Moi-Moi: Hey guys! Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! (Wattpad...WATTPAD...WATTPAD!)

~:~

If someone had told her weeks ago that she would become friends with Chase Young, Hitomi would have personally brought them to a mental institution. She could never be friends with someone so evil, dastardly, conniving, malicious, and so on. The guy had enslaved a single mother and taken her away from her child just for kicks! And that wasn't even the worst of his crimes- centuries of enslaving warriors and just being an all-around jerk. No. Hitomi could never- would never- call Chase Young her friend.

"You're not focusing," Chase's voice chided her.

Hitomi nearly sighed loudly. "How do you even know? Aren't you supposed to be focusing?"

"I can sense your lack of focus. If I were not as skilled as I am, your lack of focus would distract me," Chase answered.

"Be careful. If your head gets any bigger your neck my snap from the weight," Hitomi chided playfully. She snickered lightly, but ceased when she felt Chase's hand colliding with the back of her head.

"Silence," Chase hissed at her with irritation lacing his tone.

"Ow. Geez. You don't take criticism well. Do you?"

"Learn your place and I wouldn't have to teach it to you," Chase said with a growl.

Hitomi smirked. Despite his agitated growling, Hitomi couldn't sense any malice coming from Chase. She was getting much better at reading his body language and mannerisms. He may be annoyed with her, but he wasn't genuinely upset with her. The short tempered, malicious Chase Young she had first pictured was quickly being replaced by a serious, mostly grumpy Chase. "I'm sorry, Chase. My mother taught me better. I'm supposed to respect my elders. Forgive me, Ancient One."

Chase groaned lowly as his shoulders tensed. "Obviously, you are not benefiting from meditation. You are free to go," Chase said. Chase heard her giggle once before she rose and walked away. He hadn't actually thought that she would leave. He was sure that she would stay to annoy him some more.

He felt conflicted. While he didn't loathe her presence, he didn't want to form too much of an attachment to Hitomi. She was only human. Eventually, she would leave him. He hadn't bothered to use his Heylin powers to change her into one of his jungle cats and provide her with longevity to rival his own. She would grow old and die while he remained the same.

Would she leave him even before then?

He had been training her for only a short time, but her skills had improved greatly. Chase was sure that Hitomi could hold her own against any one of the Xiaolin monks, master or not. If she kept up her training, would she be able to defeat him and win her freedom?

Unlikely.

Would she bother to try?

Probably.

Chase hummed lowly with a deep frown on his face.

~:~

Hitomi sighed as she dug through the clothes in her closet. How was it possible that she'd gone through all her clothes!? Lifting two robes for observation, she spotted holes in both of them. One of them even had a small blood stain on the sleeve!

"That's what I get for training in all my clothes," she muttered while tossing the robes away. Her modest room was covered in discarded robes. The white floors and the red sheets on her twin bed were no longer visible.

Chase had been kind enough to provide her with all these clothes but they were all ruined or soiled for the most part. Would he be mad? 'Probably not. He can probably afford to get more. It's just clothes. It's not like I broke a bed or something.'

Hearing a low growl, Hitomi turned towards the sound. She spotted her mother pawing at something in the closet. Peering into the back of the wooden closet, Hitomi's mouth gaped slightly. At the back of the closet were several, high quality robes. Fine silks with beautiful shades of colors. "I've never worn anything this expensive. I'm just going to get something to eat, mom. I don't need to look fancy," Hitomi objected. At her mother's purrs, Hitomi held up one of the plainer robes to examine it. A plain red, silk robe with an onyx black sash around the waist. "I guess I can wear it just to get something to eat. I'll come right back so it's not that big of a deal."

With her mother at her side, Hitomi walked towards the dining room. She felt slightly out of place in the formal wear. She'd never had the money to afford more than the commoner's robes she would wear for all occasions. Mentally shaking herself out, Hitomi squared her shoulders. Unease or not, she would be fine. Clothes were just clothes! With a proud gait, Hitomi stepped into the dining room.

"Alert the media, she's finally learned how to dress herself," Wuya's dry tone spoke from where she sat at the longer side of table.

"Wuya, I'm surprised to see you. I thought you would still be cowardly hiding away somewhere," Hitomi fired back without hesitation. Ignoring Wuya's glares, Hitomi took a seat at the head of the table, opposite to Chase. Hitomi was subtlety glancing up at Chase while she filled her plate. He hadn't said anything about her change in wardrobe. He probably didn't care. That was good. Because she didn't care either. It was just clothes!

Chase tried to keep his eyes on his food as he got lost in his thoughts. Before he could get in too deep, Chase pushed the thoughts away and went back to his meal. He had already come to terms with the fact that Hitomi wasn't Mei. It made no sense to continue to compare the two or dwell in the past. He would leave the past where it belonged.

"So, what brought on this change?" Wuya questioned as she sipped her wine.

"Why do you care?" Hitomi fired back as she cut into her steak.

"I'm just curious. I've only ever seen you in those ratty, old robes that you're so fond of."

Chase shot Wuya a warning look that would have put a normal human six feet under in a second. The witch wasn't paying attention to him, however. Her dark eyes were focused on Hitomi- examining her. When did Chase give her such nice robes and why?

"If this is your way of asking to share clothes, I wouldn't bother," Hitomi responded while keeping her eyes on her food. "You seem to be quite fond of that dress. Either that or it's the only one you own. Besides, I don't think my clothes would fit you. You might be a bit too big for them," Hitomi finished while staring Wuya directly in the eye. Her stare was an even one, not hinting at her anger towards the witch.

Wuya bristled at the underhanded insult, her eyes narrowing. Her anger grew when she heard Chase's low chuckles. The Prince of Darkness was once again focusing on his plate, however. "I believe the word you are looking for is developed, dear."

"Whatever makes you feel better about yourself, Wuya," Hitomi said as she drank some water.

When he spotted Wuya preparing to fire back, Chase had decided that he'd step in. "As much as your petty banter amuses me, I would like to continue my meal in peace."

Wuya sat back in her seat, her eyes shooting from a smirking Hitomi to an unexpressive Chase. The suspicions were back. Those two were awfully close. Maybe it would be best to keep a closer eye on them? Wuya smirked to herself as she sipped her wine.

~:~

Aside from the sounds of Clay's loud snores, the Xiaolin Temple was completely still and silent. From within his bedding Omi stared up at the ceiling with a frown on his face. Silently, he sat up in his bed before pulling off his covers. Over the years, he'd seen Raimundo do this several times. Omi adjusted his pillow between his sheets before rising and walking past his friends on his way out of their room. Omi noticed that Raimundo was cuddling with Ninja Fred while Kimiko slept peacefully with her earplugs in. If he could make it back to the temple before sunrise, they wouldn't notice that he was gone.

With silent footsteps, Omi leapt out of the temple and ran across the lawn towards the tall wall that surrounded the temple. With a silent grunt, he quickly leapt to the top of the wall. Omi spared a glance over his shoulder before he sighed deeply. "I am sorry, my friends. If you will not do anything, then I will," Omi said quietly before jumping down from the wall and taking off in a run.