A/N School starts back up again tomorrow...bleh. I'm not exactly thrilled. ;-; But I finished my other story so now I can finally focus (for real) on this one. Remember, I am coming up with a backstory for Macey. This isn't going to be one of the stories where the female OC is saved by the male canon character. It's unrealistic, not to mention unoriginal E and done by so many Disney princess films. As for flaws, she gets anxious easily, has a short temper, and tends to be hot-headed. The backstory is more deep than you think, and she's not exactly air-heady like some OC's are. I'm trying my best not to make her a Mary Sue! *shudders*

"I try to keep her on a short leash, I try to calm her down"- Veruca Salt, "Seether."

Chapter Six - The Mask of El Toro Fuerte (completed)

"Hmm," Finn hummed, leaning back in his seat. "I didn't take Chan as a sports fan."

"What sport?" Ratso looked miffed. "Wrestling's fake. Everybody knows that."

*JCA*

We were seated in the crowd at the wrestling stadium, awaiting our turn.

"Jackie, are you gonna fight em?" Jade looked up at her uncle with almost hopeful eyes.

"I'm not planning to wrestle the 'greatest wrestler in the world'," Jackie told her. "I'm finding the talisman."

A look of disappointment clouded Jade's eyes, but she said nothing in return.

"Jade!" The young Hispanic boy, Paco, came running, holding tickets. He handed tickets to both me and Jade.

I sent Jade a reassuring smile. "We'll find the talisman and get out of here." I wasn't too comfortable with being in large crowds. I got anxiety- and when I was nervous, my hands sweat. A lot. I wasn't great in loud settings.

I looked up to see what I recognized by now the Dark Hand approaching us.

"Uh-oh," I murmured, a motherly instinct coming over me as I put a protective arm around Jade.

Jackie stepped back, only to stumble into the ring. El Toro took a swing at Jackie, but he dodged it, holding his hands up to protect himself.

"Jackie!" I didn't know if there was something I could do to help- until a hand almost nailed me in the face. I dodged it quickly, grabbing Jade and ducking.

Meanwhile, in the ring, Jackie steadied himself, preparing to fight. The Mexican wrestler swung a kick at Jackie- and the said man fell to the padded floor, the forceful kick causing his unconsciousness. I set Jade down and leaped up into the sport ring, helping Jackie stand.

"Oi...where am I?" He regained his footing tentatively.

"You're in a wrestling ring." I looked around frantically. "I think we need to get outa here!"

I leaped back out of the wrestling ring, Jackie following suit. I knew Jade would be disappointed, but better disappointment than dead.

"He was stronger than I expected." Jackie scratched at his neck. "While knocked out, Uncle told me in a dream that each talisman possesses a different power. The Ox's is superhuman strength."

My eyes widened. "Jackie- wouldn't that be going against-?"

He shook his head. "I have no other choice, Macey. He is too strong."

Jade came up from the sidelines. "You lost!?"

"Each talisman has a specific power, Jade," I explained to her what Jackie had previously told me. "The Ox talisman's is superhuman strength."

"Really?" Jade perked up like a puppy that had been given its favorite toy. "That's so cool!"

That had at least saved her from disappointment.

*JCA*

Backstage, Jackie, Jade, and I slunk against the walls. The show may have been over, but El Toro was still there. One of the big doors had a picture of El Toro- I assumed that was his room.

Tentatively, I reached up, knocking on the door.

"Who is it?" A deep, accent-laced voice rumbled behind the wood.

"Uh…" Jackie fumbled for an explanation. "Room service."

A pause. Then, "I didn't order anything."

Busted. "Uh, we need to, clean El Toro's mask," Jackie offered lamely.

"El Toro never removes his mask!"

"Do you have a plan B?" I whispered to Jackie.

He sent me a nervous. "Heh...there are always 25 more letters of the alphabet?"

My palm made contact with my forehead. "Oi…"

*Outside*

The Mexican wrestler had been called outside. A young boy with shaggy brown hair was awaiting him, a paper held in his hands.

"You're the greatest." Admiration colored the boy's voice as the wrestler scribbled his name on the autograph.

A chubby, burly man with black hair was approaching El Toro.

"El Toro, meet Tohru. Tohru, meet El Toro."

Tohru pushed his partner aside. "The mask!" A frustrated snarl laced his voice.

El Toro stuck his nose up. "El Toro never removes his mask," he cooed arrogantly.

Tohru let out a huff of frustration. "Then I will remove it for you!"

The burly man reached up to take the talisman from El Toro, attempting to remove the wrestler's mask. In response, El Toro slammed his entire weight against the said man- which normally wouldn't knock out a squirrel, but because of the Ox talisman, he was a million times stronger without it.

The Shadowkan then attacked, pinning down El Toro and removing the mask easily.

Paco watched this all go down with a mixture of fright and fascination.

Grabbing the opportunity- literally- the Dark Hand yanked the talisman from El Toro.

Paco, upon seeing this, started to cry and ran away.

His hero was fake.

We stood outside of the wrestling stadium, staring at the fiasco unfolding ahead of us.

I started to say something, but before I could even open my mouth to do so, the Dark Hand yanked Jackie, pulling him away.

"Hey!" I yelled. I was caught up in another kidnapping, and they were gone before I could do anything to help. Guilt immediately racked my mind. If Jackie gets hurt, it's all my fault. My gut twisted at the thought.

"You've gotta help me find Jackie," Jade was pleading with El Toro, who was keeling down on the ground, his facial expression unreadable- other than disappointed.

El Toro muttered something about being a disappointment to his fans.

"Listen, you've gotta help us find Jackie and the talisman." I was more worried about Jackie than the talisman. A talisman could survive, a man on the other hand, was more vulnerable, kung fu skills or no. "If we don't do something to help, it could be too late." Tears obscured my vision, threatening to spill, but I wiped them away, refusing to be weak in a situation such as this.

El Toro looked up, a determined glint in his wide eyes.

Without a word being spoken, I knew we were going to save Jackie and the talisman.

*JCA*

We walked quietly across from the stadium, our eyes peeled. Jackie was nowhere to be seen, and silently I began to wonder if it was too late, but reminded myself that thinking like that would make it worse.

"Look!" Jade pointed a finger at something only she could see. However, when my vision adjusted (it was totally dark out now), I saw a white plane ahead of us.

"I bet that has something to do with the Dark Hand." If my suspicions were confirmed correct, we weren't too far away from Jackie.

We ran toward the plane, pausing outside of its doors.

"Jackie?" I called softly, not wanting to alert the Dark Hand of our presence if they were, indeed, around.

"Macey?" A familiar voice caught our attention. "Is that you?"

"Yeah! It's me." Relief consumed me. "Where are you?" I peered inside to see Jackie tied up against the plane.

"The talisman is in the cockpit," Jackie said frantically as I untied his restraints and helped him stand, Jade and El Toro climbing in behind me.

"Why are you here?" Jackie looked at Jade. "You're supposed to be back at the hotel doing your homework!"

"Lucky for you, I raced through," Jade boasted. "Tohru was gonna bust you like a piñata!"

"Thank you." Jackie half-smirked. "But don't finish your homework early again. It's too dangerous."

I felt the weight underneath my feet shift, and my stomach lurched- the undeniable sensation of being lifted into the air.

"I hope you don't have a problem with flying!" Jackie exclaimed.

"Uh…." My stomach lurched once more. "I didn't have one until now!"

"What?"

"Never mind…"

"Jackie!" Jade exclaimed as Jackie gripped onto the walls of the plane, eventually sliding outside onto the sides of it.

I peered outside of the plane, gripping the walls so I wouldn't be included in Jackie's situation. I reached out, using the hand to grab Jackie's. "Grab on!"

But my hand slipped. Dammit. If only I had the talisman, then maybe I could-

"Jackie," I yelled over the din of the wind, "I'm gonna get you out of there. But I need to get the talisman, then I'll come back!" If the strength of the talisman was true, I could probably pull Jackie in without a second thought. "Hang in there, okay?" He was still hanging off the side of the plane, his hands red from holding onto the plastic sides.

"I'm definitely hanging!" Jackie looked annoyed.

"Right..." I darted back into the plane, hoping I could get to the talisman before Jackie slipped out of the plane for good.

El Toro and Tohru were wrestling, each man's mind on one thing: the talisman.

"What's so special about a talisman anyhow?" I muttered under my breath, then scrambled into the cockpit.

I saw strands of black hair, and I looked up to see Jade controlling the plane.

"Jade!" I called, rushing over to the small girl's side. "What do you think you're doing? That's too dangerous. Besides, you don't even know how to fly a plane."

"It's the only thing...that'll work…" Jade grunted, struggling to maintain control of the aircraft.

I was about to reprimand her, but then remembered the talisman and Jackie.

I saw something brown yet shiny in the corner of the cockpit. The talisman! "A-ha!" I swiped the talisman from the dashboard and slipped the sacred item into my pocket.

"Be careful Jade," I murmured, before heading out to the side of the plane. Jackie was pulling himself up to the door, and I reached over.

"Jackie! Guess what!"

"Macey, now is not the time for guessing games," he muttered, but his eyes widened when I reclaimed the talisman and my hand and held it up.

"How did you-"

"It was in the cockpit with Jade. We'll chat later. Come on!" I pulled Jackie up, feeling a muscle pull in my arm. I grimaced as Jackie finally managed to climb back into the plane, while I rubbed the pulled muscle, trying to berid my arm of the uncomfortable sensation.

"Do you know of any pilot?" Jackie turned to me.

"The only person controlling the plane is Jade," I told him, running toward the cockpit.

The plane began to sway, and I fell back against the walls from the impact. "Whoa!"

Jackie slid into the cockpit, leaning against the wall and trying to maintain his footing. Out of instinct, I automatically grabbed his hand, as it was the nearest thing to grasp onto.

The plane slowly began to fall.

*JCA*

The aircraft landed on the ground, the sound of glass breaking echoing in my ears.

I covered my ears, looking around. Jade stepped out of the cockpit, brushing imaginary dirt off her hands.

Jackie holds up his hands in fists again, and I noticed Tohru and some of the Dark Hand standing in the plane.

"El Toro!" I turned to the wrestler. "Here!" I tossed him the talisman. Though morally wrong, morals weren't what I was concerned about right now.

El Toro tossed the talisman back to me, and I clasped it in my hands, looking at him in surprise.

He smiled. "I would rather with dignity than win by deception."

"That's a good motto, I guess?" I gave him an awkward thumbs up.

"My hero," I heard a familiar child's voice say. Paco was standing nearby, looking at El Toro with admiration.

A booted foot nearly made contact with El Toro's face, but a smaller leg collided into Tohru.

"Jade?" Jackie and I said in unison, and the girl looked up, smirking and holding the talisman.

Tohru was on the ground passed out. If awake he would have been writhing in pain.

Paco looked up at the stunned wrestler with hopeful eyes. "Can you teach me the ways of the wrestler? You're the best!"

El Toro chuckled.

"Jackie is the best," Jade challenged, and Paco looked over at the spoken girl.

"No, El Toro," Paco returned.

"Jackie."

"El Toro."

"Jackie."

"El Toro."

"Jackie."

Their debate continued, with no backup whatsoever, as Jackie and I looked at each other with amusement.