Non-original persons copyright Namco.
Chapter Seven
"Bienvenue a Chez Nina. Leave your soul, conscience and anything else that's still pure a few miles back."
Jin launched a thorough visual investigation at his new, visually stunning temporary residence. Full-length windows stood as a testament to the nighttime glory of the city beyond. Polished wood floors, a high-definition widescreen television set, priceless china perched atop equally valuable end tables, and the entire roof of the building functioning as a balcony were just some of the perks Nina had accrued through her lucrative former livelihood. He was slightly incredulous of the fact that this luxury penthouse was only her secondary apartment. He had also noticed a black Steinway baby grand piano in one corner.
"Wow…you play?" Jin asked, crossing the threshold fully.
Nina stretched her somewhat spent limbs, mindful of the laptop case she was carrying, "No, I just spent half a million yen on a piano for décor purposes. Y'know, since it was obviously lacking."
In all the pandemonium that had been their lives for the past several weeks, at least Nina's sarcasm was consistent.
"I just thought it was…kind of a happy coincidence that you play something, too."
"Oh, yeah?" Nina asked, mildly intrigued at this implication.
Jin nodded slightly, "Mmm. Guitar."
The look of intrigue on Nina's face melded into slight amazement. "That's pretty spiffy."
"Yeah, I'm sure it will be once I actually start playing. But now that my home has probably been ransacked and demolished, funding might be hard to come by." He welcomed himself to her couch.
Nina shrugged. "Well, it wasn't the most splendid little pad out in the middle of nowhere in particular," she then yawned before suggesting, "perhaps you could start fresh."
The Asian shook his head. "It's not important. Once I get her back, I'll make sure I never have to see this country again."
Nina sat down on the arm of the couch, gingerly resting the laptop case at its side, "You don't like it here? Well, save for the trivial setback of your grandpappy and presumably every bounty hunter in the country out for your head-which, mind you, would probably be no different in any other country-what's not to like?"
"God…" Jin sighed, reclining slightly, "Japan, it's…great. Just…great. First, my home in Yakushima was burned to the ground and my mother was murdered by Toshin. Then after my grandfather shoots me between the eyes, I get lured into another damn tournament here, and now this…"
He sat up before continuing, "With excitement and suspense awaiting my life at every turn in Japan, who needs peace, contentment, and security?"
At a loss for a more appropriate response, Nina shrugged again. "It happens?"
"No. No, it really doesn't," Jin replied, rapidly shaking his head. The utter uniqueness of his life was not lost on him. "You know, I thought I was actually homesick for this forsaken place when I was living in America with Julia…but I hate it. I hate Japan, I hate being Japanese, I hate the weather, I hate the culture, I hate-"
"Alright, I get it," interrupted Nina, "Jesus Christ, Jin. Don't collapse on that soapbox or anything."
Jin fell silent for a moment before offering a stiff "Sorry."
"Look. Everybody wants to leave the memories behind. For a strapping young stud such as yourself, you'd think the thing to do is leave behind the place where those memories happened." She then scooted off the arm of the couch and started pacing back and forth in front of Jin.
"Hell, I couldn't wait to get the hell out of Ireland after what happened there. Just being there was claustrophobic." Her pacing speed increased frantically, "and the fricking tourists! They just go off ALL the goddamn time about how beautiful and GREEN it is! Yeah, well, puke's green too!"
"…What?" came from a baffled Jin.
Nina's expression turned mortified upon the realization that she had gone off on a soapbox of her own, before modulating that expression into a goofy, wide-eyed, I-have-no-idea-what-you're-talking-about smile.
"…Nothing!" came her answer, "Anyway, as I was saying…getting away is only gonna do so much." She gingerly sat down on the wooden coffee table that stood parallel to the couch, for a face-to-face position with her houseguest.
"I mean, you can take the Engrish outta your accent, and unslant your eyes in plastic surgery all you want…but a pig's still gonna be a pig, even if you dress it up."
Jin, who had been staring down into his lap (a habit he had been accustomed to when listening to such speeches), suddenly darted his eyes towards the blonde.
"Is that supposed to be insightful, or deep, or something?" he asked icily.
"No, just true," she stated simply, "Escaping is only the first step. All this baggage that you're carrying, and what's to come, it's still gonna keep bugging you even after this ordeal is over, no matter where you run off to. You have to take care of it here and now, which you are. Honestly, do you think Julia's gonna to hate and avoid Arizona because that's where Heihachi snatched her?"
"I don't," said Jin, "she isn't like me. She's everything I'm not. That's why I love her." His eyes then retreated back to their previous downward position, his head following. "Can we not talk about this right now?"
"Suit yourself." Nina said concededly, "Alright. I've been attempting to hack into the Zaibatsu's database to see if I can find where they're holding your lovely, but no luck. Either my skills are just no match for their safeguards, or your gramps actually has a brain and opted not document his hostage, meaning we'll never be able to find their location with the resources we already have. Since I'm an optimist, I'm gonna go with B."
Jin scoffed at Nina's odd, narcissistic definition of optimism. "So, what exactly can you find, then?"
"Well, not a lot. Buggers have hyper-encrypted most of their lines." Nina thought for a second, "the tournament website for one, but so can everybody. The schedule, locations, contestant profiles, their credit card numbers," she grinned widely at that notion. "I can't get a trace at all on where the information is feeding from. Same for all the other company websites. Heihachi is similarly elusive. Hasn't made any public appearances since the tournament began."
At that point, a fluorescent light started flickering on and off in Jin's brain. I know something…what is it? Jin shut Nina out so he could grease the gears of his thought process.
"I would say we try their main office in the city," Nina suggested, "but there's tons of casing to be done on that…"
The blonde got so absorbed in dissecting her strategy that she tuned out Jin from her attention span. Likewise, the latter became so wrapped up in his thought train that Nina had seemingly jumped off without his notice. Both presences in the room were soon unaware of each other as they deliberated to themselves. Nina again paced to and fro like a mad woman and rambled hastily aloud while Jin sat quietly on the couch and contemplated internally.
"I mean, I AM a master of stealth, so getting into the headquarters wouldn't be such a huge problem for me, but seeing as how Murphy seems to be on our side more than luck, we may need more than that, especially considering how danger prone you are…"
I just wish I knew she was alive…I've been to a few Zaibatsu facilities, but I have to nail down…
"Maybe it might be better to hit up one of their international locations. Since we've established our presence here in Japan, Heihachi's forces are likely to have their guard down elsewhere. With any luck, you could hulk out into Old Horny or, you know, trip on something and chain reaction the entire place into oblivion. I mean, stranger things have happened and-"
…seems to be fixated on more stealthy, discreet methods of finding out where that bastard is holding her. My heart's racing, every second is costing-
"-damn lazy contacts of mine aren't any good either! All of them slack off when it comes to any Zaibatsu 411! Though of course there was that one time-"
…can't get too emotional, don't want it to take over again. Focus, damn it. Any little thing that comes up is good enough…
"- COULD just muddle through the tourney and watch our backs till he coughs up the girl as a prize if you make it to the final round, but even if he does that, it's highly unlikely considering-"
…their locations change all the time, but one place stays constant…
"-probably all a trap though, he's using reverse psychology because it's been so damn hard to get any info, he's trying to catch us off guard because people only think it's a trap if things appear too easy so I mean, really, it's a double whammy-"
…the high school. That's it. That's what I was trying to think of. There's gotta be some kind of data we can use there…
Jin suddenly snapped back to the reality that he wasn't alone in the room, and sprang up from the couch. "Nina! We should investigate the Mishima Polytechnical School!"
But Nina wasn't having any of it. Jin was not even a blip on her radar. "-not likely, Kansas is probably too humid for his liking, even though nobody would suspect his operations-"
"Nina, listen-" Jin attempted to interject, "it's not very far from here at all…"
"-killer on my gas, though I haven't taken the jet OR the motorcycle for a spin in quite a while-"
"There's definitely something we can use," he suggested.
"-bodysuits are all ripped up, so if we ever had to head up there it might be risky business-"
"Nina, are you listening to me?" Jin was getting irked, "the school should be tied into a computer network of all of the Zaibatsu's main organizations! You could hack into it!"
"…so my frequent flyer miles would DEFINITELY come in handy if we ever needed them," concluded Nina, finally arriving at the last stop of her long-winded thought train.
"NINA!" he snapped, at the end of his rope.
"JIN!" shouted Nina, rejoining Jin in the reality sector, "I was thinking just now, and I've got a brilliant idea!"
"…what?" Jin asked, taken aback.
"We should investigate your old high school!" Nina revealed.
"…are you kidding me?" said Jin, exasperated.
"If I'm correct, it's only a short drive from where we are right now," she explained.
"Nina, that's what I've been trying to tell you!"
"There is most certainly something that we can use there," she stated matter-of-factly.
"I just said that."
"And if not, all the main Zaibatsu facilities are connected via a supercomputer!"
"Why do I even bother…" the Asian muttered.
"Just think of all the encrypted data out there just waiting for me to hack into!"
"Nina, I KNOW!"
"…Then why didn't you say anything?" inquired Nina, puzzled.
"Beats the hell outta me," responded Jin in defeat.
"This is great. I'm a frickin' genius," boasted Nina as she retrieved her laptop and typed away. The viability of the single plan the two had proposed separately had gotten to the young Asian at that point, and he sprang from the couch once more.
"Let's go do this!" he exclaimed, "We can't waste any time waiting for anything to fall in our laps!"
"Simmer down, cowboy. It's probably not good for either of us if you get too pumped up right now," advised Nina, "Anyway, I've got a better idea.
"Check this out." She rotated the laptop to accommodate Jin's line of perception.
"What are you looking at?" He squatted to take a closer peek.
"Well, I'm checking to see whose ass you're next scheduled to kick-or, pretend to kick while I actually do all the work."
"So, what? You're changing your mind? You think I should fight?"
"Well, I think at least extending your tournament participation to at least this one last appearance would work to our advantage." Nina continued typing intently.
The realization that Nina's train of thought was more or less impossible for anyone to jump on, he impatiently pressed, "Spill."
"One sec," insisted Nina, "Honestly, the Zaibatsu has more money than God and Allah combined. You'd think they'd use something a bit more eye-pleasing than a simple HTML table for the matchup listings…ah, there we go!" A screen of 0's and 1's popped up over the tournament table.
"I thought you were unable to hack into all this," Jin said, confused.
"Well, the tournament is sponsored by the Zaibatsu, but I assume someone's managing the website independently from the network. The webmaster doesn't even list his email on the site. No matter. Just gonna pull a little switcheroo…" Nina underwent a massive flurry of typing and clicking-and-dragging, "take this…put it here…bum dee dum…voila! Your next match is officially rescheduled for 2 o'clock tomorrow at the Mishima Polytechnical School."
"All right…" the young man still had no clue what message Nina was trying to convey, "so you want me to fight in the tournament and investigate the school? What's the point to that?
Nina attempted to clarify, "No no no, I just want you to fight."
"…so you don't want any investigating done."
"No, I do…"
"So one, then the other?"
"Jin," Nina said with as much patience as she could muster, "there's two of us."
"What, we're having tag matches now?" the young man was conflicted over whether he should feel stupid over his inability to maintain the same frequency as his confidante.
"Okay, Anna, listen carefully," she instructed, clearly stretched thin at this point, "you…will be here," she demonstrated by joining her hands in a dive position and swinging them to her left, "kicking ass or getting your ass kicked in the ONE-ON-ONE match."
Jin listened intently, patiently suppressing his resentment of Nina's patronizing approach.
"All the while I…will be here," she swung them to her right, "And during your duel, I will be simultaneously, synchronously, in tandem, concurrently, at the SAME TIME AS YOU…investigating the interior of the high school for information. Not you. Me. Not before. Not after. AT THE SAME TIME. THEN, we will come TOGETHER…" she spread her hands far apart, then clasped them together, "and discuss the findings. Now, is that clear enough, or am I gonna have to bust out the hand puppets?"
Jin blinked. "I get it…my fighting is supposed to be a diversion while you do everything else?"
"Give the man a prize," responded Nina flatly.
"You know, you could've just simply said that." He pointed out.
"I couldn't have been clearer!" exclaimed Nina, exasperated.
"Beg to differ. I figure you didn't want all that responsibility. But I think it's a solid plan." He complimented with all the enthusiasm of a corpse.
"You don't sound too pleased," she noted, tucking her laptop into its case.
"Every second that passes is too long," he lamented, sinking further into his familiar, comfortable sullen mode, "any measurement of time where I'm not actively doing something to fix this, it's just…" he let his sentiment hang.
Silence permeated the air for a brief moment.
Nina was unsure how to react, seeing as consoling words were about as foreign as a language could get for the former assassin. "…so anyway, while it's been a pale shadow of my finest hours, it's been a hell of a day."
Changing the subject was much more familiar territory.
"I'm calling it a night. When you decide that that's in your best interests, which it is, the guest bedroom is the second door on the right." Nina pointed to said door.
Hmm…maybe a warm bed in a new place might help me get myself together… contemplated Jin.
"There should be a cabinet in there with fresh linens that will make your stay out here on the couch much more comfortable," she explained.
Should've expected that…
"Well, I'm going to treat my body to a bath, several cups of tea, then sleepy time. If you get knocked unconscious or anything, just holler. I'll only be a skimpy bathrobe away." She proceeded to retreat down the hallway.
"Nina?" he blurted.
The woman halted her advance, turning only her head in response.
Kazama was far from a social butterfly, as his transitional cocoon had all but calcified when Julia was taken away. Worse than that, he was a proud, proud individual. Not in the sense that he had anything to be proud of. Not that he had been solely able to care for himself for most of his life, save for two years preceding the fourth Tournament. In fact, he had mostly been looked after by women. Regardless, he very much resented having to seek anyone's help.
That was precisely why his next words were going to be as difficult as when he first requested her help in the first place. After a long pause, slight hesitation and little trepidation, Jin managed to utter: "Thanks…for everything. It means…a lot."
Nina took a pause of her own, recognizing Jin's gratitude with the most subtle of nods, and then disappeared to pursue her quest of bedtime wind-down.
Jin sighed, reflecting on the day's events. His love for Julia and sheer resolve aside, this was a battle he was currently not cut out for. Regardless of what was at stake, he could not overcome his overbearing hatred for himself and his heritage. Over the past three years he had been living in America, his once thick Japanese accent had gradually dissolved into that of a Japanese-American. He'd even forgotten a lot of his mother tongue. Nina, despite sharing similar sentiment over her own nationality, still retained her thick Irish accent.
His self-contempt was beginning to cripple him. The atrocities committed by his father and grandfather, his demonic alter ego, the attempts on his life…all of it had taken a toll on his self-worth. All that Julia had helped rebuild over their time together had collapsed the instant she was taken away, and Jin's negative self-image had only been exacerbated by his inability to protect her. He needed all the confidence he could get…and he had almost no will to get it. This isn't about me…
The young man shook his head in attempt to drive away his counter-productive thoughts. He was unsuccessful. I think I'll have a look around. This place is going to be my home for a little while. Might as well get used to it.
The rest of Nina's apartment was just as awe-inspiring as the front room. The impressive bar-style kitchen (which shared the same space as the front area) with its smooth marble countertops, state-of-the-art gas top stove and a silver French door refrigerator started the tour. The main bathroom was twice as breath-taking with its (much to Jin's chagrin) traditional Japanese theme and décor, including an in-ground bath, shoji screen door, hanging paper lamps and various bamboo-framed portraits. Next was the guest bedroom, with a very inviting canopy bed as the standout feature.
Jin noticed a third door in the hallway following the doors to the bathroom and guest bedroom. His curiosity urged him to explore.
His decision did not disappoint.
Nina had a fully-equipped, spacious training and exercise room at her disposal. Blue mats covered most of the room, the center of which contained a balance beam and assorted gymnastic poles. A red punching bag was suspended from the ceiling nearby. One corner contained a treadmill and a weight station. Strewn about the floor were various padded guarding equipment, bullet-ridden targets and other paraphernalia.
Two armoires rested against one wall, and upon divulging their contents, the cursed youth found Nina's extensive weapons collection. Jin gazed upon several knives and daggers, Smith & Wesson model Magnums, Mini-Uzis, flash grenades, a Sniper rifle, an M16, several katanas, and various hi-tech espionage gadgets (whose functions he could not ascertain) were just some of the multitudes of hardware the retired hit woman had in her possession.
What stuck out most, however, was the major occupant of the remaining corner of the room: an indoor shooting range. Almost resembling a carnival shooting gallery, the steel mechanism contained several rows of targets, whose movements were adjustable by a small control panel on the machine. Jin noticed that the targets were essentially life-size cutouts depicting a brunette woman in a personalized qipao, with each target representing blue and red variants of the dress. The woman rang a bell with him, but he couldn't quite pin down who she was. He was unconcerned with identifying her anyway.
Jin felt a sense of security blanket his heart. Placing trust in Nina had seemed like a bankable investment. He finally, in that moment, took a brief reprieve from the constant fear and danger that had taken hold. All seemed well for a moment.
Wait.
No.
Something was amiss. Not completely right. What was it?
Oh, right.
As long as he has her, there IS no comfort…how could I have been so complacent? So stupid! "GAAH!" he manifested his rage into a fierce strike at the punching bag.
Bump. Bump. Bump. Pound. Pound. Pound.
That was it.
Nina had had enough. Whatever thumping noise had been preventing her much-deserved slumber had just thumped its last thump. She tossed aside her canopy bed's welcoming sheets and violently swung her room's French doors open with a mission.
Whatever rodent, busted pipe, Zaibatsu infiltrator, or noisy neighbor below her, hell was to be paid. Even if she was outnumbered; even if she was unarmed; even if she was only was only wearing a green long-sleeved nightshirt and blue-and-white plaid spankies, the source of the noise would be torn asunder by Nina Williams in a wink.
It seemed to be originating from the first door on the side of the hallway opposite the balcony. Mentally preparing herself for someone else's death, she opened the door to find…
…Jin. Her brooding charge was dealing intense, rapid blows to her training room's punching bag while retaining an expression of concentrated indifference.
"Oh wow, I forgot about this room," said Nina, surveying the room to refresh her memory.
"Did I disturb you?" Jin asked, seemingly more out of politeness than actual concern.
"Oh, not at all. I was just sleeping."
Despite Jin's utter lack of any semblance of an apology or intention to cease any of the commotion, Nina allowed her resentment to ease.
"You know, you've got a lot of pent-up tension. I should get you a hooker or something."
Jin's rhythm was momentarily disrupted by this proposition. Eyes still firmly fixed on the bag, he resumed his activity without hesitation.
"And…what, pray tell, would I do with a hooker?"
Nina shrugged. "Play Scrabble, maybe?"
Again, the young warrior demonstrated that the only thing that existed to him at this moment was the punching bag, or, at least, the predictable mental substitute he'd replaced it with.
"…I haven't laughed like that in a while," he uttered out of the blue, piercing the silence once more.
"…what?" Nina had zoned out due in combination to the lack of conversation and her own sleepiness.
"Earlier today," he clarified, not letting up with his exercise.
"Huh? Oh. Yeah. That." The sleep-deprived woman was anticipating that this comment was about to segue into a full-on marathon of moping.
"Throughout all this, I've been grasping for something-any kind of reprieve, and today…it felt good."
Despite having absolutely no idea what he was talking about, Nina already found it unbearable.
"That's, ummm…nice," she offered.
"But it's not, don't you get it? Whatever they're doing to her, everything she's been through…does she have a reprieve? Does she have any kind of breather from the hell she must be in?" Jin's already rapid tempo of punching started to accelerate.
God, I can't stand this. If I even cared about anybody's drama I'd be watching Days of Our Lives…quick, make an excuse…
"I, uh…have no idea," she confessed.
What? The hell was that, Nina?
"I wasn't able to protect her. Today, after all the rage I felt good, even for a just a second, then I felt glad that I was here…and I didn't deserve it. It's like I'm just disrespecting her! I shouldn't be allowed to feel relief…the guilt's tearing at me!"
Do something! Tell him you're tired! Say you have better things to do! Tell him you don't give a rat's ass! You know, the truth!
"Err, yeah…shame on you, or…something," she scolded empty-heartedly.
What is WITH me? I'm usually really good at leaving when I get bored! He's gotta be using Devil powers or something. I want to leave, but something's keeping me listening to him whine…
His speed increased yet again, showing no signs of fatigue, "At the same time, I-I can't stand feeling like this. No matter how I feel I'm getting her home…and that bastard will die, but I don't deserve not to have any solace either…"
Nina couldn't stand this any longer.
"Oh for Pete's sake, do you want a knife or something? So you jumped off your always-running doom-'n- gloom train for a second. What is the big deal? Are you so perpetually attracted to misery that you think the cosmos is going to implode the second you stop brooding? You really believe Julia would blame you for her getting taken? Do you think she willfully expects you to sulk and agonize every single breathing second until she's safe? Well, I guess she does…I mean anybody who knows you expects that, because that's just what you DO…but anyway, do you think she WANTS you to? You're not gonna get many of these happy moments in this little adventure, so just TAKE 'em and stop philosophizing! GET OVER IT!"
Upon finishing, Nina instantly double-took. That was odd. Did I actually just pay attention to what he was saying?
Jin's unstoppable rhythm on the punching bag had just been completely derailed. A nerve had just been struck. He had reacted differently at various points in his life when being the subject of ridicule- this was one of the less positive instances. He stood rigidly facing the bag, immobilized with embarrassment from the verbal smackdown he was just exposed to.
"…did that help?" Nina asked with a tilt of her head, still somewhat bewildered by her own behavior, and honestly curious.
"I suppose it answered my question," Jin uttered, eyes still fixated on the punching bag. His momentum derailed, he resigned from sparring and faced the opposite wall, refusing to look at the other presence in the room.
"Great!" Nina chirped, almost immediately turning around to depart the training area and return to the embrace of her bed.
Except she didn't. Once again, some inexplicable force compelled her to remain in the room. Damn it! Why does this keep happening?
Save for barely audible panting coming from Jin, silence again held dominion for a moment.
"So…tired?" Nina's feeble attempt at conversation at least halted the quiet.
He simply shook his head once in reply, then spoke: "I haven't slept comfortably in days. Might as well do something productive."
All you're producing is noise. "I wouldn't exactly call late-night brooding sessions productive," Nina opined, folding her arms.
"I 'brood' no matter what I'm doing," he pointed out, "better to channel that energy in an active way than lay around and feel hopeless about it."
"Well, why don't you, you know…think of the positive memories or something like that?" After this suggestion, Nina leaned against the doorway, exhibiting slight nervous fidgets as she had once again ventured into the alien realm of consoling advice.
"I'm still not sure about seeking out solace…"
"You don't think that's exactly what Julia would be doing right now?"
Jin mustered the courage to finally face his contemporary eye-to-eye.
"But that's part of the problem. I don't know WHAT'S happening to her right now…I don't know if she's inside her head in a cell, or being electrocuted or tortured, or experimented on, or even…" he choked on that thought before continuing, "…Nina, we can't be careless about this. Our heads are on the line. Any mistake, and that's it. We have to plan carefully or the bastard will have us and Julia will be gone!" He emphasized his frustration by reflexively flinging his arm…
…which, in turn, caused the doors of one of the weapons cabinet to swing open. Both Jin and Nina immediately turned their attention to the startling phenomenon. The former's body froze, mortified and shocked.
"What the hell just happened?" Nina asked nervously.
With trepidation, the young man flicked his arm at the cabinet with as much subtlety as he could muster, to see if it would react.
And it did. Several katanas in the cabinet reacted very strongly to the cardboard targets at the shooting range.
"Nice shot!" Nina complimented.
"I don't think I like this…" Jin gazed fearfully into the palm of his hand.
"Your powers must be growing," Nina theorized.
"What? What do you mean? How is this happening?" Jin was becoming more and more frantic, and the room reflected that, as Nina started feeling the floor tremble slightly.
"Jin, you wanna cool it a little?" she warned, noticing the man's obliviousness to the tremors.
"My body doesn't feel hot, and I can see…I'm not even in Devil form!" the tremors in the room grew still.
"This is really nothing to freak out about," Nina noted, fairly concerned for her safety…and her training room's.
"I'm NOT freaking out!" Jin stubbornly cried. A bulb from the ceiling lamp burst and all of the remaining contents of both weapons cabinets spilled out into a clanking mess to emphasize this control. Nina jumped in the process.
"Alright, maybe a little," he conceded.
"Thank you for meeting with us, Mishima-san. I regret that our superior was unable to meet with you directly."
Heihachi, dolled up in a dark purple business suit and bearing a briefcase, was led into one of the nightclub's private meeting rooms by three dapper, tuxedoed, almost identical Japanese gentlemen, one of whom was carrying a briefcase of his own. Two armored Tekken Force bodyguards remained standing behind him as he took a seat on one of the armchairs. The three dapper gentlemen effectively mimicked this action, with the middle gentleman taking on the role of representative, sitting on the opposite couch and setting his briefcase on the table.
The Mishima CEO opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the appearance of a forty-something blonde Japanese waitress in a dress that should never have even seen the light of day, much less this woman's body. She handed each seated man a cocktail before departing the scene with the sexiest walk she could muster. The two parties received a sample of a disco ball and a Japanese experimental rock band when the waitress opened and closed the door.
"Well," Heihachi cleared his throat before continuing, "I'm just glad to get out of that dank, malodorous laboratory for a while. I've been informed that your organization might be able to assist me in the removal of a potential thorn."
"Yes, we responded to your bounty as soon as we received notification. Our leader has a personal stake in this mark, going so far as to refuse any other bounties. He was eager to see a price on the Beast's head after having fallen from the radar for so long."
Heihachi almost spewed his beverage in the face of the gentleman at the utterance of the word "Beast". "'The Beast'? Is that what you call-"
"Yes," the representative confirmed, "I believe that's been a commonly-used title by many. We're certainly pleased that you employed the Akahasu's services."
"Yes, yes," Heihachi's tone implied a desire to avoid customer service conventions, "what skills does your organization have to offer?"
"Our organization is comprised of experienced, individually-trained assassins and mercenaries with across-the-board skills as well as expertise in sharpshooting, swordsmanship, hacking, espionage, various hand-to-hand and weapons-based combat; every talent imaginable."
The old man simply stared with indifference; while retaining his professional composure, the salesman scrambled to think of an idea to keep his buyer interested.
"We have dossiers available on our highest-ranking members, if you're interested," he offered.
Heihachi nodded in approval. The gentleman opened his briefcase, retrieving seven file folders from its contents, and spread them out neatly on the table for his client to examine. He scanned them briefly, taking note of such career highlights as a successful headshot at a mile's distance, the undetected, total dispatch of a high-security convention of Social Democratic Party politicians (the client was a disgruntled supporter of the People's New Party) in a matter of minutes, near-instant acquisition and deciphering of heavily-decrypted data from the U.S. Pentagon, and even an infiltrator whose undercover work garnered him a culinary award from Le Cordon Bleu Tokyo.
"Well, your assets certainly ARE impressive," Heihachi observed, "and since I need all the assistance I can get, and there's no harm in hiring your services either way…even with all the other hunters on the mark…you're hired."
"Very good, Mishima-san!" the representative confirmed, while managing to keep his excitement from bursting, "Our leader will be pleased to hear this news."
Heihachi sensed the young man's enthusiasm, careful himself not to put his minor amusement at this on display. "I should mention that the target is in cooperation with a very dangerous ally," he explained, retrieving a photo and file of said ally from his case for benefit of the gentleman.
"I recommend that you not engage this ally if at all possible, but use EXTREME caution if confrontation becomes necessary. They are more than likely going to be joined at the hip, so separate them if at all possible. I'm sure in time, your forces could adapt. But we've discovered new developments that are, to say the least…troubling."
"Of course, Mishima-san," the rep acknowledged, "the Akahasu would, of course, appreciate the Zaibatsu's full cooperation and assistance in up-to-date intel on the Beast's whereabouts and activities, while we'll be gathering our own data…"
"Yes, whatever you want," Heihachi downed the remainder of his beverage; this representative was trying much too hard.
"One more thing," the elderly client requested, "just what is this so-called personal stake your employer has?"
"Well, I was planning to renovate this room."
Nina took care in stepping over the broken glass, training equipment, rafters, and other debris that now defined her training room. She surveyed the overall casualties with a glance around the room, then located the cause of the damage, who was occupying a corner of the space and huddled in a ball, not unlike a severely disturbed mental patient.
"Were you seriously in here all night?" she asked incredulously.
Jin stopped himself from nodding in fear of triggering a telekinetic cataclysm, and instead uttered a mousy "yes".
"Well, balls for you. Collect your angst so we can get going."
"…I can't."
Nina inhaled, rubbed her temples agitatedly with her index finger and thumb, and asked "Why?"
"Look around you! This curse in my body is completely out of my control! It'll get worse, and I could destroy everything I even look at…I could kill more innocent people…maybe even Julia…I can't. I have to stay here and learn how to control it."
"Well, you're certainly doing a bang-up job of actively learning to control it in that there unmoving fetal position. Jin…while I appreciate your sincere concern for everything other than my home, you're going to be attending a fighting match, in a Zaibatsu-owned facility, no less. And you're concerned about causing violence?"
"Well…it's just that…" he let out a sigh, "…God, I dunno."
Nina strode over to the paranoid young fellow, and offered her hand. She witnessed the trepidation in his eyes.
"It's all right. It's not like there's much left in here for you to destroy anyway."
Silent deliberation swept Jin away for a moment, followed a hesitant outstretched hand inching closer, closer, and closer, until it connected with his partner, who hoisted him up.
"See? No mind avalanche." She patted his shoulder with rather manly force, and started for the doorway.
"Uh, Nina?"
"Yeah." She turned to give audience.
Jin had only just cared to notice the attire Nina was wearing in lieu of her upcoming stealth assignment: a purple, velvety jacket with sleeves reaching just past the elbows covering a red top, a beige mini-skirt, and light-colored slip-on heels. There was but one key accessory absent that would have rounded out this otherwise chic ensemble: practicality.
"Don't you think that's a bit inappropriate?" he asked in order to address this missing component.
"Mmhmm!" she nodded emphatically in agreement and pointed to the doorway with her thumb, "you ready to go?"
The young Akahasu sentry stood alertly with his katana at the deserted back entrance to the Mishima Polytechnical School, having spent most of his watch counting the numerous tinted, one-way windows it boasted. 248 of them, so far. And that was just the back wall.
Of course, he would have been able to confirm his estimate had an unseen force not thrust his katana out of his hand and flung him into the wall. He had but a few seconds to collect himself, step away from the wall and look for the source of the attack before both a blonde woman and a similarly Asian man appeared and kicked him squarely in the chest tag-team style, sending him back into the wall again. He'd realized he miscounted by 1 before slipping out of the realm of consciousness.
"Looks like you're getting some control after all," Nina observed.
"Looks like it. Guess we'll have to see."
"Interesting new uniforms they've got there," she further opined, and headed to the glass double doors with her laptop case, which contained a variety of equipment. She kneeled and started fudging around with the case.
"Alright, here's the plan. First thing we gotta do is use this infrared scanner…okay, no signs of life within sixty feet at least that I can see from here. Next step is to cut a hole in this here window with my laser pen, and send in the Stingray 2.0 to monitor the halls for any staff or handsomely-dressed neo-samurai. After that, I'll toss this flashbang grenade…"
In the midst of Nina's algorithmic plotting, Jin casually inspected the downed guard's pockets, seized a keycard, paced over to the reader situated next to the doors, slid it through in one smooth stroke, yanked the right door open after a satisfying beep, and waited for the ex-assassin to snap back into reality.
"Right, we could do that too," she said, rising sheepishly. Jin walked over and handed her the keycard, which she pocketed in her jacket.
"I think you'll find what you're looking for in the principal's office," Jin informed, "it's probably moved since I was a student here, so I'm not sure where it is."
"No sweat. You gonna be able to contain your inner Beelzebub?"
"I hope not."
"That's what I like to hear. Call my cell phone when the match is over."
"Got it. Don't be too stealthy in those heels."
The two exchanged a three-way fist bump, after which Nina commanded, "Let's do this."
Their ways were thus parted.
The front of the school was a dramatic overhaul from the rear. A raucous crowd of perhaps every ethnicity imaginable was hungrily anticipating the battle of a lifetime…or at least, a slightly overcast Sunday afternoon. Jin scanned the gathering for any sign of his devoted fanbase, and was relieved to find them absent thus far. A sound system and improvised arena with gym mats had been set up, and more katana-wielding guards in tuxedos were also present. He made sure to keep his distance, and draw no attention until the start of the match.
"Yo, Kazama!" a raspy voice greeted.
So much for that.
Jin turned to find the mohawked, 5-'o-clock-shadowed, gi-clad source of the greeting: Paul Phoenix.
Heh. So this is who Nina signed me up with. "Phoenix."
The judo practitioner strode over to his opponent, and rubbed a hand on his thigh before extending it. A simple handshake resulted.
"What's up, dude? It's been a few years. You look good, man."
Apparently, Paul's definition of 'good' extended to unshaven, depressed insomniacs.
First floor, west wing.
This section boasted of nothing extraordinary. Just a simple, marble-floored hallway lined with typical classroom doors of wooden construction and narrow, vertical windows. Other than the occasional potted plant and a trophy case displaying the school's various athletic achievements, the hall contained nothing peculiar.
Onward Nina ventured.
The tournament announcer, an unremarkable Japanese fellow, dressed business-casually, finally emerged from the ocean of spectators to initiate today's match. "Paul Phoenix! Jin Kazama! Are you present?" he boomed from a set of two speakers and a wired microphone.
Jin's fully divided attention was unable to process the announcer's request.
"Jin Kazama, calling for Jin Kazama!"
He gazed with anticipation at the school building, unable to quell the swarm of moths that had taken up residence in his stomach.
"Jin Kazama! Are you here?"
Nina's progress was a pressing concern to him.
"He's here, lemme drag 'im up," Paul offered.
I hope this plan works. Find something in there…anything!
"Hey dude, wake up! We gotta go!" The American touched the distracted youth's shoulder to grab his attention.
Reflexively, Jin grabbed what he thought was an assailant's hand and flipped him over, smacking Paul onto the unprotected concrete with a cringe-worthy thud. The audience scrambled over to the scene to spectate.
Realizing his error almost immediately, Jin attempted to explain himself: "Paul! I didn't real-"
Paul knocked down his unintentional aggressor with a sweeping kick before springing back up into a standing position.
The blindsided announcer grabbed his microphone and ordered: "Uh….FIGHT!"
First floor, central area.
This appeared to be the front office. The wall was lined up with portraits of the high school's Principals past and present. A small lounge with a couch and two armchairs was available for waiting guests. The receptionist's window gave way to the administrative offices. Two guards stood by the windows, witnessing the scuffle outside.
Nina double backed into the hall as soon as the engaged sentries came under her scope of vision.
No problem. Adjusting her case to ensure its firmness on her shoulder, the assassin successfully crept across the room and slipped through the window, all the while wearing heels that would've given away anyone else within the first step. The guards remained engrossed in the brutal spectacle outside.
All in all, it was a flawlessly executed maneuver. Well, if not for an unnoticed slip of paper with attendance records on the floor grinding noisily against her shoe, it would have been.
Stifling the urge to curse out the inanimate record sheet, she swiftly hit the deck and curled into a ball under the receptionist's desk, quietly sliding the sheet with her and tucking her case to one side. She heard a voice in Japanese issue the command: "Go."
One of the well-dressed (and equally-armed) gentlemen reluctantly retreated from his current position to investigate. He swiped his cardkey through the reader, and entered the door next to the window.
Left hook: miss. Right hook: almost hit. Left uppercut: parried. Gut punch, direct hit.
Jin gasped on impact. The speed of Paul's strikes had certainly increased substantially since their last encounter. Then again, so had Jin's evasion skills….mostly.
The half-Devil narrowly swayed away from another blow, and decided to reclaim the offensive by tackling the currently-overpowering Paul to the ground with a furious roar.
He wasted no time dealing the blows from his superior position. The assailed had equal time-management skill in forcefully pushing the young man off, then launching him overhead with his foot.
Jin found the concrete surface to be most unwelcoming. He hopped to his feet, and found the newly-created distance between himself and his opponent created a potential opportunity.
Here goes…as Paul rushed forward to unleash another heavy-hitter, the empowered you thrust his hand outward in hopes of a telekinetic defense.
Direct hit!
…on a spectator's purse. The unsuspecting, elderly owner scrambled to the ground to collect the makeup and other assorted belongings, bewildered at the phenomenon.
Gotta focus! Jin berated mentally.
Being struck in the face and again kissing the pavement made regaining such that much more of a challenge.
"Nothing," reported the guard in his native Japanese after completing a sweep of the administrative offices.
Nina, with all the skill of a master contortionist, had successfully concealed herself in a tight nook beneath the reception desk. She crawled back to the more spacious center to stretch her body back into comfort, and let out as silent a sigh of relief as she could muster.
"She may have just passed by us," opined the other, "and I certainly hope she did."
Nina felt the investigative guard lean against the reception window.
Ohh, bad idea.
"Getting cold feet?" he taunted, not budging from his dangerous position.
"Have you heard what they are capable of by themselves? Still, it's flattering that Mishima-san commissioned our services."
So the tuxedos aren't Zaibatsu personnel…
"Man up," he chided, "how dangerous do you think a woman and a love-obsessed boy could be?"
Go.
Without a nanosecond ill-spent, Nina swiftly rose from her cover and cleanly snapped the dissenter's neck. She clasped onto the upper edge of the window and swung her legs into the remaining guard, effectively disarming and knocking him down. Her next maneuver was to step on the downed warrior and step on his neck with her heel.
Unable to speak, the younger, less-experienced victim stared down the woman with a blend of fear and defiance in his eyes. He was clearly just a boy, employed by some shadowy organization, be it due to the yearning for an exciting life or his own youthful rebelliousness. After a silent moment, her own eyes replied-with impassivity.
With a last divine Twist of Judgment, she crushed her helpless victim's windpipe before he could let out an alerting scream.
She stepped off of the body to collect herself.
It's been a while since my last kill…it feels…different somehow. Meh, I just have to get back in the game…
She dragged the bodies into a random office and, after discerning from nameplates on the doors that the principal's office was, in fact, not among them, she collected her case and continued her search.
"EEYAH!" Jin cried in a fit of rage, thrusting his hand forward in the umpteenth attempt at unleashing his power.
Previously, the old lady's purse, a buttoned-up suede coat, a little girl's pigtails, the front tire of a Hyundai, and a fire hydrant had succumbed to the destructive wrath of the fighter's unfocused telekinesis.
Paul then joined the list with this one. While being knocked back in the air, he managed to perform a flip and land gracefully enough on his feet. What the hell was that? He thought.
"Wow, that's some ki he's got there!" commented a spectator.
Proud of himself, Jin dove back into the fray.
Second floor, east wing.
"GOTCHA! I finally found you. No escaping now!" Nina gloated victoriously at her find.
She pressed the appropriate button on the vending machine and helped herself to a bottle of blueberry Ramune.
"Oh, sweet goodness. The market's been out of this flavor for weeks."
In fact, this entire hall was lined with vending machines with a potpourri of wares: soda, candy, school supplies, CDs, automotive liquids, even bras and panties.
After consuming her delightful beverage and disposing of it in a nearby trash can, Nina reluctantly quested on in search of the headmaster's office.
Jin's (somewhat) improved mastery of telekinesis had certainly helped keep him on his feet during this match (as well as keep Paul off his). Many tuxedoed gentlemen still remained planted throughout the audience, so it also seemed to be buying Nina more time to conduct her investigation.
The evasive combat was starting to disappoint him. The call of the battlefield was urging him to remove the muzzle on his primal smackdown skills.
That call line's reception blurred slightly when Paul kicked him into the wall. Jin narrowly dodged another blow from his opponent and use the open space in reaction time to deliver a jumping kick to Paul's back, effectively bestowing upon him similar treatment to the wall.
Now we're talkin'.
Goal.
After eluding several more tuxedoed sentries (most of whom had immersed themselves in the fight outside by way of the windows), getting distracted watching the fight herself, and taking a pit stop in a well-maintained restroom, Nina had finally reached the Principal's office, as confirmed by the nameplate on the door.
Excitement coursing through her veins, she swiped her cardkey in the reader.
No satisfying click was heard.
Again, she attempted. Not a sound. Another swipe. Nothing.
"Dammit! Must need special clearance."
So she broke the door handle to get it. She slipped inside, gingerly palced her equipment case on the floor and shut the door slowly so as not to attract any unnecessary attention.
Her careful measure didn't seem to matter, however, as a group of the well-dressed, armed mercs she had gotten accustomed to seeing were all in the room, waiting for her.
"Oh," Nina chuckled with an innocent expression, "shit."
Jin's rekindled fighting flame had burned out.
After the youth had momentarily gained the upper hand, Paul re-seized the momentum and pummeled him within an inch of oblivion. Jin helplessly staggered in place, dizzy and numb from the relentless assault he had endured.
Then it came. Paul drew his arm back, focusing into it bright red energy. This was it: The Burning Fist, the all-powerful finisher that had sent so many victory-minded combatants packing. Paul had executed this deathblow with consistent perfection, and no man exposed to it ever managed to see the next round.
And Jin caught it. His eyes glowed Devil-red as he held Paul's fist firmly within his grasp, burning energy and all. All the latter could do was stare in shock and bewilderment and fruitlessly attempt to wriggle free. The Devil, having resumed temporary mental control of its host, smirked at its helpless victim, then released.
Paul stumbled back, looking mortified at his smoking, nearly charred hand. The Devil basked in the borrowed energy surging throughout Jin's body, then collected it into a punch aimed at the stunned opponent's gut.
The sea of spectators parted as Paul flew through them and into the window of a pawn shop…three blocks away.
The red glow faded. Jin gasped as he regained control of his senses. What just…his body felt that familiar cool down chill, and then he knew. The utter silence of a flabbergasted and confused audience confirmed his suspicions.
He surveyed the massive crowd, noiseless and gawking at him and his sudden display of aggression. It was, among others, a very awkward feeling for the fighter.
"JIN KAZAMA WINS!" interjected the announcer, and the crowd erupted with a barrage of cheers and praise.
"Heh…" Jin scratched his head, dumbfounded at the bipolar audience.
The victor of the recently-culminated schoolyard brawl had managed to successfully secure undetected passage to the back of the building without notice from the raucous crowd, and dialed his Nina-issued cell phone to ascertain his partner's whereabouts.
"Jin, baby! Talk to me."
"Did you find anything?" he asked anxiously.
"Uhhh…not yet. I'm working on it."
Little did Jin know that Nina was simultaneously engaged in a swordfight with one of the surviving mercs, having retrieved her weapons from a defeated foe in the room, and communicating with him via phone. She had currently felled four of the six who had ambushed her.
"Well…did you find the Principal's office?"
"Sure did!" Nina responded, back-kicking a guard who had attempted to attack from behind, while keeping most of her focus on her swordplay. His head hit the sharp corner of a filing cabinet, and he slipped out cold.
"Where is it? I'll meet you there."
"Oh, yeah! I'm in…oh, hold on a second." She placed her cell phone on her right shoulder.
"Excuse me," she asked her dueling partner, "what room number is this?"
"It's room 212, ma'am," he replied, unflinching in his fencing prowess.
"Room 212! It's in room 212! Second floor." she shouted into the phone, splitting her attention again.
"Hang tight. I'll meet you."
"Just a sec! See if you can destroy any security cameras while you're at it!" Nina suggested.
"Uh…yeah. Will do." He confirmed.
Jin found himself curious at the noises of what sounded like the clanking of metal and exchanging of blows that was obscuring Nina's speech.
"Are you alright? What's happening?"
"Oh, nothin-OOF!" Nina was stunned by a surprise punch in the face, and then knocked down by a fan kick. The assassin quickly shielded herself from an oncoming finishing stab by grinding her enemy's katana against her own blade, and soon returned his earlier gesture with a swift kick to his valuables from her downed position. The resulting yelp was quite satisfying for her to hear.
"It sounds like you're having a brawl, or something!"
"Oh, what makes you say that?" she questioned, cramming the phone between her neck and shoulder while attempted to wrestle the sword out of the opponent's grip. She decided the best method with which to accomplish this was to snap his arm. More lovely sounds associated with overpowering the enemy chorused into her ears.
"I'm on my way in," he informed, "now just WHAT is going on in there?"
"I really haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about," stated Nina coyly, finishing the helpless tuxedoed soldier by elbowing him forcefully in the face, "watch for any guards on your way in. Do hurry."
She hung up before Jin could get another word in. He shook his head and set his sights on the interior of the school. Not even going to think about it.
Nina looked around at the damage she had caused. Six unconscious (some possibly dead) bodies provided the cherry on top of a whipped cream mess of strewn files, shattered pots, broken portraits, and overturned chairs. 'Nam couldn't top the mess for a second. It seemed the Principal's desk and computer remained the only components left intact in the office.
She kneeled over the body of one of her attempted assailants, and noticed the design of a red flower of some sort sewn onto his jacket pocket. The tuxedoes of the others were adorned in the same manner. She stood and contemplated for a second, decided that no bells were ringing, then retrieved her equipment and got to work at the desk.
Jin wandered into the Principal's office, cued to its location by the sound of rapid typing (along with not-so-subtle cursing coming from an Irish voice). He found his friend tirelessly hacking, decrypting or performing whatever necessary invasive computing procedure on the computer. He was impressed at the job she'd done on the new incapacitated tuxedoes on the floor.
"Ugh! Goddamn piece of shit-oh, there we go." Sensing someone in the room, Nina crooned her head to confirm Jin's presence, then returned to the screen. "Hey, Jin."
"Hey."
Eyes still glued to the screen, she asked, "How did the match go?"
Jin had been unable to rid himself of the post-Devil chill, and the mere discomfort of losing control of his body to that..thing…for even a second further haunted him. This made him unsure of how to tackle the issue with her.
"About that…I think I…I have to show you something, or talk to you about it, I don't know…"
Nina turned completely away from the desk, staring down the young man with a hand around her chin, as if to analyze him.
"…you don't have Herpes, do you?" she blunted with morbid curiosity.
"What? No." He gawked as if her head was growing its own unmentionables, "I think my powers just advanced again."
"Oh." She turned back to the desk to resume her task. "What is it?"
"I'm not sure exactly…I absorbed energy, or physical force or something from Paul, and channeled it back."
"Huh," Nina replied after a moment of contemplation, "first the Phoenix, now Bishop. I wonder if you'll control the weather next! Wait, no. Too badass for you. Probably would be my power if I were a she-Devil. My money's on rapid healing."
"What are you talking about?"
"Forget it. Makes sense that you're pop-culture deprived. Almost done!"
"Really?" Jin paced excitedly to the desk to monitor her progress.
"Yeah, it's at 92% right now. Then everything's gonna load into my data disk, and we'll be just dandy." Nina's typing to override the system's safety measures continued unwavering.
"Are you sure we'll find anything helpful here?" he asked with trace amounts of skepticism.
"Considering all the protocols I've been having to bypass, there's definitely something somebody doesn't want people seeing," she suggested, "either we're about to hit the other side of our rainbow or the headmaster's got a well-protected bukkake collection."
"98%, 99%...come on!" Jin was trembling with excitement. The notion of any new information that could expedite Julia's rescue was a glorious idea to soak up.
Bang. One downed merc reviving and firing a concealed pistol at the computer was all it took to crash that new development. It was unclear whether he was attempting to protect the computer's secrets, or was just a lousy shot. He fell unconscious again.
Nina, who had toppled over in her chair upon hearing the gunshot, scrambled back to the computer in hopes of salvage. "Son of a BITCH! Come on, dammit! Don't do this to me…shit. It's gone. I can't do anything."
Labored breathing pre-empted a ravaging fit of knocking over every knick knack that was still intact from the previous scuffle and punching a hole in the wall before Jin took every milliliter of control at his disposal to control his tantrum.
Nina sat patiently, seemingly understanding of Jin's reaction. She appeared not the least bit perturbed.
"Sorry," he apologized between more labored breaths, "I'm fine now. What do we do now?"
"We need to get the hell outta dodge. I'm sure another lead will fall into our laps eventually." She left the chair and gathered her belongings.
"Fine. Let's go. I've had enough of this place since I graduated."
"Alright, we need to employ stealth," Nina commanded, "I managed to get two of them by surprise, but they're a force to be reckoned with, and they may be sending in reinforcements, so let's book it without drawing any attention-"
"JIN!" cried a bubbly voice down the hall.
Out of nowhere, a petite, pigtailed, Chinese girl in a pink summer dress bounced into the man's arms. It was none other than Jin's trusted friend, Ling Xiaoyu.
"L-ling..." he stammered, happy to see his friend yet bewildered at her sudden appearance, "what are you doing here?"
"To support you, silly!" Refusing to leave his arms, she wrapped hers around his neck, "I lost in the last round but I figured I'd come see my buddy! You were AWESOME just now! You've gotten so strong and powerful, you could probably even beat up Panda, but you'd have to wait on that because I had to leave her home since Customs has gotten a lot stricter and I wouldn't really want you beating on her anyway-"
"Excuse me," Nina interrupted as intensely and quietly as she could, "can we PLEASE take this reunion somewhere else?"
"Oh, hi, Nora!" Xiaoyu chirped, having finally noticed the blonde.
"Nina," she corrected with contempt.
"Oh, gotcha! Anyway, Jin, I followed you after you left the crowd and I was really curious to find out what you're doing inside the high school 'cuz I do remember you really, really hated being here especially since Okuda-san, the science teacher who was always such a meanie to you and now that he's the Assistant Principal I'm just really curious to find-"
"Let's GO, people," Nina urged.
"Hey! I'm TRYING to catch up with a dear friend I haven't seen in a while. It can wait, Gina!"
"IT'S NINA!" she burst, before covering her mouth. Shit.
Not a second had made its ascent before footsteps echoed wildly throughout all sides of the hall.
"Dammit, they're coming. Quick, we need to hide."
Having broken the lock to the Principal's quarters, Nina figured the best hiding spot for the trio would be a nearby janitor's closet. A cramped, dark janitor's closet with a bucket of mop water that the custodian had forgotten to empty from the previous day.
The arrangement was not boding well for them.
"…and Miharu NEVER knew that the sweet and sour sauce and the hot mustard had been switched!" Xiaoyu laughed a screechingly high-pitched laugh at what must've been her fourth or fifth anecdote. Nina silently wished she had an object with which to off herself…or Xiaoyu.
"So, Nina," the Chinese girl initiated a conversation with the assassin, completely missing the point of why they were in the closet in the first place, "what have you been doing here? Have you been home to Wales lately?"
"…Wales?" Nina was stupefied.
"Oh, I've always wanted to go there. So many beautiful things to do, nice, jolly, people…oh, and it's just so lush and GREEN!"
Nina's boiling point exceeded the minimum required temperature. Seething, she turned to Jin.
"Jin, open the door. NOW."
"I thought you wanted to-"
"OPEN IT."
"No complaint from me."
"Alright, get ready to brawl," Nina instructed.
Unsure of what exactly was going on, Xiaoyu took stance along with Nina and Jin, with the former kicking the door open, prepared to unleash hell on the army of…
…one. One, simple, run-of-the-mill katana-wielding gentleman was the sole obstruction between them and escaping.
"Wow, the acoustics in this place are REALLY misleading," surmised the blonde.
Jin read that the lone ranger standing before them had already acknowledged his sealed fate. The Niagara-grade perspiration and trembling accentuated his doubt.
"THE BEAST!" cried the brave little katana-wielding toaster upon recognition of his target.
The Beast? Jin thought in amusement, Just how many nicknames do they have for the Devil?
The little warrior that could assumed a samurai stance, Jin assumed a regular battle stance, Xiaoyu assumed a confused one, and Nina was smirking for some reason.
The half-Devil steeled himself, while in actuality hardly expecting the battle to take long. I'll show him just what this 'Beast' can do.
The merc then sprinted forward with the fiercest battle cry he could muster, causing Xiaoyu to dash to the side. Jin kept his eyes on his pursuer, as he headed straight for…
…Nina. She performed a roundhouse kick as he lunged at her, knocking the wind straight out of him. She stood quietly above her latest victory, starry-eyed and appearing to be in a deep state of bliss.
"Wanna tell me what's going on?" questioned the confused young man.
"Me too!" piped Xiaoyu, "I took out some of these guys downstairs. They were all talking about 'The Beast'. What do they mean?"
"The Beast," she explained, "is what my enemies and people in the biz used to call me…*sniff*…way back when…I truly was…" her voice choked. She took a moment to reminisce to herself about those Halcyon Days.
"Uh…huh." was all Jin could think of to say.
"So what do we do with this guy?" asked Xiaoyu, inspecting his out-cold form.
"He's definitely not from the Zaibatsu ranks," Nina informed them, "but he could probably tip us on some very important information…with the right persuasion." The Irish woman looked at her partner before continuing, "this day might not be a waste after all."
Jin followed her thought train perfectly. "We take him with us."
"I see why you wanted me to sleep on the couch," Jin stated. The two had chained their hapless victim to all four posts of the guest bed, stripped him right to the tighty-whities and blindfolded him.
"Look, buster," Nina threatened in a menacing tone, "unless you want the whip, two broken thumbs, AND the titty twister this time, you'll tell us what we want to know."
"Never! I have more resolve than a thousand winds! My will is obstinate! You'd fare better cutting down a thousand armies before you crack me, Beast!"
The two interrogators sent each other looks of ridicule at their detainee's verbosity. Jin decided to have a go.
"I'm losing patience very quickly. Do you know what it means to piss off one with the Devil gene? I don't think you want to add yourself to that list…" Jin telekinetically grabbed a spare chain from the floor and wrapped it around the captor's neck.
Turned out his mind had far greater tightening capability than the old-fashioned way ever could hope to attempt.
"Urgh! Associate of the Beast!" he choked between declarations, "I will not bow to you, Devil! You have no sway over me! Kill me if it is your will! You will never reap the fruits of my knowledge!"
Jin's mind released the chain in frustration. "What is it gonna TAKE with this maniac?"
"Nothing! I will NEVER submit!"
At that point, Nina walked over and stared the man down. Having been blindfolded so his whereabouts would not be disclosed to him, this had less of an effect than she would have hoped.
"Oh, yes. YOU WILL."
"I know, I was speechless too!" Xiaoyu burst into another fit of giggles at the conclusion of yet another exciting life experience.
"OH!" she remembered, "Have I told you about the time Panda and I went camping on Huangshan Mountain?"
"Please, no," the chained man whimpered.
"Oh, well, I'll tell you about it! You see, it was a cloudy afternoon in September, or wait, no, I think it was a sunny August morning, or something, but anyway, Panda told me that I'd forgotten my sleeping bag, which was so sweet of her, so I went to this new department store that had just opened across the street from our house, but I remembered I had to pick up my dry cleaning before they closed, so I had to switch buses-"
The POW was powerless to resist.
"You know, I don't think anybody deserves that," Nina said woefully, listening to the story from the main hallway.
"As long as he squeaks, I don't care what we put him through." Said Jin resolutely.
"You're turning into quite the hardass." She observed.
"What's it to you?"
"Nothing. Just don't be getting' too merciless. There's only room for one badass in this house."
"Whatever." Jin headed towards the balcony, in need of a quiet place of contemplation.
"Uh…hey, Jin."
He turned to grant audience.
"I'm not very good at this, but…I get it."
Jin was not up for guessing games. "What?" he asked, short of patience.
"About what you said last night…and your guilt. It makes sense. You're in the right place to put her feelings above yours. But you're working nonstop to get her back. That counts above any betraying happy releases. You've done nothing wrong. Anyway…that's all." She was happy to get rid of those morbid insights that caused her stomach to turn.
Jin leaned against the windowed counter of the kitchen, absorbing the message.
"There's not going to be any fun from this point on," he informed, "not that there ever was. But it means something that you think it's okay. My heart's being ripped from my chest and force fed to me, but contemplating how I should be feeling isn't going to get her back in my arms…" he decided to stop there. His eyes were heavy enough as it was.
"OH GOD, PLEASE! YOU WIN! I'LL TELL! I'LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING! PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! MAKE IT STOP!"
"Looks like your suggestion paid off," Jin complimented, shaking off his grief. Nina nodded and the two marched into the guest room.
"He seems a lot more open now!" Xiaoyu observed, "I'm always happy to apply my life to break people out of their shells!"
Jin chuckled and shook his head discreetly. Same old Ling.
"Well, then," Nina stated, punching a fist into her palm, "seems to me we're all gonna have a little chat, then."
The vomit had more liquid content this time around. Perhaps less chemicals were present in this experimental drug.
Tears streamed down Julia's dirty cheeks, though she wasn't sure if it was a result of her gag reflex or just the pure. Agony. She slumped against the cold stone wall and let the tears liberate themselves.
"Julia."
I know that voice…She immediately crooned her head in all directions to pinpoint the source.
It couldn't be.
"It's me. I'm here."
"Jin…?" she choked breathlessly, as the tears turned to waterfalls.
There was her man, in all his handsome, pine-scented, wife beater glory.
Defying the jelly that her legs had become, Julia ran to reacquaint herself with his shielding embrace.
"I knew you'd come for me," she spoke between sobs, "I knew it, I-"
"Woah, woah, hang on a minute." He abruptly pulled her away. Immediately, a stinging chill overcame her body, not unlike the drugs she'd been unwillingly subjected to during her equally forced stay in the facility.
"Jin, what-"
"I can't do this. I can't be with you anymore."
"…why? Jin, I don't understand-"
"I couldn't protect you when you needed it the most."
"Jin, it's okay. You've done nothing wrong, you couldn't have known-"
"But I did. And I have to suffer the torment of living without you. I'm not coming. As my punishment, you have to stay here."
Jin dissipated in a gassy mist just as soon as the hope was ripped from her being.
Must have been a hallucinogen…
Overwhelmed with so many damning sensations, Julia collapsed, barely missing the pile of vomit.
Julia Chang.
"Go away, please, no more torment…."
You must heed my words.
"Wait. I know you. I've met you before, somewhere…you can't be one of the Spirits. I feel…I feel a crumbling dark energy eminating from you…"
That dark energy is going to be your salvation.
"What do you mean?"
My powers are growing weaker each passing day, so we must act quickly. I can aid you in your escape. You must place your trust in me. Do I have it?
"I don't know you…what are you planning?"
There will be time for that later. Do I have your trust?
"…very well. It's not like I have any other options."
Good. I will visit you again soon. Stay strong. Do not waver your resolve.
"Wait! Come back…"
Julia shot up from her resting place, dazed. There was an overwhelming dark aura that she couldn't shake away.
It was the most comforting presence she had felt in weeks.
A/N: Whew, finally done with another one. Before Chapter 8 is to be posted, I will be doing heavy revisions to at least the first two chapters, for the sake of updating my writing skills and introducing new plot elements. PLEASE READ those after I post them, so future chapters will make more sense. Appreciate your support as always!