Oh my... You all must hate me. I'm so sorry. So completely and utterly sorry. Life happened. I've had so much to do and unfortunately this got pushed to the bottom of my list. I apologize to all who PMed me because I lied to you saying that I'd update in a few days and then something came up and I forgot. The truth is I finished this in the beginning of August during my 9 hour car drive to Niagara Falls. I just haven't gotten the chance to post it... until now. So here it is. The final chapter of Immortal Dragon. It's really long (21 pages) and I really really hope you enjoy. Once again I apologize.
Disclaimer: I will say this for the last time in this story... I do not own Xiaolin Showdown

Chapter 25:
Fighting For Life

The air was still and all was quiet. There was no movement in the black lands that surrounded Chase Young's palace. No movement except for a black crow. It cawed in the distance as it flew towards the dark castle and settled itself on the railing of a protruding balcony. There was only one balcony on the side of the palace. The rest of the walls were made of smooth shiny onyx. There were no crevices to climb the sides. No way to enter the castle except the front gate. After all, it was not just a castle, it was a fortress.

The crow cawed once more at the black curtain covering the doorway. The curtain shimmered and then was pushed to the side. Three figures walked out onto the balcony.

The Prince of Darkness placed an elegant hand on top of the crows silky smooth head. Both man and animal closed their eyes then there was stillness once more.

"They are coming," Chase Young spoke. His gaze shifted to Plutos. The older man did not move. He stood, feet apart, hands gripping the railing, shoulders slightly bent forward, facing the mountains that sealed Chase's land off from the rest of the world.

At first Chase Young thought that he hadn't heard him, but then the corners of his mouth twitched upwards into a small smirk. It was the smirk of a master strategist whose opponent has just fallen into their trap.

Wuya took a step forward until she stood besides Plutos. "What are we going to do?"

Chase felt a flash of irritation. It wasn't that he enjoyed Wuya hanging over him, but he was the Prince of Darkness. The one all of the villains came to. The strategist. And now he had to follow someone else's plans. Still, Plutos had promised a share of Aelia's power and they would be partners in the new world. However, once he had the dragon of magic's power he didn't plan on being a second-in-command. He would have to dispose of the elder sorcerer after they had destroyed the Xiaolin Warriors.

"When they arrive, attack them with everything you have. However," Plutos turned around to face Chase and Wuya, "tell your minions not to injure my daughter. They may attack her, but they aren't to hurt her. I want her quite unharmed when she battles me."

"Master?" All three turned around to see one of Chase's servants.

"Yes?" Chase asked.

"Spicer has arrived with his contraptions."

"Very well," Chase said. "Tell him that we will be with him shortly."

The servant bowed and left.

"I still do not understand why you called that imbecile," Plutos hissed.

"Spicer has had his uses in the past and his inventions have often proved to be perfect distractions for the monks," Chase coolly replied.

Plutos nodded. He turned back around to face the mountains and spied two small figures approaching between the peaks.

"Come," Plutos said. "They are almost here."

"So how're we gonna do this?" Clay asked. Raimundo turned around to look at Clay and the rest of his team.

"We're going to go in there. Aelia just wants to fight her father, but that doesn't mean that Chase will just let her waltz into his palace and try to kill his partner. Furthermore, Chase certainly won't let us stay there without a fight so we've got to get Aelia to her father and fend off whatever Chase throws at us. Okay?"

"Yes sir," Clay nodded. He was truly impressed with the leader Rai had become in the few months that he had been promoted. And, frankly, there was no one else at the temple that Clay trusted more to lead them into and out of battle safely.

"They'll have probably called Jack," Raimundo added as an afterthought. "But I don't think Hannibal Bean will be there. Chase and him hate each other too much. During the Great Battle they were just as likely to fight each other as they were to fight us."

"Agreed," said Ash, poking his head around Clay.

"Rai?" Kimiko called from the back of Dojo.

"Yeah Kim?" Raimundo called without looking back. He was studying Chase Young's palace while battle strategies raced through his head. He wasn't entirely in agreement with this whole fight. He'd rather they fight on neutral territory, not in the lion's den. And he didn't like that he was putting his entire team in danger, but he wasn't going to let Aelia go alone…

"Rai?" Kimiko called again and this time Raimundo turned around to face her. And that was the other problem: he didn't want to put Kimiko into any unnecessary danger. "Can you come here for a second?"

Raimundo nodded before climbing around the other boys while trying not to fall off of Dojo. Finally, he made it back to Kimiko and sat down in front of her. When he had settled down he noticed that her crystal blue eyes had tiny pools of tears in them and she had terror etched into her face.

Rai gave her a small smile before opening his arms. She crawled forward until she was closer. Then she put her arms around him and buried her face into the crook of his neck. He closed his arms around her and pulled her closer to him.

"What's wrong Kimi?" he asked.

"I'm scared Rai. No, I'm terrified."

"Why?"

"Because we're charging into Chase's lair and challenging him, Wuya, and an incredibly powerful, incredibly dangerous sorcerer!" Kimiko confessed. Raimundo could feel her trembling in his arms and he held onto her tighter.

"What if something happens," she whispered and Rai felt a chill go through him. Kimiko was voicing his fears, fears that he had been trying to bottle up and push into the far corner of his mind.

"Nothing's going to happen," Raimundo stated firmly.

"What if someone gets hurt? What if," Kimiko's voice dropped lower, "What if someone dies?" Her voice got higher and shriller. "Oh Rai I just wouldn't be able to cope if that happened. I..."

"Kimiko," Rai said strongly, grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her away from him so he could look at her. "Nothing is going to happen. None of us are going to die. And I will do everything to protect you and the others. Alright?"

Kimiko sniffled and nodded. Then she leaned in for another hug, but Rai had other plans. When she had gotten close enough he grabbed her chin and kissed her. Sparks flew as electric current raced through their veins. Kimiko saw stars and couldn't help but let a single tear escape. It slid down her cheek, but Rai, without breaking the kiss, gently brushed it away with his thumb.

This kiss was different from their others. It wasn't fiery but it was still just as passionate. And it contained a promise. A promise that everything would be alright. A promise that Rai wouldn't let anything happen to any of their friends. A promise that Rai would protect Kimiko with everything he had and she would, in turn, protect him, too.

They were completely lost in the bliss of their own world. Nothing could end this moment. Nothing, except the troubles of the outside world.

"Er... Rai partner?" Clay's voice sliced through their peaceful world, shattering the bliss like a hammer blow to a mirror.

The couple looked around, dazed, to find themselves surrounded by black hills and blacker mountains. They had arrived.

Rai turned to go back to the front, but Kimiko grabbed his hand and pecked him on the cheek. "I love you," she told him.

He flashed her a goofy smile before going back to the front.

Ash watched Rai walk back to the front of Dojo. He had overheard their entire conversation and couldn't help but worry about Aelia. He glanced to the side and saw her flying next to them on her dragon. Her hands gripped his scales and she was straddling his neck. Her eyes were narrowed and fixed on Chase's palace and her hair whipped around her face. She looked fierce and beautiful and absolutely deadly.

But no matter how strong she looked he couldn't shake the knowledge of what she was about to do. All he wanted to do was protect her, but she had other plans. Plans that could end up leaving her dead and him heartbroken.

"Alright kids this is it!" Dojo called over his shoulder as he touched down in front of the palace.

They dismounted and stood in a line in front of the gigantic double doors without moving. Aelia came forward to stand next to Ash.

"So how are we getting in?" Ash asked.

"I do not think knocking would be appropriate," Omi pointed out.

Rai just stared at the door. Then he calmly called, "Clay?"

"Yeah?"

"Break it down," Raimundo told him.

Clay nodded and stepped forward. He put his arms straight out and locked his elbows before putting the heels of his palms together and taking a deep breathe.

Instinctively, Ash reached out and grabbed Aelia's hand and gave it a squeeze. Miraculously, she didn't let go. Instead, she just lightly squeezed back. This small gesture brought a smile to Ash's face.

"Ash?" Aelia whispered.

"Yeah?" he said just as softly.

"If anything happens-"

"Aelia..." Ash growled.

"No listen to me," she demanded and when he looked at her she continued. "If anything happens to me please take care of Aristokles. Please don't let anything happen to him. Promise?"

"I promise," said Ash but his voice sounded strangled. He really didn't want to think about Aelia dying right now.

Just then Clay blew the doors open.

The monks charged in. Aelia hung back for a second and told Aristokles to stay back. She didn't want to risk him getting hurt. Then she, too, joined her teammates and the battle began.

Aelia just had time to glance around the cavernous hallway to see her friends fighting before one of Chase's cats attacked her. It was a massive lion that tackled her hard enough to knock her to the ground and take her breathe away.

He landed with both of his paws on her chest and Aelia could feel his weight pressing down on her rib cage. She thrust her forearm up into his throat to keep his razor sharp teeth away from her. Placing the heel of her other hand underneath his chin she pushed upward, trying to jam his jaw shut.

Luckily, his hind legs had landed on either side of her so she scrunched her legs up into her chest and positioned her feet on his stomach. Then, using all her strength, she pushed up, throwing the lion off of her.

It landed on its feet and roared at her. Aelia jumped to her feet and reached for her Wudai Weapon, loving how the arrows only left the quiver when she pulled them out.

She slid the arrow out and took her aim. "Bow of the Huntress!" she called before releasing the arrow. The arrow hit the ground right in front of the lion and exploded on impact, sending it flying into a wall and knocking it out cold.

Aelia allowed herself a brief smile before throwing herself back into the fray.

Clay and Omi were fighting side-by-side against a swarm of Jack's robots.

"Wudai Crater, Earth!" Clay yelled, stomping his foot into the ground. Pillars of rock shot up through the floor smashing some of the Jack bots to bits.

Omi took advantage of the pillars, leaping from one to the other to reach the robots that were higher off the ground.

"Shimo Staff!" he yelled, pulling out his Wudai Weapon. It instantly shape-shifted into a Kanabo, a war club used by the Japanese Samurai. The club was three feet in length and resembled a baseball bat. It had a ribbed handle with a knob on the end for grip and an octagonal barrel with spikes sticking out of all eight sides. Omi swung the club and smashed right through the closest Jack bot. The others didn't stand a chance.

Meanwhile, Ash found himself surrounded by Chase's cats. They formed a circle around him and began to creep closer. Ash twisted his head this way and that, trying to keep them all in view.

"Gravity Gloves!" he called. Instantly, debris from the battle began to defy gravity. They floated throughout the room. Ash brought his hands in to his body and the wreckage surged towards him until there was a ring of rocks and furniture and other materials between him and the cats.

All was quiet. Then, with a roar, the cats leapt at him. Ash shoved his hands outward and the debris exploded away from him, sending the cats flying in every direction.

Ash put his hands on his knees and tried to regain control of his breathing and racing heart. He glanced to the side and saw Raimundo give him a nod of approval before focusing on his attacker.

The battle dragged on for hours and still none of them had seen a sign of Chase, Wuya, or Plutos. The Xiaolin monks were starting to get battered and they didn't even seem to be making a dent in the Heylin army. The more cats and robots they killed, the more seemed to replace them.

Finally, when Aelia took a step back from the battle did she notice that their real enemies had been there the entire time. The trio of evildoers were standing on a balcony overlooking the fray. Feeling enraged Aelia snatched an arrow from her quiver and took her aim.

"Bow of the Huntress," she said quietly so as to not give herself away. She released the arrow and watched it fly.

Plutos caught sight of the arrow just before it hit the balcony and transported himself. Chase and Wuya, however, were unaware and were caught off guard when the arrow exploded into the side of the balcony. It sent the villains tumbling toward the ground. Chase landed on his feet like a cat in front of Raimundo and the pair immediately began fighting. Wuya, on the other hand, landed right on her back with an "ooff!"

When she stood, Kimiko was waiting for her.

"Are you ready for round three witch?" Kimiko asked smirking.

Wuya just barred her teeth and threw a bolt of magic at her. Kimiko did a double backhand spring to avoid getting hit. As soon as she landed, Kimiko sent a ball of fire shooting right back at her. Wuya knocked it away with her hands and sent another bolt of green energy at Kimiko. This time Kimiko had to dive to the side to avoid getting hit. When she had stopped rolling she looked up in time to see Wuya's fist coming right at her fist. She quickly rolled to the side just as Wuya punched the ground. The witch howled in pain as Kimiko jumped to her feet.

Wuya snarled and tried to roundhouse kick Kimiko. Quickly, the dragon of fire blocked it, but had to jump to avoid the sweep kick from Wuya that followed. The witch followed with a right hook that Kimiko deflected. However, she forgot about the witch's other hand and cried out in pain as it connected with her side.

Ignoring the pain, Kimiko did a 360 twirl on her right foot and smashed the heel of her left foot onto Wuya's shoulder. This time Wuya yowled in pain and Kimiko immediately followed with a snap kick to her stomach.

Wuya fell down but sprang up almost instantly and tried to tornado kick Kimiko. The Xiaolin monk blocked the kick that was aimed at her neck. Wuya snapped her foot back by her side and threw another punch. This time Kimiko caught it and flipped the witch over her head.

Wuya landed on her back and tried to catch the breath that had been knocked out of her. Kimiko stood back a couple feet trying to catch her breath as well.

Aelia was searching the battlefield for Plutos. She had to find him. It was the only way to stop the battle before any of her friends got hurt. If she had had her way they would all be back at the temple instead of risking their lives for her.

Her thoughts were cut short when she saw him.

Plutos was standing at the opposite end of the long hallway that they were fighting in. He looked calm and even pleased with the chaos that was spread out before him. He, too, was scanning the room and when he made eye contact his smirk transformed into an evil smile.

Aelia didn't hesitate. She sprinted forward trying to reach him before he disappeared. The huntress weaved in and out of the wreckage, jumping over it if it was small enough. She wasn't stopping for anything.

When Omi yelled, "Look in Aelia!" she merely somersaulted forward as a Jack bot crashed into the wall above her head. Then got to her feet and continued as if nothing had happened.

Aelia had nearly reached him when he suddenly disappeared. She slid to a halt and looked around, angry eyes flashing. All around her were hallways branching off from this main one. Plutos reappeared in the hallway nearest to her on the right and she took off like a gazelle trying to catch him.

The hallway twisted and turned and in no time Aelia had lost all sense of direction. Plutos disappeared and reappeared constantly ahead of her. She knew he was leading her away from her friends, but she couldn't turn back now. And besides, this wasn't their fight.

Aelia paused as the hallway turned into a winding staircase. She glanced up trying to decide if she was going the right way when Plutos suddenly appeared at the top step. Aelia glared at him, wondering where he was leading her and knowing at the same time that he was tiring her out.

Up and up she climbed, trying to be quick while simultaneously trying to conserve her strength. Finally, she reached the top. Aelia stopped and tried to catch her breath. In front of her stood a sturdy oak door. It looked as if it hadn't been opened in a while. When Aelia tried the handle it was stuck.

The dragon of magic took a step back and got one last deep breath. Her father was on the other side of this door, she was positive. He was done leading her wherever he wanted to go. It was time for her to fight.

With that she took another breath and then kicked the door open.

Ash scanned the battlefield. Miraculously, impossibly, the monks seemed to be winning. All of the Jack bots lay scattered on the floor, most of them reduced to nothing but scraps of metal. Chase's cats were either unconscious or retreating.

For the moment, no enemy rose to challenge him. He continued looking around. Omi and Clay were finishing off the last of the cats. Raimundo and Chase were fighting, but he didn't need help. His eyes passed over Kimiko, who had caught her breath and was now walking toward Wuya to see if the witch was going to get up and fight, and was about to continue looking for Aelia when he froze. His eyes snapped back to Wuya. The Heylin witch lay, unmoving on the floor. She seemed to have had enough. Suddenly, the light caught just right and Ash saw a glint of silver. Wuya was concealing a knife and Kimiko was approaching her completely unaware!

"What's the matter witch? Had enough?" Kimiko taunted as Wuya pushed herself onto her hands and knees.

Then, quick as lightning, Wuya sprang to her feet and charged at Kimiko. Caught off guard and unable to move, Kimiko was only able to cross her hands in front of her face, squeeze her eyes shut, and wait for the impact.

It never came. There was a thud and then silence. Kimiko waited a second more then lowered her hands and opened her eyes.

Several feet to her left Wuya was sprawled on the ground. Next to her was a very large piece of marble that had broken off from one of the columns during the battle. To her right stood Ash, arms outstretched towards her, fingers bent in her direction. He was panting and his eyes were blazing.

Slowly he relaxed and walked over to Wuya, bent down next to her, and picked something up off the floor.

"Here," he said passing her the object. It was a beautiful silver dagger. The hilt had engravings in languages so old humanity had forgotten them. The flat part of the blade had magical symbols carved into it. It was also glowing slightly green. Kimiko looked at Ash in confusion. "The blade is poisoned," he explained. "One cut and you'd die."

Kimiko just nodded, wide-eyed, and softly said, "Thank you."

Just then, Raimundo came flying towards them. He landed on the floor at their feet.

"Rai!" Kimiko yelled, dropping to one knee to make sure he was okay.

Rai struggled to push himself up and settled for glaring at Chase instead. He felt Kimiko's hands on his back and shoulder and knew he had to get up to protect her. Gathering all his strength, and relying heavily on Kimiko's help, he got to his feet.

Chase merely strode over to Wuya and helped her up. Suddenly a thunderous BOOM like a jet breaking the sound barrier shook the castle. The Xiaolin monks and Heylin warriors glanced at the ceiling.

"Come," Chase said. "This battle is over. The winner will only be determined by the outcome of that fight." He nodded his head at the ceiling where Aelia and Plutos were.

Slowly, Raimundo nodded his head. "Very well," he said coolly.

Chase gave a short, curt, nod before disappearing along with Wuya.

Raimundo sighed, suddenly feeling very old and weary. "Is everyone alright?" A chorus of yeahs echoed his statement.

"Are you okay Rai?" Kimiko asked gently.

"Yeah." Another boom shook the palace. Rai suddenly felt all the weariness leave him as the realization that one of his teammates was still in danger washed over him. "Come on guys we have to go see how Aelia is."

He grabbed Kimiko by the hand and the group sprinted for the doors. Once outside they jumped on Dojo. Ash swiveled around to look at Aristokles. The dragon just looked back at him steadily. It's wise old eyes stared into his. He looked just as worried as Ash felt. Ash remembered his promise to Aelia and hoped he wouldn't have to follow through with it. Suddenly, Dojo kicked off and they were soaring upwards to his huntress.

Aelia was exhausted. She had a bruised cheekbone and a long gash down her arm. Plutos didn't seem fazed although they had been fighting for many hours. His black tunic was torn and his lip was bloody. He held a very large doubled-handed sword in his hands.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Chase and Wuya appear on the sidelines and hoped they wouldn't interfere. While she was distracted, Plutos swung his sword up and then down at her. Almost too late, Aelia's hunting knives intercepted the would-be fatal blow above her head. The muscles in her arms screamed in protest as Plutos forced his strength down on her. Her knees were slowly being driven to the ground when the weight suddenly disappeared. Aelia quickly brought her blades to criss-cross to her side to block a swing that would've cut clean through her stomach.

Quickly, she sheathed her knives and did a double back-hand spring to get away from him. Once she was far enough away she quickly used some of her magic to stop the bleeding wound on her arm. While she healed herself, she saw her friends land. Relief swept through her tired body, as she saw that they were alright, and gave her new strength.

Again she whipped out her arm-length hunting knives and muttered an incantation to them before sprinting towards Plutos. He smiled evilly and swung his sword like a baseball bat. Aelia blocked and twirled around as graceful as a fairy. She sliced at his neck, but his muscles tensed and whipped the huge sword up to block it. Thunder flashed as Aelia spun the opposite way and sliced at his thigh.

Plutos roared in pain as the cut burned him. He glared at his daughter who had spelled the knives to burn when they cut flesh. He brought up his sword and sliced at his daughter. Again she brought her blades up to block, but this time she wasn't so lucky. The force of Plutos' massive blade against her smaller ones was too much. Her hunting knives, that had protected her for so many years, shattered on impact. The shock from the impact was enough to knock her to the ground.

With one hand, Plutos swooped down and grabbed her by the throat. Feet dangling in the air, she struggled against him and tried to pull his hand off of her, but he was too strong. Finally, she settled for kicking him in the stomach. He dropped her and Aelia scrambled back away from him.

She got to her feet, shakily, and rubbed her throat where red finger marks were turning black and blue.

Plutos, who had been doubled over from her kick, straightened up, eyes blazing. He swung his sword straight into the stone below him. The wave of magic that emitted from the cracked ground sent Aelia flying.

She landed hard on her back and felt her breath leave her. Luckily, her hearing worked fine and she reacted at the slightest of noises, drawing Nico's old sword out of the golden sheath that was attached to her belt. Aelia was able to block Plutos, once again saving her life.

Drawing power from every cell in her body, she forced it outwards effectively knocking Plutos off of and away from her.

By the time she sat up, Plutos was already on his feet chanting a spell she recognized. In between his hands, she could see a massive ball of fire forming, hotter and more powerful than something Kimiko could ever create.

Aelia began backing away, but changed her mind and fled. As she neared the edge of the rooftop they were fighting on she blew on her Stygian ice whistle. Just as fire shot out of Plutos' hands like a flamethrower, Aelia jumped off the edge, the fire missing her by inches.

Plutos was unfazed. He had seen his daughter pull out the whistle. All he had to do was wait until she reappeared with the beast.

Sure enough, with a roar Aristokles appeared with Aelia on his back. Plutos shot another stream of flames at the two. The dragon tilted to the side and released his own fiery breath. Plutos quickly threw up a shield to protect himself.

The shield disappeared as soon as Aristokles' flames ceased. Aelia took advantage of that and threw an orb of purple power at him. The magic hit Plutos in the chest and he was thrown backwards.

Dark storm clouds began to roll in as Aelia jumped off Aristokles' back and she couldn't tell if they were magical or natural.

Thunder boomed as she hit the ground and Aelia had to roll to the side to avoid another blast of Plutos' power.

When she got to her feet he was laughing.

"You are a disgrace to your mother," Plutos sneered. "If you had studied with her instead of prancing around the forest like a wood fairy and worshipping those pathetic goddesses, you might be a half-way decent sorceress by now." Thunder shook the palace at his insult and a fork of lightning erupted in the sky.

"How dare you!" Aelia snarled. "Athena and Artemis were more my mothers than Carce ever was!"

"You ran from true power. And for that you will pay dearly," Plutos told her.

He stuck out his right hand, fingers outstretched towards the Xiaolin monks. Plutos' eyes widened and blue magic shot out of his fingertips. The blue magic wrapped around Ash, levitating him off the ground. It enveloped him in a blue sphere. He looked around frantically.

There was a pause as he floated there, gracefully. Then his face seemed to contort in pain, his body began twitching, and he screamed. Aelia stood frozen, eyes wide in fear. It looked as though he were being electrocuted.

Raimundo sprang into action and tried to pull Ash out of the blue sphere, but the second his hand touched the magic he too was electrocuted. Kimiko grabbed his other arm and yanked him out. Raimundo collapsed on the ground and watched in horror as his teammate was tortured.

Plutos just stood and laughed. He was enjoying himself immensely.

For a second Ash opened his eyes and looked at Aelia. She could see the pain, the sadness, the fear. Then his eyes closed and he let out another tortured scream.

"STOP!" Aelia screeched. At the same time a sphere of white magic exploded out of her body, it's energy racing in all directions.

When it reached Ash the magic went straight through him, dissolving Plutos' spell. Ash dropped to the ground panting heavily. The monks gathered around to check on him. Aelia desperately wanted to see if he was ok, but first she was going to finish Plutos. Her piercing silver eyes locked on him.

Plutos was staring back at her in surprise. That spell had no counter. It couldn't be stopped. It was created solely to torture a person to death. How did she stop it?

Suddenly, the storm clouds above them parted, revealing a full moon. Thunder rumbled and lightning continued to flash, but in that one spot the clouds had opened to let the moonlight shine down on his daughter. Her skin glowed and that was when he noticed she wasn't alone.

On either side of her stood two of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. One held a spear, the other a bow. Athena and Artemis. And behind Aelia stood a third woman. However, this one was far from beautiful. She had three heads, one was human, another a wild horse, and the third a ferocious barking dog. Plutos felt his blood freeze. He knew that goddess. His wife had hung countless pictures and placed tons of carving of her around their house. Hecate. The dark goddess of magic. For the first time in his life, Plutos felt fear.

Aelia gathered her magic in between her hands. As soon as she had enough, she pushed her hands outward. The magic shot across the battlefield, quick as lightning. When it reached Plutos, he threw up a shield, but the magic shattered it and hit him square in the chest.

He flew back onto the stone floor and lay stunned for a moment. Then he got back to his feet. Plutos returned fire with some of his own magic, but Aelia merely knocked it aside. She followed up with a burst of energy that made his eyes sting and his flesh burn. At the same time, it made his legs clench until his knees gave out.

His head snapped up and he glared at his daughter. She just stared coolly back at him. Raising his right hand what only could be described as red lightning shot out of his fingertips.

It cackled with energy as it raced towards her, but bounced harmlessly off her shield with a deafening BOOM!

With a face as emotionless as a statue, Aelia pointed her fingers at him. Black energy streamed out of her hands and engulfed her father.

Plutos yelled in agony as every muscle in his body contracted. He fell flat against the floor. His arms and legs began to bend unnaturally. The dark sorcerer had never experienced pain like this before.

Aelia's expression was flat, her eyes cold. She refused to let up even a little as her fathers body began to twitch and shake. The dragon of magic knew what he was feeling. After all, her introduction to this spell had been when her mother had used it on her. Her face darkened at the memory and unconsciously her power flared.

Only Plutos' tortured screams and Ash yelling, "Aelia!" snapped her back to the present. Instantly, she released him.

Plutos lay face down on the ground. Smoke curled off his body and he wasn't moving. Ash was watching Aelia. Her head was down and she was staring at her hands. He couldn't see her expression because her hair was covering it. He wasn't sure when it had come loose. All he knew was that he couldn't stand there and watch her torture her father any longer, no matter how much they all hated him.

On the other side of the battlefield, Aelia was trying to figure out what had come over her. She had never lost control like that before, never tortured someone before. It had been instinct to use that spell and the fact that using it on Plutos had felt natural made her hate him more. He was making her lose control of who she was. No matter what he did to her, she couldn't emulate him. Everything he did, everything he believed was against her character and she would not become him.

Across from her Plutos stirred. It was time to end this. Once and for all.

"Your time is done," Aelia said in a loud clear voice as Plutos struggled to his feet, panting. "All these years you have walked this earth and brought nothing but strife and misery. You are greedy and have ill intentions for the inhabitants of this planet."

Plutos could do nothing but stand there. All the monks stared at her. It was Aelia speaking, but it wasn't. Interlaced with her voice was the voice of a woman.

"You have abused the powers of Hecate, bestowed upon you."

"You have abused my powers, bestowed upon you."

"You have killed a student of Hecate."

"You have killed one of my students."

"Aelia," Plutos begged. "Don't do this." It was the first time he had ever spoken her name with fear. But Aelia just plowed right on, the words pouring out of her.

"By the powers of Hecate."

"By my magical powers."

"And the powers of the divine gods."

"And the powers of my divine companions."

"I-"

"Aelia!" Aelia froze, the words stuck in her throat. In front of her, cringing in pain, was Nico. He was battered and bloody. "Please," he gasped, "stop."

Aelia couldn't move. She felt as though the wind had been knocked out of her. But it wasn't really Nico. Nico was dead. Nico had been dead for centuries. Plutos was using an illusion to stop her; she knew this. But still… she couldn't hurt Nico.

You must let me go, Nico's voice whispered in her head.

Aelia's hands clenched into fists. She wouldn't let his illusion stop her. She couldn't afford to let this cruel monster walk this earth any longer. "As a child of Athena, a follower of Artemis, a worshipper of the gods-" With each word the swirling black clouds grew darker, more deadly. "-I banish you to the depths of Tartarus from whence you came!" The air vibrated with energy. The whole world seemed to tense. "By my powers as a daughter of Hecate. I. SEND. YOU. BACK!"

Plutos saw the dark goddess behind Aelia grin as the girl finally truly accepted her powers. It was the last thing he would ever see.

CRACK! A thick bolt of blue lightning struck the ground where Plutos was standing. The blast of power from the impact was equivalent to the radiation blast of a nuclear bomb. Omi held onto Ash's shirt. Clay gripped his hat. Rai grabbed onto Kimiko. They were all trying to keep from being blown off of the rooftop. Inside the bolt, Plutos' illusion flickered for an instant before he changed back into himself. With a final scream and a flash of light, Plutos disappeared. All that remained of him was a black scorch mark on the stone rooftop.

A breath of relief escaped Aelia's lips as she collapsed to her knees. Her vision went black for an instant and she felt herself falling, falling into a pair of warm strong arms. Aelia looked up into the beautiful brown eyes of Aston Algrega Jimenez.

"I told you I'd never let you fall," he smiled.

Aelia smiled back, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around his torso. Suddenly, she felt hands slapping her back as her friends congratulated her. She just nodded and held tightly onto Ash. A calm that she had never known descended upon her. For the first time in her life, she felt truly safe.

Someone clearing their throat behind them caused Aelia to open her eyes and look behind her.

The three goddesses stood watching her. Aelia met their gaze evenly. She slowly got to her feet, a million thoughts running through her mind. Athena noticed this and smiled.

"Peace my child," she said. Instantly, Aelia relaxed. Then Artemis stepped forward.

She smiled reassuringly at the girl in front of her. "Aelia I am so proud of you. You have trained so hard over the years. You have proven yourself worthy. You have stayed true to your vows. You have rid this mortal earth of a great evil. And for that I would like to offer you a place among my hunters."

Aelia's eyes grew big, beside her she felt Ash stiffen. At last her dream was coming true. The chance to hunt with Artemis forever. She would have a family, a whole group of sisters that would take care of her. She would finally be able to live the life she always wanted to live.

Aelia turned her head to look at her teammates, her friends. Raimundo had his arm around Kimiko and they were smiling sadly at her. Clay nodded at her, a small smile also gracing his lips. Omi looked as though he were trying very hard not to cry. And Ash... Ash wouldn't look at her. His head was down and his fists were clenched. His whole body was tense and he was shaking.

"Ash?" Aelia turned her whole body around to face him.

He smiled at her, but you could tell it was forced. "Congrats Aelia. Your dream's finally come true. I'm so happy for you."

Aelia's eyes searched his for a moment before she gave him a soft small. "Thanks Ash." She felt better about her decision now that she knew how he felt.

The dragon of magic turned around and approached the goddesses. As soon as she had, Ash let the tears he had been holding back fall. He wanted nothing more then to reach out and grab her, pull her to him and never let her go. But he couldn't. She had waited for this her entire life. He couldn't ruin this for her, but he couldn't stop the tears or the sadness that welled up inside of him. Ash tried to call out to her, to say her name one more time, but his throat had closed and, for the life of him, he couldn't speak.

Besides, it was too late. Aelia had already reached the goddess of the hunt.

"Lady Artemis," she said. "I am truly honored to receive such a position."

"You have earned it," the goddess assured her.

"Thank you, my lady. I have dreamed of joining your band of hunters since I was little." Artemis smiled at her. "But I can't accept." The smile disappeared. Behind her, Ash's jaw dropped. Everything went silent.

"May I ask why not?" Artemis asked. She didn't look offended, much to Aelia's relief, just curious.

"I've changed," Aelia replied truthfully. "I'm different now. I've grown up. And, I want different things. The Fates have planned out my destiny... and it's not with you."

"Are you sure of that?"

"Yes," Aelia smiled. "My destiny lies with the Xiaolin monks... with Ash." She turned her head to look at him, thinking of how he was willing to let her go and do something that would make her happy, even if it left him heartbroken. "I... I love him." She walked back to where Ash stood and put her hand on his arm. "And I want to spend the rest of my life with him. If he'll have me..." She looked at him, eyes swimming with uncertainty.

He just stared back at her, speechless. His mouth opened and closed as he tried to speak, making him look like a fish. Finally, "¡¿Estas loca? ¡Usted me han rechazado un millón de veces! ¡Una y otra vez usted me han dicho no! ¡Traté y traté, pero usted me rechazados! ¡Ahora quieres-!" (Are you crazy? You have rejected me a million times! Over and over again you have told me no! I tried and tried, but you turned me away. Now you want-!")

"Ash. Ash... Ash!" Aelia yelled to get his attention. He stopped. His eyes looked down at where her hands were grabbing onto his arms before coming back to look at her. "I can't understand you," she told him.

He blushed when he realized he had slipped into his native tongue in his desperation to say something.

"Well?" Aelia said. Ash looked at her curiously so she continued, "Can you forgive me for pushing you away?"

Ash still hadn't found his tongue. Instead, he grabbed her upper arms tightly, but not tight enough to hurt her and looked into her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something and that's when Ash yanked her to him, smashing his lips to hers. Aelia gasped and froze, but relaxed almost instantly at the feel of Ash's soft lips against hers. Fireworks exploded in her mind as she felt his hands slid down her arms and wrap around her waist, pulling her even closer to him.

His mouth moved urgently and hungrily against hers, dominating the action. She tried to kiss him back with equal fervor, but this was her first kiss and she was going on pure instinct. The sheer passion with which he was kissing her made her dizzy, although a lack of oxygen may have also been contributing to that. Either way she found herself gripping Ash's arms for extra support as her knees began to shake. He got the message and held her even tighter for support, all the while continuing to kiss her fiercely.

What Aelia couldn't comprehend was how he had kept all of this emotion in check. How could he have reigned in all this passion? Shouldn't he have exploded from the effort?

Ash's tongue begging for entrance made her blush scarlet and effectively scrambled her train of thought. She wasn't sure if she was ready to go THAT far yet. After all, this was her first time. Reluctantly, she pulled back, ending the kiss.

Ash stared back at her, unsatisfied. He had waited so long to kiss her. And now that he had, he couldn't stop. He wanted more. But she was shaking. Afraid that he had come on too strong he loosened his grip on her and made to step back. A whimper escaped Aelia's lips and she moved with him, burying her head in the crook of his neck and wrapping her arms around him. A purely male smirk crept onto his face as he held her to him.

"So this is your final decision?" Aelia raised her head and looked at the goddess she had idolized since youth. The one who had saved her from Plutos. The one who had visited her in her dreams to give advice. She loved Artemis, but a life with her was a life without Ash. And that was a life she could not live.

"Yes," Aelia said with utter determination.

Artemis looked at Athena to see what she thought of this and saw the goddess smiling at Aelia with pride and respect. With a sigh, the goddess smiled in spite of herself. She had lost so many young maidens to men over the years, but she loved Aelia too much to take away the girl's happiness.

"Very well."

"Thank you my lady, but there is something else I desire, if it's not too bold of me to ask."

"Oh?"

Aelia looked at the dark goddess of magic who had been standing quietly in the background. Hecate just stared at Aelia coolly. With a gulp, Aelia swallowed her fear and approached her.

"L-Lady Hecate?" The goddess raised an eyebrow. "I-I-I w-wish to be rid of my curse."

"Your curse?" Aelia cringed. The woman had a voice like nails on a chalkboard.

"I- I want to be mortal, s-so I can live with Ash." A glance back at Ash and her friends gave her the confidence to speak with the goddess. "I want you to reverse the spell Carce placed on me."

The woman's stern lips twitched a bit, the closest thing to a smirk anyone, immortal or not, would ever witness.

"As you wish." Reaching out with her hand, she tapped Aelia on the forehead. A chill went through the girl's body, freezing her blood, her muscles, her heart, everything. Then, it was over. As quickly as it had come, the sensation had gone. She didn't feel any different and when she looked up to voice this, Aelia was surprised to see that Hecate had disappeared.

"You are free." Aelia whipped around to face Athena. "The curse is broken. You will grow older now. And you can die."

"Thank you," Aelia said, eyes shining with tears of happiness.

Athena nodded, "I must be leaving now. Father will not be pleased, but, as always, he will make an exception for you. As for myself," Athena placed her hands on the dragon of magic's shoulders," I am so proud of you. I always have been and always will be. Farewell, my daughter."

"But what if I need you?" Aelia cried out suddenly.

"I will watch over you until the day the Fates cut your life's thread. If ever you need me just pray, I will come to you in your sleep." Aelia nodded. "Now good-bye. It is time for you to start the next phase of your life."

Aelia closed her eyes as Athena kissed her forehead in a final blessing. When she opened her eyes, the goddess had gone. Two down, one to go.

"Are you absolutely sure about this?" With a smile, Aelia turned around to face Artemis.

"I've never been more sure in my entire life," she assured her.

"And there's nothing I could say that would change your mind?"

"Not a chance my lady."

"Very well," Artemis sighed. She suddenly rounded on Ash. "You better take good care of her, boy. I will be watching you very closely. Hurt her and I will make your life a living hell."

Ash nodded. "I don't plan on ever hurting her," he promised.

The goddess only glared at him before disappearing in a whirlwind of leaves.

"Er, should I be worried?" Ash asked Aelia.

The girl only laughed before she threw herself into his arms. The rest of the gang joined in until they were all laughing. No one was sure what was so funny. Maybe it was the fact that it was over. Maybe it was just relief. But for whatever reason they were glad that they had all made it, they were all okay.

Someone clearing their throat stopped them. Simultaneously, they all turned to see Chase Young, Wuya, and Jack. Raimundo instinctively positioned himself in front of Kimiko.

"Peace," Chase said. "The battle is over. You have won. We will not attack for now."

"We won't?" Wuya whined.

"Quiet witch!" Chase silenced her. "We are as battle weary as they are. Only a fool would fight a lost cause. Better to live and fight another day." Chase looked at Raimundo. "This truce does not last."

"I didn't expect it to," Rai replied, his jaw clenched.

Chase merely nodded before taking Wuya by the arm and disappearing. Raimundo raised an eyebrow at Jack who shrugged.

"Yeah I better go. If my mom finds out I've been out all night she'll ground me." Pressing a button, he activated his heli-bot. "See you later Xiaolin losers."

At that moment, the sun peeped above the mountain tops, bathing the entire world in it's soft pink and golden glow. Raimundo felt a small hand slip into his own and he smiled. Putting an arm around Kimiko he said, "Guys let's go home."

Dojo popped out of Clay's hat and super-sized. Omi and Clay climbed on. Rai was about to help Kimiko on when he realized something.

"Where's Aelia and Ash?" he asked Kimiko. She nodded her head to something behind him, a huge grin on her face.

Rai turned around and the sight brought a smirk to his face.

Ash's arms were wrapped tightly around Aelia's waist and lower back. Her arms were around his neck and they're lips were locked. This time when Ash swept his tongue over her lips she granted him entrance. He groaned and pulled her so close that there was no space between their bodies.

Finally, they separated, each gasping for breath.

"I think I can get used to this," she told him.

"Good," Ash said, caressing the bruises on her neck from when Plutos had choked her, "Cause I'm never letting you go and I plan on kissing you all the time."

Aelia just laughed before looking at the rising sun. It symbolized more than just a new day. To her, it was the perfect start to a new life, a new beginning. This time she would live the way she wanted to and no one could tell her different. She would fight alongside her teammates who had proved to be the best friends she could ever ask for and she would kiss Ash a lot. And, best of all, she would never be hunted or live in fear again. Yeah, this new life seemed very promising indeed.

"I love you," Ash whispered to her.

Her eyes locked with his and could see that it was true. He wasn't lying. It was all there in the way he looked at her.

"I love you too Ash," she said leaning in for another kiss.

"Hey! Come on guys. The Fungster's gonna want us back," Rai yelled, interrupting the moment. "You can make out on the way back."

Aelia flushed, but Ash just laughed and took her hand. Once they were on, Dojo kicked off.

"Y'know," Rai said.

"What?" Ash asked.

"I better never hear you complain about me and Kimiko kissing ever again."

"Whatever you say Rai," Ash said before kissing Aelia again.

Everyone laughed as Dojo flew off into the sun, back to the temple to tell Master Fung the good news.

The Beginning

Well there you have it. I hope you all enjoyed my story. I really debated what Aelia was going to choose and for a while I was going to have her go with Artemis, but I didn't want to risk you guys finding me and killing me. Besides they really are a cute couple. I want to thank all my reviewers especially the ones that were here from the beginning. Without all of your patience and encouragement I could never have finished this story. So give yourselves a pat on the back. Umm my next fanfiction will be a completely original Night World one for anybody who's interested, but I have no idea when I'll start or post that one. Please leave reviews. I really want to know what everyone thought of the ending. I enabled Anonymous Reviews for those that don't have an account. If you have any questions feel free to PM me!

Love always,
HealingSpringWaters