna. I didn't realize it was you, but now I do."

"What does this mean...?" Anna whispered to Nina.

"It means... we need each other more than we think."

Anna could feel a smile tugging at her lips when she heard Nina say that. She didn't know whether to believe Nina's words or not, but the warmth in her chest told her that maybe Nina was right. The two of them have always shared hatred, but maybe that hatred blinded them to the OTHER emotions.

"Give me your plate. I'll take it." Anna said, getting to her feet and extending her hand. Nina gave a small smile and handed over her empty plate.

"Thank you Anna." she said. "I'll repay you for all of this somehow."

"Actually... you already have." Anna replied with a smile. She reached over and ruffled Nina's hair, much to her annoyance.

Neither of them were able to sleep much that night. They both laid side by side on Anna's bed, lights off, still tingling from the conversation they had that morning. Neither of them knew what to think; or maybe they were afraid of what to think. Change is always a scary thing, especially for two sisters that have hated each other since childhood. But one thing was clear, and they both could feel it: neither one of them had the urge to kill.

"You starting to feel better? About IT?" Anna whispered.

"Little by little..." Nina responded, her voice also a whisper. "It will take a while to recover from the things he did, but I think I'll manage."

"Yeah... I never really recovered from Kazuya. But then again... I didn't have you. I mean... REALLY have you."

"Anna? Can I talk to you about something else?"

"What is it now?"

"Back then when you were with Kazuya, did you pray for someone to come save you?"

"No, not really. I knew that it wasn't gonna happen, and I just accepted it. Why, did you?"

"Yeah... I prayed for Jin."

"Jin? No one has heard from him for quite a while now. Did you really think he would come riding in on a white horse?"

"Yes, I did! Is that so wrong?!"

"No, not at all. Kinda funny though..."

"Shut up."

"Why Jin? Did you like him?"

"No. I mean, yes. I mean... it was fun being his bodyguard. We got along well, and the power felt... exhilarating. Being Jin's companion was a feeling of security. A feeling that no one could touch me, or use me, or take advantage of me. Jin just wasn't like that. He's not like the Mishimas. With him, I could feel safe."

"But that wasn't meant to last, was it? Good things never do. So why did you hold on to the delusion that that joy would return?"

"That's what's stupid! I was stupid. I wasted so much time hoping and praying that Jin would save me, it accomplished NOTHING! But when I finally made that bastard Heihachi bleed... when I walked out of that front door... when I stained that wedding dress with the blood of the soldiers that came after me... I realized that I had the strength to save myself all this time. When that realization finally came to me, I laughed. I laughed until I cried. I laughed at how stupid I was and how long it took me to see the truth that was right in front of me."

"Well at least you realized it, otherwise you could have been there a hell of a lot longer."

"Yeah..."

"Nina, I want you to know something."

"What?"

"No matter what I'm feeling towards you... I swear I wouldn't have let you go through that. If I had known what that disgusting beast was doing, I'd-

"Calm down. Save that anger for another day."

"Another...day?"

"Yeah, when I'm recovered. I'm going back, Anna. I'm going back to kill him."

"I'm going with you."

"And I won't stop you."

"But... not yet, right? I want you to stay a few more days. Please?"

Nina didn't respond, just reached over and grabbed Anna's hand. Anna smiled and returned the favor, squeezing it tightly. The two of them closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep, not letting go for even a second.

Next time... Operation Kill That Sick Old Bastard! STAY TUNED!