Story 11

This is a JCA fanfic.

A sixteen-year-old girl with long black hair tied up in a bun was executing perfect martial arts in the air. When she finished, she sat down on a nearby chair and panted for breath.

Uncle Jackie would have been proud of me. A pang went through her chest. Uncle Jackie. Slowly, tears escaped her eyes.

After the Dark Hand's last attempt at freeing the demons had been spoiled, Shendu/Valmont attempted to kidnap Jackie. They succeeded. Desperate, Jade had called the Jade Team. Oh, how she remembered. It had been a dark day, and she and Paco had been the only survivors.

Captain Black had been broken-hearted, too, but he had pulled himself together in time to invent a story of a car accident. And that's what everyone thought.

[Flashback]

"Jade, Paco, leave," Viper gasped, as she fought the Dark Hand. The shadow-khan were getting stronger, and they were losing, though Jackie had been released.

Hak fu zoomed in for the death kill. Tohru slumped to the ground. He had leapt in front of them just in time.

In a last attempt, Jackie pushed Jade and Paco out while Uncle chanted the chi spell.

Seconds after they left the building, it exploded. They had been shocked, and had just stood there until Captain Black came.

Viper's fortune had been left to Jade, and El Toro's fortune had been left to Paco. Uncle's store and Jackie's money had been left to Jade's family. Paco and Jade had parted ways at the airport, and had never seen each other again.

Viper's fortune was a huge secret, the one comfort Jade had left, for it gave her something to daydream about. She wasn't allowed to withdraw money from it until she was sixteen, something that helped keep it a secret from her parents.

Jackie's money and Uncle's store had been a small fortune, but most of it had been used to pay off Uncle's debts and for Jade's older sister Lotus's college expenses. A small portion of Uncle's magic books had been left to Jade, and Jade kept them in her room.

When she got home, no one believed her stories about the Dark Hand and the talismans. Her mother regarded them as fancy stories, and her father believed that they were stories she made up as a psychological comfort. After several visits to the "shrink," Jade told them only to her angel-like younger brother, Jackie, named in honor of Uncle Jackie, for he had been born several weeks after Uncle Jackie's death.

Jade had begged her mother for martial arts lessons, but her mother refused. Jade sulked. So what if she was nothing like her genius older sister, Lotus? Or if she was so different from her flute prodigy younger sister, Opal? After several weeks of sulking, she made a pact with her mother. She didn't care if her twin sister Blossom had skipped a grade. She would be angelically good, and work hard in school, and everything, if she could have martial arts lessons.

And so that was why she had long hair instead of her usual short hair. After being told it was either long hair or no martial arts, she had grudgingly let it grow, but refused to do anything with it until it began getting in her way during martial arts class. Then, she began to learn how to put it up in ways that would keep it out of her eyes and wouldn't give her opponent an advantage.

Jade sighed. She was going to America tomorrow. Back to America. She smiled wryly. At least her English was already perfect.

She sighed and continued punching her punching bag.

Over the years, as Jade tried being the perfect lady, she found that the easiest thing to do was sink into her studies until the time where she could vent out her frustrations. So with each accomplishment she got, she also got something out of her parents.

At first, it was a simple. Each time she got straight A's; she would get new martial arts equipment. After a while, when she skipped the grade, her parents were delighted. Jade soon got permission to join any class she wanted as long as it wasn't too expensive.

During that precious time where she could discard her "lady" image, she learned discipline, patience, etc.; all the little things Uncle Jackie had been trying to teach her. Of course this helped her to control her red- hot anger during school, etc. where she was constantly teased.

Jade made no friends, for she didn't want to. The friends she had made in America … well, they died. All, that is, except for Captain Black, who merely retired. She hadn't seen from Paco from so long, but that was a good thing. Seeing would bring back memories she had stored away a long time ago.

So when she graduated from high school, she no longer wished to stay in China. She decided to go to Harvard, in America. Her parents were surprised, and told her that she had to complete college before eligible for a scholarship to Harvard. She bluntly told them that she needed no scholarship, as she had enough money for a tuition fee. She sent in her form, and within days, a letter was sent back, accepting her. (In China, you finish college before being eligible to win a scholarship to another college in another country, and only if you're really smart.)

And so she was headed back to Harvard. She shivered. Back to America.

It was summer vacation. The school term was over. Jade smiled. Harvard had worked her hard, and she barely had time for her martial arts, but she squeezed it in, and even got a neat job at an antique shop. Curious. Another antique shop owned by an eccentric old man with a nephew who did everything he told him to. Jade shivered. Déjà vu, major.

In Harvard, she had remained aloof, distant, and cold, unlike her usual friendly self. She had bluntly refused dates, which came like raindrops, pattering away, annoying her to no end. She had left her hair long, deciding that it made her look weak, and gave her the advantage of surprise when sparring, but had it up constantly, and disliked taking it down. Jade was no longer the impatient, bouncing, carefree tomboy of youth. She was now calm, possessed, and skilled. She was a perfect lady with moves of death.

A young man fell in step beside her, looking about several years older than her. He had a face resembling Captain Black's slightly. It was round, with eyes that seemed suspicious of many things. But he wasn't bald. Instead, he had short brown hair, trimmed neatly. He wore a black suit, like Captain Black's, down to each shoe.

"Jade?" he asked.

She ignored him.

"My name is Augustus Black Junior," he said.

She turned around. "Now, you've got my attention," she said, turning around, looking at him coldly.

"I am Captain Black's son," he said.

"I kind of figured that," she said, raising an eyebrow. "And since when did Captain Black have a son?"

"Just because he was in charge of Section 13, doesn't mean he didn't have a family life," Augustus said. "Anyways, I just turned 20, and I am now of legal age to take over Section 13."

"And I care because …" Jade asked.

"The talismans and the Pan Ku box have been stolen recently. I believe that it's the Dark Hand, but they consider me a child, and I know nothing," Augustus said bitterly.

"Get Paco to help you," Jade said coldly. "I have a life."

"And I don't, senorita?" a voice piped up behind him. "That's cold."

"Paco?" Jade asked, startled.

"Jade," Paco smiled.

"No," Jade said. Without another word, she walked off.

"I expected her to do more than recognize me," Paco said, startled. "I mean, she always hated me, and I always hated her, but I thought she'd at least say something."

"My father said she was always carefree. Have you seen her file? She skipped a grade and is attending college early. I don't think this is the Jade you know," Augustus said wryly.

Jade sank down onto her couch. She sighed. She knew what they were going to ask of her. They wanted her to devote her whole life to destroying the Dark Hand, like Jackie did, like Uncle did, like El Toro did, like Viper did, like Captain Black did. And what happened to all of them? They all died, except for Captain Black, who is no longer Captain of Section 13, and can't do anything anymore.

Almost involuntarily, an image of Jackie and Uncle popped up.

"Jackie! See what you do. Jade now no longer wants to help good. Just like you! Jackie! You bad influence. One more thing. Jade! Help Captain Black's son," Uncle said, before hitting Jackie with his two fingers and disappearing.

"Jade," Jackie said, staring at her. "What have I told you about bad guys?"

Uncle appears again. "Stupid Jackie! Jade isn't joining the bad guys!"

Jackie looks sheepish and scratches his head. "Jade. Captain Black's son is nice. Help him fight the Dark Hand."

A disgusted Viper shows up. "Move over, big guy," she says, rolling her eyes. She looks at Jade. "Lookin' good," she smiles. "Been using my money much?"

Involuntarily, Jade shrugs. Viper smiles. "Some advice, kid. Refusing to do anything against evil is just as bad as doing the evil."

A medley of voices swirls out. "Do it for us!" they call.

"We sacrificed our lives fighting the Dark Hand. Think you can help a little?" Viper asked softly. "See ya around."

Jade snaps out of her reverie. "I'm going to do it," she announces to the empty apartment. "After all, it is Summer Break, isn't it?"

Jade stood in front of the empty alley. A single phone booth occupied it. "Take the phone booth or the stairs?" Jade considered. "Taking the stairs would be the lady-like thing to do. I'll take the phone booth!" she smiled wickedly. "I haven't ridden on a roller coaster in a long time."

As she stepped into the roller coaster, er, I mean phone booth, it spun around her, finally dumping her out on the floor. However, Jade lands with ladylike grace and looks around her. The section is crowded with people, all of them streaming in from the stairs. None of them notice her, as all of them are busy doing one thing or another.

Jade blends in with the crowd, and walks toward where she used to live. As she passes by familiar spots, memories overwhelm her, but she manages to blink back her tears. As she gets to her room, voices are heard inside.

"Wow! This is Section 13?"

"It's pathetic. My father ran it much better. I mean, the security is so lax!"

"Security? Lax?" Jade stepped out. "Sorry to disillusion you, Augustus, but even in your father's day, security was lax. How else would a ten-year old girl be able to steal all of the talismans?"

A. B. Jr. and Paco turned around at the sound of her voice, and their jaws dropped. Let me explain. When they last saw Jade, she was wearing loose jeans and a hooded shirt, similar to her outfit she wore oh-so-long ago. Now, she wore a tight black skirt that ended at mid-thigh and a rainbow-colored spaghetti strap. Her long hair was down for once in her life, and she looked much more feminine, for over the years, she had developed. She wore makeup, which she only did out of habit, and high heels.

"Hello?" Jade waved her hands in front of their faces. "Anyone home?"

"Umm. Since when did you wear makeup?" Paco ventured.

Jade's face darkened. Paco's face fell. He knew that look. Thinking quickly, he hurriedly made his escape, and left.

"So how long have you worked in Section 13?" Jade inquired.

AB Jr. looked away. "Umm. I don't work in Section 13." There was a silence.

"You don't?" Jade asked. There was definite edge to her voice.

"I work in Section 12," AB explained. "You see, I just joined, and they put me higher up out of regard for my father."

"You just joined and you want to rule the roost?" Jade asked. "You are waaaaaaaaay too ambitious for your own good." So saying, she left.

As she walked out, she noticed a familiar door. Oh yes. This was the room in which the one scientist guy. Alex? He had worked on experiments in here. Gently, she entered the room.

"Who're you?" a rough voice called out.

Jade whirled around to see … "Drew?"

Yes, it was her childhood friend. The guy who didn't believe her stories and scoffed at them, but yet brought her amusement.

"How do you know me?" Drew asked. He now had a jackknife in his hand.

Jade stared at him dryly. "If you think that's going to stop me, you've got another think coming."

"Umm. Yeah. So who are you again?" Drew asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You really don't remember?" Jade asked. "You know, the one person who told you all about Section 13. By the way, why are you here, anyways?"

"Some dopes used funny symbol things to explode my house, and me and my parents needed a place to stay," he said nonchalantly.

"They're talismans," Jade said dryly. "I told you about them in fifth grade. Don't you remember?"

Drew stared at a Jade for a long time. "Jade? What are you doing here?"

"Why not?" Jade asked.

"Section 13's a secret," Drew said.

"They're not good at keeping it, are they?" she said dryly. "They still haven't changed their base after 7 years."

"You're not supposed to be here?" Drew asked.

"Of course not," Jade snapped. "Now, if you're done with the stupid interrogation, I'm going to look around."

So saying, she slipped out the door, and blended in with the crowd. With each look around, more memories came surging back. Finally, unable to take it anymore, she slipped into an empty room. She was about to cry, for the first time since Uncle Jackie had died, but a hand fell on top of her shoulder. Gasping, she whirled around, only to see it was Paco.

"I know how you feel," he said in a low voice. "I moved out of the village as soon as possible. It had too many memories."

"I just want to forget," Jade said desperately.

"Don't," Paco said forcefully. "Don't forget. There is a saying: a man is not dead until he is forgotten. Don't erase their existence from the world, for they only live on within our memories."

Jade snorted. "How many times have I heard that one?"

"How many times have you heard it from someone who knows exactly how you feel?" Paco asked. There was a silence, and then Jade sighed.

"Okay," she said. "I'm calm. Let's get back. I'll meet you and A.B. at … at where Uncle's antique shop used to be."

So saying, she briskly took off, and Paco sighed, and walked in the other direction. Neither noticed the small pair of eyes that watched them. [Who owns the pair of eyes? Drew! Duh!]

The once-shabby antique store was now an elaborately decorated teashop. Sitting on a small table set for one only, and permitting one only, sat a young girl. Her long black hair fell over her shapely body, and a halo-like sheen surrounded it. She wore a traditional Chinese dress that emphasized her curves. The night outside was dark, and the moonlight gently shone on her hair, and stressed her mahogany brown eyes. Her dark red lips were pursed thoughtfully. [Imagine the episode about the Wild West. Picture the girl who first appeared and looked nothing like Jade, so Jade claimed it was typo, but a bit older.]

Through the door walks another young girl around the same age. She rested at a small table of one, too. Her long black hair was put up in a bun, knotted with sticks poking into it, keeping it out of her face. She was petite, and though she looked slightly out-of-place in the surroundings, she had the grace of someone as at ease as can be. She wore a form-fitting top that resembled the top of a Chinese dress, but her dress went to just below her knees, and swept around her comfortably. She ordered green tea, the same beverage the former girl ordered. Her eyes swept the room and fell on the only other girl in the room, and her features tightened.

Taking her eyes deliberately off of the other girl, she watched the door warily. If they came in before the other girl left, it would be … but it was too late. A.B. Jr. and Paco came tramping through the door, followed after a while by Drew, who avoided their glaring gazes.

Their eyes swept over the room, and fell on the other girl first, and drooled for about five seconds, before meeting her. Her face was turned away. If her sister would carry tales, she would not care. She was doing this for Uncle Jackie.

"Jade," A.B. Jr. called out.

Reluctantly she turned around and gave them a curt nod before turning back around. Shrugging, they went over to the table, pulled some chairs, and called the manager over to get their orders.

At this time of night, decent people would be sleeping, but the manager had stayed, for the first young girl had ordered cup after cup of his most expensive tea, and he didn't want to drive her off when profit was coming in. Then, to his good luck, a second girl had come, and had ordered more of the expensive tea. Now, three more boys had come, and they were ordering some of everything.

Jade, A.B. Jr., Drew, and Paco conversed quietly in low tones. The others often looked up at the girl to see if she was listening or to give her longing glances, but Jade completely ignored her.

When they got up to leave, the other girl did as well. As the guys walked ahead together, Jade dropped behind. When the other girl was by her side, she stopped abruptly, as did the other girl.

"If you tell Mother …" Jade's threat trailed off. "You have been following me," she said abruptly. "You were watching me the other day when I told Paco where we would meet." [Hah! Psyched you out! Not Drew, but this girl.] "What will you tell Mother?"

The other girl gave her cool glance. "I am your twin sister, whether you like it or not, just like she is our mother whether we like it or not. You should know that I do not carry tales. I am not that kind of person."

Jade bowed, just as the other guys turned around to see her. "Xie xie, Blossom," she whispered.

Blossom bowed back. "You would do the same for me," she whispered back.

Then, without regarding each other, they parted ways. Jade walked ahead calmly.

"Who was that?" Drew asked.

"My twin sister," Jade responded calmly.

Sputtered choking was heard, as Paco and A.B. Jr. had been eating a fortune cookie each.

"And you didn't tell us?" Paco demanded.

"It did not matter," Jade dismissed. Over the years, she had learned how to adopt a cool tone.

"Excuse me?" A.B. Jr. demanded. "You're twins with the cutest girl alive, and it doesn't matter?"

"I said it doesn't matter!" Jade said, her voice tense and edgy. Then, she gave him a cold glare. "Beauty's only skin-deep, but intelligence lasts forever," she said. "I'm going home now."

"It's somebody's time of month," Drew muttered.

"I heard that!" Jade called out.

A slightly younger version of Hak Foo with black hair leaps out. Behind him are miniature versions of Valmont, Shendu (in dragon form and female), and another exact miniature of Hak Foo, but the younger younger Hak Foo is, like eight years old, and has red hair. The youngest Hak Foo miniature is creeping behind everyone, and isn't noticed.

"I am Hak Too, Hak Foo II," the black-haired Hak Foo calls out.

"I am Valmont Junior, V.J.," mini-Valmont says, bored.

"I am the child of Shendu, Shenli," the female Shendu says.

"And I am-" the youngest is cut off.

"You're not supposed to be here, Hak Woo," Hak Too says impatiently.

"Please," Hak Woo begged.

Hak Too slumped. "Fine," he ordered, "but stay out of the way."

Hak Woo smiled.

Hak Too smiled, too. "Angry Eagle Steals Baby Birds!" he yelled. He leapt through the air, did a back flip, and landed silently on top of the roof. He leaped again, breaking through the glass window, ran in, grabbed something, and came running back out. They escaped.

Back at their hideout, V.J. paced back and forth in front of Shenli. "You made too much noise," V.J. growled.

"It would have helped if there were other lackeys helping," Hak Too growled.

Shenli's eyes flashed. "You know that Mudan, Meigui, Lixue, and Chunhua are still debating over our offer."

"I don't understand why we don't have ordinary American lackeys like my father, not the expensive Four Sisters," V.J. complained.

"Precisely my point," Shenli hissed. "First, females are superior to males, and therefore will serve us better. Better yet, the Chinese are skilled fighters, and the Chinese Flower Quartet is the best assassin group. They will do what we wish if we offer them a high enough price. Raise to one million dollars, Valmont Junior." Her glare silenced any possible protests against the female-superior-to-male comment she made. (Though we all know this is true.)

"Yes, Shenli," V.J. sighed. "You will be sure to bring back my father and Hak Foo and supply lots of money for the debts?"

"Yes," Shenli said irritably. "Now that we have the Talismans and the Pan Ku box and most of that pesky man's magic books, we can do most of it, but I need the other books. You must find them."

"Yes, Shenli," V. J. sighed. It was going to be a long day with a b****y dragon ordering him around.



Jade was contentedly sipping tea in the teashop she frequently visited, when a crash came through the window.

"Hands up," a girl in a green outfit ordered. "We want all the money and your antiques in the back."

A girl in a red outfit rolled her eyes. "You say it with style, Chunhua. Like this. Hands up, everybody. This is a holdup. Put the money into the bag slowly and get us the antiques in your storage room."

"Like you're any better, Meigui," the girl in the white outfit said. "You're Chinese accent is ruining in the atmosphere."

"Shut up," the girl in the pink outfit said. "Lixue. Meigui. Chunhua. We are here for a reason. The money and the antiques. Now!"

Jade smiled, amused at these girls' antics. Although they were probably trained assassins, they were obviously making as much of their stay at San Fran as they could. She could see a couple of brochures poking out of pockets.

The owner of the teashop hurriedly dumped a small sum of money into their bags. "What else do you want?" he asked, trembling.

"The antiques in your storage room," Lixue reminded. "Like Mudan said."

"But, but, but," the manager protested. "They are already sold … I cannot give them to you. They are promised to another."

Meigui pulled out a curved knife. "Then you'll just have to un- promise them. That's not a problem, is it?"

The manager gulped. "Fine with me. I don't care." He scurried to the back of the teashop, and came back carrying a bundle of books. Jade's eyes narrowed. Uncle's magic books.

Before she could do anything though, a voice spoke. "I don't think so."

Three figures were outlined on the rafters, their features hidden.

"Flowers of the Magnolia," Mudan hissed, her face contorted with hate.

"Chinese Flower Quartet," the figure that spoke first filled her voice with disgust.

"Have you enough courage to confront us at last?" Chunhua demanded.

"Let go of those books," a second, even voice, said.

"What are you going to do about it?"

A/N: I'll leave you hanging. Give me one email, and I'll write more.