A/N: YAY! My exam is over! Phew! That science exam was hard….think I screwed up the chemistry section….ahem, anyways, no more exam talk. I've had a bit of a writer's block so I'm soooo sorry if this chapter sucked alrite? I thought I've been neglecting Panda so she is definitely in this chapter! Now I've heard that has scratched the rule bout replying to reviewers so I'm going to reply to them now! If the rule is still up, then…..oh well :P
Tekkengeek01: Well, if there was a Devil Jin, there should be an Angel Jin. Xiao wud definitely NOT back down from the tournament just coz Jin asked her too…well, in my story she isn't! Update ur story soon!
Henred5: Yup, it wud be un-Xiaoyu if she actually did listen to Jin…..well in my opinion anyway. Update ur story!
Astral Slayer Asuka: It took me quite a while to figure out that u changed ur penname :P glad ur not too bothered if my sluggish updates are becoming more less frequent by the day but I will NOT become someone who'll update like once a year! Luv ur story and hope u update with a longer chater lol
Xjmaster: I'm soo happy that u like this story! Ur stories are so awesome and I can't wait for an update to any of them!
Hibeki: Haha yeah. Jin always seems to go before Xiao gets the chance to talk to him but there u go, a conversation between them! YAY exams are over! Now u can update as well! Cant wait to find out what happens in the mission coz that was an evil cliffhanger!
MooNTeARZ: YAY! It's so awesome to know that I'm actually improving instead of keeping my writing style the same throughout and that means so much coming from such an awesome as author like u!
I don't own the Tekken series, Namco does. If I did, I probably would've screwed up the series so just be glad I don't :P
Chapter 12: Broken Spirit
Xiaoyu stood outside the Mishima Hotel, thinking about the conversation she just had with Jin. After the double doors opened automatically and she stepped inside, Panda came bounding up to her excitedly.
"Hi Panda." Xiaoyu said cheerfully, stroking Panda's head. Panda nuzzled her happily in reply.
"You've been knocked out of the tournament, didn't you?" Xiaoyu asked her furry companion sadly. Panda looked up at Xiaoyu and nodded solemnly. Xiaoyu thought for a few seconds and a broad smile crept onto her face as an idea popped into her head. She walked towards the receptionist, who was doing some paperwork, with Panda casually strolling behind her.
"Hi there." Xiaoyu said. The receptionist looked up and a warm smile appeared on her face.
"Hello Miss Ling. What can I do for you?" The receptionist greeted her in a tone matching her smile.
"Well, I need to ask you a favour." Xiaoyu said, putting both hands behind her and rocking back and forth on her heels like a child.
"Since my Panda is out of the tournament…can she stay in my suite?" Xiaoyu asked ceasing her rocking and an innocent smile plastered on her face. The receptionist thought this through.
"Mr. Mishima never allowed animals in his suite but with the new CEO, I've got to check the regulations just to be sure." The receptionist said calmly and began looking through the papers on her desk. Xiaoyu bit her lip nervously, I hope the new CEO does allow animals…even though it's so unlikely. The receptionist found the correct paper and read through it. Her eyes immediately widened in surprise.
"It says here that animals are allowed in the suites. That's rather unusual." The receptionist said, pondering this. Xiaoyu immediately smiled, not believing her luck. Well, what do you know? The new CEO does allow animals. What were the chances of that?
"Thank you so much!" Xiaoyu said thankfully.
"I'm glad I was able to help." The receptionist said.
Xiaoyu hastily waved to the receptionist and rushed towards the elevator, Panda happily prancing behind her. They got into the elevator and the doors slid shut.
Xiaoyu collapsed on her bed as Panda slumped on the floor near Xiaoyu's bed.
"You wouldn't believe what happened with my match with Bryan, Panda." Xiaoyu said, staring at the ceiling. Panda sat up and stared at Xiaoyu, listening eagerly. Xiaoyu sat up on her bed and faced Panda.
"I managed to beat him but he pointed a gun at me and was going to kill me." Xiaoyu said sounding really surprised. Panda appeared to look surprised. That's what Xiaoyu liked about Panda; she always listened to her and knew exactly what she was saying.
"I thought I was going to die but then Jin came and saved my life before I got killed." Xiaoyu continued. Panda continued to listen intently.
"I managed to have a talk with him. It was strange, I felt myself blushing. It was just Jin though, I had absolutely no idea why." Xiaoyu said. Even thinking about it made her blush. What's wrong with me? Xiaoyu asked herself. A playful grin appeared on Panda's face and Xiaoyu knew exactly what she thought.
"I do not have a crush on Jin! He's just a friend that…has saved my life and almost killed me." Xiaoyu said sadly, recalling the near-death experiences she had with Devil Jin.
"He asked me something that was really weird though. He asked me to drop out of the tournament!" Xiaoyu said sounding outraged.
"I mean, Ling Xiaoyu, back down from a King of Iron Fist Tournament? Has he completely forgotten the kind of person I am…oh yeah…he did." Xiaoyu said sadly once again, recalling his words loud and clear.
"Panda, I'm starting to wonder whether I should even bother trying to help out his family. I mean, when I try to help, I tend to screw stuff up so maybe I should just quit." Xiaoyu said sadly. Panda tilted her head in confusion and Xiaoyu knew why.
"I'm not going to quit the tournament. Maybe I can still pursue that amusement park of mine…but maybe I should just give up on Jin's family altogether since I can't really do anything about it." Panda shook her head vigorously, indicating her protest against the idea.
"After I've apologised to Kazuya without getting myself thrown off something, I think I should stay out of it. I shouldn't really be involved in all this, this is their family matters and I shouldn't interfere with it…" Xiaoyu said, turning around so that her legs were dangling from her bed. Panda nuzzled Xiaoyu's leg and looked up at Xiaoyu. She had absolutely no idea how she could understand everything that Panda was trying to tell her.
"I didn't help with anything. The only thing I probably did right was when I helped turn Jin back to normal at the last tournament." Xiaoyu said.
"Maybe I should just go back to the amusement park thing." Xiaoyu said. The amusement park idea of hers had lost all its meaning now. Xiaoyu knew that she didn't really want to do this now; she wanted to help the Mishima family but she knew she couldn't. Panda stared at Xiaoyu with her beady eyes, clearly wanting Xiaoyu to not give up.
"There really isn't anything I can do, Panda. Next time I see Kazuya, I'll apologise for ever trying to make things better and I'll be out of their lives for good." Xiaoyu said conclusively. Panda frowned, hoping that Xiaoyu didn't just mean that.
A/N: Ok, an abrupt ending to the chapter but like I said, writers block! totally annoying! Maybe I shouldn't write while I've got it. I should wait around until something good actually comes up so I can spare everyone the result of my writer's block. I thought I've been neglecting Panda for a while so I thought I'd bring her into this chapter, and a bit of a psychic connection between the two, lol! Hope someonedidlike it.REVIEW!