"So, is this it for you?"

Eddy slammed the lid of his suitcase shut, his posture as stiff and rigid as ever. It made her recall how he was the day they had met under the Zaibatsu. Though she knew of him prior, that had been the first time they had introduced themselves to each other and Nina felt like they had formed a decent enough friendship. That said, she didn't need to know him on a personal level to notice how his demeanour slowly changed as the days went on. Right now, he looked about 10 years older than he did when she first saw him.

He had yet to respond to her query as well, and since she was sure he had heard her just fine she wasn't about to waste her breath. He let out a sigh that only seemed to tense his shoulders further, picked up the suitcase and walked straight past Nina towards to door behind her. It was then that she decided to add "I didn't realise you were mad at me too."

She heard him stop before the door, and she turned in place so she could consider him properly. His back was to her when he replied with a curt "It's not about mad or not."

"Then what's it about?" she asked, folding her arms. "You're leaving because you hate Jin now, right?"

"I'm leaving now because I'm tired, Nina!" he exclaimed suddenly, his dreadlocks swishing through the air as he turned around. Fiery brown met icy blue while Nina remained silent, never letting her surprise at his outburst show. Soon enough, his glare reduced in intensity and his shoulder's slumped for the first time that day.

"Both of you are so frustrating sometimes…" he muttered under his breath. She heard it anyway but chose not to reply.

"I'm tired," he sighed, his expression certainly reflecting his statement. "To know that after all the bullshit, after everything I did, that it meant absolutely nothing in the end…"

His jaw clenched before he could finish, but she knew what he was talking about. His master had passed away only recently, despite the efforts by the Zaibatsu medical staff.

"Yeah, it certainly was a waste of time," she replied, bluntly. Eddy spared her an annoyed glance before closing his eyes and rubbing his face.

"I know empathy is asking too much of you," he said. "But normal people can only handle so much before they feel like punching you in the face."

Nina stayed silent.

"Then again, you'd prefer punches over sharing feelings, wouldn't you?" Eddy said. A sad attempt at the usual snarky jokes they threw at each other.

"At least with a fight I know what I'm doing," she finally rebutted. Eddy gave her a small, half-hearted smirk.

"Nina…" he started, brushing wayward locks back onto his scalp. "I could always count on you to be honest in this deceit-ridden hellhole, so I'll be honest with you too."

He took a few steps towards Nina before placing his free hand on Nina's shoulder. All the while, she refused to move an inch and kept her gaze steady.

"You're a good friend to me, and I'd like to think I was a good friend too. You made my time here bearable for sure… but you can't ever replace my family."

Surprise blossomed onto Nina's usually impassive face.

"Master and Christie… they were the reason I stayed this long. Now, one… one is gone and..."

Emotion broke through his voice, Eddy trying to compose himself while Nina silently observed him through wide eyes. She really must have looked like a deer in the headlights then, but she didn't really know what to do. Seeing Eddy trying his hardest not to break down in front of her… how must he be feeling right now?

How the fuck was she supposed to be empathetic? Eddy's current sadness only made her feel sorry for him, nothing more.

"Master is gone… and I don't think Christie wants anything to do with me after the funeral I'm sure. There's no reason to stay here," Eddy admitted. After a few seconds, he let out a small laugh before adding "Besides I'd rather quit than have Jin fire me over what happened at the base."

Nina chuckled briefly, though her head was still all over the place. All that he was saying just confirmed for her that he was leaving for good. The realisation that her friend was going away was accompanied by a dull pain in her throat. She decided to inquire "Will you ever wanna meet up after this is all over?"

Eddy didn't reply immediately, thinking over his response, and she felt uncertainty peek out from the back of her head.

"Nina, no offence, but I'll need a while before I can say yes to that," he confessed, releasing her shoulder from his grip and taking a few steps back. Nina felt her throat throb again.

"Oh?"

"It's just that…" Eddy trailed off, searching for words while avoiding her gaze, "When I see you, I'll be reminded of this place and… I don't want to think about the past after today."

"I see…" was all Nina could say in response, her gaze now on the wall.

This situation… it was weird…

"If…" Eddy said, stealing her attention back, "If everything works out favourably, then… I would like for us to have a beer sometime."

He gave her a slight smile. "I don't think I'll have any friends left apart from you in a while, and I hate my own company."

Nina returned the smile easily, much to her own surprise, and took a few steps toward him.

"Sounds good," she affirmed, patting Eddy's shoulder. "My memory may be shit, but I'll remember somehow."

He let out a small "Heh" before nodding.

"I'll be holding you to that."

At that moment, after all that was said, she really felt like giving him a hug. But, she wasn't the hugging type at all… Would it help though? Wouldn't it just be awkward coming from her? Or maybe he would appreciate the attempt? Does hugging count towards empathy?

Eddy turned in place, his hand firm on the doorknob. Without looking over his shoulder, he said "Sayonara, Nina Williams."

And he left his old quarters without a single backward glance, leaving the door open.

And she just watched.

"Sayonara, Eddy Gordo," she murmured. Once those words left her mouth, a hush settled over the room where the two of them would occasionally spend late nights. Looking around and taking in the messy bed and the open cabinets, it didn't feel like someone once stayed here. Rather, it felt like a poltergeist blew through the area, acting with malicious intent. She supposed that should make her feel uncomfortable, but she just felt melancholic instead.

Maybe because she didn't feel that much different from a ghost at that moment.

"You seem distracted," Jin declared out of the blue from his seat, making Nina pause in the middle of playing the piano. And here she thought he was too engrossed in his work.

She inclined her head toward him, lazily raising an eyebrow.

"You aren't really playing so much as pressing the same keys on repeat," he added, taking his eyes away from his paperwork to look at her instead.

"The same keys on repeat still qualifies as playing," she retorted, tapping a couple of keys for emphasis.

"You seem distracted."

She closed her eyes in annoyance. She really wished he could have just gone on about his day without considering her at all. But then again, it's not like work could really divert him now.

Only a few weeks were left before Jin would face Azazel, so any work that was left wasn't really of his concern now. The only thing that seemed to interest him now apart from training was following up on the former Tekken Force captain Lars Alexandersson.

She began to wish that he would do just that so she could just keep to herself.

"It's not anything important," she dismissed, tapping a few more keys carelessly. There was a brief period where Nina played with no disruptions. Her eyes were locked on the piano and she could feel that his eyes had never left her face. But, as long as he wasn't trying to get her to speak-

"Is it about Eddy?"

Nina's finger hovered millimetres above the key she meant to press. It felt like there was a barrier between her fingertip and the ivory tile, she couldn't bring herself to continue.

"He resigned last night," Jin informed, leaning back in his chair. "Barged into my office, saying he found out about his Master."

She saw him rubbing his jaw momentarily.

"I'm assuming it didn't end well for you either?" she probed, folding her arms on the piano frame and resting her head on them.

"I lost another employee," he said. "And my jaw was almost dislocated."

"I think he said something about punching faces," she recalled, smirking. He rolled his eyes.

"The two of you are so frustrating sometimes," Jin said, his words silencing Nina and diverting her train of thought. "… But I'm sad to see him go, all the same."

She looked at him then. He was leaning back in his chair, appearing lost in thought as he stared at the glittering buildings through the windows.

"When he came to me to ask for my help, to save his teacher, it reminded me of something. It…"

He trailed off, perhaps waiting for her to ask him to continue.

She didn't.

"… never mind. It's not important. I just felt like I understood his pain to a degree. I didn't want him to have to go through what I did but…" he sighed "… here we are."

She stayed silent, her throat throbbing once again. Was what he was saying… is that empathy? She should have been surprised to hear empathy from Jin, but it really wasn't surprising. Despite how similar they were on the outside, Jin was still a human being. She didn't know what the hell she was but she wasn't human…

"Yet another regret added to my list it seems," he continued. "I keep trying, only to fail repeatedly…"

He settled into silence, closing his eyes briefly. When he opened them, they met with Nina's own and she thought that he must only now be remembering that she was in the room too.

Or maybe he never forgot…?

"You two were friends, so it's natural if you miss him," he said to her. Nina couldn't help but scoff then.

"I'm not his friend," she rebutted. "The Silent Assassin has no friends."

Now it was her turn to stare at the horizon, feeling Jin's gaze. "I don't have it in me to be a good friend."

"Why would you say that?" he asked.

"I just know it. I can't be a friend."

"Nina," he said clearly. "You do tend to clip your words, more than I would like, but I'm sure your logic is sounder than 'I just know it'."

She buried her face into her arms, frustration blooming from the back of her mind. "Eddy was right. You really are annoying sometimes."

"He said that about me?" Jin asked, sounding surprised.

"Boss, maybe I just don't want to talk for once. Ever thought about that?" she said, her tone vexed. She couldn't be sure what his reaction to that was but she didn't hear a sound from him for a while. The seconds ticked on and her mind was cool again when Jin said in a quiet voice "I'm the one who's not a good friend."

She stilled.

"You might think that about yourself, but I disagree."

"And what is the logic behind your statement?" she asked, genuinely curious.

His reply was simple.

"You first…"

Well, it seemed like she was trapped. He could be quite the chess-master when he wanted to be, it seemed.

"Damn it, Boss," Nina groaned, lifting her head so she could glare at him. She didn't foresee this kind of difficulty when she decided to take this job. But fighting would only make this harder it seemed, and she had the sense to know when to cut loose.

"Fine…"

She took a breath as Jin stared at her expectantly.

"I liked Eddy's company…" she started, getting her thoughts straight. "He was the only tolerable person here, aside from you, and he was a familiar face… well, a pleasantly familiar face. Before he left, he said he considered me a good friend too…"

She paused in her speech, expecting Jin to comment.

He didn't.

"… but he said I wasn't really empathetic, and that I couldn't replace his family. And, I don't know why, but that first bit has been on my mind ever since… When he was telling me about his Master when he was on verge of breaking down… I felt nothing but pity."

She sighed, resting her head on her folded arms again. "That's why I don't think I'm a good friend. You can still feel for other people, but I can't. And I don't think I ever could."

She settled into silence, her throat aching and her heart feeling heavy but her thoughts no longer muddled. Jin was silent as well, perhaps waiting for her to continue. When the silence prevailed for a minute, Jin decided to speak. "He said you were a good friend, nevertheless. And you and I both know that Eddy is not the kind of person to say useless things."

"True…" Nina replied. Despite that, she really didn't feel any better. But Jin wasn't done yet.

"I felt for Eddy, but I ultimately used him for my benefit. I put him under further stress, I kept testing his patience… and I didn't hold up my end of the bargain…"

"But the last one wasn't really your fault," she interjected.

"Be that as it may, it didn't help my case. And you know how it played out for us in the end," Jin rebutted, leaning forward and placing his arms on this desk. "Compared to me, you ultimately did more for him despite not 'feeling' for him. And that's why he didn't punch you before he left. Ultimately, people are more likely to remember your actions over your feelings."

She spent a while contemplating. She supposed his words made sense, but she still felt so wrong about herself.

"I suppose in better circumstances you can have the pleasure of feeling for the other and reflecting it in your actions as well," Jin continued.

"Was that ever the case for you?" she asked.

"It…" Jin hesitated, casting a glance at his bodyguard before sinking his face into his hands.

It was then that she had a thought. A thought that told her to show him that she was genuinely interested, to essentially bare her emotions to him. She felt uncertain about listening, however, and she was reminded of when she had similar thoughts with Eddy. She remembered how she had wavered then and, as a result, Eddy walked out without ever feeling that she cared.

And then a realisation occurred to her.

She cared.

She couldn't feel his pain, she couldn't empathise, but she still cared about him somehow… and he'll never know that now because she was a coward.

But wasn't her cowardice valid? She cared about her father, and he died. She cared about Eddy, and he left. She cared about Jin…

… but he'd be gone soon too.

She pushed herself away from the piano, standing up and walking over to Jin. The sharp sound of her stilettoes tapping against the marble floor alerted Jin of her actions and he looked up in time to see her sit across him. Her heart was beating against her ribs painfully and she started to wonder if he could see her anxiety.

"My memory," she started, her voice shaking slightly. "I can't remember everything from my past clearly… but I can still remember. My parents, Anna… we were family."

Sorting out her thoughts again, she took a breath to calm herself down and to tell herself that it was okay if she shared her feelings.

"I cared about Dad. He wasn't really the type to hug me or tell me he loved me, but I cared about him. I remember how making him happy was my number one priority."

Jin just listened in silence, seemingly raptured by her words.

"So, I've had such a person in my life. Someone for whom I felt for and for whom I tried to do what I could," she stated. "So… you can tell me about your person too."

He seemed lost in thought then. Perhaps he was still thinking it over.

Another thought crossed her head then, and this one told her to take his hand.

And this time, she recklessly went with it without thinking twice.

"Please, tell me," she implored, his hand twitching briefly in her light grasp. "I… I'm genuinely curious."

Jin's gaze kept switching between her face and their hands before he just looked away entirely.

"Can I ask why?" he inquired, his voice as shaky as her own.

She thought of her response before she replied with "I care about you."

Jin… she felt like she understood him after all this time. And if she was right, then he must be feeling utterly isolated in his ordeal. She cared about Jin, she was finally admitting it, and she didn't want him to feel alone while she was still here with him. Even if it meant coming across the thing that she feared more than anything, she wanted him to feel like he had someone. Even if it meant putting herself at risk….

"I care about your opinion and your feelings. If you still don't want to share anything, then that's fine. I'll respect your decision. But please don't stay silent because you think I don't care…"

She couldn't remember the last time she was so honest about herself, so bold with her feelings. At any other point in her life, she would have berated herself for defying one of the most important rules of her profession… but looking at her employer, who was now showing his own true colours… she found that she couldn't give a single damn.

"Nina Williams," he enunciated slowly but surely, shaking his head. "You are… you're something else entirely… And here I thought burdening you with all of my thoughts would be another regret on my list…"

He glanced at her through his bangs, the brown of his eyes appearing brighter than usual. Without moving his hand an inch, he leaned forward in his chair and said in a quiet, and vulnerable, voice, "She was the first person I ever loved truly…"

The sounds of nightlife seemed to fade away as he spoke. Somehow, his voice was all that she could hear.

"All of my worries, all of my fears, all of my pain… she would make it all obsolete with just one touch. When I think back now… I sometimes think that she was never really a human so much as… a being of light…"

"An angel…" she uttered, and he gave her an astonished look.

"Exactly," he said, his shock fading but his eyes not leaving her. "But… the more I put the pieces together, the more I realise that she was ultimately… just as human as anyone else. She had her temptations, her mistakes… and I'm sure she always lived in fear for my sake. But even knowing all that, I can't think of a single thing that was truly her fault…"

Jin closed his eyes then as if holding something back. She gave his hand a light squeeze, a vague image of a woman in white forming in her mind.

"She was blameless," Jin continued eventually. "It was his fault. Her family rejected her. She was alone for so many years… All because of him. Kazuya…"

He spoke his father's name with so much venom, his face creasing up in anger. His hand clenched tightly and she could feel his muscles pulling themselves taut. She said nothing as he seethed silently, instead taking to gently massaging his hand. She supposed it was quite uncharacteristic of her, but she just felt compelled to do it. The feeling of his solid muscles loosening ever so slightly with every little force she applied… was almost hypnotic.

"I miss her," he murmured. "I miss how she would make me feel secure and… and at peace. But at the same time, I don't want her to see me as I am now…"

She stopped her actions then, staring at him as he stared into space with a grimace. She leaned forward, her expression firm.

"Jin," she said. "You're a human too. Humans… they can never be perfect. Ever. But that imperfection doesn't make you a monster. Even if you have one within you, you are not him. Trust me, I know a monster when I see one."

She chuckled quietly as she added, "We can smell our own."

Blue met brown once again, the hue of both enhanced by the moonlight.

"You aren't a monster," he said to her.

"I think I've got a solid backing in my claim this time."

"So do I."

"Let's hear it then," she said, a sardonic smile sneaking its way onto her face. Jin's face was impassive, unreadable, when he said, "I've known monsters my entire life."

Her breathing seemed to slow at that point.

"I've fought monsters. I've lived with them. I share my thoughts with a monster. I've seen such hideous beasts, some donning impeccable disguises, and I am always, always, repulsed by them. I can't stand being with them. I can't stand being alone with my own thoughts. But you…"

He leaned forward, his attention focused solely on her.

"You have never repulsed me. Even on the day we first met all those years ago, you didn't make me want to run from you. And now that I've gotten to know you more, I feel the opposite is true instead... I feel drawn to you."

Nina, for once in her life, was processing things much too slow. Her heart was creeping up to her throat while he just kept going.

"Even though I'm surrounded by millions of faces, even though I am never truly alone… when I am with you, I feel like we're the only two souls on the planet."

Her whole posture felt stiff, her hair standing on end from the way he was staring at her now. It was a look that she had never seen before. But it was a look with so much feeling behind it that she felt overwhelmed being on the receiving end.

Her instincts told her to flee, to escape from his grasp and disappear for days, yet she was forcing her heart to slow down. Her hand was still on his.

"Do you trust me?" he asked, his volume such that she didn't think anyone else could have heard him apart from her. The question took her by surprise for only an instant.

Could he see it?

She leaned forward, closer to Jin until their faces were positioned directly above their intertwined hands. They both were just observing each other as Nina whispered to him.

"Do you trust me?"

He didn't even blink as he stared into her, his bangs swaying as he tilted his head slightly.

"Have I not answered that already?" was his reply. He tentatively leaned his forehead against her own and closed his eyes, his breathing mirroring Nina's. His skin felt pleasantly warm.

She realised then that despite the proximity, despite the way he was baring himself to her, she wasn't on edge. On the contrary, she had never felt this relaxed and… dare she say it… safe.

She removed her hand from Jin's and his eyes flew open as if brought out of a trance. His face reflected his embarrassment and he almost made to back away…

… but was frozen in place when Nina caressed his face with one hand.

"I don't want to run right now," she murmured, both her hands moving to run through his hair. "I don't feel like I could ever leave. You… make me feel."

She closed her eyes then, wanting to slap herself for her poor wordplay. Of course, the English language had to fail her now.

The next thing she felt was a pair of hands in her hair, sliding off her hair tie. Her blonde tresses fell haphazardly around her head, framing their adjacent faces completely.

"No-one can see us now."

And not a soul was around to see when they leant into each other.

Ayeeeeeeeeeeeee this is done too! Consider this a reminder that I am still alive!

I dunno why I decided to write this instead of working on the next chapter of RWO... but I wrote this anyway... so I hope some Jina fan is happy.

I was listening to Midnight City by M83 on repeat while writing this, fun fact. That song always feels like 'night' even in the day.

I'm not gonna lie I was a bit flustered writing the end bit... My innocent soul cannot write too much 'intensity' (which is kinda funny and pathetic cause there wasn't really anything intense about this) but I'll learn somehow... for my craft! XD

Anyway, feedback will be appreciated, as well as the spotting of errors!

May Peace Be Upon You.