Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Tekken and its characters doesn't belong to me, it belongs to Namco and its makers!

The cell gate slammed against its wiry frame causing Xiao to startle from her dreams to the horrible reality. She could hear the dreamed footsteps nearing, his almost silent breathing and his cloak sliding on the floor. "What now?" she asked sharply, flicking back her fringe from her eyes.

Prince Jin sat down to her level and stared at her coldly. She stared back at him with her unmoving eyes. "Your uniform." He said curtly, dropping a dark greenish Japanese army uniform into her lap. As he turned around to go Xiao felt a pain crawl into her head. She nearly cried out but bit her lip to stop her, her hand went up to her head and she could actually feel the throbbing ach.

Almost as if the prince knew how bad she was feeling he grinned. "We leave in an hour."

Xiao didn't hear him; she could barely hear herself think, as the pain kept searing to her brain. She knew something wasn't right!

When Xiao finally opened her eyes only to feel relief flood her veins for the pain had gone she noticed the green uniform strewn in her cell. She picked it up and carefully examined every inch of it. It was made of a thick woollen fabric and had a slight thickness of padding in the chest area. "No prizes for protection," she murmured as she hung the uniform on a bit of loose wire and carefully tied her hair in what used to be her usual style when she was a child, two pigtails. She could hear someone laughing from the outside of the cell, when she turned around she saw it was only the cell officer. She smiled at him glamorously and approached the cell door where he stood. Without a word and with a jabbing like motion she punched him right in the face quite easily through the bars. He groaned and cursed at her and then ran away calling for some cold water.

"Don't mess with Xiaoyu!" she thought, turning around and quickly getting changed into the army uniform.

After she was changed she heard her cell door open, she whirled around as if to lash out at someone who approached her from behind but he only grabbed her wrist and quite painfully twisting it back to her side.

"Finally ready Xiao, your lucky I was able to find you a horse to ride on, he's got allot of flare in him mind," spoke Prince Jin.

Xiao didn't reply she just followed him out of the cell and outside into the bright light.

She could hear a furious horse stamping its hooves on the hard stone ground. When she looked up she instantly knew the horse wasn't a tame one, he just as wild as a volcano and unbelievably unpredictable. She remembered the last time she'd ridden a horse was the month before her capture, her horse had been shot dead under her and she had barely escaped without injury.

"Good luck!" shouted a soldier, watching as she approached the horse.

The horse was calm for the meantime, almost waiting for the right chance to buck her as soon as she got on him. She approached his face slowly, coaxing him to come towards her; he took one little step but then stopped and stood still waiting for her to near him. When she finally placed her hand on his forehead she could feel the sweat and dampness, she could hear him snorting and his hoofs digging into the ground.

Carefully she walks away and takes the saddle from a helpful horse handler.

"Just watch your step miss…he has one bad temper sometimes!" warned the groom.

Xiao nodded in appreciation of the advice and slowly approached the horse's face again, she placed her hand on his neck and kept it their for a while, she closed her eyes to help her bond with him.

"Get a move on!" hissed the prince impatiently.

Xiao ignored the command and carefully inched herself into the saddle of the horse horse. Without a warning the horse leapt in the air and started to buck like crazy. Xiao showed fear for a minute but quickly regained her determined face and held on until the horse eventually stopped.

She cursed at the fact she had to ride beside the prince. Xiao had insisted that she should ride at the very front but the prince only said that she would probably try to escape. Therefore she had to ride behind two captains but beside Prince Jin at the front.

"What happens after the expedition?" she asked curiously.

"I go back and take my place as prince…marry Princess Julia Chang and then eventually become king."

"And me?"

"I wouldn't get to far ahead worrying about what happens after…just worry about surviving."

"I will survive!" Xiao promised.

The troops stopped for ten minutes to rest the horses and for chosen scouts to go ahead and check for dangers.

Xiao was selected to go with two other scouts to check the terrain and to confirm the dangers.

"Keep her tied up at the back and at the front of the group scout." Commanded Prince Jin, eyeing Xiao as if she was some sort of prize.

The scout started to tie her hands up after he had finished; he took his sword out and prodded her back to make her move forewords. She flinched away from the tip but steadily walked forwards.

"Excuse me sir, have you seen General Steve Fox by any chance?" Miharo asked.

"You mean that foreign general guy…yea, I saw him talking to the prince last night."

"The prince?"

"Yea, but I'd be careful around them two, I think they are up to something!" the young servant spoke hurriedly and then scampered off like a mouse when a cat appears.

"Hugh? What's wrong with him?"

From nowhere General Steve Fox appeared and pushed Miharo into a wall, pinning her to it. "Hello my blue blossom," he whispered in her ear. He grinned and reached out and touched her cheek.

Miharo smiled back at him. "Shouldn't you be…"

"I've been excused from my duties for today. Do you want to go out for some lunch?"

Miharo smiled childishly. "I still have work to do."

"Then why were you talking to that servant?" Steve hissed, his smile disappeared and he started to show his anger with her.

"I was…I was…" Miharo felt a sudden hand sweep over her mouth.

"Was it about your friend?"

Miharo suddenly felt a burst of fury within her explode, quickly she bit his hand and as soon as her arms were free she used them to propel him to the ground using a flick of her wrist.

Steve wrenched his himself away from her. "You stupid cow!" he hissed, standing in his boxing stance.

Less then a second after the comment at her she felt a huge forceful punch to her head, the pain twanged in her head and she felt suddenly weightless and collapsed to the ground expecting a hard floor but landing into strong hands.

"I never expected the daughter of Zang Tain to have so much feistiness." He thought.

He started to hear footsteps coming towards him. He could tell it was a soldier approaching, quickly without another thought he bent his face over hers and pretended to be kissing her.

"What are you doing?" asked the soldier suspiciously.

Steve looked up and smiled at the soldier. "Kissing this beautiful maid."

The soldier wasn't fooled; carefully he took his sword from his sheath and pointed it at Steve.

At the sound of the sword in the air she opened her eyes. She craned her neck sideways and saw a soldier with a sword in front of Steve. Without a moment of thought she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and kissed Steve. "Steve…darling" she whispered, reached her arms out and wrapping them around his neck.

The soldiers face reddened and he forced his sword back into the sheath. "Sorry about that sir." The soldier bowed his head and walked off quite hurriedly.

Steve looked back at Miharo and felt her kiss his cheek. "What was that for?"

"For calling me a beautiful maid in front of him…and not a cow as you so willingly described me."

Steve felt his face redden in shame. "I've got something to tell you…can you stand."

Miharo smiled weakly at him. "Not really…I still feel like I've been hit by a whirlwind."

Steve nodded his head and carefully picked Mi up properly in his arms and walked towards his room that luckily for both of them was just down the corridor.

Steve carefully placed Mi down onto his own luxury bed. He watched her for a while, seeing her peaceful body lie they're in sleep made him wonder about his decisions. He thought that if he'd told her the whole plan she would never forgive him, she would start to hate him.

Miharo slowly opened her eyes and sat up in the bed. She saw Steve staring at her with a strange sadness. "What were you going to tell me?" she asked.

Steve looked down at his hands and clenched them tight, and then he stood up and sat down by Mi on the bed. "I don't really no how to say this…"

"Just tell me please."

"Well, Xiao has been kidnapped."

"WHAT!" Mi yelled at the top of her lungs. "She wouldn't let herself be kidnapped…"

"Against Jin without a sword she had no other choice."

"How do you know this?"

"I was…commanded to…to keep an eye on you, and if he sent a message to kill you…I would have to…"

"You…no…no…I don't believe you." Tears started to appear of Miharo's eyes, she turned away from him. "Why did he choose you?"

"He thought…that because I was a foreign person I would never sympathise with you, never mind fall in love with you."

Miharu turned and looked his straight in the eye. "Do you really love me Steve?"

Steve stared her right in the eye and without stuttering or faltering he answered. "I love you enough to betray the prince's command."

"Would you love me enough to cut yourself for me?" she asked harshly.

Steve stared at her in shock; carefully he reached into his draws and took out a small dagger. He put it by his wrist and quickly cut in. He didn't scream the whole time or take his eyes from Miharo. Then he took out the dagger and threw it aside.

Miharo with swift reaction gently picked up his bleeding wrist and held her own right hand over his. "By the power of magic, heal this man," she chanted. Her hand started to glow a light purple and then the glow started to cover Steve's wrist.

Steve felt warmth cover his wrist and when he looked down he saw Mi healing his wrist using magic. The wound left no mark after the healing. He looked up at her in wonder.

"Last night…when I saw that bruise on your neck when we were dancing, I healed it with magic. I didn't know what I did till this morning."

"How do you feel now?" he asked her.

"A little tired. I'm not used to healing yet."

Miharo smiled sadly. She enclosed her arms around his neck and hugged him. Steve wrapped his own arms around her waist and cradled her.

"She will come back…won't she?"

"She will. She is a true worrier just like you."

"And just like you too." Miharo said, softly planting a kiss on Steve's mouth.

Writers Note:

Wasn't that just the most lovely moment in the story so far!

I thought it didn't have much romance in it so I decided to type in some.

OMG! She has magical healing powers now, a bit of fantasy for you. Oh, and don't worry readers, I will NOT let the Steve/Miharo relationship die in this story, it will flourish like a flower.