Hours felt like days, and days felt like weeks. Of course, this was often the case when it came to a slow, arduous recovery. Yet, however slow his recovery felt, Jack was able to do things with his time that he'd never done before.
The atmosphere in the Xiaolin temple held a calming aura of warmth within its silent, ancient halls, greatly conducive to the random hours of sleep Jack succumbed to due to lingering fatigue. He finally felt at peace; lulled by the gentle whisper of serenity into deeply replenishing slumber. When Omi sat near him, watching him rejuvenate, a soft smile would come to his face… This is what it felt like to be cared for. And though Omi practically never left Jack's side, there were a few occasions in which Jack was blessed enough to experience another side of the Xiaolin monks he thought he'd never see.
He remembered waking one afternoon to the delicious smell of peppermint tea, brewed by none other than Kimiko herself. They hadn't exchanged many words, but Jack was appreciative of her company nonetheless. The fiery warrior with blazing eyes seemed to have smouldered into a warm embodiment of kindness. In all, her presence was just as therapeutic as the tea.
Thanks to Raimundo's almost maternal attention, Jack's wounds were inspected and cleaned, and his bandages were changed on a regular basis. Indeed it was quite awkward at first, but one thing Jack discovered about him was that he had an uncanny skill at breaking tension with his wit and infallible charisma. When he noticed that Jack was too sore to laugh, Rai would switch gears and tell him fascinating stories about Brazil. The imagery Rai used in his passionate words seemed to follow Jack into his dreams, while his kind, almost tedious attention made Jack feel stronger by the day.
While he was still a bit weak, Jack's curiosity had led him out of his room and around the surrounding area of the temple. The scenery was positively stunning; birds sang all around them, filling the calm countryside air with their symphonies, blossoms of every size and color sprinkled the brilliant green canopy created by dozens of ancient trees, and fields of shimmering grass rippled like ocean tides in the distance. However, it was Clay's company which made it so enjoyable. Noticing the boy genius was still recovering, Clay took strolls along with him just to keep an eye on him. They slowly came to appreciate each other's company; Jack could feel a protective, caring aura coming from the large Texan, and Clay himself slowly began forming a silent, unsaid bond as he felt the urge to look out for his safety.
All of this had happened days ago and yet, as Jack sat by himself one evening, it was still fresh in his mind as it was in his heart.
And as much as it elated him, this new situation primarily succeeded in tossing dozens of difficult questions at him. He sighed, glancing up at the sky as the sun slowly began disappearing over the regal mountains in the distance. The colors in the sky seemed to represent the state of his mind; a beautiful montage of several faded shades of confusion. Yet, as calm as the evening sky was, his mind was racked with swirling turmoil, questions he didn't know the answers to, and emotions that combated his own preexisting thoughts.
"He's been out there all afternoon," Clay whispered. "Just sitting, and thinking I reckon." He indicated to Jack for Omi, Kimiko, and Rai to see.
"He seems to be feeling better," Kimiko said softly. "That's good and all, but I just wonder what's got him so occupied like this."
"You should go talk to him, Omi," Rai said. "He…. Talks a lot about you, you know. You seem really important to him."
Omi surveyed Jack from afar silently, and then made his way up to where the boy sat, taking a seat next to him. They sat in silence for a while, and Omi turned his attention to the sky. "It's beautiful here." It was Jack who said this, much to Omi's surprise.
The small monk glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. There was a tinge of sadness in Jack's voice that was concerning him. "What troubles you, my friend?"
Another bout of silence.
"All of this, Omi……….. I….. I want to be a part of all of this……."
"Then what stops you?"
More silence.
"I've…….. Devoted my whole life to being a villain, you know that…"
Omi stiffened. "I do."
"You guys are as much an important role in my life than my role as a villain is…. I can't choose one without reluctantly sacrificing the other…."
Omi's eyes lowered, and they sat in silence again. "So what will you do?"
"I don't know…… But until I know………. I can't stay here, Omi. I can't."
Omi couldn't keep his calm visage up any longer. "You cannot go back to-" Jack put a hand over the young monk's mouth, and their eyes met.
"I know that, Omi," Jack sighed, rising to his feet. "But you have to realize something…….. I've always enjoyed being on the other side…. But now that I know what you guys have to offer…. It's making it a difficult choice." He looked away. "But…."
Omi looked up. "But..?"
"I think I know how I want to go from here."
Omi gulped, preparing for the worst. "Yes…?"
Jack turned to him with his trademark smirk. "You and I are rivals from now on."
"Rivals..?" Omi looked thoroughly confused. "I do not understand… Do you not wish to fight with us?"
Jack knelt with a small chuckle. "There's two things I want to protect more than anything, Omi. One, my bad guy persona, and two…." His eyes softened, as did his voice. "More than anything else…. I want to protect and keep the friendship that I've formed with you and the others. You guys… You have no idea how great it feels to be around you… For once I don't feel worthless…. But let's not get mushy. The fact of the matter is, I want to turn our race for the Shen Gong Wu into more of a friendly competition than anything else."
Omi quirked an eyebrow. "What will you do with the Shen Gong Wu? Do you still wish for world conquest?"
"That's a bit old hat to me now," Jack smiled. "I'll do what I do best. I'll study them, document them, and train with them. If this is going to be a friendly competition, I want to finally make you guys work hard for once." Omi looked away, and Jack knelt next to him, clapping a hand onto the monk's shoulder. "Omi.. Don't worry. I want nothing to do with the Heylin side anymore…."
"Train with me."
Jack looked confused. "What?"
"Train with me," Omi pressed. "If you wish to be our rival, it is only fitting that you improve your physical strength as well. That way….. Even if we are rivals…. We will still be able to spend time with you." A smile arose upon his face which Jack returned.
"Done deal." Jack stood and began to walk away, passing the other Xiaolin monks on his way out. "See you guys real soon."
Utterly confused, Rai, Kimiko, and Clay made their way up to Omi, who only watched after the vanishing form of Jack with a smile upon his face. "What was that all about, Omi?" Rai said concernedly. "He's not staying with us?"
"I figured that he would; the guy liked it here so much and finally looked happy," Clay said sadly.
Omi held up his hands. "Friends, friends, do not be concerned…. He does not walk away from us as an enemy now…. He walks beside us now, as a rival."
"So, he's not going back to the Heylin side," Kimiko began, "nor is he joining the Xiaolin side?"
"Exactly," Omi said. "Within him lies potential for both sides. He yearns for the side of good, while he still seems bound by the side of evil… But I saw in his eyes that he is more good than anything else… And I know that he sees it too. If he ever chooses to completely join us, we will be waiting." He closed his eyes. 'Do you hear me, Jack…? I will be waiting… My friend.'
Jack took one last glance at the Xiaolin temple, a smile absently coming to his face. 'Not yet,' he thought to himself. 'But I'll be back, Omi….. Just not yet….'
"You've made a wise decision." Jack froze, completely paralyzed with fear. He could feel the foreboding aura surrounding him, and he turned to see none other than Chase Young standing only a few feet away from him.
Jack narrowed his eyes, taking a step back. "What do you want?"
There wasn't a gleam of hatred in the dragon's eyes now….. It was more a gleam of curiosity…. Of….. Contentment…? Chase approached Jack slowly, keeping his eyes locked on Jack's. "I congratulate you….. After all of this time…. You finally chose the correct side to affiliate yourself with."
Jack backed away again. "I don't understand."
Chase sighed, letting out a low chuckle. "You were never cut out for evil, worm. Quite the opposite, really. I urged you along all this time, trying to get you to realize your mistake. You don't belong on my side, not in the slightest. Wuya knew it, Catnappe knew it, even Hannibal knew it; only you were left out in the cold. Now that you've finally chosen the right side… I can't help but congratulate you on finally using your head."
Jack eyed him curiously. "You mean…… You've been trying to get me to join their side… For all the time that I've known you…?"
Chase nodded.
"…… I'd offer you thanks, but since you almost killed me to prove your point, I'll hold it until a later time."
"Perfectly understandable, Jack. Perfectly understandable."
"… Wait, I know you….. You expect collateral for the stuff you do for people…"
Chase brushed past him. "In this case, Jack, I will refrain. This is something I have wanted for the longest time…. Now that you're on the right side…." He glared back at him acidly. "I won't feel bad about killing you for real, or them for that matter. Protect them well, for now I will pursue them even harder than I have before."
Jack narrowed his eyes. "I will, you can count on that." In an instant, Chase disappeared, leaving only malicious laughter in his wake. Jack finally felt mobility return to his body, and he glanced back at the Xiaolin temple with determined eyes. "Change of plans, Omi……. I'll be your rival……. But I'm going to protect you just as much as you've protected me. In the end…. We really are walking together."
Unable to help himself, Jack let out a semi-evil laugh and ran off into the night.
