Chapter 2: New friends
Kotu: I still don't own anyone!
This is perfect for J/L fans! Hope you enjoy. Don't worry; I wasn't high or drunk when writing this! I just needed some laughs.
Morning came, soon enough. The whole thing felt like a dream. The rising sun shone through her window, making her eyes open. She was startled to still see Jin there, lying next to her. She smiled and laid her head down on her pillow. She did not want this happy feeling to go. She closed her eyes to let the sun bathe her in its warmth. She felt Jin kiss her gently on her forehead. She looked deep into his eyes and smiled. "Oh. Did I wake you?" He asked. Ling shook her head. "No. The sun woke me up. I was just resting a little while." She said holding his gaze for as long as she could. He had the most gorgeous smile she had ever seen, the most serene brown eyes; she could immediately fall in love. That was what she had feared she was doing; falling in love with her new friend. Jin stared at her beautiful face. Her milky white skin looked healthy through the sun's rays. He wanted so much to touch her but held back his urge; he had only met her yesterday. She arose from her bed and stretched out her arms. She looked at Jin and smiled. "Aren't you going to wake up?" Jin looked at the clock beside her bed. "Yeah, it's getting late. She rolled out of bed and absent-mindedly fell off her bed. She fell hard on her back. Jin rushed to her side. "Ling, are you alright?" Her legs were still on her bed, yet the rest of her body was dangling on the floor. She looked at the position she was in and laughed. "How did I get here?" She laughed. Jin took her hand and helped her up. He couldn't help but laugh with her. She was so careless. It was funny. Seeing him actually laugh was a blessing. He hadn't ever smiled or talked to her before last night. "What are you laughing at?" She said sardonically. Just thinking about that made him laugh. "How did you fall? You were way on the other side of the bed. You know I'll never let this down." He smirked. She Held her nose high and walked out of her room. "You know, one of these days you're gunna do something embarrassing." Then she looked at him playfully. That stare of hers teased him in so many ways. "And I'll be the one laughing! I won't even let our kids forget!" She quickly shut her mouth. She retraced what she had just said. She didn't want Jin to hear that. 'Maybe he didn't hear that." She thought. Her face became a pinkish color. Jin, with his arms folded across his chest replied, "Our kids? Who said we were going to have kids?" Ling's face was now noticeably red. She decided to make him feel like he heard wrong. "Jin! You can't hear! I said 'your' kids!" She scuffed. That was it! She had made her comeback. "Hm. Nope. You said 'our' kids. My hearing is excellent." So much for comebacks. Ling was almost positive she had Jin right where she wanted him. Then it hit her. If he was going to be stubborn, she might as well to; just to see how it works out. "You obviously misunderstood me. Why would I say our kids? That would mean that you and me.no. I just don't see it happening." She said as she stuck out her tongue. 'Oh yeah! That was perfect!' She thought. She had to admit that it was a good plan. He couldn't say anything to that. She had planned all her words perfectly. She always won petty little fights. It was one of her talents. Jin Kazama was not about to let that remark get to him. He was better than that. He knew if he tried to say it in words, he would probably screw up. So he thought of a way to get her back. It wasn't going to be pretty; she might even hate him after it. "What's wrong Jin? Had enough? Or should I call you 'daddy?'" That was it! His cue! "Daddy, huh?" Jin said as he slowly turned his gaze towards Ling. Heihachi's maid had just finished making breakfast. The table was set and everything was ready. "Sir. Breakfast is ready. Will you do the honors in calling down Master Jin and Lady Xiaoyu?" Heihachi nodded as he slowly walked up the steps. His old bones just aren't what they used to be. When he got to Jin's room, he saw that his room was vacant. He shrugged his shoulders and headed towards Ling's bedroom. He saw that the door was closed, and he heard voices. "Daddy? You want to see daddy? I'll give you daddy!" Jin said as he was pushing his body on Ling's. "No! Jin, stop!" She laughed. She hadn't remembered when she had so much fun. "Stop! You're tickling me!" Heihachi had a worried look on his face. Somehow, he didn't want to open the door anymore; for fear of what he might find. "I thought that it would be nice to have a girl live in this house. Someone to give Jin Company, but damn! I didn't know he would go to such extent!" Heihachi put his ear by the door. "What? You don't think I'm good father material?" He asked. Ling was laughing up a storm. Whatever they were doing, she sure as hell liked it. "No.Jin! I didn't mean." "Oh, you're just saying that you can't see us having children!" Jin's voice sounded exited. It was as if he was.NO! NO WAY! "Perish the thought!" Heihachi said under his breath. Their battle became louder and more interesting. He could hear the bed creaking wildly and loudly. The maid came up behind Heihachi. "Mr. Mishima, What's going on?" She asked. "I thought you were just going to get the kids for breakfast." "Shh. Listen." He said. She put her ear to the door. "Listen Jin!" Ling said giggling. "I didn't say anything like that! All I'm trying to say is." Jin had interrupted her. "What? What are you trying to say? That I can't be a daddy? That I'm not skilled?" His voice was playful. Ling decided that it was now or never. She was going to see what his reaction was. "Yes! That's exactly what I'm saying! You may have the body, but who said you got the skills?" Jin's eyes widened. He couldn't believe it! She had just told him that he didn't have.skill! "I got your skill right here!" He said pushing her on to him. "Jin! Wait! Not yet! I." She bursted out laughing again. Heihachi opened the door and flew in. "NOOOOOOOO! Jin! Don't do it!" The old man ran so fast that he hit the wall and fell on the floor. The two of them looked at him lying on the floor with a big bruise on his head. Ling crawled off of Jin and kneeled by his side. "What's wrong?" She asked. "Jin! What the Hell do you think you're doing?" He asked rubbing his head. The maid walked in laughing. "We were just playing around." "I heard! She's so young, I'm glad I came in when I did." Jin looked awkwardly at his grandfather. "What do you mean? You don't think.Oh! Grandfather.you're a sick man!" Ling looked up at Jin. "What's wrong?" She asked. Jin looked at Xiaoyu's sincere face. "He thought we were.you know." She looked at Heihachi. She helped him up onto his feet. "Are you ok Mr. Mishima?" She asked. He nodded. "Yes, I'm fine." "Good." She slapped him so hard that he flew across the room and hit another wall and fell back on the floor. "You're sick Mr. Mishima! You have a dirty mind!" Heihachi rubbed the new bump on his head. "OW!" He cried in pain. Jin laughed at the thought of what passed his grandfather's head. He had to admit, it was a silly thought. She walked out the door and smelled the aroma of freshly made pancakes. "Oh! Yummy! Blue berry pancakes with Banana topping! My favorite food in the whole world!" Ling hopped around the room for a few times. Then ran down the stairs to eat. She sat on the other side of the table, across from Jin so that she could see his handsome face. That morning was one of the most treasured moments they had. Ling could not stop talking to Jin. He listened to every word, which made her feel good. It was what she needed. She had missed out on so much love in her life, and now she was regaining it; all from one person-Jin Kazama. Days had passed by and they were coming to know eachother quite well. Jin had always been the one to listen when she needed a friend to talk to. Ling had always been there for him when he needed company. It was her company he liked best of all. All day during school, Jin was bombarded with girls. This was his usual routine. Nothing special, go to school, have girls stalk him, trying to find some peace was hard enough. Everywhere he went there were girls trying to get close to Jin. Ling saw it. She knew they loved him. She was just wondering why he never made contact with them. 'Maybe it's because he's afraid to get to know them Just like he told me that he was afraid to get to know me for fear that he might lose me.' She thought. It was a silly thing when she put it all together. Why would he be afraid that he might lose her? How could he? She had been his friend thus far, why give up now? No. She wasn't going to lose his friendship to something as stupid as fearing the impossible. She wanted Jin to open himself up to everyone. The thought of Jin being popular with the girls made her jealous. She liked him being with her. It made her feel special. That day at lunch, Ling decided to blow off her friends to sit by Jin. He was a little shocked, but not much. She decided to start off the conversation. "Hey Jin! Mind if I sit with you?" She asked. He smiled and nodded. "Sure." She sat across from him as she did every day. "Your friends forget to reserve a seat for you?" He asked. She looked over his shoulder to see everyone staring at her. She gave a cocky grin and brought her eyes back to him. "No. I just wanted to sit by you is all. Why? Am I bothering you?" She asked. "Not at all. I enjoy talking to you." She could tell he meant that. She turned her eyes to see the group of girls staring at her. Ling didn't have very many friends. She only pretended to fit in. To be perfectly honest, she had a lot of 'female' enemies. The girls from the I-Love-Jin fan club were the ones that hated her the most. That was like.the majority of female students in the school. She simply smiled and ate some of her egg salad. They talked that whole hour. Everyone stood in awe and nobody ate their lunch. As it was time to go to class, Ling and Jin grabbed their stuff. "Hey, meet me by the courtyard after school. I want to walk home with you." He said walking with her out into the hall. "Sure." She agreed. Before they went their separate ways, Ling tiptoed to Jin kissing his cheek. It had been the first time she had kissed him. Well, sort of kissed him. She felt happy after she did that and skipped to her class. 'I kissed him!' She applauded. 'Well, it was more of a peck on the cheek, but my lips made contact with his handsome face. She held her books close to her heart and paraded into her classroom. Jin went to his next class with his hand on his cheek. He had never been kissed by a girl before. His mother had only kissed him. What could have drawn her to do such a thing? He sat there at his desk not paying any attention to the teacher. He liked Xiaoyu; she was a reliable and trustworthy friend. It was something about her today though that made her seem "special" to him. He looked out the window and saw the beautiful scenery of the cherry blossoms sway in the wind. Today would be an excellent day for them to walk home together. They might not even go straight home; they might stop and watch the sun set, or walk around the park near the mansion, or they just might sit together under a tree and enjoy each other's company. To Jin it seemed as if hours have gone by. He looked up at the dreary clock whose hands were pointing on the 2 and 11. It was 2:55. Almost time to get out of this forsaken building and spend time with Ling. He was starting to worry. He never felt so excited about being with anyone the way he had now. He sat there keeping his gaze on the clock above him. He hadn't heard a word that was going on in that class, which was surprising considering that he is such a great student. The bell had rung and Jin gave a loud sigh of relief. He grabbed his binder and went to the courtyard to wait for Ling. She had just gotten her things situated when a senior walked by her and pushed her down. She fell on her butt and all of her things were spread out on the floor. She looked up and saw a skinny and tough looking girl tower over her. Ling bared some of her teeth as she went to pick up her stuff. The girl stepped on her wrist, making it bleed. Ling gave a shriek and pulled her hand back. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" She snapped. The senior just stared at her in disgust. "You pathetic rat! Just stay away from Jin! Do you hear me?" She barked. Ling picked her stuff up from the ground and kicked the girl's stuff on the ground. She saw an important looking paper and stepped all over it causing it to rip. A smile crept on her lips. "I'll go as close to Jin as I want. And you can't stop me. So don't even try! Do you hear that?" She said as she proudly marched away. The girl gasped as she saw Ling's bravery. She was new here and already she was succeeding in where all the other girls failed; talking to Jin. She didn't think that Ling was going to get off that easy. "You insolent little twerp! You will be sorry, I promise. You will pay!" She said as she gathered her things. She looked at the paper that Ling ripped up. It was her final exam that she had been slaving on all month. Ling jumped down the steps and saw Jin waiting for her. She rushed towards him and took his hand in hers. "Hey! You didn't leave without me." She said happily. "Why would I?" He asked. She smiled at him and shook her head. "So, where do you want to go?" He asked gently. She looked up in confusion. "I thought we were just going home." He frowned almost like a pathetic puppy. "We.can.if you want to." "No! Not if you had something planned." She looked out into the horizon. "Besides, it's too early to go home now. We have all afternoon!" She said tugging his arm. She was happy that she had Jin with her to spend the whole day with. She had felt closer to him for some reason. Jin looked at Ling's scratch on her hand. "What happened?" He asked concerned as he held her hand. She bit her lower lip. She didn't want to tell Jin that she was fighting over him with another girl. But she knew that Jin hated liars, so she couldn't lie to him either. "I just." She looked in his eyes. BIG MISTAKE! If he had been someone else, this wouldn't have been so hard. He looked worried; an emotion that he never expressed before. She could see the pain in his eyes; worried that his friend was hurt. It was just a little scratch! Nothing serious. She wasn't going to die, she could handle herself. Although, Jin hated to see his loved ones suffering. She couldn't lie. Not when she knew he cared so much. "It's nothing. A senior just stepped on my hand is all. I'm ok though, really!" She said with a smile of reassurance. Her smile however didn't take away from the pain that was captivated in his eyes. "Why?" He asked. What an indirect kind of question. How does he expect her to answer to that? "Why what?" "Why did they step on your hand?" Jin was obviously worried. Even to him, he sounded way too over protective. That didn't matter though. If that is what he had to be to save his friend, that is what he'll be. She sighed. There was no use in hiding it. "Jin, she didn't like the idea of me being with you. She was jealous so she stepped on me. I can understand though. I would be equally jealous, if not more if someone took you from me." He had a regretful look on his face. "I'm sorry. They're not going to leave you alone because of me." She raised her wounded hand to touch his face. "Listen to me Jin. I am not going to let a bunch of snobby-nosed-brats take you away from me! I can't fight them though. They are weaker than I. But I." She couldn't say it. Her words couldn't come out of her mouth right. Jin took her hand and caressed where she had gotten scratched. The two of them walked out of the courtyard into the distance. There was a nice park ahead. Ling turned her gaze towards Jin. "Can we stay here?" She asked. Jin nodded. "Wherever you want to go is fine with me." She smiled and walked towards a cherry blossom tree. There she was, sitting under the shade of the tree with her friend. She smiled as she looked around to explore. "I just love parks! Especially amusement parks!" She saw two swings across from the tree. She ran over to the one on the right and launched herself forward. She held on to the chain and closed her eyes. She imagined that she was flying through the air. She was a beautiful angel who was watching over Jin. She had imagined that he was next to her as he was about to embrace her for a kiss. She suddenly felt herself stop. She opened her eyes and saw that Jin had grabbed the chain. "Hey! What gives?" She said gallingly. A smile crept on Jin's lips. "What were you thinking about?" He asked curiously. Her eyes widened just a bit, but not enough for him to notice. "Nothing. I was just enjoying my ride, that's all." She felt Jin's arms wrap around her waist. It gave her chills. Her face immediately turned red. He laid his chin on her shoulder so that he could whisper in her ear. "I saw that dreamily look on your face. You can't hide it from me. Nor should you." His breath was so warm. Ling could feel her temperature shoot up in her cheeks. She shivered as she heard him speak. He had never made her feel this way. After a long time of blushing, she finally got the nerves to talk to him. "I was just thinking about how nice it would be." She stopped to think. 'If I told him the rest, would he still want to be my friend?' She thought. Her happy expression turned into a worried one. Jin's eyes became fuller as he saw her reaction. "Yeah, go on." He wanted to know what she was thinking. He wanted to know what was in her heart. She tried to avoid looking at him. She knew at times, that when a girl tells a guy her true feelings about them, the guy then realizes it and starts to avoid them. Ling didn't want Jin to avoid her. Not like how he had done earlier before they met. "If you don't tell me, I'll do it!" She looked at him with a confused expression on her face. "Do what?" She asked worriedly. "Just tell me and you won't have to worry about it." "No." "No?" "No!" "Ok. You chose your own fate. Not me." Ling was worried. What did he have planned? What was he going to do? He grabbed the chain and pulled back. "No! No, no, no, no, no, No Jin!" He launched her as hard as he could forward. She lost complete balance and flew off the swing. "Ahhhhhhh!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. "I'm gunna die!" Jin ran as fast as he could and caught her in his arms. She was angry, yet thankful that he caught her. "What? No thank you?" "It was your fault I flew off my swing! Why should I be happy?" "My fault? If you would have told me what you were thinking." "Why do you want to know?" "Ling," He said softly, "you shouldn't have to hide anything from me. We're friends. You should be able to trust me." "I do Jin. I trust you with all my heart. I promise, that I will tell you, but not now." "Why?" "Because we're not ready yet." In front of her was the most beautiful array of colors she had ever seen. It was the setting sun. She looked at its beauty wide-eyed. "Jin! Let's go to the top of that hill!" She shouted. She sprang up form his arms and grabbed Jin's hand. They raced up to the peak of the hill and captured the sun's beauty. It was perfect. The sky was orange and red, like a fireball about to hit earth. She couldn't explain it in words. She was holding Jin's hand still, not wanting to let him go. Jin had felt the same way. As he watched this beauty, he couldn't keep his eyes off her for a second. He wanted to make today special, and that's what he intends to do. She couldn't keep her mind off Jin. That's the way she liked it best. She knew that she wanted today to be memorable; she sat on the ground leaning her head on his shoulder. "Sunsets are always beautiful, but today, this one seems to be the best. It's amazing." She closed her eyes as she felt Jin put his arm around her. "Extraordinarily beautiful." She knew that this was it. It was now, or never. Jin was going to end this day with a surprise. He hadn't planned on doing it, it just happened that way. "Jin?" Ling said sadly. Jin looked over to her with a smile on his face. She took one last breath before she made her next decision. "Kiss me." She reached her lips to his. It was a simple and sweet kiss that they shared. When she broke away, she had seen how surprised Jin looked. Jin hadn't seen that coming. He was shocked! Shocked! He realized that he wasn't the only one. Ling's face was rosy and she looked like a murderer who just found out that they killed their best friends. Ling wondered why Jin stared at her funny. It wasn't like she did anything "Wrong". "Jin, stop looking at me like that." She said. He didn't move. If he was still in shock, she might have to call the ambulance. Jin laughed to himself. "Sorry. That was my.um.first kiss you know." He said scratching his head. That sort of made her feel better. "That was my first kiss too. And I don't regret it." She said holding his shoulder. She had felt like a burden had been lifted off of her conscience. Sure, It was just a two second kiss, but it had been enough for her. She wanted to know if she truly loved him. She was uncertain if she "loved" him, but she knew that she really, really liked him. She knew by the way she acted. The way her heart skipped a beat when she had drawn herself near him; and the way she felt when she kissed him. It was a new beginning to something that could end up into a beautiful relationship. After watching the sunset, Jin and Ling walked back home, in silence. She couldn't tell if Jin was upset that she kissed him or what. She didn't know what to say. She walked upstairs into her room and sat on her bed. She pulled out her diary from her binder and began writing. "Dear diary. Today was.very interesting. I don't know how to explain my feelings, but I feel something towards Jin. I don't think its love, yet." She paused and looked at her mirror across from her bed. She saw the reflection of a young sixteen yearold who was denying her true feelings. Why was she hiding it? Was there something she didn't want him to know? Or maybe, it was the other way around. Maybe Jin was hiding his feelings. She had to know. First, she had to admit her feelings. "I'm sorry diary. I was lying to you." She looked back up in the mirror and softly spoke. "I don't like him.I love him. I know that he might not feel the same way, but I just have to know. I have to know what he thought about that kiss." Jin was sitting on his bed doing his homework. He was one of the smartest kids in school, and homework was never a problem. Tonight however, homework became a problem. His mind was tangled with Ling. He couldn't stop thinking about her and that kiss. He liked her. She was a reliable and loyal friend. She understood his past, and never once ran away from him. He put his books aside and stared out his balcony. The moon was bright and full. Everything seemed to have a place in it's glory. He heard a knock on the door. "Come in." Ling opened the door slowly and stepped in. Jin smiled and motioned her to come to the balcony with him. She walked up next to him and stared straight out for as far as the eye could see. "There is so much beauty out there. From here, I can only see as much as my eye will let me," She placed her hand on his. "But there is more past the horizon. I know it's out there.somewhere. I don't need to see it, because I feel it." Jin didn't say anything. He stared ahead letting the cool breeze refresh him. The wind blew his bangs gently across his face. "Jin, are you mad at me?" She asked forlornly. Jin gave her a twisted look. Then he saw how sad she was. She really believed that he was mad at her. "No! Why would you think that?" She looked down at her feet. Something told her that it might not be a good idea to tell him. "I dunno. Maybe because of that kiss." He put his hand on her shoulder. "It was a friendly kiss. We're friends." That hadn't been what Jin wanted to say, that's just what happened to come out. He wanted a true love kiss from her. Ling looked back at Jin with a crooked smile. She hadn't meant it to be a friendly kiss. That obviously told her one of two things: She was a bad kisser and couldn't get the message through to him, or that they were just friends, and that's all he thought they were. She sighed and smiled back. "Right Jin. Friends. Nothing more and nothing less." She forced herself to say that. It was against her will. Jin looked sad for a moment. He wanted to be more than friends, but he wasn't sure if he could handle that. He was unsure if Ling thought of him as more than just a friend. They stayed up together to watch the beautiful full moon. Then it was time for them to go to bed. Ling looked at the clock that read 12:00A.M. It was midnight. She sighed and said, "Well, Its already getting late. We've got school in the morning too. I'm going to bed now." Jin didn't want her to leave. He wanted her to stay with him until he could fall asleep. "Right. I'm going to bed now too. Goodnight." She gave him a hug and left his room. As she walked out into the hall, She had heard Heihachi talking on the phone with someone. She slowly walked down the carpeted stairs. "Yes, that's right. Jin is entering the tournament. You can be sure that he will make it to the final battle. I know he will defeat Ogre." What was this guy up to? Jin was in the tournament as well? How come he hadn't told her? And worst of all, He was going to fight Ogre; the being that killed their parents. What if he didn't make it? He would leave her alone. She stopped thinking for a while and listened some more. "We also have one new challenger. Her name Is Ling Xiaoyu. She is a tough fighter, Jin may have trouble with this girl." Silence. "Yes, but you see, they have been getting along quite well, One of them will lose and then they will become enemies. Either way, I've got Jin." She couldn't believe her ears. She was just bait to get to Jin. She decided to run back upstairs and tell him. She opened the door without knocking and saw him sitting on his bed. She ran over and jumped on him. "Jin! I'm sorry!" She cried. She didn't want this to happen. If she tells him, she knows what he'll do. She didn't want to lie to him or keep any secrets from him because she knew he hated that. "Listen. Heihachi is using me to get to you! I heard him on the phone with someone. He says that if one of us looses, we will become enemies and that he's got you!" Jin lowered his head. He knew that there was something wrong with the way his grandfather was acting. He felt his heart sink and he looked at her with loving and caring eyes. She was crying and couldn't understand his reaction. "That's not true." He said calmly. "There would be no way that I would even think about being your enemy." She sat up and grabbed his wrist. "I know! I wouldn't betray you if my life depended upon it! I told you once and I'll say it again. I will never leave you." Her eyes became misty. Jin leaned her body more towards his masculine chest. She threw her arms around him, feeling his heart beat with hers. She decided that she would argue with him about not telling her that he would be in the tournament later. Right now she only wanted to stay with him.
Kotu: I still don't own anyone!
This is perfect for J/L fans! Hope you enjoy. Don't worry; I wasn't high or drunk when writing this! I just needed some laughs.
Morning came, soon enough. The whole thing felt like a dream. The rising sun shone through her window, making her eyes open. She was startled to still see Jin there, lying next to her. She smiled and laid her head down on her pillow. She did not want this happy feeling to go. She closed her eyes to let the sun bathe her in its warmth. She felt Jin kiss her gently on her forehead. She looked deep into his eyes and smiled. "Oh. Did I wake you?" He asked. Ling shook her head. "No. The sun woke me up. I was just resting a little while." She said holding his gaze for as long as she could. He had the most gorgeous smile she had ever seen, the most serene brown eyes; she could immediately fall in love. That was what she had feared she was doing; falling in love with her new friend. Jin stared at her beautiful face. Her milky white skin looked healthy through the sun's rays. He wanted so much to touch her but held back his urge; he had only met her yesterday. She arose from her bed and stretched out her arms. She looked at Jin and smiled. "Aren't you going to wake up?" Jin looked at the clock beside her bed. "Yeah, it's getting late. She rolled out of bed and absent-mindedly fell off her bed. She fell hard on her back. Jin rushed to her side. "Ling, are you alright?" Her legs were still on her bed, yet the rest of her body was dangling on the floor. She looked at the position she was in and laughed. "How did I get here?" She laughed. Jin took her hand and helped her up. He couldn't help but laugh with her. She was so careless. It was funny. Seeing him actually laugh was a blessing. He hadn't ever smiled or talked to her before last night. "What are you laughing at?" She said sardonically. Just thinking about that made him laugh. "How did you fall? You were way on the other side of the bed. You know I'll never let this down." He smirked. She Held her nose high and walked out of her room. "You know, one of these days you're gunna do something embarrassing." Then she looked at him playfully. That stare of hers teased him in so many ways. "And I'll be the one laughing! I won't even let our kids forget!" She quickly shut her mouth. She retraced what she had just said. She didn't want Jin to hear that. 'Maybe he didn't hear that." She thought. Her face became a pinkish color. Jin, with his arms folded across his chest replied, "Our kids? Who said we were going to have kids?" Ling's face was now noticeably red. She decided to make him feel like he heard wrong. "Jin! You can't hear! I said 'your' kids!" She scuffed. That was it! She had made her comeback. "Hm. Nope. You said 'our' kids. My hearing is excellent." So much for comebacks. Ling was almost positive she had Jin right where she wanted him. Then it hit her. If he was going to be stubborn, she might as well to; just to see how it works out. "You obviously misunderstood me. Why would I say our kids? That would mean that you and me.no. I just don't see it happening." She said as she stuck out her tongue. 'Oh yeah! That was perfect!' She thought. She had to admit that it was a good plan. He couldn't say anything to that. She had planned all her words perfectly. She always won petty little fights. It was one of her talents. Jin Kazama was not about to let that remark get to him. He was better than that. He knew if he tried to say it in words, he would probably screw up. So he thought of a way to get her back. It wasn't going to be pretty; she might even hate him after it. "What's wrong Jin? Had enough? Or should I call you 'daddy?'" That was it! His cue! "Daddy, huh?" Jin said as he slowly turned his gaze towards Ling. Heihachi's maid had just finished making breakfast. The table was set and everything was ready. "Sir. Breakfast is ready. Will you do the honors in calling down Master Jin and Lady Xiaoyu?" Heihachi nodded as he slowly walked up the steps. His old bones just aren't what they used to be. When he got to Jin's room, he saw that his room was vacant. He shrugged his shoulders and headed towards Ling's bedroom. He saw that the door was closed, and he heard voices. "Daddy? You want to see daddy? I'll give you daddy!" Jin said as he was pushing his body on Ling's. "No! Jin, stop!" She laughed. She hadn't remembered when she had so much fun. "Stop! You're tickling me!" Heihachi had a worried look on his face. Somehow, he didn't want to open the door anymore; for fear of what he might find. "I thought that it would be nice to have a girl live in this house. Someone to give Jin Company, but damn! I didn't know he would go to such extent!" Heihachi put his ear by the door. "What? You don't think I'm good father material?" He asked. Ling was laughing up a storm. Whatever they were doing, she sure as hell liked it. "No.Jin! I didn't mean." "Oh, you're just saying that you can't see us having children!" Jin's voice sounded exited. It was as if he was.NO! NO WAY! "Perish the thought!" Heihachi said under his breath. Their battle became louder and more interesting. He could hear the bed creaking wildly and loudly. The maid came up behind Heihachi. "Mr. Mishima, What's going on?" She asked. "I thought you were just going to get the kids for breakfast." "Shh. Listen." He said. She put her ear to the door. "Listen Jin!" Ling said giggling. "I didn't say anything like that! All I'm trying to say is." Jin had interrupted her. "What? What are you trying to say? That I can't be a daddy? That I'm not skilled?" His voice was playful. Ling decided that it was now or never. She was going to see what his reaction was. "Yes! That's exactly what I'm saying! You may have the body, but who said you got the skills?" Jin's eyes widened. He couldn't believe it! She had just told him that he didn't have.skill! "I got your skill right here!" He said pushing her on to him. "Jin! Wait! Not yet! I." She bursted out laughing again. Heihachi opened the door and flew in. "NOOOOOOOO! Jin! Don't do it!" The old man ran so fast that he hit the wall and fell on the floor. The two of them looked at him lying on the floor with a big bruise on his head. Ling crawled off of Jin and kneeled by his side. "What's wrong?" She asked. "Jin! What the Hell do you think you're doing?" He asked rubbing his head. The maid walked in laughing. "We were just playing around." "I heard! She's so young, I'm glad I came in when I did." Jin looked awkwardly at his grandfather. "What do you mean? You don't think.Oh! Grandfather.you're a sick man!" Ling looked up at Jin. "What's wrong?" She asked. Jin looked at Xiaoyu's sincere face. "He thought we were.you know." She looked at Heihachi. She helped him up onto his feet. "Are you ok Mr. Mishima?" She asked. He nodded. "Yes, I'm fine." "Good." She slapped him so hard that he flew across the room and hit another wall and fell back on the floor. "You're sick Mr. Mishima! You have a dirty mind!" Heihachi rubbed the new bump on his head. "OW!" He cried in pain. Jin laughed at the thought of what passed his grandfather's head. He had to admit, it was a silly thought. She walked out the door and smelled the aroma of freshly made pancakes. "Oh! Yummy! Blue berry pancakes with Banana topping! My favorite food in the whole world!" Ling hopped around the room for a few times. Then ran down the stairs to eat. She sat on the other side of the table, across from Jin so that she could see his handsome face. That morning was one of the most treasured moments they had. Ling could not stop talking to Jin. He listened to every word, which made her feel good. It was what she needed. She had missed out on so much love in her life, and now she was regaining it; all from one person-Jin Kazama. Days had passed by and they were coming to know eachother quite well. Jin had always been the one to listen when she needed a friend to talk to. Ling had always been there for him when he needed company. It was her company he liked best of all. All day during school, Jin was bombarded with girls. This was his usual routine. Nothing special, go to school, have girls stalk him, trying to find some peace was hard enough. Everywhere he went there were girls trying to get close to Jin. Ling saw it. She knew they loved him. She was just wondering why he never made contact with them. 'Maybe it's because he's afraid to get to know them Just like he told me that he was afraid to get to know me for fear that he might lose me.' She thought. It was a silly thing when she put it all together. Why would he be afraid that he might lose her? How could he? She had been his friend thus far, why give up now? No. She wasn't going to lose his friendship to something as stupid as fearing the impossible. She wanted Jin to open himself up to everyone. The thought of Jin being popular with the girls made her jealous. She liked him being with her. It made her feel special. That day at lunch, Ling decided to blow off her friends to sit by Jin. He was a little shocked, but not much. She decided to start off the conversation. "Hey Jin! Mind if I sit with you?" She asked. He smiled and nodded. "Sure." She sat across from him as she did every day. "Your friends forget to reserve a seat for you?" He asked. She looked over his shoulder to see everyone staring at her. She gave a cocky grin and brought her eyes back to him. "No. I just wanted to sit by you is all. Why? Am I bothering you?" She asked. "Not at all. I enjoy talking to you." She could tell he meant that. She turned her eyes to see the group of girls staring at her. Ling didn't have very many friends. She only pretended to fit in. To be perfectly honest, she had a lot of 'female' enemies. The girls from the I-Love-Jin fan club were the ones that hated her the most. That was like.the majority of female students in the school. She simply smiled and ate some of her egg salad. They talked that whole hour. Everyone stood in awe and nobody ate their lunch. As it was time to go to class, Ling and Jin grabbed their stuff. "Hey, meet me by the courtyard after school. I want to walk home with you." He said walking with her out into the hall. "Sure." She agreed. Before they went their separate ways, Ling tiptoed to Jin kissing his cheek. It had been the first time she had kissed him. Well, sort of kissed him. She felt happy after she did that and skipped to her class. 'I kissed him!' She applauded. 'Well, it was more of a peck on the cheek, but my lips made contact with his handsome face. She held her books close to her heart and paraded into her classroom. Jin went to his next class with his hand on his cheek. He had never been kissed by a girl before. His mother had only kissed him. What could have drawn her to do such a thing? He sat there at his desk not paying any attention to the teacher. He liked Xiaoyu; she was a reliable and trustworthy friend. It was something about her today though that made her seem "special" to him. He looked out the window and saw the beautiful scenery of the cherry blossoms sway in the wind. Today would be an excellent day for them to walk home together. They might not even go straight home; they might stop and watch the sun set, or walk around the park near the mansion, or they just might sit together under a tree and enjoy each other's company. To Jin it seemed as if hours have gone by. He looked up at the dreary clock whose hands were pointing on the 2 and 11. It was 2:55. Almost time to get out of this forsaken building and spend time with Ling. He was starting to worry. He never felt so excited about being with anyone the way he had now. He sat there keeping his gaze on the clock above him. He hadn't heard a word that was going on in that class, which was surprising considering that he is such a great student. The bell had rung and Jin gave a loud sigh of relief. He grabbed his binder and went to the courtyard to wait for Ling. She had just gotten her things situated when a senior walked by her and pushed her down. She fell on her butt and all of her things were spread out on the floor. She looked up and saw a skinny and tough looking girl tower over her. Ling bared some of her teeth as she went to pick up her stuff. The girl stepped on her wrist, making it bleed. Ling gave a shriek and pulled her hand back. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" She snapped. The senior just stared at her in disgust. "You pathetic rat! Just stay away from Jin! Do you hear me?" She barked. Ling picked her stuff up from the ground and kicked the girl's stuff on the ground. She saw an important looking paper and stepped all over it causing it to rip. A smile crept on her lips. "I'll go as close to Jin as I want. And you can't stop me. So don't even try! Do you hear that?" She said as she proudly marched away. The girl gasped as she saw Ling's bravery. She was new here and already she was succeeding in where all the other girls failed; talking to Jin. She didn't think that Ling was going to get off that easy. "You insolent little twerp! You will be sorry, I promise. You will pay!" She said as she gathered her things. She looked at the paper that Ling ripped up. It was her final exam that she had been slaving on all month. Ling jumped down the steps and saw Jin waiting for her. She rushed towards him and took his hand in hers. "Hey! You didn't leave without me." She said happily. "Why would I?" He asked. She smiled at him and shook her head. "So, where do you want to go?" He asked gently. She looked up in confusion. "I thought we were just going home." He frowned almost like a pathetic puppy. "We.can.if you want to." "No! Not if you had something planned." She looked out into the horizon. "Besides, it's too early to go home now. We have all afternoon!" She said tugging his arm. She was happy that she had Jin with her to spend the whole day with. She had felt closer to him for some reason. Jin looked at Ling's scratch on her hand. "What happened?" He asked concerned as he held her hand. She bit her lower lip. She didn't want to tell Jin that she was fighting over him with another girl. But she knew that Jin hated liars, so she couldn't lie to him either. "I just." She looked in his eyes. BIG MISTAKE! If he had been someone else, this wouldn't have been so hard. He looked worried; an emotion that he never expressed before. She could see the pain in his eyes; worried that his friend was hurt. It was just a little scratch! Nothing serious. She wasn't going to die, she could handle herself. Although, Jin hated to see his loved ones suffering. She couldn't lie. Not when she knew he cared so much. "It's nothing. A senior just stepped on my hand is all. I'm ok though, really!" She said with a smile of reassurance. Her smile however didn't take away from the pain that was captivated in his eyes. "Why?" He asked. What an indirect kind of question. How does he expect her to answer to that? "Why what?" "Why did they step on your hand?" Jin was obviously worried. Even to him, he sounded way too over protective. That didn't matter though. If that is what he had to be to save his friend, that is what he'll be. She sighed. There was no use in hiding it. "Jin, she didn't like the idea of me being with you. She was jealous so she stepped on me. I can understand though. I would be equally jealous, if not more if someone took you from me." He had a regretful look on his face. "I'm sorry. They're not going to leave you alone because of me." She raised her wounded hand to touch his face. "Listen to me Jin. I am not going to let a bunch of snobby-nosed-brats take you away from me! I can't fight them though. They are weaker than I. But I." She couldn't say it. Her words couldn't come out of her mouth right. Jin took her hand and caressed where she had gotten scratched. The two of them walked out of the courtyard into the distance. There was a nice park ahead. Ling turned her gaze towards Jin. "Can we stay here?" She asked. Jin nodded. "Wherever you want to go is fine with me." She smiled and walked towards a cherry blossom tree. There she was, sitting under the shade of the tree with her friend. She smiled as she looked around to explore. "I just love parks! Especially amusement parks!" She saw two swings across from the tree. She ran over to the one on the right and launched herself forward. She held on to the chain and closed her eyes. She imagined that she was flying through the air. She was a beautiful angel who was watching over Jin. She had imagined that he was next to her as he was about to embrace her for a kiss. She suddenly felt herself stop. She opened her eyes and saw that Jin had grabbed the chain. "Hey! What gives?" She said gallingly. A smile crept on Jin's lips. "What were you thinking about?" He asked curiously. Her eyes widened just a bit, but not enough for him to notice. "Nothing. I was just enjoying my ride, that's all." She felt Jin's arms wrap around her waist. It gave her chills. Her face immediately turned red. He laid his chin on her shoulder so that he could whisper in her ear. "I saw that dreamily look on your face. You can't hide it from me. Nor should you." His breath was so warm. Ling could feel her temperature shoot up in her cheeks. She shivered as she heard him speak. He had never made her feel this way. After a long time of blushing, she finally got the nerves to talk to him. "I was just thinking about how nice it would be." She stopped to think. 'If I told him the rest, would he still want to be my friend?' She thought. Her happy expression turned into a worried one. Jin's eyes became fuller as he saw her reaction. "Yeah, go on." He wanted to know what she was thinking. He wanted to know what was in her heart. She tried to avoid looking at him. She knew at times, that when a girl tells a guy her true feelings about them, the guy then realizes it and starts to avoid them. Ling didn't want Jin to avoid her. Not like how he had done earlier before they met. "If you don't tell me, I'll do it!" She looked at him with a confused expression on her face. "Do what?" She asked worriedly. "Just tell me and you won't have to worry about it." "No." "No?" "No!" "Ok. You chose your own fate. Not me." Ling was worried. What did he have planned? What was he going to do? He grabbed the chain and pulled back. "No! No, no, no, no, no, No Jin!" He launched her as hard as he could forward. She lost complete balance and flew off the swing. "Ahhhhhhh!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. "I'm gunna die!" Jin ran as fast as he could and caught her in his arms. She was angry, yet thankful that he caught her. "What? No thank you?" "It was your fault I flew off my swing! Why should I be happy?" "My fault? If you would have told me what you were thinking." "Why do you want to know?" "Ling," He said softly, "you shouldn't have to hide anything from me. We're friends. You should be able to trust me." "I do Jin. I trust you with all my heart. I promise, that I will tell you, but not now." "Why?" "Because we're not ready yet." In front of her was the most beautiful array of colors she had ever seen. It was the setting sun. She looked at its beauty wide-eyed. "Jin! Let's go to the top of that hill!" She shouted. She sprang up form his arms and grabbed Jin's hand. They raced up to the peak of the hill and captured the sun's beauty. It was perfect. The sky was orange and red, like a fireball about to hit earth. She couldn't explain it in words. She was holding Jin's hand still, not wanting to let him go. Jin had felt the same way. As he watched this beauty, he couldn't keep his eyes off her for a second. He wanted to make today special, and that's what he intends to do. She couldn't keep her mind off Jin. That's the way she liked it best. She knew that she wanted today to be memorable; she sat on the ground leaning her head on his shoulder. "Sunsets are always beautiful, but today, this one seems to be the best. It's amazing." She closed her eyes as she felt Jin put his arm around her. "Extraordinarily beautiful." She knew that this was it. It was now, or never. Jin was going to end this day with a surprise. He hadn't planned on doing it, it just happened that way. "Jin?" Ling said sadly. Jin looked over to her with a smile on his face. She took one last breath before she made her next decision. "Kiss me." She reached her lips to his. It was a simple and sweet kiss that they shared. When she broke away, she had seen how surprised Jin looked. Jin hadn't seen that coming. He was shocked! Shocked! He realized that he wasn't the only one. Ling's face was rosy and she looked like a murderer who just found out that they killed their best friends. Ling wondered why Jin stared at her funny. It wasn't like she did anything "Wrong". "Jin, stop looking at me like that." She said. He didn't move. If he was still in shock, she might have to call the ambulance. Jin laughed to himself. "Sorry. That was my.um.first kiss you know." He said scratching his head. That sort of made her feel better. "That was my first kiss too. And I don't regret it." She said holding his shoulder. She had felt like a burden had been lifted off of her conscience. Sure, It was just a two second kiss, but it had been enough for her. She wanted to know if she truly loved him. She was uncertain if she "loved" him, but she knew that she really, really liked him. She knew by the way she acted. The way her heart skipped a beat when she had drawn herself near him; and the way she felt when she kissed him. It was a new beginning to something that could end up into a beautiful relationship. After watching the sunset, Jin and Ling walked back home, in silence. She couldn't tell if Jin was upset that she kissed him or what. She didn't know what to say. She walked upstairs into her room and sat on her bed. She pulled out her diary from her binder and began writing. "Dear diary. Today was.very interesting. I don't know how to explain my feelings, but I feel something towards Jin. I don't think its love, yet." She paused and looked at her mirror across from her bed. She saw the reflection of a young sixteen yearold who was denying her true feelings. Why was she hiding it? Was there something she didn't want him to know? Or maybe, it was the other way around. Maybe Jin was hiding his feelings. She had to know. First, she had to admit her feelings. "I'm sorry diary. I was lying to you." She looked back up in the mirror and softly spoke. "I don't like him.I love him. I know that he might not feel the same way, but I just have to know. I have to know what he thought about that kiss." Jin was sitting on his bed doing his homework. He was one of the smartest kids in school, and homework was never a problem. Tonight however, homework became a problem. His mind was tangled with Ling. He couldn't stop thinking about her and that kiss. He liked her. She was a reliable and loyal friend. She understood his past, and never once ran away from him. He put his books aside and stared out his balcony. The moon was bright and full. Everything seemed to have a place in it's glory. He heard a knock on the door. "Come in." Ling opened the door slowly and stepped in. Jin smiled and motioned her to come to the balcony with him. She walked up next to him and stared straight out for as far as the eye could see. "There is so much beauty out there. From here, I can only see as much as my eye will let me," She placed her hand on his. "But there is more past the horizon. I know it's out there.somewhere. I don't need to see it, because I feel it." Jin didn't say anything. He stared ahead letting the cool breeze refresh him. The wind blew his bangs gently across his face. "Jin, are you mad at me?" She asked forlornly. Jin gave her a twisted look. Then he saw how sad she was. She really believed that he was mad at her. "No! Why would you think that?" She looked down at her feet. Something told her that it might not be a good idea to tell him. "I dunno. Maybe because of that kiss." He put his hand on her shoulder. "It was a friendly kiss. We're friends." That hadn't been what Jin wanted to say, that's just what happened to come out. He wanted a true love kiss from her. Ling looked back at Jin with a crooked smile. She hadn't meant it to be a friendly kiss. That obviously told her one of two things: She was a bad kisser and couldn't get the message through to him, or that they were just friends, and that's all he thought they were. She sighed and smiled back. "Right Jin. Friends. Nothing more and nothing less." She forced herself to say that. It was against her will. Jin looked sad for a moment. He wanted to be more than friends, but he wasn't sure if he could handle that. He was unsure if Ling thought of him as more than just a friend. They stayed up together to watch the beautiful full moon. Then it was time for them to go to bed. Ling looked at the clock that read 12:00A.M. It was midnight. She sighed and said, "Well, Its already getting late. We've got school in the morning too. I'm going to bed now." Jin didn't want her to leave. He wanted her to stay with him until he could fall asleep. "Right. I'm going to bed now too. Goodnight." She gave him a hug and left his room. As she walked out into the hall, She had heard Heihachi talking on the phone with someone. She slowly walked down the carpeted stairs. "Yes, that's right. Jin is entering the tournament. You can be sure that he will make it to the final battle. I know he will defeat Ogre." What was this guy up to? Jin was in the tournament as well? How come he hadn't told her? And worst of all, He was going to fight Ogre; the being that killed their parents. What if he didn't make it? He would leave her alone. She stopped thinking for a while and listened some more. "We also have one new challenger. Her name Is Ling Xiaoyu. She is a tough fighter, Jin may have trouble with this girl." Silence. "Yes, but you see, they have been getting along quite well, One of them will lose and then they will become enemies. Either way, I've got Jin." She couldn't believe her ears. She was just bait to get to Jin. She decided to run back upstairs and tell him. She opened the door without knocking and saw him sitting on his bed. She ran over and jumped on him. "Jin! I'm sorry!" She cried. She didn't want this to happen. If she tells him, she knows what he'll do. She didn't want to lie to him or keep any secrets from him because she knew he hated that. "Listen. Heihachi is using me to get to you! I heard him on the phone with someone. He says that if one of us looses, we will become enemies and that he's got you!" Jin lowered his head. He knew that there was something wrong with the way his grandfather was acting. He felt his heart sink and he looked at her with loving and caring eyes. She was crying and couldn't understand his reaction. "That's not true." He said calmly. "There would be no way that I would even think about being your enemy." She sat up and grabbed his wrist. "I know! I wouldn't betray you if my life depended upon it! I told you once and I'll say it again. I will never leave you." Her eyes became misty. Jin leaned her body more towards his masculine chest. She threw her arms around him, feeling his heart beat with hers. She decided that she would argue with him about not telling her that he would be in the tournament later. Right now she only wanted to stay with him.