Chase sipped at his bowl of Lao Mang Long soup before placing the steaming bowl on the table before him. His eyes were closed in a form of meditation and he held himself with perfect posture. He remained this way for several more seconds as he awaited the return of his Crow. It had been some time since he had received a report from his Crow. He would need to check in on Hannibal and Wuya. Chase was sure that those two were silently licking their wounds, but he had to be sure that they weren't attempting any more suicide missions any time soon.
About a minute later, Chase heard the door to the dining room open before shutting loudly. He was about to lift his bowl up to his lips again when he heard Hitomi say, "Good morning, Chase" before placing a peck to his cheek. Unlike the first time she had done this, Chase didn't physically react. He hummed once in response.
Hitomi pouted a bit before flopping down onto the only other chair at the other end of the table. "You're talkative this morning," Hitomi mused with a sly grin as she placed the plate of unripe papaya she had gotten from the kitchen onto the table in front of her.
Finally opening his eyes, Chase stared evenly at Hitomi. He wasn't surprised to see that she was once again wearing one of his robes and eating unripe papaya for breakfast. She had been eating the fruit every morning for about a week now. Chase frowned. "If you want papaya, you don't have to eat it unripe," Chase informed her.
"I know that. But I read in a book that unripe papaya acts as a natural contraception," Hitomi replied.
Chase nodded once. He had been meaning to bring up the topic to her, but he hadn't been sure how to go about it without offending Hitomi. He had felt that a conversation like that would have brought up a topic he didn't care for. Being perfectly honest, a pregnancy was the last thing Chase wanted. Offspring would only complicate his life in a way that he did not need. Whenever Chase pictured his future, there was never a child in it. Ruler of the world, the most skilled warrior on the planet, and the undisputed King of Darkness were a few of the things he saw for himself. Not a father. Chase was relieved that Hitomi had some similar feelings.
"What are you doing today, Chase?" Hitomi asked with a smile.
"I will be spending the day observing Wuya and Hannibal. They have been trying to acquire Shen Gong Wu. I can only assume that they plan to use them to overpower me," Chase said with a scoff.
Hitomi giggled lightly before getting up from her seat. Her papaya finished, she approached Chase purposely. "Well, don't overwork yourself. I'll see you later. Okay?" Hitomi said before cupping her hand under Chase's chin. She lifted his head before placing her lips onto his for a deep kiss. They remained connected for several seconds until Hitomi pulled away with a light giggle. Hitomi left Chase alone then and made her way back to his bedroom. Chase rolled his eyes at her with a smirk before going back to his soup.
She had been extremely affectionate since their first night together. It had taken him some time to get used to the displays of affection, but he had eventually gotten over his embarrassment. Hitomi was very loving and seemed to thrive on affection. Rejecting her would only would her deeply and cause immeasurable damage to their budding relationship. Although he never cared to officially start a relationship in the first place, Chase didn't put an end to their current one. Hitomi was happy- so much so that she was practically glowing- and Chase felt peaceful. Everything was alright in their world.
~:~
Omi pushed some snow away as he continued his search. Not seeing anything worthwhile, Omi gave up and returned to where his fellow monks were gathered. "My friends, have you had any luck locating the Imo Gazer?" Omi asked.
The four monks were gathered atop what was probably the coldest mountain in all of Russia. Despite their thick winter wear, they all still shivered heavily. Kimiko shook her head in the negative with a frown. "We've been searching for hours. Dojo, are you sure that the Imo Gazer revealed itself?" Kimiko asked with her hands on her hips.
"I'm positive!" Dojo exclaimed and dabbed a hanky at his red, stuffy snout. Dojo sneezed loudly, his fiery sneeze causing the snow beneath him to melt.
"It's suspicious that not even Jack Spicer or Wuya have arrived. Normally, they would not take so long to appear when a new Shen Gong Wu has revealed itself," Omi pointed out.
"Omi's right, Dojo. Maybe you're just sick," Raimundo dismissed Dojo's sniffles with a wave of his gloved hand.
"I'm telling you! The Imo Gazer is around here...somewhere... I know it is!" Dojo said with a shiver before slithering around through the snow.
"Dojo, its starting to get mighty cold. The sun's not even out anymore. Maybe we should just head back down-" Clay started to appease the dragon, but was cut off by Dojo's triumphant exclamation.
"Ah-ha! I knew it! The Imo Gazer is this way! Come on!" Dojo shouted before slithering away quickly.
"Haven't heard that before today..." Raimundo grumbled. The four monks followed Dojo through the snow yet again, their arms wrapped around their bodies as they tried to warm themselves. The light snowfall that had greeted them upon arrival was slowly becoming an unpleasant torrent. The cold wind whipped at their exposed faces, turning their lips dry and blue while their noses felt completely numb. Kimiko had let the long hair of her pink wig down a few hours ago, but not even that could help the Dragon of Fire conserve heat.
"Dojo-" Kimiko started to complain, but was silenced by Dojo.
"It's here!" Dojo exclaimed while pointing at a mound of snow in front of him. The dragon slithered over before starting to use his claws to scoop away the snow. "Don't just stand there! Help me!" Dojo shouted out.
The reluctant monks just stared and shivered where they stood. Kimiko rolled her eyes before crying out, "Wudai Mars, Fire!" and firing a ball of fire at the mound of snow. Dojo shrieked loudly before ducking out of the way just before the ball of fire hit the snow mound.
"What do you know..." Raimundo said with a chuckle. "Dojo was right," he said before walking forward and picking up the telescope-looking Shen Gong Wu.
"I told you so!" Dojo called out while slithering back over to the monks.
"Great. Now, let's get out of here," Kimiko said with a shiver.
"I don't think so, Xiaolin losers!"
The four monks groaned loudly and hung their heads. With unamused glares, they looked up to see Jack Spicer flying in with his jet pack whirring behind him. He glared menacingly down at the monks, but that glare fell from his face when his jet pack sputtered threateningly. Before he could peer behind him to see what was wrong, Jack's jet pack gave out on him with a loud creak. As he felt himself fall towards the ground, Jack screamed loudly and flapped his arms to try to save himself. Clay sighed loudly as he shook his head. "I'm okay! My jet pack just seized up from the cold," Jack said to the monks as he picked himself up from the ground.
"Let's get out of here," Raimundo said to his friends while gesturing for them to leave. Dojo quickly transformed and waited on the teens to climb onto his back.
"Hey! Wait! You can't leave yet! What happened to the epic battle!? The witty banter!? Oh come on! Omi didn't even butcher any slang!" Jack exclaimed in a huff.
"Forgive us, Jack Spicer. We will kick your butt twice as hard the next time we meet. But for now, we must get to warmer temperatures," Omi said as he climbed onto Dojo's back.
Jack nearly stomped his foot. What was wrong with these do-gooders!? Didn't they know that they were supposed to defeat him in battle before they could think about taking the Wu!? What ever happened to protocol!? "I've been waiting in my ship for you losers to find the Wu for hours! The least you could do is fight me for it!" Jack exclaimed.
"You want us to kick your butt?" Raimundo threatened.
Jack balked. "Well... No... I mean, who says that you will!? I've got some new bots ready to take you down! Snow bots, attack!" Jack exclaimed and pushed a button on a remote that he pulled from his coat. At once, a hoard of robots shaped like snowmen with metal arms ending icy blue blades flew onto the scene.
"Shoku Astro, Wind!" Raimundo shouted before leaping off of Dojo's back. Cupping his hands together, Raimundo formed a powerful tornado that sucked in all the snow bots and the falling snow around him. The bots clattered around loudly within the tornado before exploding in a ball of fire. Once Raimundo landed on Dojo's back, the dragon took off for home.
Jack watched with a slack jaw as the scraps of his bots fell around him. A small, strained squeak escaped him. He had spent hours designing those bots. Not to mention the time it had taken to actually build them! He had spent so much time modifying them to be able to withstand the cold as well as the monks' attacks, but it had been for nothing. Jack picked up a carrot-looking piece of metal with a sigh. At least Wuya and Hannibal hadn't shown up this time. If they had, he'd be going home with more than just broken bots.
The way things had been going lately, Jack wondered why he even bothered to try sometimes. With the monks stronger than ever and Wuya and Hannibal Bean working together, Jack barely stood a chance. There was no luck for this underdog. Gripping his jet pack between his cold fingers, Jack frowned at the frozen gears. "Stupid. How could I forget to switch to my cold-weather pack?" Jack grumbled before using his remote to call his ship. Slowly, he started to collect his scrap metal and load them up into the small cockpit. He couldn't just leave them behind. He would have to sort through them to find the salvageable parts to rebuild his bots. His parents were being so strict with his allowance lately. How did they expect him to buy the materials he needed to build his inventions!?
"What a waste of time," Jack grumbled as he flew through the snowstorm in his black jet with a pile of scrap metal behind him. At least it was the monks who had the Wu this time. Jack wasn't too concerned if they had it. It was easier to steal Wu away from the monks than to fight them for it. If Wuya and Hannibal had gotten it, however... Jack shivered despite being in his heated ship. Wuya and Hannibal were evil, just like he was. If he tried to steal from them, he was sure that he wouldn't be able to get away unscathed. At least he could count on the monks not to pull something sneaky or underhanded.
One thing kept bugging Jack, though. Why were Wuya and Hannibal working together? Jack had thought that Wuya was with Chase. Even more so, Jack knew that Chase never let Wuya out to get Shen Gong Wu in the first place. So, what was up? We're Wuya, Hannibal, and Chase working together now or something? No way! If they were forming some evil villain team, they would have invited him... Right? Jack turned the steering wheel to fly his ship down a different path.
Jack never really needed a reason to visit Chase Young's lair. Chase was- and still is- his idol. Chase Young terrified Jack, much more than the monks ever could. Chase was everything Jack hoped to be and more. Just his name alone sent people running for the hills. What Jack wouldn't give to have that kind of respect.
~:~
Hitomi brushed her hair out from where she sat in front of Chase's vanity. Placing the brush down, she picked up a glass bottle of unknown liquid before giving it a tentative sniff. "Chase has more beauty products on this table than I've ever owned in my entire life," Hitomi giggled. Hitomi heard her mother's growl (that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle) from where Naomi sat next to her. "Sometimes, I think he cares more about his hair than anything else," Hitomi joked in a whisper before giggling and rising up from the vanity.
As she walked about the bedroom, Hitomi picked up the discarded clothing that was on the floor before placing them in the hamper. She and Chase had yet to learn how not to get their clothes everywhere when they were undressing. When she heard a low growl, Hitomi faced her mother with a raised brow. Naomi gestured to a piece of fabric that was poking out from under Chase's bed. "Thanks, mama. I almost missed that," Hitomi responded before going over to pick up the... Hitomi's cheeks flushed slightly. Quickly grabbing her discarded underwear (how had those gotten under the bed?), Hitomi prayed that her mother hadn't been able to recognize the garment. "Let's get going. We can go for a walk or something."
Hitomi was quick to scamper out of the bedroom with her mother following behind her at a leisurely pace. Honestly! She shouldn't feel so embarrassed about this. It's not like her mother didn't know that she and Chase were...active. Hitomi shook her head slightly. She was mature enough for this. She would just ignore it. It wasn't that big of a deal.
"I think he really likes me, mama. I wasn't too sure about it before, but now I think he really does," Hitomi said softly with a small smile. She heard her mother growl softly while softly butting her head against Hitomi's leg. "I'm really happy with Chase, mama."
The two continued their stroll through the palace in silence. Hitomi looked down at her mother walking next to her before making a mental note to ask Chase to return her mother to her human form. While it was just nice to have her mother with her, it would be nice to be able to hear her voice again. As with most of their walks through the palace, it ended with them entering the throne room. Before they could leave the room, however, Hitomi approached the throne before taking a seat. Naomi raised a brow at her daughter while tilting her head to the side. Hitomi blushed slightly. "I was just stuck in another fantasy, mother. Do you think Chase would put a seat next to his for me to sit in one day?" Hitomi asked before giggling. Naomi shook her head fondly.
"That's wishful thinking on my part," Hitomi said with a sigh. 'A girl can dream...' Hitomi stretched and lounged on the chair comfortably. What would it be like, though? To sit on a throne next to Chase... Since he was the "Prince of Darkness", would that make her the Princess... of Darkness? Hitomi frowned. That didn't sound good. It made her sound evil. She didn't want that. Hitomi shook her head wildly. Where was she even going with this? It's not like Chase was planning on asking her to be his queen or anything. He'd only just gotten comfortable with her showing him affection outside of the bedroom. As if Chase would ask her to take their relationship to the next level now.
Hitomi was about to get up and continue her walk with her mother, when Naomi suddenly got up on all fours with a snarl ripping out of her throat. Hitomi raised a brow at her mother in question. Naomi was staring down the hall, a growl building in her throat. "Mama? What is it?" Hitomi asked.
"Hey! I bruise easily! Watch it, Whiskers!"
Hitomi frowned. She'd heard that voice before. Before she could identify the person who was screaming like a banshee, Hitomi saw a male lion walk into the room with a black trench coat in his maw. The trench coat was being worn by a struggling and angry Jack Spicer. Hitomi raised a brow. "Jack Spicer? What are you doing here?"
"Wait a second... I know that voice," Jack said as he stopped trying to pull away from the lion that had jumped him upon entering Chase's lair. Looking ahead of him, Jack's eyes widened upon seeing Hitomi. She was sitting on Chase's throne with a lion growling lowly next to her. That wasn't the worst part. Hitomi looked to only be wearing a black, silk robe. The sleeves were long, but the front was parted slightly. Jack blinked owlishly before his eyes started to look around the room. It's not like she had too much on display, but it was still more than Jack had ever seen. "H-Hitomi, where's Chase? I came to see him. Why are you even here? Aren't you supposed to be with those monks?"
"No. I..." Hitomi started, but stopped. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, "I'm here now. I lost to Chase in a battle and bet my freedom."
"That was dumb. Chase is the best martial artist in the world. No way you could beat him," Jack said with a shrug and roll of his eyes. Hitomi glared. "Look, I just came to see Chase. So, can you call him for me or something so he can call off Whiskers here," Jack said and tried to pull away from the lion again. When the male lion growled lowly and shot Jack a threatening look, Jack shrieked loudly and covered his head defensively.
Hitomi rolled her eyes with a loud sigh. "Let him go," she told the lion.
Jack had been surprised when the lion had actually released him. Scrambling up from the ground quickly, Jack dusted himself off. "Uh... thanks, I guess," Jack said awkwardly.
"Don't mention it. I'm not sure if Chase is even here. If he were, he would have sensed you coming and been here by now," Hitomi said with a shrug.
"Really? That is so cool. Okay. I can just wait here then," Jack said before moving to take a seat on the floor before stopping. He shot Hitomi a strange look. "Why am I sitting on the floor? I'll sit there," Jack said and pointed to the throne.
"I'm sitting here," Hitomi said.
"So? It's not like you're anyone important. At least I'm an evil, boy genius. Chase and I are like evil kin- almost like evil, twin brothers. I deserve to sit there more than you do!" Jack objected. Hitomi raised a dubious brow. Jack thought that he and Chase were like twin brothers? Hitomi laughed loudly. She held her gut as she bent at the waist, a loud laugh bubbling out of her throat. Jack frowned deeply. "Why are you laughing!? It's true! You can ask Chase!"
"I will then. I'm sure he'll back up your claims," Hitomi answered with a roll of her eyes.
"Can you just call him? I didn't come here to talk to you. I came for Chase," Jack huffed and folded his arms over his chest.
"Why have you come to bother me now, worm?"
Jack felt a cold sweat break out on his back as he heard Chase's voice speak to him. His eyes going wide, Jack watched Chase walk into the room with his hands folded behind his back. Jack felt his heart rate pick up when he felt Chase's glare land on him. Jack nearly caved and ran for it, but he swallowed thickly. Chase hadn't even done anything and he was already terrifying Jack! "I...uh... I came to ask you something, Chase. I was just wondering about Wuya... Wuya and Hannibal Bean. Wuya's not here is she?" Jack asked and looked around the room stupidly.
"Wuya is no longer welcome here," Chase growled out. His gaze on Jack narrowed.
"Oh! So I guess she's living with Hannibal then? It's just that I saw them working together to get Shen Gong Wu and I was just wondering how that happened. I thought maybe the three of you were working together. F-for a second, I was wondering why you guys didn't invite me to team up with you," Jack babbled.
Chase glared harshly at Jack. His patience with the pale teen was running low. Not that he ever had much to begin with. Chase's irritation nearly vanished when he heard Hitomi giggle lightly. He raised a brow at her. "I didn't know you knew how to work with others, Chase," she said as she smirked at him. Chase shot her a warning look that she ignored.
Jack balked. Who did Hitomi think she was!? She was talking to Chase Young- the Chase Young- like... like... Jack didn't know how to describe it. Since when did these two get so casual!? Chase wasn't even glaring at her! Chase always glared at him!
"Leave now, Spicer or you will be escorted out," Chase commanded in a no nonsense tone.
"Uh... Actually, I was hoping to get some advice from you, Chase..." Jack trailed off. "It's just that you're such a legendary evil-dooer. I was hoping you would be able to help me out since you're so awesome an all," Jack schmoozed. One thing to know about bad guys: they loved having their egos stroked.
"No. I have no time for you, insect. Like I said, leave now," Chase replied.
Jack frowned and slumped in disappointment. Hitomi frowned sadly at Jack. The pale teen looked like a kicked puppy. It was easy to tell how much Jack looked up to Chase. Pursing her lips, Hitomi stood up and walked over to Chase. "Just give him a chance, Chase. What harm would it do?" Hitomi said and folded her arms over her chest. For extra measure, she batted her eyes at Chase with a bright smile.
Chase raised a brow at Hitomi's obvious attempt at flirting with him. He narrowed his gaze at her before looking over at Spicer. The pale teen was eyeing the two of them with curiosity in his eyes. Chase nearly cursed. Spicer may be an abysmally poor excuse for an evil villain, but he wasn't a complete fool. It wouldn't be hard to tell that there was something different about his and Hitomi's relationship. Chase had been about to crudely dismiss Hitomi's request in order to throw Jack off their trail when he noticed Jack's lingering gaze on Hitomi. Chase raised a brow before looking back at Hitomi. Chase nearly blushed. Hitomi was standing with her arms folded under her breasts. This wouldn't have been such a big deal if she were wearing more than just his robe. When it was just the two of them, he didn't care what she wore. But with Jack here and staring the way he was...
Jack pulled his eyes away from Hitomi's slight cleavage yet again. Did Chase make her walk around like that? Geez. What did he have to do to get a life like Chase's? Before his eyes could roam over Hitomi's figure again (it's not like he meant to!), Jack felt a hand grip his throat tightly. He released a choking sound as his body was lifted off the ground. Looking down with wide eyes, Jack's fearful gaze landed on Chase's threatening one. The immortal boy was growling lowly with a sneer. "Ch-Chase?" Jack was barley able to get out.
"Chase! What are you doing!?" Hitomi cried out in shock.
"Consider this your only warning, worm: leave and do not return. If you do, I will put an end to your miserable existence," Chase growled and dropped Jack onto his rear. "Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Chase! Crystal!" Jack shouted as he gasped for air. Not wasting any time, Jack pulled himself onto his feet before running out of the throne room with a girlish, frightened scream.
Chase watched him go before turning on his heel. He watched Hitomi raise a brow at him in question. Narrowing his gaze at her, he snapped, "Is it so hard for you to dress in proper clothing?"
Hitomi looked down at herself before blushing slightly. "Oh... Whoops," Hitomi said with a sheepish laugh. When she saw that Chase's glare wasn't lightning up, Hitomi smiled softly at him. She approached him before saying, "You shouldn't frown so much, Chase. You'll get wrinkles." She tried to smooth out the frown on his face, but Chase grabbed her by the wrist to stop her. Hitomi blinked at him confusedly, but then she smiled at him again. "Alright, Chase. I'll go change if it will make you happy," Hitomi said with a shake of her head.
Honestly, she had been about to leave so that she could change. She wasn't too sure what Chase was so upset about, but she had a suspicion that it had something to do with Jack. Chase didn't care how she dressed when it was just the two of them, but he probably didn't want just anyone to see her walking around in his robe. Hitomi nearly laughed. Was Chase Young actually jealous?
Before she could leave, Chase pulled her towards him with a frown on his face. He didn't give Hitomi a chance to question him. Instead, he placed a hand at the back of her neck and pulled her in for a deep kiss. It only took her a few seconds to respond, but when she did, Hitomi wrapped her arms around Chase's neck loosely and sighed softly through her nose. She accepted his rare show of affection before the need for air became too great. Feeling lighter than air, Hitomi pulled away with a giggle. "Geez, Chase. You can't keep your hands off me. Can you?" Hitomi said with a laugh before walking away. Chase rolled his eyes at her back. That girl was going to be the death of him.
~:~
Moi-Moi: Was that foreshadowing? Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't. Who knows? Don't forget to review!