"I didn't even bring any other clothes." Nina protested.

"Yeah, sorry about that. We have clothes for the mission. But I never thought I would see you in a hostess suit." Lars chuckled. Nina rolled her eyes and remove the cap.

"I can't believe you're doing this." She murmured.

"If I didn't, you wouldn't even know there is a signal." He was right, she had completely stopped even checking it unlike in the beginning she was constantly checking and refreshing it. "Nina why did you have up?" he asked.

"I didn't, I still check the team if there's a progress from time to time." She tried to cover.

"But that wasn't what you were doing before. You were actually looking for him." He was fully aware the difference between the woman who stand next to him just after Jin jumped into that abyss and this woman right here, right now.

She exhaled loudly. "He had been planning it Lars." She said with a low voice. "He had been planning his own death from the beginning. I was told to not have unrealistic hopes even before his disappearance. But I did have unrealistic hopes in the beginning, you see. I understand that it only made me more desperate in time."

Lars nodded. After all he didn't even know about his plans until he made them into a reality.

After a while he announced. "Here we are; Egypt."

They landed and and prepared for searching.

She was feeling very odd to be here once again. The place where it all ended.

"Are we ready?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"Just keep in mind, we're not the only ones searching for him."

She nodded.

"Alisa," He turned to her "Download the information, there won't be any connection in the desert."

"It's started. The target hasn't changed location. Obtaining coordinates."

He hasn't changed his location. This could meant he's either unconscious, or dead.

Please, be the first one.

They all hopped in the jeep and Lars started to drive in desert. He's done that before, it was not very easy. On the other hand, Nina only took helicopter ride and she didn't have any idea that this could be so horrible.

"Are we gonna make it with this jeep?" They were constantly shaking because of hills and pits in the sand.

"Not the fastest option but we'll make it."

"Why didn't we come with the jet?"

"You lose track and connection here. Last time we lost."

After a while Alisa updated. "Target is in 1 kilometer radius."

Nina's heartbeats were faster. Could this be happening right now? Is it that easy?

After he drove a little more, he stopped. "Alisa, scan the area"

"Scanning... The target is 200 meter away to the northwest."

"Let's go ladies." Lars got off the jeep. They started to walk. Alisa's radar was beeping more often as they got closer.

"Here!" Nina saw the tracking device on the ground among the sands. But there was no Jin around. She picked it up and checked. Yes, this was what he took with himself.

"Scanning human forms in the area..." Alisa started. "There is a male and a female human in 1 kilometer radius." She said.

"That's us, fuck!" Lars cursed.

"Great, I've come thousands of kilometres just to find only this fucking device." Nina said.

"That means he dropped it here, we can find him Nina." He was so mad she gives up so easily.

"Lars, look around. Where will we find him? How will we find him? Are we gonna search everywhere on this desert? We don't even know if he's still alive?" She shouted and turned back to jeep. They turned back to the jet.

"We should see if anything unusual happened in the local area. Alisa check every news that are suspicious."

"Checking..."

They waited for a while. "Last week:none" Alisa kept searching. "Last month:none"

Nina exhaled and crossed her arms. "Are you going back, because I am." she said.

Lars didn't said anything just looked at her and shook his head.

"Alright, good luck then." She wasn't believing that Jin was still here. Claudio was still searching far east. He was probably there, not here. She started to walk towards the jet.

"One result has been found." Alisa said. She stopped. She wanted to hear what was that.

"An unknown flying living form nearly 2 meters-tall detected after a sandstorm, 78 days ago." Alisa added.

Could it be Jin in his devil form? The date was a few days after the incident.

"Details, Alisa." Nina turned back.

"After a sandstorm, there were people who claimed they saw a man with wings, flying. It's decided that because of sandstorm, vision was blurred and an animal is mistaken as a man."

They searched the local area and also asked the people about this. They have spent a few days here. Nina also went to speak with Zafina.

"Yes, he killed it. I admit this surprises me very much. And he also killed himself with it." said Zafina.

"How do you know?" Nina asked.

"Because I already told you, there is no chance he would survive."

"You also said he can't kill him." Nina scoffed.

"I said even if he can, it will kill him too."

"As you can see, he goes for tiny chances. So can you help me trace him?" Nina asked.

"I don't know if it's a good idea to bring a devil back. Especially when I swore to protect people from them."

"Then, you can't. Okay." She headed the exit.

"But I think he's better than the other one. He might also end him. That's why I'll help." Zafina accepted to help. That was a good thing.

Nina brought her where Lars is.

"She'll help us."

"Any chance she's lying?" Lars asked sarcastically. She once lied to him about Jin's goals for Lars to stop him.

Zafina crossed her arms and chuckled. "If I fool you twice, shame on me."

Lars eventually accepted her help. Even though they don't believe in that kind of sorcery they were desperate enough to give chance to likes of Zafina or Claudio.

"I need someone to be a vessel, someone related to him."

"By blood?" Lars asked.

"By blood, by fate or by emotion, doesn't matter.

"If so we share a tiny percent of the same blood."

"Let's try." She did a some kind of ritual-like thing. She struggled for a while.

"Tsk. Not enough." She let that go. "Let's try you." She looked at Nina.

"Me? Even his blood relative didn't work?"

"I bet you were closer to him." She smirked.

Nina gave her a piercing gaze.

"Try it then." She switched places with Lars.

She started her ritual once again.

"Just like I thought. So much stronger connection." She murmured herself. Nina ignored her comments.

Then something happened. Nina's ear started to buzz like crazy. She was screaming because of her high pitched tinnitus. Zafina was holding her strongly to keep her in place. She couldn't breath for a while and all she was seeing is a complete, endless darkness.

When she came back, she was in a different place and laying on a bed. Others were around minding their own businesses.

"What happened?" She said weakly. They turned to her when they heard her voice.

"It worked. As a side effect, you fainted." Lars explained to her.

"Uh, I fainted again?" She tried to wake up fully.

"You fainted before?" Zafina asked.

"What about Jin, what did you see?" She ignored other questions.

"Surprisingly, he's alive." She said.

Nina couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was sorcery, she shouldn't trust it but she couldn't help but felt very peaceful and happy to hear that. "Really?"

"Yes but I don't know where he is. And I can tell he's not near."

"If he's near, can you tell it?" Nina asked.

"Why, are you gonna use my as a radar?" Zafina chuckled.

"Yeah, that what I was thinking." She said with a serious face.

"In this case you will be the radar. Because you have became the flawless vessel just before."

"Sure? Because I screamed like crazy and fainted you know?"

"You didn't scream, you were like asleep without closing your eyes."

She didn't scream? She definitely thought she did.

"I had that horrible tinnitus, it made me scream I was thinking?"

"It was happening in your mind. But did you said you fainted, again?"

"Yes, I have fainted a few times since I visited here for the first time, when we met."

"I guess it might be related to Jin. You still carry an intense devil influence on yourself. That's why you have become a perfect vessel." Zafina explained.

"So Jin transmitted devilness to you..." Lars said.

"It's devil gene, genius, not devil virus." Nina mocked him.

"And faintings, when you are closer to the source..." Zafina was brainstorming.

"The source? You mean Jin?" She got a little excited. But her last fainting was in that fighting club. That means Jin was close?

"It's my theory, I can't surely say that."

"But it is possible?" Lars asked.

"I think, yes."

"Then Jin is in Japan?" Nina and Lars looked at each other.

They were back in Japan. Nina was back to Zaibatsu now, and was more interested in searchings. Claudio was not very pleased by her new decision to come back. He was very used to act like the head of Zaibatsu. But now Nina was back and following every progress closely. She started to wish for fainting since it might mean that Jin is close.

Also Lars was back at Zaibatsu. Nina appointed him to take care of basic corporate works.

She was sitting in her office. After a long time she has hope again. She was feeling so much closer now.

Then her door knocked.

"Come in."

Claudio was there. "I would like to report latest news..."

Nina said "Yes?" without looking at him.

"...Over a dinner." He was smiling charmingly.

"I prefer to hear them right now." She looked at him with her one brow raised.

"Do I still get a dinner with you?"

"Yeah, whatever. Give your report now, please?"

He reported rather insignificant news to her. She was annoyed. "Okay, you can leave now."

"Buonasera, Signora." He left the office.

After awhile he turned back to take her to dinner. She accepted since she said yes before. She wished she didn't because she had a very boring dinner. She could see he was trying to impress her but his motive was just to take a better control of Mishima Zaibatsu. She would not let him do that. She didn't neglect to make it obvious to him with her words and behaviour towards him.

After the dinner he accompanied her to her suit in HQ. She was also back to stay here.

"Have a good night." She tried to left as fast as possible.

"I wish to repeat that since I very much enjoy your company." He kissed her hand with his flirtatious gaze fixated on her eyes.

"Thank you." She said and pulled her hand back and closed her door.

Ugh, what a prick!

She didn't bother turning the lights on went directly to her bedroom. She was starting to doubt her decision to give him the job. They were showing nearly no improvements. She decided she would talk to him and give him a week to reach something significant.

"I was afraid you were gonna let him in."

She heard a voice in the dark room. A man's voice.

Then after, she saw a silhouette.