Wow! Writer's block is harsh. My minds totally frozen! Please don't scream at me if you don't like this chapter since I'll probably redo it. I've done four completely different drafts of this and it's getting nowhere. I know where I'm going but I don't know how to get there. I'm sick and brain dead... Well on to the story.

Bonds of Love

Ling stood outside her door with her head in her hands. Her cheeks were flushed a deep red, and almost anyone would agree that she made a lovely portrait against her dull surroundings. Oh my God! What just happened? How did it begin?

Jin stood at the other side of the room. He had just finished telling her about his mother. 'Why should I believe him?' Ling thought. 'This is the man who hurt uncle Wang and kidnapped me.' Ling suddenly looked up and was caught in Jin's transfixing gaze. His pained eyes cried out to her strongly, and she couldn't help but get up and take a step a step towards the man. Purely put, those eyes could not lie to her. They were a reflection of his soul, and they told her that this boy held within him the pain of loss. She wanted to comfort him and tell him it would be all right. She wanted to be held in his arms, but most of all, she wanted to make the pain in his eyes cease to exist. The connection between them grew stronger with each passing moment, and she knew he felt it too. He took one step towards her, his face indecisive, but then he rushed forward closing the distance between them until there was only a few steps separating them. She began to reach out to him when the door opened and one of the maids bustled in. Like a delicate thread, their connection was easily broken. Ling made up some lame excuse about clothes and rushed out the door to handle the myriad of new feelings she felt stirring deep within her.

"Excuse me Ms Ling," a young maid asked nervously, interrupting Ling's thoughts. "Yes," she replied politely. "Mr. Mishima wishes to see you and Jin in his office immediately. I've already told Jin and he's headed down. You might want to hurry. It isn't wise to keep someone like Mr. Mishima waiting." Ling sighed under her breath, but there was no use trying to escape from the meeting. Mr. Mishima struck Ling as a horrible man, and Ling didn't want to be forced to find out what means he might go to for her to submit to him. "Excuse me miss, but where is his office?" she asked. "It's downstairs to your right, the first door. It's hard to miss." The maid answered with a sweet smile. "Thank you," Ling said before heading downstairs. She turned right and spotted the door immediately. The maid was right it was hard to miss. While all the other doors in this hall were unadorned, the dark wood of the double doors leading to Mr. Mishima's office was intricately carved with visions of angels and roses. The craftsmanship was amazing. The door alone must have cost a fortune. As she traced the designs on the door she thought, it's ironic that someone so much like the devil would choose a door of angels for decoration.

She slowly opened the heavy door, and the well-oiled wood didn't make even a hint of a creak. Stepping inside she saw Mr. Mishima sitting at his desk. Across from him sat a scowling Jin. "Ah, Ms Ling. I see you have finally seen fit to join us." Ling scowled at him and sat down in a leather chair next to Jin. "So Heihachi," Jin began, "now that Ling is here, what do you want?" "I have a job for you." Heihachi stated. "Job!" Ling stood up and continued. "You kidnap me, and now you expect me to do what you say?" "Exactly," Heihachi answered, "and if you care about your parents, you will do everything I want you to do!" Heihachi's voice rose to a roar, but Ling held her ground. 'I'll do what you want, Heihachi, but I won't enjoy a single minute of it." Heihachi ignored her and continued informing them of the 'job' they were going to pull. "A very rich American woman named Charlotte Campbell will be arriving in a few days. Next Tuesday she's hosting I party. Jin, I have managed to secure an invitation for you, and Ling is to be your date. Your objective is to steal a very important necklace. As far as I know she only has one person guarding it. His name is Hwoarang, and he'll be carrying the jewel on him. He's very hard to miss. He is Korean, and he's tall and skinny with blood red hair. The supplies you'll need for your mission are waiting for you in your room. That's all."

Ling stood up and left the room. She ascended the stairs, and headed to her room. Outside her room she ran into the maid from before the meeting. "Hello," she greeted the maid. "Hello, Ms Ling. The package from Mr. Mishima is inside on your bed. Also, there are new clothes for you in your closet. I hope they're to your liking." The maid turned and walked away. Ling entered her room. Sure enough, there was a large package lying on her new bed. She walked over and opened it. Inside there was a beautiful red dress. It was long and would probably reach down to her feet if she wore it. The neckline was in a fashionable V, but it wasn't immodest. It was sleeveless, and beneath it in the package was a matching silk shawl to go over it. There was also a pair of matching shoes made so that when Ling tried them on she could still fight with her regular skill. Further down in the package were a pair of gold earrings and makeup. Even though the outfit was obviously of the best make, she looked at it with disgust. It feels so wrong to wear something like this to a robbery. I can't handle this. I just want to go home and be with my family.

With that Ling burst into tears on the bed. She curled up into a little ball and allowed herself to be swept away by self-pity. She didn't know how long she was crying for, but she heard someone open the door. That person walked over to the bed in calm, deliberate steps and sat next to her. "Leave me alone!" she cried. She looked up to see Jin. His eyes held the same sympathy as the night before. She didn't want to see him right now. His appearance always brought new emotions Ling wasn't quite sure how to deal with. "I don't want your pity!" she screamed.

Without words, he awkwardly reached an arm over and pulled her into a warm embrace. "Shh, it's going to be alright," he whispered in Chinese, running a hand through her hair to try and calm her. Ling didn't know if it was the presence of her first language, or if he somehow had the power to sooth her. Either way she didn't care. She huddled closer to his chest and cried against him. She cried for her mom, dad, and Uncle Wang who were probably grieving about loosing her. She cried for Jin and his mother, innocent victims of a cruel man and his Lust for power. But most of all, she cried for herself. She cried for the cocky girl that wanted nothing more than to train in the martial arts. She cried for the girl who was kidnapped and thrown into chaos. She cried for a girl with no future, who only lived to be a servant for others. Through it all, Jin held her and whispered meaningless words of comfort in her ear. They both knew it wasn't going to get better, yet Jin still held her in his strong arms.

When she finally ran out of tears she looked back up at him, and wrapped her arms around him. She felt the hard, firm muscles in his chest, and she could hear his heart beat. She could smell his unique scent, a mixture of the outdoors after a wet day and a myriad of other unidentifiable smells. And as she snuggled closer to him, she made a startling revelation. Things might not get better, but as long as I have someone to share my pain with, things can't get any worse. Wrapped up in his arms, Ling let out a yawn and whispered to Jin, "thank you." She leaned up and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Ling then rested her head against his chest, and fell into a world of dreams.

Jin looked down at the girl he held in his arms. She was fast asleep. Jin let a brilliant smile grace his face, and he gently laid Ling down on her bed and tucked her in. He leaned over her and traced the outline of her face with his large hands. Looking at her sweet lips Jin was reminded of the kiss she gave him. He reached a hand up to his right cheek where Ling had kissed him. The moment was ruined when Heihachi opened the door and saw him. Jin quickly moved away from Ling, but it was too late. The image of Jin leaning over Ling with one hand touching her face had imprinted itself in his mind. Shit! Jin cursed. Heihachi's not going to like this.

To be continued...

So, you like? I really hate to end it there, but I need some more time to figure out how Heihachi is going to react, and what strains, if any, it will put on Jin and Xiaoyu's fragile relationship. I know there wasn't a lot of Jin in this, but the next chapter will have more, I promise! Hwoarang is going to join the cast in either one or two chapters, but it depends on how things go. As always, I'm anxious to here from my reviewers. I really want to know what you think of it, and any ideas you have. Until next time!

Reina-183