TEN

~ Twilight~

Bryan quickly cut Nina free from her restraints. Then he hurriedly walked towards the door to take a look outside. He scanned the open field with the use his enhanced vision to see more clearly in the dark. He sighed in relief when he realized the coast was clear. He looked at Nina and suddenly felt concerned. She was truly in bad shape. A lot worse than he originally thought.

Nina slowly rose from her seat and began to limp towards the door. She winced in pain with each step she took. Her injured leg was slowing her down.

Bryan thought that this was bad. There was no way for them to escape easily in her current state. He pulled out one of his smaller firearms from his belt as he walked towards her. "Here." He said quietly and handed her the weapon. Nina timidly took it and quietly thanked him.

Bryan swiftly turned around and crouched in front of her; exposing his back. "Hop on." He said simply.

Nina was instantly taken aback. "W-what!" She shouted in surprise. There was no way she was going take a piggyback ride from Bryan Fury. No way! She refused to disgrace herself more than she already had. She wanted to escape this horrid place, but she was determined to use her own strength and will o do it. She didn't want to rely on his assistance anymore. She refused.

"Come on Nina." Bryan cajoled. "You know you can't walk with that gimp leg of yours."

Nina crossed her arms and shook her head, vehemently refusing his offer. "No way!" She snipped. "I can walk just fine."

Suddenly, cars could be heard driving in the distance. Bryan's ears perked up as he heard them gradually get closer and closer to the cabin. He silently cursed to himself when he started to see their headlights.

"Nina!" He said in stern tone. "We don't have any fuckin' time for this! Just get on!" His voice was full of urgency. Nina remained stubborn and refused to comply with his request.

Bryan quickly stood up and sucked his teeth in anger. "Fine… You leave me no choice." He muttered.

Without warning, he picked up Nina and hoisted her over his shoulder. She felt both shocked and violated. She yelled at him as he exited the cabin.

"Put me down, you asshole!" Nina roared. She ignored all the pain she was feeling and tried to wiggle herself free. She pushed against Bryan's back for more leverage, but nothing worked.

Bryan's armed gripped tightly around her legs. He was confident that she wasn't going anywhere. "Sorry girlie." He apologized although deep down inside, he didn't mean it. Even though Nina's antics slightly annoyed him, he did enjoy feeling her body move about on his shoulder. He felt like he was a caveman returning to his den with his prize. Bryan smiled shrewdly as he continued to walk out into the field.

He smiled when he saw a few of his enemies walking about. "Be ready with that gun Nina! I see fresh meat!" His voice was laced with hunger and joy. Nina gasped in surprise as Bryan quicken his pace towards Heihachi's men.

The men spotted the two and began to shoot at them. Bryan ran towards his enemies without fear. He punched one of the men out cold with his free hand and began to fight the other.

Nina's body jerked around while Bryan fought off their enemies. It was very uncomfortable and painful but she tried her best to endure. As Bryan fought, Nina noticed that two men were approaching from behind. She lifted up her gun and awkwardly aimed and fired. She managed to shoot both of the men dead.

Bryan kicked and punched the last man until he was rendered unconscious. He looked around and noticed that few more men were running towards them. He cursed under his breath and decided that it was time for him and Nina to disappear. He quickly ran towards the trees while the men shot at them from behind.

Without hesitation, Bryan leapt into the dark, thick, brush. Both him and Nina winced as small twigs and leaves scraped across their bodies. Some of their enemies followed as they ran deeper into the Amazonian forest. Nina raised her gun and shot blindly into the dark. She hoped to at least scare them off.

Bryan ran until they could no longer hear the cries of their enemies or their gunfire. He slowed his pace and walked when he was convinced that they have lost their pursuers. He panted as he tried to catch his breath. Nina let out a sigh in relief.

They remained quiet as Bryan traverse through the rough terrain. The only sounds they heard were from the exotic, wild inhabitants of the forest.

"Okay…" Nina said quietly. "You can put me down now." She was ashamed, but secretly grateful that Bryan rescued her. She even trusted him more. However, she thought it was humiliating being carried off this way and wanted to preserve what's left of her dignity.

"I can't do that now, we have a long way to go." Bryan reasoned as he carefully ducked underneath a branch.

Nina growled in frustration. "I don't care! I can walk on my own!" She screamed so loudly her voice frightened off a few birds.

Bryan grunted angrily. "Would you shut the fuck up!? Do you want those bastards to hear you!?" He muttered through gritted teeth.

"Then put me down you… Neanderthal." Nina spat.

For once, Bryan rolled his eyes. This wasn't the time for them to have an argument and he thought Nina was acting like a stubborn child. He ignored her request and continued walking. However, Nina grew angry. She started wiggle her legs and punch his back in frustration.

"Come on Nina!" He growled. "You're acting like a fuckin' kid."

"Let me go and I'll stop!"

Bryan was distracted by Nina's weak onslaught and quickly lost his bearings. "Sh-SHIT!" He cried out in desperation as he tripped and staggered a few steps. He tried to regain his balance, but it was too late. He lurched forward; releasing Nina from his grip. They both hit the ground hard and tumbled down a very steep hill.

The thick brush filled with twigs, leaves, rocks and other foliage whipped and scraped against their bodies as they made their deadly descent. Their trip came to an abrupt end when they rolled into a shallow creek.

Bryan groaned as he felt his body cry out in agony. He laid still for moment and allowed the water to flow over him and soothe the pain. Nina's attitude; her strong will… her stubbornness… reminded him of someone he once knew. He felt a little sullen as an old memory came to mind, but quickly shook his head in defiance. As tempting as it was, he refused to dwell in the past. The past is gone. No matter how hard he wished for it, it will never return to him. However, the old memory still lingered.

Bryan slowly sat up and winced as his body ached. He felt disoriented and the world spun around him when he opened his eyes. He got a quick glimpse of Nina. She was already sitting up at the edge of the creek not too far away from him. He quickly closed his eyes and rubbed them; hoping that the spinning would stop. "Fuckin' Carl… you never listen." He muttered under his breath.

Nina's looked at him in shock. It was the second time he had called her by that name. She wondered why, however, she resisted the urge to ask.

Bryan opened his eyes and blinked a few times. He softly sighed in relief when the spinning had stopped. He stood up and staggered a bit as his wet clothing threw him off balance. He looked down and realized he was bleeding from various cuts and bruises throughout his body. The biggest one was a cut across his abdomen. He examined his wound closely and discovered that it was just a scratch, a bad one, but a scratch nonetheless.

Nina tried to move and felt shockwaves of pain course through her body. She slowly stood up, wincing in pain as she did so. Somehow she managed to stand up on her own two feet again. Her legs shook weakly, but she forced herself to endure. She looked up at Bryan who was standing a few feet away from her. He stared angrily at her. She also noticed that he was bleeding from his stomach.

"You win." Bryan muttered. He quickly turned around and began to walk away.

Nina looked down solemnly. She felt both guilty and embarrassed by her behavior. She was in the wrong. She knew it, but she didn't want to accept it. Nina took in a deep breath and braced herself as she began to walk. She felt a surge of pain go through her legs with each step.

Her guilt grew as she continued to follow Bryan. She was concerned about the gash across his stomach. He would never had that wound if it wasn't for her. She's to blame for it, but refused to apologize.

Admitting her faults was shameful to her. It meant that she was imperfect; that she was weak. For Nina, this was unacceptable. Her sister is weak, not her. She's strong, brave, steadfast and unwavering... Just like her father. She wanted to be like him. She wanted to make him proud.

However… there were times when even her father needed help. She looked down and smiled fondly as she remembered him telling her fascinating tales of past missions. She was always excited to hear his stories when she was a little girl. Many were action-packed, others were filled with drama…But there were some where he almost didn't make it. It was only through the aid of fellow comrades that he was able to live to tell the tale.

Nina sighed resignedly. Perhaps there was an important lesson embedded in her father's stories. One that she had regrettably missed. She slowly looked up at Bryan as he made his way through the brush. He pushed aside a branch and kept it out of the way for her.

Despite her stubborn and rude behavior, he was still helping her. She felt ashamed as she slowly hobbled past him. He had risked his life to rescue her. She would have been dead if it wasn't for him. He definitely didn't deserve her cold treatment.

Bryan let the branch go and quickly walked in front of her to lead the way. He purposely slowed his pace so Nina could keep up. He was aware the woman was in terrible pain, but he said nothing nor did he offer help. After surviving her little fit of defiance, he begrudgingly accepted her demand to walk unaided.

In a small way, he understood how she felt. He could imagine how angry he would be with himself if he were beaten, battered and worst of all… relying on the help of others. Bryan sighed dismissively as he felt his anger towards the woman ebb away. They continued to walk in complete silence as each of their minds rattled with thoughts.

Bryan suddenly noticed the trunk of a fallen tree blocking their path. He carefully stepped over it and continued to walk. "Watch your step." He warned quietly.

It was too dark. Nina didn't the obstacle. She tripped over it and landed hard on the ground. She yelped loudly in pain. Bryan quickly turned around upon hearing her scream in agony. He was about to come to her aid, but stopped himself.

Nina sluggishly stood up and limped to a nearby tree. She leaned on it for extra support. Pain course through her body once more and she almost couldn't bear it.

"Can't say I didn't warn you." He said indifferently.

Nina's lips trembled in pain. "I know, but I didn't see it."

Bryan suddenly remembered that his vision is enhanced. He could see everything clearly despite the darkness.

"I should warn you sooner next time." He said quietly while giving her a concerned look.

"What do you mean?"

"I forgot… Your vision is not as good as mine." He pointed to his eyes. "Cybernetic enhancements." He stated simply.

Nina let out a sigh of defeat. She really felt helpless now. Not only was she practically immobile, she was also visually impaired. "How much longer do we have to go?" She questioned tiredly.

"Roughly, one and a half miles."

"What!?" She quickly looked at him in shock. "Why did you park the car so far!?"

"To avoid attention." He shrugged. "Come on, let's get to the car before those assholes find it." Bryan said as he turned to walk away.

Nina tried to follow him, but the pain was just too unbearable. She didn't want to admit it, but she really wanted that piggy-back ride right about now. She hesitated as she watched him slowly walk away.

"Bryan." She called out to him. Her voice was timid and quiet.

Concerned, he immediately stopped and looked at her.

"I… I don't think I can walk anymore." She said as she shamefully looked towards the ground.

Bryan said nothing. He softly smiled and was inwardly relieved that she had finally conceded. She was a stubborn woman, but a part of him liked her defiant attitude.

He walked over to her then turned around and squatted like he did before. Nina hesitated at first however, she timidly wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt her heart flutter when he gently placed an arm around each of her legs.

"As they say…" Bryan smirked. "Pride goes before a fall." He recited the old idiom as he stood up.

Nina knew he was teasing her, but she smiled anyway. She had to admit, his words rang true and encompassed how she felt in that very moment. She suddenly felt embarrassed.

"Alright… Let's go." He said as he began to walk at a much faster pace.

Nina hated to admit it, but she was feeling a lot better knowing that she didn't have to walk anymore. She felt safer as well, however, she still felt a tinge of guilt. "How's your wound?" She asked quietly.

Bryan smiled. "Don't worry… it's a scratch." He was surprised the cold-blooded assassin was actually concerned about him. "You can kiss my boo-boo and make it feel better later, okay?" He laughed.

For some reason, his comment made her feel a little depress. She was the reason for his injuries. He should have been mad—furious even, for acting so immature earlier. But somehow… he wasn't.

"I'm… sorry." Nina muttered so softly that Bryan barely heard her. He smiled. He knew how difficult it was for her to utter those words.

Neither of them spoke a word after that. They continued their journey in silence until Bryan spotted their getaway car. It was parked alongside a dirt road. He also noticed a few of Heihachi's men roaming around the vehicle.

He quickly stopped and bent down to let Nina off his back. "Stay here." He commanded. "I'll get rid of those assholes." He immediately ran towards the car. Nina nodded and took out her gun; she was ready to shoot anyone that might come to attack her.

Nina watched as he ran off into the darkness. She quietly sat and waited, but suddenly heard the sounds of a fight going on. She heard men screaming and shots being fired. The noises went on for a few minutes before the forest fell silent again.

Moments passed and she quickly raised her gun when she heard footsteps approaching. "It's me, Nina." Bryan said as he slowly walked towards the woman. She lowered her gun and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Coast is clear." He said with a big grin on his face.

Nina looked at him surprised and felt a little perturbed when she noticed his face and body was splattered with fresh blood. That and his overjoyed expression slightly disturbed her. No wonder people labeled him crazy or called him a sociopath, she thought to herself. She realized Bryan could be vicious and ruthless when he wanted to be—like a wild animal. But a part of him was… different.

As he bent down to carefully pick her up, she wondered how many other people had seen this side of him. She could imagine not many—if any at all. She wondered if she was she the only one that develop a different perception of the man. She wasn't sure.

Bryan carried her to the car. There was dead men sprawled out all over the ground. Bryan carefully stepped over one of them and gently placed her in the passenger seat of the car. He shut the door then he walked over to the driver side and entered. He picked up a napkin and tried to wipe the blood off his face and hands.

"Now that that's over…" He looked at Nina and smiled deviously. "I think your knight deserves a reward for his good deeds."

Nina threw her head back sighed loudly. "You just don't stop, huh?" she asked tiredly.

Bryan simply chuckled as he started up the car and turned on the headlights. He revved the car a few times before speeding off into the darkness.