Love Finds a Way
Synopsis: The conclusion to my Jack/Kimiko pairing stories. This takes place in what I theorize will happen in the final episodes leading up to Chase Young's defeat and what will happen to the Shoku Warriors and Heylin after the battle is won.
Chapter 1-The Final Battle
It all came down to this one decisive moment in time. We had collected all the Shen Gong Wu, and now we were face to face with our longtime foes, The Heylin. It seemed so foreign to me, especially since I couldn't fathom what I had seen in either Willow or Wuya. Wuya had been far too domineering for me. All I could see before me was the pathway that friendship had wrought out of the iron and steel of years of torment, pain and being misunderstood. But no longer. Now I have my own sword on my side. With my own two hands, I forged Raiden and he is as much a part of me as I am of him. I feel that someday I may have to shed blood with Raiden. I didn't want it to come to this but if need be, Raiden will slay the one man I used to call mentor, brother and yes, even friend. All I can say now is, 'Bring it on, fools !'
It had been such a beautiful day beforehand, but all of the calamity came upon us as swiftly as the Wu had been collected. It had been years in the making but our treasury was full to the hilt and this battle would be unlike any other. As before, we had the prompting from Dojo, who didn't seem any older as he had when we were still children and only learning to battle.
It felt natural battling alongside Kimiko again. We had grown, but none of us had aged, especially not Kimi. She was still graceful, spirited and dazzingly brutal than ever. That was just more of the reason why I loved her and why I could never see myself apart from her. I knew that if either one of us survived this final battle, I would propose to her. My work as an IT call agent and video game designer would certainly pay off in the near future. I already had started saving money to our family in the future, in particular, the children's college funds. Those ideas were swiftly chased away by the fact that the Heylin were bearing down upon us fast and hard and we had to counterattack with every last ounce of energy we had. We were definitely evenly matched, and this war was going to be one for the history books even if the normal, everyday populace was unaware it was happening right under their noses.
Chapter 2-Besting One's Best Friend
It had seemed that our Xiaolin Showdown had been continuing for what seemed to be days if even weeks. I had lost count since my watch had been broken in combat against Katnappe. I didn't think she could punch that hard but she nearly knocked me out for a time. It was her swift kicks that nearly put me down for the count. A highly agile dancer like myself never calls it quits. He gets back up, shakes the dust off his coat and tails and continues dancing to the rhythm set before him, whether standard, double, triple, quadruple, or even quintuple beat.
We were feeling tired, hungry and doing our best not to complain too much. Most of the Heylin had been defeated and were out of the Showdown. We had also had some mighty warriors cede the battle out of exhaustion, but their efforts had not been forgotten.
Chase came directly for me. I faced him with Raiden by my side and he with his own simitar. The clash off my Lightning weapon was enough to ignite nearby innocent trees which were not really harmed in any physical (or magical) way.
'It seems I misjusdged you, Spicer. All this time I thought you were just a pantywaste you prove me wrong time and time again. You have grown into quite the man.', Chase said, his blows matching mine strike for strike. I had no clue why my former mentor was complimenting me. It was all so out of place but when he nearly tried to strike me, I lifted Raiden and heard a horrid squish. The sword had been plunged into his heart up to the hilt. With a morbid realization, I removed it and I called upon my secondary talent of Healing to patch him up. Sadly, I was too late.
'To die by the hand of one's friend is the best honor any man could ever want.', he said. He was recounting a past life with another version of me. Chase had been on the side of good at that time and I had been his parabati. I rode by his side by chariot in one of the Grecian wars. We were closer than brothers. My bloodied sword laid lifeless at Chase's dying side as he bled out quickly. Though it looked painful, he seemed to be in exquisite joy and peace. I tried fighting back tears but it was of no use. In some way, Chase was still a friend of mine and in his final moments, he had repented of his past grievances against everyone he had wronged.
'You do me a great honor James.', he said, calling me by my true name. His blooded hand wiped my tears before he breathed his last breath and his hand fell down to the dirt with a single thud. I wept, not really caring what the others' felt. But we knew who was victorious this day. However, no one felt like celebrating. We would honor the life that had been taken innocently and give ourselves some time to grieve. As for the Shen Gong Wu, it would be seen only in museums and the tales told about those items would be relegated to the realm of legend and lore.
Chapter 3-The Aftermath
After everyone had time to grieve and we had all returned to our respective places of employement, I had time every so often to pay my respects to Chase's grave and to the dojo where I had been trained. Fung was still there being the dilligent sensei to teach the newer students disipline. One thing I remembered from being a Shoku Warrior was that one needed balance between conditioning spirit, body and mind. I had been able to care for all three interlinking parts of myself. Only now I could feel more whole with Kimiko by my side. All I had to do now was ask her to be my wife.
I had never been more nervous than I was now. Even the smooth jazz playing in my metallic red Camero wasn't doing that much to soothe my aggitation. I was taking Kimiko to her favorite sushi bar where I would promptly surprise her. Kimiko had come out dressed to the nines in a red satin dress that accentuated her svelte curves. She had perky stilettos that really brought out her killer gams and I nearly felt like drooling. I had to tell my heart, 'Be still' but it still beat faster. She smiled and blushed, remarking how 'suave' I looked in my tux and red bowtie. It wasn't usual for me to primp and preen but I wanted to look especially dapper for her. Well, mission accomplished so far !
As soon as we were in the restaurant I asked to sing one of my favorite old Karoke songs by Tangerine Dream; Alchemy of Love. Kimiko remembered it from the old Tenchi Muyo film; still a classic in both our eyes. That particular song had been our theme for years and I could see tears starting to brim in her eyes even though she would've denied them. I turned to her and knelt before her. Then she really started tearing up and the tears fell freely. She actually leapt on on the stage and hugged me so tight I could hardly breathe.
'Yes, you idiot ! I will marry you ! I just don't understand why it took you so long to ask me, you fool !', she said in Japanese. I couldn't have been happier. The rest of my life would be spent with her by my side and I couldn't ask for more. I had wondered if the others were moving on with their existences and if the Shoku Warriors would be needed again. Even so, it would be to the fleet of foot and not for those of us who had 'grown up'. Albeit, I wasn't really an adult. I would always have the heart and soul of a child and that would be the reason I never really aged.
Chapter 4-Crimson Wedding
Since by Japanese custom it is gravely ill fortune to wed in white due to the fact that white is the color one wears to funerals, we wore shades of crimson. It was all so gloriously gothic. Everyone attended, even my former Heylin friends. They had supported me now and were enjoying fulfilling lives in their chosen fields.
When Mendelson's Wedding March was piped out by organ, I could feel my knees buckle and start to give way. Yet, I girded my courage and straightened my back. This was no time to show cowardace. Besides, it would be on film for posterity and I was alert to that fact. Kimiko looked even more radiant than before. She seemed to have stepped out of a fairy tale novella. I thought I could hear her giggling, but my heart was tittering right along with her.
I memorized, word for word, the vows I had written to my beloved and she her's. Before long, we had exchanged rings and were given permission to kiss. I dipped Kimiko down into my embrace and kissed her passionately. I whispered into her ear delicately but with a slightly ravishing tone,
'There's more where that came from tonight, Lotus Blossom.', to which she turned even redder than the shades of her gossamer wedding gown.
We danced the night away and probably ate a bit too many sweets. I felt slightly fatter than usual but knew my metabolism would eat away any unneccesary carbs. Omi, Clay, Raimundo and Ping Pong had come to congradulate us. It was as if none of them had become older. Maybe learning discipline from Master Fung had kept us all ageless ? It was a thought, but who really knew ? Dojo had been crying nonstop and repeating, 'It's so beautiful ! I just can't take it ! I've never been happier in my entire draconian existance !' He came over and kissed me on my cheeks and finally my lips, which, I did not expect.
'Blessings of the dragon I give thee. May you and your beloved be fruitful and your bliss longlived as well as your lives together. Go in peace.', he said, rather wisely and cryptically. I thanked him and Omi tried to stifle his laughter, but they all laughed even though blessings from dragons were considered very sacred. After Dojo had departed, Kimiko and I couldn't help joining in the joviality of that moment.
Chapter 5-Enlarging the Spicer Clan
After a year and plenty of pre-planning, Kimi and I were preparing for the arrival of Himeko Anne Spicer. She would go by 'Miko' or even 'Annie'. Everyone had been so supportive and honestly I couldn't have been happier with welcoming a new spirit into the world. I just prayed I could be an exceptional father to her. Like Kimi, we would be learning day by day.
The delivery had few complications and wasn't too terribly painful for my strong, powerful flower. Himeko was positively gorgeous when she arrived and no sooner had she been cleaned off and handed to me that I began singing to her and she fell into a deep, peaceful rest. She did have a set of lungs on her. I could tell she was probably going to be a songstress someday. Just like her daddy.
Before I knew it, we were adding fraternal twins to our clan about 5 years later after Himeko reached her 9th birthday. I had overheard her praying for a sister or brother, but little did she know she'd have two siblings. She didn't complain and looked forward to being the eldest of the 3 of them. The one boy in our clan would be named Elias Shane after his grandfather. Needless to say, my dad was as pleased as punch I named my son after him. The youngest girl was named Yume Marie. The fraternal twins could be quite a handful, but we had a maid named Constance who earned her namesake. She was terribly kind and patient when we were away on business trips. We did our best to stay close to home in raising them and so far we were doing stupendously despite the fact that we were so busy with our jobs. Despite that we always took time off from work to be with our family. We also gave Himeko time to be a little girl, too. She was daddy's girl and enjoyed more masculine things like putting together Jack Bots, making hovercrafts or watching WWE and MonsterJam whenever they were on TV. She did have a girly side too, but that only came out when she was watching re-runs of Glee.
Epilogue
It had been at least 10 years since the final Xiaolin Showdown. It felt a little unusual but I hadn't thought of Shen Gong Wu in ages. All the Wu had been kept by the newest monks under Master Fung's tutelage. I was older, wiser and still achingly handsome. Kimi was ever the dutiful wife and we enjoyed our full house bustling with excitement, adventure, love and friendship. Omi and the gang would come around every so often for cookouts in the summer or holidays year round with their families. Our children and theirs' would interact with each other. Just seeing them enjoying life and savoring the peace we had brought to the planet was plenty satisfying for all of us. Even the so-called Heylin had turned over new leaves and were simply savoring every morsel that life gave them minute by minute.
Every so often, I could sense the spirit of Chase Young around me, as if he were thanking me for releasing him. I knew the afterlife was real since I recalled Wuya's spirit haunting me (which it is now since gone after her true demise) and that he had been exonerated of his past tresspasses, numerous as they were. Part of me still missed him but my whole being had been sated with the peace and harmony that came from the closeness of friends. There was nothing more beautiful or simpler than that.
~*~James Aaron Spicer, Mechanical Wizard, Gentleman Genius