The Past Uncovered:

My Destiny

Leanna's story

I remember when you first revealed your existence to me. It was the day I was going to go to the Xiaolin Temple for the first time. I was seven years old. We had moved to the United States for the past three years and had just moved to China, again. I woke up that morning and found two new items on my bedside table; a gold hair wrap and a note. Mother's calling was what woke me up, so I had to grab the gifts and run to her room. I didn't show Mother the objects at first for I thought they were from her. The moment I arrived to her room I saw her dressed in her signature outfit; a billowy ivory dress fit for the Egyptian Princess she was, golden sandal hiding beneath the hem of the dress, bronze bands with turquoise beads on her arms, and a small head piece to match. On her bed laid the uniform that the pupils in the Xiaolin Temple had to wear just my size. Mother first combed my hair and then helped me with the uniform; a red dress that went to my knees with wide sleeves and a front that crossed my chest like a kimono, a black sash that indicated my rank (a beginner), and black shoes with long black ribbons that tied up my leg like a ballerina's. It took a surprisingly short time to put on. When Mother was done, she let me see myself as she braided my long hair. I noticed how the red in the dress matched the unusual red streak in my Asian black hair. I thought I was wearing too much red but Mother said that it brought out my bright green eyes. Then, when she tried to tie up my braid, the old hair band broke, so I handed her the gold hair wrap I found by my bed. I noticed her look of shock and surprise but she didn't ask where I got it. After that, I remembered the note that I found with the hair wrap. I opened it up not knowing how big of an impact it would have on me. Thus began the greatest quest of my life.

Long ago, there was once a very powerful monk who battled many different opponents. He began a school, hoping to teach others and make new powerful allies. Three of his students excelled far greater than all his other students so he asked them to be his partners. One day, the hero called two of his partners to defeat a great sorceress named Wuya. Together they all succeeded in capturing Wuya. Later that day, an agent of evil went to one of the victorious heroes and persuaded him to join the dark side. The hero's partners thought on it for some time, thinking of the promises the agent gave him if he joined the dark side; eternal glory. The hunger for such a prize grew so strong that the monk went against all he believed and sold his soul to evil. Ever since, this traitor has grown stronger on the other side over the course of fifteen hundred years and yet eternally young. Some believe there is no hope of returning him to his once great glory.

I had heard that story many times when I couldn't sleep, but it wasn't until I read the note you gave me did the story have any affect on my life. I had spent many nights dreaming of ways to return this fallen hero to what he was meant to be, not knowing what I was really doing. It wasn't until I heard Mother and Father expressing their concern to Master Fung when we finally reached the Xiaolin Temple.

"It's a trick I tell you, he's trying to gain her trust!" Father said angrily. I could feel the confusion in his voice too.

"Why would he reveal himself now out of all this time though?" Mother asked, "She's seven years old-."

"Meaning she can understand what is happening but be too young to know what he's doing." Father explained. I couldn't quite but the pieces together; Mother and Father know who this 'Li Heng' is? Who was this person who wrote this note? He seemed nice, but why are they getting all worked up about it?

"You do realize what this also means." Master Fung said, "He knows where you are, but more importantly, he has known where Leanna has been this whole time. She has been in danger this whole time."

"Then why hasn't he taken up the chance to destroy her?" Father asked. "Does he not know that she is her weakness?" This scared me the most; I was the key to someone's downfall. It frightened me but was pretty cool to think about.

"Because he needs her." Master Fung explained. "She is the other half of the ying-yang meaning she has the other half of the power that he wants."

"He needs her powers?" Mother asked.

"He could have taken her when she was a baby then and could have gotten it then." Father reasoned, "But then that doesn't explain it either." Master Fung chuckled.

"Didn't you read his journals when he was a little boy?" Master Fung asked. "He will never harm her. She is also the one thing he always wanted. Why would he kill his little sister?"

I was so shocked from this blow; I had was this person's little sister. I almost opened the door then, but I thought about what Master Fung had just said. I had an older brother, and my parents never told me. My parent never told me that I could have had someone to comfort me while they were gone. They never told me that I had someone that could have protected me. They never told me that I wasn't an only child. They never told me that the dreams I had were true. Why? Why didn't they tell me I had an older brother, the one thing I felt missing in my life? Why? But more importantly, why wasn't he with me? The questions kept on building up that I had to get them answered. I opened the door revealing that I had listened to their conversation. I looked at Mother and Father's faces; they looked shocked and sad knowing that I now knew the truth.

"Why?" I broke the silence croaking this one word. "Why did you not tell me I had an older brother?"

None of them wanted to answer. After a long pause, Mother finally gave in and answered one of my many questions.

"You shouldn't have to bear with such knowledge at such a young age." she said.

"But-why? Why is this all happening?' the questions all started to pour out. "If this 'Li Heng' is my brother, than why hasn't he been around us? It's not like he's-." Then it hit me. I started to shake while only a few words passed through my head; the story, brother, dangerous, dreams, downfall, traitor. It all started to connect.

"That story," I started to say, my hands sweating and my mind boggled by all the new things I found out. "About the hero's partners and the one who betrayed him for eternal glory…that's all true isn't it? The traitor…that's him isn't it? That's my brother."

My parents nodded gravely realizing there was no point in hiding it any longer. I had found out what my purpose was, why I had those dreams, and why you wrote what you did in that note:

"Dear Leanna,

Today you are to go to the Xiaolin Temple for the first time. There you will learn many things key to your future, work hard. People look at you for hope for they expect many great things from you. Today, you will find out what your future has in store for you and what it is people expect from you. You will be very powerful one day Leanna, and when that happens, our paths will cross. Good luck, little one, good luck.

-Li Heng"

"So, Li Heng is the name of my brother?" I asked.

"He hasn't been called that for a very long time." Mother explained.

"Fifteen hundred years I'm guessing." I said. "The first hero…who is he?"

"He is my brother." Father announced. "He asked Li Heng and his school friends to help him capture Wuya. Li Heng and his friends were very powerful, but he wanted his own glory."

"What's my uncle's name?"

"He is Grandmaster Dashi."

"And, my brother…what has he been called for the past fifteen hundred years?"

They hesitated again. Finally, Master Fung answered me this time.

"The name he grew up as and has reclaimed is Chase Young."

I gasped. First I find out that I have a brother and that he's dangerous. Then, I find out that a story I was told many times is real and affects my life. To make this even more exciting, I find out that my uncle is the one and only Grandmaster Dashi and that my older brother is Chase Young, one of the most feared evil villains for the past fifteen hundred years. And as the cherry on top of all this, I, a seven year old at the time of my finding out, was the key of either your destruction or success.

You think that after that life shattering news I wouldn't want to hear anything else so big. Curiosity kept biting me; I wanted know how I was to cause your downfall. I wanted to know my importance, why I was born.

"Am I to become a hero like Dashi?" I asked hopefully.

"In a way." Master Fung replied. "Come, let me show you something." I followed him to another room down the hall with Mom and Dad close behind. He lead us outside and went the northeast building and to the boys dormitories. It was all empty for Master Fung hadn't has many students recently. Only one cubicle was used; it had curtains in front of it cover whatever was inside. Master Fung opened to curtain revealing one of my future allies. There in a small basket was a baby boy sleeping soundly under a blanket. He had yellow skin, a round face, and a little black curl of hair on top of his round head.

"He's so cute." I wanted to cradle him in my arms, so I got a little closer. The baby must have felt my presence for he woke up. I was afraid he was going to cry, he didn't. He opened his eyes slowly, looked at me and started gurgling happily reaching out his hands toward me, wanting to be held. I held the happy baby carefully. His little beady black eyes were so playful. I smiled at him

"Who is he? What's his name?" I inquired.

"His name is Omi." Master Fung answered.

"Where did he come from?"

"We do not know. Dojo found him one day at the steps of a porch. He is an orphan, and one day will become the dragon of water." Master Fung explained. "One day, you will join him Leanna, as the dragon of lightning."

I looked at Omi. He was so tiny, so innocent. It was hard to think that this little baby would one day control the power of the ocean. People expected many great things from him too.

Then, there was me; a seven year old girl with many powers and expectations. Soon I would control lightning and electricity, and cause you, my brother, Chase Young, to return to your former glory as the hero you once were. I felt such a bond between me and Omi, both just standing there with our futures filled with danger and adventures. I didn't realize that anyone could see how I was feeling right then until Master Fung noticed something glowing under my sleeve.

Many years ago, there was once a man who was out on a walk. He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't stop until he came to an odd portal of some sort. He stopped and stared and this unusual object. Curious, the man decided to see where the portal would take him. The moment he got his right arm inside the portal, he felt a horrible pain but he continued to go in. After he went through he saw that he was in a parallel world that was strange yet somewhat peaceful. The pain on his arm went a way but he saw that there was a ying-yang marked permanently on his arm. He got out and was the first ever person to go in and out of the ying yang world. He visited the strange place many times. Then, one day he decided to try and have the portal where ever he wanted to have it by capturing it in two yo-yos. He used the first yo-yo to capture the yang power of the portal and then got the ying power of the portal trapped in a separate yo-yo. Thus how the ying-yang yo-yo's were created.

I was staring at Father's right arms as he was telling me that story.

"I was the man who created the ying-yang yo-yos." Father explained. "You, your brother, and I have this mark on our right arms. We go in and out of the ying-yang world without the yo-yos. It is however, easier to use the yo-yos. After I showed Dashi the discovery I made, he made the yo-yos into shen-gong-wu. We used it as a prison for all the evil we defeated, but we had no idea that Evil was going to use it one day."

That's when he explained how they turned you evil. My seven year old mind was boggled by all of the new things I found out all that day. I had never heard Father's family history before, only a little bit of Mother's. I remember when she told it to me just the week before on my birthday when she gave me a baby jaguar.

Leonia (Mom) was once an Egyptian princess. No one realized it though, for she was the daughter of a peasant as well. Even when cats would follow her as if she was royalty no one could see her real importance. But then one day, she received a note inviting her to come to China for an education. She was confused at first for the note addressed her as a princess. Either way, she went to China and met the author of the note. She became a strong ally to the monks in China and fell in love with one of her peers. The two married and fought many battles against evil together. She owned a Lion when she turned seven years old, so she thought it fitting to give me a jaguar.

Master Fung finally announced that it was time for dinner and invited us to stay for the night. I was so filled with information to really think, so I just followed Mom and Dad's league. When it was finally time to go to bed, I remember hearing Mother and Father saying something right before I went to sleep.

"I sure I hope Leanna knowing won't effect the prophecy."