Alone.
That was what she thought as she woke up from her nighttime sleep.
She had always felt alone. She always felt like no cared really cared. No one really did. Sure people said they did, but soon they would always forget.
That was what she missed from her homeland. The way people she did not even know cared for her not out of politeness but out of concern. She never felt alone then. Nevertheless, here people were different. Here people were too polite to care. It simply was how the culture was. Back home, sure people were not nearly as polite but they had cared.
She was not supposed to be here.
She who came from far away.
She who had to learn another language.
She who had to learn another culture
She who had had to learn fast.
She who had to forget the past she loved.
Her mother was from this land. She did not know much of it before it happened. However, it had happened. Her father was gone. Her mother was gone. Moreover, she had been sent away to stay with the clan like family she did not know had existed before it. They had said that they had wanted to help with the pain, so they put her to work.
At school- school work. At home- chores and homework. However, at home there was also the one thing she truly enjoyed- the family dojo. Different family members studied different things and she learnt them all- or at least she did her best to learn it all. She loved the way they gave a sense of freedom that she had lost upon arriving in the country.
The country-Japan.
Her home land-Australia
Still she was careful to hide who she truly was. Careful to be the girl they wanted her to be. Meek, timid, obedient, quite- silent in fact. That is what they wanted her to be, and that is what she pretended to be. However, what they never saw behind the mask was the silent screaming, the silent backtalk and the silent retorts that were never to be voiced as long as she was under their control.
Inside, behind the mask she was someone completely different. She was determined, confident, strong willed and stubborn. She would not stand down from any challenge, but as long as she was under there control, there was nothing she could do but wait.
She never spoke to anyone who knew her. She could understand what was being said and could speak Japanese, read and write it, but se would not talk to her family, to the people at school, to anyone that knew her. However, she would talk to the little kid being picked on in the quiet and timid manner, she would talk back to people that she was never likely to see again, but never to the people around her. No, she learnt that lesson when she had first arrived, and was not about to forget it any time soon. They only hurt you.
Sighing to herself, she got up and started to get ready. There was no school today but she had to pack. Today she was going to be sent to stay with another relative for a few weeks. Not that it mattered, she had no real friends to say goodbye to in the first place.
"Xiaolin! Breakfast will be ready in five minutes, be down here!" A voice called from downstairs.
Xiaolin did not voice anything in return. She paused to glance at herself in the mirror. She had more squared shoulders then most girls in Japan, but her light frame still gave her a dainty look to her. She always wore long pants-even in the middle of summer, mostly the same type of jeans she had on today. That was to hide the scars, and to hide the scars would mean one less reason for people to ask questions and that meant one less reason to talk. Talking meant people would get to know her, and that was the last thing she wanted. Still she had the same raven black hair theat every other Japanese girl but she had never had a real hair cut back home so it almost reached her knees, pulled back in a simply braid with long wild bangs constantly falling into her face. She had the same slanted eyes, even though they were somewhat bigger then the average Japanese person, but her eye colour she got from her father. Red, outback red, like the colour of the rock commonly known to the Australian people as Uluru and the sands of the Gibson Desert. That is what strike most people as odd, but they were still quick to forget. She could not help but to pull up her shirt to revile the scar on her upper back, from the way it healed it almost looked like a ten-pointed star, even though it should be perfectly round. That was what strike her as odd.
She began her descent down the stairs to join the family for breakfast. After the breakfast and the formal silent farewells, she made her way to the trains station for her trip to the other side of the city to the family estate with the ¥en tucked firmly in the wallet (of course everyone else called it her purse)
Xiaolin paused as she passed the local shrine. She never had any real interest in the shrine but for some strange reason she always felt an outlandish feel coming from the shrine, even thought it was the same as every other shrine in the country. It almost felt unnatural.
Suddenly the sound of someone shouting reached her ears. Glancing around Xiaolin saw that there was no one in the street at that hour of the morning. The sound of wood breaking drew her up the steps of the shrine, searching for what was wrong. Finally, she spotted what she knew as the old well house, but why anyone would put a well inside a house that was never in use was beyond her. Walking quickly but cautiously toward it, Xiaolin went to investigate what was happening.
More shouts and screams followed, causing her to pick up the pace.
Then a red clad figure with long white hair burst out the door, smashing it in the process and landing hard on his back. Then coming to stand over him was an oversized centipede, with what looked like it might once have been a woman's upper half of a body for a head but with way too many arms.
Suddenly a tiny figure lurched itself at the monster, only to be knocked away. Acting completely out of instinct, Xiaolin raced to catch the falling figure. Making a final dive, she caught it as if she would have done a football back in her homeland.
Picking herself up she glanced over her shoulder to see the monster making a dive for her.
"Give me that kit!" The monster screeched at her. Xiaolin threw a look over her shoulder at it, waiting until the last second to make her move.
"Hell no." She whispered to herself, dodging off the left.
"The sword! We have to get InuYasha's sword! It's on the other side of the well!" The tiny figure in Xiaolin's arms shouted in her ear, but she gave no sign of hearing him.
The red figure- InuYasha- jumped up and made to attack only to be knocked back to the ground. An arrow flew toward the creature's heart, but it was deflected by one of the many arms. The arrow come from girl standing in the doorways of the well house. Xiaolin identified the girls as Kagome- a girl who was rarely at school.
Kagome readied another arrow only to be knocked aside by the tail end of the creature.
"Let me go! I have to get the sword to InuYasha!" The tiny figure tried to squirm out of her grasp.
It's far too dangerous to let him go alone and I have no idea what he means by 'the other side of the well'. I can't leave them without helping- that's simply isn't me, so that only leaves one choice. Xiaolin got to her feet without a word and raced toward the well house.
"I want that kit!" The creature lunged for her, but Xiaolin dodge once more, rolling on the ground with her heavy backpack and sprang back to her feet.
Well you ain't getting him! Xiaolin continued towards the well house.
"Jump down the well and get me my sword!" InuYasha called after her while trying to distract the creature that was after the tiny creature in Xiaolin's arms.
Down the well! What the hell, this is most likely going to be the weirdest day of my life so screw all forms logic! Xiaolin made it into the well house and jumped over the railing just in time to avoid InuYasha been thrown to the opposite wall. Making it to the well she jumped over the edge without a second thought. She had almost reached the bottom of the well when a strange blue light glowed from the floor of the well. Once landed, she looked around to find any swords, but there was nothing in the bottom of the dried well but a few bones unlike anything Xiaolin had ever seen before. Seeing noting and having the kit in her arms start to squire again, she glanced up to see that they were no longer in the well house. Either that or the monster had ripped the roof off completely. But then again there were no sounds of the battle that was going on up there to be heard.
"Come on, we've gotta get out of here and get the sword!" The kit pointed up from his position in Xiaolin's arms.
Glancing up, Xiaolin saw that there were in fact vines hanging down over the edge of the well, and they reached far enough down so the she climb out of the well.
Without a word said to her little passenger that now clang on her shoulder like her bird once did, Xiaolin made her climb swiftly upwards. She did not spend all the time she had training with her family and at home doing nothing.
Reaching the mouth of the well in record time, Xiaolin look around for the desired object when she heard a gasp from her passenger. Looking at him, she followed his glaze over her shoulder and to a tall white figure with its back to her behind her.
"Sesshomaru…" Looking at the kit, Xiaolin saw he meant trouble. Taking a few guesses at what she had to do, she got ready for a run when she saw it. Sesshomaru was staring an object on the ground, it looked from her angle like a flat black stick, but it had a handle that obviously made it to be a sword.
Setting the kit down on the opposite lip of the well before she then moved to join him, pulling her legs up under her as she readied for a surprise attack. The kit looked up at her confused and then a look of utter disbelief crossed his face when he saw what she planning.
Gathering her energy, Xiaolin lurched herself off the well and towards Sesshomaru. She had no idea who he was but she did not plan to stay here long enough to find out. She tackled him the way she would have if it were nothing more then a game- inflecting as much damage as possible without causing herself any injures. She knocked him off his feet and to the ground, a grasp of shock almost escaping his lips. Xiaolin had the feeling that the only reason he fell was because she had caught him off guard.
They hit the ground, Sesshomaru under Xiaolin. Struggling to gain her balance before the person underneath her, Xiaolin looked around wildly for the sword. Finding it was it had been before- she scrambled to pick it up and get back into the well. She did not notice the pale orange glow that the sword gave before it settled back into the pale blue shine. It almost seemed like luck was on her side for the first time in years- almost.
She got the sword over the well and knocked the kit over with it, but luckily for him he grabbed hold of the sword. She grabbed hold of the edge of the well and was about to pull herself over it when something caught hold of her ankle. Looking back, Xiaolin instantly regretted it.
Holding onto her was Sesshomaru and even through there was a bord expression on his face his golden amber eyes burned with an unspoken rage. His face was cover with tattoos, a moon crescent on his forehead and strips on both cheeks. If it were not for the murder like rage in his eyes, he would have been her description of perfection. Xiaolin's eyes widen with surprise and fear.
"Give me that sword." It was a clear and direct order, spoken in a calm voice with the rage underlining it.
Xiaolin glanced back at the kit and for the first time she really looked at him and found he was not the little kid she had thought him to be. He had a bushy tail and elf like pointed ears and tiny claws that clang to the sword for all dear life. He had bilby like feet the dangled under him.
Or fox for that matter. Yeah, I think fox is better description of him. Now what is he?
"I will not repeat myself again human, give me that sword. You know not of its power….Or mine." Once more his voice was calm to the point were it was frightening, and the fact he was raising to full height did not help Xiaolin's fear. The only thing stoping her from being completely upside down was her firm grip on the lip of the well.
Good thing I always was a very anti-authority type of an Australian. Xiaolin looked back at the kit and managed to lock eyes with him.
"Good luck kid." Was all she said quietly before letting go of the sword. The kit's eyes went wide with surprise and shock as he fell toward the bottom of the well and disappeared into the flash of pale blue light.
Xiaolin felt herself lurch forward into the well, her ankle being let go of and herself beginning to fall. However, before she had reached half way down the well she felt her legs get entangled with something fluffy. Looking back up she saw that Sesshomaru was not about to let her go that easily.
Seesh, you'd think the guy would just let me go, prick, someone should shoot the bugger. A sharp gasp escaped her lips as she was jerked up and into the air. Xiaolin was pulled up with such force that she was sent flying though the air and far above the trees. Twisting around Xiaolin opened her mouth the scream only to shut it again quickly upon seeing that she was about to hit a small lake. Curling up into a ball completely instinct. She hit the water hard, the air was knocked out of her lungs causing her to become winded and Xiaolin began to lose touch with reality. She could not tell up from down and the world started to spin. Xiaolin went limp and was dragged down by the weight of her full backpack.
Then she felt something brush against her skin, causing a old memory to flash through her mind, reminding her of the promise she made long ago.
Begin flashback.
Blood was everywhere, chaos seem to spread like a pandemic, screams could be heard everywhere. Xiaolin was on her knees, the body of her now deceased mother in front of her.
"I will come back, Mum. I will finish what was started here today and nothing will ever stop me. Nothing!"
End flashback.
Forcing herself to wake up and grip reality, Xiaolin looked up to see the silvery surface above her. Shrugging off her backpack, she forced her way back to the surface. However, things were not to be that easy. Her lungs burned, her limbs felt like lead and her head ache like hell. Nevertheless, she was not going to let it go, she was not going to let anything get in the way of her fulling her promise.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she broke the surface and breathed in the fresh air that had only tasted that good once before. Floating on her back, watch the clouds drift across the sky, too tired to swim to the shore. Then one cloud caught her eye, it was moving too fast for it to be natural. Pulling her body back under the water so that only her head was above it, she watched it until she saw what it was.
Sesshomaru.
Xiaolin had no idea how someone could fly around on a cloud, but somehow it did not matter, what mattered was that she hide before he found her.
Taking deep breaths, Xiaolin summoned the last of her strength and dove back under the water. Knowing she would float back up to the surface if she did not find something to hold her down. The bottom of the lake couldn't been seen, but her bag was on the very edge a ledge before a sudden drop off that went out of sight. Grabbing hold the bag, she noticed that it was beginning to slip over the edge. Twisting the strap around her hand, Xiaolin tried to pull the bag back onto safety. Sadly, it was no use and she was pulled over the edge and into the darkness below. With her hand twisted in the strap, Xiaolin was pulled down with it.
As Xiaolin was struggling to free herself, she noticed a darker patch in the cliff wall. Taking a wild guess, she swag the bag into the hole and went with it. After a few short moments the bag came a stop.
Finally able to free herself from the overweight bag she swam upwards blindly until she broke to the surface.
All around her was absolutely black, there simply was no light. Feeling around in the darkness, Xiaolin's hand came to touch the hard jagged wall. Felling it over a bit more she found a ledge about a foot above the water. It took three tries before she could finally pull herself up onto the ledge and simply collapsed from fatigue.
Xiaolin had no idea how long she slept, but when she woke it was freezing. Her skin had dried but her long hair was still wet. Her legs were still sore, along with her lungs, shoulders, arms and head. Pretty much everything hurt and was tired beyond belief. Sadly, it was believable since she was feeling it.
She continued to rest for an extra few hours until hunger drove her to try to retrieve her bag from the inky depths below her. Gently lowering herself into the icy water, Xiaolin took a deep breath before diving blindly into the water to what she could only guess.
Felling her way down, Xiaolin guessed she had to dive a good ten feet before she reached the bag. Grabbing hold of the strap, the bag felt heavier then before. Still she managed to get the strap onto a piece of rock about two feet up from where the bag had once laid. After that, she had to go back up to the air space to breathe and recover a bit before continuing to process all over again. It took almost 20 tries before the bag was back into the air. With one last try. Xiaolin heaved the bag up onto the ledge and pulled herself up after it. Laying down next to the bag and panting heavily from the hard work, she did not even bother to notice the deep cuts on her arms and legs that she got from the sharp walls. When she finally enough strength, she propped herself up on one elbow and started to search her bag for something to eat. The bag luckily was waterproof, which was the main reason she had brought it since she often had to walk in the rain and hated it when her books would get wet.
After unzipping it her hand started to rummage though the contains which had only just started to get wet from the water that had started to leak in, meaning it had been in the water for quite some time. Her hand encountered something smooth and cylinder shaped. Pulling it out she ran her hands over it until she found what she was looking for. With a flick of a switch, a blinding light filled the room. Xiaolin quickly turned it off again, glad to see that it still worked. After the pain in her eyes had receded, she turned the torch back on again, this time making sue she pointed the torch away from her and that she had her eyes closed. Slowly she opened them again, letting them slowly adjust to the light. Once she could see what she was doing, she continued to search through the bag for what she was looking for. She always carried a good amount of food with her since it could take all day to get to where she had to be and she hated it when her family arranged places for her to eat lunch. Often it was a waste of time and money since the places she was sent would often be expensive and sometimes hard to find and out of her way. She always carried food that would last a good while, plus a few blocks of chocolate.
After eating a few food bars and a block of chocolate Xiaolin promptly went back to sleep after turning the torch back off.