Disclaimer: Tekken and all related characters are property of Namco.

Author's Note: Finally. I'm back to the wonderful world of writing, and what better way to return than to start back where I left off? If you haven't done so, please take the time to read "The Line Between Love and Hate." It's old and rated M, so you'll have to do a search to find it on this site. While not entirely necessary, reading it will help you better understand the original characters in this story in terms of where they've been and their development. However, if you don't want to deal with that, feel free to dig right in!

Chapter One: Take My Hand

She was running as fast as her legs could carry her, barely glimpsing her reflection on the large glass windows of the high level floor of that tall, corporate cage of a building she was stuck in. The building belonged to the Mishima Zaibatsu, the expansive and powerful conglomerate owned by Heihachi Mishima, who was in constant battle with his notorious son Kazuya and his grandson, Jin Kazama. Thoughts of trying to help the Mishima family had once been floating in her mind, but only a few short moments ago they fled like thieves as soon as she heard those first gunshots fired. The Tekken Force was hot on her trail.

Ling Xiaoyu, the young Chinese fighter, almost slipped on the well-buffed tiled floor as she scrambled around the corner, continuing to flee from the soldiers down the hall. The Tekken Force, Heihachi Mishima's personal army, had been released on orders to capture the intruder.

'How could he know?' Xiaoyu thought to herself as she frantically ran down the long hall, 'How could Heihachi already know about my plans to try to help them?! Why is he trying to get rid of me?' Xiaoyu then froze in her tracks.

"Oh no!" she exclaimed out loud, frustration on her face. She had run right into a dead end, nothing but a mundane office plant on a small table in the corner and a large window staring at her. The view of the dark city night, with its bright fireflies of light and busy noises, seemed to be mocking her. It was almost dawn, Xiaoyu noticed. Would she ever see another sunrise again?

She turned to face the soldiers. Better to face them head on. However, the sight of the group of relentless soldiers, faceless with their helmets and gear, found a way to send a chill up Xiaoyu's spine. She backed up a bit, but continued to stay on the defense, her hands in front of her.

Suddenly, however, the glass behind her shattered and Xiaoyu yelped as she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist.

Yoshimitsu stood there in silence, looking down at the city below him. Even at this hour, almost before dawn, the city was alive with activity. He could feel it all as if the city was a part of him, and thanks to his cybernetic eyes, he could practically see it all, too.

'How long has it been since you left again?' he thought, staring out into the lights, 'You're in danger and you can't do this on your own…'

This was just a night of many in his search for answers to the questions that began arising months ago, when he last saw Kunimitsu, but this night somehow felt different. He had no idea what would happen, but he could feel his senses heighten with anticipation. Just then, as if on cue, he spotted something in one of the windows of the Mishima building. He took a step forward and focused on that point.

"What?" His low voice buzzed with its metallic resonance, "Is that…?"

It was. He recognized her, from the tournament. Ling Xiaoyu, that young Chinese girl. The one tangled up in that mess with the Mishima Zaibatsu and that troubled young man, Jin Kazama. Yoshimitsu looked on and saw the Tekken Force closing in on her, edging towards her with the confidence of the realization that they had her cornered.

Yoshimitsu hopped up on the ledge of the roof he was currently perched on. Being so integrated with his cybernetic body, the large wings of his complex, beetle-like suit sprung out flawlessly. He didn't waste a moment as he dove down into the warm night air with his bright green laser sword in hand. His wings propelled him through the air and he only slowed down just before impact with the window, checking to make sure Ling Xiaoyu was out of range from any glass shards that might come her way.

Upon the impact of his feet touching the smooth tiled floor, he quickly flung his right arm around the young girl's waist and took a step in front of her, his arm held up for protection. He saw the soldiers raise their weapons and, turning his back to them, he lifted Xiaoyu up with both arms and leaped out of the window, feeling the shots fired by the soldiers bounce harmlessly off his armored back.

"Ahh!" Xiaoyu screamed as she fell through the air in this strange man's arms. It was only then that she had the opportunity to look at him, and as she did, she blinked with surprise and stuttered, "Y-Yoshimitsu?!"

It was just then that Yoshimitsu's feet planted on the tiled floor of a patio on one of the lower levels of the tall building. He set Xiaoyu on her feet and then continued on, past the fancy glass guarding and chic-looking patio furniture. He expected her to follow him to safety, and if she was smart, she'd do it fast.

"H-Hey! Wait!" Xiaoyu called out as she ran after him. Yoshimitsu lifted a foot onto the glass guarding at the other end of the patio and peered out, searching for an escape route. He didn't have much time.

"Please, Miss Ling, cooperate and-" began Yoshimitsu, who was suddenly interrupted by the crashing sound of soldiers in the room behind the glass patio door.

The soldiers charged through the office, and knowing the patio door was bullet proof, they rushed up to the keypad on the wall next to it and punched in the emergency code. The door slid open quickly and as soon as it did, the closest soldier was surprised with a swift kick to the face. Now that they were so close in range, Xiaoyu was through with running.

"You must not know who I am!" mocked Xiaoyu as she swiftly planted kick after kick into the soldiers' arms and chests, knocking their weapons out of their hands and the wind out of their lungs.

Yoshimitsu made one last check outside and, glad that the young girl was a skilled fighter who surely deserved her participation in the previous King of Iron Fist Tournament, he rushed in to her aid. There were only a couple of soldiers left and Yoshimitsu, practically flying to the other side of the room, quickly disposed of them, knocking them unconscious with the hilt of his blade.

"Hurry," began Yoshimitsu, looking over at the young fighter, "We need to get out of here." He ran back outside and, after jumping atop the glass guarding, he turned back and held his hand out to Xiaoyu.

She looked up at him, still trying to piece things together. Why was he here? Was she about to let it end like this, failing to help the Mishima family?

"… But I," Xiaoyu stammered, "I have more to do!" The door swung open across the room and yet another wave of soldiers- the late back up, perhaps- began pouring into the room.

His patience gone, Yoshimitsu lifted her up again and jumped from the patio, soaring down to the roof of a shorter nearby building. He continued on, from roof to roof, until he was clear on the other side of the city. The whole while, Xiaoyu tried her best to hold on, frustrated with how things turned out.

Eventually, Yoshimitsu landed in an alleyway and hopped up onto the low roof of the nearest building- a one-story store of some sort. Xiaoyu looked up at him, wondering what to say. She never thought of herself as a speechless little girl, but it wasn't everyday that she ran into someone like Yoshimitsu- a long-time participant of the ferocious King of Iron Fist Tournaments and leader of the Manji Clan.

Yoshimitsu looked down at Xiaoyu and let out a sigh. The sun was coming up now, making the dark sky turn pink and then a light blue. He was tired.

"What exactly were you doing there? Don't you know where you were?" His voice didn't sound patronizing, but inquisitive. Xiaoyu, on the other hand, didn't see it that way.

"Jin Kazama is my friend," she began, "I know he's a member of the Mishima family, but there's good in him and I can help him!" She looked up at Yoshimitsu, trying to resist the urge to look away from that skeletal mask with its glowing green eyes.

"Miss Ling Xiaoyu, Jin Kazama may have good in him, but his connection with Heihachi and Kazuya cannot be broken so easily. His hatred for them binds them all together and, no doubt, will eventually lead him down a path he can't escape from."

"That can't be true," strongly stated Xiaoyu, "I can show Jin that defeating them isn't the only solution! I can help!"

Yoshimitsu continued to look down at the young girl. She couldn't be any older than 18 or 19. She was young, with her spunk and pigtails and modern attire, and he could tell that she was naïve to the whole picture.

"Miss Ling, please listen. The Mishima family has a very long history full of deep hatred that began well before you were born." Yoshimitsu then began to tell Xiaoyu of how this whole thing started. Heihachi and his grueling expectations of his son, Kazuya. The cliff and the overwhelming challenge it presented. Kazuya's eventual success in overthrowing his father and then Heihachi's return for revenge. Jun Kazama and then Jin. Everything.

At the end of it all, Xiaoyu felt her heart grow heavy. She was in way over her head. However, she looked up at Yoshimitsu, and he could see in her eyes that she had not given up just yet. He sighed, knowing that she would continue on, but that couldn't be helped. That would be something to go on into the future, and there wasn't anything he could do but wait. As for the current situation, however…

"We may have lost the Tekken Force, but we're not quite safe yet. They have a far reach, even out here." He couldn't leave her here, and so Yoshimitsu leaned down and stretched a gloved hand out to her. Now wasn't the time to just lift her up and take off against her will, and he needed to know she could trust his judgement.

"Huh?" Xiaoyu knew he was right about the danger, and despite his terrifying appearance, she knew he was trustable. At least she hoped.

"Take my hand," said Yoshimitsu, as he continued to reach down.

Xiaoyu thought for a second and smiled faintly. There was no going back. She'd help Jin someday, that was for sure, but right now that would have to wait. Going with Yoshimitsu could be a risk, but sometimes risks can be fun. She reached up and grasped Yoshimitsu's hand, and before she knew it, she was in his arms and they were off into the sky, heading far away from the city, towards the rising sun.

Author's Note: So there it is, the first chapter of my first fanfic after about a year and a half hiatus. Sorry to the hopefuls out there, but this story won't center on Xiaoyu trying to help Jin. Since I've only ever written about Yoshimitsu- as if that alone wasn't hard enough- writing about Xiaoyu is going to be a challenge in itself, so trying to encompass the whole Mishima thing would just be too much. I've just wanted to write a sequel to my last piece for a long time now, and I've always been fascinated by the friendship between Yoshimitsu and Xiaoyu, so I thought this would be fun to tackle. Anyway, any reviews would be welcome. Feel free to make comments or constructive criticism, if you like. Thanks!