Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't been keeping up with updates lately, but my summer is getting pretty busy, but I'll try to keep posting updates regularly. Also, just a heads up, I may be bumping the rating up to M...for reasons in future chapters, and because I don't want to violate any policies. I'll let you know about the rating change when it happens, hopefully everyone is okay with that. Here's chapter 17! R&R
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters. They are all property of Namco.
The news was extremely merciless with their latest reports concerning the activities and war strategies the Mishima Zaibatsu was implementing. However, it was expected. In this war, there were only two sides, heroes and villains. The world was obsessed with that dated dichotomy that only pegged people as good or evil, no one ever considered the middle grey area. The world wouldn't care about the motives behind such gruesome acts of war, no one would care if it was all for the salvation of mankind. Was it all worth it in the end? Would they care about the sacrifices that had to be made for the greater good of mankind? Probably not. People were so self absorbed and ignorant, it wouldn't matter to them if the "Destroyer of the World", as the articles exaggerated, was the real savior. In the end, would it all be worth it, or would his sacrifice be in vain?
Avoiding the truth was cowardly, so he sat there and tortured himself with the facts. The damage reports were in, and they were just as horrific and dreadful as he had envisioned they would be. The body count was increasing steadily with each new update, hundreds turned into thousands, and the numbers were still rising. It was being heralded as the most catastrophic event in recent times, and it was all his doing. The raven haired young man observed the horrific news reports from his desk with a glass of whiskey in his hand. It did nothing to calm the turmoil within him, but at least the taste warmed him.
'Is this destruction enough, or will it require more destruction to come forth?' he thought darkly. 'If more is needed, then I have no choice...it must be done.' A familiar beep sounded throughout his office, finally. If he had to wait any longer he'd probably be too inebriated to focus on anything.
The blonde assassin walked into the dimly lit office casually and calmly despite the havoc they were heavily embroiled in at the moment. He had a penchant for calling late meetings, then again, had she made it back on time it would have been a little earlier. As she strolled towards his desk she observed that he had been finding solace in a bottle in these tough times. It was a classic coping mechanism for many a fool who believed that demons could be fought back with wine and spirits, but she couldn't judge him too harshly, for she'd fallen into that trap before.
Her eyes found their way to the television, and once again she was bombarded with news about their recent evil doings. Between radio broadcasts and alerts from her phone, she had grown weary of hearing about it. She leaned over his desk and reached for the remote to shut it off.
"Leave it," his voice broke the silence.
Nina retracted her hand and folded her arms across her chest. "You're only torturing yourself," she stated. "Have you been sulking all night listening to the news kick your name through the mud?"
"Ha," he scoffed slightly. "I deserve this...those reports..." his voice trailed off, becoming swallowed in his own melancholy.
"Let's not discuss that right now, " she suggested as she once again reached over his desk to grab the remote, this time with success, to completely shut off the TV. "It's done, there's nothing we can do besides move forward."
Jin looked up at her slowly as she spoke those words. How did she do it, and how could he learn to compartmentalize his tumultuous emotions into separate boxes to keep a clear head? Beneath that aloof mask, was she feeling just as guilty and conflicted as he was?
Admittedly, the few glasses of whiskey he had did nothing to help him contain his emotions, and he probably looked completely unhinged to her. He had to pull himself together. He sat up a little and rubbed his hand over his eyes to gather his thoughts. He'd summoned her so often in leisurely times that sometimes he'd forget when they had actual business to discuss. "How did everything go?" he asked on a more serious note.
"Besides having a pissing contest with Alexandersson and being ambushed by one of Kazuya's lackeys, it went well," she reported dryly. "I would've been here sooner if it weren't for the delays." Seeing his current state, she understood that he was probably in need of an emotional crutch, and she somehow felt bad for not being there when the shit first hit the fan.
"You're here now...that's all that matters," he slipped out.
The blonde raised a brow at his words. An amused smile danced along her lips at his oddly candid admission. This would be a good start to lighten the mood. "Well, don't worry, with the way things are going to be from now on, it seems I'll need to be glued to your side."
A semblance of a smile appeared on his lips as he leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes. "That's good to hear," he muttered in a low voice.
His odd charm always intrigued her. She had nothing witty to say in response, so she remained silent as she watched him relax into his chair. He seemed to be taking this quite hard, yet it was only the tip of the iceberg of the true destruction that was going to ensue from their actions. Deep down, she knew that he wasn't ready for any of this. He definitely wasn't evil, but to get through this he would have to fill the shoes for that role. Due to his outward appearance, his cold, stoic attitude and uninviting aura, the media had no problem painting him as the perfect villain. On the other hand, she couldn't fathom how they were successful at making Kazuya the complete antithesis of Jin. People truly believed that he was heroic, benevolent, and righteous; it was completely ludicrous. It was a mad world they lived in indeed.
Nina continued to observe him, taking note of his appearance as he still rested in his chair. It was the first time she had seen him somewhat tipsy. His usually perfectly spiked raven hair was slightly disheveled and his attire was unkempt, his shirt was only a few buttons shy from being completely undone, exposing his well toned chest more than usual. It was a nice sight to behold, but it was not the time let her mind wander onto such things. Despite his distress, he appeared to be subdued as he quietly rested in his chair.
Her blue eyes continued to skim over his form with interest. She wondered about him sometimes. As she studied his face, she had vague memories of the night they first encountered each other almost three years ago. His eyes were the only thing she could remember. They burned into her memory, filled with determination and compassion as he freed her mind from that beast's grasp. His eyes were different now, cold and listless. Was he a misunderstood hero or just the classic case of a good boy gone bad? 'I don't know how all this will end, but I won't know unless I stick around until then...I must protect him,' she thought as she silently stared at him.
The raven haired man sighed heavily as he slowly opened his eyes once more and immediately his light brown eyes locked with the crystal blue eyes of the blonde assassin across his desk. It was the first time that he'd seen himself as a focused object of her gaze. "Do you see something that interests you, Miss Williams?" Jin asked with a smug smile appearing on his face.
Had she been staring that long? She averted her eyes from his for a moment before returning her gaze to his. She folded her arms across her chest with a small smirk and replied, "Perhaps."
"Hmph, good to know."
Nina shook her head slightly, trying her best to conceal a smile that tried to creep its way onto her lips. Hopefully, this meant his mood was slightly improving, but she was still worried about him. "Very amusing, but I think it's time for you to turn in for the night, " she strongly suggested.
"As if I'll be able to sleep..." he complained as he sunk back into his chair and closed his eyes again. His brain felt like it was swimming around in his skull, but at least that sensation made him feel numb to everything else.
"Well, you better give it the old college try," she said. "It's better than staying up all night drinking yourself into oblivion." With that said, she walked around his desk and began to clear it from the half empty whiskey bottle along with the glass he was drinking from. She was certain that he had enough for the night.
Jin slowly opened his eyes and watched her silently as she tidied up his little mess. The blonde walked around his chair and a small shiver travelled throughout his body when her bare thigh lightly brushed against the back of his hand as it lay on the armrest. He exhaled quietly and ignored the fluttering sensation in his gut as he continued to watch her perform menial chores not within her job description. The woman he perceived her to be from reading her old files would have never done anything like this, and similarly, the woman he intercepted in that dark alleyway wouldn't have either. He would have never figured that the cold-blooded assassin would have warmed up to anyone, especially not to him. He watched as she returned from his bar with a glass of water in hand and as she sat it down in front of him. He remained silent as his eyes never left her.
She took notice of her employer watching her intently and wondered what was on his mind. Then again, it was never an easy task to decode his thoughts or actions, so she dismissed it. "Drink some water. It'll help a little to clear your head before you go to bed," she suggested calmly.
Jin smirked at her. Honestly, he wasn't completely incapable of taking care of himself. He supposed that from her perspective he looked like a blithering mess in desperate need of help. A nice sentiment, it was, but he wasn't that dejected and distraught, yet. He still remained silent as he slowly stood up and crossed over to the sofa in his office in the same manner. He plopped down on his back and rested his head on the arm of the sofa as he closed his eyes again.
"Are you seriously going to sleep here all night? " Nina questioned.
"It makes no difference...I won't fall asleep anyway."
Nina sighed with a small shrug. "Suit yourself," she said as she walked towards the door. Despite declining to return to his quarters, he was still safe and would probably fall asleep if he were left in silence long enough. With that reassurance, she could probably rest peacefully herself.
He heard the soft thud of her shoes on the area rug as they retreated away from him. "When this is all over...what will you do?" he asked, unexpectedly.
The blonde assassin paused in her step and looked over her shoulder at the young man strewn across the black, leather sofa. It was evident that he didn't want to be left alone just yet. She turned around and slowly made her way back over to him with a calm expression. "So, because you can't sleep, you're planning to keep me up with small talk?"
"I'm asking merely out of pure curiosity," he answered, not bothering to open his eyes as he spoke. He felt the weight on the sofa shift slightly and assumed that she had taken a seat on the back of it. "Well?"
"I'll continue doing what I do best, nothing surprising at all," Nina replied casually.
"Wouldn't you like to retire?" he put forth as a suggestion. "I'm sure with your current salary you could live quite comfortably after this."
A small smile appeared on her lips as she gazed down at him. She already lived comfortably in between jobs. She was no fool, she knew how to manage her funds. Why was he so interested in her activities after her contract with him was complete? "Assassins don't retire...they eventually get killed off by someone more skilled and ruthless," she told him grimly. "There's no life of leisure for retired killers, only a life filled with paranoia and nightmares."
He listened to her gloomy words and felt somewhat perturbed by her response. "You won't have to worry about that...you'll be protected."
She raised a brow. "By whom exactly?"
"My secret service...as my second in command, you will be far too valuable to be left unprotected," he revealed to her.
"Second in command?" she repeated, mildly surprised. "I'm just your bodyguard and private flunky, why would you ever consider giving me such a position?"
"Because you're capable of running this company...even in my absence," he confessed truthfully.
Nina looked down at him, a little taken aback by his statement. She wondered if he was keeping his eyes closed to mask his emotions since he probably knew that she had learned to detect them within his eyes. "And where are you planning on going that would require me to run the company alone?" she queried. She felt like she was being deprived of some vital information for some reason.
He fell silent, no longer desiring to prolong the conversation beyond that point. He had already revealed enough, even though he still prevented himself from telling her the true grand finale of his plan just yet for unknown reasons. He did wonder what her reaction would be, but at this point he couldn't let her sway or influence his intentions, that is, if she truly cared enough to attempt to stop him.
"Don't pretend to be asleep now," she said as she peered down at him on the couch. "Answer me, what's on your mind?"
"You wouldn't want to know," he replied tiredly.
She could detect the drowsiness in his tone and figured that the whiskey was working its magic. "Enlighten me." Looking down at his face, she could see a smile sneaking its way onto his lips.
"I see you...in white lingerie...dancing..."
Nina's eyes widened in shock at his words. She couldn't believe he had the audacity to say such a thing to her. She could feel her cheeks heating up slightly at him mentioning that all of the sudden. "You..." she hissed, with anger rising in her voice. She took a deep breath to compose herself and recover from the mild embarrassment she felt from his words. She stood up and slowly walked around to the side of the sofa and leaned over his resting form to stare directly down into his face. "You're lucky that I like you, Kazama, most men would have their necks snapped for making remarks such as that," she warned lightly in a sultry tone. "I'm going to pretend that you're too drunk to think straight."
It was then that he lazily opened his eyes to look up at her, taking note of the small, barely noticeable flush of pink on her usually perfect ivory complexion. She was very amusing. "Beautiful..." he whispered softly before closing his eyes once again.
The assassin was dumbstruck once again. Her stomach was somersaulting from nervousness as she sunk her teeth into her bottom lip softly in frustration and confusion before she stood to her height and decided to finally take her leave. She had enough of his strange ramblings for one night. She secretly hoped that he would suffer from a horrific hangover the next morning, which would be his just desserts to punish him for his reckless tongue. The thought brought a small, smug smirk to her lips as she left his office.
End of chapter 17, chapter 18 coming soon!
This was a shorter chapter because some future chapters are a little lengthy, but I'm trying to see what I can cut out to make them less wordy lol. Thanks for reading!