Hey guys, sorry it's been a while. So it looks like I will be posting yet another chapter from Junjie's POV. This was originally intended to follow another chapter from the Jade Palace because it was written as P2 of the last chapter then divided and saved for later, but I haven't had much time to write. And I think you've been waiting long enough, so here you are!
PS- Enjoy. We may not be hearing from Junjie for a while due to a secret I don't want to unveil yet (it's hinted at the end of this). There will be a few more leading up chapters with the Jade Palace, and the action will come then. Who knows? Maybe we will see more villains…
I hope you're enjoying it so far!
Chapter 9 Masters Are Always Right
Junjie: Past
Later on that night, every warrior that had fought in the war felt a sense of pride so strong that, though their bodies were worn out, it was nearly impossible to sleep. Junjie sat with his fellow students around a fire. They were all joking about the war, teasing one another: he was currently at war with Fenghuang. Chao and Shifu, the more well-behaved students, were just sitting on logs listening to everything silently.
Fenghuang officially got on Junjie's nerves when she placed a wing on herself, bragging openly about her skill. "You men are too easily distracted. I mean… While Shifu was out cold and you were staring at a pretty vixen, I wiped out most of the army myself."
Junjie glanced at Chao and Shifu, then rolled his eyes at Fenghuang and mocked her by bowing three times. "Oooohhhh…." he cooed in sarcastic amusement.
Chao shook his head and noticed Shifu staring at a scroll picture. "Shifu, what are you looking at?"
Shifu quickly rolled it up. "Ahh… Nothing."
Fenghuang knocked it out of his hand. It landed at Junjie's feet. He stared at it in boredom. He could have caught it… If he'd wanted to.
"At his thief girlfriend," Fenguhuang teased, sighing the last word.
"She is a thief?!" Chao gasped.
Shifu scrunched up his nose, annoyed at Fenghuang. "No, no! I mean, she's getting better…"
The owl paid him no mind. "I don't understand romantic entanglements…" she said.
Junjie stared at the ground and cackled at that statement. Several others around the campfire snickered a little at him, too. Fenghuang whirled at him so hard it caused a mini tornado he barely dodged. "Shut up!"
"Alright, Fenghuang. What exactly do you not understand?" Chao asked. Neither Shifu nor Junjie said anything. They'd quickly learned to ignore her selectively. Junjie wasn't curious about the subject at all.
Fenghuang stood up straight and tall. "I mean, her being a fox and rogue, I would think Junjie would be head over heels for her. Not 'The Honorable Master Shifu' over here. Turns out, it's quite the opposite."
Junjie smirked and unrolled the scroll. "Hmmm…" he sighed sadly. "She could be prettier… And not a thief… You're right. Not for me. You really don't understand."
He tossed the scroll over his shoulder, not really caring where it landed. Shifu caught it. "I'm glad you don't feel for Mei Ling, Junjie. Because… Well… I care for her."
"Aw, don't feel bad…" Fenghuang cooed in false sympathy, "Junjie says that all the time. I never thought he'd care for anybody. Well, until she walked on the battlefield."
Junjie kicked a stick over and turned to let her know exactly how that went. But then he noticed her tilt her head behind her as a gesture. Junjie spotted Xia's tiny sillhoutte sitting peacefully under a shade tree, away from everyone but occasionally watching them. When he looked closer, he saw she had on a clean green robe that brought out the green color of her eyes. Junjie was stunned by how beautiful she looked.
Fenghuang whistled to the others in a way that told them she was under the impression they'd lost him. "I think we've finally found his 'type.' Keeps to herself, doesn't she?"
Chao glanced over, finally deciding to bite. "Master Xia? Ooohhh… Fenghuang. She doesn't know anyone yet. She's a very young master and the daughter of the late Master Zihao. You remember he recently passed-"
Junjie's eyes popped open at the mention of his favorite role model. He'd done a late of great things for China, but he was the first champion stilt fighter as a hobby. Junjie was dismayed to learn that he had an accident in his last tournament. His opponent accidentally caught him at the wrong time, and at the wrong angle. When he kicked, the end of the stilt impaled Master Zihao. Rumor had it his daughter that he'd been training ran on to the field, and he passed away later that night.
Junjie took a few steps over to Chao. "Master Zihao?" he asked eagerly. "Is that her? His daughter?"
Chao took a sip of tea. "I think so, yes."
Fenghuang gave him a nudge from behind when he glanced back at Xia. "You could ask her to come over."
Junjie kept his cool posture. "When a warrior sits alone, madame, it means they want to be alone. Why would I interfere?"
"Fine," Fenghuang said, "I'll ask for you."
Junjie leapt into the air and grabbed her foot as she took flight, just in time to latch on before she was out of range. There was absolutely no telling what she would say to Xia.
Junjie jerked down on her foot and bared his teeth. "Get back down here!"
Fenghuang flew around in a frenzy, jerking him around in the sky, teasing him. "Oh, Xia," she sang in a sickly sweet voice. "Junjie wants to talk to you. After all his name does mean 'handsome and outstanding.'"
"You'll do nothing of the sort! Bring us down!" Junjie snapped.
Fenghuang glanced down at him carelessly. "And why not?"
Junjie looked down and gasped. They were too high in the air for his liking. Above a pond, close to where Xia was sitting under the shade tree. And Fenghuang was talking about dropping him.
He changed his tune to reason with her. "Fenghuang… Could you… Ahh…"
She tucked the foot he wasn't hanging on to under her, implying she was about take away the one he was holding on to. He swung around to get on her back. "No!"
He smirked when he noticed that he'd actually made it on her back. His eyes widened in alarm when Fenghuang glared over her shoulder. He swore her head was backwards on her shoulders. Her mission had changed from teasing him to getting him off her back. There were those who could ride others who flew… But they needed the whole-hearted permission of the flyer. And he'd never seen Fenghuang offer anyone the pleasure.
He gulped, knowing what he was in for and instinctively grabbing fistfuls of feathers. "Just fly us dow-"
She felt him grab her feathers and the challenge was on. Suddenly, Fenghuang made a sharp swoop downward. Junjie's whole body was in the air except his fists clenching on to her feathers for dear life. Then he was slammed into her back when she stopped.
"No," he scolded.
She swooped again. Side to side. Down and up. Again twice. Junjie was knocked around every which way. Then she stopped. His nose jammed into the back on her head.
"Noooooo," he scolded.
She spread her wings out once more. Junjie held on even tighter, dreading it. "Ooohhhh….."
They went into a full on circle then. She even dipped him in the water. It happened so fast Junjie didn't even spit out a mouthful of it until he opened his eyes again and found them midair once more. To his horror, they were facing the shade tree, where Xia was watching them with a confused expression.
"Fenghuang, no! Go down!" Junjie jerked her feathers up and down and kicked her hard in the sides. That did it for that ride. Fenghuang swirled at the tree full speed. The force of the spinning was so strong Junjie instantly flew off.
He hit something. Hard. And then it felt like he bumped something else. He groaned and waited for his vision for clear, already plotting exactly how he was going to murder Fenghuang before she killed him.
When he reached out to push himself off the ground, he was horrified to find that he'd landed right on top of Xia. Her eyes were half open and filled with misery, like she'd been waiting on him to get off.
Embarrassment surged over him as he scrambled off of her. "Oooohhhhh….!"
He quickly pulled her to her feet, then realized she might not have been ready for that when she stumbled forward. He caught her, and found himself babbling. He dusted himself off to have something to do with his hands.
"Oh, my! I'm terribly sorry! I never dreamed she would go towards you… In fact, I never meant that to happen at all. I don't know what came over us. I'm so very sorry…"
He found Fenghuang behind them, cool and calm once more, holding a scroll that apparently belonged to Xia in one wing. He sneered, snatched it from her, and handed it to Xia.
"Fenghuang, you…! Are you hurt? Please let us help if you are. Xia, we are….so very sorry."
Xia shook her head and dusted herself off before snatching her scroll away from him. "It's fine," she growled.
Then she started to walk away with her head down. Junjie couldn't speak a moment, then a word just slipped out.
"Wait!"
She turned to face him, and no more words magically came forth. He folded his hand in his robe again and bowed to her in respect, taking a deep breath for courage as he did so.
When he stood up, his voice was a lot calmer. "Master Xia, we truly hope you are alright. I know you…might have come to the tree to be alone, but… Please… Join us. Everyone would love the pleasure of knowing you are alright."
He offered his hand arm to her with a small, shy smile. Fenghuang just propped on her hip and waited, but seemed sincere enough. Xia glanced at Junjie, then glanced at Fenghuang uncertainly.
"Umm…."
Fenghuang spread her wings to show her she meant no offense. "Alright. I'm sorry to you. But all I have to say to him is that if he EVER jumps on my back without permission again, it is war."
Then Fenghuang pushed herself into the air, leaving Junjie and Xia alone with a cloud of dust. Xia smiled a little and swooshed her tail from side to side before finally taking his arm. "Well, she's thrilled with you."
Junjie proceeded down the hill. "She's flattering herself," he joked. "I have no desire to ride a flyer at all, much less her. She was teasing before. That was an accident, let me assure you."
He smiled when she giggled, and brought her the rest of the way to the campfire. The rest of the night was interesting. They sat together, but talked very little. Everyone else talked to Xia first without her acknowledging them first most of the time. Junjie learned a lot about her this way.
When Chao inquired about her father, she only commented that this was her first battle without him. But Junjie could see everything in her eyes. She missed him. Probably the reason why she'd taken the chance to sit under the tree since Mei Lien was injured and Shi was off talking with Oogway.
There was a silence after that. Junjie offered her some tea, which she gladly accepted so she wouldn't have to say anymore.
Just when the fire was nearly out and they were all about to turn in for bed, Oogway and Shi arrived to announce that their departure day was set back.
There were various reactions. Some were indifferent. Others, like Shifu, were eager to get home and sighed. They all stood there waiting for an answer. When it was apparent Oogway and Shi were not going to give one, someone in the back spoke up.
"Reason?"
"Rain," Oogway answered calmly, walking off.
They all looked up at the sky. It was clear for miles around. Fenghuang shrugged like she didn't really believe them. "Okay."
Everyone dispersed, deciding that a longer stay meant longer time off after the battle. Junjie stayed behind with Xia, swooshing his tail from side to side. Xia sighed. "Well, thank you for inviting me over, Master Junjie."
He called to her as she walked away. "Xia!"
She turned around.
"What will you do tomorrow?" he asked.
"Tomorrow?" she repeated.
"Yes, since we aren't leaving."
She thought about it. "Well… Probably nothing with Mei Lien the way she is."
"Would you care to walk?" he asked.
"Walk?" She examined the sky. "But what about the rain?"
Junjie rolled his eyes up at the sky. "Please… There's no clouds for miles. It will be clear. Our Masters have their reasons."
She peeked at the sky once more, then smiled softly at him as confirmation before going inside. Junjie watched her leave, made sure no one was around, smiled, and went inside the opposite way as Xia.
…
The next day was just as Junjie predicted. Sunny without a trace of clouds or strong winds. In fact, everyone ate breakfast outside and remained there, dispersing to do various things: socialize, meditate, shop, nap, read, draw. It was easy for Junjie and Xia to get away. They asked, but no one else seemed to have the energy to walk even though a few started to. Junjie and Xia, however, enjoyed it.
They found a nice trail with a few challenging hills to climb and beautiful lakes to see. They stopped every so often. And they talked. He was surprised at how easy talking was. Xia was very intelligent. And they laughed. A lot. So much they didn't notice that it was sunset until they stopped to look at the landscape and noticed that it was orange. It was getting late and they'd wondered far.
Junjie touched Xia's sleeve to keep her from going any further. "We'd better go back."
They'd made it halfway when they noticed the sky in front of them turning back. Rolls of thunder sounded in the distance. Junjie narrowed his eyes. Of course.
They were close to the last bridge they had to cross when a sudden, heavy rain showered down and soaked them from head to toe. Junjie was stunned as he felt his clothes clinging heavily to his matted fur. There was no telling how long the storms would last. Now there were no clear skies for miles.
He took Xia's hand. "I think we can make it back."
"In this?" she fretted.
He nodded because it was hard to understand each other over the storm. He continued to hold her hand as he led the way. There were steep hills on either side of them before they crossed the bridge. Suddenly, he slipped in the mud and completely off the hill, accidentally dragging Xia with him.
They tumbled down the rocky, muddy hill, falling all over each other and yelping every time their bodies encountered a sharp stone. They both gasped when they skidded in a mud hole at the bottom of the hill. Slowly but surely, they managed to crawl under the bridge together to get out of the rain. They laid there for they didn't know how long, breathing hard and waiting for their bearings to come back.
Finally, Junjie glanced at Xia. She was muddy and some spots of her were caked with blood. Her clothes were torn, and she looked exhausted.
"Are you hurt?" he asked.
"No," she answered calmly before turning to an attempted joke. "I suppose Masters are always right."
He pushed himself into a sitting position, suddenly feeling dizzy. "Oh. I'm sorry, Xia. I'll get you home. The storm may get worse. If we can just get up this hill, the camp is just across the bridge…"
"No, no, no. It's okay," Xia said calmly. "It was fun. But I think we should rest a moment. Please."
Junjie took time to allow himself to feel. He hurt everywhere. He nodded, realizing it was a good idea. Xia ripped a piece of cloth from the bottom of her ruined robe and wet it. She held it out for him to see.
"Here."
Then she slowly pressed it above his right eye. Junjie blinked, realizing something was running into his eye. Blood from a deep cut, he guessed. Xia helped him clean it as good as it could be before slowly removing the cloth. Junjie felt his ears droop as he smiled and held her free hand to thank her.
Xia turned her eyes to the ground in modesty, but she kept the most beautiful shy little smile he had ever seen. Junjie gently tilted her chin with his hand so that she would look up at him again. For some reason, he didn't want her to feel shy around him.
He froze when he realized he was on the borderline of being immodest, then he didn't care because they ended up lost in each other's eyes for a long time. The only sound was the rain around them. He wasn't sure exactly how their noses got so close together. But then, as if on instinct, he gently kissed her.
He never thought he would feel this way in his life, but it was like…melting. He wasn't sure how long it was until he pulled back. When they opened their eyes, they startled away from each other. Then they laughed a little.
Junjie felt himself blush a little. "I…"
She surprised him by gently kissing his cheek and astounding him with a look in her eyes he couldn't describe. She was so beautiful, and she was telling him it was okay. Junjie took both her hands and kissed her again and again, hearing less and less of the raging storm.
Sometime later, he opened his eyes with a grin. The storm was quiet except for the pouring rain. Xia was still sleeping in his lap, her head resting on his shoulder. Junjie flinched at just how cold, sticky, muddy, and sore he felt. He sniffed, and noticed that Xia did as well. If they stayed much longer, they risked illness for sure.
He kissed Xia's temple and ruffled one of her ears. "Xia, Xia! Wake up. Do you feel like trying to head back? We just have to make it up the hill…"
Xia smiled up at him at first, then leapt to her feet. "Junjie! We stayed out all night!"
"We had no choice," he laughed.
"Oh, but what will the others think?" she fretted.
"I think we could sneak in if we leave now," he said, taking her hand. "Want to try?"
Xia nodded as he stood. He winced when standing caused his right knee pain. He scoffed. A battle won with no scratches. One hill tore him to pieces.
He nodded to her, enjoying the feel of the rain washing them off. "Go ahead of me, just in case you slip. Watch your step. I'm right behind you."
Xia nodded before gently kissing his cheek and climbing the base of the hill. He startled, smiled, and went after her. They'd made it almost all the way when she slipped on a loose stone. Junjie caught her by the hand and hoisted her back up.
"Keep going. Almost there," he encouraged.
Xia nodded and pulled herself to the top of the hill. She helped him up. The two stared at each other a long moment, enjoying the triumph of the moment, before darting across the bridge and over to the palace where they were staying.
Junjie peeked around the corner to make sure no one was coming, then nodded to Xia, who dashed into the hall in stealth mode. He placed his hands behind his back and nodded to her. To his surprise, she reached out her hand for his. He held it until her small, slender hand slipped out of his when she ran off.
Junjie smiled once again and made his way through the halls without noticing anything in particular. Fenghuang was right. He had it. And he had it bad. As much as he hated to admit it, he felt like Shifu. He didn't care what anyone thought. He thought he loved Xia, and that was good enough as long as it was good enough for them.
They left a few days later. Junjie was teased about it, but he and Xia spent as much time as they could together. The decision to part ways and return to their training was difficult. Actually, neither he nor Xia said anything because they both knew they would end up parting ways. So they acted as if they weren't leaving at all. With Oogway's disappointment weighing down on him, Junjie felt heavy as he said goodbye to Xia and watched her walk away with Master Shi and Mei Lien, who seemed to be just able enough to walk on her own.
Junjie noticed that his ears were drooping when he spotted his shadow, then another shadow consumed his. Junjie whirled around to see who was behind him. He tilted his head when he saw that it was Oogway. "Master?"
Oogway licked his lips in a way that said he was about to try to make a point. His eyes never left Shi and her students as he spoke. ""The dance between darkness and light will always remain. The stars and the moon will always need the darkness to be seen, the darkness will just not be worth having without the moon and the stars."
Junjie stared at him a moment, dumbfounded. Chao, who happened to be walking by with a bundle to throw in their cart, helped him out.
"Yin and Yang, Master?" he asked.
"Exactly!" Oogway exclaimed. He leaned down and whispered to Shifu. "Yin has a path of nothing but darkness without Yang."
When Shifu just gave him a weird look and moved on, he looked back at Junjie. "They cannot find their destinies apart," he whispered.
Oogway slipped something into Junjie's hand and turned away. When Junjie opened his hand, he found two strings tied to a Yin and Yang symbol. Junjie lit up when he saw that they broke apart. He took the Yin symbol by its string and kept it for himself. Then he ran after Xia.
"Xia!"
When she didn't turn around, he called again. "Xia!"
Her ears perked up a little. Then her eyes popped open when she saw him coming. She waited for Junjie to catch his breath when he got to her. He noticed her eyes drift slightly to Mei Lien and Shi, who were staring at them with confused smiles on their faces.
"Xia, I, uh…" Junjie froze when he noticed them. Then he bowed to them. Master Shi bowed, Mei Lien nodded her head respectfully because she probably didn't feel like bowing yet. Then she and Shi resumed their journey, putting a little distance between them.
He stood there looking into Xia's eyes for a moment, once again at a loss of what to say. Then he silently handed her the symbol of light. All that needed to be said must have been in his eyes. She smiled and took it gently.
They wrote back and forth for years, occasionally getting away to see each other when they could. Everyone was thrilled about their relationship. Well, everyone who knew. Between him completing training under Oogway and taking the opportunity to run the Sacred Onyx Council with Chao, he and Xia decided to marry. And they were never happier. Junjie was sure that meeting Xia had changed his fate.
…
Present
Junjie kicked the door to his room closed, dying for privacy. By the time they got home, his students were either too exhausted or had too much sense to ask for Li. But he was expecting them to ask soon enough.
And he was angry. Angry that his best student betrayed him, angry at Xia….everything.
Suddenly, he couldn't stand the energy. He a nightstand over and punched a hole through the wall. Then he paced the room. "I offer everything I know to be a suitable father and she refuses. Phft!"
He took the Yin symbol he kept tucked in his robe and broke the string around his neck. Then he tossed it in a corner. There was no need in keeping it. Everything it once stood for, everything he'd hoped for, was gone.
…
Present
Junjie slid the door to his room shut with his foot and paced around in the darkness. His students had dispersed for the time being, having enough sense not to say a word about Li. Or Xia. Or his daughter. Or anything. And Junjie was angrier by the minute, despite being alone. Angry about all of it.
He went outside to the meditation patio Xia had insisted that he build when they were married. "To help us relax," she'd said. Junjie kicked one of the candles so hard it caused the rest to fall. Like dominos. Then he tore up the padded mat and flung it completely over the wood rails of the patio.
"I offer anything she wants and she refuses," he grumbled. "What else does she want me to do? Beg?!"
He felt like he might explode until the image of Juan crossed his mind. Her lying there, so small and helpless. Was she really alright? Maybe he should have got Xia to get a second opinion from another physician… Not that she would let him near them.
Junjie sighed and made his way to the Main Room, suddenly feeling heavy-hearted and sad. He took the kite Li had brought him and went back to his room. He set the kite on a table and examined it, looking for what it needed to be repaired.
Just when he had decided that there were many more benefits to just getting Juan a new kite, he heard a strange whispering sound followed by a gust of wind that was out of place for the atmosphere. He raised his head and slowly stood up straight, putting his hands behind his back. He knew exactly who it was.
He was tempted to say something about the front door being available, but he changed his mind and decided to get this over with quick. "Good evening Madame," he said stiffly. "How can I help you?"
A sickly sweet sigh sounded form the corner of the room. Junjie rolled his eyes at the dramatic demeanor and turned around. As usual, he found the form of the invader in the shadows. The only thing he could see clearly were glowing yellow eyes peering back at him.
"Nothing, Junjie. You seemed… distracted at our last meeting. I came by to make sure our instructions were clear."
Junjie swooshed his tail back and forth. "Distracted? Why, no. Of course not."
"Mmm…" The shadow moved around the room, but didn't approach him. "You could take your daughter back, Junjie. Maybe the hard way, but…"
Junjie startled. How did she know about that?! "I…" He stammered for an answer and put his hands behinds his back to keep a calm appearance. "I'm debating on whether or not I want the responsibility. It's… a lot to take in in one…"
"You still love your wife then," she chuckled. Her glowing eyes looked outside in the distance. "I understand completely… But I won't have it jeopardizing this mission. We do whatever it takes. And you agree."
"I still agree," he said quickly. "No distractions."
He didn't need to hear that, if need be, she wouldn't think twice about attacking Xia's location. Junjie narrowed his eyes and took a few steps forward.
Finally, she nodded. "Good."