The air was still, chilly and silent in one of the many lounges in the Mishima Zaibatsu's Central Tower. The waning gibbous was radiating its fading light through the large, clear windows, exposing the unruly condition of the room to the starless night sky, and its visitor.

The carpet was littered with crushed plastic cups and crumpled tissues, the couches stripped of the usual pillows and throws, the coffee table sprinkled with ash from overflowing ashtrays and stubbed cigarettes, and the bar displayed countless empty and half-filled glasses and was speckled with drops and puddles of unknown drinks.

Nina Williams didn't know what she was doing here. Well, truth be told, she did know what she was doing here. What she didn't know was if her item of interest was worth wading through all this filth for. Though not quite a neat-freak, she still held a certain standard about these sorts of things.

And this falls way below that standard, she inwardly concluded, her nose wrinkling when the stiletto of her shoe sank into one of the wet spots in the flooring with a squish.

She supposed the staff preferred to clean this place up when the Tekken Force weren't around, which would explain why the area didn't match the spotlessness of the rest of the building. Nina couldn't blame them for that though, seeing as she knew first-hand how raucous the lot of them were when (they thought) she wasn't paying attention.

Great, now this mess reminded her of those imbeciles.

Do I really want to be here?

Realising how much she had digressed from her mission, she snapped her vision to the corner, sharp eyes landing on the reason she was here in the first place.

A black piano with the word YAMAHA emblazoned on its front. The sight of it made Nina's lips twitch into a brief, one-second smile. Not wanting to waste any time, she searched for something to sit on, as this piano lacked a stool. She eventually settled on one of the bar stools, picking it up and making her way to the instrument.

It wasn't as tall as most bar stools but it was still not the ideal height for the situation and she found herself having to stoop just a bit to get into playing position. She was sure that wasn't good for her back at all, but she had already decided where her priorities were.

Workaholic as she was, she rarely left her charge's side, if not at all. After all, he was one of the biggest big shots in the world right now and had a considerable bounty on his head. He wasn't the kind of person she could leave alone for even a second. But here, at the Central Tower, she needn't worry as much, for it had guards situated in every nook and cranny, even if their individual abilities varied.

Generally, she spent her free time catching up on sleep, training or sitting in her room and enjoying the solitude it offered, as the only person whose presence she could tolerate was Eddy Gordo, but he was always in some corner of the world doing God knows what.

But when she caught word of there being a piano around here, she immediately made plans to play it, preferably without any witnesses.

Looking at this up close, however, it was blatantly obvious that it hadn't been touched in a long time. Though it wasn't covered in dust, it was still peppered with scratches and smudges. But that wasn't going to deter her one bit.

Her fingers curled around the cover and propped it against the front of the piano, only to flinch when she finally got to see the numerous keys, caked with dust and grime.

Nina pulled out the handkerchief she kept in the pocket of her slacks at all times and made with cleaning the keys the best she could. Naturally, this resulted in a few notes erupting from the piano, which let Nina know that it was in desperate need for a tuning as well, and it made her frown even more pronounced.

No, this wasn't what she was expecting at all. But she was already here anyway, so she might as well make the most of it.

Once it was relatively clean, she dropped her cloth on the floor (it was too filthy to keep now) and her hands moved to hover over the monochrome keys, fingers tapping an experimental tune. The sound was off-key for sure, but nothing too cringe-worthy.

After dabbling with a couple of basic songs (thank God no one was around to witness the Silent Assassin playing Mary Had A Little Lamb), she felt confident enough to try one of the classic pieces she'd learned a long time ago.

It surprised her how naturally the tunes came to her mind, but it was appreciated, what with the lack of sheet music.

She was halfway through the second repeat of Fur Elise when she heard the tiniest sound of a doorknob turning and she abruptly stopped, fingers still pressing down on the keys. The incessant note spread to the end of the room as Nina exchanged a stare with her charge, Jin Kazama, who had just entered the room.

He had the usual impassive look on his face, similar to the one she sported, but his dark eyes glimmered with intrigue. Relieved, she removed her hands from the piano, instead placing them on her lap, and straightened her posture.

"Boss," Nina acknowledged him with a curt nod, trying not to give the impression that her heart had leapt into her throat.

"Miss Williams," he replied, bowing slightly. She smirked.

"No need for the Miss," she said, turning her head to the window and staring at the moon. "God, you're the most mannerly boss I've ever worked for."

"So, you were the one playing?" Jin brushed off her remark, his footsteps growing louder. The blonde pursed her lips, refusing to show any emotion and staying fixated on the large, white orb in the sky.

"What? Was it that loud?" she asked, nonchalantly. He didn't reply to her, but Nina could hear some footsteps, something chafing against the carpet briefly, followed by more footsteps. She couldn't help but turn her head back to him.

He had placed a bar stool a little further from hers and had sat down on it, his elbows on his knees and his fingers intertwined in front of his nose, his eyes locked on the piano. A few silent, awkward seconds passed until the young man switched his stare to his employee, who had been gaping the entire time. His look was expectant.

Play something for me…

Her employer said nothing but, somehow, she understood his order loud and clear. And who was she to go against her boss, especially with the amount he paid her?

She blinked, snapping out of her reverie, and turned her attention to the piano again. She was about to resume the previous song, but her hands stopped themselves. For some reason, she felt like playing something else now.

She wracked her brain for another piece to play, unconsciously looking through the window again, and her cerulean eyes were automatically drawn to the moon. And she didn't need to think about it any further.

Bringing her focus back to the instrument in front of her, she leant forward and suddenly felt a little self-conscious.

If it sounds bad, just blame it on the piano. It does need to be tuned.

She exhaled slowly, shaking off her stage-fright, and began to play the melody.

She thought it was unoriginal and predictable to play Moonlight Sonata at that time. But at the same time, she thought it fitting.

Why? Because the first movement reminded her of Jin.

Of course, there must have been some other generic meaning behind all three movements of the song, but it reminded her of Jin particularly.

So slow, so clear, and yet so melancholic.

Yet, for all that it reminded her of her employer, she didn't glance at him at all, instead focused on performing the piece to the best of her, and the out-of-tune piano's, ability.

It wasn't until she played the last few notes did she concede to her curiosity and allow herself to gauge his reaction. He was still in the same position as before, brown eyes on Nina's hands. But they seemed glazed and far away... like he too was reminded of something.

Yes, she was aware of his conflict with his father and grandfather but she couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking of...

"Brilliant," he muttered, startling the older woman. She wasn't expecting a response that quickly. But, sure enough, she recovered and simpered in response, but only after turning her face away from him again.

"It would sound even better if this thing wasn't out of tune," she said, tracing the letters in YAMAHA with a manicured finger.

"It's been here for five years," the raven-haired man disclosed. "Though, it has probably remained untouched for a majority of that time."

"That would explain a lot… Didn't really take that old bastard for a virtuosic type."

"I could say the same about you," he said. Nina had half a mind to spin in her place and face him proper, but she stayed put. Her fingers glided idly across the ivories as she spoke.

"My mother got me into it. We had one by Steinway & Sons… white, and she would make me take lessons on that thing. She said it was 'essential to being a well-rounded lady'," she said, amusement sneaking into her tone.

She remembered that time clearly, her father muttering about 'usefulness' and 'impracticality', while Anna eventually opted for violin just so she could out-do her in that department.

As if she ever cared about that bitch.

"But I did enjoy it. One of the few things we could agree on. I heard about there being a piano here…" she pressed down on one key, the distorted note reverberating in the air, and she closed her eyes. "… And, I guess I felt a little nostalgic."

A comfortable silence followed those words, which was punctuated by a few sparse tunes, courtesy of Nina, while Jin was in deep thought. Eventually, he launched another conversation.

"… Of whom do you know, besides Beethoven?"

"Oh, the usual, Mozart, Bach, Chopin, even a few of Tchaikovsky… I can play a few songs from other genres too," she offered, but she heard him say, almost instantly "Classical is fine."

He added as an afterthought "Your choice."

"Alright," she affirmed, mulling over what to perform next. She then joked "I'm learning a lot about you today."

There was a pause before he responded with "That makes two of us."

It was then that she realised how much she had told him and a sharp, discordant note erupted from the instrument, taking them both by surprise.

Shit, how did that happen?

"Sorry," she muttered, hastily, before resuming.

This is fixable. Just don't give it importance.

And while time passed tickling the ivories, the two of them remained silent for the rest of it. And that was fine because Nina was too busy wondering why it was so easy to talk to him.

"You called?"

Nina slid through the open door to the CEO's office and, after sweeping the area with her eyes, halted in place at the sight that awaited her.

Her boss was standing next to a piano that definitely wasn't there before. A brand-new, dust-free, stool-accompanied, pearl white, Steinway & Sons baby grand. Through her surprise, she could only give out a dazed "What?"

"Miss Williams," Jin greeted, bowing in her direction. Realising she'd been caught off guard, she instantly resumed her stoic stance, decimating every visible emotion and the feeling of her heartstrings being played with.

"So, this is why your office was barred up for a week?"

She thought back to how she hadn't been called in once for an entire week and everything started making sense. Not that she thought about it much.

Jin nodded. "Very perceptive."

"It's one of that reasons I'm paid so well," she said, eyeing the new item with mild interest. His office was one of the most spacious rooms in the building, so it didn't seem at all cramped with its new addition. In fact, it sort of complimented the decor. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was for decorative purposes."

"But you do," he said, taking a few steps toward her. "So you should know it's for you."

That was the first thing she thought, and the only thing she thought, but her pessimism-bred mind made her think otherwise. "Sure, it is. How do you benefit from such an arrangement?"

"I'm fond of the classics," he replied, simply. "Played by able hands, of course."

That was enough for her. But she had a reputation to keep up. She smirked "And why would I play for you? My contract doesn't include being your minstrel."

"Would a raise sway you?"

Nina walked right past Jin to the piano, eyes shining brightly while murmuring with forced apathy "I'm swayed."

Unbeknownst to his employee, he smirked.

Here's a bit of trivia for you all: This was intended to be a simple one-shot, but after it was abandoned for the longest time and I got back to it, I suddenly got more ideas out of nowhere and so I decided for this to be a series of one-shots. Also, this chapter was inspired by Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. (For any other writers out there, I'd recommend listening to classical music if you ever feel uncreative. It really makes you think!)

So, here we are. A story dedicated to Jina. The portrayals will range from friendship-with-a-hint-of-romance to full-blown romance and or something in-between, depending on the chapter. It can also take place in whichever game I please ^.^

Also, I don't know shit about the piano. I just like how it sounds. So I personally apologise to all the virtuosos who read this and are like "What a noob."

Sorry, I tried T.T

Anyway, I can't promise quick updates at all cause I'm more focused on my other story. But I definitely have at least three other chapters in mind for this, so I suppose that's something to look forward to? Maybe? Hopefully?

As always, be sure to let me know it there are any errors, whether they be grammatical, spelling, character, story (Story? What story? LOL) etc.

Until the next chapter then!

May Peace Be Upon You.