Suns and Stars
Years later the moon goddess still had not left the Xiaolin Temple. She had explained the feeling between her and Omi to Master Fung, and after some thought he agreed to let her stay. She left on occasion to fulfill her duties as a goddess, but otherwise she stayed with Xiaolin warriors. The five of them had grown considerably, in more ways than one. Omi now understood idioms and didn't mistake them anymore. He was now two inches taller than Raimundo, but the two boys were no match for Clay. Clay had always been taller than the rest of the group, but now he towered over them. They had mastered their training, but still went out to capture Shen Gong Wu.
"Come on, Omi! We're going to be late!" Yue yelled.
"What? We've still got a few hours!" Omi yelled back.
"We have to help set up, remember?" Yue asked.
"What? You never told me that!" he replied.
"Yes, I did! Now hurry up!" she answered as she sat down impatiently. Raimundo and Kimiko were going to get married today and Yue had promised to help. A few minutes later Omi came running down the hall. He skidded to a halt in front of Yue. The goddess sat with one leg over the other and her arms crossed. A frown had been placed on her pale lips. Omi smiled sheepishly. Yue smiled and laughed. She stood, kissed his cheek, grabbed his hand, and pulled him out the door.
When they arrived most everything had been set up. Yue went to help Kimiko get ready and Omi went to help Raimundo. Both were nervous wrecks. Yue found Kimiko sitting on a chair in her room, shaking uncontrollably. She wrapped comforting arms around the bride and told her it was going to be alright. Kimiko's shaking stopped, but a lone tear rolled down her face.
"I'm scared. What if he changes his mind?" she sobbed. Yue went around and crouched in front of her.
"He won't. I promise." Then Yue smiled. "If he does, I'll make sure he doesn't forget!" Kimiko laughed.
The ceremony went without a problem. The bride and groom said everything perfectly. At the reception, everyone talked, laughed, and congratulated them. Even Master Fung and Dojo attended the wedding. After all the festivities, everyone went home. The newlyweds would take their honeymoon in about week. Raimundo and Kimiko ate their dinner in their room while everyone else ate in the temple kitchen.
That night, it began to rain. Yue loved the rain. Omi heard the pitter of the drops on the roof and shook her awake. They shared a room with two separate beds. The goddess' eyes opened sleepily.
"What?" she asked, hints of annoyance in her voice. Omi bent and whispered in her ear,
"It's raining."
Yue sat up. Her eyes widened in delight as she watched the rain hit the window. She threw the blankets off her body and pulled Omi outside after her. The goddess laughed as she twirled around, thoroughly soaking herself. Omi stayed under the safety of the porch.
He pushed his hands into his pockets and smiled. Then he felt something cold brush his fingers. He pulled out a sliver diamond ring. Omi placed it back in his pocket and walked out into the rain. He caught Yue in mid-twirl and began pulling her around the courtyard in a waltz.
"Remember when I was too short to do this?" he asked.
"Yes, I do.", she replied. Then Omi stopped them. Yue looked at him confusion as he bent down on one knee. When she saw him reach into his pocket she knew what was coming. He held the ring up to her and grabbed her left hand. Yue covered her mouth with her hand in surprise.
"Yuèliang?" he asked.
"Yes?" she whispered.
"Will you marry me?" Omi finished as he slid the ring onto her finger. A tear of happiness ran down Yue's cheek. In the rain neither noticed.
"Yes! Yes, I will!" she cried as she bowled him over in a hug. She smiled happily and kissed him.
"What?!" screeched Kimiko. Yue smiled widely and nodded, placing her left hand before the shocked Xiaolin warrior. Kimiko's eyes grew wide when she saw the diamond ring on the goddess' finger. She grabbed Yue's hand and stared.
"I can't believe it! He actually did it!" she exclaimed.
"I can't believe that I'm actually engaged!" said Yue. Suddenly Raimundo walked into the sunroom.
"What are you two talking about? We can hear you all the way in the meditation room," he said. Yue stood and proudly displayed her ring in front of him. The man stood dumbstruck for a moment. Then he smiled and laughed.
"Omi finally proposed to you? Congrats!" Yue blushed.
"Thanks. How long has he been planning this?" Raimundo began laughing again.
"Well, he's been carrying that ring around with him for about a month, if that answers your question," he replied.
That afternoon, the couple announced the news. The room was then filled with questions like 'When's the wedding?' and 'Congratulations!'. Then everyone sat down to lunch, the buzz of the engagement still filtering around the room. Omi smiled and reached for Yue's hand. She gladly gave it to him. There was only one problem, he couldn't touch her. The moon goddess had faded; she was see-through and untouchable. Yue gasped in fear and desperately tried to grab hold of her fiancé. Then she vanished.
"Yuèliang. Yuèliang, open your eyes for goodness sake. Are you afraid of your own brother?" asked a voice. Yue opened one eye. A tall man with fiery red hair and black eyes stared back at her. She opened her other eye and sat up correctly.
"Tàiyáng?" she whispered. The man smiled. Yue jumped up and threw her arms around him in a hug.
"Oh, Tài! It's been so long. Too long.", she said. Tai wrapped warm arms around his sister and squeezed her tightly. Suddenly she pushed him away and glared at him.
"Why did you bring me here?" she asked.
"Well, do I really need an excuse to see my sister?" he replied. Yue crossed her arms and cocked her head.
"You have not chosen a husband in the last 1,000 years, so I have chosen one for you," he said, the smile disappearing from his face.
"What? Yes, I have!" she said, shocked.
"Too late, dearest sister. You have been betrothed already. You will marry Xīng, the star god. You have one week to prepare." This time when Yue opened her eyes she was sitting on the barren world of the moon. She vanished again and reappeared on Earth, right where she had disappeared the first time. Everyone was seated in their same positions, except confused and slightly frightened. Yue sat down and fell against Omi. Then she began to cry. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair. He turned to the others with a confused expression.
An hour later Omi had convinced Yue to tell him what had happened.
"I can't marry you," she whispered.
"What? Why?" he asked.
"I must choose a husband every 1,000 years. Or my brother can betroth me to someone if I don't. And he has. I am to marry the star god in one week," she finished.
"What about me?" Omi questioned.
"You proposed to me after the 1,000 year mark. I had forgotten all about it.", Yue replied.
"Why do you have to obey him?" he asked.
"He is more powerful than I am. My brother, the sun god, I can't beat him." Yue leaned against Omi again, resting her head on his shoulder. Omi put an arm around his distressed fiancée and thought.
One week later Yue sadly bid her good-byes to her friends. Then she began to walk away. When she was about a mile away from the temple, she decided to just teleport to her fate. Then she felt something tap her shoulder. She spun around in alarm only to find Omi.
"What are you doing here?" she exclaimed.
"We're going to help you," he said. Yue put her hands on her hips.
"We?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. The remaining Xiaolin warriors stepped out of hiding. Yue dropped her arms to her sides and sighed in defeat.
A few minutes later the five were surrounded by blinding orange light. As their eyes adjusted, the Xiaolin warriors looked around. Everything was either red, orange, or yellow. Flames licked at their feet, but they didn't catch fire. Yue stood straight and clam, the light not affecting her.
"Where are we?" asked Raimundo. The moon goddess did not respond, she did not even move. Omi turned to her worriedly.
"Yue?" he asked. She did not look at him. Yue's once warm, kind gray eyes were now cold and hard with no emotion whatsoever.
"Sister, I see you have brought your puny little friends." Yue turned to the voice, her expression not changing.
"Tàiyáng. I am ready," she said, her words coated with ice. Omi's worried expression changed to one of fear and sorrow. A tall man stepped from the shadows. His black eyes were empty, but they shone with satisfaction.
Tàiyáng offered his arm to his sister. Yue grabbed it and a villainous smirk spread across her face as she threw her brother across the landscape. The sun god was a bit confused, but he quickly realized what had happened and charged at his sister with uncontrollable rage. The moon goddess raced towards him too, her anger giving her new strength. Her eyes glowed bright red and her hands crackled with white-hot energy. The four humans watched in shocked fear.
"What just happened?" whispered Kimiko as she clutched her husband's arm. Raimundo only shook his head. After a few minutes Yue's surge of strength had run out, leaving her weaker than ever. Her brother noticed.
"Ha. You are weak. You always have been," he said. His hands sizzled and spat with red energy. He raised them above his head and the energy increased in size more than three times. Then he fired. Yue didn't have the time to react. The blast hit her and she released a sickening scream of pain and agony.
Omi's eyes widened as he ran forward, barely catching her before she hit the ground. Tàiyáng walked calmly towards Omi. The warrior held the unconscious goddess tightly in his arms. The sun god came within a few feet of Omi and Omi looked at him with such malice and hatred that he took a step back. Omi stood, holding Yue's limp body bridal style. Then he walked over to his friends, watching Tàiyáng out of the corner of his eye. He placed Yue in Clay's arms and walked towards her brother.
"Your sister is betrothed to the star god. I propose a test. The winner is allowed to marry her," said Omi confidently.
"I accept this challenge. My sister will go back to Earth. You will stay," replied Tàiyáng, eyes cold and hollow as ever.
Back on Earth, the warriors rushed Yue to the hospital. She was immediately taken to the ER as Josephine Bailey. After about a half-hour, a young nurse came over to the group.
"Clay Bailey?" she asked. Clay stood.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Well, your cousin has normal brain activity and she woke up for a moment. But, there is something that confuses us. All her scans are normal, except your cousin doesn't have a pulse. She isn't breathing either," said the nurse. The three looked at each other in confusion.
"Can we see her?" asked Kimiko.
At that moment a blood-curdling scream erupted through the hospital. The four of them rushed to Yue's room. The goddess was fighting to stand up and leave and the doctors were having trouble keeping her down.
"Let go of me! Let me go!" she shouted. Then she saw her friends, without Omi. She fought harder. This time tears threatened to fall down her cheeks.
"Clay! Kimiko! Raimundo! Help me! Please!" she sobbed. Kimiko rushed over to her and attempted to calm her down. The nurse ran over as well and jabbed a needle into Yue's arm. The goddess fell back into the bed.
"Omi," she whispered. Then she closed her eyes.
The Xiaolin warriors stayed in the room with Yue and the doctors, though they were unable to answer their questions. Then they were sent out while the doctors took some more tests. Another half-hour later, the nurse came back and sat down.
"Would you like to see your cousin? I think they are finished with all of their tests." Clay smiled and the group walked down to Yue's room. The goddess' eyes were closed and she appeared to be sleeping, except her lips were moving. They moved the same way each time, as if she were repeating something. Kimiko bent with her ear in front of Yue's mouth. Sure enough, she was repeating something. Unfortunately, Kimiko didn't understand anything she was saying.
"Has she said anything to you?" asked Raimundo.
"Well, she was murmuring things in her sleep. It was a name. I can't seem to remember what it was," the nurse answered. Kimiko looked up.
"Was it Omi?" she asked. The nurse smiled.
"Yes. That was it." Kimiko smiled sadly as she turned her attention back to Yue. She bent again, this time placing her ear closer to her mouth. She still couldn't understand but she could hear two syllables, and she was certain that was what she was saying.
The next morning Yue woke up with a start. She looked around the room. Kimiko had fallen asleep with her head next to her knees on the bed. The boys were not in the room. Yue smiled and brushed a strand of hair from Kimiko's face. Then she carefully slipped out of bed, around Kimiko, and out the door. Almost immediately, Yue was frightened by her surroundings. She rushed back into the room and closed the door quietly so as to not wake Kimiko. After a few minutes of trying to go back to sleep she decided to wake her companion anyway. She took Kimiko gently by the shoulders and shook her.
"Kimiko. Kimiko, wake up," she said. Kimiko lifted her head a bit and looked up at Yue with a dazed expression. Then she seemed to realize what was happening.
"Yue! Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yes. I'm fine. Where is Omi?" Yue replied. Kimiko looked at her lap and sighed.
"He made a deal. He is going to compete in a test against the star god. You are the prize," she whispered. Yue fell silent and her eyes widened in shock. Then she leaned back against the pillow. It was now her turn to sigh.
"Omi, that fool. He ruined my plan," she said. Kimiko looked up.
"What plan?"
"My brother has betrothed me many times before. Except he has never betrothed me to a god. All the other times after the first year of marriage, if my husband was not the kind I could learn to love, I found a very simple solution. I killed him and blamed it on someone who did not like him. Then I continued on with my life. This time, I would have to give Hoshi, the star god, a child before I could kill him. Once I had a child I could kill him, marry Omi, and Omi would become the star god until my child was eighteen. Then it would take over. Of course I did not tell Omi this. I didn't think I would need to," Yue explained. Kimiko sat shocked.
After an hour of discussing the situation that had befallen them, the boys came in and the matter was discussed all over again. Raimundo and Clay sat dumbstruck when Yue told them what she had done to many of her past husbands.
"So, who was your husband before this? Did you kill him?" asked Raimundo. Yue laughed.
"Yes, I did kill him. But the one before him I chose of my own free will. I believe you all have heard of him before. Grand Master Dashi?" she replied, cocking her head to the side with a sly smile. The three humans sat there, the boys doubly surprised.
"But it was a secret marriage. My brother never knew. A little over four hundred years after Dashi died, he betrothed me, since he did not know of my other marriage. That husband I killed," the goddess stated simply.
"Did you two have any kids?" asked Kimiko. Yue sat in thought, as if she couldn't remember.
"Yes. We had a son. My brother did not know that either. I can't seem to remember his name. Oh," Yue whispered.
"What?" asked Clay.
"I left my family for an urgent mission. When I returned, they were gone. I found Dashi a year later, but when I asked him where our son was, he looked at the ground and didn't reply. He had been killed while I was on my mission. Raiders had come to the village. They destroyed everything in their path. Dashi barely made it out, my son did not," she said, her voice softer than ever. Then she looked up.
"There is too much talk of death. Change the subject," she said.
"Alright. How are we going to get Omi out of this?" Clay asked.
"We are not," Yue answered.
"What do you mean? Can't we help him?" Kimiko asked.
"No. Omi has made a deal. My brother has accepted. It is too late to back out now," she replied sadly. Then the nurse came in. She slipped past them, checked the vitals, frowned at Yue, and left.
"Why doesn't your heart beat? And how come you don't breathe?" asked Raimundo. Yue sighed, this could take a while.
"Since I am a goddess, I am immortal. That is until I have a daughter. My heart does not beat nor do I breathe because I cannot die. When my daughter is eighteen, my heart will resume beating, and I will start breathing again. When she is eighteen she will become immortal, and I will be just as vulnerable to death as you three," she explained.
Yue got out of bed and went over to the door. Then she stopped and asked Kimiko to go with her. The girls walked through hospital, Yue tightly clutching Kimiko's arm in fear. They went over to the desk and asked to see the doctor who had taken charge of Yue. A few minutes later a tall woman with piercing blue eyes came over to them. Her cold eyes betrayed her. She had a warm smile and a pleasant personality. Yue attempted to regain her dignity, unfortunately she failed miserably. They asked if Yue could leave yet. The doctor brought them back to the room and checked her over and said that her wounds had healed faster than any that she had ever seen. Then she gave them permission to take her home. Yue looked at her bloodstained dress and opted to just wear the hospital gown until they got back to the temple. Once she was changed, they explained everything to Mater Fung.
Meanwhile, Omi sat up in his bed. Tàiyáng had been quite hospitable to him. Despite giving him a room and something to eat, Yue's brother did not show any interest in Omi whatsoever. Omi sat there, knees held firmly to his chest. He sat thinking, wondering actually, about how his friends were, especially his beloved Yue. Then a small fireball came through the door. It floated up to Omi, who lightly patted the top of it in greeting. Then it spoke.
"The master requests your presence," it said in a small, slightly squeaky voice. Omi climbed out of bed and dressed. Then he followed the little ball of flame out the door.
Omi was lead to Tàiyáng. But, as Omi noticed, there was another man with him. The man appeared around his age with white hair and light gray eyes. Tàiyáng was the first to speak.
"This is Xīng, the star god." Xīng smiled.
"Just call me Hoshi," he said. Omi nodded.
"You will begin your test in a few minutes. You will be given a riddle, the same one. The first one to solve it and to bring the answer to me is the winner. And, the winner receives permission to marry my sister. You will not be allowed to help each other. If you do, you will be disqualified and the other contestant will become the winner. You will have three weeks to collect your answer," Tàiyáng finished.
With that, Tàiyáng handed each of them a slip of paper. A small riddle was written on each one. Just as Omi was about to read it, he was surrounded by white light. When Omi opened his eyes, he was no longer on the flaming surface of the sun. He was in a wide-open, barren desert. Omi sat down and sighed. This was going to be harder than he thought.
Before he set off, Omi decided that he better read the riddle:
Gem of beauty,
Jewel of grace.
Stone of entity,
Topped with agate lace.
Eye of amethyst,
Elegance described by many a list.
With the use of a creative mind,
The answer to this riddle you will find.
Omi sat there, staring at the riddle. He was genuinely confused.
"A gem? There have got to be millions of them!" he said, exasperated. Then he sighed. "This is definitely going to take longer than I thought."
Back at the temple, Yue had locked herself in her room. The others had tried to get her to come out, but she would not listen to them. She sat on Omi's bed, fiddling with the crescent moon shaped pedant around her neck. Then her eyes widened and she jumped off the bed. Yue then proceeded to rummage through her closet. Kimiko came into the room, startling Yue.
"How did you get in here?" she asked. Kimiko smirked and held up a small, silver key. Yue frowned and snatched it from her. Then she continued to search through her closet.
"What are you looking for?" Kimiko asked. Yue turned to her, the frown still plastered to her face. Then she went back to looking through her things. Finally, Yue pulled out vials of strange powders and liquids. Kimiko decided not to ask. Yue saw that Kimiko was still there and looked unhappily at her.
"If you're going to stay, make yourself useful. Go and get a large glass bowl," she snapped. A few minutes later Kimiko came back, with a good-sized glass bowl. Yue was sitting on the floor, her various powders and things spread in a semi-circle in front of her.
Yue took the bowl and set it in her lap. She then grabbed each of the items and poured some into the bowl. Then she stirred all of it together. She then sliced off a few strands of her ebony hair and tossed it in too. The mixture gave off smoke when the hairs met the surface. The strands burned and mixed in too. Yue put the bowl on the floor in front of her and went into the bathroom. She came out holding Omi's toothbrush. She tossed it in as well.
"Remind me to buy him a new toothbrush when he comes back," she said to Kimiko.
Yue took off her necklace and held it close to her face. She began to whisper something in a language that Kimiko could not understand. The crescent began to glow a reddish pink. Then she tied a small note to the chain. She stood and closed her eyes as she dangled the necklace over the bowl of bubbling mixture. A tear ran down her cheek. Then she let the pendant drop into the bowl. There was a great explosion of smoke, and when it cleared, the bowl was empty. Yue stared down at the bowl. The goddess finally gave in. She collasped to her knees as rivers of tears cascaded down her face. Kimiko bent down next to her, letting her cry into her shirt.
After a week's worth of walking, right when he was going to abandon hope, Omi saw a forest in the distance. He hurried towards it a sat under the shade of a large tree. After resting for a minutes, Omi continued to walk. Suddenly, something hard collided with his head. The monk looked up to find a squirrel chattering loudly in a tree full of apples. As it ran off, Omi looked down to see that it was an apple that hit him. He bent down and began to eat it as he walked through the rest of the forest. Soon, he came to a clearing. In the middle of it was a small house. No sooner had he set foot into the clearing, Omi's world went black with the sound of snarling and spitting.
Back at the temple, lunch went as it had for the past week. The boys ate their food quickly, not bothering to worry about their manners. Kimiko ate slowly, keeping a careful eye on Yue. Yue didn't eat. She poked at whatever was on her plate for a few minutes, and then she gave it to Dojo and went to her room. Yue had barely eaten since Omi left, and Kimiko was beginning to worry. After they had finished, she went around to kitchen until she found what she was looking for. Chocolate. In all of her experiences, Kimiko knew it was the best cure for a broken heart.
Kimiko found the goddess in the laundry room, spinning around the room with the laundry as her partner.
"What's with the change of outfit?" Kimiko asked. Yue jumped and blushed. She was dressed in a white tank top and a flowing, knee-length gray skirt. Her long ebony hair was tied up in a loose bun. Some strands had fallen out and were dangling all around her head.
"Well, um…." Yue stuttered. Kimiko took her hand and lead around to the garden.
The girls selected a bench near the fountain. Kimiko held out the jar of chocolate and a spoon. Yue stared at her.
"Chocolate. It's good for broken hearts," Kimiko smiled. Yue took the lid off the jar and plunged the spoon deep into the gooey, brown substance. She pulled out a fair amount of the stuff. As soon as the sweet reached her lips, the tears began to fall. The two women sat together in silence sharing the jar of chocolate, one crying, and one comforting.
Omi's eyes flickered open. He slowly sat up and looked around. It was night. He had been bandaged up and was lying on a woven mat. A young woman, who looked only slightly younger than him, was lying on another mat across the room. Her mat wasn't as nice as his. Omi cautiously crawled over to look at her better in the dim light for the window. She had pale skin and bright purple lips. She wore a simple black dress and her long light blue hair cascaded down her back. She also wore a necklace, but it was tucked into her dress so Omi couldn't see the pendant. The young woman tightened the ball her body was curled in. Then she relaxed and opened her mouth. Omi gasped. On her top and bottom jaws sat two sharp, pointy fangs.
The next morning Omi awoke to two amethyst purple eyes staring down at him. The vampire girl sat there, staring at him. He stared back.
"Hello." Her voice was soft and sweet. Omi smiled cautiously. She smiled too, her fangs glinting in the light. His smiled faded. Her hand flew up to her mouth.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! Have I frightened you?" she asked, her violet eyes clouded with worry and fear. Omi only looked at her. Then he started laughing. The girl's hand dropped and she frowned in confusion. This only made him laugh harder.
"I'm Helen," she said.
"I'm Omi," he said.
"Omi? Excuse me.", she said as she walked to the far corner, where she slept. Helen picked up a small brown cloth and returned to her guest.
"This arrived a day or so ago. It's for you," she said as she handed it to him. Sure enough, Omi's name was elegantly written across the top of the cloth. He recognized the writing.
"Yue."
"What?" Helen asked.
"Yue, my fiancée," Omi replied softly. He opened the cloth to find the goddess's necklace. Attached to it was a small note.
To keep you safe, my love
The human and the vampire sat in silence.
"How come you haven't killed me yet?" Omi finally asked. Helen looked up.
"What?"
"You're a vampire. How come I'm not dead yet?" Helen looked at the ground and frowned. Then she scooted closer to Omi and sat with her back to him.
"Unzip the dress," she said. Omi's eyes widened.
"What?! Why?" he asked, incredibly surprised.
"Just do it," she replied. So reluctantly, Omi unzipped the back of her dress.
Helen held the front of her dress to her body and told him to open up the dress so that he could see all of her back. He reluctantly obeyed. As he opened it, he caught glimpses of red marks. When he had opened it all the way, he gasped. There was a large red symbol that covered most of her back. It was a large circle with a five-pronged star taking up the entire inside.
"That seal, it keeps me from using my vampire characteristics. I have a reflection, no need for another's blood, and no fear of sunlight. Apart from my fangs, I'm just about as human as you are. And, nothing can undo the seal," she said.
Back at the temple, Yue tried to overcome her worry and act normally. So far, she was failing miserably. She hid from the others and occupied herself with any chore she could find. Right now she was dusting the entire temple. When she had finished she noticed Master Fung going around to collect the laundry. She quickly hurried over to take it from him. Neither said anything. She went around collecting everything; he stood and watched with his eyes filled with pity and sadness.
Finally, Yue had done so much that there was nothing left to do. So, she sat in the garden next to the fountain, twirling her fingers absent-mindedly in the water. It was then that Yue realized that she hadn't slept for the last week or so. So, she left the water to gurgle quietly to itself. She quickly and silently made her way to hers and Omi's room. She took a quick shower and changed into a pair of Omi's pajamas. Then she snuggled deep into his bed and fell asleep.
After reading the riddle, Hoshi was quite puzzled. A gem?, he thought. He frowned; there were millions, no trillions, of gemstones out there. After a week of walking, the star god found a small seaside village. He found a hotel to stay at, where he was warned to stay clear of the ocean. When he inquired why, he was told of a sea monster with horrible shrieking cries and blind rage. Hoshi scoffed.
"Stupid mortals," he whispered. He decided to check out this 'sea monster' after he got some sleep.
The next morning, his first thought was how far Omi had gotten, but the thought was quickly dismissed. No human could beat a god. Hoshi made his way down to the dock unnoticed. However, at the dock, guards, who he simply pushed aside, attempted to stop him. Hoshi sat at the water for a long time. Right when he was about to leave, he heard a sort of high-pitched wailing. Unafraid, he made his way toward the sound. Some of the guards had heard it too and were busy throwing spears into the water. As he looked out, he saw that they were aiming at a dark spot in the water. It dodged the weapons but continued to shriek and cry.
"Leave," he said firmly to the men. When his eyes began to glow the men ran. Hoshi turned back to the water as his hands began to collect energy. He casually shot at the water. The spot dodged each attack. Finally Hoshi became frustrated and shot twice. The spot dodged the first blow, but when it moved it was hit by the second. A strange creature flew out of the water and landed on the rocks.
At first glance it appeared no more than a large fish. But as the star god got closer, he realized it was only half fish. The top half of the creature was that of a young woman. From her waist down she had the tail of a fish. She didn't have gills and she was unconscious, so Hoshi wrapped her tail in his jacket, threw her over his shoulder, and took her back to his room. There he plopped her in the bathtub, her tail tied to the soap holder on the rim. Her hands were tied behind her back and her mouth was covered so she couldn't scream.
While he waited for her to wake, he figured would study her. Her tail was an emerald green; her long, stringy hair a deep, forest green; and her skin a light yellowish, green. The one thing that surprised him was that she had no scales on her tail. It was long and slender, but it was smooth and had a thin coating of slime from being in the murky waters of the ocean. After about a half-hour she began to stir.
When she opened her eyes, Hoshi collected that the girl was blind. Her light green eyes and gray pupils were so light they were almost white.
"Finally awake I see," Hoshi said. The girl wildly looked around searching for the direction in which the sound came from. Hoshi sat perfectly still, not making any noise. The girl now proceeded to try to scream. Hoshi sighed as the creature in the tub failed and began to bruise her arms. He walked over and placed a finger over her mouth. He used the other hand to hold her down. With a firm hand holding her down, Hoshi pulled the cloth from her mouth.
As soon as the cloth was gone she opened her mouth to scream. The star god clamped both hands over her mouth.
"I'll let you go if you promise not to scream," he whispered. The girl shivered as his warm breath met her ear. She nodded. He slowly released her. She didn't scream.
"Who are you?" she asked, frowning.
"Xīng, or Hoshi, the star god. Who are you?" he answered. She turned in his direction.
"Celeste." Her voice was angelic and otherworldly.
"What are you?" Hoshi asked, his voice even and emotionless.
"A mermaid." Celeste's answers were short.
"Are you blind?"
"Yes."
"Why is the village afraid of you?" The mermaid shrugged.
"Would you untie me? I can't go anywhere." Hoshi didn't answer, but he untied her anyway.
The next morning, when Hoshi woke up, the first thing he noticed was that he was sore all over. Then he noticed that he was still in the bathroom. Then, finally, he noticed that Celeste was missing. He hurriedly stood and ran out of the room. There she was, sprawled across the floor next to his bed. She had been trying to get to the window. Hoshi rushed over and checked her pulse. It was faint, but at least it was there. He gently picked up the mermaid and returned her to the bathtub. The bathtub held a generous amount of water, therefore completely submerging her.
After taking up one of his three weeks, Omi decided that he had better start looking for the gem again. He left Helen's clearing and set off to find the answer to riddle again. After he had been walking for a few minutes, he heard hurried footsteps behind him. Omi stopped and turned around. Helen was running up to him with a messenger bag thumping against her hip. When she reached him she was tired and panting.
"Jeez. I guess I need to get out more," she laughed. Helen told Omi that she wanted to come with him. Omi accepted her company.
"So what are we looking for?" she asked. Omi handed her the riddle. Helen frowned as she read it, reaching up to grab her necklace.
"A jewel? But there must be millions of them!" Helen exclaimed. Then all of the sudden they heard a growl from behind them. They whipped around to find a snarling panther behind them. Helen's expression hardened.
"Isadora! Bad kitty!" she scolded.
"Bad kitty?" Omi repeated. Helen was gently rapping on the cat's nose.
"Omi, this is Isadora, she's the one that knocked you out," she said. Omi looked warily at the panther.
"Is she friendly?" he asked. Helen shrugged.
"Once she gets used to you." Omi grimaced.
Hoshi sleepily opened his eyes. He had spent almost a week in this miserable excuse of a town with an extremely temper-mental mermaid. He hadn't slept very well, as he was constantly going back into the bathroom to make sure she hadn't gotten out again. He snapped out of his daze when he heard an angry splash from the bathroom. Celeste was fuming. Hoshi knew that she didn't like staying in the bathtub, but he had never seen her this angry. She whipped around in the direction of the door, sloshing water half way across the room. Hoshi crossed his arms.
"You do know that I have to clean that up right?" he asked irritatedly. The mermaid frowned.
"I don't care what you have to do, but I'm sick of being in this tub! Why won't you let me go?" she asked angrily. Hoshi walked over and gently lifted her out of the water. She gasped.
"There. You're not in the bathtub anymore," he said, his tone dripping with boredom. Celeste wasn't any happier.
"Just put me down," she said. The star god placed her back in the water.
"Why won't you let me go?" she repeated.
"Do you want to get killed?" Hoshi asked. She sighed.
"No. But why are you protecting me?" she asked. Hoshi had never thought about that. He didn't answer. He only left her alone in the bathroom. She shifted positions to yell at him.
"Hoshi! You get back in here this minute!" she screeched. He ignored her. After an hour of listening to her ranting, he went back in.
"Would you be quiet? You'll get us kicked out," he said calmly. Celeste turned to him.
"Fine, but answer my question," she demanded. Hoshi frowned.
"I don't know, but we need to get out of here. I only have a week left to figure out this riddle," he replied. Celeste cocked her head.
"What riddle?" she asked innocently. Hoshi read it to her.
"A stone, huh? I've got plenty in the ocean, none like that though," she said. Hoshi smirked.
"How would you know? You're blind," he said. Celeste stuck her tongue out.
"Different stones have different textures," she said, clearly offended. Hoshi rolled his eyes.
"I guess you finally get your wish, I'm going to have to leave you in the ocean again," he said. Celeste's eyes widened and she grasped for his arms. When she found them, she squeezed them desperately.
"Take me with you," she pleaded. Hoshi gaped, too surprised to say anything.
"But…but don't you need water?" he asked. Celeste tightened her grip.
"There's rain right? Drop me in a puddle every so often," she said.
"But how would you follow me? You're blind and you can't walk," Hoshi pointed out. Celeste loosened her hold a small bit. This was going to be harder that she thought.
"Couldn't you buy a wheel chair and push me?" she asked. The star god was quiet for a moment.
"I suppose, if it folded up so that I could carry it when the road got too uneven," he reasoned. The mermaid smiled happily.
"Does that mean I can come?" she asked. Hoshi slowly pulled his wrists from her hands.
"I have to find the wheel chair first you know."
"This is ridiculous!" Helen complained. Omi sighed. He agreed with her. They had been searching the entire week and there was only one week left until time was up. They had gotten a hotel room in a small seaside town, but they had had to sneak Isadora in. little did they know, they where in the very same hotel that Hoshi and Celeste were staying in.
Omi looked over at Helen, who had sprawled herself on one of the beds next to Isadora. The cat was happily purring and kneading the comforter. Omi wondered what Yue was doing right then. He smiled. She probably wouldn't be happy if she knew he was sharing a hotel room with another woman, even if there were two beds. Helen sat up and reached into her bag to pull out a list, but as she did so her necklace fell out from inside her dress. Omi had never seen it before.
The pendant was beautiful. It was oval shaped with a circle of amethyst in the center. The bottom half was plain and black, but the top half was covered in agate lace. Then Omi realized something, the necklace fit the description of the riddle.
"Helen! Where did you find that necklace?" he asked as he rushed over to her. Helen's purple eyes widened as she clutched the stone tightly.
"My mother gave it to me," she said.
"Can I see it?" Omi asked. Helen knew what he wanted.
"Alright," she said eventually. She unclasped it had handed it the Omi.
"It fits the description of the riddle. I can't believe it! We did it!" he exclaimed. Helen looked at the list in her hands.
"Omi, I don't think my necklace is the answer to the riddle," she said. Omi stared at her.
"What are you talking about?" he asked. Helen handed him the list.
"There used to be a lot of young men that ended up at my hut when they got lost hunting. They always tried to impress me by telling me how beautiful I was. When they would leave I would write down what they said about me. I have almost nine lists. I think the riddle is talking about me," she said. Omi went to his own bag and pulled out the riddle.
Gem of beauty,
Jewel of grace.
Stone of entity,
Topped with agate lace.
Eye of amethyst,
Elegance described by many a list.
With the use of a creative mind,
The answer to this riddle you will find.
Helen was beautiful and graceful. She had purple eyes that glimmered like amethysts. Her hair was the same light blue as the agate lace. And she had several lists of ways people described her looks. She was the answer to the riddle.
Just down the hall, Hoshi decided that Celeste had better try out the wheel chair before they set off. He hoisted her out of the bathtub and placed her in the chair. Then he put a blanket over her tail. And it just so happened that he wheeled her out at the same moment Omi and Helen walked out of their room too. The four stared at each other for a moment. Hoshi's eyes darted to the stone that was back around Helen's neck. Omi grabbed Helen's arm and started running. Hoshi sent out a small burst of energy in their direction. The spark broke the chain, causing Helen's necklace to fall to the ground.
"My necklace!" Helen tried to turn around but Omi wouldn't let her. He kept running. Hoshi stared after them. Then he patted Celeste's hand to let her know he was going and went to pick up the necklace.
Outside, Omi and Helen kept running until they were a safe distance from the hotel. Isadora had climbed down the fire escape and was following after them. Soon they reaching the patch of forest that they had emerged from. Helen sat down on a stump and put her face in her hands. Omi put an arm around her shoulders to comfort her.
"I'm sorry about your necklace. I should have let you turn back around," he apologized. Helen smiled sadly.
"It's alright. That was the star god wasn't it?" she asked. Omi nodded.
It had been two weeks since Omi left, and Yue was back to being a nervous wreck. She had gotten better about sleeping and eating, but her good habits were starting to go downhill again. Kimiko had finally stopped worrying about her since she figured Yue would be back to normal once she saw that Omi was okay. Yue spent a lot of time in the meditation room with Master Fung and or out in the gardens with Clay. Raimundo tried to cheer Yue up once by saying that she better not get to comfy, but he only succeeded in making her more nervous and getting slapped by his wife.
"Clay?" Yue asked as she knocked softly on the door. It was the middle of the night. Clay opened his door and let her in. She sat down by his nightstand and closed her eyes. Clay was used to her coming by now and waited for her to say something. If he went first, she would take longer to answer.
"I'm worried," she finally whispered. Clay looked down at her from the bed. He knew what she was worried about but he asked anyway.
"About what?" Yue opened her eyes and looked up at him.
"Omi," she answered. They had been over this several times.
"He'll be fine. He can take care of himself." That was how he always answered when she told him she was worried about Omi. But tonight there was a new argument.
"What if he finds someone else and doesn't come back for me?" Yue asked quietly. Clay, who had almost fallen asleep, jerked awake and stared at her.
"What?" he exclaimed. Yue was still looking at him, her grey eyes wide.
"What if he finds someone else? What if I'm not worth the trouble?" she asked. Clay got up and sat next to her. She leaned her head on his shoulder as he put his arm around her.
"Do you remember when we first met you?" he asked. Yue nodded.
"When you left the first time, Omi was a wreck. We couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. But when you came back, and you guys had your midnight chats, he was fine again. Then when Jack got you, he was more determined to save you than I've ever seen him. And as we got older, every time you would leave he would sit out on the porch every day until you came back. Sometimes I would go out there and sit with him. All he could talk about was have much he loved you and how much he missed you. That's how he got over his fear of squirrels you know. He'll come back. I know he will," Clay murmured. Yue closed her eyes again and laughed.
"Thank you," she said.
For the next week, Omi, Helen, Hoshi, and Celeste relaxed and did a whole bunch of nothing. However, they were constantly on the lookout for the others and people who might want to steal what they thought was the answer to the sun god's riddle. Other than that, they were left with pretty much nothing to do. None of them were arguing though. They were more than happy to stop looking for answers and sit around.
"Celeste? Are you awake?" Hoshi asked. He could hear the water in the bathtub shift.
"What?" came the sleepy and slightly aggravated reply. Hoshi smiled; same old mermaid, cranky as ever.
"When I leave, what are you going to do?" he asked. The water shifted again, this time louder.
"What do you mean?" she asked. Hoshi crawled from the bed and walked into the bathroom. He was silent, but Celeste knew he was there. She had a way of just knowing those sorts of things.
"When I leave to turn in my answer, I'm probably not coming back. And I don't think that you're coming with me. So what are you going to do?" he asked. Celeste sat up and looked in his direction.
"You're going to leave me?" she asked. Hoshi didn't say anything. Celeste's stare hardened.
"You're an idiot. You want to know what I'm going to do? I'm going to stay in the bathtub. And I'm going to drain the water. And I'm not going to leave it," she said as she sank back down into the water. Hoshi rolled his eyes.
"Oh come on. You're not that stupid. You're just making this a bigger deal than it needs to be and trying to make me feel guilty," he said. Celeste sat back up.
"You think I'm kidding?" she asked. Again, Hoshi didn't reply. Celeste pulled the plug and the water began to drain. In a matter of seconds, there was no water left. The mermaid sat defiantly in the tub with her arms crossed. Hoshi sighed and reached to turn the water on.
"Don't even think about it," Celeste warned. She was actually serious about this.
"Celeste, stop fooling around. You're going to kill yourself," he said. The mermaid frowned at him.
"What would you care?" she asked.
"Celeste," he started. She gasped as he lifted her from the tub. He sat on the side of it with her in his lap. Hoshi gently brought the mermaid into his arms. Celeste stiffened as he hugged her. Eventually, she relaxed and put her arms around him too.
"I'm getting you all wet," she pointed out.
"I know," Hoshi replied softly. "What's this really about?" he added. Celeste sighed.
"I don't want you to leave me. I don't want to alone again," she said. Hoshi silently watched the mermaid. Her eyes were closed and she looked peaceful, content, and rather happy.
"Oh," he said. Celeste squeezed her eyes shut and clutched his shirt in her hands.
"Just promise you won't leave me," she begged. Hoshi sighed and tightened his grip.
"Alright. I promise," he said.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Helen?" Omi asked. Helen looked up at him, but her hands continued to pet Isadora's large head.
"Yes. The sun god doesn't seem as though he wants to keep the answer of the riddle, just he wants to see if you can find it in the first place," she said. Omi sat down next to them.
"I suppose. But are you willing to take that chance?" he asked. She hesitated, but nodded her head.
"I'll be fine, Omi. Stop worrying," she complained. Omi sighed in defeat.
"I'm sorry. I just worry about you because you're my friend and I don't want to lose you," he said. Helen smiled.
"That's the nicest thing anyone has ever told me," she said as she scooted over and hugged him. Omi mentally laughed. Yue would not like this.
At the end of the three weeks, Omi, Helen, Hoshi, and somehow Celeste, were all transported to the surface of the sun. Again flames licked their bodies, but they didn't catch fire. Tàiyáng was waiting for them. Celeste grasped Hoshi tightly, her blind eyes staring fearfully. He was holding her, and she had the pendant strung around her neck. Tàiyáng chuckled.
"I see you both have brought guests," he said. He received no answer. The sun god's smile disappeared.
"I see no need for now conversation and obviously neither do you, so bring forth your answers," he said. Omi walked forward and Helen followed silently behind him. Hoshi lowered Celeste to the ground despite her protests and unhooked the chain from her neck. Then he walked over as well.
Hoshi handed the amulet over to Tàiyáng and stepped back a small bit, keeping a careful eye on Celeste. The sun god studied the necklace for a moment, and then turned expectantly to Omi. Omi walked over, Helen close behind. Omi left Helen at Tàiyáng's side. Tàiyáng looked at her with an incredibly surprised expression.
"Your answer is a woman?" he asked incredulously. Helen nervously tapped his shoulder. He turned to her, still slightly shocked.
"Actually, I'm a vampire," she corrected, smiling to prove her point. The sun god's eyes widened slightly. He looked back at the two men in front of him, then at the terrified mermaid behind them. Helen tapped his shoulder again. Tàiyáng turned to her, slightly annoyed this time.
"Well? Who won?" she asked anxiously. The sun god stared at the two in front of him again.
"The mortal," he said; his voice as disbelieving and surprised as his expression. Everyone's eyes widened. Helen forgot that she was supposed to be with Tàiyáng and ran over to Omi. She laughed and hugged him. He smiled and hugged her back. Hoshi nodded in acceptance and went over to comfort Celeste. The heat was beginning to affect her. He picked her up and walked over to Omi and Helen.
"Congratulations. I'm sure you two will be happy. At least I hope you will after you went through all this trouble," he joked. Omi smiled.
"Thanks," he said.
Ever since Clay had told her that Omi waited on the porch for her, Yue had taken up sitting on the porch under the awning. She even slept there. Omi, however, did not go to such extremes when he waited for her. He much preferred his bed inside the temple. So, when he returned at the end of the three weeks, she was there waiting for him.
Yue looked over the horizon. Three weeks were up; he should be home by now. Then she found what she was looking for, a small line in the distance. As it got closer, she knew it was him. The moon goddess leapt up from her chair and started running. Her skirt started getting in the way, so she stopped momentarily and ripped some of the bottom off. She was glad that it wasn't one of her good skirts.
Omi saw the temple over the hills. It was going to be so good to be home. But then he saw something else. A little spot, gradually growing larger and it got closer. A second after stopping and squinting, he knew exactly what it was and took off running. He almost dropped his backpack in his hurry. When they were finally close enough to see each other clearly, they slowed down. And when they were two feet apart they stopped at stared, perhaps wondering if the other was actually there. Then Yue lunged, wrapping her arms tightly around Omi's waist. Omi in turn held Yue as close as he could. Yue looked up at him.
"Why did you have to go off and do that? I could have handled it myself," she said. Omi sighed.
"Because I love you, and I didn't want to see you get married unless you were going to get married to me," he said. Yue put her head back on his chest.
"My brother may be stronger than me, but I'm not helpless. I had it under control until you messed it up," she complained. Omi kissed her forehead.
"Do you still love me?" he asked. Yue broke apart from him, shocked.
"Of course I do! What kind of question is that?" she asked. Omi smiled.
"I wanted to know, because I won," he said. Yue's arms dropped to her sides in confused shock.
"You what?" she asked. Omi smiled broader.
"I won," he repeated. Yue walked what little distance she needed to get over to him.
"You beat Xīng?" she asked. Omi nodded and brought her back into his arms.
"So…are you still going to marry me?" he asked playfully. Yue laughed.
"You ask such stupid questions, my love. Of course I am," she said. Then she kissed him and they proceeded back to the temple, pausing to grab the shred of Yue's skirt.
When they got back, everyone was excited to see Omi and find out whether he had won or not. After he told them that he did, cheerful chaos ensued. He handed them all the riddle, but no one could figure it out. About an hour later, though, there was as soft knock on the front door followed by scratching noises. If it weren't for the scratching, Dojo probably wouldn't have heard it. When he opened the door, he was surprised to find a girl and a panther standing outside. The girl had long light blue hair, black clothing, and bright purple lips and eyes.
"Hello. Can I help you?" he asked. The girl stared at him, her violet eyes wide. She knelt to peer at him.
"Wow, a real dragon," she breathed. Dojo glanced around, trying to find someone to save him. She noticed.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm looking for Omi. Is he here?" she asked. Dojo nodded, looking warily at the cat. He slowly led the way. The girl patted the panther on the head.
"Stay here and be good Izzy," she said. The cat made a grumbling noise, but lay down on the grass anyway. Dojo led the girl through the hallways until they arrived at the room where the remaining Xiaolin warriors were still congratulating Omi.
"Omi!" Dojo called. "You have a visitor!" All eyes turned to the door, where the girl had just entered. She noticed the ebony haired woman clinging to Omi.
"Helen!" Omi exclaimed. Helen's purple eyes scanned the room, trying to fit names that Omi had told her with faces. Omi gently pried Yue's arms from around his waist and walked over to Helen.
"Are you okay? What happened when I left?" he asked. Helen smiled, but was careful to keep her lips closed.
"He let me go. And he gave me my necklace back," she said and lifted the pendant up to show him. Omi frowned.
"But why did you come here?" he asked. Helen's eyes went to the floor.
"I didn't know how to get home, so I came here since it looked like the temple you told me about," she said. Yue walked up to them.
"Omi? Who's this?" she asked. Omi turned to them.
"Oh, sorry. This is Helen; she was the answer to that riddle," he explained. Helen smiled again and waved shyly.
"I'm sorry, too. You must be Yue, Omi's fiancée," she said. Yue smiled.
"Yes, that's me," she said. "Did my brother treat you well?" she added. Helen nodded. Clay, Raimundo, and Kimiko also came and introduced themselves. Omi watched and noticed that Helen always kept her fangs carefully concealed. He crossed his arms.
"Don't you have something else to tell them, Helen?" he said as he smiled for a hint. She grimaced. Everyone stared expectantly at her. She sighed in defeat and smiled, exposing her sharp, pointed canines. Everyone stepped back a small bit, except Clay and Omi. Clay came closer.
"What makes your teeth like that?" he asked curiously. Helen stared at him.
"I-I'm a vampire," she said nervously. Clay's eyes widened.
"Really?" When she nodded, he turned to Omi.
"We can trust her not to eat us in the middle of the night, right?" he asked. Omi laughed and nodded as he placed his arm around Yue's shoulders. He turned to Kimiko.
"Do we have any extra rooms, Kim?" he asked. She nodded.
"She can have my old room since I don't need it anymore," she said as she leaned against Raimundo. Raimundo smiled at her and put his arm around her as well.
"You mean I can stay here?" Helen asked.
"As long as you wish. A friend of Omi's is a friend of ours." All heads turned to see Master Fung standing quietly in the doorway. They had forgotten all about him. Helen turned to Omi.
"What about Isadora?" she asked.
"She can stay in the same room if you want," he said.
"Who is Isadora?" asked Yue. Omi squeezed her shoulder.
"Isadora is Helen's pet panther," he explained. Clay walked over to the vampire girl and offered his arm. She looked at him, but took it.
"I'll show you where Kimiko's room was," he said, and they went off down the hallway. Yue looked up at Omi.
"Are there any more surprises we should prepare for?" she asked. Omi bent and kissed her.
"Nope, I'm pretty sure that's all of them. Except for this one," he said as he scooped her up into his arms. She giggled and kissed him. Then they waved to the remaining Xiaolin warriors as they made their way down the hall to their room. Luckily, Yue had remembered to buy Omi a new toothbrush.
A month later, Omi and Yue were finally married. A month after that, Helen and Clay starting dating. A year after that, the temple received an invitation to Hoshi and Celeste's wedding. They all attended. Then Raimundo and Kimiko had a son. A year after that, Clay and Helen also tied the knot. Omi and Yue also had a child, a daughter. When Tsuki turned eighteen, she replaced Yue as moon goddess. Like her mother, she stayed at the temple unless she needed to fulfill something duty as goddess. And, for those who wonder, she stayed away from her uncle unless it was absolutely necessary. Therefore, she was never betrothed. And until she had a daughter, none of her husbands ever endured what her father had.
To put it simply, they all lived happily ever after.