Chapter 5:

Disclaimer: Tekken doesn't belong to me, cause if it did, I'd be blinking RICH!

Xiao and Jin acted as if the little talk in the mountains hadn't happened, Miharu didn't even know!

Xiao did everything in her power to avoid Jin, even if it meant doing extra jobs, or doing someone else's jobs. Even when she walked passed him she felt strangely tense, almost as if she was ready to lash out at him if he even talked to her.

When he wasn't around she carried on like the normal chirpy self.

"Guess what?"

Xiao stopped sewing up a dress and looked up at Mi suspiciously. "What?" she asked.

"I've been asked out to the dance!" shrieked Miharu childishly.

Xiao felt puzzled. "What dance?"

"I'm sure I told you about it Xiao…you know…the new years day feast…there's a little ball on after it."

Xiao wanted to ask more about the ball, but she was little curious about who'd asked her friend.

"If you want to know who asked me out…I'm not telling you…you'll have to come to the ball to find out!" Miharu said, grinning again and then walking out of the room.

Xiao sighed and continued sewing up the holes in the dress of one of her other friends.

"I can't go without a date…or a dress!" she thought, looking down at her light pink dress with lilac sash, it was much too small for her now, what she needed was a brand new dress, something to impress a certain someone!

Jin took out his sword from its sheath and looked at it carefully. It had been extremely well cleaned and polished; he could clearly see a reflection of himself in the magnificent blade.

"I'm impressed Xiao!" he exclaimed, smiling at the servant and putting his sword back away. "No ones ever got it that clean before!"

Xiao looked down at her feet and mustered up plenty of courage. "May I have my own sword back please?" she whispered meekly.

"Your sword…I'm afraid the royal guard had decided not to ever give it back to you servant, apparently you can't be trusted with it! It'll be destroyed today."

Xiao trembled, and clasped her hand over her mouth from yelling out at the royal prince.

"Well…pick up a sword…I have training with you don't I?"

Xiao nodded and walked towards the large stack of swords, piled as high as herself.

Carefully she picked out a sturdy but plain sword from the bottom.

"Ready?"

Xiao nodded, raising the sword in a guard position.

"FIGHT!" yelled Jin Mishima, charging out at Xiao.

The servant clad in a brown dress used her instinct and dodged out of the way, rolling to the right of Jin.

This time they started to encircle each other, Xiao made the first move with an uprising stab attempt at Jin's heavily guarded stomach. The two swords clashed together and sparks began to fly.

The bight glinted sword struck aimed a strike at her arm, she blocked it just in time, her hand feeling the sudden vibrations of the clashing weapons.

Jin leapt over Xiao and grabbed her neck from behind, holding her neck tightly, and with his sword tip he forced Xiao's chin up in a common move.

Xiao stood as still as ever, her breathing almost stopped. Her hand was bleeding where the prince had sheared her so she let go of the sword.

"Such a pretty little face…would be a pity if it got cut up!" sneered prince Jin, moving the blade up to Xiao's right cheek.

Xiao grimaced away from the blade, feeling herself back up as much as possible against the prince.

Jin free his other arm from Xiao's neck and grabbed Xiao round her stomach, "scream once and you dead!" he hissed, letting a little dagger slide out from his sleeve, he caught it neatly and held it at Xiao's stomach.

Xiao sucked in a large quality of air and then with supreme accuracy and grace she grabbed Jin's arm from around her stomach ducked, her face merely scraping the sharp sword blade. Then she pulled with all her strength and sent Jin toppling to the ground.

She pressed her hand to her cheek only to feel moistness, when she took her hand away and stared closely at her fingers she saw blood. Her cheek had been scared by a smallish carve from a blade.

Absent-mindedly she turned around and walked towards the sword she had been using to fight with Prince Jin. She didn't hear Jin snarl, she didn't hear him heave, but she did feel him grab at her ankle and pull on it so hard that she felt herself thudding to the ground. She looked across from her position to the prince, he was smiling and had his sword already poised at her.

"Very clever servant…a good stunt…pity it cost you a little scar on that delicate face of yours!" he scorned.

Xiao glared at the prince, the one who had talked to her as if he had cared for her; only now he teased her like she was only a mere slave!

"Next time I will be the one that scars you Jin…you're just a fool in a prince's shell…" Xiao said. "If you weren't son of an emperor…you'd be nothing!" she muttered, not realising her dangers of insolence.

Jin's smile was wiped off his face and replaced with fury. "Stupid cow!" he yelled, dashing forwards with his dagger and stabbing the servant.

Xiao seemed to be almost planted to the ground, but no, she wasn't encased in fear, but in anger.

Then just as the dagger stabbed into her hand she quickly dive away from the prince. Leaving a smallish trail of blood behind.

They continued fighting each other sword with sword for over half an hour!

"Shame you aren't Japanese…I could use an excellent worrier like you!" Jin said, half-heartedly offering Xiao a little scrap of material.

Xiao winced away from Jin, thinking that he's lash out at her. Instead she settled opposite the prince, she ripped off a bit of her own dress (from the sleeve) and carefully dabbed up the blood.

"Why do you fear me?" asked Jin curiously.

Xiao stopped dabbing and stayed silent, she didn't want to say.

"Never mind…maybe you'll tell me some other day!" Jin held put his dagger back into its own mini sheath and held out a hand. "Sorry for the wounds…here, let me help!"

Xiao was uncertain of what the prince was planning, so she grabbed his hand and let him help her onto her feet. "Thanks."

Jin nodded graciously and helped Xiao to the outside garden of the dojo.

They sat together; Jin bandaged up Xiao's inflicted wounds and talked to her in a gentle and kind tone. Even though she never talked back to him he knew she was listening carefully to all he said.

Xiao learned that day that the prince was not evil, but just a person who hadn't been shown kindness by his own people, for some strange reason most of them hated and despised him, even called him an unworthy child behind his back. The only way it affected him was through the treatment of those servants.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered, daring to look deeply into the princes brown eyes.

Prince Jin smiled at Xiao, "I'm sorry for hurting you!" he whispered back, handing Xiao his dagger as a small token of friendship between herself and the prince.

Xiao accepted the dagger and stared at it in wonder.

"It was my mothers!" he said.

"She was a worrier?"

"Yes…but she wasn't Japanese…she was part Chinese, from her fathers side."

"That's why they hate you…isn't it? Cause your part Chinese…and so is your mother," inquired Xiao, placing her hand on Jin's.

"Yes…that's why they all despise me!"

Xiao pitied the prince; it was like he had everything but at the same time had nothing, she knew that without the trust and support of your own people no man can become a leader over them.

"Well I don't…you might say I sort of admire you now!" whispered Xiao.

They sat together for a while, talking about their lost childhoods and tragedies that befell upon them.

Their friendship strengthened as each moment went by, but beyond their friendship something else was flourishing…somthing that would bring them together during the time of need!

Writers Note:

Sorry cause it took a while gettin the chapter up! But its up now..so no more complain..for three days plz!lol Thanxs to all my reviewers! you all rock..seriously!