Evelyn: Yes, Julia hiding the fact that she reads romance novels from her roommate friend Nina is funny.

It would go like this: Nina is chilling on her bed. Julia is reading on her bed.

Julia: *Laughs softly* Ah , slow down baby.

Nina: What? Did you say something?

Julia: Oh..no I was just reading some chemistry- (she throws her hand over her mouth) Oops, I mean quantum physics and the birth of Venus.

Nina looked at the book. It was a textbook of some science. She shrugged and went back to doing whatever she was doing. What the blonde didn't know was that the book was just a cover, Julia had her romance novel in there.

...

As always, thanks for reading and reviewing! :D


Chapter Fifteen


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Julia accepted an offer to do some fieldwork abroad as part of her degree. The brunette had her things packed and Nina forlornly looks at the suitcase. She got used to having Julia around. To be left alone with the silence would surely open up thoughts she didn't want to think about. Like Ogre, Anna and the coldsleep. In fact as time passed, Nina got so comfortable and so into her new life that she started to not put so much effort into remembering her past life. The things she did with Jin was just really an excuse to strengthen their bond and have fun.

"Here's the keys to my car." Julia says, handing Nina the keys. "Please take care of it."

"Of course. After all, you gave me permission to drive your car while you're away."

"I'm going away for two weeks. I will miss you Nina." Julia says with a gentle smile and then outstretches her arms, inviting Nina for a hug.

The blonde walks into Julia's arms and the two women hug tightly. It doesn't feel awkward anymore to hug and be hugged by Julia. She'd miss this bestie of hers.

Nina sighs, a little apprehensive "Do you really have to go?"

The two women part. Julia looks at her in the eyes.

"To me, the most important goal of my life is to reforest desolate areas." Julia says. "For that, I can go far. Even if I have to go to dangerous tournaments and foreign places or even become a luchador and a streamer girl."

The brunette made a list of ethical things she'd do for the sake of her goal. The e-streaming thing was the most radical idea ever, very uncomfortable and so unlike her but she'd do it. It was so important to her that she even considered taking a monetary donation from that creep Ganryu which was way out of her comfort zone.

"Wow, you're so devoted." Nina replies softly. Then she wonders if she'd ever have a goal in her life which she'd devote so much for.

The two women left the apartment and Nina drove Julia to the airport. Julia's CD player was put on pause but the brunette forbade Nina to press play with a flustered reaction.

Strange, Nina thinks but pays it no mind. It wasn't her CD player.


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Isshin Chiba wasn't in today so it was Izumi running the class. After the karate class, Jin decided to relax at the dojo before heading back home. After refreshing himself, he re-entered the dojo room and sat propped up against the wall. He was the only one allowed to do that as a favorite student of Sensei Chiba. His daughter would understand. With his phone in his hand flicking through the pictures of his birthday party. Now that he had some time to think and reflect on that day, he let himself smile a bit as he was feeling like a happy mess inside. He loved that day and would always remember it. Julia and Nina did so much for him. Nina's first gift was so meaningful and he just couldn't ever forget it.

All that joy inside was melting away the rage and hatred he normally had inside of him for Heihachi. He still hated the man but was now able not to lose himself to the rage. This happiness was stopping Jin from falling. After all the pain he went though, Jin could still experience joy.

Life could and would still be beautiful for him.

"You look so happy." Izumi remarks in a joyful tone. "Who made you smile?"

He smirks a little. It was so obvious to anyone really that after seeing him so moody and withdrawn for months suddenly sporting a happier demeanour. It was the birthday party his friends threw for him but since he was registered at this dojo under a false birth date, he had to find some other excuse.

"I went to a party." Jin replies. "I had an amazing time."

"Oh you…why you not invite me?!" Izumi feigns jealously. She sits next to him and passed him a cold can of soda which he accepts.

"It was a private party."

"Ooh where was it?"

"At someone's house. I can't say more than that, sorry." He shrugs and opens the can.

"You are such an enigma, you know that?"

Jin chuckles, he didn't know what else to say to that and decided to drink his soda instead.

"You know, I bet you would have an amazing time too if you went to the parties I invite people to." She says coyly. "Not to pressurize you or anything but it would be nice."

"I do feel bad for turning those invitations down when you've invited all the students here." He admits, much to his surprise.

"Are you afraid that I will forget to give you just as much attention as I give everyone else? You seem like a one on one kind of guy. You know the kind who stands in the corner, drink in hand, talking with a kindred soul about these brash annoying extroverts dancing about and wondering what the fuck are you doing here when you could be reading some astronomical shit or something?"

Jin snorts. She was good.

"You seem like you can read people well." He comments. "I thought you liked astronomy? You wouldn't stop talking my ear off in the café."

She chuckles out loud, as if she was really happy hearing that.

"It's my hobby. A party girl can also be a bit of a nerd too. It's what makes me stand out."

"It certainly does." He agrees.

"So what do you say?" She struck out a hand in front of him. "Let's be friends?"

He went silent for a moment. He shouldn't really do this but she seemed genuine enough and if he rejected her offer of friendship, he'd feel bad and it would make things awkward to continue training here. So he did something he would have never done when he first came to this country.

He lifts his hand and shakes her hand. "Friends."

"Yaay!" She cheered as they shook hands. "But that doesn't mean I will go easy on you during our spar sessions so you better keep still watching your ass, Nagasawa."

He nods. "Am I the only Nagasawa you know of?"

Jin remembered Nagasawa mentioning that his father's sister got married to Izumi's paternal uncle.

"Nagasawa is the surname of my dad's brother's wife's dad's family." Izumi says. "I also met Seichii Nagasawa on the day of my uncle's engagement. He's a cool dude. If you ever met him, I guess you'd probably get along with him too. You guys might even be cousins."

"I doubt it."

"Which part? The part about you getting along or-,"

"The cousin part. I would have known."

"I suppose you would have."

"Are you close with the Nagasawa family?"

"Not as close as we should be. I mean they live all the way up in Tokyo and we're down here in Brisbane. Some of us are too lazy for family get together's and barbecue's. When we do visit, we do have a big lunch and gossip like everybody else. Once or twice a week I guess."

"Any upcoming meetings?"

"Yup, the Nagasawa family is coming to visit in three months. They will be staying at my uncle and aunt in law's place."

It's not news to him as Nagasawa did mention about that earlier today on the phone.

Jin nods and finishes his soda. Damn they really did have a long conversation that seemed to go well. Perhaps he did miss out on those months just being aloof. He had a feeling that they would be the kind of friends who could spend hours just having joyful conversations talking about many topics.


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Being a bartender meant that Nina had to polish hundreds of glasses with her hands. She couldn't afford to make a mistake and pick the pint glasses to polish. No she had to polish shot glasses and the other ones. She fondly remembers the days Jin helped her polish them when their boss wasn't looking. He was the one usually doing most of the washing up as it kept him in the back and away from prying eyes. Heck, fifty percent of the job was cleaning.

It wasn't the same without Jin here. Although he spoke so little and kept usually to himself, they often silently communicated with each other and had each other's back's. With their shared history, Nina was pretty sure they made this place more bearable for the other. Well for her at least, having Jin here was comforting to her.

Here she was Wendy to everyone else but for Jin, she was Nina.

The blonde sighs.

In between polishing them pesky little shot glasses and scanning the crowd for any suspicious activity, Nina silently battled the frustration of boredom.

A woman approaches her with some currency in her hand. It's an East Asian woman. In a pixie haircut. Nina wondered if she ever saw her before. Putting the polished shot glass away, she goes behind the till to take the order. It would be her last order as her shift finished in a minute.

"Oh hello!" The woman says. "I am new in this town and was wondering if I could talk to someone?"

Nina was about to tell the woman to get lost and she spoke to no one. But then again, it was her job to talk to people and feign happiness in doing so. Planting a fake smile, Nina nodded.

"Of course, sweetie. You can chat to me as long as you like."

Eun-Seo smiles at the blonde, happy that her offer wasn't declined. They were really going to have a drink like two old pals from the nineties. Fuck, she missed those times.

"I would like a Mai Tai and for you I would buy…..," The woman hums and pauses, "Irish cream Bailey!"

Nina narrows her eyes at the word 'Irish'.

"I had a bestie who looked like you." The woman says. "She was Irish and blonde."

"I'm not Irish." Nina lies, now very suspicious of the woman.

Technically, Nina was also British on her mother's side.

The woman then shows her a picture of a random blonde woman on her phone. "She died twenty days ago. I just….really miss her."

What was it with people trying to replace the dead? Nina wonders silently, not particularly feeling a lick of sympathy for the strange woman. She shot her a fake smile and got to work on her drinks. Nina preferred not to drink at all since she was working so opened for a creamy mocktail instead. She brought the drinks over to the table where the Eun-Seo was seated at.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Valentina." She said and sticks out her hand like an interviewer. Valetina was a name she and Nina shared during their missions back in the days. Nina was blonde bombshell Valentina. Eun-Seo was K-pop Valentina.

Nina reluctantly shook the hand, albeit awkwardly. It was the end of her shift and there was no need for her to be professional now but it seemed like an armor to her. To hide behind the professionalism.

"I am Wendy." Nina replies.

"Nice to meet you Wendy." Valentina smirks.

The previous Nina would use fake names like Adelaide, Rose, Athena…names that sounded beautiful and powerful with profound meanings. Wendy seemed so unusual, down to earth and kind of Aussie. She felt like cracking up a bit but held it together.

Of course Nina would blend completely in the country she was hiding in. At least she didn't lose that aspect of her personality.

Nina on the other hand was thinking that this woman's name rhymed with her actual name. Could it just be a mere coincidence? As they drank together, Valentina narrates many stories and Nina proves to be quite the listener. The blonde was so much different to how she was before. This Nina was cautious, more serene and had this air of maturity about her. It was a far cry from the bold, audacious and headstrong Nina that she once knew. Eun-Seo's heart aches. What did the bastards do to her? She wonders. She had a personality transplant because of the cold sleep but Anna was the same as ever?

"I first met my best friends at a fighting tournament in Seoul. The little sister was my opponent and I defeated her. She was a sweet happy little girl whose optimism I didn't want to crush. Her big sister was watching but I didn't know. I offered the little sister a drink to feel better about her failure. I invited her older sister too. When I first saw her, I instantly knew what kind of person she was. We could really sense our own." Eun Seo pauses, she wasn't a fan of narrating every story down to the last detail like a Si dom but a story was all about the details. She had to keep Nina's attention for long.

Lucky for her natural ability to make even the boring stories enticing, her enchanting voice aided her in keeping the blonde from falling asleep.

"Then? Did they accept?"

"They accepted of course. But with a price." Valentina answers. "The blonde wanted to fight me and she was one tough ass bitch. Her words, not mine."

"Tough ass bitch?" Nina scoffs, a gleam of amusement in her eyes. "Been called that before many times."

"You have?" Eun Seo's shift of tone changes drastically. She sounds like a happy schoolgirl.

"It's not something I get happy about but yeah, I have."

"Wow." Eun-Seo takes a swig of her drink and finishes it.

"Want another one?" Nina asks, gesturing at the empty glass.

After a second round of drinks, Valetina went further into the story. Nina didn't know why she found the story compelling but there was something about the way Valentina's voice was just made for narrating stories. She just knew exactly where to switch up her pitch to make something so mundane so interesting.

"The older sister had the same job as me and she was impressed I sussed her out without ever hearing about her. I think that's why she accepted my invitation for a drink in the first place. Not many people could size her up like that."

"What was the job?"

"No one who finds out my name, lives." The East-Asian woman replies instantly with a smirk.

There is a moment of silence. Nina tries to decipher the meaning in that statement. Was she serious? Was it a synonym for 'If I have to tell you, I'd have to kill you" ?

The silence is broken with the Korean woman's light giggling. Nina finishes her drink and settles her glass back down on the table. It made a slight sound.

"So, what does a middle aged woman see the resemblance of her deceased friend in me? I'm sure I'm twenty years younger than your late friend."

"You sure are." Valentina replies. "But if the heart never ages, neither does the face."

"Ballsy talk for someone who has wrinkles on their face."

Nina didn't mean to be rude but it just sort of slipped out.

Eun-Seo smirked, it wasn't her face that she was wearing but a silicone mask of very high quality. She was hiding her true face. Eun-Seo barely had wrinkles at all because of her good genes and diet.

"Who knows if this is my true face? Someone I know might get a jump start into their memories." The Korean woman says cryptically.

Nina narrows her eyes. "Do I know you?"

Eun-Seo laughs. "How would you know me? You're twenty years younger than me."

"Huh…" Nina didn't know what else to say as she cautiously observed the woman.

Even though Nina first thought Valentina could be from her past, Anna would have mentioned her but she didn't. It was just a mere coincidence, a bizarre one but a coincidence.

"Listen don't think much of it, I want to come visit this place again. You've been such a doll."

"I have?"

Nina then looks again at the woman, that smile…why did it feel so familiar?

A flash of a man tied up to a chair, a svelte dark haired woman with that smile…

"Careful there hun, don't think too hard." Valentina says. She was now stood up and places a wad of currency notes on the table. With that, she's gone.

Nina looks at the bundle of money on the table.

That woman left a huge tip.

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