Once Upon a Time
By:Mako-chan

My horrendously late update is unforgivable, I know. Sorry doesn't even make up for it. I hope you're still there. I have been a very busy girl and now that I have the time off, I hope to make quicker updates as well as finish this. I wrote this chapter on a scrap of paper again while sitting through my law class. That's how exciting International Law is. Anyway I'll spare you my rantings, here goes the fifth chapter. Have fun :)

Nope, still don't own 'em...

Chapter 5 - A girl falls in love with the prince

Streaks of light came pouring out of the glorious french windows. Outside, the sky was blue and crystal clear, the clouds puffy, and the birds were chirping a merry tune. It was a most beautiful and perfect day...but not for the young master of the Mishima household.

He squinted. Turning over to his back with agony, he opened his eyes. They lacked their usual vibrance, the glowing color of brown was in fact too glassy and dull. He tried to get up, but his body felt like a ton. He tried to lift himself up for the next few minutes, but failed. In frustration, he plopped his head down on the pillows and let out a big groan.

Xiaoyu almost dropped the steaming cup of coffee in her hand. She jumped a little when she heard a monstrous thud that unless her mind was playing tricks on her, came from Jin's bedroom.

"Argh!" In a bid to move, Jin had rolled himself off his bed, landing on his back with so much force that it shook everything around him.

"Jin!" Xiaoyu exclaimed, barging in the room. "Oh my god!" she let out another shriek then quickly rushed to Jin's side. "Jin!" she called out, taking his head and resting it on her lap. She shook him with all her might.

"I'm not dead yet, you idiot!" Jin growled.

"Well you sure did look like it!"

"Just help me up."

Jin lifted himself up gently into a sitting position, then grabbed the pole of the bed to stand up. Xiaoyu held his other arm and he was careful not to put all his weight on her.

Xiaoyu fluffed his pillows and tucked him in again. Jin was sweltering hot. "I'll cancel all of your meetings for the next three days. You need to stay in bed and get some rest," she worriedly told him. "...THE HELL DID YOU DO ANYWAY?!"

"Oh god, make her stop!" Jin groaned, slapping a hand on his creased forehead.

"Jin," Xiaoyu called out to him, opening his drawers and taking a fresh shirt.

"Mmmppff...(GO AWAY)," he rambled incoherently into his pillow.

"C'mon, sit up. It'll just take a while," Xiaoyu spoke, her manner and tone calm again. She sat by his bed, tapping him lightly on the arm.

"No," he replied stubbornly like a child. For full effect, he turned his head to the opposite side and away from her.

"I can't do it," Jin whined.

"Then I'll do it."

Jin popped his head out and turned to her. He saw exclamation points inside his head. Come to think of it, he felt so grimy.

"Why must you make things so hard (especially with me)?" she asked, shaking her head. "Arms up, please." Xiaoyu had to bite her lip and keep her head down as she discarded Jin's shirt, so that he would not see her flushed face. He had a body of a god alright, she reckoned that he must be some kind of sports buff, either that or he considered the gym as a temple.

"Karate."

"What?"

"I do Karate...and I'm clairvoyant."

"Again...WHAT?!"

"My mother's psychic," he explained, trying to fight the dizziness in him, "I can read random thoughts."

"Well then stop doing that!"

"I can't. Didn't I tell you it was random?"

In response, Xiaoyu fumed and pulled the freshly pressed shirt down Jin a little to harshly.

"Ow! You little runt, be kind to the sick!"

"Jin," she quietly began, folding her hands on her lap, "I...It's just that...Well, thank you."

Hearing this, a dreamy smile graced his lips. He closed his eyes and fell back on the mattress with a soft thud. Meanwhile, Xiaoyu expelled a breath of relief, but when she lifted her head, her expression turned from gentleness and gratitude into wrath. Thinking that all the while she spoke, Jin had dosed off on her. She quickly stood up in indignation, stomped off and closed the door with a bang.

Two hours have passed and still nothing changed. His temperature was still high and he still had a bad headache. Jin felt so weak that he could not raise his hands from his sides. "Xiaoyu! Xiaoyu!" he croaked endlessly. After a few minutes, she finally entered, tray in her hands.

"How did you manage before I came to this place?" she asked him as she cleared the bedside table. "You need to eat and get doped."

"I can't even move!" Jin said eyes still closed, and his voice weak but filled with annoyance.

"Keep quiet and stop whining like a pancy!"

"Hey, watch your language, woman!" he warned her raspily.

"You're sick and I'm not you mama's boy!" Xiaoyu shot back.

"My mother happens to be a wonderful person!"

"Well, won't your mother sure didn't raise a perpetual five year old," she snapped.

"Just shut up!"

"You started it!"

"Just feed me DAMMIT!"

Xiaoyu felt an eyebrow twitch. Unreasonable. Just impossible! she wailed inside her brain. Wordlessly, she took the tray of food from the small table and set it up in front of Jin.

He looked at the food, then at Xiaoyu, then back. Jin did this, his expression confused mixed with a bit of horror. He frowned all the more as his devilish gaze on her had no effect, and almost lost it when the petite girl just crossed her arms.

"Well, dig in."

"Feed me," he blurted out.

"What?"

"I said, 'FEED ME'."

"Why should I?"

"Please," Jin implored ever so sweetly, figuring out that a change of tactics will create a more amiable Xiaoyu.

Her ears perked up at the mention of "Please". She dropped her arms and haughtily, began to take the bowl of soup and spoon. "Say, 'ah'."

"Ah." This is fun, Jin thought with interest. "Hey, what is this?"

"It's my cooking," she informed him, "I placed tons of sulfuric and hydrochloric acid in it. Helps you dissolve your organs faster than the usual poison."

"It's nice. No, it's fantastic," Jin honestly said, brushing away her sarcastic comment. "You'd make a good mother and wife someday," he quietly added.

Xiaoyu almost dropped the bowl and spoon in her hands. Either she would have done so, or resisted the impulse to throw them at Jin. But her heart gave a leap, this was the man that held her so tightly that night. The sweet and sincere man that saved her from danger. "You really think so?" she asked innocently.

"I'm not very good with praises," he replied hiding a blush.

"Thank you," she said with a smile.

Quite disarmed, Jin didn't know whether to reply or drink the soup first. As a result, it spilled from his lips. But before he could do anything about it, a delicate hand appeared, its supple fingers gently brushing the spill away.

"I'm sorry." Xiaoyu uttered a word of apology and started to draw her hand away. She froze when Jin stopped, his hand engulfing hers. Xiaoyu's eyes widened when Jin pulled her to him, his free hand reaching and caressing her nape, indifferent to the plate and dishes that made a mess on the bed. Xiaoyu couldn't do anything but close her eyes as he gathered her for a kiss...

Sweet was the only word that Jin could think of and say. If they weren't out of breath, then he wouldn't have ended their kiss. He was scorching again, but this time, he knew it wasn't from the fever. Slowly, he slumped back against the headboard. Jin looked at his soiled bed and then reverted his attention to the shaken Chinese girl. "Clean this up, NOW."

After a day of tending to a deliriously sick and whiny Jin, Xiaoyu plopped on her bed, completely exhausted. "Jin Kazama...you jerk!" She hated him. She abhorred him. She believed that he was the kind of man who had everything that didn't deserve anything. She hated his ego and how he would look down upon her. She hated it when he'd have her do the most irrational chores like washing his boxers, smelling him (when he knows damn well he smelled all good), or when he acted obnoxious - calling her names, making fun of her, kissing her...holding her, coming to her rescue... Xiaoyu turned like a kid on her bed. Did she hate him as she always thought she would? Then why does she like it when memories of his kisses come into her mind? Why does she look forward to working and seeing him day in and day out? Why, despite all he's done to humiliate and make her life a living hell, was she seeing a great man with a heart of a boy? "Xiaoyu, are you in love?" she asked herself. "Because if you are, congratulations, you've just officially lost your brain."

-----------

"Good morning, sunshine!" Jin exclaimed as he jumped off the covers. He felt excellent. He felt like he could do swim back and forth the Sea of Japan. As the young Mishima drew the heavy draperies to the sides, he was greeted by dark gray skies and a loud crack of thunder.

"I'm pleased to tell you that a storm will be passing by Japan today."

"Who asked you?"

"As your assistant it is part of my duties and responsibilities to inform my boss of everything he needs to know."

"Saturday," Jin blurted out.

"S-Saturday?"

"You heard me."

Xiaoyu took a few paces forward. "What about it?"

"What happens on Saturday?" Jin asked, still looking at the stormy skies.

"Well I..."

"Think!"

"Alright!" Xiaoyu resisted the urge to bite her nails. Saturday? There's nothing on a Saturday but..."Laundry," she proudly answered.

His broad shoulders began to shake. Slowly, the rumble deep in his chest bursted out of him as a monstrous fit of laughter. He was laughing so hard that he walked over to his desk for support and slapped his lap. "God, my stomach hurts!"

"Why are you laughing?" she demanded angrily, hands on her hips. There's nothing else besides my chore, so what's so funny about it? she thought to herself.

After having a good laugh. Jin sobered and straightened himself up. The look on his face had completely erased the hilarity moments ago. He loomed over the Chinese girl, his expression curt and disappointed. "It's my birthday."

"Your birthday?"

"And make it a point to clean your ears everyday."

Xiaoyu swatted his early morning insult. "And you want me to do the planning, right?"

"No. That's been started a week ago, in fact, they're at it right this minute. My staff does that, telling me that they'd like to celebrate their boss's birthday with a little gathering, then turns out to be a big bash, then all I have to do is put on an award-winning performance for Best Shock. To top it all off, it's going to be my best bud's scheming."

"So, what's there for me to do?"

"I called on Mrs. Nomura the other day. I told her to take you dress hunting. You have to look like a 20th century human, or else they'll think I'm keeping a cavewoman."

"That's a little too much," Xiaoyu protested.

Jin shook his head. "Nope. Don't think so."

"I, I..."

"Hm?"

"It's just that," she began, folding her hands in front of her. "It's nothing."

Before Jin could prod Xiaoyu any more, she quickly went out of the room.

Xiaoyu walked away with heavy heart. In the middle of their conversation, she suddenly had an urge to ask him about how he really felt about her. She wanted to know, she had to know. "I can't go on like this," she said, sitting in her favorite spot amongst the flowers. "How could he? Why would he want a rag like me? Why did I have to fall for him in the first place? Xiaoyu, you're head is way too up in the clouds. He will never want you...he will never love you. To him, you're just someone to do his bidding. Xiaoyu, don't forget that you're nothing but a slave." Unable to contain her emotions, she broke out in sobs.