Queen Nina: You Indian? That's perfect! can you suggest me Indian songs for Jina? I just love the idea of Jin seeing Nina covered in colors and him getting coated in it too. Thanks for reviewing!

*~*Chapter Eight *~*

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When Nina came to his office, color free and fresh as she stepped out of the shower, Jin wondered if she would still be stoned. Otherwise it wouldn't make sense for her to want to see him again. Not after what he did to her. But the seriousness on her face made him hear her out. So he listened, quietly and calmly by the window. If he looked at her, he'd imagine her covered in colors again and smile at the memory. He'd never forget that moment.

"Despite everything that's happened, you'd stay?" Jin whispered, lifting his gaze and meeting her eyes.

Nina took a few steps towards him by his office window with arms folded.

"Yes."

"I haven't finalized your contract termination yet. There's still time to think this over."

"I have done enough thinking and this is my final decision. I'm not running off."

"You don't think I'm a monster?"

Nina rolled her eyes at him. "The devil is the devil and you are you."

Jin inhaled sharply, he was aghast and speechless. He found comfort in her words however. That the devil was the devil and he was himself. His closed his eyes and let her words linger a little longer in his mind.

"Still there Jin?" Nina asked, he could hear amusement in her tone.

"I'm still here." He replied, opening his eyes. "I apologize for the creature's behaviour."

"It's not your fault."

Jin felt his heart beating faster. He steadied himself and closes his eyes. "So can we start again, afresh?"

The tiny tinge of hope in his voice touched her. Not one for a corny conversation, she moved to the bar and began helping herself to a bottle of sparkling white grape juice. He watched her go about in a mundane way. It was utterly surreal to him that Nina Williams of all people was making herself a drink in his office.

"You want one?" She asked, pulling out another glass.

This was her 'yes' to his suggestion of starting afresh. He exhaled in relief.

Jin made an affirmative sound and went to sit in his chair. It was then he remembered, the last time they were in his office, they shared a kiss. Having never spoken about it, he wanted to discuss it, to see what she thought about it and to perhaps remove any awkwardness between them if there were any. His own thoughts about that kiss was positive. Of course he resigned himself to feeling he'd never be able to get a kiss from her again. Or see her covered in colors again. He had to wonder why he felt this pull towards the blonde. He'd never felt such a thing toward anyone before.

"Here you go." Nina said and placed a glass full of sparking drink in front of Jin.

She sat down across from him with her own drink. Like her, he began to drink.

After a few sips, Jin broke the silence. "When I first saw you, I knew you were possessed by the Ogre…." He paused and met her eyes. "Your eyes were filled with a cry for help…as if you were fighting against him up here." Jin pointed at his head. "The monster tries to drown you in their own thoughts, until you feel like you're unable to preserve yourself."

"It was not a pleasant experience." Nina admitted. "I did really think I wasn't myself. It's the same for you I imagine?"

He nodded.

"There must be a way to get rid of it." Nina sighed. "Can't I just beat it out of you like you did with me?"

Jin chuckled. "First of all, I did not beat it out of you. I exorcised you with my powers."

Nina scoffed. "I remember being on the floor with you staring down on me."

"I was checking for a pulse."

"Yeah, after knocking me out. My body was so sore afterwards. I've never been punched like that before." She joked. "You owe me another apology for the bruising."

He took the last swig of his drink. "I'm sorry for the bruising."

"Apology accepted." Nina smirked before taking another sip.

"If it were that easy, I would permit you to beat the devil out of me too but he's so deeply clung onto me…it's a genetic problem."

"There just has to be a way to stop this…" Nina responded. "Every problem has to have a solution."

Jin thought about Azazel. There was a way to stop it. His death. As morbid as it was, there was her answer but he didn't want to ruin the mood. They were having such a nice light hearted conversation that deserved to be lengthened.

"There wasn't really bruising was there Nina?" He asked quietly.

"Relax, I was joking." She shrugged. It suddenly occurred to her that Jin already seen her stoned side so it wouldn't be strange if she went a little further in keeping things lighthearted for a bit longer. He was lucky because there was no way she'd do this in front of anyone else.

Then she picked up a ruler from his desk and pointed it at him. He sat up straight when she demanded him to.

"Abracadabra, I release you from the devil's curse!" Nina announced while waving the ruler at him.

Jin chuckled a little and his eyes beamed in laughter. It was the first time in a long time he did so. It surprised Nina so much that she was speechless. She set the ruler down with a smile. As kids, she and Anna used to roleplay in the back garden and she sort of missed that. It was the first memory that Nina recovered, before that awful one where Anna betrayed her and Kazuya got her cornered.

"I remember seeing your father transform right before I was supposed to kill him. It was the most hideous thing I saw." Nina grimaced. "I swore it would put me off the color purple."

Jin nodded, he saw his father's devil in his nightmares from time to time. That nasty third eye, red and creepy on Kazuya's forehead was unforgettable.

"Compared to him, your devil form isn't that scary." Nina shrugged. "Atleast you're not naked."

She was downplaying the danger she was in and Jin sighed. "Ugly or not, he's still a monster. He tried to hurt you."

Nina huffs. "Well next time I will make sure he regrets trying."

Truth be told, fighting and gaining a victory over the devil would be a good notch on her belt. It would raise her ego. She wonders if her father ever got the opportunity to take on a devil. Nina takes another sip, looking out into nothing as she imagines the creature defeated at her feet. Oh that would be such a satisfying victory. But she didn't want to hurt Jin. Glancing at her boss again, she thought he was different from her other employers. Eccentric, mysterious, quite emotional but kind…yes, he was kind. The younger version of him in her dream was innocent, vulnerable and genuine.

"Is there anything you want in exchange for your loyalty?" He asked her. "It means a lot to me that you're staying back." Jin confessed.

"Hmmm…" Nina finished the last of her drink and set her glass down. It was time for the intense part. She braced herself.

"How about you tell me why you're starting a war?"

"To awaken an ancient beast sealed deep underground."

"Jin, that's a nasty pun."

He frowned, unsure by what she meant by that. When she saw his expression, Nina smiled and shook her head. His innocence was so endearing. She just hoped that the war didn't ruin him or her perception of him. If he wasn't already.

"The name of this beast is Azazel." Jin continued. "I have to kill him so I'd be freed of this devil curse and the world would be saved."

He sighed in relief. Jin hadn't realized how much he wanted to tell someone that. Finally. At least one soul in this world would now know the truth about him. It was as if he could breathe a bit again.

"And where does this Azazel live?" Nina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"In Egypt. I'm trusting you not to tell anyone else about this."

"Of course I won't disclose whatever you trust me with to another soul." She promised. It wasn't in her code to sell secrets and work for multiple people at the same time.

Nina observed the Japanese man. He looked so convinced about Azazel that she felt as if he was telling the truth. Jin must have seen the look on her face because he began elaborating more on the Azazel beast. Apparently he had nightmares of the golden monster talking to him, urging him to start a war so he could gain physical form. Only Kazuya or Jin could kill the monster as they were the devil gene bearers. Once Azazel was good for dead, Jin would be normal again and so would Kazuya. There was a long silence as they both thought about Azazel and the war.

Nina's thought went back to the dream she had of Jin last night. Suddenly she blurted out whatever came to her mind next.

"Jin, did you ever have incense burners in your home when you were a kid?"

"What an odd question."

Nina levelled a look at him. Jin nodded. "Yes, mother loved them so everyday we had one burning. I can't remember a day where wasn't one."

Nina nodded gently. She didn't have the courage to talk about the Ogre incident he and his mother faced just yet. It might spook him out just like it spooked her out. But one thing was for sure, that dream had to be real.

Jin observed her and try to read her. Now she was in la la land.

"Remembering about our kiss?"

Damn. He hadn't forgotten about that. Sitting up straight and playing it cool, she forced herself to look at him.

"I forgot about it to be honest so there's no need to feel awkward." She shrugged, keeping a straight face. Of course it was a lie but she really didn't know how to process that kiss of theirs. Everytime she thought about it, her mind always went blank.

Jin was looking at her and she was going to keep it together until her back on him was turned. The way he was looking at her was making her task difficult. He had this strange ability to make her melt with that look. But she was the queen of the poker face. There was a sulking expression on his face now. She didn't think that kiss would mean shit to him. After all, she probably wasn't his type of woman to do all those sorts of things with. A man like Jin probably dreamt of demure Japanese women who were highly emotionally intelligent, could manage a home and were very affectionate. They were what he needed. Nina was sure that she was like the most unromantic woman he must have come across. Hold on, why was she even thinking about this?

He was disappointed as he leaned back into his leather chair. "I wonder when we'll get another chance for another one."

Fucking hell.

Nina narrowed her eyes. "Stop pulling my leg."

Keeping her poker face in place, the blonde got up and took her glass. She asked him if he wanted another drink before taking his glass and heading towards the bar again. Once she had her back turned to him, she let the poker face drop. It was good that he couldn't see her embarrassment on her face. That kiss...it was sure to be on her mind for days now.

Over the next couple of weeks, Jin had moved onto from cutting off funds from Mishima wards to messing with more of the big dogs. Among major companies, G Corp's important affiliates became bankrupted and lost their space colonies. The tabloids were mocking Kazuya's humiliation and praising Jin's victory. Nina read the news on her phone and smirked at his humiliation. She wasn't much of a sadist but it was good to know that the man who threw her in the freezer for experimentation for years was getting roasted publicly. Oh karma was such a bitch indeed.

It was also ironic Kazuya was getting humiliated by his own son. Once her little excitement had died down, a dark thought took over. Soon the tables would turn and Jin would be on the receiving end of people's hatred.

Her lunch break was almost coming to a close before she'd have to go back to the Tekken Force. They were currently in South Korea, Busan.

"Hey there." A voice greeted her warmly.

Nina looked up to see Lars. "Hey yourself Alexanddersson."

She had travelled with the elite unit of the Tekken Force after persuading an adamant Jin to let her see them in action abroad. Also she was tasked with ensuring their loyalty to Jin, monitoring them like a hawk. It wasn't something she enjoyed doing but it had to be done. Lars got settled at her table with his food. It was usual for him not to engage in friendly chit chat but perhaps their latest mission tired him out a bit.

"What's Jin planning?" Lars suddenly asked. "I mean he's taken over some space colonies recently. I find that a bit strange."

"He's doing what others have done before him." Nina said dismissingly with a shrug. "Kazuya and Heihachi took over things. It's what CEO's do."

Lars sighed. "I suppose so."

She hated that it felt like Lars expected more from her.

"Did you think as much when you worked for Heihachi?"

That question took Lars by surprise. She saw the look on his face. It was a strange one. Lars blinked and looked down at his food. "Heihachi was always a careful ruler. He wasn't reckless."

Nina was sort of offended at those words. "You have no idea what the old fart did behind the scenes then."

Lars' eyes stretched a bit from what she said. "Wow, you don't sound like a fan."

"Well, when you protect the current CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu, you hear things that the previous one did."

Lars swallowed and nodded with restraint. He looked slightly red. That was interesting. Nina cocked her head to the side.

"What's the matter? Did the old man do something to you too?" She asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

Lars shook his head and began eating his food. Nina frowned. Something was up. This blonde man was hiding something. Her thoughts shift to Steve. Was Lars also an experiment like Steve?

"Hey guys, mind if we join?" Eddy asked, bringing with him a couple of Tekken Force members. Each with a food tray in their hands.

Suddenly Lars' somber mood dropped and he happily agreed, pulling out a nearby chair.

Yep, he's definitely hiding something, Nina concluded.

"In the past couple of weeks, you proved to be arm candy Anna. You haven't made a move on your sister."

"They're mocking you now darling but if we accept these offers, we can save face." Anna said. "My sister's not in town anyway so we're going to have to wait till she arrives. Beside she doesn't know I'm working for you again. It will be a bitch slap for her."

"My bastard son put some of my affiliates out of business. I want to teach him a sound lesson." Kazuya grunted. "You should have let me storm over to him and give his face a good pounding. Stupid boy didn't get the right discipline."

"That twenty something knows how to do business. That I didn't expect." Anna said lowly. At twenty, she was a silly little cow not that she'd ever admit that to her sister.

"Don't underestimate people you don't know." Kazuya warned. "His mother was also a smart one."

He refused to meet her through Lee so she entered the tournament instead, knowing he'd be impressed by her strength. He'd soon see what Jun taught Jin, how she raised her son who would be a thorn in his side. It was just ill fate that he found the woman so captivating and beautiful, that she had power over him instead of the other way around.

Maybe Jin would also lure that fatal assassin too, just the way his mother had done to him. That carefully doe eyed look, that alluring mysteriousness and an ethereal depth. Kazuya was sure no mortal or supernatural being could resist it. The cursed charm of a Kazama.

Nina being loyal to Jin would be a problem for him. But if Jin built trust up for the blonde and Kazuya managed to break them apart, make that unwanted son of his become so vulnerable that he would be able to snatch the devil from him.

"Kazuya are you listening to me?"

"Fuck no." Kazuya replied quickly. "First order of business, get your sister here." He barked.

He wanted Jin to lose the most dangerous weapon. By hook or by crook. Nina had to leave or be ousted from the Zaibatsu. Then working for him would be both her humiliation and Jin's.

Kazuya's lips curved upwards in a twisted smirk.

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