Hello everyone! Sorry for the delayed update. I meant to upload this last weekend, but this fall semester has been particularly unkind to my free time so far!:( I'll do my best to keep rolling out new chapters in the future. [Update: Minor error fix]
ATTN: The next chapter will be RATED M... just a heads up!
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters. They are all property of Namco.
They arrived to their destination within a reasonable timeframe, not too early or too late. It was a good thing because he didn't want to allow for much time socialize with his business associate, he wasn't looking forward to the man's groveling and begging all night nor was he looking forward to realizing how much more of a monster he had become.
The ride over was unexpectedly quiet. Nina had sat silently, barely making eye contact with him as she stared vacantly out of the window or rested her eyes for long periods of time. It was evident that she was insistent on avoiding conversation, so he didn't bother her and quietly stayed to himself as well. It had become a common trend for every moment of intimacy that occurred between them to be quickly followed by an awkward period that always put a strain on their working relationship. Perhaps she was right, maybe it was best they didn't try to make sense of this, or the only logical response would be to cease everything altogether.
The opera hall was bright and inviting, and the crowd, mainly consisting of older patrons, were dressed to impress. As they approached closer to the entrance, he tensed up as he realized that this was a completely foreign experience for him. He had never had a slice of high society before since he grew up rather solitary on the countryside. However, considering his infamy, not fitting in was the least of his worries.
"Relax, Jin," the assassin purred softly from his side. "It won't be so bad."
He was surprised that she had finally broken her silence, but he was relieved that she wouldn't be a stone statue by his side all night. He supposed it wouldn't be so bad after all. Jin ignored the quick glances and hushed whispers of a few other guests as they ascended the stairs and entered the building. This was expected, so he didn't let the glares and stares phase him. Nina didn't seem to mind them at all; her aloof mask was perfectly in place.
Inside the main hall was quite the impressive view to behold. Beautiful crystal chandeliers hung from the two story high ceiling, red velvet drapery folded elegantly over the windows, and the grand marble staircase was lined with red carpeting that would make anyone who stepped foot on it feel important. This sight nearly awakened an old memory within her, but she couldn't connect it to a specific event from her past. Had she ever attended the opera as a child or was this a less than innocent memory connected to a past mission? Whatever the feeling was, it made her feel less out of place, but even so, she was a chameleon that could blend almost seamlessly into any environment.
"There he is," Jin announced suddenly. "It seems he brought a guest with him as well." Seeing this made him grateful that he had brought Nina along, he didn't want to get double teamed all night.
Her eyes followed in the direction he was staring until she saw an older man of average height dressed in a classic tuxedo with a ruffled shirt tied with a red bowtie. His once fair hair was blended with silver streaks, but his bushy, angular eyebrows were fully grey and stood out on his pale face. The man looked rather affable since he waved at them enthusiastically as they approached. The young girl next to him didn't looked too pleased. She stood next to the older man, taking the likeness of an angry porcelain doll. White frills and red bows dominated her attire, she definitely looked like a child's plaything. 'I hope I'm not expected to entertain this while the boys talk,' she thought to herself.
"Mr. Kazama, I'm so glad you joined us tonight," the man said enthusiastically as he stepped forward and extended his hand. There was a slight moment of hesitation before Jin extended his own and grasped the elder man's hand before releasing it shortly after.
"It's our pleasure," Jin said evenly. "My…associate and I are looking forward to the show."
Nina raised an arched brow at his little charade. She didn't know that he was capable of such duplicity without her coaching. This might be fun after all. The young girl next to the older man began whining rather incessantly to him in French, clearly displeased with their appearance. 'Poor princess, she looks pissed,' she observed calmly.
"Emilie! Don't be rude in front of our guests," he chastised the girl's behavior in a loud whisper before returning his attention to the couple before him. "Forgive me, this is my daughter, Lili. She's just anxious about being seated."
The assassin smirked to herself. That's clearly not what she was upset about. She had a few less than favorable words about the both of them, mainly Jin, but it was completely understandable. "It's fine, I'm quite excited to see the show as well," she chimed in, now fully participating in the charade. "Madame Butterfly has always been one of my favorite operas."
The older man offered her a kind smile. "That's delightful! It's Lili's favorite as well, right Lili?"
The young blonde girl loosened her pouted lips and decided to be more amiable as per her father's request. She flipped her long blonde tresses over her shoulder with a forced smile. "Of course, father, I hope everyone enjoys it tonight," she spoke in an airy tone. "If you all will excuse me, I'm going to freshen up before we're seated." She performed a polite curtsy before disappearing into the accumulating crowd.
Once the older man attempted to make small talk with Jin, focusing on the recent changes in the stock market, she knew that he'd eventually bring up the issues concerning his company's fate. She tuned out the conversation, not wanting to see the poor man bend over to win Jin's favor, and began discreetly surveying the room with her attentive eyes, checking for any suspicious persons amidst the elegant crowd. So far, everything seemed to be normal, how dull. Just as she had given up hope to find something interesting to do before the show, she saw a familiar figure peeking through the moving crowd. 'Well, now…it's the devil himself,' she thought in amusement as she slowly walked towards the familiar face.
Almost immediately, he felt the woman's absence from his side and he watched in silent distress as she departed and left him with the overly loquacious, sycophantic business man. He watched her glide and weave through the crowd until she vanished from his line of sight. His attention was reclaimed by the older man after he politely flagged down a waiter for drinks from his tray and thrust one towards him as he continued rambling on. There wasn't enough alcohol being served at this venue to make his current situation bearable.
The man she approached drastically contrasted from most of the other guests at the event. His attire had a certain flair to it, straddling the line of stylish and borderline garish. The white tuxedo was trimmed with silver lapels and in his to pocket he had a bright red rose on display. As she neared closer with her peach lips pulling into a smug smile, his brown eyes stretched a bit in surprise when he noticed her before a welcoming grin graced his fine features.
"My, my…even Helen of Troy couldn't hold a candle to you, Lady Williams," he complimented whilst quickly glossing over her form with his eyes before performing a courteous bow.
"Flattery will get you no where with me, Mr. Chaolan, but I appreciate your effort," the blonde coldly retorted, not at all impressed with his flowery speech and flamboyant gestures. "So, what brings the silver haired demon out of his cave this evening?"
The silver haired man let out a low chuckle at his old moniker slipping from her tongue. "I haven't heard that in many years, for I've changed, you see?" he said with a sly smile. "Letting go of the past was the best thing I could've done."
Was that last remark geared at her? She had a fuzzy, sordid history with the man before her, but she had long forgotten most of it, not sure if it was of her own volition or involuntarily. However, she wouldn't entertain himand his nonsense and risk losing her focus. With that in mind, her eyes skimmed over the crowd until she saw Jin once again. 'Rochefort is still at it I see. I don't know who I feel worse for, Jin or the old man,' she thought as she observed the situation from afar. In a moment of Jin casually averting his eyes from his business associate in boredom, they somehow found hers from across the room. For a brief moment, they stared at each other, his face beckoning for her to return, until he vanished into the moving crowd again. She was interrupted by the man beside her.
"Ah, I see, so everything I've been hearing is true," he commented as his eyes had found her object of interest. "Still entangled in the Mishima web of deceit, dear Nina? I thought you'd learn your lesson by now." He clicked his tongue with a shake of his head.
Nina folded her arms across her chest and looked up at the man before her. "Any chance that you've heard this from a certain secretary you've been schmoozing with lately?" she interrogated with a brow raised.
His eyes widened a bit before he replaced his slightly baffled expression with yet another misleading, sly smile. He shrugged at her accusation. "Whatever do you mean? I have many friends because I'm a friendly guy. Besides, you should know that I, of all people, would be able to pick up on the not so subtle hints your lovely sister has been dropping to the media," he clarified.
She wasn't surprised at all. She knew that he would always closely follow any power moves made by his adoptive family despite his claims of letting go of his past. She didn't have time for this, the ushers were beginning to seat people and it was time to take her leave. "Whatever, just be sure to stay on the sidelines with your schemes and I won't have to deal with you," the blonde warned before walking off.
"Be careful, Nina, he's probably no different than the others…even more so dangerous," Lee cautioned as well. "We both know that they use anyone as a means to an end to get what they desire."
She halted in step and glanced over her shoulder at her old acquaintance, remaining silent but subconsciously heeding his warning before she continued walking and returned to her employer's side. It seemed that everyone was against her latest business arrangement, but she was always careful not to put all her eggs into one basket. 'Tensions are high everywhere, and I'm caught in the middle of the world's deadliest game of tug of war. As usual, I'll never let my guard down,' Nina reminded herself.
By the third act of the opera, he had completely checked out. Any ounce of interest that he had invested in the plot of the performance was long gone, and now he was barely clinging to consciousness. It was a mind numbingly boring love story with one too many dreary, melodramatic tunes being belted out by the actors. Jin lazily blinked as his eyelids became heavier with each passing moment as he struggled to stay awake. This was his punishment for trying to be nice and cordial, but he would suffer through it just to remind himself for future reference that he wasn't a true patron of the arts. The opera couldn't keep his interest, so he sought to find entertainment elsewhere.
He shifted in his seat and crossed his leg with an inaudible sigh pushing through his lips. His brown eyes peered over to the assassin seated next to him, and he surreptitiously observed her as she watched the show. To his surprise, she seemed to be quite engaged in the performance, her sapphire eyes were fixated on the actors below as they gave the audience their money's worth. Selfishly, he was hoping that she was in just as much agony as he was during the duration of the opera, but he seemed to be alone in his misery. Nonetheless, watching her provided him with some amusement, and it pleased him to see her somewhat enjoying herself.
Inevitably, his innocent, covert study of the woman seated beside him took a mischievous turn when his eyes were led astray and began journeying through the dangerous dips, curves, and valleys of her physique. That deep plunge in the front of her dress, which displayed just the right amount of her supple bosom, had successfully lured him in and tempted his normally respectful eyes to leer at her in a manner that felt both gratifying and shameful to him. That strange sensation began to stir within him again the longer his eyes remained fixated on her. The slow rise and fall of her chest, the steady blink of her blue eyes, and the subtle parting of her peach lips all served to silently drive him wild, making it harder for him to focus his attention elsewhere.
He nearly choked on his own breath when her suspicious eyes slowly peered at him in a sidelong stare. Jin's eyes quickly snapped away from her to feign a renewed interest in the performance. He cleared his throat nervously as he shifted in his chair uncomfortably again, feeling the weight of her gaze beating back his shameful, lustful thoughts. He didn't free the air from his lungs until he was released from the scrutiny of her eyes. He sighed to himself in frustration and tried his hardest to pay attention to the show.
It was almost over, it had to be because he felt like he had been sitting there for an eternity. His eyes roamed again when he noticed her shifting in her seat, slowly crossing her leg over the other. When the black satin material of her dress slid upwards and away from her bare thigh, the air felt trapped in his lungs once again as he discreetly indulged in the forbidden sight being presented to him. As she turned her head towards him slowly, he was thoroughly surprised at that smug smile present on her face, and it became painfully obvious that she was taking pleasure in toying with him for her own entertainment. Jin tore his eyes away from her for once and for all, feeling frustrated that she played him for a fool and at himself for being so easily baited by her wicked tricks.
Jin had now mentally built an invisible brick wall between himself and the crafty seductress. Whatever game they were playing, he felt like he was consistently losing, and it didn't help that she seemed to take no pity on his cluelessness and inability to keep up. In the end, he was only torturing and teasing himself with the idea that he could lead a life of "normalcy". The harsh reality of his fate always crashed back in like a violent tidal wave to wash away any unrealistic fantasies he clung onto.
He sighed heavily. His now sullen eyes idly skimmed through the various faces of the audience members seated across the way, undoubtedly the faces of other big wigs who frivolously spent their funds on overpriced seats for overrated entertainment. His heart quickened its pace and his eyes narrowed dangerously as the face of a former associate entered his field of vision. There he sat, looking like a gluttonous pig, in a box seat area probably more expensive than theirs. If he recalled correctly, this was the same man who went from incessantly begging him not to sever his company's ties to the Mishima Group to relentlessly threatening him and speaking ill of him in the media whenever the opportunity presented itself to him, especially after he had heard that his company merged with G Corp. The emails, those threatening, hateful, and disgusting emails that plagued his inbox had undoubtedly come from that wretched old fart as well. His hand squeezed the velvet armrest of the chair until his knuckles whitened and he could almost feel his blood simmering to a boil as he glared hatefully at the man.
'I could have him killed…I have that power,' he thought maliciously as he slowly glanced at the assassin by his side. When she wasn't using her energy to cruelly tease him, she was quite the handy tool to dispatch his enemies. 'One order, and I can have him wiped from existence…just one order.'
He silently seethed as the murderous thoughts tempted him to teeter into the dark side, and he continuously kept his prey in his sights like a bloodthirsty animal. It was the Devil's influence consuming him, goading him to unleash his fury, and everyday day it become more difficult for him to resist. He was suddenly yanked from his dark thoughts when a warm, smooth hand slid over his and gently clasped it. He snapped his eyes towards her with anger still possessing them until her calm, blue gaze gradually reduced his flaring temper. Her lips slowly mouthed out the word "relax" as she kept her hand perched over his.
Nina looked at him, genuinely concerned about the noticeable shift in his body language. He wasn't aware of it, but whenever they were together she always monitored his behavior, but she was just significantly more adept at being discreet about her secret voyeurism than he was. Besides, after the revelation of his secret to her, she always searched for signs that indicated when something wasn't right with him for her own safety as well. He seemed extremely tense and agitated as he stared intently in one direction, and she grew curious and alarmed. She attempted to scan the crowd to pinpoint the object that provoked his unbridled rage yet was unable to find what or who had set him off. She looked at him expectantly, hoping he would fill her in, but he just silently stared at her in a mysterious fashion with an expression on his face that she couldn't quite decipher. 'Jin… what's going on with you?' she wondered but decided to chalk it up as yet another oddity about her employer.
A strange combination of emotions overwhelmed him at the moment. He was still slightly angry yet relieved and a little grateful for her presence, even if she was the cause of many conflicting and confusing emotions within him that left him feeling frustrated. Too many thoughts rushed through his mind, but luckily the thunderous applause that erupted from the audience snapped him away from his crowded headspace and offered him a cathartic feeling that the opera performance was finally over. Jin searched the crowd again to find his pathetic nemesis and was nearly surprised when the man and his partner had spotted him as well, staring back at him for a brief moment before rising from his seat and leaving, but he brushed it off and decided to let go of his anger. He wasn't worth it.
"Jin, are you okay?" she finally verbalized now that the silence ban was lifted. His only response was him lightly squeezing her hand within his.
No words were needed at the moment. He felt better now, and strangely at ease knowing that he was still capable of reining in his temper when needed. He looked over to the blonde in relief with a single nod. Now, all he wanted to do was leave and head back home to get some well needed rest. He noticed yet another pair of eyes on them and saw that the Rochefort girl had been quietly glaring at him with a look of consternation. He had forgotten all about them temporarily and was almost annoyed again by the reminder of their presence. He reluctantly released his bodyguard's hand and stood up as well, they were all eager to exit the seating area, and he was ready to finalize his negotiations with his business associate.
The night had been smooth sailing for her thus far, but her employer's latest request had placed her in an unfavorable predicament that she had been trying to avoid all night. In spite of her efforts to dodge the situation, there she sat on the large, red velvet sofa in the main parlor of the opera hall with the mopey, young socialite sitting across from her. The boys were discussing business, and they were left alone to "make nice" with each other. Neither of them had uttered a word thus far, and frankly, she preferred to keep it that way.
Nina sat with her legs crossed as she calmly scanned the room with her eyes. The crowd was more sparse than it was before the performance, but a good amount of patrons still lingered after the show to socialize and mingle with other guests. That familiar crop of silver hair caught her attention again, and she noticed that he seemed to be leaving with his date, a pretty woman with shoulder length brown hair, latched onto his arm. It was yet another woman he flaunted around and wined and dined, and undoubtedly one with connections and information of interest to him. His eyes caught hers momentarily, and he winked at her with a quick charming smile before exiting through the doors. Nina rolled her eyes with a slight shake of her head as her former acquaintance finally left. Despite his coy act, she would remind herself to inform Jin about her suspicions. Her eyes then darted over to the two men across the room in a corner, discussing business. From what she could tell from afar, it appeared that the older man was prattling continuously while Jin, as usual, seemed bored and aloof throughout the duration of the conversation.
'He's being much nicer than he usually is, but dragging this on any further will only build up the poor old man's hopes,' she thought with a small shake of her head. Her thoughts were broken when a low, muffled sob erupted from the young girl across from her. Naturally, she turned her head to observe her but said nothing. It seemed that she, too, had been watching her father bare his soul to her employer.
"It's not right…" the distressed blonde girl choked out between her small sobs. The tears that welled in her eyes began slipping down over her rosy cheeks. She quickly wiped away her tears with her fingers and cradled her face in her palms for a moment to regain her composure.
The assassin still silently studied the Rochefort girl with a visible look of indifference, yet the inner machinations of her mind were working to generate an appropriate response to the scenario. 'Well, this is unexpected…what does she think crying will accomplish?' she wondered. She was never great at consoling, mending broken spirits, or coddling the weak. Although she had gotten a little better, thanks to her time with Jin, her attempts were still clumsy at best.
After the first wave of her pain was released, the blonde girl gathered up her nerves again and continued gazing at her father and that demon across the room. "My father…he's a good man, he's never intentionally sought out to hurt people and abuse his power," she sniffled with bitterness in her tone as she watched her father's body language gradually deteriorate from composed to nerve-wracked and desperate. "Seeing him this way…it's not right..." Her already small voice became swallowed further by despair.
Her aloof gaze returned to the object of the sullen blonde's interest and she watched poor Mr. Rochefort, nearly on bended knee, desperately pleading with Jin to take pity on him, but she could read her employer's body language as he calmly rejected the man's offer with a calmly raised palm before rising from the chair. Surely, it must've pained the girl to see her father behaving so obsequiously and breaking his pride before anyone, especially to a man like Jin Kazama.
The tears and sobbing didn't move her, but a small tickled nerve forced the cold hearted assassin to empathize with her. She, too, was once a daddy's girl, and seeing the man you regarded as your hero reduced to a groveling weakling had to be undoubtedly embarrassing and soul crushing. She lowered her eyes briefly as she tried to prevent memories of her own father from flooding her mind, washing over her thoughts with feelings of grief and regret. Nina couldn't deny that she'd be heartbroken if it were her father, but despite that, it was only business, and takeovers were a common occurrence. She sighed but never took her eyes off Jin as he and Rochefort slowly approached them.
"Business is business, so it's nothing personal, it's just the ugly underbelly of the business world that's merciless and unpredictable for all of its players," she spoke calmly. "Be there for him, he's going to need you now more than ever." She didn't understand why she told her this since she knew her words were meaningless to change the outcome of their situation, but it was the only thing she could say at the moment to remotely console the girl. However, her own ideologies of pragmatism prevented her from sugar-coating the truth, even for a naïve, bright eyed girl like her.
The girl stared at the apathetic woman with her glossy, reddened eyes with a strong look of condemnation. "What would you know?! You probably defend and believe everything he tells you," she accused vehemently with her innocently angry eyes. "You're just his paid escort!"
Nina closed her eyes briefly with a faint smirk as she swam in the sweet venom of the young girl's words. She couldn't contest that. She was indeed Jin's escort, of course not in the sense the media spun it due to Anna's clever play on words, and she was being paid, handsomely. Hell, when she wasn't feeling argumentative, Jin could tell her that the moon was shining at high noon and she wouldn't disagree as long as it pleased him. Regrettably, their heart-warming conversation finally came to a close as their respective male partners finally returned.
"We're leaving," was all Jin muttered as he walked past her slowly, he was exhausted and mentally drained from his negotiations. He even lacked the necessary energy to properly bid them adieu and thank them for the lovely evening, but he knew she'd cover him in that department.
With her best tight-lipped, polite smile, Nina respectfully closed the evening out with their guests. "Thank you both for the lovely evening. Your hospitality won't be forgotten. Please take care," she spoke evenly and calmly despite the tension amidst them. The old man bowed to her respectfully in spite of his disheartened demeanor while the girl curtsied, begrudgingly. It was over, and there was nothing she could do, so she left and ignored any feelings of sympathy for them trying to scratch the surface of her ice encased heart.
End of Chapter 20!
So...remember, next chapter will change this story's rating to M.
It's not going to be anything too wild, but I just want to comply with the rating rules. Fun Fact: I originally uploaded this story under a M rating, but after reviewing it, I didn't really feel that it warranted a M rating despite some adult themes and language. See you next chapter! R&R!:)