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Heir of Shadows

Everyone remained silent during the ride back to the Xiaolin Temple. The air was tense yet no one was willing to try to lighten the mood. Each of the monks was still trying to wrap their minds around what had happened on the island. No one was sure what to make of the entire situation but they knew it would lead to trouble.

Raimundo let out a sigh. He directed his attention to Kimiko who was leaning against his chest. She had been shook up pretty bad by the whole ordeal. Raimundo had calmed her down some but she still kept her sights on Jack the entire flight. It was almost like she expected him to wake up and attack her once more. She rubbed her sore neck, lightly skimming over the finger shaped bruises.

Raimundo felt a spark of rage at the sight of those bruises. He quickly dismissed the feeling, not wanting to tip Kimiko off and possibly cause her to worry. Instead, he looked over towards the front of the line. Omi was busy fiddling Kimiko's PDA (How the hell did that get here!? I thought Kim left that in her room…) while Clay had a firm grip on Jack. Jack, who looked like he wouldn't be waking up for a while, was in bad shape. Raimundo knew that since he was the one who hurt him. Thinking about what he had done at the time he felt guilt coil itself around his insides.

If Dojo hadn't of stopped me I would have killed him. And what would I have gained for it? Just the dead body of one Jack Spicer. What makes it worse is that Jack was innocent. It was that 'Yunxu' guy inside his head that hurt Kim. Jack just ended up receiving the beat down instead, Raimundo thought. He sighed once again and hugged the small young woman close to his chest. Kimiko turned her gaze up to his face and offered a small smile. He placed a kiss against her forehead.

"How are you holding up?" He whispered to her. She was about to say something, then thought better of it. Kimiko just shook her head and fixed him with a sad stare. Raimundo knew that she was worried about what was going to happen. Worried… and terrified.

"It will be okay. Once we figure out just who Yunxu is we will be able to find a way to help Jack." He said as he grinned down at her.

"Oh yes, we most certainly will! Jack may be on the side of evil but we will not abandon him in his time of need." Omi added looking back at his friends. Kimiko smiled at the kind hearted boy. Omi was always willing to help anyone. Even if it was their worst enemy, Omi would rise up to the chance to help them out.

For a little guy he has such a big heart, Kimiko thought.

"One thing I don't really understand," Clay cut in, "if that Yunxu fella had been inside Jack's noggin' this whole time, how come we only just now met 'im? Also, if Jack was able to use that 'shadow-y' power don't ya'll think he would have been usin' it to win more of them showdowns?"

The other three monks looked at each other, realizing that their Texan friend had a point. Why hadn't they known about all of this until now? Surely Jack would have been able to show he wasn't as weak as everyone thought him to be. He would have been able to win more Shen-gong-wu no problem. So why didn't he? More importantly, why hadn't Yunxu appeared during all those times Jack was failing?

"Perhaps Jack did not know he was capable of such things?" Omi said, more like asking instead of stating. Raimundo thought back to the conversation between Dojo and Yunxu.

'Which is why his spirit should have been broken years ago! If it wasn't for the dragon of fire and that other brat I would have already had this boy under my thumb, doing my bidding. Yet, even after everything I've done to cause him to crack, he continues to block me out. But the shadows…hehehe…the shadows helped me find a way to break him.'

'Soon enough he will lose himself completely. Once that happens, I will have my revenge.'

"I think there is more to it than that Omi." Raimundo whispered, talking more to himself instead of the small monk. There was one small detail that stuck out in his mind.

Yunxu had said 'his spirit should have broken years ago'. Raimundo gazed at Jack once more, a sense of dread formed in the pit of his stomach.

Dude, just how long…?

Dojo landed in the courtyard where Master Fung was waiting patiently for his young dragons to arrive. He walked over to Dojo to greet the young monks, yet as soon as he saw each of them had look uneasiness upon their faces (not to mention that Jack Spicer was unconscious in Clay's arms) he knew that something was wrong.

"What has happened?" He asked as Dojo shrank back to his gecko size.

"Big time trouble if you ask me." Dojo muttered crawling onto the elder man's shoulder.

"What do you mean Dojo?"

"Master Fung," Fung looked down at his youngest student, "Do you know of someone by the name 'Yunxu'?" His eyes grew wide.

"Omi, where did you hear that name?" The older man asked with anxiety laced through his voice. Omi threw a quick glance in Clay's direction. He followed the boy's gaze and realized it wasn't Clay he was looking at.

"I see. Though may I ask what has happened to young Spicer?"

"Jack attacked Kimiko and I…I kind of let my anger get the best of me. Yunxu had possessed Jack and I didn't consider that there was something wrong until after I had to be stopped from hurting Jack any farther." Raimundo said, looking anywhere except at the older man. Master Fung regarded the Shoku Warrior for a moment.

"Though your actions were understandable, you should have realized that that something was amiss before you had let your rage cloud your judgment. It is not wise to allow yourself to cause great harm to others while they themselves have no control over what has happened." Raimundo winced at the harsh tone but nodded none the less. Master Fung turned to head back towards the doors into the temple.

"Come along young monks. There is much I need to discuss with you but first we must tend to Jack's wounds." The Xiaolin dragons followed their mentor into the temple.

One of the elder monks had Clay place Jack on a mat inside an empty room that no one was using. After he had checked over Jack's wounded ribs he came to the conclusion that Jack had two broken ribs as well as a couple bruised ones, all on one side. He then checked the boy's broken arm. There were a couple of breaks inside his forearm. His wrist had suffered from 3rd degree burns, which was clearly going to cause scaring as it healed.

Clay had to hold Jack down as the elder proceeded to set his bones back into their proper places. Jack whimpered and jerked a little each time a bone was being set. Other than that he was completely still. The elder covered his burned wrist with a healing salve and wrapped it with bandages. For his arm they had used a splint to keep his bones in their proper places as he healed. There was not much else that could be done for his chest area. They left Jack alone so he could continue to rest.

Kimiko, once Raimundo pointed out the injury, had her neck examined. Aside from discomfort and the obvious bruises she was fine. Though, the elder had said that it was best if she watched how she turned her head for a little while. Once everything had been settled the Xiaolin dragons met with Master Fung to discuss the situation.

"Now tell me young monks," Master Fung started out once his students were properly seated with him, "how much do you know of Yunxu?"

"Aside from the fact that he makes Jack look like he has a split personality and he had some kind of strange shadow like power, not much. "Raimundo said. Master Fung nodded.

"Aside from only learning about his past, I too don't know much about him. What you need to know, young monks, is that Yunxu's tale is not joyful one. Back many years ago, after Wuya was imprisoned and Chase had become immortal, Yunxu was once a young Xiaolin apprentice. Like Omi, he too was raised by the monks of the temple. He was trained in the martial arts and his skills were great. The monks had believed that he was fated to become a power Xiaolin Dragon. However, it was during when Yunxu was at the age of ten did those beliefs become dashed.

"You see, Yunxu had a certain 'unique' ability that caused both shock and fear in many of the monks. He had the power to manipulate and control shadows by will; such power like this was quite unheard of. It was this ability that caused the monks to believe that he may have come from a family who practiced in some form of Heylin magic. Though, this claim could not be proven since no one knew if his family still existed. Because of his powers, Yunxu was kept from becoming a Xiaolin Dragon."

"I take it that didn't go over well with him." Raimundo said, already guessing where this story was leading up to.

"Correct. Yunxu was in raged with the monks that had raised him. The monks claimed that it was because that he was still not ready to become one but Yunxu knew this claim was false. It was then did others start to ridicule him, claiming him to be a 'Heylin demon'. A fight had broken out between Yunxu and another apprentice due to these claims. It was during this fight did Yunxu find out the truth. Hurt from the betrayal by the ones he called his family, Yunxu left the Xiaolin Temple.

"Since he was thought to be a Heylin descendent, Yunxu believed that Heylin was what he was meant to become. For many years Yunxu had delved into evil ways as he grew and developed his powers. Because of his control of the shadows he became infatuated with dark Heylin magic. He had believed that he could control pure darkness with his power of the shadows. This, however, was when he began to lose his humanity to the very darkness that he could 'control'.

"Not only had he fed his rage into his power, he had also fed his very soul to the shadows. Yunxu had allowed the shadows to twist his way of thinking and to change his body. He was transformed into a creature of darkness."

"Like how Chase Young transforms into his other form?" Omi asked.

"No, young monk, this transformation was quite different. Chase Young is capable is transforming by will while Yunxu forever remained the monster he became. It was because of this change did Yunxu set out to destroy the entire world. Yunxu, lost within his own insanity, began abolishing village after village throughout China. He had slain anyone who had tried to oppose him. Men, women, and children, all had fallen by his hand.

"The Xiaolin Dragons were sent to stop this never ending massacre. Yunxu and the warriors had fought each other greatly. The battle was won and Yunxu had perished, making a vow to destroy this world with the aid of the 'Heir of Shadows'. For over a thousand years, this vow had stood unfulfilled. I had believed that his return was but a myth… until you had proved that he has returned and his heir does exist." Master Fung concluded as he looked at each of the young dragons. The young monks all glanced at each other. Finally, Raimundo spoke up.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out just who the 'Heir of Shadows' is. Now that we know more about the guy we are up against how do we go about getting him out of Spicer's head?"

"I'm afraid that is what you will have to figure out on your own."

"What!? B-but Master Fung! How are we supposed to do that? Isn't there like some super Shen-gong-wu that could, I don't know, exorcise evil demons or something? You have to know something!"

"I wish I could tell you there was kid," Dojo moved down onto the stone floor, "Yunxu had gotten mixed up into some powerful stuff back in the past. There is no telling what it will take to get him to separate from Jack. We will try to fine as much information as we can, but right now my advice is that we have to focus on making sure that Jack gets better." The monks nodded at the little dragon's request.

"We will help Jack Spicer when the time calls for it. In the meantime we must be patient. You may all rest for the remainder of the day." Master Fung stated. A course of 'Yes Master' sounded before the older had started to leave the room.

"…There's…something else…" Kimiko had said just before Master Fung had left the room. He stilled and turned back, watching Kimiko humbly wring her hands together.

"Yes Kimiko?"

"There was a woman at the island. She… used the new wu on Jack and somehow that caused Yunxu to... take control of him." Raimundo's eyes widened as she spoke. He had almost completely forgotten about the mysterious woman when the issue with Yunxu had come about.

"That's right! She shot Jack with the Nightmare Bow before she had disappeared. She said something about him learning to realize his true potential. She must be connected to Yunxu in some way. There is no way that she was human! She had these really freaky pure white eyes…"

"Yeesh, made a lot of new friends today, haven't you?" Dojo said.

"It is possible that this woman may be helping Yunxu take control of Jack. Though, until young Spicer has awakened, we won't know for sure how to aid him. It would be best for you to be cautious around him as well. With Jack in his weaken state; Yunxu may be able to possess Jack's body and attack at any given moment. "

The Xiaolin dragons all nodded. Master Fung left the teens to their devices. Clay and Raimundo had left to go do whatever it was they wanted to do. Omi decided to continue to train on his own. Kimiko was the only one who remained where she was.

"What's eaten ya kid?" dojo asked her as he crawled over to her. Kimiko picked him up and held him eye level.

"Dojo," She said softly, "If Jack can control the shadows much like Yunxu had, is it possible that he could… that he could…" Kimiko could not finish her sentence but Dojo could see what she was wanting know. He placed a clawed hand on her cheek.

"I don't know for sure. Jack may call himself evil but even I know he doesn't have it in him to become like Yunxu. I don't know how long Yunxu has been rummaging inside his head but Jack must be made of tougher stuff than we thought if he held on for this long. Don't worry Kim, we will figure this out." Satisfied with his answer, Kimiko smiled and placed him back on the ground. Dojo watched sadly as she walked away. He sighed and crawled in the direction of Jack's room.

Silently, the small dragon slithered through the open doorway into Jack's room. Jack was still oblivious to the world around him. He continued to slumber as Dojo crawled closer towards him and place his scaly, small hand against the teen's forehead. Jack twitched from the touch but otherwise remained how he was.

"You really had it rough, haven't you kid?" The dragon whispered as to not awaken the red-head. Dojo sighed and shook his head. It was true that he had known Yunxu when he was a child. Yet, he had never guessed that he would ever witness such a drastic change in a person. Even if he had strange powers that others could not understand, he had potential into becoming a great warrior. Instead, he had allowed his rage get the better of him.

Thinking back to that night when Yunxu had left the temple, Dojo could still remember the way that Yunxu had crumbled from the words of the other monks. His silver eyes showed such pain, such anger…

The warmth they held when he was a child was completely lost that day.

The next time he had seen those eyes was when they no longer belonged to the boy he knew. Those eyes, showing only insanity and rage, had belonged to a murderous monster. Dojo shuddered thinking about how much of a change Yunxu had gone through. It was horrible.

As he glanced down at Jack, Dojo's thoughts shifted back to the way Jack had begged for forgiveness. The dull and dead look in his eyes had bothered the dragon greatly. Never had he ever seen such a look before from the teen. Hell, he had never heard the boy sound so broken before when he spoke. Even after Jack had lost, got beaten up, and got ridiculed on a daily bases. The boy had a sense of 'evil' optimism that hardly seemed to waiver. Jack always came to fight in the Showdowns; acting like nothing could ever bring him down. Dojo's breath hitched when a particular thought had struck him.

Was that what it really was? Acting? During all this time… could it be possible that he only acted the way he did to cover how much pain he was really dealing with? Why didn't the kid just say something? Dojo couldn't quite understand why Jack would allow for himself to suffer by Yunxu's hands while dealing with the harsh treatment from others. It didn't make sense…

'I think I just might be getting to the poor boy. I wonder how much longer it would take for his spirit to completely shatter.'

He won't have much longer if things remain as they were, Dojo thought as he removed his hand from Jack's forehead. He left the room quickly. He would have to wait to figure out the reason behind Jack's motives at a later time. Jack needed rest and frankly, Dojo could use a nap himself. The dragon went in search for a nice warm spot to sleep. All the while letting his thoughts drift back to conversation with Kimiko.

That kid had better be stronger than we thought. Otherwise I could end up becoming a liar if we don't get rid of Yunxu for good this time…


I not really sure but I think something might be off? Anyways, read and review please! Hopefully I can have the next chapter in soon. If I don't have to worry about anything else going wrong with my computer...