Disclaimer: I do not own characters, all credits are Namco's.
She wasn't able to recognize her own reflection in the mirror. Her cerulean eyes had suddenly gone glassy and empty, as they scanned her figure which apparently seemed to be the same as ever. Yet there was something wrong with her, she had a terrible feeling weighing on her chest, as she felt that soon things would never be the same again. Subconsciously she put her hands on her flat stomach, studying the outline of her body, as if she were looking for something. Something actually was there, she still wasn't absolutely sure, but in her heart she already knew the answer. And she was afraid. Deeply terrorized. Despite all the tragic and dramatic situations she had been through after her troubled awakening from cryogenic sleep, she had never felt that kind of feeling: she had experienced anger, frustration, despair and sadness, but not this kind of fear. A phobia unlike any other, to face the unknown alone with such an enormous weight that her shoulders simply could not bear. In that moment she just wanted to disappear, to scream after waking up from the umpteenth nightmare that would bother her all day, but this time it wasn't a dream. She had to get rid of that atrocious doubt that was suffocating her, but she didn't have the courage to do so, because she was already aware of the fact that it already proved to be well founded.
"Don't be such a coward, Nina!" she scolded herself and her reflection.
Staying there in front of the mirror in despair would lead to nothing, if not to foment the her anxiety , which, by now, had already reached frightening peaks. She picked up her coat, a scarf, a hat and a pair of dark glasses and ran out of the house, as if she had hellhounds on her trail. She had a very specific goal in mind and she hurried to reach it at a brisk pace, without ever raising her head: she couldn't be discovered, she would have already had to leave for at least a week! Fortunately, the pharmacy was not too far from her home, so she would have an answer pretty soon. Pulling herself even tighter into her dark purple coat, Nina grabbed the item she was interested in and immediately went to the cashier to pay. When the pharmacist at the counter saw what she was purchasing, smiled sweetly at her as she gave her receipt.
"Good luck and goodbye!" he greeted her cordially.
"Thank you!" replied the blonde through gritted teeth, quickly leaving the shop.
If she couldn't wait to find out the truth, on the other hand she was terrified as hell. What if what she feared really happened? It wasn't that unlikely actually. She accelerated her pace, but as she turned the corner she came across a sort of parade that was strolling down the main street: the demonstrators waved banners depicting Heihachi's face with a huge red cross on it and shouting at the G Corporation, claiming that it would free them from the tyranny.
"Poor fools ..." she muttered.
However she couldn't risk to run into some old acquaintance, so many times she had been seen next to Jin during the broadcasts of his speeches, so she decided to take a detour and enter a bar waiting for that horde of deluded to dissipate. Since she was there, she decided to have something to drink, so she sat down at one of the tables and ordered chamomile tea, hoping to calm her inner turmoil. She sipped the hot drink slowly, watching the other patrons enjoying their orders, reading the newspaper, or chatting with each other. Everything was quiet, way too quiet. Nobody couldn't be so naïve to think that the Mishima Zaibatsu had been beaten and that the leader of G Corp would become the Good Samaritan who would calm the war and save everyone. Yet there was a disarming optimism in the air, but Nina knew it wouldn't last long: it was only a matter of time before the Mishimas returned to claim victims. However at that moment, she had something else to think about: the chamomile had its effect on her so she slowly walked to the bathroom, which also meant that she would discover the truth that scared her so much in few minutes. She shuffled to the back of the room and closed the door behind her. With trembling hands she extracted a rectangular box and a plastic container from her purse, preparing for the worst. She had hold herself back from going to the toilet the whole morning in order to have the most truthful result.
Those three minutes were the longest of her life, she was afraid to find out what that stick which looked like a thermometer to measure fever could reveal to her. She tried to think positively and rationally, remembering that after awakening from cryogenic sleep she had to wait several months for her period to return. Her body was constantly under stress and strain, so it was quite normal for her to go through very long periods of time without that hassle. She had never been regular, so her logic told her not to worry, it was just a delay like any other... Although all those symptoms were obvious enough, from morning sickness to sudden mood swings.
When the time was up and the moment of truth had come, her hands kept shaking as she took the little stick in her hand to check the result: two bright red bars had appeared on that small display. A pair of scarlet lines with an unmistakable meaning. Nina felt the ground disappearing under her feet. She had hoped until the last moment to be wrong, but now all the suspicions and feelings were confirmed. Everything immediately became clearer as that reality crushed on her inexorably, what should have never, ever happened instead occured and now she was in a sea of trouble.
"I can't believe.. I had been so...So...Fucking foolish!" she murmured between sobs, punching the wall.
Actually they had been reckless as grownups both, not to think that what they were doing sooner or later would have lead to predictable enough consequences. They weren't teens anymore! Holding her injured hand, she slumped against the wall and stood there in a corner while her mind abandoned itself to the memories again...
The journey to Egypt had been long and exhausting: despite traveling on a private jet equipped with every possible comfort, the atmosphere that hovered was unbearable for both. His hours were numbered, the closer they got to the goal and the less he had left to live. She tried to remain impassive and composed, but her heart was breaking apart.
Silence persisted also during the landing, and even when they got into an armored jeep that escorted them straight to their military base not far from the beginning of the desert. Once they entered their huge apartment he had immediately locked himself in the room and she hadn't had the courage to disturb him; she went into the luxurious bathroom opting for a long soak in the giant tub, hoping that at least that would be able to alleviate that tension a little.
The most crucial day was coming and it still felt surreal to her that in less than 24 hours she would be at the head of the largest, most powerful and most hated company in the world. She had no idea how to manage such an empire all by herself, not to mention she would have to start fixing all that mess and damage he had caused and regain the trust of the entire population. How was she supposed to explain and prove to nearly 7 billion people that that bloody war was unleashed only to save them from an ancient Egyptian demon that awakened after thousands of years to destroy the planet?
She spurred even more into the tub, with the water and foam now reaching under her nose. She would never have wanted to take on such a responsibility, but it was also true that it was the last wish of the person who was now locked up in the next room doing who knows what: he didn't need to beg her, his pain was enough to convince her to accept.
He was going to meet a hideous death for the sake of the world and everyone hated him, how could she refuse and turn her back on him too? She stayed there for what seemed an eternity, lost in her thoughts until all the foam dissolved and the water cooled enough to force her out. She then dragged herself out of the tub and wrapped herself in one of the fluffy bathrobes hanging next to it. As she dried herself she absently observed her image reflected in the mirror, realizing how those unusual dark circles were marking her eyes and how she actually looked tired and tried like never before. She could not stay in the bathroom forever, her body was craving for some rest in a soft bed after all those hours spent on the plane, but she was afraid to go there, not knowing in what conditions she could find him.
"It seems you don't have much choice..." she told herself to herself before going out.
The bedroom door was still closed; she hesitated a moment before knocking on the large dark wooden door, straining her ears to pick up even the slightest noise. There was no response even after the second attempt, so she opted to go in and check what was happening. Her cerulean irises scanned the room from top to bottom, but they couldn't see him anywhere, the bed was intact and there was absolutely no one sitting on the armchairs. Eventually she noticed the awning moving and realized that the balcony window was open. She silently approached and finally saw him intent on scanning the horizon, with his arms leaning against the railing: she couldn't immediately look at his face, but his posture was very tense. There must have been the worst chaos in his head! Without saying a word she approached him, assuming the same position and they both watched the sun set behind the sand dunes that would soon become his grave.
"Hey ..." the blonde murmured after a while trying to catch his attention.
That silence had become unbearable. Jin turned, pinning her in place with that amber look of his that drove her so crazy. His expression was blank, an impassive mask that didn't reveal the slightest emotion, but his eyes never lied, they were the mirror of his tormented soul and showed his inner turmoil very well. Those two amber-colored gems were reflected in her sapphires, and they read inside her how much anxiety and sadness she was feeling: this was enough for him to soften his features and to force himself to smile at her sadly.
"You ok?" He asked her, placing his hand on hers.
What a stupid question! He was the one doomed to death, what was the point of asking her how she was? But once again she was amazed at how much the ruthless Kazama had actually inherited from her mother the ability to love and the altruism. He was just unable to manifested it to the others.
"No, it's just... I was worried about you!" she replied, lowering her gaze, unable to hold it any further.
And here is the cold assassin on the verge of losing her classic coolness and composure. That woman had a big heart, but even she couldn't prove it. Jin's tight smile became a little more relaxed.
"Come here..." he murmured, drawing her into a warm embrace, holding her against him and gently resting his chin on her head. "You know you don't have to worry about me! Soon it will all be over and from tomorrow you will live in a better world!"
Those words were unbearable for her. She clung desperately to him, as if she was afraid that he would disappear at any moment into a cloud of smoke. It wasn't fair! Why did he have to sacrifice himself?
"Jin... Don't..." she sobbed.
"We have already talked about it, Nina! It's right that I pay for the evil I have done, I gotta eradicate this curse!"
That statement did not admit objections, besides it would have been useless to spend the last evening together to discuss. Yeah, the last one.
"What am I going to do it without you?" she asked in a choked voice, gripping the fabric of her shirt between her fingers.
"Nina, you are an extraordinary woman, the smartest person I have ever met. I trust in your common sense and in your choices, I know you will always do the right thing . Zaibatsu needs you! "He reassured her, stroking her hair.
All that trust he placed into her was touching and she didn't feel she deserved it. He had become so important and she felt incredibly fragile and weak, perhaps because she had allowed basic human emotions to scratch her for once, which was something she had managed to avoid both of her lives. She wasn't used to feel that kind of emotions after her father died and feeling like…so normal and sensitive. She no longer had confidence in herself as she used to and the way she was reacting was proof of that.
"And you are the most special and unselfish person of all, Jin! You don't deserve this, it's not right!"
"Right or wrong I have to face my fate. My conscience and my hands are stained with the blood of millions of innocent people. That's enough! " he answered categorically.
That was the reason why he had never allowed anyone to get close to him, yet he had failed with her: he had welcomed her more and more into his life and ended up hurting her with his decision to kill himself. He didn't want bonds, nor affections with anyone, after his mother's passing nothing had made sense… But unfortunately he had not been able to avoid losing his mind for her. He gently lifted her chin with two fingers, only to plunge once again into that icy ocean that her irises were , marveling at how beautiful and expressive they were and wondering how fire could burn between that ice.
"If anything, I've got something beautiful in all of this...I have it right here, in front of me! "he murmured, before gently placing his lips on hers.
Nina threw her arms around his neck, as he held her head tilted slightly to deepen the contact, while the other hand leaned on her waist to draw her closer to him. Those lips drove him crazy every time, they had become his drug and his cure for the most difficult moments. In his mind the flashback of that evening when he had almost lost control and a catastrophe would have happened if it weren't for her. He had stolen a kiss from her soon after, without thinking twice, until he realized she was kissing him back. He would have missed all of this so, so bad! He didn't want to waste not even a moment of what little he had left, he just wanted to be with her. Effortlessly he lifted her off the ground and walked back into the room, closing the door behind him, and then laying her gently on the huge king size bed. Their kisses didn't stop, their lips were like two magnets unable to detach themselves from each other. Careful not to weigh on her, Jin rolled over her, stroking her cheek and her loose hair scattered on her pillow.
"You are beautiful ..." he murmured, sowing a trail of delicate kisses along her jaw and neck. "Wonderful..." he continued, sliding his hands along her waist, still covered by the bathrobe. "Perfect…" he finished before kissing her again, with even more passion.
"Jin ..." Nina murmured between kisses.
With trembling hands she pulled off his t-shirt, revealing his perfectly sculpted chest and let her fingers run through those well-defined muscles. He was so beautiful, with that statuesque body and that gorgeous face, he just drove her crazy. And the same was for him, he couldn't wait to worship the goddess body of her beloved, as he untangled the lace that kept closed the only garment she was wearing. They were both too eager, she quickly helped him get rid of the rest of the clothes he was wearing, before dragging him to her and picking up from where they left off.
Between caresses and kisses they knew each other's body perfectly and they both knew what to do to make their partner's head spin. Nina moaned softly as Jin took her with his usual firm and began to move slowly inside her. They had become one, held in an indissoluble embrace, with their eyes locked to each other. There was something desperate in the way she clung to his shoulders and how Jin was particularly hovering on her, leaving that little of space not to crush her against her mattress.
If everyone thought they were a tyrant and a murderer, at that moment they were simply two souls intent on loving each other without reserve.
"Jin …P-p-please ..." she cried.
"Nina ..." he gasped, increasing the pace of his thrusts, also incredibly close to the point of no return.
Between moans and gasps they both reached the climax, calling each other. They remained motionless, hugging each other, trying to regulate their accelerated breathing. Soon her strangled sobs resounded in the air, as she was sinking her fingers on that bicep marked by that left tribal, while he tried to calm her with kisses and caresses.
"Everything will be fine, you'll see..." he murmured, resting his forehead against his. "Please, don't cry!"
"Jin…I...I…" Nina sobbed, unable to hold her tears back.
"I love you, Nina, don't forget it! Don't forget me…Never!"
Yeah, she certainly wouldn't forget him, not now that she had confirmed that a part of him was living inside her. She touched her belly absently, while she got up from the floor and got out of that place. Everything would change and nothing would remain the same. And the worst part was that she would have to face the unknown alone...
Hello ladies and gentlemen, it's been a while. Yeah, I know, I'm terrible. I better update this story more frequently, since Tekken 8 trailer came out few days ago, until the whole fan fiction makes sense, lol! Thank you for the reviews, they are super appreciated. See you soon (maybe).