"Friendship often ends in love; but love in friendship - never." Albert Camus

The first time they met, their fathers were meeting for some leisure time. She walked a little behind her father, mildly curious about Yu's adopted son. But she didn't let her excitement get to her. Her father, although a loving man, was easily excited and at times it just became too much. She made a point not to add fuel to the fire.

They came to the park, her father going on about the rodeo he had been watching before coming. He was no cowboy, but he enjoyed watching the sport. If it could be called that. Some of the happenings during the rodeo were funny, but she couldn't fathom the idea of willing riding a mad bull, but never debated the point with her father.

"Ah, they are already here huh?" his gruff voice said with a chuckle, interrupting his montage about the accident. "Oh well, right Cai?" He laughed. She smiled, nodding her head. The two walked to the group, her father returning the wave.

"Fei," the two adults said happily as they neared.

"Yu, Bie." Cai bowed respectively next to her father, making a point not to stare at the boy standing somewhat behind Yu. He only came up to Yu's knees, but so did she, and since Yu was so tall it really wasn't of any importance, Cai thought as she straightened herself.

"Fei, Cai," Yu said, smiling down at her, "I would like you both to meet my son, Guan Ping. He should be of similar age to Cai, I think." He continued to smile, stroking his long black beard. Ping was three years older then Cai, though she wouldn't have guessed. Her father gently pushed her forward, and she bowed before taking the new boy in.

He had dark hair, which he had spiked making him taller then her. His skin was tanned, and he had brown eyes that quickly looked away when they met her blue green eyes. He was a skinny boy, all knees and elbows. Cai didn't know much about little boys, only the stories her Father would tell her about his time as a child, and from the things her father did Cai was sure if this Ping fellow was anything like him he was surely going to just break from the injuries. But, she still had to be polite, even if the boy probably wasn't going to last long.

"Hello," she said with a smile.

"Hi," Ping mumbled.

"Well, why don't you two go do what kids do?" Her father said, his hand patting her shoulder before crossing his arms across his chest.

"Yes Father." Cai nodded and walked away. She was a little surprised when Ping followed, meekly tracing her steps to the swings. She was so used to the men taking control that she didn't know how to respond at first to the most definitely different boy that was now her responsibility. She didn't have to wait long for Ping to grow bold and take charge. As he became accustomed to his new surroundings, being adopted when Yu had traveled to a local small town, his personality started to show more and more.

The nine year old, when he and Cai would play, would come up with all kinds of adventures and games to play. Some old and some that Cai had never heard of before. Cai could hardly guess which game he would come up with next, and she always anticipated their next play date. Their fathers would often visit while the two played, sitting on the porch and drinking some tea or beer. Cai prided herself in being observant, listening to others rather then herself, and often heard her father and Yu joking about her and Ping growing up and falling in love. She once brought it up to Ping when they were pretending to hide from evil trolls under a bush.

He only shrugged, understanding falling in love as much as she. Cai, however, was not one to be left in the dark. While Ping shrugged it off and just moved onto the next thing of importance in his mind, she wanted to understand the joke between her father and his. A couple days later she was watching a movie about a smart lady falling in love with a fluffy beast man, the woman near the end started yelling about love and then the monster turned man and her started kissing. Quickly the little girl came up with a plan. The next time she saw Ping was a few days later, and when the two were alone Cai dared him to kiss her. She was going to understand this falling in love nonsense, and in all the movies she had watched in those few days about love they kissed.

When he tried she ran away. She never could figure out why, when on the way home she stopped to think about it, but when he leaned in her heart started to quicken and she just dashed away. Ping then thought it was a game and chased her. The dare was forgotten until Cai gained enough nerve to try again to understand the love business. They stayed close friends, going to each others houses to play and sharing all their secrets that were important to little kids for two years all the way up till Ping and Yu had to move away.

She went with her father and Bie to see them off, and she couldn't stop the tears when Yu patted her gently on the head and Ping gave her a hug. Her father, to finally make her stop crying, bought her a new stuffed animal and carried her out of the store on his shoulder. She kept in touch with Ping, sending emails and pictures back and forth. She would sit down at the computer at least once a week, the stuffed lamb her father bought her in her lap, and she would tell Ping all about what she had done since the last email.

Her father and Bie tired to get her and Bie's son, Shan, close as a sort of replacement maybe for Ping, but Cai knew it wasn't the same. Shan was mild mannered, and did all in his power to avoid a fight. With Ping, Cai had felt safe. No matter what evil troll or mean bully attacked, Ping always protected her. But with Shan, Cai felt it her responsibility to protect him. She did become friends with him though, but she used their friendship as an excuse to go to his house for the off chance of getting to see Zhao Yun again. He was an amazingly handsome man who often worked with Bie.

Cai always dressed her best, while still trying not to be overly obvious because she just knew the teasing she would get since she watched the movies, when she knew that Yun was going to be there and often tried to finds something to talk about. He was always sweet to her, telling her she was just as pretty as a doll and he always was helpful and put up with all her antics. Cai believed there was hope for them, despite the fact that she was ten years old and he was probably only a little younger then her father.

She often would talk about him via email to Ping, or sometimes with Shan if she felt she was in the particular mood to. Both boys oddly fell quiet, Ping not returning an email for many days, when she did talk about Yun. But Cai didn't particularly care to think about them. Eventually, when Yun just didn't get the hint, she slowly out grew him and decided to let him down gently one day when he had come to, supposedly, visit her father. He was sitting on the porch, and she had given herself the job of keeping him company while her Father fought his hangover.

"You know, Yun, we'd never work. We both just need to move on," she said after a moment of silence. The conversation had not gone anywhere near them, and so Cai decided she just needed to be blunt about it, but she did so try to let him down easy.

His eyes widened with shock, and he quickly had to suppress a smile that was forming on his face. "Really Cai?"

"Yes sir. But, I would still like to be friends." Cai pouted for a moment then, not liking the way she was picking up her father's more military speech. Yun, however, didn't seem to mind.

"I think, then, that I can go on." He nodded to her with a smile, trying not to laugh.

"Good, I like being your friend." A smile broke out on her face, showing her pretty whites.

"And I yours Cai." Her father wobbled out then, hanging on the doorframe, mumbling something as he nodded to Yun. "Thank you for the company Cai," Yun said with a bow of his head as he rose. Cai nodded, smiling and waving. Years later she laughed about the infatuation, but she never could bring it up to Yun himself. Shan and Ping both seemed happier then, though, when she had gotten around to telling them that she was over the man.

Ping returned with his father when he was nineteen. Cai, her father, Bie, and Shan all awaited them at the air port. Cai was ecstatic, but hid it under a calm exterior. Over the years she had learned to keep calmer then most others. Her father, although had never threatened to hit her, never even came close, he was prone to violent actions and was excited easily. His heavy drinking didn't help any.

Cai couldn't help herself when she saw Ping though and quickly walked up to him. Unsure though if a hug was in order she just smiled as she faced him. He tentatively smiled back, as unsure as her. Cai, unable to take the silence, desperately wanting to hear him, said the first thing that came to mind. "Have you gotten taller?" Ping chuckled, blushing slightly. Not that it was visible with his deep tan.

Cai laughed, and couldn't resist anymore. She gave her childhood friend a hug. He had indeed gotten taller, she thought. She only reached his shoulders, when they had been the same height ten years before. She laughed at the thought, blushing a bit when she saw the giant Yu walk past them with a chuckle of his own. The two quickly parted, Ping turning to face the others. Cai used the time to inspect him.

He had sent pictures, but in person he was different. His hair was a lighter shade of brown, and he let fall loose around his ears. He was muscular now, his casual green shirt not hiding the build body beneath. His large arms gave away what the shirt did hide, and his hands had spanned her hips in the hug. He was no longer the scrawny boy who hid with her under the bushes. Cai giggled, earning a look from him and Shan. She quickly brought up another topic, not yet wanting to talk about past memories. "Ping, meet Shan. Shan, Ping," Cai introduced smiling.

The two boys met each others gaze squarely, and Cai couldn't help but compare since they were now both standing before her. She was surprised that they were of equal height, their shoes probably making the difference. Ping happened to be wearing thicker sneakers then Shan, and used the quarter of an inch to his advantage by looking down at Shan. Not that Cai knew how he was able to look down at Shan without looking snobbish, but somehow Ping had mastered the skill. Shan, however, surprisingly didn't back down from the look.

A little worried, Cai glanced past them to their fathers who watched with curious gazes. Yu finally took pity on her, interrupting the glaring contest. "Cai, my son gets a hug and I do not get a hello? Come over here and let me get a look at you," he said with a chuckle, both boys jumping at his deep voice. Cai smiled, mouthing a thank you to him and she stepped before him.

The two boy's relationship never got better, each one seemingly competing with each other. Not that it was much of a competition. Ping was obviously the better athlete and handy man, the protector and the more talkative one, having ten years of stories to tell. Shan was smarter, not that Ping was dumb, but Shan excelled in school. He was a year ahead then he should have been, having a personal tutor named Liang. He loved to rub such things in Ping's nose, since even the local girls flocked more to Ping then to Shan. Cai always said it was just because Shan attracted the more shy girls, and not to worry about it. But she would watch some of the local girls with a deadly expression. Not quite a glare, but it was almost more like a lethal version of her everyday calm mask, and Shan always seemed to grow sad then.

Cai wasn't sure when she started thinking of Ping as a handsome man, then the boy next door. But the change came as a mild shock to her when she realized it, her and him buying some ice cream and going to feed the ducks at the pond in the local park. The more surprising shock was when she realized she was fond of the idea of being his girl. That had been when he was fixing up her car for her when it had died on the school grounds and some girls decided they wanted to flirt with Ping.

It wasn't surprising that they the girls club had flocked over, Ping being attractive, well built, and only in a white wife beater as he looked under the hood of her car. The four girls all sauntered over, waving their hips. Not that Ping noticed, looking at her engine, but Cai gave them points for trying. They then spoke to her briefly, Ping looking up to see the new comers. That was all the vultures needed and they dived in to discuss things with him.

Cai watched with a raised eyebrow, chin in the palm of her hand, elbow on her knee, as she sat on the island next to her parking spot. At first she felt horrible, hating the way the girls got up next to Ping and rubbed shoulders and other such things. Like dropping pens so their shorts raised a little high, or leaning on her car and flaunting their cleavage. The girls were obviously practiced in the arts of wooing a man. But as quickly as her jealously rose, it disappeared. She glanced from the girls to Ping, and almost wanted to laugh.

Ping looked completely lost, floundering for a way out of the girl's path. He tried to ignore them, to continue working on the car, but the club leader only continued to talk, asking question about cars and accidently rubbing his hand as she pointed at things. Cai watched with a smile, snickering quietly when the girls all ended up walking to their car dejected and looking quite upset. Ping watched them go like a cat would a dog that got tired of barking up the tree, and he set the tool he had in his hand down. He caught Cai's giggle though and turned to her with a glare. "They like you," she teased.

He scoffed. "They could have kept it to themselves."

"Don't like four girls attention? Can't handle the heat, Ping?" He glared at her for that, throwing the oil rag at her and going back to the engine. Cai laughed, catching the rag. He just grinned and shook his head and he finished with her car. A week after that, Ping officially asked her out. Cai had been so thrilled, her father had laughed as she dashed around when getting ready. He teased her, for once not a trace of alcohol on his breath. Ping appeared on time, and yet he still ended up sitting with Fei on the couch for thirty minutes.

Fei laughed about waiting on woman, and how it was something that came natural and was just better then not waiting for the girls. Ping nodded, looking quite happy that he wasn't getting the lecture most fathers, especially a father like Fei would give. He didn't have to wait long, Fei deciding it was time for the speech when Cai was heard running into the bathroom for one reason of another. Fei started to use the voice, the voice Ping's own father had used to tell him he better respect Cai, and Ping instantly straightened in his seat.

Yu's astounding military background had obviously rubbed off on Ping as Fei's did on Cai, for the boy responding to everything with a 'Yes sir' or sometimes a quick 'No sir'. Fei stopped his rant when Cai made her way down the stairs, both men standing to greet her, making her blush. "I'm so sorry Ping," she started, plucking at her shirt. "I tried to be on time… nothing looked good though." She mumbled the last part, and started to yank on the string she had pulled out of the shirt when Ping didn't respond. He only stared, brown eyes wide and jaw a little slack.

Fei smacked him over the head. "You better pay more attention boy! I'm needing my little girl to be in safe hands!" Ping nodded urgently, giving another 'yes sir'.Cai giggled as her father crossed his arms over his chest and nodded once jerkily with a grunt. Ping walked out behind Cai, glancing back himself when Cai waved back at her father. The two continued to date, making a steady relationship. Shan seemed to disappear then, and Cai was somewhat concerned about the boy. But when she did call him, the conversations ended up being short and quick.

Her father said not to worry about it, and he told her time and time again that he was just being a boy. Eventually Cai had to accept it, and she decided she'd let Shan come back to her if he so chose to. She would sometimes mention him to Ping, who wasn't as against her worrying about Shan as she had thought he would be, not liking Shan for whatever reason. He never really told her why, just shrugging and mumbling stupid answers. Cai stopped asking him after a bit, and thought less and less of Shan as the months went by and he did nothing.

She invited Ping for her senior prom when the time came, and was thrilled when he agreed. She herself kept it all inside, but the idea of the romantic night with Ping sent her on a whirlwind of daydreams. It was the closest she was probably ever going to get to a ball room dance, and she just wanted the romantic event to always remember. She wasn't delusional enough to think she and Ping would go on and get married, most high school relationships not lasting long enough to make a good marriage, but she did love Ping. Cai knew she did love him, she just wasn't going to set herself up for the likely depression by thinking their love would last until she was in her mid twenties to get married.

On the day of the prom she, her father got a phone call. She had been in the kitchen, making a dinner her father could throw in the microwave when he got hungry. She was shocked to hear him cursing and slamming things in the other room. He had been getting over his drinking habit, his violent reactions slowly diminishing. Setting the dish she had in the refrigerator quickly she walked out, wiping her hands on her pants. Her father stomped around the room, throwing the phone at the couch. He stopped when he saw her standing in the arch way, the two staring at each other momentarily.

"Father?" Cai asked slowly, stepping forward. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear the news, not with the way he looked at her.

"Go get your purse Cai," he mumbled, deflating and suddenly looking very tired and very vulnerable. "We've got to go to the hospital."

"Why?"

"Yu and Ping were in a drunk driving accident. They are in emergency as we speak. That was Bie on the phone." Cai gasped, but she stopped herself from crying. They would pull through. They both were so strong. Turning, she dashed up the stairs and into her bedroom to grab her purse and then to the garage and got in the passenger seat while her father started the car. Bie was already at the hospital, sitting in one of the hard plastic chairs. Shan was trying to get off work, he had said. Ping died that night, the drunken men hitting his side of the car, and Yu died the next morning. The three in the other car, a Gan Ning, Lu Xun, and Lu Meng, were all out of the hospital in three days as good as new.

Cai, after their funeral, stood before her full length mirror holding her white and green dress up against her, modeling the ruined dress and crying. Cursing, the dress was put away deep in the back of her closet and not seen for a few years. Shan slowly came back to her, making a point to talk to her a little more each week. Her father fell back into his drinking habits, and Liu became a somewhat bitter man. Both were still the sweet men she had grown up with, on most occasions, but both of them grew a hard edge that was impenetrable. Cai said nothing about it, letting her father fall into his drunken depressions, and on the worse nights she often ignored the calls from Shan. She would quietly make her way up to her room and clutch to the little lamb that sat between her pillows on her bed and rock back and forth like she and Ping would do when he had held her on his lap at the park when they would listen to his music.

That was longer and sadder then I expected it to be. My main goal in this one was to compare her relationship with Guan Ping and Liu C/Shan. I like it. I also really like Xing Cai. Yes, her moveset was not the best, not even close, but I liked her. She had a sweet personality that I liked, and I personally thought she was the prettiest girl in DW5. I was kind of upset with her ending, real and in the game. That, and I am surprised she didn't get a bigger fanbase. She hadn't been there long, but I expected a bigger one.