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Chapter Twenty Four

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"Nothing shocks me anymore." Jin mutters, putting an arm over his head as he lay in bed.

"Nothing?" Nina challenges.

"Nothing."

A sly smirk on her lips as an idea came to mind. She then leans forward and kisses Jin on the cheek. Nina was sure to make a slight smack sound. She gets up and Jin immediately moves his arm off his forehead, his mouth open to let out a slight gasp and his eyes are wide.

Nina fights the urge to giggle.

"Shocked?" She questions. He turns slowly to her and she wiggles her eyebrows.

Where the hell did that come from?! His heart was pounding wildly and the area she kissed on his face was tingly deep.

Sure it was a fluffy move but it was a good one if it got her the reaction she wanted. Poor Jin was gobsmacked and that made her day. Ah, she loved toying with this man in this way. She really did.

He notices how she couldn't stop grinning. Hmpf, he thinks. Teasing him like that. He'd show her.

"Why did you stop? I enjoyed that." He challenges back, seeing if she'd dare to plant another one on his face again.

So he was going to play to. Nina repeats her move which shocks him again. Again and again until he moves and their lips collide. Nina muffles against his mouth and moves back.

Jin hadn't meant for her lips to touch his, he just wanted to plant one on her cheek but the timing got wrong. However, it felt nice. Her lips on his. He didn't know what to say in the moment.

Neither of them said anything and it feels like an eternity until one of them breaks the silence.

"Tell me what else will get you so flustered up Jin, I want to know." Nina asks.

There is a cheeky smile on his lips. It's their bedtime but it wouldn't hurt to play along for now.

"I want you to give me a tender hammam bath. Want to only be in my shorts and have those hands of yours massaging and soaping me all up." Jin confessed, mildly blushing. "I don't mind the occasional slap on the back but please nothing too hard to leave a handprint. People will ask me about it."

Nina laughs. "God, I've never met a man as strangely as sexy, witty and humorous as you. Never change, my darling."

"I'd slap your back too when I wash you." Jin teases. "Going to make you enjoy the Turkish Hammam very much."

"Going to slap me?" She teases back.

"Yeah." Jin replies, nodding also and his eyes were closed. "Have sweet dreams about that bath."

When sleep claims him, he had no idea of what his wicked girlfriend would too. When he wakes up the next morning and finds his face adorned in lipstick, he chases her around the bedroom. Nina rolls over the bed, chuckling as she did so. Jin tries to grab her but ends up slapping one round buttock in the heat of the moment. She yelps and chuckles some more.

"Oh you cheeky man!"

Finally! He catches her. "Cheeky woman!"

He grabs the blonde and uses enough of his strength to pin her against him. In one swift motion, he rubs the side of his face against hers, making sure to smear as much of her own lipstick against her skin. See how she felt like.

Nina struggles a bit in his powerful arms but he doesn't let go until he does the other cheek. It was only generous he paid her back in full for her insolence.

Somehow instead of moving roughly against her, he moves sensually and they both look at each other in arousal.

How did lipstick smearing become so erotic?

He slowly releases the blonde and she turns to him with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Good, now clean me up." Jin challenges, excited by the prospect of Nina polishing him up. A warm soapy cloth and her tender hands all over him.

How romantic.

Jin punches the bag harder this time. He didn't wince. It's a week since Nina walked out of his apartment. Julia checked up on him but he and Nina refused to stay in contact. Nina had no messages to pass through their mutual friend either. The anger at such a betrayal couldn't be ignored. Eyes stinging, he brings his arm up to collect any tears.

How could he love someone so much for them to treat him like shit? What was lacking in his love? The memories made together was so beautiful. He couldn't imagine anyone turning their back on that.

She's incapable of love, the devil drawls in his mind. She was a distraction and you allowed her to distract you.

His heart refuses to believe that.

"Jin?" His sensei calls out to him. "Are you alright?"

Shocked at a human voice, Jin nods and realises just how sweaty he is. The dojo is empty.

"It's time to close up now." His sensei says. "I'm sorry."

Jin sees the clock on the wall. It is way past closing time. He feels embarrassed. "No, I'm sorry."

He is going to go home to no one and be utterly alone with the devil.

Jin is just walking down the street when he catches sight of the blonde woman across. There was a lot of distance between them. Nina looks as if she's been caught red handed. Jin pauses, just waiting for her to come forward. To take the first step forward. Please.

Nope.

Instead she turns back on her heels and walks away. Like she didn't even know him. Jin's eyes sting and he digs his hands on his pockets. First time he sees her but she's not bothered to even walk towards him and say hi.

Outside his apartment, he remembers standing out of his front door, just feeling her close. She never made herself known but Jin just knew. He walks over to the wall where he guessed she had hidden behind. Sadness looms over him and defeated, he trots back to his front door. His pride doesn't allow him to call her. He wasn't the type to beg and grovel and she isn't the type to respect those who beg and grovel.

If not her love, he still wants to have her respect.

Although it kills him that he no longer has her.

It was as painful as the betrayal of his grandfather.

Jin looks at the picture she created of his mother. When she made that, he thought he could love another woman as much as he loved his mother. He thought another woman would love him just as much as his mother did.

He doesn't want to imagine it being easy for Nina to be away from him for a week.

It's hard for him.

He asked Julia if it was about the attack Nina suffered but Julia refused to answer as even she had no idea what Nina was doing. She was still living with Julia as if nothing had happened so it couldn't be for that reason.

Since he began dating Nina, he had installed a front door camera. Ever since Nina left him he watched it daily. He remembers seeing her against the door, looking like she was about to break down.

Nothing makes sense.

He held his tears back for a week. Jin is just tired to fighting it. So he allows it.

In no time, his cheeks are stained and breath is a ragged pull from his lips.

I'm here for you. Only I am. The devil reminds him. Never forget that. Only I truly love you.

Suddenly he sees a female loiter in front of his door. It's not Julia or Nina but some weird anime looking girl. Jin gets up and charges to the door. He opens it and a bewildered pink haired girl stares at him with the greenest eyes known to man. She thrusts a note in his hand.

"I—I…read the note!"

"Who are you?"

"Alisa!" She squeaks before running away.

Jin just stares at her missing the elevator, she bumps into the closed doors and says a cute 'uff'. She looks back and sees him looking. She looks shocked and then runs towards the stairs.

What a weird person, Jin thinks. Adorable but weird.

Jin opens the note. It's the same one that was left months ago.

It's not Heihachi Mishima you just have to watch out for.

It's also your father.

An Alisa watch.

White silicone strap with pink, silver and gold adornments on it. Diamond shapes. There is a pastel green circle around the heart of it.

This watch was something new and now on Nina's wrist.

Touchscreen of course.

The doctor says it had a distress signal, should she need to be saved, all she had to do was press something and boom, Alisa would appear in the nick of time.

Much faster than emergency services, Doctor B assures.

Nina thinks she doesn't need to but it would be funny to have Alisa at her beck and call.

One of the things that actually takes her mind off the pain and pity was to visit Robot Alisa. Even if it was just for a small time. It would be a better alternative of taking sleeping pills to escape the pain of her decision. A healthier choice.

It is painful remembering all those amazing moments of her and Jin, the latest memory of Turkish Hammam bath kink and lipsticks all over their faces. God, she misses him terribly. Seven days. Of pure torture.

Yesterday, she purposely crossed the road he did on his way from the dojo, even though he was a little late, she still loitered around in the hopes of just seeing him. She saw him and hated that she pretended not to care. The water pooling in her eyes had to be leaked when no one was looking but it came out as she walked away from him again. Not turning around and stealing a longer glance of him broke her heart.

As for Alisa..

She hates that she actually was fond of the pink haired android and that stupid doctor who recently got up from coma probably knew that too. Bastards. She'll lie and say Alisa is just her pet robot.

Her footstool.

I like you but I don't want to like you.

The doctor always leaves the room to let Nina and Alisa chat together as if they were the best of friends. He was probably observing them or whatever. Nina was wary.

"I would like a pet." Alisa says. "I think I love a Canary bird the most. What about you Nina? Do you have pets or thought about having one?"

"I don't have a pet at the moment." Nina begin. "Once I saw a cat take a liking to my boyfriend and they were curling around his leg." She pauses, remembering how shocked Jin was. An animal hadn't approached him since he'd discovered the devil gene. To see one so unafraid of him made him quite emotional.

I had a cat once, named Hajime.

"He had a cat once, named Hajime." Nina replies. "It was a long time back and he hadn't been a cat owner for a long time. Seeing that, I was open to maybe adopting one with him. We decided on either a grey stripped tabby or a Siamese."

"What is your boyfriend's name?"

"Jin." Nina replies without even thinking.

Oh.

Silence.

She glances sheepishly at Alisa.

"Jin Kazama attacked my father." Alisa reveals.

Oh god. The robot knows his full name. But how?

"Do you have proof?"

"Sadly, no. I was terrified."

If she was near Jin, he was happy and at peace. There was no glimpse of devil. Nina was never attacked in their time together, she almost forgot he could turn into a devil.

"What did he look like?" Nina whispers.

"Big black wings, glowing white eyes with sharp claws. He also shoots out a red beam. That's how he got my father." Alisa put her hands near her head and made a strange gesture. "He has horns curved inwards!"

Nina can't imagine Jin in that description. She was a little jealous Alisa got to see him that way and not her. It's absurd but can't be helped.

"Was his skin color purple?"

"No, it was human color."

There was a sigh of relief. He looked nothing like that type of devil.

"Father has not told Heihachi anything because he doesn't fully remember the incident. I do."

"So what do you want to keep your mouth shut?" Nina asks, getting straight to the point.

At this point, she'll gladly make another sacrifice for Jin. The robot isn't as stupid as Nina thought. She had to watch her back.

"I just want you to be nice to me." Alisa says. "That's all."

"I'm being nice to you now." Nina replies, a little exasperated.

"Like really nice. I don't like you talking down to me like you're superior and I'm just a bug you want to squash."

Nina is silent for a moment. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"I'll do my best, just don't get on my nerves."

Alisa smiles. "Thank you!"

She needed to let Jin know somehow about this. Julia would have to be the messenger.

Once her meeting with Alisa was done, Nina makes her way her apartment, she's just about to cross over to it. A plump woman steps out of a police car parked outside of it. Nina's never seen her before but knows it's the same cop that called her earlier today. For a one to one meeting about the case and that they were rounding up suspects. She has swarthy skin and long braids tied together. Looks like she was in her fifties. Gave off a maternal feel.

"Wendy Nolan?" The policewoman calls. "I'm Detective Coke, we spoke on the phone earlier today."

"Hello, Detective Coke."

They shake hands. "Do you mind coming to the police station? We've got all the suspects."

"That's good news." Nina replies, feeling elated. She hopes they caught the bastard and she'd be able to make amends with Jin quickly.

The woman kindly smiles and opens the car door for Nina. "C'mon in."

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A/N : Yes, Nina's fake name is an inverse of her initials N.W for W.N. It's neat. Published: 23rd Oct 23.