Chapter One: His Daughter is Disobedient
Yu was curious about her father's prisoner.
Apparently, he was the master of the troublesome group known as the Power Rangers. She wanted to see what kind of man led the group that her father despised and who cut down every plan that the ever so cunning chameleon devised. So when Camille decided to dump the job of taking food to the prisoner on her in order to take care of some other business, she had almost immediately agreed.
It wasn't often that she was able to see new faces—obviously not including Carnisoar and Jellica.
Ever since she could remember, her father gave her express orders not to leave the temple without either Camille or himself and as of yet, neither had taken her to anywhere inhabited by the people of her mother's kind. Rinshi were her only other company but they were not much company at all. Her status as both half human and Daishi's daughter made them cautious of her. They knew offending her meant offending their leader and to add on to it they knew not how to act around a human, even if she was only partial.
Stingerella was the only one that she was at least sort of close with, but now with her defeated there wasn't someone to speak to without having to watch what she said. Yu felt like some kind of bird trapped in a cage and sometimes she wanted out, if only for a moment.
Adjusting the tray in her hands, she pasted the shadow guards with a nod and went quietly down the hall.
xXx
RJ focused on his breathing, letting his mind fly away to his happy place. There wasn't much to do when locked up in a cell and so his imagination was his only escape. He'd placed all his faith in his students and so the only thing left to do was to sit and wait.
It was the light patter of approaching footsteps that managed to bring him out of peaceful bliss.
Opening a curious eye he soon found a most interesting sight. A woman stepped in front of his cell dressed in blue ancient Chinese robs. Her hair was a strange length, coming down just past her hips and two strands were braided forming a sort of crown on her head. However, it wasn't the way she dressed that threw him off but her strange pure white hair and silver—arguably white—eyes for such a young looking female.
The woman carefully opened the door and placed a tray of food in front of him. She glanced up at him for a moment before looking at the ground and opened her mouth to speak. "Lord Dai Shi wants you to build your strength for the fight." She explained, folding her hands together, palm on knuckle.
RJ titled his head thoughtfully, "Well, You seem rather different…"
The girl became puzzled, "Different?"
"From the others." He elaborated, his restrained hands moving as he talked out of habit. "You… your…" he squinted his eyes slightly trying to make sense of the energy.
She mimicked his head tilt and tried to finish his sentence, "Human?"
RJ nodded, "Human, yes that must be it." He then paused realizing the slim the possibly of a human being in the abode of human-haters, "Human…?" That didn't seem right.
She smiled and gave a curt nod herself, "Human. …Sort of."
He shifted interestingedly, "But what are you doing in Dai Shi's lair?"
The woman blinked innocently, "I live here." She wrinkled her brow in confusion, "You don't know of me?" The way she asked made it seem like she was used to being known.
RJ shook his head, "No. Can't say I've had the pleasure." He leaned forward on his hands, "How long have you lived here?"
"All my life." She answered simply and glanced down at his untouched food, "Will you not eat?"
"I'm not quiet hungry."
"Still, you'll need the strength." When he only shrugged she frowned and gazed into his eyes skeptically. It was like she was reading him. "You do not plan to fight, do you?"
He smiled, "Looks like I've been found out."
The thought seemed to trouble her, "Why?"
"Because I'd just be giving Dai Shi what he wants." RJ stated matter-of-factly.
"But you'll be hurt."
"Mostly likely." He agreed with a chuckle, "Thanks for the concern."
A small silence passed between them before she spoke again. "I have a question…"
RJ unsuccessfully tried to make a gesture with his hands, "Ask away, I'm sure I can make time in my busy schedule." He joked.
"Your students… Do you trust them that much that you would just sit and wait?"
He smile grew slightly, "Of course."
"You are strange." She deduced, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face.
"Is that bad?"
She shook her head with a small smile, "No."
"Yu!" The sound of an angry chameleon echoed through the cell chambers.
Upon hearing her name, the woman went straight backed and snapped around in time to see Camille storming toward her. Grabbing Yu's arm, she pulled her out of the cell and slammed it shut, making sure to send a glare in RJ's direction. "You better not have filled her head with nonsense."
The wolf master merely smiled at the female and watched as the two left. Sighing, he went back to his meditation, questions about the strange woman keeping him from fully concentrating.
xXx
Yu avoided the heavy stare come from her 'babysitter' as they walked down the hall. If she had to guess Camille probably got reprimanded by her father for letting her get near the Pai Zhug master and from the female's comment to the prisoner, she figured her father probably saw her as very impressionable.
"What were you doing down there?" The Chameleon asked finally.
"Talking."
Camille narrowed her eyes, "About?"
"Hm…" Yu touched her check thoughtfully and smirked, "It seems I forgot."
Before Camille could nag, they entered the throne room to find Dai Shi getting warmed up for his big 'showcase', a Rinshi being his punching bag. Carnisoar and Jellica stood, watching off to the side, chatting about something lowly. The dragon drop kicked the poor creature in the head before noticing their arrival. Letting the Rinshi limp away, Dai Shi wiped his sweat away with a towel and placed himself on his throne. "I have brought her, my Lord." The chameleon chimed as she and the half breed advanced further into the room and knelt before their lord and master.
Yu glanced up at her father to find him looking down at her in annoyance. Despite his new body, it was a look she knew well. They would talk about her visiting the prisoner later.
"Jellica would like to see a demonstration of your eyes." Dai Shi explained braking eye contact, "Have they rested long enough since the last time?"
Yu nodded and stood up. Her attention turning to the jellyfish as she and Carnisoar stepped closer. "I need someone to lend me their hands. It helps take off the burden of searching."
To explain, the half breeds eyes were special, they had the power to give her premonitions of the future. They were only glimpses of key elements, phrases, or pictures and it was up to her to put the pieces together.
"I'm sure the useless chameleon beside you won't mind, it's not like she's good for anything else." Jellica offered glancing venomously in said beast's direction.
Camille stood a little taller and made eyes contact with everyone in the room in turn, "I… have no problem with it." She scoffed, though it was obvious she did. Never once had she let the young one read her fortune. Surprisingly she was one of the few who'd rather not know the future before it happened—unless it was something about her master, of course.
"Here." Yu held out her hands waiting as the female hesitantly placed her own on top. Turning the beast's hands palm side up, she brought them up to her temple and pressed her fingers down firmly. Closing her eyes, the half breed took a deep breath and pictured herself and pictured herself walking down Camille's personal timeline, then she felt it—the pull.
Her eyes flew open and she gasped, falling to her knees. Tightening her grip on the Chameleon's hands, her eyes watered and images began to flash through her mind.
A laughing Camille. Her features more softer and at peace.
The caressing of hair.
Footprints in the sand.
Blinking away the water from her eyes, she was greeted by a half frightened Camille starring wide-eyed at her. Releasing the female's hands, Yu took a moment to catch her breath and stood, shakily, her eyes not leaving the Chameleon. "You'll get what you want, but not it the way you want it." Camille frowned, not understanding, so the half breed pointed to her heart. She got it then and her eyes flickered over to the object of her affection for a moment.
Jellica stepped forward, using her hand to lift Yu's chin and get a better look at her eyes. "A little vague, but very impressive… you have quite the gift girl." She cooed and turned to Carnisoar, "Don't you think?" He nodded, muttering words of agreement.
Dai Shi stood from his throne and pulled his daughter away from the jellyfish, a hand covering her eyes. "That's enough. Her eyes take a lot out of her." He turned to Camille, "Take her to rest."
The chameleon nodded and led Yu out of the room.
xXx
Leaning on the cage, Yu laced her fingers around the door bars and watched her father stand confidently in the arena's center.
It was finally the promised time. The Pai Zhuq master and Dai Shi would battle in front of her father's masters to show them how far he'd come. As the Rinshi around her jumped in anticipation, the half breed found herself wondering if the prisoner would truly not fight. She had never met a person (technically he was the first 'person' she'd met) that chose, of all things, not to fight.
Was that not a sign of weakness?
The crowd heightened as Camille came in, pushing the human in front of her. Yu tightened her fingers around the bars and watched as the man was roughly thrown in the lion's den—quite literally.
Dai Shi almost grinned, "At last." He savored the moment by holding up his arms in and glancing up to his masters, "I will be tested by someone worthy… a Pai Zhuq master."
The strange man smiled amusedly and said, "I'm not going to fight you."
She hit her head lightly against the cage and frowned. He really wasn't planning to fight… which only meant that Dai Shi wouldn't be satisfied and an unsatisfied Dai Shi was good for no one.
Her father refused to accept his claim, "Yes you will and when I defeat you, the spirit of the wolf will be mine."
Carnisoar called a start of the fight from his spot upon a balcony with Jellica and the battle was on.
The two circled the cage, Dai Shi looking ready to strike at any moment and the human seeming more on the defensive side. The Lion let out a loud roar and gathered his energy focusing it into his hands before unleashing his spirit's wrath onto the Pai Zhuq master, who flew back against the cage not too far from where Yu stood.
The crowd of Rinshi went nuts at their master's display of power and across the room she could see Camille smiling proudly.
The beast took a moment to allow the human to rise to his feet and then sent a barrage of kicks to his side, forcing the man to move backward. Dai Shi then grabbed his arm and pulled him down in an attempt to attack him with his other, but instead of just taking the hit, the human deflected it. However, the Lion over powered him and hit him in his ribs, then the face, until his back pressed against the cage wall.
As Dai Shi went to hit him again, the master managed to block it and move out of the way of his other hand. Annoyed with him, the Lion grabbed his shirt and slide his body across the bars, the man's shoulder and head repeatedly whacked against the metal before throwing him onto the floor.
This time the Lion didn't wait and forcefully pulled the human to his feet, only for him to kick the back of his knee and force him to the ground before grabbing his collar and suspending him in the air about his head—an amazing feat for even Jarod's body. Even Yu marveled at her father's power this time.
Dai Shi slammed him on the ground and pulled him back up with ease to growl in his face. As if deciding he was no longer worth it he tossed him, the poor soul landing squared on his back and buckled in pain. "Get up and fight me!" the lion ordered and by the tone of his voice, Yu could tell he was not satisfied with the master's lack of motivation—as she had predicted. "Unleash your wolf spirit!"
The human slowly stammered to his head and swayed, a look of determination in his eyes. "Not gonna happen. I'll never give you my animal spirit."
The half breed understood his reasoning with that one statement and suddenly his actions made sense. The human did not want to be separated from his spirit and so saved his energy in order to stop it from being taken, she smiled. Smart man.
Unhappy with this statement, her father gathered his spirit energy in his hand to form an orb of glowing gold, dark energy lacing itself at its edges. Jumping in the air he brought the orb down onto the Pai Zhuq master's chest and prepared to rip out the wolf spirit, he disturbed it slightly but it stayed within the human. Dai Shi let go and the prisoner screamed in pain, falling to his knees and then rolling onto his back.
Sensing the battle's end, Camille opened the cage door. She walked toward her master and the two looked down at the master rolling in pain on the floor, the chameleon looked pleased, but the lion looked quiet the opposite. The two left the cage and the Rinshi started to disperse. Yu took it as her chance to come to the man's aid, she was never one to just watch another suffer—human or Rinshi.
She watched as he struggled to his knees and opened the door, walking over to him quickly she knelt down to his level. "Can you stand?" she questioned softly, placing a hand on his back.
The human nodded, but as he went to stand he lost his strength for a brief moment and tilted but she grabbed him, placing his arm around her shoulder. He managed to give her a weak smile, "Thank you."
"You, girl." Jellica called from her spot on the balcony as she and Carnisoar prepared to leave. Both Yu and the prisoner glanced up at her. "Bring him to the throne room. He can be of use to us."
Yu nodded hesitantly and as the two masters left, she exchanged a confused glance with the weakened man before helping him out into the hall.
xXx
As soon as she and the human entered the throne room, Yu was almost immediately tugged away from the prisoner, almost causing him to fall due to loss of support. Camille took her place, roughly re-binding the human's hands.
Dai Shi held her forearm in a vice grip and gave her a heated glare. "Why do you continue to ignore the boundaries I've place?"
The half breed looked away and against her better judgment said, "Perhaps you have put me behind too many boundaries… they are now so close I cannot take two steps without crossing one."
"Then take smaller steps." If possible her father's eyes narrowed more before dropping her arm. "Don't test my patience any more than this." He warned and turned to the other in the room. "We leave now."
Yu frowned, she knew 'we' didn't include her. Where were they going? And without her… again. She stepped forward knowing she was going to cross another line, "Can I—"
"No." Dai Shi declined before she could properly ask.
"But—"
"Did you not hear me?" He growled, "You can't even follow orders properly."
She clenched her teeth, "I have always followed your word." What she said was true. It was only recently had she started to go astray of her teachings.
"You'll only be in the way." He dismissed as he and the others began to leave.
She didn't understand why she couldn't see the outside world. Why she was forced to be trapped in a temple for the rest of her life. Yu spoke her feelings before she thought about what she was saying, "I'm not a child anymore, Father!"
When she saw the shocked face of the prisoner and the angry expression of the dragon, she knew she'd slipped up. Yu wasn' t sure why Dai Shi insisted on keeping her hidden from the human world, but she'd just ruined his plans with just the utter of the word 'father'.
xXx
What was with the ropes? It was always ropes. RJ moved a bit to see how tight his restrains were. Letting his head fall back and hit the pole behind him, he sighed. No use.
Glancing at his surrounds, he found all eyes to be on Jarrod as he called out to the Rangers in his overdramatic, self-confident way. A cloud of anxiousness couldn't help but form over him as he turned his gaze to the horizon. RJ hoped Casey and the others had done what he'd told them, otherwise they wouldn't stand a chance against Dai Shi.
And speaking of Dai Shi… What was all that about that 'Yu' girl calling him Father? The strange female had said she was human… 'sort of'… but what exactly did that mean? She was nothing like Dai Shi in personality… unless it was all an act, but it didn't seem like one. Either way, it was hard to tell whether she was friend or foe.
RJ was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of his Rangers charging forward from the direction of their hideout. He tensed as a few words were exchanged and then the battle was on.
So, now we know a bit about the actual heroine ~
Hope you like her so far, yeah? I'd love to hear your opinions so don't forget to review!