MKX isn't even out that long and I'm already shipping non-canon ships.

PS: Jacqui and Takeda aren't together in this one.

"Jacqui...are you seeing this too?" Kung Jin asked, for once in his life, surprised.

Jacqueline Briggs looked up from working on her gauntlets to see what got her normally grumpy teammate so surprised. The screwdriver she was holding hit the table as her jaw basically hit the ground. "Jin...are you sure Cassie didn't spike the drinks we had a few hours ago?" She asked.

He shook his head. "She didn't spike them, I was standing there to prevent her from pulling a stunt like that. Every time she gets in trouble General Blade punishes all of us, and I didn't really feel like doing a hundred push-ups."

"So...I'm not high or anything?"

"No," he confirmed.

"Then why the hell am I seeing Takeda with his arm around Cassie's shoulders with her actually smiling instead of shadow kicking him? This is Cassie we're talking 'bout, Cassie! The girl who'd rip a guy a new one if he tried something like this! And Takeda! He's way to shy to pull off something like this!" She exclaimed.

"Well...you hid your surprise well," Jin muttered, earning a glare from Jacqui.

"Looks like there's going to be a new couple soon," she muttered, a smile on her face. If you got over the shock and surprise, you'd realize that Takeda and Cassie were actually a pretty cute couple.

"Cassie! Takeda! Let's see how you fight!" Johnny called.

He had decided the team needed to improve their fighting skills and see how well they did with fighting each other. (It was either that or Sonya made them go to her personal boot camp.)

First Jin and Jacqui went, then Jacqui and Cassie, then Takeda and Jin, then Cassie and Jin, then Jacqui and Takeda. And now it was Takeda and Cassie.

Cassandra looked up when Jacqui poked her in the side, she hadn't heard a thing that was going on because of her headphones and only understood what was happening when she saw Takeda standing there in his Shirai Ryu outfit with his whip in his hand, waiting for her in the arena.

"Oh," the female Cage muttered, blowing a bubble with her gum and snapping it shortly after as she got up.

She coolly walked to the arena, as if nothing happened. She pulled her headphones out and smiled as she stopped a few feet from Takeda. "Speak up, soldier."

He smiled. "Permission to kick your ass ma'am?" His whip retracted as he raised his hands, ready and waiting for her to attack.

"Not in your wildest dreams," she laughed. Getting ready for the fight herself as she started bouncing on her feet, much like her father.

Takeda winked at her just as Johnny gave the signal to go, the two wasted no time in fighting.

Cassie was a lot different trash-talking to Takeda than she was with others before a fight. With Jacqui or Jin (Or anyone for that matter) Cassie's trash-talk was sharp and stung, while with Takeda, it was more...playful.

Like when they sparred in the park a while back, they decided to see who could beat who in a fight.

Cassie had smiled when she had to go against Takeda. "Finally, a fair fight," she muttered.

The telepath frowned. "How do you know?"

"Otherwise you're getting one in the noots," she had responded, slightly leaning forward with a grin on her face.

They had also noticed a slight protective side of Takeda. When Cassie was nearly choked to death by Ermac, Takeda stepped in and distracted him by reading his mind. Even if it hurt him to hear so many minds at once.

"If you asked her permission to kick her ass you'd get a straight up 'Denied', no jokes, no laughs, nothing." Jacqui muttered.

"Wow Jacqui, thanks for the ego boost."

The girl rolled her eyes, Kung Jin's ego was big enough as it was. No need to feed it.

Meanwhile, Johnny frowned. Takeda wasn't doing his best, he was holding back.

Johnny heard the conversation between Jacqui and Jin, they weren't really quiet. Besides, he saw the way the two acted around each other and the wink Takeda gave her just as Johnny gave the signal to go.

Takeda wasn't trying. He only got a few punches and kicks, he only dodged Cassie's attacks but never countered. He didn't even take out his whip, which was one of his strongest attacks.

Cassie, however, went full out. Nut shots, shadow kicks, guns. She fought like a Cage would.

Although Johnny did see her hesitate sometimes though, but she quickly covered it up by continuing to attack. Johnny knew her like the back of his hand, her little efforts to hide it weren't helping much.

He leaned closer to the two other teens, his voice a hushed whisper. "Don't mention any of this to General Blade until we're sure. She'll probably give Cassie one of her lectures, maybe Takeda too. I want to spare them the experience."

Jacqui and Jin jumped, a bit surprised by the retired actor's words.

Looks like they weren't the only one who noticed.

Johnny stood beside Sonya, both of them watched how Cassie handled the team and how they acted in situations like these.

Apparently, Frost decided she wanted to take over the Lin Kuei. Sub-Zero ('Grandmaster') didn't know how to handle it, Frost was leader of the female members of the Lin Kuei, he couldn't just kill her off. That would only rise problems with the others.

At one point, Kung Jin made another comment on one of Cassie's orders, before she could respond, Takeda had stepped in. The son of Kenshi kept his normal calm demeanor, but there was suppressed irritation behind it. Even he was starting to get enough of Jin's comments.

"So...when were you going to tell me our daughter had a crush?" Sonya casually asked, a smile of approval on her face as she watched Cassie handle all this, the girl was going to be a great leader.

Johnny almost choked on his spit. "How-"

Sonya shrugged. "She may live with you, but I'm a mother, I just know these kind of things."

"You just know."

"Mhmm, that's how I figured out Jax's attraction to his wife before they dated."

"And how long did it take to figure out I had a crush on you?" He asked, a smirk on his face.

Sonya froze, speechless, for once. "I...uhmm...well...you're an actor!" Was her excuse.

Johnny just nodded, looking anywhere but her. The smirk never leaving his face.