I own nothing. Lalalalalaaa...
Jade tasted her strawberry shake and glanced at the boy on the opposite side of the table.
Shin.
She couldn't actually say why she had left with the boy, he had treated her friends very rudely. But still... something in him fascinated the girl and she wanted to know more about him.
Jade leaned against the table with her elbows.
"Well, tell me why to bother there and drag me with you." she asked. Shin tilted his head a bit and laughed.
"Let's say that when I saw you on the stage I knew you are the right one." he said softly. The way he said it sounded dangerous in Jade's ears, but it also had something that made her feel even more fascinated.
She snorted.
"So that's why the small walk in the park turned into a date in this café." she said playfully.
"Who said we are on a date?" Shin asked.
Jade didn't say anything to that, but tasted her shake again eyeing the boy at the same time.
She couldn't put her finger on it, something this guy was different. He wasn't like other boys of Jade's age and while it made her feel a bit nervous she was also interested. Who was this Shin and why was he here?
"So I am the right for you?" she asked in amuse.
"You can say that. I've been looking for someone like you for so long." Shin replied.
Now it was Jade's turn to laugh.
"Not that long though, I guess. I think you started to be interested in girls about three years ago." she said. Shin smiled.
"Oh, you have no idea." he said.
Jade and Shin had made a small walk in the park where the playing of TD3 could be heard rather nastily. At first Jade had been very suspicious, but had soon noticed that Shin was a very interesting person. She didn't know why, the boy told nothing of himself, but had...
Yes, what had he said?
Jade frowned slightly, for some reason she couldn't remember what they had been talking about. Something important it had been, she could sense that, but not remember a single word.
Funny.
"Is something wrong Jade?" Shin asked softly and leaned closer. Jade laughed nervously.
"Nothing. I just remembered that my family is waiting for me. My uncle is really overprotective." she explained quickly. Shin thought about it a while and shrugged them.
"Ah, I see. He must be having a hard time in the museum, am I right?" he asked.
"How did you know that? Are you following me?" Jade wanted to know.
Shin smiled.
"You never know. What if I am?" he asked.
"You are weird."
"So I've been told."
They both sat in silence and the life in the café surrounded them. To Jade it felt like they were sitting under a globe of glass trapped forever when all others went on with their lives not noticing that two of them were missing.
The sound of the people echoed distant in her ears and she blinked shaking her head a bit.
"Jade?"
Jade tried to see who were the other people in the café, but they seemed like shapeless blur of colours and limbs to her. The mass moved with surrealistic slow pace making her head hurt and she had to close her eyes for a while.
"Jade?"
Shin's voice made her shudder and Jade took a glance around herself. There was nothing special going on, everything was fine. She felt the desire to pant though she wasn't out of breath at all.
"I have to go." she said quickly and stood to leave. Shin stood up too and grabbed her hand.
"When will we meet again?" the boy asked.
"I don't know." Jade replied truthfully. If Shin's company was always like this she wasn't sure if she wanted the next time to come.
Shin snorted.
"Well, until that I want to give you a gift. Maybe it will help you to make your decision." he said and bent closer pressing his lips on Jade's forehead.
Jade drew a breath and would have pushed the boy away if he hadn't backed. The spot where Shin had kissed her stung and the girl felt like she had been marked with fire.
She walked past him and left the café not looking back.
Shin sat down again and snorted in amuse. So young...
And always so full of delusions.
He ordered boiling tea and after getting it leaned back on his seat to enjoy the drink. He drank it slowly and let the warmth fill his old, old bones.
The walls built of shining black porcelain rose around him and the high ceiling covered the stars. The floor was black too, the whole palace was built of shining black porcelain. There was now patterns, writings or decorations. Just pure black.
And everywhere was silent. Not a single voice broke the silence and if someone had walked on the corridors of the palace the sound would have echoed gracefully in the darkness despite the vacuum.
Someone lived in the palace, but no one walked on the floors.
Tso Lan didn't have to walk, as a moon demon he controlled gravity and always floated around above the ground. He had feet though and he had a human-like body - if you didn't count his extra pair of arms - for a demon, but he didn't like walking.
From the demon family only Tso Lan and Hsi Wu could break free from the imprisonment of the Earth and it made the usually so calm moon demon feel a bit stuck-up. Of course Shendu had his Rooster talisman, but it wasn't a true gift and Tso Lan didn't appreciate it.
He sat there eyes closed and concentrated in the palace that surrounded him.
The palace was all he had left in this world and it made him feel both peaceful and painfully empty. He had cut his bonds with everyone except Po Kong and withdrawn in the dark side of the moon. His palace stood there in the darkness and he lived in the middle of it all.
It wasn't long since he had destroyed the latest shuttle humans had sent. He destroyed them all, no mortal had the right to intrude in his kingdom. The moon was his, had been from the beginning and it hurt him to think about the damage humans had done.
A few humans had been in this latest shuttle and Tso Lan had heard their desperate thoughts in his mind when he killed them and destroyed their ship. They hadn't bothered him, an old demon like him didn't give a damn about the pain of humans, but he hadn't enjoyed the cries either.
In five years he hadn't enjoyed of anything.
It was finny and the logical mind of the moon demon thought this all was... well, illogical. For centuries he and his siblings had been imprisoned in the nightmarish Netherworld and dreamed of freedom. Their life had been filled with agonising waiting, but at least they had enjoyed of something.
They had had their own arguments - there wasn't a demon who didn't like fighting - and sometimes they had even had a decent conversation with each other. Fighting and inflicting pain to others had been more common though and it wasn't a wonder. Demons had a very jealous nature and when no one had a kingdom or slaves they had to treat badly at least each other.
In the ancient times they had lived in peace and been close. They hadn't fought against each other, but had understood one other, but that had all been destroyed in the Netherworld.
Their bond had been strongest while they were children and when their father had ruled a huge kingdom.
Tso Lan sighed quietly, almost silently.
"Tso Lan!"
The young moon demon turned around when hearing the voice of his younger sister, Bai Tsa, and stopped to wait for the water demon who had some difficulties with keeping up with his pace. Bai Tsa had no legs, but she was just proud of it and of course could swim better than her siblings combined.
"Hurry or you'll miss it." Tso Lan said softly and Bai Tsa rushed on his side. Her blue scales shone in the sunlight and the water demon smiled playfully.
"Don't go so fast." Bai Tsa said grabbing her brother's robe and Tso Lan shook his head.
"I am not going fast, our siblings are already there. Even Xiao Fung and little Shendu." he said. Bai Tsa wrinkled her nose.
"Unfair. Po Kong is carrying Xiao Fung and Shendu is so fast. He has to be or he'd get beaten up all the time." she said cheering up towards the end of the sentence. Bai Tsa had been against their younger brother from the beginning and Tso Lan didn't think she enjoyed anything else as much as teasing him.
"Come on now." he said continuing his floating. He wasn't a very old demon, a bit under hundred years old, which in human years was about twenty. He had started his studies fifty years ago and even before that had spend much time in the family's library.
They travelled on a sandy road and would soon arrive in the city of Xhion. A group of travelling artists who were known all over China would arrive there today. And that was something in such a big empire and made many from the nearby areas come to see them.
Unlike his siblings Tso Lan wasn't very interested, but he had promised their mother he would take Bai Tsa to watch the show. Unlike so many great demon lords their father Hiu Fo had never taken more than one five, but she had already given him seven children.
And the eighth one was coming, their mother was already round and the new child would be born in a month. Hiu Fo expected much from this child, he had told Tso Lan that the infant would be male and somehow important.
"One day, Tso Lan, that brother of yours will change the life of you all. Wait for that day and be ready." Hiu Fo had told the moon demon, who had sat on the floor a book in his arms.
He had tilted his head.
"What kind of demon is he?" Tso Lan had asked knowing quite well that their father could predict the element of a child before it was even starting to show.
Then Hiu Fo had frowned.
"He will be a demon of the dreams." he had said and Tso Lan had known that something bothered their father. He hadn't asked anything though, no one had the right to question Hiu Fo like that. Not even his own sons.
People bowed to them while they walked(?), but neither paid it any attention. It was just a simple fact to them, like sunlight, of course mortals had to show they were lower beings than demons. If they hadn't the outcome wouldn't have been very nice.
To humans, that is.
"Come on, Tso Lan! You're going too slow!" Bai Tsa said and the moon demon had to snort.
"Didn't you just say I'm too fast?" he asked.
"That was when I was behind you. I smelled blood, someone had been attacked there and I had to go and see if I would find anything." the water demon explained. If they hadn't been on their way to see a famous show she would have been disappointed for not finding a bigger pond of blood.
They arrived in the city after some time and the crowd was huge. People shouted at each other and swore, there didn't seem to be room for anyone. It was painfully hot between mortals and Tso Lan had to wonder why his father let so many of these sweaty and stinking creatures live. There was so many of them, they didn't need them all.
He and Bai Tsa were of course given way and even those who had just complained about the cramped streets found room to stay away from the demons' way. The bickering was silenced when they went past and everyone was reminded of the fact that the heat and crowd weren't the biggest of their problems.
"Come." Tso Lan said to his sister when she was about to gape at a young human girl who had big and beautiful brown eyes. The water demon obeyed sighing a bit and the child's mother caught the girl in her arms relieved because the moon demon had called his sister away.
Bai Tsa was a bit disappointed, she was so interested in humans that it was starting to get difficult. The slaves in the palace were very nervous because of the water demon and her tests. Bai Tsa thought it was so much fun to investigate how human mind worked and her ability to manipulate just made it more fun. Tso Lan believed that once she grew up a bit she would make many mortal men feel rather nasty.
"Tso Lan! You are finally here!" Tchang Zu's voice could be heard and the moon demon nodded at his brother.
"Yes, we walked." he said and hurried Bai Tsa to take a place in the front so that she wouldn't miss a moment of the show. The water demon obeyed gladly and pushed her way next to Shendu.
"Hey! I was here first!" the fire demon snapped. He was very young, just seven and yet he acted as if he ruled the whole world.
"But I am older! Besides I'm your sister! Go away!" Bai Tsa said and tried to push her brother away. Despite their age difference their physical strengths were equal and Shendu pushed her sister back.
"No!" he shouted defending his place.
The group of artists glanced at the arguing demons in uncertainty, but started their show anyway. They were truly gifted and it would have been perfect without the continuing battle of Bai Tsa and Shendu.
Finally Dai Gui got enough and slapped Shendu in the face and the still small dragon flew on his stomach in the ground. He jumped on his feet again hissing angrily and his red eyes glowing dangerously.
Though he was very angry Shendu wasn't stupid enough to challenge Dai Gui who was stronger than Bai Tsa despite that she was older. He spat at the earth demon and flicked his sharp tongue before leaping away to find a new place for himself.
Even Tso Lan had to admit that the artists were good and to his surprise he enjoyed the show. He was still glad when it ended and the group of seven demons could return to their home on top of a high mountain.
Bai Tsa was like glued to him during the return and Xiao Fung slept in Po Kong's arms. The wind demon was very attached to his big sister who had always made sure that Tchang Zu and Dai Gui didn't attack him.
The moon demon thought it was stupid and the result could already be seen. Xiao Fung wasn't a strong demon and couldn't take care of himself, but it couldn't be helped anymore without making the wind demon go through a proper training.
And why should they do that, everything was fine and he doubted anything bad would ever happen.
Tso Lan sighed again.
Here surrounded by the silence of moon he had much time to remember the past and how they had once been children. Back then life had been safe and none of them could have imagined that it all would fall one day.
For some reason he had thought about his father's words a lot during these five years. Their brother had been born not so long after they had been watching the artists, but from the beginning of it they had known something was wrong.
The birth had been difficult and the demon child hadn't survived. Tso Lan hadn't been allowed to be there, but Po Kong had later told him that the infant hadn't managed to do anything else than draw his first breath and open his red eyes before dying.
That was nothing, Po Kong was older than Tso Lan and seen much death and enjoyed every moment like a real demon should, but the death of their youngest brother had been something that had shocked even her.
The mountain demon had sworn that during the short while when the demon child had lived she had seen such an expression of the desire to live and the bitterness when it couldn't be in the eyes of the infant that she had never seen in on someone else's face.
The child had died and almost taken their mother with him. Wuo Shao had never recovered, but continued on somehow before finally passing away too.
The death of their mother had hurt Xiao Fung and Shendu the most, they were the youngest and still attached to their mother. Xiao Fung was just a year older than Shendu, which was very unusual among demons and it almost made those two twins.
Or would have if they weren't so different.
The wind demon had been lazy since his early childhood and hadn't changed at all. It made Tso Lan feel bitter, he would have wanted his brother to be something better than someone who did completely nothing.
But Xiao Fung wasn't the biggest disappointment in the demon family.
"One day, Tso Lan, that brother of yours will change the life of you all. Wait for that day and be ready."
His father's words echoed in his mind and Tso Lan had to admit that Hiu Fo had been wrong. Their brother hadn't even been named and he certainly hadn't changed their lives at all.
Suddenly he felt something.
Something grabbed his wrist and smashed him on the floor. His jaw hit the floor painfully and he almost bit his long tongue off before stopping himself.
He rose on his knees and tried to pull himself free, but whatever it was that had got him wasn't going to let him go just like that. He felt he was sinking deeper in the floor of his own palace and for a short while - almost a whole second - he felt panic.
Then the common sense of the moon demon started to work again and he pushed all feelings aside. His knees had already sank in the deceiving floor and he shouted aloud a word that made the molten porcelain let him go.
He trudged in the soft floor until his feet caught solid porcelain. Walking was difficult for him, it was at least hundred years since he had last time walked in his true form.
And now he had to run.
The moon demon felt as his palace twitched around him and he rushed in the move to get out before the whole building got destroyed. He ran on the dark corridors and only his red eyes and the echo of his steps told where he was. The demon leaned on the wall every time he could and to keep up his pace.
Once he almost fell when the floor gave in under him, but he quickly called his powers and levitated away from the danger. Then he continued running and rushed out of his palace just a moment before it all melted away.
Tso Lan fell on his knees on the dark surface of the moon and watched the palace that had been his home for five years fell apart. Five years was just a blink in the life of a demon, but he had already got attached to his lonely kingdom.
He stood up and started to float again.
What had happened?
It was dark around him and thousands and thousands of stars twinkled at him. There was no sound of course now that the magic of his palace was gone, but the moon demon was used to the vacuum and even enjoyed it.
But this time...
He felt like he wasn't alone anymore and it made him feel a bit nervous. If he could have seen his enemy it all would have been fine, he could take care of himself, but now when he had no idea who had attacked him the situation was bad.
At first he thought one of his siblings was playing with him, but then he gave up that idea. Something bigger was going on.
Maybe it was the time to return to the Earth and visit sister Po Kong.
Tohru didn't know why he returned back to the small and nice bakery where he had bought cookies. The cookies had of course been delicious and he would have loved to buy more of them, but he knew he wasn't there because of the cookies.
It was something else.
It made the Japanese man feel confused and he didn't like it. Usually Uncle or Jackie told him what to do and he rarely had to make any big decisions himself. It suited him fine, he wasn't very ambitious, but settled with what he had.
And yet he now hadn't told about this to anyone. This felt somehow too personal and he didn't want to tell about it to anyone before he understood it himself.
The small bell gave a ting when he stepped in and Tohru stopped to have a look around himself.
"Good day." he said after noticing Po Kong and the demon frowned a bit. Why was Tohru here again? She had thought that the man had been here just because of a coincidence and that he wouldn't be coming back, but now he was there again.
Had he probably realised who she really was?
"What do you want?" she asked more sharply than was proper, but heck, she was the oldest demon of her family and didn't have to bow at a mortal.
Tohru flinched. He obviously hadn't been expecting such a rude beginning line.
"Uh... I was just passing by and decided to give you a visit." he explained uncertainly and took a look around just to notice they were all alone.
"I see." the mountain demon stated. If it had been some important mortal she would have felt a bit flattered, but what was so wonderful in that that an ordinary mortal man wanted to see her?
After all, who wouldn't be speechless in front of the gorgeous mountain demon?
And yet the voice inside her reminded her of that five years ago she had made the first move with this man. Nothing special though, the mountain demon had been too busy to fully concentrate in seducing, but she had got the man interested anyway.
Tohru rubbed his cheek.
"So, how has your day been?" he asked after a while. Po Kong shrugged.
"Horrible. This job will kill me one day." she admitted. And it was true, she was truly bored and was ready to do almost anything to have some fun.
Like...
Last time she hadn't quite tasted this mortal, but it seemed she had been given another chance. She had been lucky when the fate had let their paths met twice already, which had been very unlikely.
Well, maybe she could take all out of this and even enjoy it.
"I thought it would be fun working surrounded by all this." Tohru said pointing at the delicious cakes.
"Yeah, if I was allowed to eat them all." Po Kong said. To be honest, she had eaten them over twice her pay, but with the right spell the owner hadn't noticed anything. She had many times considered killing them man and taking over the company, but then realised how ridiculous it was.
Shendu had a telecommunications company and would roll over in laughter if his older sister was happy with a small bakery.
So it was better to just be and wait. Something exciting would happen sooner or later.
Like right now.
"Well, if you think about it that way..." Tohru admitted in thought. He looked at the woman in front of him, her shoulder length but now tied up dark hair and dark blue eyes. She wasn't actually beautiful by usual standards, but Tohru had never been one of those snobby people who couldn't see everyone as beautiful and perfect.
And then he realised he didn't know her name.
"I am Tohru." he introduced himself and Po Kong nodded smiling a bit. She so wanted to say "I know." but didn't allow herself to do it. She knew quite well that Tohru would never have been friendly with her had he known who she really was.
"My name is Pam." she said. It was a name she had used these five years and she liked it almost as much as the name Pomako. She couldn't probably use that name again before the old Chan died.
"Nice to meet you." Tohru said.
"Isn't that quite late? We've met before." Po Kong said.
"Yes well, we had out first real conversation now." Tohru explained.
Po Kong took a lazy look around herself and snatched a few cookies under a plastic plate. She didn't know why, but chocolate and vanilla cookies were the first thing in her mind when she was alone with Tohru.
She bit half of the cookie and gave Tohru a heart shaped vanilla cookie.
"Here you go. My own favourite." she said. Tohru took the cookie with uncertainty.
"Is it allowed to eat just like that without paying here?" he asked.
The mountain demon shrugged in amuse.
"Who'd notice? There's no one here besides us." she said tilting her head a bit and Tohru suddenly felt like it was the best thing he had heard in a long while.
"I see." he said.
"At this point most men would have ventured much deeper." she said not letting her meaning stay unclear. She watched in amuse as soft blush spread on Tohru's face and remembered what she had told him five years ago.
Blushing, what an unordinary behaviour for a mortal man!
"Yes, well..." Tohru muttered not really managing to say anything. This was starting to remind him of how Po Kong had played with him five years ago and he didn't like it at all. On the other hand, he probably shouldn't be worried. Even ordinary women could say things like that, not every woman who made the first move was a demon.
Suddenly the door banged open and the glass almost broke. Tohru turned around in surprise when a tall man dressed in the red outfit of a royal Chinese servant rushed past him.
"We have to talk now!" Tso Lan said to Po Kong, who glared at her little brother in annoyance. In five years the moon demon hadn't bothered to come and now he did it at a moment like this!
"About what?" she asked shortly.
"About us of course! What else?" the moon demon asked meaning himself, Po Kong and the rest of the family. Unfortunately his choice of words was bad and a dark shadow appeared on Tohru's face.
"I guess I'm on the way." he stated and walked out before Tso Lan even realised that one of their enemies had been in the same room with him.
He opened his mouth to ask about it, but another surprise was in store for him when Po Kong slapped her brother hard and he fell on his back in a shelf making everything on it fall on the floor. Cream pies fell on him and in a while he couldn't do anything, but lay there and think about his stinging face.
"That's for ruining everything!" Po Kong said angrily and crossed her arms on her chest. Tso Lan stood up rubbing his jaw and reminding himself of that it was never wise to anger one's big sister.
"So you are trying to seduce him again? Didn't it go all wrong last time?" the moon demon asked calmly and cleaning his clothes with a snap of his fingers. He didn't do anything about the broken shelf or fallen pies.
"Says someone who has never noticed that the opposite sex even exists." Po Kong muttered angrily, but already claming down. This was just a temporary back fire and besides, it was much more important to know why Tso Lan had returned after five years.
"What are you doing here?" she asked. Tso Lan took a look around himself.
"I don't like talking about it in this form. Where do you keep your books?" he wanted to know.
"Everything I need is in my apartment near this place. If it really is something important we can go there." the mountain demon said. Tso Lan didn't say anything, just nodded and Po Kong realised something was really bothering him. She forgot all about Tohru and decided to concentrate in her brother now.
Tso Lan was rarely worried and he always had a good reason to do it.
"Let's go then." Po Kong said and the two left the bakery not caring about that it was hours before it was supposed to be closed. Matters like that just didn't concern them, the demons.
Po Kong lived in a flat near the bakery and she had the best apartment in the building. The mountain demon liked heights and lived very nicely on top of the building not paying for it at all. She had total control over the landlady and had made her drive all those who annoyed her away.
She led her brother in her apartment smiling at the landlady who was sweeping the floor and who answered to her greeting like she had just met her best friend. Po Kong thought she was pathetic and would never change.
"So, what is it?" she asked after they were there and Tso Lan had taken his true form. The moon demon looked around himself and shook his head a bit. He had lived in the moon during this time and just now realised how well his siblings had adapted in the mortal world.
"You know I built a palace in the moon, right?" he started. Po Kong nodded.
"I know and thought you had decided to withdraw there in your own peace for a good while. In five years you haven't contacted me many times or left the moon even once. What makes you leave your palace now?" she asked.
Tso Lan was silent for a while.
"Because the palace doesn't exist anymore." he said and the mountain demon looked at her brother in surprise.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"It melted away with no warning. I was barely able to save myself and I am sad to admit that I don't understand what happened." the moon demon said.
Po Kong watched him carefully.
"Was your palace built of black porcelain?" she asked remembering well it had been Tso Lan's favourite in the ancient times. The moon demon nodded slowly and his sister frowned.
"A palace built of black porcelain and with the power of the oldest brother can't be destroyed just like that. Something strange and dangerous is going on if someone really wants to get rid of you. What exactly happened to the palace?" she asked.
"It doesn't exist anymore. There's no sign of that it ever did." Tso Lan said and frowned too when he remembered something.
"My palace turned into nothing." he muttered quietly.
"Isn't that a bit too fast thinking?" Po Kong asked knowing what her brother was thinking about.
"Why? Humans have made all strong magic fade away from this world, who else could want to harm us? Besides, he will come after me first." Tso Lan said.
The mountain demon shook her head.
"But why now?" she asked.
"Why not? We are now weaker than ever, we are apart and Tchang Zu is gone. There won't be a better chance for him."
"But isn't it still a bit ridiculous to assume that Heing Meh, the demon of Nothing, is waking?" Po Kong guessed.
Something was hissing.
Chow turned quickly around and looked wildly around himself trying to find who was making the sound. It sounded like a snake and even more an angry Shendu. On the other hand, he was sure it wasn't the cruel fire demon, but that made him just more nervous.
Who else could make him feel this afraid?
The hissing grew louder.
And for a while the whole universe flashed bright white.
"You can't resist it anymore."
Chow yelped when he heard the voice inside his head. He whirled around to see who was talking to him, but he saw no one.
"Who are you?" he dared to ask.
Someone laughed.
And the universe flashed again.
Suddenly everything was black, nothing else could be seen. The hissing was still there and Chow was starting to feel someone was watching him.
"Where am I?" he asked not really expecting to be answered. He just had to hear his own voice.
There was a sound that resembles the snap of a whip and two glowing red eyes opened in front of him.
Chow woke up with a flinch and for a second he felt as if he was falling, falling and falling. His heart was filled with terror, but then he realised he was safe in his own bed and that there was no hissing.
The man brushed sweat from his forehead and fell in a heap on his bed. This reminded him way too much of the time when he had been having dreams about the torture of Valmont.
Those dreams had disappeared when it had turned out that the man was alive and Chow had believed he'd never again dream about anything that was related to demons.
He had been wrong.
This was the first time in five years when he had had such a scary dream and it sure didn't please him at all.
To be continued...