(Thanks so much for reading this far! I'd like to mention that I went back through and edited the first six chapters a bit, hopefully everything will be a little more consistent now.

As always, I really appreciate critiques on my writing. Be as harsh as you can! It helps me a lot! Thanks again!)

Chapter 9 – New Friends, Old Friends

Jack opened his eyes, and the familiar sight of his little room in the temple greeted him. He sighed heavily and put his one good hand behind his head. Dashi had certainly given him more than just training to think about.

He had only been laying there a few minutes when Omi's head popped into his line of sight. He held back a surprised shriek.

"Jack, you must come quickly. Raimundo wishes to speak to all of us," Omi grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. Jack was amazed, not for the first time, at how strong the little monk was.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, jeez. No need to be so pushy. What's so urgent anyways?"

"He said he would not tell us until you were there! He said it concerned the whole team! I am certain it is quite urgent!" Omi began dragging Jack off down the hall toward the infirmary.

The whole team? Jack forcibly kept his eyes from watering. Did Raimundo really think of him as a teammate? Jack knew Omi and Clay had no problem accepting him into their little family, but now both Rai and Kimiko seemed to be doing the same. He hurried into the infirmary with Omi.

Raimundo was propped up on some pillows. He looked a lot less like a mummy than when Jack had last seen him in the real world, but he also looked a lot weaker than the warrior he had just finished sparring with in his dream world. Clay and Kimiko were sitting on either side of him.

"Finally!" Kimiko grinned over at them.

"What took you so long, partner?" Clay smiled over as well. "Feels like we've been waiting here for hours; I never knew Rai could keep a secret even for a few seconds."

"I am quite sorry, my friends," Omi hurried over and sat next to Clay. "But Jack was being most lazy. He was not on the training grounds at all but merely resting in his room!" Omi shot an accusing look at Jack.

"He was with me, Omi," Rai interjected before Jack could defend himself. "I tried to tell you that, but you ran off too quickly. Jeez, you could really learn some patience, Omi."

"Patience? I am very patient! I am the most patient person I know!" Omi turned his glare up toward their leader. "Now, what did you want to tell us? We are all here! What are you waiting for?"

Raimundo laughed and motioned for Jack to sit in the available chair next to Kimiko. "All right, all right, chill little dude. Jack actually already knows this, but—"

"What?" cried Omi, the pitch of his voice rising. "Then why did you make me go and get him?"

"Because we need to decide together what to do about it." Raimundo seemed to hesitate before continuing, and Jack knew why. "Look, Jack and I have been traveling to a sort of spirit world when we sleep and training with Grand Master Dashi."

"What?" Omi's cry was more of a shriek this time. "Grand Master Dashi has been training you? And you?" he turned an accusing finger on Jack. "But…I have been training in the temple my whole life! I should be the one Grand Master Dashi chooses to train! Not…not…"

"Yeah, yeah, we know Omi," Rai rolled his eyes. "He said he'd end up training all of us eventually. He just needed to train me first since I'm the leader. And…uh, well…" he hesitated, obviously worried Omi would turn his indignant anger on him. "I'm the one who told Dashi to train Jack.

"But, Raimundo, why would you go and do somethin' like that?"

"Yeah, Rai. I mean, no offense, Jack it's just that…"

"Yeah, no offense partner, but you've still got a long way to go here at the temple. The four of us are the ones who could really benefit from Dashi's training."

Clay and Kimiko weren't angry like Omi, but they didn't bother to hide their disappointment. Jack opened his mouth to tell them that he couldn't agree more, but Rai interrupted him again.

"Guys, that's exactly the point. Jack needs to get better, and fast, if we're ever to beat Chase once and for all." Jack knew Raimundo was making up an excuse to get out of revealing his true reason for supporting him the whole time.

"Chase is way too tough for us on our own, especially now. And Jack is the perfect weapon. Chase will underestimate him. As a team, the five of us can take Chase, Hannibal, Wuya, or whoever." He grinned at them, and his excitement seemed genuine. Jack was impressed at how good of a liar the Xiaolin monk was. "But he's too far behind to help us out right now. No offense, dude."

"Hey, none taken." Jack held his hands up and smiled.

"So he needs to improve as quickly as possible. I've even put some of my training with Dashi on hold so he can train Jack." He grinned over at the new monk. "He's been doing a great job, too. I never knew you had so much potential, Jack. Guess I should have listened to Omi."

Omi's look of frustration vanished and he nodded at Raimundo. "Yes. I always knew Jack would be a great warrior for the side of good!" He beamed at Jack, who suppressed a chuckle at how easily the little monk was distracted.

"I reckon that makes sense."

"Yeah, as long as we get to train with Dashi eventually, too." Kimiko grinned at Jack. "Training with the Grand Master? You've certainly come a long way from 'Jack Spicer, Prince of Darkness,' eh?" She elbowed him in the ribs and winked.

Jack laughed with her but noticed Raimundo's look of relief out of the corner of his eye.

"Right, so, anyway. That's not what I wanted to tell you. Dashi told us something totally weird just a little bit ago while we were training…"

"Yeah," Jack nodded, leaning forward as the other monks did the same. "He said that Wuya used to be a Xiaolin monk. Not only that, but she was a chosen one, like you guys."

"She was training at the temple at the same time as Dashi, Chase, and Master Monk Guan," Rai explained. "Her element was earth."

They sat in silence for a moment as the three monks digested the information. Omi was the first to speak.

"What was Chase Young's element?"

Raimundo and Jack relayed the information they had received from Dashi.

"So," Rai concluded. "I was thinking we could do some snooping and find out about the old witch's past. I'm sure Dashi would tell us if we insisted, but I don't want to bring up any bad memories. Anyway, I figured we had plenty of resources available to us. But if we can't figure it out on our own I will ask Dashi. I feel like this is pretty important information."

"I agree," Omi nodded. "This is most troubling. I was unaware that there were more ways to turn a good person evil than just the Lau Mang Long soup."

"Maybe Wuya had some sort of situation similar to what happened to Raimundo," Clay suggested.

"Yeah, maybe that's why she thought to try and pull him away from us," Kimiko grinned over at Rai. "Of course, he didn't exactly make himself a difficult target."

"Hey, come on you guys, when are you gonna stop teasing me about that?" Rai laughed.

"Well how do you suppose we should go about getting this information?" Clay asked. "I mean, I guess we could go straight to Wuya and ask her…"

"I doubt she would tell us," Raimundo said. "If this was something she wanted us to know, she'd probably already have let us know."

"Wuya is indeed most secretive," Omi agreed. "We will have to trick the information out of her!"

"Yeah, but how?" Kimiko tapped her chin thoughtfully. "We could ask her and then uses the Mind-Reader Conch to get her reaction…"

"That may not work so well," Raimundo frowned. "It's probably a long story and she's not an idiot. She can just focus on not thinking about it."

"Perhaps she would be more likely to tell her old accomplice?" Omi suggested, looking over at Jack. The others turned to him as well.

"Uh…I don't know…she might, if I asked her just right. She does love to brag about stuff. But…" Jack paused. "The thing is…I think Dashi might be wrong about this. Or possibly pulling our legs."

"What do you mean, Jack?" Kimiko frowned.

"Yeah, I was actually thinking the same thing," Raimundo nodded. "Except I don't think the problem is with Dashi. It's just a hunch, I guess, but I don't think Wuya remembers being a monk."

"Hey, yeah, that would make sense," Jack nodded thoughtfully.

"Why do you guys think that?" Kimiko pressed.

Raimundo and Jack eyed each other, both unsure of how to respond.

"Well, for starters I had to explain to her who Chase was."

"Yeah, and she doesn't use her element properly. It's like she knows she has earth powers but was never trained to use them right," Rai added.

"Well, we could always just ask Master Monk Guan, right?" Clay suggested.

"Hey, yeah," Kimiko grinned. "We could just fly on over to his temple on Dojo…" She paused, glancing at Raimundo. "Oh, right…well…"

"You guys should go and I'll stay here."

"No way, Raimundo. Were not leaving you all alone here, partner."

"We should just wait until your wounds have healed," Omi said.

"No, I think we should figure this out as quickly as possible," Raimundo leaned in close and motioned for the others to do the same. "If there's some way to turn Wuya back to the side of good we'll never get a better chance. I'm sure it won't take her long to escape from the temple basement. Honestly, I'm kinda surprised she's still there at all."

"But, still, we can't just leave you here…" Kimiko protested weakly.

"I won't be alone guys, don't worry." A thought seemed to have occurred to him. "Why don't the three of you go and Jack can stay here with me? He's injured too, so he should stay anyways. That way we can keep working on our training even while were awake." He grinned over at Jack.

"But what if Chase attacks again?" Clay asked.

"I don't think he will," Jack spoke up. "The only reason he sought Rai out in the first place was because he felt defeated when you guys scared him off. He feels like he's won for now, so he'll probably just hang out in his cave."

"Yeah," Rai agreed. "And while we're here we can ask the old hag about her past. Who knows? Maybe she does know something."

The three warriors seemed hesitant, but Raimundo insisted and they finally headed off to find Dojo.

"Are you really planning on talking to Wuya?" Jack turned to Raimundo after the others left.

"Oh, no." Rai grinned. "I'm gonna have you do it."

"I…don't think that's going to work out. Wuya's not exactly happy with me right now…" Jack didn't actually know exactly how Wuya felt about him at the moment. He did, however, know that he didn't want to go back and try to talk to her.

If he found out I was worried about him… Wuya's voice echoed in Jack's head and he again wondered why he had spilled his guts to her earlier.

"Yeah, well, she's never happy, is she?" Raimundo leaned back onto his pillows and put his newly healed arms behind his head. "But if anybody has any chance of getting info out of her it's you, her former cohort."

"Don't forget the 'former' part in there," Jack pointed out. "Honestly Raimundo, I think you've got a better chance of getting her to talk than I do."

"Maybe we should both go," Rai grinned. "Gang up on the old hag."

Jack preferred that to going in and facing her alone. At least he wouldn't spontaneously confess any more secrets…hopefully…


"I can't believe this! How could four Wudai Warriors get beat by one little kid?" Dashi complained loudly.

The four monks were sitting in the courtyard in a circle. Their wounds were mostly healed, though Roland had come to their rescue before any of them had sustained any serious injuries. At least, Wuya thought Roland had saved them. The fight had been going on for a few minutes when the boy, Hannibal, had looked up into the sky in response to a loud call from the bird that had been sitting on his shoulder earlier.

Without a word to the four monks he had turned and run. Seconds later, Roland had hurried out to their aid.

"Well, maybe if Chase hadn't gotten in my way…" began Guan.

Chase quickly cut him off with a sharp laugh. "Ha! Me, get in your way? Surely you must be joking, my friend." He shot Guan a grin. "If anyone is the weak link in our team it's you, Guan. Your attacks are far too volatile. You should learn to control yourself better…"

Guan's eye twitched and he growled at Chase. "I think you are mistaken, my friend." Wuya couldn't ignore the sarcastic emphasis on the last two words.

"Calm down you two," Dashi snapped at them. Wuya looked back at her friend. His irritation scared her. Dashi was usually so happy… "We're going to have to work together to beat this foe."

"Oh, really?" Guan rolled his eyes, turning his frustration on Dashi. "I thought we would face him one at a time, Dashi, but your plan is much better."

"I agree," Chase turned his mocking smirk toward Dashi as well. "What a brilliant idea…"

"Hey, you two were the ones going at each other," Dashi raised his voice slightly, not quite yelling. "You obviously needed someone to tell you to stop."

Chase and Guan both started retorting loudly and soon the three boys were in a heated argument. Wuya sighed and leaned forward motioning the others to listen to her. The three noticed and immediately went silent.

They all leaned in close and Wuya spoke at little more than a whisper. "Our loss was not owed to our own weakness. Our martial arts skills are not enough to defeat this foe."

"She's right," Dashi agreed. "What was up with those weird abilities he used?"

"Yes," Chase nodded. "It was as though he was controlling some element unknown to us."

"He was using Heylin magic," Master Shan walked up to their tight circle. Wuya and Dashi slid aside and made room for him. He sat cross-legged and nodded his thanks.

"What are you talking about, master?" Guan's question was out of his mouth before Shan was even seated.

"As the four of you use the elements of the earth, so too can others use supernatural abilities." Shan smiled at them, his characteristic serenity calming the four monks despite the fact that his words were far from soothing.

"The most powerful of the supernatural forces in the world is Heylin dark magic. Your elemental powers combined are its equivalent in theory. But divided, you could never hope to face a Heylin sorcerer."

"But master, we combined our powers and tried to fight him already. We couldn't even touch him. His magic is too strong." Dashi looked up at his father for guidance.

"Yes, young monks." Shan smiled sadly at them. "Your elemental powers combined could defeat him, but only once you have mastered them. As of now you cannot hope to face a foe with abilities as advanced as this boy's."

"No!" Chase clenched his fists in frustration.

"But it could take years to finish mastering our elements!" Guan's temper was short, but in this case Wuya completely understood his frustration.

"But master, we can't wait that long," Dashi's eyes darted in Wuya's direction. She read his look immediately. That boy hadn't shown up without a reason. He had made his intentions and desires quite clear. Wuya felt a shiver go up her spine. He wanted her.

"That boy may have caused difficulties for you children, but his abilities are not fully manifested either. Roland would have no trouble defeating him."

"But Roland can't be with us all the time," Dashi pressed. "He has his own duties…"

"I don't want to hide behind Roland!" Guan jumped to his feet, and Clay followed him quickly.

"I agree. I will not suffer the humiliation of being defeated by a mere child." His dark eyes narrowed as he looked over at Guan. The two seemed to come to a silent agreement and they headed off toward the training grounds together.

"Master, I…" Dashi's eyes darted nervously at Wuya. "There's something we didn't tell you abou…" he paused abruptly, catching Wuya's look urging him to stop.

"Yes, my son?" Shan smiled down.

"Uh…nothing. Sorry, it's nothing."

Shan eyed the two for a moment, then he stood and headed back into the temple. Dashi leaned close to Wuya.

"Why didn't you want me to tell him? He could help us…"

Wuya's voice was slightly stronger this time. "I am causing trouble for you. That boy was here for me. I do not wish you father to know that I am causing trouble. He may decide I am too much of a danger to keep around."

Dashi's laugh filled the courtyard. It surprised Wuya, but what surprised her even more was when she found herself smiling along with him.

"Wuya, don't be ridiculous!" He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her up to him, causing her to blush furiously. "Dad would never, ever do something like that. I thought you trusted us by now." He smiled down at her and wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her against his chest.

"Wuya, we are your friends here. We will always protect you." He leaned back slightly and looked into her eyes. "I will always protect you."

She felt the slight sting of tears in her eyes as she clutched on to his clothes and buried her face in his chest.


Wuya awoke to the sound of footsteps in her cell and the dream ended abruptly. She sat up quickly and noticed, too late, that a tear was sliding down her cheek. Raimundo, who was in a wheelchair, and Jack, whose arm was still in a sling, certainly noticed as well. The two were both holding onto the Serpent's Tail.

The warriors stared at her for a short, frozen moment, their blatant shock showing on their faces. Then she reached up and hastily wiped her cheek while the two boys seemed to simultaneously find the walls and ceiling of the cell quite interesting.

"Yes?" Wuya snapped. The two flinched and looked back at her quickly. "What do you two fools want?" She bared her teeth at them in an angry snarl.

"Well…uh…we came to talk to you…" Rai stammered.

"That much is obvious." She crossed her legs and leaned back, running a hand through her long hair. "What did you want to speak to me about?"

Jack recovered first. He walked up to Wuya and stood over her in what he obviously thought was a menacing way. She looked up at him, unafraid. "Wuya, we want to know if you were ever a Xiaolin monk."

The question caught her so off guard that she was unable to hide her sock.

Raimundo caught the look easily. "Aha!" He pointed at her triumphantly. "So you do know something about it! You used to be a good guy, didn't you? You were a chosen one, just like us!"

"An interesting idea. Where did you hear that?" Wuya's voice was casual, her face giving nothing away now that she had herself back under control.

"Well, that'll just be our little secret." Raimundo grinned. "Unless you want to give us some info first. How about a trade?"

The idea appealed to Wuya, but she didn't let it show. She began inspecting her nails as though the conversation was boring her and responded casually.

"I'll think about it. Perhaps if I was given more suitable living quarters I'd be more willing to make deals with you, Raimundo." She shot a grin up at Jack. "You give little Jacky here a room up in the temple, why not me? You know I'm just as trustworthy as he is."

"Yeah right." Raimundo rolled his eyes. "It's gonna take a lot to make me trust you, ya old hag. And for the record, I trust Jack with my life."

Wuya noticed Jack's involuntary reaction to his friend's words. His cheeks turned slightly pink and a smile crept onto his face. The look of pleasure and pride almost made Wuya smile. Instead, she turned her attention back to the other monk.

"Yes, well, as touching as that is, I'm still not giving you anything while I'm locked down here eating bread and chicken broth for every meal."

"I'll talk to Master Fung," Rai said. "Maybe we can figure something else out for you. I'll let him know you deserve a reward for your good behavior."

She scowled at him. He winked back at her and motioned for Jack to accompany him out of the room.

After their exit, Wuya leaned back against the wall and thought about her dream. The thought of Dashi promising to protect her made her laugh aloud. Dashi, her protector? He was the one who imprisoned her! She could still remember the look on his face when he opened the puzzle box, thinking he would trap her forever with his clever little toy. His triumphant smirk was so different from his loving smile in her dream.

It's time to send certain evil packing.

She squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples with her fingertips.

I will always protect you.