Raining Hard

Chapter 6: To do is to be. –Descartes

Jackie was flabbergasted. "What?"

Captain Black sighed and leaned back in his chair. He had just told Jackie what had happened. It was early Friday morning and Black claimed he hadn't really had a decent sleep since Wednesday night, but Jackie could tell his friend hadn't slept for more than 48 hours.

Today was the last day off of school for Jade, and she was wanting to do something, but with what had just been told to him, he had to see Elemental. He had to thank her.

A few hours later, Jackie and Jade were at Elemental's residence. As Jackie knocked on the door Jade asked, "Jackie, is Elemental okay?"

"I'm not sure, Jade. But she seems to be a strong person." Jackie smiled at his niece who was once again trying to figure out the world. A young man opened the door.

"Hello, I'm Jackie Chan and this is my niece Jade. We would like to see Elemental."

"Sure. Come on in." said a female voice. The man looked at the girl who was standing on her tiptoes to see over his shoulder.

The man opened the door wider and the girl came out. "Hi. I'm Kari, one of Elem's students. Sensei would be happy to see you." She smiled at the two.

Jade decided that she immediately liked Kari. She was cheerful and had a nice smile.

Then the yell came from the loft upstairs, "Hikari!"

Kari cringed and the man shook his head. He then turned to Jackie and Jade. "I'm Alex, Elemental's friend." Jackie and Alex shook hands. "Sorry if I seemed a little reluctant to let you both in. I just want Elem to heal as fast as she can."

"I understand." Jackie assured. "We can see she is in good hands."

Jade was watching the argument evolving between Kari and "Sakura, I did not steal your watch."

"Then why are you wearing it?"

"Sensei got us these for Christmas last year. They were identical."

"No, they weren't. Mine had a red stone, while yours had a pink one."

"This is pink." Hikari held up the watch to prove her point.

"It is red."

"Pink."

"Both of you stop it." Elemental's voice drifted over the room. Both students became quiet. "Sakura, I believe your watch is right here on the coffee table. So stop arguing. And now that that's settled, come on in, everyone, and sit down."

Alex gestured for them to go into the living room. Jackie and Jade went followed by Sakura and Kari.

Elemental was lying on the couch in a velour suit with slippers. Her left shoulder was immobilized due to some kind of shoulder cast, and her left leg was straight and held still while her right was bent, holding the weight of a laptop so that she could type. She could easily reach over with her right hand to grab the sky blue mug full of coffee that was on the coffee table. Next to the mug was a gold watch.

As Sakura picked up the watch and put it on her left wrist Elemental said, "Don't let me find it lying around again, got it?"

"Yes Sensei."

Sakura and Kari left the room while Jackie and Jade each took a chair. Alex waited until they were seated before he sat on the couch with Elemental and gently placed her left leg on his lap.

Elemental spoke to Jade first. "Sorry you didn't get to do the presentation, Jade, but after Saturday, I had to give the presentation duty to someone else."

"It's okay." Jade's expression seemed a little distant as she said this.

"What are you wondering about?"

Jade glanced at Elemental's shoulder. "Does that hurt?"

"Only a little. I've been resting for about a week now. It hurt when the wound opened up though."

"When are you going to be better?"

"Completely, a few days. Enough so that I start to work again, tomorrow." Elemental smiled. "If my body guard will let me." She glanced over at Alex.

"You can work, if it doesn't stress you out."

"Which means I can't work," Elemental translated for Jade and Jackie.

"Has my book been found?"

"Oh, right, Uncle was looking for that book you wanted." Jackie remembered. "No I'm sorry, he is doing a lot of research and a lot less sleeping. We'll probably have to help when we go back to the shop."

"Is today your last day off of school Jade?"

"Yeah."

"Did you get your homework done?"

"I was so bored I had to do something."

Elemental smiled. "Hikari! Sakura! Come here please." She turned to Jackie. "My students are going shopping today if Jade wants to and it is alright with you, I'm sure they would be happy to take her." Kari and Sakura were nodding their heads.

"We would love to take her," Kari sincerely said.

"Can I go. Jackie, can I, can I please?"

"Sure."

Sakura spoke up. "We can drop her off a Section 13, and we should be done no later than nine o'clock tonight."

"Sure."

The trio of girls left.

"So what do you really want to ask, Jackie?" Elemental questioned.

"What is going on around here? You obviously know more than we do, and we do want to help."

Elemental sighed. "My archenemy has sent daemons to check my power supply. If it gets too great she attacks and takes it down a few noches. I think however it also senses a power in the city and wants to take it as her own. Therefore, Section 13 is a prime target, and it will try to get in any way it can."

"It?"

"My archenemy. It isn't male or female, it just is."

"So, does it need to be fought?"

"I can fight it. I just need to be at full strength and I need to have permission from my body guard."

Alex jumped in. "You can fight when you can walk without help."

"Which is now." Elemental looked at him with puppy dog eyes.

"Which is in a few days." Alex ignored the look that had done him in so many times.

Elemental gave a dramatic sigh then turned to Jackie and said, "It was worth a shot." After her sentence she yawned.

Alex saw it.

"Tired?"

"Little."

"Sleep?"

"Yeah, I guess."

She yawned again. "It was good seeing you Jackie. I hope I have laid your fears to rest. Thanks for bringing Jade with you. I love her zest for life, even if it is a little suppressed right now."

Alex got up to show Jackie out, but was stopped. "I know the way out," Jackie said. "Go ahead." Alex nodded.

As Jackie walked out he saw Alex carry Elemental to the door of presumably her bedroom. There seemed to be nothing that man wouldn't do for her.

On his drive to Uncle's Shop Jackie thought, 'I'll have to ask Black about their relationship tomorrow.'

*~Switch Scene~*

"Sir, there are no anomalies, strange occurances, or glitches in the area. No magick or spells or powers." Captain Black glared at the technician.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, sir."

"Has anything happened in the past few days?"

"There was that major one last Saturday, but since then only a minor anomaly yesterday, but it was gone before we could do anything about it."

"Thank you." The technician nodded and continued one with his work.

Captain Black wondered if Elemental should be notified of the minor anomaly. 'She deserves to know with what she went through,' he thought to himself. 'I need to go over and see her soon. Tomorrow would be good.'

As he walked back to his office his logical thinking kicked in. 'Alex hates San Francisco. He either really loves that girl or...or he really loves that girl.'

*~Switch Scene~*

"Toru! Need Japanese translation. Now!"

"Coming, Sensei."

Jackie was just walking in to Uncle's Shop. "Did you find the next mask?"

"No...Miss William's book. To find it I need someone to translate this scroll."

Toru was now pouring over the scroll. His expression was puzzled. "Sensei, this is not Japanese. It is some sort of ancient language."

"Then we must do research to find out which one. We need more books! Toru! Come help Uncle."

The student and teacher duo disappeared into the back room, which acted as a library and research center. Jackie watched them go, and then went upstairs to retrieve some items he needed. Even with a new evil being in town, even with the stress of having to find the Oni masks, Uncle was still Uncle, and to Jackie, that was a very comforting thought.

AN: Wow. Thus is the sixth chapter completed of the first multi-chaptered JCA fiction that I am writing. And the latest three chapters were written in one three day weekend. (My cousin got married so I flew to Seattle for the wedding. There was a lot of waiting around.)

Have a wonderful week. I will update as soon as possible. Also check out my updated Christmas JCAfic: Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Arigato!