Disclaimer: Don't own Tekken.
NOTE: Set before and during T6. Jin-Nina drabbles inspired by some of these prompts (64 damn- prompts. livejournal profile)- Can be found by googling 64 damn prompts livejournal.
Hope you all enjoy this and get your Jina fix if you ship it. Thanks for reading and reviewing. This is the sequel to my story "So Much More" so Jina will be more familiar (touchy-feely) with each other.
*Sky*
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Jin catches her looking out the window, determined blue eyes focusing on the clouds beneath. The chopper hums in their silence. She sighs, almost unheard but he never misses a sound.
"The view from below is better."
A smile reaches her lips.
Once she looks at him, he realizes how much they remind him of the sky. They were easy to gaze at, easy to get drawn in.
"What makes you say that?"
He had flown in the sky many times, with those demonic wings. And every time he had, there was pain associated with it.
"Experience." He tells her.
That one word was something she understood. She doesn't prod him for details, something he's grateful for right now.
"That's strange. I thought you might prefer it up here since there's gunfire down there and whole lot of nasty things."
Things that you won't like to see.
His muscles tense. Nina doesn't notice. It's better that way.
"Do you miss it, being able to walk and look at the sky without worrying about getting shot at?"
One of the things that had changed drastically in his life was the chance for a normal walk, how he missed going to the forest- where he could gaze at the sky for peace and quiet. Times when he was a simple human. Unlike a beast on the prowl. Now, he had to be guarded at all times, even with Nina by his side.
"Yes." He answers, meeting her gaze again, this time there was something soft behind them- something honest.
It ebbs the tension away.
Strange.
"I didn't peg you for the sky gazing type." Nina teases a smirk on her lips. "Must be a hobby of yours."
He affirms it and returns the smirk.
"I heard a saying once. Don't know if it has anything to do with the sky or not but it always reminds me of it."
He waits for her to continue.
"If you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."
Those words sink in, although he can't completely understand it, they merge into his mind. Nina has the same look, expecting him to explain it to her. Maybe she pegged him as a philosophical type as well.
He shakes his head. "I have no idea who invented that."
"Nietzsche. You might understand his other quotes."
"I heard the name before. I'll look into it." Jin responds and then looks out of the window-white fluffy clouds filled his vision.
It was an effective curtain, to hide what was beneath.
"Is there a place you can go sky gazing from the ground?"
Yakushima. Home.
There is a small smile on his lips. "I suppose so."
"Well, that's where we'll be going then."
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He watches Nina unfold the futon next to his and listens to her mutter something about Yakushima being a little colder than expected. They were in a small lodge on a hill which was secluded from everything else and had a heliport. Jin brought the small building as soon as he gained control of the zaibatsu, seeing it may serve as a good refuge when the war was in full swing. They were here not to hide but for Nina to test out the place to get a good feel of it so in the future she'd be familiar with the place should they have to come back. He came along as he knew the place and was sort of attached to it.
The building they were staying in had one kitchen, one lounge, one bathroom and one bedroom with a small fitted in cupboard.
"It feels like a watchman's lodge." Nina adds, laying on her futon.
"Never slept on the floor before?" Jin asks.
She mulls over the question with a face before answering. "Probably but not after the cold sleep. What about yourself?"
Jin lies back on his futon once he sees she is settled in. He sighs. "I only slept on the floor sometimes when my grandfather was annoyed with me." He sees the blonde frown. "In my first days of training, I felt so much pain. My body ached so much and my back really hurt. I couldn't walk straight. He said I was weak like a woman and needed straightening out. So on the floor he made me sleep."
"He sounds like a piece of shit."
"Sounds about right."
She turns to her side. "You grew up in Yakusima right?"
"Hmmn."
"Who with? Just your mother?"
Jin nods. "Yes, only with my mother. For the first fifteen years of my life." He drifts off and another thought occurs. "Nina?"
"Yes?"
"Do you...remember anything about my mother?"
She ponders on that question. The one and only coherent memory was of Jun Kazama fighting in the tournament. Nina really liked the fighting style. Only a select few could hold her interest in how they fought. Kunimitsu was the other one whose fighting style was impressive to the blonde. It was Nina's habit to observe fighters and find their weaknesses, it strengthed her role as an assasin.
"I've got nothing apart from seeing Jun fight in the second tournament. She was up against Wang Jinrei. I could remember feeling really impressed with her fighting style and back in the days it was rare for me to appreciate other people's fighting styles."
Wow. That was amazing. Nina actually got to see his mother fight in a tournament. "What was she like?" He asks.
"Very graceful cartwheels, shin and elbow strikes. It was like she was dancing. She was an impressive and a powerful fighter. Could really hold her own." Nina replies. "That's the only thing I can remember. I don't think we've ever crossed paths. I remember what she wore. A white headband, white waistcoat and cropped black leggings with black pumps. Very simple. She had short hair as well."
Jin says nothing else and tries to recreate the scene in his head. It would have been amazing to see his mother fighting in her prime. He was sure she was a strong and impressive young woman with great power. Power that Ogre wanted.
"Thank you."
Nina gave him a small smile. "What about you Jin? What do you remember about your mother?"
The man beside her was silent for too long.
"Jin?" Nina calls out.
He gets out of his thoughts and looks at the blonde, the soft light drapes over her beautiful face. A sudden urge to lean forward and kiss those plush lips hits him. Jin resists.
"You were talking about your mother." She reminds him.
Oh yes. "Forgive me, I just got lost in my thoughts." He explains, "My mother….," Jin closes his eyes and tries to remember one of the most significant memories of her. He really didn't know where to start but picks one of the random thoughts that pushes forward.
"I remember being so afraid of the dark when I was a child. Some people would say vengeful and demonic spirits roamed at the forest during the night. Our neighbor visited us one day and it was getting dark. My mother sat me on the porch with our neighbor. She then walked up to the woods, turned her back to it to face us with her arms out. Something could have easily snatched her from the darkness. I couldn't believe she had just done that. I was so afraid for her but so struck with wonder that she was so brave. That night, she was the bravest woman I had ever known."
Jin could never forget how bright her white dress looked in the darkness. Nina on the other hand now thought of Jun as an impressive woman. That was such a sweet way to comfort her child.
"Wow...Did you stop being afraid of the dark since then?" She says sincerely.
"Little by little." He admits.
She blinks, her eyes are now heavy. Nina yawns beneath her hand. "Well Jin it was nice chatting and I hope we can do it again sometime, perhaps in the morning," She yawns again, "Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
She rolls onto her other side and curls up fetal style. Jin waits for a moment, his eyes looking up at the ceiling.
He felt good about his conversation with Nina. It was endearing of her to listen to him. He could tell she was interested in what he had to say.
With the silence now taking over, Jin turns off the light with a remote, darkness fills the room. He is not afraid.
They were alone on a hilltop that was close to the sky. Out of reach from everyone else. That thought comforts him. Like the blonde beside him, Jin succumbs to sleep.
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