Happy new year everyone! I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays. Sorry for the extremely late update, but it was nearly impossible to focus on writing once holiday season was in full swing. So, I decided to make up for it with this super deluxe, extra special chapter lol. Enjoy! ;)
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters. They are all property of Namco.
The past few days had been tightly scheduled for them. Once their employer had set his new plans in motion, they had been working tirelessly to keep up with his demands and expectations for them. In a way, it felt like punishment for any of their past failures or shortcomings and, they were proving their worth once again to gain their superior's favor. Everything seemed to have moved into overdrive, and they all wondered what was next to come.
This wasn't her ideal setting at all. Whenever she had visited a destination with hotter climates, she was usually laid out on a beach chair beneath an umbrella with a frosty, fruity cocktail within close reach. So far, she had been able to perform her duties without being too 'hands on', but it seemed that she had been thrown into the trenches with the rest of the common dogs. The heat was sweltering and the sun was brutal, but that was to be expected in the middle of the desert where they had been ordered to set up a base for not so apparent reasons.
The brunette sighed in exhaustion as she stood in the military tent to get some reprieve from the blistering sun, but even the shaded tent did nothing to shield her from the suffocating heat. She sat down in a nearby chair and began fanning herself with the map in her hand. She was supposed to be reviewing over the marked locations to send scouters to investigate, but not knowing exactly what they were supposed to be looking for decreased her urgency for the task. Kazuya loved to shroud his plans in mystery, and she wished she understood more about his motives, but once again she convinced herself to stay in her place. Even so, she couldn't help but to wonder.
Not too far from the tent she was stationed in, she heard a vehicle driving up and coming to a halt. She turned towards the opening of the tent and peered out to see who had just arrived. Upon seeing the man disembark, she clicked her tongue in annoyance. It was the last person she wanted to see and be bothered with at the moment.
The man strolled into the tent casually and dropped a crate down onto the sandy ground. He wiped sweat from his brow with his forearm and exhaled heavily. "Damn, it's hot as hell out today!" he exclaimed as he walked over to the water carafe and poured a cup.
The brunette ignored his obvious observation and continued to fan herself quietly. She wondered what he'd been up to for the last few hours but didn't ask because she knew he loved to run his mouth incessantly and would tell her eventually. After finishing the first cup of water, he poured another before sitting on the crate and staring at her with an amused smirk. She had already mentally prepped herself to endure his rapier tongue.
"What's the matter, princess?" Bruce taunted. "Don't like sand between your toes?" He could see that she drastically switched up her style of dress after being stuck in the heat for the past few days. She traded in her fancy, revealing dresses and heels for more practical gear, a standard G Corp uniform with combat boots. He could tell she didn't want her fair skin blistering in the sun by the way she avoided manual labor outdoors.
She scowled in annoyance. "Give it a rest and just tell me what you found!" she requested with a huff. "The sooner we find whatever it is we're looking for, the sooner we can leave this hell hole." She was dying to take a cold shower and check into a hotel and at least take in some sights before leaving.
Bruce chuckled slightly after successfully getting a rise out of her. She was so easily annoyed and seeing her taken out of her element only made her an easy target for him. "Just another day or so and you'll be laying nude by the poolside in no time," he teased again. "Just give him more time to give us more clues."
She stopped fanning herself and glared at him in annoyance. "Clues? What do you mean by 'clues'?" she asked in exasperation. "He launched this entire operation based on hunches and clues and we're not even sure what we're trying to find?"
Bruce shrugged. "Don't bark at me, I'm just following orders," he dismissed. "Heh, you can ask Kazuya for yourself when he returns from the desert."
"You left him out there alone?" she asked in disbelief. "What is he doing?"
"The hell if I know!" he shot back. "He just told me to stop the jeep and got out and told me to return to base. He's a Mishima, you know how strange they can be at times."
Of course she knew about their dark family history and cursed bloodline, in fact, it was one of the reasons why she was drawn to working for a man like Kazuya. However, she had never seen him or the true manifestation of his power, but she was aware of the gossip swirling about him that alluded to what he truly was. She wondered if this war extended beyond a father and son quarrel and there was something more supernatural at hand. She was still upset at how she still didn't understand his plans so far into the game.
"All I know is that we're planning a siege on the bases the Mishima Zaibatsu, and we have a few tricks to turn the tides in our favor," he revealed with a confident smirk. "So, you better get your beauty rest tonight to prepare yourself." With that said, Bruce stood to his height once again and headed back outside into the unforgiving heat.
Anna sighed in frustration as she sat back and reflected on everything happening so far. She only sighed up to help him with his endeavors just to have a little fun ruffling her sister's feathers, but now she was beginning to feel that she was in way over her head. However, she wasn't one to bail when things got tough, and besides that, she wanted to see how this all turned out. 'Kazuya and Jin, I wonder if they realize how high the stakes are now,' she mused. 'At this point, it's evident that neither of them care and the world is just their chess board.' With that grim thought, she continued on with her mundane duties to fulfill her boss' orders.
In spite of her many efforts to convince others of the truth, the horrific truth about everything she had been experiencing, it only served to do her more harm than good. Her audience had hung onto every word she spoke, and with each word, their pens scribbled furiously on the paper to document her wild tales of a horned beast and the invisible entity trying to invade her mind. Due to her resistance to leave her quarters and visit the hospital, her skeptical sibling had demanded that the 'specialists' make an emergency house call. After they interviewed her and left her in peace, she could still hear their hushed voices echoing loudly down the hall as they continued speaking about her condition in her absence.
One word, just one word kept jumping out throughout their conversation that nearly made her stomach churn with anxiety as they repeated it.
"Schizophrenia…?" the blonde murmured to herself as she curled up on her bed in the fetal position. Was it true? Was everything she was experiencing due to her newly diagnosed ailment? The dreams, voices, glowing red eyes, and evil black mist; they were all just imagined by her warped sense of reality?
She continued to pick up traces of their conversation and silently prayed that she wouldn't be forced to swallow yet another pill. What else could they do to help her now? She had given up hope and decided that she would let them do whatever was necessary at this point. The sound of their front door opening and closing could be heard, and later she heard footsteps approaching the door to her room. The door opened with a soft click and she could hear the brunette sigh heavily with disappointment.
"I tried my best, but there's nothing I can do," she admitted in a low voice. "I tried to vouch for you, but with all of your symptoms and reckless behavior, they're convinced that you need intensive psychiatric treatment at this point."
"Get to the point," the blonde muttered lazily as she kept her back turned to her. She heard the woman sigh again.
"Starting tomorrow, they're going to have you checked into the research facility for closer observation and treatment," she revealed in a somber tone. "It's the only solution at this point…"
It was then that the blonde turned over in bed to look at the woman. Oddly, she couldn't understand the look of guilt displayed on her face. Why would she be guilty? If she had only believed her, then it wouldn't have come to any of this. A strange yet very dangerous idea suddenly sparked in her mind. She sat up alertly and abruptly, which caused the brunette to flinch in surprise.
"I'll show you once and for all that I'm not lying…"she spoke cryptically. With that, she pushed herself up from the bed and headed out her room, brushing past the confused brunette in the process.
"Where are you going?!" she questioned as she followed the blonde as she walked through the apartment until she arrived at a small closet in the hall. "What the hell are you doing?" Her behavior always kept her on edge. It was at the point where she didn't feel comfortable living with her due to her violent mood swings and erratic, unpredictable behavior. She watched as the blonde shuffled around in the closet as if she were furiously searching for something until she reemerged with a pistol in her hand. It was an old pistol that belonged to their father.
The blonde glared at the woman intently as she gripped the pistol tightly in her hand. She'd discovered it a while back as she snooped around their apartment for old memorabilia from her past, hoping to recover some of her memories. "I'll show you…" she repeated calmly with an intense tone.
The younger woman's face contorted with a look of shock and horror as she watched the blonde lift the gun to the temple of her head. Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head as she watched the maniacal woman held the pistol to her head threateningly. "P-please don't do that…"she begged with desperation and fear in her voice. "Just listen…I'll talk with the doctors…I won't let them take you away if you put the gun down." She tried her best to bargain with the woman, even if it meant lying. It was clear as day that she was mentally ill and needed immediate treatment.
"No…I don't believe you," she protested with a slow shake of her head as tears welled in her eyes. "I just need you to believe me…please..." A loud bang echoed throughout the apartment with a deafening scream emitting from the woman in front of her.
Everything went black as she hit the floor with a loud thud.
A loud, thunderous boom echoed in her head, forcing her to jolt upwards from her slumber, filled with anxiety and dread lingering in her memories. It had been a long time since she had such a violent nightmare, and she just sat erect in the bed as she waited for the tension that had built inside her to dissipate. She tiredly raised her hand to her temple to rub away at a phantom pain. That was such a grim dream, or memory, that she secretly hoped that somehow it wasn't a real occurrence from her past. The memories of her past that she could recall were so unnerving that it was no wonder why she kept them locked away. 'These damned nightmares…I can't find peace even in sleep.' the blonde woman thought in distress.
After shaking away the shock of that awful nightmare, she whipped her head around in the dark room, habitually searching for a clock. She couldn't find one. Once the grogginess from her sleep cleared, she realized that she wasn't in the familiar surroundings of her quarters at the Mishima Zaibatsu headquarters. The room was much smaller and so was the bed she was lying on. She then recalled that she had left her quarters in a fit of anger and went on a short night ride before she returned to the apartment she resided in before her employment with the Mishima Zaibatsu. For reasons unbeknownst to herself at the time, she thought it'd be useful to keep paying rent at the apartment just in case she needed a backup residence if things went left in her future endeavors. Then, she didn't know how she'd fit in working for a multimillion dollar corporation that was on the brink of starting a world war, so she thought it'd be wise not to put all her eggs into one basket.
She reached for the phone on the nightstand to take a quick glance at the time; it was so early in the morning that it was still dark outside. She dropped the phone back onto the nightstand carelessly before flopping back down on the bed. That damned device only served to dust off dirt on a bad memory that she hadn't fully buried yet. She didn't understand her reaction to that situation, and somehow that only made her more upset. Illogical emotions challenged her sense of judgment and controlling herself, which was probably the reason why she had projected some of those misplaced emotions onto Jin. By no means was he off the hook for what he'd done, she was still very upset, but at least she was able to recognize some of her faults in the mix up after isolating herself from him and the entire situation.
Nina sighed as she lazily pulled the covers over her head and attempted to go back to sleep. The longer she stayed awake, the more she thought of him. She couldn't shake that hateful glare he gave her with his battered face from her mind. Looking into his face and his eyes was like staring into a mirror and having her humanity judged and tested. Had she failed? Once again, a sickness inducing anxiety welled inside her as she continued to think of the boxer. She drew in a long breath and held it until she was forced to breathe again. She shut her eyes tightly and tried to slip back into a deep slumber. She had to do what she knew best to cope with situations like this; repress her memories until they were buried into the darkest, deepest recesses of her mind. Soon, she'd forget all about him again until he became nothing but a distant memory.
Something ominous was amidst. Whether it was the cursed blood on his father's side, or the pure blood from his mother's side, something within him stirred with unrest. During his rest, he had a strange, disjointed vision invading his dream; the blaring sun shining over rolling sand dunes and a lone man trudging through the desert in search of something. Undoubtedly, he knew this feeling came about because of Kazuya. Whenever the devil within his father stirred, his own demon reacted as well. What is he planning? 'He's getting closer to uncovering the temple…' he thought worriedly. 'Is he really planning on destroying Azazel?'
'He won't succeed,' the demon within him spoke. 'Only I can fully destroy it.'
Jin narrowed his eyes as the beast within him spoke to him. 'You've stated that several times now,' he responded. 'Even so, I don't need anything from you.'
The demon within him laughed mockingly. 'You're blindly confident in your abilities, but without me you'd be long dead,' the demon reminded. 'You need me…you won't succeed without my power.'
He didn't respond anymore, and soon enough the voice retreated. The demon's tactics always resorted to coercing him into a Faustian bargain, but he refused to take the same path as his father in exchange for power. However, time was ticking. His sources in the middle east had informed him of G Corp's moves. It seemed that there was a calm before a storm, and they were waiting for an opportune time to strike. Hopefully, the Tekken Force would hold strong against whatever they had brewing. He had been in contact with Eddy to be debriefed about the current situation. Although it appeared that they were prepared, he still requested more units to report to the location to decrease their chances for failure.
This was heavily on his mind all day; no matter how much time he'd spent in his dojo training to distract himself, he couldn't ignore his duties to manage this war he created. Besides, he was annoyed that his only outlet to vent his anger and frustration came through senselessly beating an inanimate object hanging from the ceiling. He was too troubled to do anything besides think. Also, it certainly didn't help that his right hand had been defying him lately. As soon as she left the premises last night, he had been informed by security, but he decided to let her leave. She wanted space, so he gave it to her, but with the tides rising in the war it was imperative that she be there to perform her duties when necessary. He had attempted to contact her a few times throughout the day only to be met with a standard voicemail message. She had turned off her phone once again just to spite him. Soon, he'd have no choice but to use extreme measures to rein her back in, like freezing her checks until she decided to stop playing these childish games.
He exhaled heavily as his eyes remained transfixed on the ceiling in his dark room. His thoughts had been rapidly firing all day long, and now it was nearing midnight, and he was still alert and restless. He was apprehensive about the days to come, but he would just have to wait and see his everything played out; the pawns were placed and now it was time to make the first move.
After a few more moments of staring blankly at his ceiling, he came to the conclusion that he'd definitely need a sleeping aid to knock himself out for the night. As he turned over and reached for the drawer on his nightstand, he was stopped as the ringing of his cellphone interrupted the dead silence of his quarters. He glimpsed at the name and narrowed his eyes angrily before he finally reached for the device after a few rings. He answered the call. "You have some nerve," he spoke in a reprimanding tone. "Why do you insist on intentionally disobeying me?" He could hear music and low chatter in the background and wondered where the hell she was.
"Hmph, I'm not surprised that you're still awake," she mocked in a casual tone. "Are you burning the midnight oil or lying in bed lamenting your life choices?"
Her nonchalant, snide tone only further pissed him off. "Don't think that you're above discipline because we-"
"Fucked?" she finished for him rather crudely. "That's nothing, remember?"
Jin groaned lowly in annoyance as he pinched the bridge of his nose. She was so bold and testy with him that she couldn't possibly be ready to talk like a mature adult. The conversation was going left already and they were barely on the phone for a full minute. "Why did you bother calling me if you weren't going to be reasonable?"
"This is me being reasonable," she responded sharply. "I'm ready to talk, if that's what you meant."
Jin sighed inaudibly as he realized that dealing with the woman was never going to be easy. He was beginning to rue the day that he allowed his male curiosities about women to get the better of his judgment. "This conversation should be held in person," he suggested firmly. "Come back now." He could hear her scoffing on the other end.
"You better come find me," she said slyly. "Obviously, you're good at that."
"You honestly think I'm in the mood for this right now?" he warned with anger infiltrating his tone.
"Of course you are," she responded. "It seems that you're quite fond of games, but I guess that's only when you have control over the rules."
"I don't have time for this," he rejected her offer. She only further contributed to his list of problems, and he finally saw their time spent away from each other as a positive thing.
"Suit yourself," she spoke lowly, barely audible over the noise in the background. "I'll be back tomorrow."
"Where are you?" he demanded to know in a serious tone. She was acting strangely, and he couldn't help but to wonder what the hell was going on with her.
"Again, you know how to find me," she reminded before she abruptly ended the call.
Jin slapped his palm over his face as he still held his phone to his ear, still trying to understand what was going on with his bodyguard. What did she want from him? He finally rested his phone beside him and closed his eyes. He wished she hadn't called. He would've taken a pill already had she not, but now she was on the forefront on his mind, once again plaguing his thoughts. 'If she wants to play games, she can do it alone,' he thought to himself. 'I have bigger things to worry about.' Convinced with his decision, he decided to not be lured into her games.
In the battle of the stubborn versus the strong-willed, he shamefully accepted his defeat and finally caved and threw in the towel. He contemplated for several minutes as he laid in bed before finally forcing himself to roll out of bed to track down his wayward bodyguard. It didn't take long to find her; his phone's GPS tracker led him right to her location. However, when he arrived to the location, it wasn't what he expected at all. He found himself at a small lounge in the city with an inconspicuous façade that didn't particularly seem exciting or very inviting. Despite his reservations, he opened the door and slowly descended the long staircase down towards the bar.
Once downstairs, he found himself in a dimly lit lounge with jazz music playing lowly in the background. There were barely any patrons in the place, maybe seven people tops, and they all seemed to be mellowed and hypnotized. Perhaps they were numbed by the drinks in their system or lulled by the calming music looming throughout the atmosphere. Jin cautiously crept into the place to fully study and observe his environment. No one hardly acknowledged him, which is what he preferred since it was very important that his identity remained a mystery. He scanned his brown eyes over the room, and it didn't take long for him to find who he had been searching for. There she was, circling the pool table slowly with a pool stick clutched firmly in her hand. The blonde was dressed in a pair of tight black leather pants with a matching black halter top. She was a sight for sore eyes, especially in this seedy place.
Jin paused and just watched her from afar. Now that he had her in his sights, he noticed that the other patrons secretly stole glances at the blonde as she played a solo game of pool. Ever so often, he could see the other men casting cowardly glances at her before hanging their heads low or looking elsewhere discreetly when they feared that they'd end up in her line of sight as she switched positions around the table. However, when she had her back turned towards most of the room and leaned forward over the table to line up her shot, all eyes were on her, unabashedly drinking in the sight of her curvaceous body.
Whether intentionally or not, she had every man in the room under her spell, similarly to the night she had graced the stage. Yet with this power, she still maintained a hierarchy of control and dominance, which effectively seemed to ward off any unwanted advances from any fool brazen enough to attempt to press his luck with her. Practically every man in the lounge was a slave to her, whether they realized it or not, and he could bet that she was either unaware or completely uncaring about their secret reverence of her. Unsurprisingly, the spectators acknowledged her rules and stayed in their respective places as she dominated the room with her cool, commanding presence.
He watched as she slowly strutted around the table on the opposite side and leaned over after eyeballing her next target. It was then that she finally lifted her eyes from the table and looked at him from across the room. She didn't appear surprised or upset by noticing his presence and merely returned her eyes to the game before taking the shot. The clacking of balls knocked him from his reverie, and he slowly made his way over to her.
Nina clutched the pool stick in her hand as she reached towards a nearby table and took a sip of beer from a glass mug. She then turned her attention towards Jin, who looked as sour faced and aloof as he normally did. She could sense that he was peeved about being there, but it's not like she pulled his leg and forced him to meet her, and she honestly didn't think he'd show. She did say that she would return to HQ the next morning after all, but perhaps after closer consideration, he wasn't too pleased with that. Truthfully, she had intended on returning much earlier in the day, but she became sidetracked by things, such as realizing that she had absolutely no food stocked in her frig at her little hideaway apartment, which led to her perusing around the city to grab a bite. Aside from that, she was in no rush to return since technically it was the last day of her vacation, so she figured she'd hideaway somewhere to have some fun to take her mind off things before returning to the salt mines.
The blonde paid him no mind as she slowly coasted along the length of the table, eyeing her next potential target. His eyes remained fixated on her while she barely acknowledged his presence. His eyes then fell on the balls on the table as she bent over with her hand perched on the soft material of the table while she carefully slid the pool stick between her fingers before launching it into the cue ball. A striped ball flew across the table and perfectly landed into a side pocket. Jin folded his arms across his chest as she walked towards where he was standing on the other side of the table. She gazed intently into his eyes for a moment before pursing her lips.
"Move," she spoke brusquely.
Jin frowned deeply at her rude tone. Her eyes were noticeably drowsy, and he couldn't determine if her tone was serious or playful. However, he refused to let her think she could get away with being so dismissive and disrespectful to him. "We're leaving," he ordered in a monotonous voice. He was in no mood to deal with her flimsy attitude after coming all the way to some hole in the wall bar to meet her.
Nina didn't flinch from his words and simply brushed past him with a smug smirk to reach her next position on the table. She lined her shot up perfectly only to have her concentration disrupted as he rudely picked the cue ball up from the table and clutched it in his hands. She stood to her height and placed her hand on her hip with an irritable glare before reaching for her mug of beer and taking a long sip. After she was finished, she placed it back down. "Careful, Jin," she warned with a smirk. "You're making a scene." She motioned her eyes behind him.
He turned his head slightly to look in the direction she was looking in. Strangely, the room full of men had their eyes focused on him in contempt, probably in displeasure at watching some intruder disrupt their entertainment. Jin angrily clenched his fist by his side and felt the currents of electricity flowing throughout his fist before he came to his senses. He wasn't at all threatened by any drunken fool in the bar, but his anonymity was important, and avoiding unnecessary conflict seemed to be a wise decision.
From the way Jin came in dressed incognito with a black hoodie pulled over his head and sunglasses on his face, she could assume that he wanted to protect his identity, and it was painfully obvious that he didn't want to be seen. Besides that, she didn't appreciate him interrupting her game. Still, he clutched the cue ball in his hand tightly as he glared angrily at her. She sighed and folded her arms across her chest in impatience. "Look, just let me finish my game, then we can leave," she bargained fairly. Jin was an impatient man, but she knew how to get around that.
She always wanted to have things her way, and he was tired of relenting to her every whim. "I don't have time for this, we're leaving now," he ordered with more vigor in his tone. He clenched his jaw as she remained unmoving. They then engaged in a heated staring match as their stubborn wills were battling each other in a death match. A long moment passed before a bartender collected the empty glass on the table behind her and replaced it with a full glass foaming to the brim. This broke her concentration, and he watched as she casually picked up the glass and began drinking from it. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He wondered how much she had to drink so far. If she was indeed drunk, that would partially explain her bold tone and disrespectful attitude towards him. She continued to sip from her glass as she coolly pierced him with her crystalline blue eyes.
She knew that pissing him off wasn't wise, but part of her enjoyed ruffling his feathers. She wasn't intimidated by his fearsome anger like everyone else was, and this allowed her to breach his tough outer layer. After a few more moments of debating, she saw him finally place the ball back onto the table, very resentfully. It was then that she approached the table again with her stick in hand and resumed her game.
Jin sighed heavily after he finally gave in and decided to ease his anger by watching her play. He was seething, but he quietly attempted to keep his temper under wraps. Deep down, however, he wanted to grab her by the arm and force her to just hurry up and leave the bar. As she walked about the table taking shot after shot, and he watched her game intently until she paused to take another drink. "Are you satisfied now?" he cut through their silence with a serious question. "You successfully dragged me out of bed just so you could parade how angry you are with me over something I already apologized for."
Nina remained silent as she continued to sip her drink as he glowered at her. Afterwards she approached the table once again with her eyes intently focused on his. She reached for the cue shaper and began twisting it on the tip of her stick before she puckered her lips to blow off the excess dust. She blankly stared at him. "You think this is me angry?" she said calmly. "If I were truly angry, I'd be beating you fucking bloody with this pool stick."
Jin blinked a few times as he was taken aback by the slight rise of anger in her tone. Not only that, he could definitely hear her native Irish accent resurfacing again as she bit out those words to him. Perhaps it was her raw, unfiltered anger dislodged by the alcohol she had consumed this evening that caused her to slip. Not sure what to say next, while also being slightly intimidated, he didn't say anything else to her.
"Everything about this job has been a bad omen on my life," she confessed angrily as she paced about the table. "I've never had to deal with this much bullshit just to earn a decent paycheck."
At this point, he knew that the alcohol had loosened her lips, and she was definitely venting and unleashing her frustration. He allowed her the opportunity to reveal her true feelings about everything and held his tongue.
"I value my privacy just as much as you do, Kazama," she continued. "So, I'm assuming you can imagine how pissed I am about this situation digging up a shameful part of my past."
He would've interjected to agree, but he didn't want to disrupt her candid monologue. This was the time to listen and understand her grievances.
Her blue eyes wavered with sadness for a brief moment as she stared at the pool table with a faraway expression. "I…just don't understand why this happened…" she muttered lowly to herself. "I didn't have a choice…" Her voice trailed off sorrowfully as she continued to stare vacantly for a moment.
Jin noticed the shift in her mood immediately. Her once sassy attitude was now replaced with a gloomy disposition. After hearing her speak, he realized that he was ignorant to how deeply this all affected her and even felt remorseful for dismissing her anger as an overreaction earlier. Despite her now sorrowful mood, she resumed playing. He leaned against a nearby wall and watched her finish her game. She finally lined up her last shot and slammed the cue ball into the eight ball, landing it perfectly into the side pocket. She expressed no emotion at her feat and headed over to finish the last of her beer before reaching for her leather jacket and heading towards the door.
Naturally, he followed closely in tow as she walked past him. He looked around and noticed the eyes of the men watching her surreptitiously as she headed out. They'd probably miss their entertainment of leering lasciviously at her body as she bent over repeatedly in those tight leather pants, and the fool that had every one of her drinks placed on his tab probably felt cheated that she didn't get liquored up enough to go home with him. It slightly annoyed him, but he felt satisfied knowing that he was able to steal her away from the lecherous attention of the lonely men in the lounge. 'I'm glad I've never been this pathetic in life,' he thought bitterly as he ascended the stairs behind the blonde.
Once outside, he immediately felt less anxious. He never took a liking to being in public spaces for too long; he already craved to return to the comfort and solitude of his quarters. Nina slowly walked a few paces ahead of him down the sidewalk in silence. He walked behind her as he only listened to the sound of her heeled boots slowly clicking down the deserted sidewalk. It was late and cold, and the streets were pretty dead now. Not that he thought this portion of the city should be booming with nightlife with the given bars in the area, but he knew the war had greatly caused an emotional and economic decline throughout the globe.
He quickly dismissed those grim observations and kept his focus on the woman in front of him. He wondered if she was going to give him the silent treatment all night, yet he couldn't tell if she was angry or sad. Just as they were going to walk past his parked motorcycle, he finally spoke up. "Where are you going?" he asked, once again being the first to break the silence.
The blonde slowly came to a halt and kept her back to him. Her shoulders heaved up and down heavily as she breathed in and exhaled deeply a few times before she brought a palm up to her face. There was an awkward silence between the question and when she finally responded to him. "My bike is up the street," she informed in an unenthused tone. "Go on ahead without me, I'll be fine." She then continued to walk.
The way she slowly and cautiously walked as if she were applying extra focus not to stumble made it more than clear that she was unfit to ride alone. His conscience and care for her well being wouldn't allow him to leave her alone. "I'm not going to fight you on this," Jin warned lightly. "It's late, I'm tired…I'm tired of fighting." He wanted nothing more now than to be between the warm sheets of his bed. She paused again and crossed her arms briefly before raising her palm to her face again.
"Jin, please…" her voice cracked weakly. "Just go."
He couldn't take anymore of this. "Enough!" he snapped angrily. "Why are you so damn hung up over this?! Get over it!" Again, his anger got the better of him, and he said something to her that he immediately regretted afterwards. His sharp tongue and short temper was becoming an issue lately; the devil within him was having a field day. Silence crept between them again for a long moment, only to be disrupted by a lone vehicle casually passing down the road. Nina remained unmoving from his words, which made him even more nervous. Jin lowered his eyes to the ground as he tried to think of something to alleviate the situation. A joke? An apology? More silence? He didn't know what to do. He hated how unprepared he was at dealing with women's emotions and people in general. He took a small step towards her but immediately stopped once he heard her sigh sorrowfully.
"It's not like I asked for any of this," she spoke with a soft, strained voice with her back still to him. "I didn't ask for any of this…"
Jin's heart nervously quickened at hearing how weak and defeated she sounded. Resentment towards one's fate, he knew that hatred all too well. He naturally felt compelled to approach her now, especially since he had clearly upset her with his insensitive words. Once he was close enough, he reached out and gently grabbed her arm to turn her around to face him and was greeted with the surprise of a lifetime. The blonde nearly startled him as she quickly buried her face into his shoulder, barely allowing him to get a full glimpse of her face. However, in a flicker of a second, he had unmistakably witnessed tears slipping down her pale cheeks. He was stunned, and he stood there for a moment like a statue as she kept her face buried into his shoulder and quietly wept.
As the initial shock of witnessing the ice cold assassin breaking down before him dissipated, he slowly encircled his arms around her shoulders in a comforting embrace. He could feel her body lightly trembling against him as she silently broke down. He was at a complete loss for words, but for a situation like this, no words were needed. He had feared that his words had triggered this reaction, but he knew this was just a build up of backed up emotions finally forcing their way out of her. This is what she needed at the moment. All of the pain, frustration, and anger she had kept bottled was finally released; it was probably a cathartic experience to purge some of those negative emotions.
His arms tightened around her protectively as a couple of pedestrians passed by them on the sidewalk, and he craned his face down towards hers to shield their identities as one of them curiously tried to observe them as they walked by. Their faces, mainly his, had been plastered all over the news and being in public like this only increased his urgency to return back to HQ.
Suddenly, the blonde gently pushed away from him and quickly whipped around to turn her back on him with her hand shielding her face in shame. She calmly steadied her breathing to fight back any more tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes since the first round was embarrassing and damaging enough to her iron pride. She couldn't imagine what Jin thought of her at the moment, she never would have wanted anyone to see her in such a vulnerable state. Her mind was fuzzy and she was tired, so she forced herself to regain her composure so that they could leave. Her fingers wiped away any evidence of tears from her cheeks and, she took one final, shaky breath. "I'm sorry," she whispered, just audible enough for him to hear. "Let's get the hell out of here."
Jin was still slightly dazed by everything he witnessed. Hearing her finally speak again brought him back to reality. There was fragility still present in her voice, but he could hear her attempt to conceal it with her usual composed tone. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and she tensed. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked carefully with concern.
"I'm fine," she responded hastily without hesitation. "I'm just cold and tired."
That was her usual recited phrase whenever he asked that question, but he would take her word for it. Besides, like her, he was cold and tired as well, minus being tipsy. "You're coming with me," he declared as he began walking back towards his motorcycle parked near the curb. He turned back to face her when he didn't hear her following him. "Is there a problem?"
Nina folded her arms as she felt reluctant to go with him. "My bike is up ahead," she reminded him. "I don't want to leave it."
Jin shook his head. "You're not fit to ride alone," he said as he mounted his bike and started the engine. "Come with me, now."
"Trust me I'm not drunk, Jin, I can manage to drive," she continued to plead her case.
The blonde never made things easy. Whether she was drunk or not, he still preferred to have her ride with him. He was slightly endeared that she was so concerned about the welfare of his gift to her, but it shouldn't have been her top concern at the moment considering the things that had transpired. "I'll have that taken care of later," he assured her. "Come." Finally, she obeyed his command without further objections.
Nina approached his bike and came to terms that there was no way around this. As soon as she mounted herself onto his bike, she immediately locked her arms around his torso firmly as if bracing herself for a speedy departure. He was confused by her behavior at first until he recalled the last time she rode with him. He smirked to himself from the memory. In retrospect, it was an amusing stunt he pulled on her, but he wouldn't dare try that now since he feared she might actually fall off due to being somewhat impaired from drinking.
"Are you sure you're holding on tight enough?" he jested with her as he revved the engine. He could feel her pressing against his back as she made herself more comfortable.
"Don't go so fast," she murmured softly into his ear as she clung onto him. "If I fall, you die."
He found it amusing that she was threatening him in her current emotional state, but he would heed her warning and take extra precautions while riding. That would mean eliminating tricky roads and dirt paths and avoiding tight turns and winding roads, but he wouldn't mind taking the longer but safer route to get her to their destination safely. Once he was sure she was properly situated, he finally pulled off and zoomed down the road.
When they arrived back from their little night ride, he made it his duty to escort her back to her quarters, a task that didn't come without resistance. Even though she repeatedly claimed that she was fine, he ignored her completely and walked her to her room. He even took the extra step of getting her settled in by helping her remove her jacket and boots and making sure she laid down to rest. However, she wouldn't rest assured until she knew her bike was fine, so he was forced to call a late night patrol soldier to retrieve it for her. After he was finally able to successfully tuck her in, he left her alone for the night and retired to his quarters.
Once again, he found himself in the same predicament he was in nearly three hours earlier, struggling to fall asleep with a lot on his mind. It was nearing 3am now, and he couldn't believe that he was still awake, especially considering how early he planned to wake up in the morning. Dealing with the blonde had turned his night topsy turvy, but he was relieved that she finally returned with him, but not without much struggle. After witnessing her one woman show earlier, he was still disconcerted from her behavior. There was no doubt in his mind that alcohol had been the catalyst for her emotional rollercoaster, which was grounds enough for him to dismiss it since her actions were probably unintended; however, it was one of the most raw, human moments she'd ever displayed to him. There was a sad irony in realizing that she was right; by granting her this break from her duties, she only experienced more unrest and turmoil. Hopefully, she was at peace now and would be able to rest easy.
Jin finally closed his eyes after losing interest in staring blankly at the moon shining in from his bedroom windows. It calmed him a little and hopefully it would ease his mind and allow him to sleep. After several minutes laying in the dark and waiting for the silence to lull him to sleep, he heard the distinct sound of his bedroom door softly clicking as it opened. He immediately opened his eyes and sat up in his bed as his eyes darted towards the door. His mouth fell slightly agape as a figure of a woman emerged from the shadows and slowly crossed the room. She was adorned in nothing but a silky, sheer white robe that was very loosely tied around her slim waist. As she drew nearer, he noticed that her blonde hair appeared slightly wet as it draped over her shoulders.
His heart thumped heavily in excitement, and he nervously let out a low exhale and licked his bottom lip as he was preparing to break the spell he was falling under by asking her if everything was okay. He slowly swung his legs over the side of his bed as he never tore his eyes away from her. The pale moonlight seeping in through the windows illuminated her form, making her look all the more alluring and mysterious as she slipped into his quarters in the dark of night, like an angel of darkness. Despite how mesmerizing and hauntingly beautiful she looked, there was a strange air of melancholy about her as her blue eyes still reflected a serene sadness within them. At the moment, his tongue was frozen and the only thing he could do was watch her in awe.
The blonde slowly stepped towards him, her bare knee caressed against his as she gazed wantonly into his brown eyes. She remained silent as she lifted her hand to his face and softly caressed his cheek. Her fingers slipped through his dark locks and she smirked gently as he just stared at her in arousal and confusion.
He barely had any time to process what was happening. The beautiful, svelte blonde stood before him with her sheer robe that concealed nothing from his imagination. It wasn't long before he finally allowed his hand to gently brush against the skin of her thigh. Her skin was still slightly moist from her shower, it was as if she'd wasted no time afterwards to pay him a visit. Restraint was nonexistent at this point as he fully caressed his hands upwards on her warm, smooth skin before his hands slipped over her hips. He didn't hold himself back this time, for now he had no qualms about pursuing what he desired. Her soft pants of excitement never ceased to increase his need to further explore more of her. He tugged gently at the sash of her robe and gawked at her body lustfully as the sheer material slid open to give him a full view of her voluptuous figure and ample breasts. Impulsively, Jin immediately snaked his arms around her waist and drew her even closer to him as he couldn't help but to begin exploring her with his mouth, giving attention to the various erogenous zones she loved for him to touch.
Nina was thrilled with his eagerness and confidence. He knew what she liked; he was so bold and unrestrained this time around. Her fingers still slipped through his thick hair as she continued to moan in pleasure as he greedily kissed and teased her breasts eagerly with his tongue. More gasping moans slipped through her parted lips as she increasingly became more satisfied by his actions. She slowly clasped his face between her palms and he slowly parted from her and gazed up at her longingly.
His hands still roamed over body as they lustfully locked eyes. His hands slid upwards towards her shoulders as he slipped the thin, sheer robe from them, leaving her completely nude before him. Jin marveled her form briefly before his hands tightly gripped onto her hips and pulled her towards him again until she was forced to straddle him on the bed. The alluring siren wrapped her arms around his shoulders as she pressed her lips against his, locking them into an intensely passionate kiss. He enveloped her tightly in his muscular arms as he completely reveled in the moment. There was something peculiar about her this evening. She not only appeared to be physically unrestrained, but emotionally as well. Whether it was the strange power in her kiss or something in her embrace, something was different.
After she parted from his lips, he gazed intently into her eyes as her face remained close to his. He looked into her deep pools as if he were searching for the answer for his prior musings in her eyes. The only response he received was her drifting towards his lips again and seductively teasing them with the tip of her tongue. This broke him from his small trance, and he immediately smothered her lips with his as he fell backwards onto the bed with her in his arms. He combed his fingers through her damp, blonde tresses as he passionately kissed her plush lips, allowing his tongue to gently caress against hers. The warmth of her body pressing into his coupled with her sensually writhing her hips on top of him began peaking his arousal, and he couldn't wait any longer to have her.
Nina moaned softly against his lips before pulling away from him and studying his eyes. His hands continued to slip over her body, rubbing and softly kneading her skin from her thighs, over her bottom, and across her back. The feel of their hearts beating together rhythmically in time was inexplicably comforting to her at the moment, something she so desperately needed for a long time. The familiar aching of desire had overwhelmed her as well, and teasingly brushing against him only increased her cravings for him. However, she felt oddly anxious, but she wouldn't let that hold her back. She placed another soft kiss on his lips before slowly pushing herself from his chest.
Jin was quickly pulled from his lustful haze when the blonde dismounted from him and slowly laid beside him. He sat up slowly in alarm and stared down at her with a confused expression, but she simply cast him a gentle smile as she lifted her hand towards his cheek to ease his concerns. Her sapphire eyes were calm, and she softly exhaled as she pulled him down towards her face again. He hovered over her body for a moment, curiously searching her eyes for more answers. He parted his lips slightly in preparation to ask her before she encircled her arms around his torso and pulled his body down to hers. Once again, her behavior surprised him. Her thighs caressed against his hips before she locked them around him.
Jin was spellbound by her actions and fell into a state of awe as things further progressed. Her eyes enticingly pierced his while her hands slid down towards his hips until she slid them beneath the band of his black boxers. He didn't hesitate in assisting her with the task since he was already throbbing for her by this point. After he was free from the garment, he pressed his body onto hers and cupped her smooth cheek with his palm. For a moment, he just lost himself in her eyes, and he felt a warming feeling overflowing within him. Her heart was pounding strongly against him as if she were slightly nervous. It was completely unfathomable to him that she would feel that way, but it wasn't impossible. After all, she was exposing more of her vulnerabilities to him lately.
Control was very important to her; without it she felt weak. Yet, she allowed herself to entertain the thought of submissiveness, just for once. Her lips pulled into a half smile as she reassured him that everything was fine. She closed her eyes with a low exhale while she relaxed herself. A low, gasping moan emitted from her, and she loosely gripped onto the black silken sheets of his bed as he slowly entered her. Now that she had given him full control, she wondered what he would do with that power.
The fusion of their bodies completely overwhelmed his senses just as it did the last time. Maintaining and seeking more of that same pleasure became his primary goal, and now his brain was operating on autopilot. His hands gripped onto her thighs as he pulled her closer to him, thus plunging himself deeper to obtain even more pleasure. The sounds her soft pants filling his ears excited him, further fueling and emboldening him.
His thrusts started slow and steady, yet once he felt comfortable he slowly advanced into a strong, rhythmic pace. The blonde arched her back from his thrusts and writhed on the bed erotically as he continued onwards, her moans and pants gradually increased as their hips rocked together in unison.
Nina bit down into her bottom lip as the rhythmic motion of him slicking inside of her increasingly caused her to lose herself in the moment. All attempts to stifle her moans failed as she wholly succumbed to the pleasure. Her hands gripped tighter on the sheets as she pressed her lips together to further silence her cries of ecstasy. She lazily opened her eyes to gaze up at Jin, who seemed to be thoroughly consumed in the act with a deeply focused expression as he never broke his rhythm. She tightened her trembling legs around his hips as she bucked into him again as she squeezed her eyes shut as she could no longer contain herself as another series of heavy, panting moans freed themselves from her. She rotated her head to look around her and reached for a nearby pillow.
The raven haired man was perspiring lightly as he never let up on his pacing. He groaned lowly from the overwhelming gratification of their love making. His concentration was broken when he heard the sounds of her muffled voice lowly muttering expletives. When he looked down at her, he was surprised to see her smothering a pillow over her face, robbing him from the view of her beautiful face twisting erotically with pleasure and the melodious sounds of her sensuous orgasm. He immediately reached out and pulled the pillow from her grasp and beheld her flushed face that she once attempted to hide from him. He smirked playfully as he realized the cause of her sudden bashful behavior. She wasn't in control and was completely at his mercy, and he surmised that she wasn't used to allowing herself to feel so powerless. Admittedly, he was honored that she was trusting enough to allow him take the lead.
Jin leaned over her body while reaching out to rest his hand over the base of her throat. He slowly slipped his hand towards her cheek and caressed his thumb over her bottom lip while he observed her in amusement as she heaved breathlessly beneath him. She slowly clasped her hand over his before intertwining her hand with his as she gazed at him lasciviously. He guided his lips towards hers and kissed her strongly before continuing.
She embraced her arms tightly around his strong shoulders and deeply arched her hips towards his as they rocked together. Their glistening bodies were entangled together, moving perfectly together like a well oiled machine. Her nails bit into his back softly as she rapidly ascended towards her climax. She buried her face into his neck to once again suppress her moans as her body began quivering against his. Her toes curled as she cried out sensuously once again.
Jin groaned and grunted as finally reached his climax. Her body tightened around him as they both were granted a gratifying release. They were both breathing tirelessly as they both remained in each other's embrace. Even after their heavy breathing and pounding hearts steadied, they still remained close. He nestled his face near the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply, picking up the faint scent of lavender in her hair. He wouldn't have minded staying just like that for the entire night, but he assumed that it wouldn't be very comfortable for her. With this in mind, he finally lifted his weight from her body and peered down at the blonde beneath him. Her hair was fanned and tousled around her head as she appeared to be dreamily dozing off, seemingly exhausted from their intimate activities. He smirked thinly at her before he planted a chaste kiss on her lips before rolling onto his side beside her.
Watching her drift to sleep was strangely calming to him, but he was primarily concerned for her well being. It had been quite an emotional night for her, and he wondered how she'd feel in the morning. She was in rare form this evening, but he was intrigued to see her let her wall down even more, even if the catalyst for doing so was caused by her repressed pain. She was a curious case, but there was no use in dwelling on a mystery he couldn't solve. The raven haired man draped his arm over her waist as he embraced her and allowed the warmth of her body soothe him to sleep.
Morning once again had arrived entirely too early. It came to no surprise that he woke up feeling sleep deprived, but he was so used to it that it no longer bothered him at this point. When he finally opened his eyes to be greeted by the morning light, he was surprised to see that it was still dimly lit in his room. He stretched his tired muscles a bit before he turned his head towards clock on his nightstand and saw that it was nearing sunrise; he'd barely gotten three hours of sleep. He sighed tiredly. Every morning he woke up, his mind immediately became fixated on the many dreadful things he had to attend to on his itinerary.
He blinked drowsily before turning his head to the side on his pillow. The sight of the woman sleeping next to him nearly startled him; it was a shock to see that she hadn't fled before he awakened. Despite the rarity of this situation, he was pleasantly surprised and relieved that she stayed the night. Her back was turned to him, and he wondered if she had attempted to leave but had second thoughts. Whatever the case, he was glad that he didn't have to wake up to an empty bed and wonder if she would emotionally shapeshift the next time he saw her. Jin fixedly focused his eyes on her porcelain back, letting his eyes travel along the curvature of her hips and waist that were barely covered by the sheets draped over her. He willingly let his mind wander to the licentious thoughts lingering within him from their romantic encounter earlier. Thinking of such things compelled him to lift his hand to touch her, just for reassurance that she wasn't a mirage. He tenderly caressed her skin from the small of her back and slowly upwards along her spine. This caused the blonde to stir, which made him to smirk slightly. His hand continued to smooth over her warm skin idly.
"Haven't you had enough of me already?" she spoke softly in a tired voice. She wasn't a very deep sleeper, unless she took something to help her rest, so she slowly began to awaken from her light slumber the moment he touched her. "I'm still exhausted…" It was a tough thing to admit, but she couldn't deny that his stamina nearly outmatched hers.
His smirked pulled tighter. "I guess that's why you failed to make your great escape before morning," he pointed out.
Nina slowly turned over onto her back and turned her head towards him with her blonde tresses tousled about her face. Something about his playful smirk made her smile a little. She noticed that he seemed to be gazing at her in a mysterious fashion. "Something on your mind?"
"You could say that," he replied as his face became more serious. "How are you feeling?" Last night was an eye opener for him, and he just wanted to be sure that she was of sound mind now.
She kept her eyes focused on his. "I told you I'm-"
"Fine?" he interrupted and finished for her. "So, will you finally accept my apology?" They never officially got to speak about the issue at hand, but he didn't forget about that.
Nina let out a small, dry laugh. "Oh, that? It's water under the bridge," she said in an unenthused manner. After this, she no longer wanted the topic of that situation to resurface. She noticed that he didn't seem convinced from her acceptance of his apology, and she sighed softly. "Jin, I forgive you, and I suppose I owe you an apology for causing such a stir over this silly issue."
"It's not a silly issue, you shouldn't think that," he suggested. "I can't imagine what you must've felt-"
"I don't want you to," she cut in abruptly with a somber expression. The mood was getting a little too heavy, and she wanted to change the subject. "Sorry for being such a handful last night..."
He picked up on her cues to change the topic, so he granted her that wish to avoid upsetting her again. He could see her trying to disguise the pain in her eyes as she looked at him from her pillow. "You were quite the handful…but it was interesting," Jin teased suggestively.
"I'm sure it was," she said in a sly, flirtatious tone. "I wasn't myself…"
His mind lingered on those words before he mustered up the courage to ask his next question. "You were very honest and open, emotionally, " he revealed to her. "It was interesting to see you that way." As he continued gazing at her face, he noticed that she seemed to be slightly embarrassed by his statement.
Having her emotions dissected was always an uncomfortable feeling for her; she didn't like being put on the spot. However, instead of anger, she only felt the strange, tingling feeling of butterflies dancing in her stomach. She couldn't think of much to say to that; however, Jin was the king of overthinking. A mocking smirk appeared on her lips. "Hmm, I was pretty tipsy," she reminded him again. "Never trust the words of a drunken fool."
"Does the same go for your actions?" he asked, further testing her reasoning. "Why did you come to me?"
Honestly, she really couldn't explain the reason, at least in a way that wouldn't completely embarrass her. She couldn't fall asleep after they returned, so she took a shower to help her relax. During, she had this unexplainable urge to see him; it was a feeling that completely clouded her senses, and she desperately wanted to feel comforted at the moment. It was as if she mentally and emotionally regressed to a small child inside that wanted to feel coddled and protected after feeling pain. Now, with a clearer mind, she felt completely foolish for letting her emotions guide her instead of her logic; that's not what she was trained to do. Nina rolled onto her side and silently stared at him as he waited for her to speak. "I was bored," she simply responded. "And I find your company entertaining at times."
He couldn't help but to smirk in disbelief at her answer. She was the queen of evasion, after all. It was amusing to see the mental gymnastics she performed to avoid giving him any inkling of a clue about her true feelings. In an odd way, he admired her dedication. Regarding his own emotions, he just didn't know how to put them into words to her, especially since he feared how she'd react to his full truth. Again, he contemplated just coming clean to get that uncomfortable truth off his chest, but they had already gotten over a bump in their complicated relationship, and he didn't want to ruin their reconciliation. As they grew closer, his guilt intensified, yet he feared driving her away; it was a very complicated matter. As if she could sense him brooding and overanalyzing things, she moved closer to him and tenderly kissed him. As usual, he couldn't resist the feel of the siren's lips against his.
She slowly parted from his lips and gave him a sly smile. "Remember, Jin," she whispered softly near his ear. "Actions over words."
Jin gave her a small smile. If that was the case, then her actions were definitely much louder than her words. Regardless of her insistence that this was nothing, deep down he knew that it was something in spite of her denial. Their eyes remained transfixed intimately for a moment as they laid next to each other as sunrise slowly approached. Moments like this felt as if time stopped and they were vacuumed into a wormhole to a place where they had no hardships or worries, just the comforting silence and each other. 'My time is running out…I wish there was another way...' he thought gloomily.
Moments later, his phone rung loudly from the nightstand and jolted him from his thoughts. He exhaled deeply in annoyance at the unwanted disturbance, feeling reluctant to answer the call.
"Aren't you going to answer that?" the blonde wondered. "It could be important."
Jin let out another sigh of disappointment before rolling over to answer the call. Once he saw the name on the screen, he felt even more apprehensive. "Yes, what is it, Eddy?" he said as he picked up the call. He listened carefully as the man on the other end gave him his latest reports.
Nina quietly observed his body language and facial expressions to analyze the tone of the conversation. He tensed and clenched his jaw tightly. Whatever the news was, it couldn't be good. 'My vacation was a complete bust, it would have been wise for me to go with Eddy instead,' she thought.
He sighed deeply with disappointment. "Okay," was all he said nonchalantly before ending the call. He stared at the ceiling blankly for a moment.
Nina sat up slowly in concern while loosely clutching the black, silk sheets to her body. "What now?" she asked in a despairing manner.
"G Corp attacked one of our bases early this morning and there were a lot of casualties," he informed her of the grim news. 'Kazuya…I don't what he's planning…I can't let him discover Azazel.' He felt the bed shift and looked up as the blonde got out of bed. He tried not to gawk dumbly at her nude body as she stood up and knelt down to retrieve her robe.
Nina slipped back on her sheer robe and tied the sash. She looked up and dismissed the slightly dumbstruck look on his face. "I'm going to check on things," she announced. "Hopefully, we can regroup and find out what the hell G Corp is up to over there." The action had only died down in the city because Kazuya was absent from G Corp headquarters and hatching his conniving schemes overseas. They had been idle long enough, it was time to jump into the action.
He sat up as she became more serious about the matter and seemed to be very eager to dive into her duties again after her short sabbatical. It seemed that this is what she lived for. "I'm going as well," he declared calmly.
She looked at him in bafflement. "Why? There's no need for you to be there," she objected his decision with concern. "It's too dangerous for you to head into what could become a gritty battlefield if things escalate, and who knows what Kazuya and G Corp are truly scheming."
Anything was better than being left there alone. Besides, that strange vision he had was alarming and compelled him to visit the location to unveil the truth. Sitting around at headquarters would help accomplish nothing. "You're not going to change my mind," he said firmly as he finally stood up. "I'll make arrangements at the hangar for travel, we'll leave in a few hours." He watched as she crossed her arms and could tell from her expression that she didn't seem to be entirely content with his decision, but he wouldn't change his mind.
If Jin accompanied her on this mission, then that meant her duties would revolve around his safety before assisting the Tekken Force. She always felt that it was safer for him to remain at HQ, he probably didn't realize how dangerous her missions could get at times. Then again, Jin definitely wasn't helpless and was far more powerful than even he probably realized, so she wouldn't worry too much about him. "Very well then, suit yourself," she reluctantly agreed. Her eyes couldn't resist but to be naughty and steal one last glance at his muscular body as he stood before her in the buff. "Just try not to be too much of a distraction." She smirked mischievously at him before she finally strode out of his room.
He was amused by her remark and couldn't help but to crack a tiny smile. Sadly, this would probably be the last time that they could relax before being tossed out of their comfort zones and back into the harsh reality on the outside. 'What if this is the end?' he brooded glumly. 'What if he succeeds in awakening the creature and I'm forced to confront it sooner than I originally planned? Am I truly ready? Am I ready to die?' His conflicting thoughts and confusion grew stronger everyday, and he came to realize that she was now the cause of his reluctance, but there was no other way. If he could rewrite his fate, there would be so much he would change, but this was his reality, and he couldn't cower from it.
End of chapter 31!
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. This took me forever to write/edit etc. I'll try to update more regularly, but I can't guarantee that they'll be timely. I'm thinking of ways to finally wind this story down, this is the longest story I've ever written lol. Thanks for reading!