So I couldn't resist but update this fic. So many ideas for it really. I do love fun adventures.

Chapter Thirteen

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Jin called her to meet up by the river away from prying ears and eyes so he could share something secret with her. He was nervous as his hand gripped the small carved ivory box. The blonde woman followed him there and once they stopped, he breaks the silence with a sheepish smile.

"Nina, I got you something." Jin says.

Slowly he hands the box to her. She opens it. Inside was a claddagh ring. He got her something of Irish heritage. She sucks in a breath as the ring gleams in the sunlight. It couldn't be silver, this was a precious metal. Was it….platinum?

"The ring will remind you of your homeland." Jin informs when she doesn't say anything. "I know it must be hard for you being so far away from home into a land that you were imprisoned in."

"Where did you get this from Jin?"

"From a silversmith's along our journey. They had a ring maker there who specialized in cultural jewellery." Jin answers sincerely.

Oh so that's where he snuck off for a while after they left Chaolan's residence. That cheeky bastard. Nina takes the ring out and puts it on her right hand, heart facing outwards. Did Jin know what it meant?

"Color me impressed, I was on your mind back over there?" She couldn't help but sound in awe.

"It's a token of my gratitude for you saving my life."

He got poisoned for the first time in his life and thought it was going to be it for him but she pulled out an antidote from her own first aid kit and used it on him. She could have left him to die and ran off with the riches. But Nina did not betray him. She might have not known it but that act of kindness from her meant so much to him. He could trust her even more.

"I….thanks Jin." Nina replies, unsure of what else to say right away.

Stunned, she shuts the box and shows him the ring. "Know what this means, Kazama? Tell me what is this shape between the hands? "

Truth be told, he didn't know much other than the ring was popular in Ireland. There was hands holding a shape which he never come across in his life before. A shape with a crown on it. The crown reminded him of Nina because he associated her with royalty, so he had to get that ring for her.

"I'm sorry." He replies with a shrug. "Perhaps you can explain?"

Nina smirks. She wasn't offended he didn't know because it was endearing really. Kazama put his own meaning on the ring. A token of gratitude. No one ever gave her a meaningful gift before. Well a non-family member at least. This was the first someone actually thought about her. She was going to treasure that gift as long as she lived.

"This shape symbolizes the heart. Universally speaking, the heart is a symbol of love."

Jin's mouth parts. He gave her a ring that symbolized love?

"If I wear this heart outwards on my right hand, it means I am single and available for love." She tells him. "But I'm not really open to love. It's just my way of saying I'm single and loving it."

It felt like a lie but she shooes that thought away.

Since the other three ways of wearing this heart were not for her at this point in her life, she had to settle for the first and even that couldn't describe her situation. She wasn't open to love really, never had the time or interest. However subconsciously, she put that ring on her finger. The reason why, she was afraid to explore. The fact that she didn't even give the ring back to Jin shocked her.

Jin took in her words and reflected on them. He knew she wasn't the kind of person to fall so easily for anyone because he was the same as her.

"If the heart is worn inwards on the right hand, it would mean I'm in love and in a relationship." She explains.

"What about the left hand?"

"On the left hand, the heart worn outwards would signify I am engaged to my love. Inwards would mean I am married to my love."

"That sounds beautiful. A ring that has many meaning by how it's worn." He sounds so in awe that even Nina got dragged into the pool of wonder.

"Us Irish folks are quite the romantic." Nina muses, getting lost in a dreamy smile.

Jin smirks. Nina's dreamy smile did not escape him at all and he finds it cute. The blonde assassin was actually a cute woman.

"But you're not." He points out, deciding to be a tease.

"I'm an exception that's why." Nina says, dropping her smile. "Thanks for the ring. It means a lot."

She gives it another glance, surprisingly it was a perfect fit. Jin really was full of wonders. Was he quite the romantic?

"I'm glad you haven't returned it." He remarks.

So was she.

"What's it made out of?" Nina questions, wanting to confirm that he spend a dime on this token of gratitude for her.

"The ring maker said platinum."

She is touched and a small smile spreads over her lips.

"Fuck, that's expensive." She says in wonder. "Did you get Anna one?"

He wasn't sure if the truth would offend Nina but Jin wanted her to get her answer.

"No, only you."

"Good."

"You're not mad?"

"Of course not. You made me feel special." She smirks and then did something that neither of them expected.

She leans over and gave his cheek a peck. That spread the tingles all over his face. Jin lowers his eyes down and blushes. They had to work on his poker face but damn did that reaction of his made her lips stretch into a heartfelt smile.

Be still, my beating heart, Nina thinks.

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"What's worse than two fiery redheads getting their freak on?" Hwoarang asks Anna as they sat by the campfire.

"What's worse?" Anna scoffs. "The lady redhead marrying a roadside Romeo redhead."

"Such a classist bitch you are. I wouldn't marry you if you were the last woman on earth."

"I didn't ask shithead."

"Bitch."

"Can you two stop with the annoying flirting?!" Nina snaps, taking her arm off her head to momentarily glare at them. She looks around for her scotch. It wasn't anywhere.

"Does your sister have feelings for me?" Hwoarang asks Nina.

"Hello, I'm right here." Anna flails her arms around.

Nina scoffs and places her arm over her head again. She needed that scotch.

Anna then pulls Hwoarang for a kiss once she was sure her sister's eyes were shut. The kiss was loud, full of passion and heat. Hwoarang was blown away by it. He wasn't crushing on this girl but damn, she could kiss good.

"Good god, can you stop with the lip smackin'!" Nina scolds.

"I can't help it sis, I haven't kissed a guy in a long time and you…" Anna pauses as she kisses Hwoarang again. "You forbade me to kiss Jin and his shogun. And Lee. I could have…" She pauses again to kiss the Korean man.

Anna moans and then pulls away, her lips all swollen. "I could have married Lee. He proposed."

"Sometimes, I wonder if I should have left you back at his palace." Nina mutters and then reluctantly gets up from the bench. She was going to have to find that scotch of hers.

Hwoarang's lips were equally puffy as Anna's. It had been a long time since he had kissed a girl too. Being in the army had it's disadvantages.

"Where ya' goin?" He asks Nina.

"Away from you two."

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For some reasons, Jin had to settle separately from his shogun. The men spread out in different inns, agreeing communicate via a messenger. Jin, Nina, her sister and Hwoarang decided to be the core four and set up tents in a rural area. It was temporary but as winter was fast approaching, he had to find a place that would put up with them for a while.

He lay in his tent, feeling as if he bitten off more than he could chew. At the sound of someone entering his tent, Jin became alert and sat up. Once he saw his intruder, he relaxes.

"Nina." He says softly.

"Scoot over." She demands gently, zipping up the tent behind her.

He obliges and she takes her place beside him. He watches as she gets comfy, as if it were her tent. Surprisingly, he doesn't mind this. His eyes fall on her right hand, she's wearing the ring he gave her. Once she's comfortable, she opens her mouth.

"We can take shelter at the Manji Valley. They offer some training and I would love to learn some Ninja tricks." Nina reveals to Jin.

She spoke so wistfully and he picked up on that Nina wanted to include new tricks and attacks in her arsenal. He felt like granting her wish to her and did not have the heart to turn her down at all.

"Okay but is there any catch? Nothing is truly free."

"They have a thing about male visitors." She says, "If you're not married and don't have your wife with you, they will not grant you entry."

"That's easy then, we can pretend to be married."

"Yes, that's what I was thinking. I will have to share a bedroom with you and Anna will be with Hwoarang."

"You want to share a bedroom with me?" Jin sounds nervous. "You are okay with that?"

"Of course." Nina says with a gleam in her eyes. "Are you okay with that?"

"Y-yes." Jin stammers. "I-I'm okay with that."

He didn't know how to react to this information. He'd never shared a bedroom with another woman before.

"Have you ever…been with a man?" Jin asks. He wasn't one to pry but couldn't help but wonder with this woman. If she knew what a naked man looked like it would be so embarrassing for him.

It was a strange question and would be insulting if anyone else asked her this. She would have shut them up but with Jin, she did not feel offended at all.

"Nope." Nina confesses. "Never had the interest or time to indulge in sexual activities. Me and Anna are always on the run, always watching our backs and then we got thrown into jail for a couple of years."

"I find it amazing you'd rather share a room with me than with Hwoarang."

"He and Anna would be good entertainment." Nina shrugs. "When we get bored we can watch them argue and bicker like a teen couple."

Jin chuckles softly at the image she painted.

"It would be good experience for Anna not to drool over every attractive guy she meets." Nina explains. Besides the two redheads exploring each other was something she did not want to witness. They could suck face with each other in private.

After the little sister almost got hitched to Lee, Nina was worried about that wayward sister of hers just giving any rich good looking man a chance. She had to be more picky, like Nina. Had to have standards. Had to have self-restraint. Couldn't roam around with any Tom, Dick or Harry that drooled over you.

"I somehow get the feeling that you are very comfortable with me to do something you've never done before." Jin said, looking her in the eyes.

Nina blushes. "Perhaps."

He smiles and tilts his head to the sight of the pink flush on her face. She was truly a beautiful woman and one whom he was intrigued with. They would be sharing a room together. He lets that fact sink in. Actually it would take a while for him to get used to that.

"So Manji Valley, it is." He says with a sigh, lying back onto his futon.

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