I have only one thing to ask you: please, don't kill me in the future...

Thank you for those who reviewed!

*****

Chapter 12: Meeting

"Captain Black, you said that you had a surprise for me.", Jade reminded.

"A surprise?", Jackie asked curious.

"Yes, but I think Jade would prefer to hear the surprise alone.", Black said smiling and Jackie and Viper got the message.

"Well, I'll see how Uncle is doing.", Jackie said and left.

"And I'm going with him.", Viper said following her husband.

"So, tell me! Is it a good surprise? Does it have something to do with that thing I asked you?", Jade asked eagerly.

"Well, it's a good surprise and maybe it's also a bad surprise."

"Uh?"

"Well, my superiors said that I could decide if you can become a secret agent or not."

"Cool"

"But..."

"But what?"

"You'll have to obey all my orders."

"Oww, I'll obey your orders! Just let me be a secret agent, please, please!"

"Alright."

"YES!!!"

"And your first mission is to find this person.", Black said typing a name in the computer.

"Wow, I just became an agent and I already have a mission! Alright, it can be any person! Jade will take care of it! It can be the evilest of the super-villains! The cruelest of the criminals! The most-", she stopped as she saw the picture in the huge computer screen, and it was also being printed to a smaller size. Black took the small picture and handed it over to Jade, who was still staring at the screen.

"That's the person I have to capture?", Jade asked sadly.

"She's internationally wanted. She is a professional spy. In fact, she already invaded the Section 13 several times in the past."

"No, that's not possible!", Jade said shaking her head.

"Don't be deceived by her appearance, just because she's a little girl-"

"No! I know that she would never do that!", Jade snapped.

"If I showed you all the evidences and witness against her, we would stay here until the next century..."

"I can't do that."

"Listen, Jade. I gave this mission to you on purpose. I know that you know Julia, and I think she must have showed you where the Dark Hand HQ is, right?

"No, she didn't! We only talked to each other once! I don't even know her well!"

"Funny, just a minute ago you said the opposite... that was sure she would never do that."

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"We can't allow an agent to be a criminal's friend. And I know that you are a good girl, Jade. I'm just doing this for your own sake."

"No, you're doing this for YOUR own sake!", Jade shouted and left running.

"Jade!" He tried to follow her, but soon gave up. Perhaps he just had to let her think about it. She soon would see the truth.

~/~/~

Hsi Wu was in his human form. He was walking in the city, observing everything. It was already night now, and he could see the full moon. This city was very pretty at night, but Hsi was still a bit confused with all the new technology. It had advanced a lot since the last time he had been in San Francisco.

He was calmly walking along the pavement when suddenly he heard a noise. He looked at back to see that two cars had hit each other because one of the drivers was absurdly drunk. Hsi snorted in despise. Those stupid mortals... Hsi Wu turned to continue walking but before he could do anything, he was run over by a girl and they fallen to the ground.

"Oh, sorry! I-", the girl apologized getting up and stopped when she saw Hsi Wu's face. Hsi was also surprised with her.

'Jade!'

"Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?", Jade asked staring at him and trying to remember. Hsi Wu didn't answer, he was impressed with her. Closely, she was much prettier, mainly now when she wasn't just a little girl anymore. The girl's eyes widened and she drew a deep breath.

"Hsi Wu! Ahh, get away from me!", she yelled and ran away. Without even think, Hsi went after her. She ran to a musical instruments store. Hsi followed her and saw that she was holding a flute.

"Don't come any closer, Hsi! I have a flute and I'm not afraid of using it!", she shouted and everybody in the store stared at her thinking that she was crazy. Who would use a flute to defend, after all?

Hsi Wu backed away. Before he could try to say anything, Jade began to play the flute and Hsi closed his ears with his hands and cried out in pain as he left the store.

"We will still see each other, Jade! You'll pay for this!", he shouted while taking his true form to fly away. Jade stopped playing the flute and staring at the demon. What was he doing here? Did he want to take revenge on her?

~/~/~

Hsi Wu went back to the abandoned house and came in through the window. He went downstairs and headed to the room where his siblings were gathered. It was a huge room, with lots of sofas and armchairs. Yes, very comfortable.

Tso Lan was seated in an armchair reading a spell book. Probably he was trying to find a way to open the rest of the portals without the Pan Ku box. Shendu was sleeping in one of the sofas. He was still recovering from the incident in the South Pole, but he didn't seem to be relaxing. Perhaps... it was because of this loud and awful noise coming from that strange box! Hsi looked annoyed at the television.

Bai Tsa and Xiao Fung were in their human forms so that they could fit in the sofa. They were watching TV, and Bai Tsa seemed to be very confused while Xiao was grinning amused with what he was watching. Hsi stood behind them and looked at the TV. His expression became similar to Bai Tsa's. He just saw a lot of cars hitting and exploding and some people shooting and bombarding each other.

"Could you turn the volume down? I cannot sleep with all this noise!", Shendu complained.

"And I cannot concentrate.", Tso Lan added.

"This house is big enough. Why don't you just go to another place?", Xiao suggested and the two demons rolled their eyes.

"Brother Xiao, if you watch it too much you are going to become worse than you already are.", Shendu said slowly sitting in the sofa. The movie was interrupted by the commercials.

"I don't understand...", Xiao murmured.

"Oh, really? Of course you don't!", Shendu snapped.

"But that does not make sense! First they show very entertaining death scenes, and then that woman appears talking about soap powder...", Xiao said scratching his head.

"Well, since you find that it has no sense, let's just turn off this noisy TV and concentrate in what is important.", Shendu said calmly turning off the television.

"Oww, but it was cool...", Xiao murmured and Tso Lan stood up.

"Shendu is right. We still have to research to find out a way to free our other siblings.", the moon demon said and Bai Tsa turned to him.

"And what have you found out until now, Tso Lan?", she wanted to know.

"We cannot open the portals in Antarctica, then we have to do it in the usual way.", he answered and Xiao Fung felt a smell of something.

"Hey, something's burning...", he said and everybody saw a smoke coming from the kitchen.

"I think that girl set fire to the house.", Bai remarked and Julia appeared from the smoke holding a pot with something black inside.

"The popcorn burned. I think we should order a pizza.", she said and the demons didn't say anything. Then they turned their glances to Tso Lan.

"Then we have to go to each portal.", he continued while Julia placed the pot on a table and approached of the demons.

"You know... that is not easy. Traveling around the world is very expensive and we do not have any other resources to go to the portals. How are we going to Japan, for example, that is on the other side of the world?", Shendu asked.

"Exactly like you did before.", Tso Lan answered.

"But that time I was possessing a very rich human and-" The fire demon stopped and looked at Julia. The other demons did the same and the girl blinked.

"Uh? You want my money? Impossible, I ran away from home and this house is the only thing I have!", she tried to explain and they heard a sound of a car arriving.

~/~/~

"Forget your problems... Forget your problems... Forget your problems...", Valmont repeated in a low voice while getting out the car.

"Why is he repeating that?", Ratso asked.

"I think it has something to do with that crazy psychiatrist...", Finn asked.

"No demons, no Julia...", Valmont said when he stopped repeating the phrase and drew a deep breath. That house of him was very big and comfortable, and he still could continue controlling the Dark Hand from there. His enforcers followed him and he opened the door.

"Dad!", Julia yelled in surprise as she saw Valmont coming in the house, and for a long while the two groups just stared at each other. Valmont was pale. He didn't just found Julia but also recognized the demons with her. The blond man who he already knew that was Shendu, the wind demon that was in his same human form used in the prison, the two other demons were in their true forms, and finally a woman who Valmont quickly reached the conclusion that she was the water demon.

"Ah... Julia... I...", Valmont murmured weakly and Finn pulled his shoulder while the other enforcers slowly backed away.

"Sorry, wrong house. We gotta go...", the Irish man said smiling nervously while trying to drag his boss outside the house.

"Wait!", Bai Tsa shouted and took her true form.

"This mortal is exactly what we need.", she said pulling Valmont and separating him from Finn.

"And you go away now! Or maybe you want to stay for dinner?", Bai Tsa threatened and the three enforcers gulped.

"No, thanks.", Chow said nervously.

"We aren't hungry...", Ratso said.

"Yeah, we gotta go now... hehe...", Finn finished and the other two nodded. They ran to the car and accelerated as fast as they could. Only when they were already very far away, Finn reduced the speed.

"Is it ok to leave Valmont and Julia with the demons?", Ratso asked unsure.

"It's ok. You heard them, they need Valmont then they won't kill him. And it looks like Julia is their accomplice.", Finn replied breathless because of the fright.

"Besides, maybe he should stay with her. They have to talk and make it up, don't you think?", Chow added.

"We phone them later to see how they're doing.", Finn said and Chow and Ratso could just nod.

~/~/~

"Doctor! The demons are here! They kidnapped me and want my money to free their siblings that are still imprisoned in the Netherworld!", Valmont said aloud looking back at times to see Julia looking for something in his wallet.

"D-Don't talk about demons! Some hours ago... I was calmly walking along the pavement and one of them came out of a musical instruments store and flew away! Right before my eyes! I think I'm talking with you too much! I need therapy!"

"But... but..."

"Why is he screaming alone?", Bai Tsa asked.

"He's not screaming alone, he's speaking to his psychiatrist.", Julia replied taking all the money of her father's wallet. Bai Tsa wasn't any the wiser and found better not to ask again.

"Psychiatrist?", Shendu repeated, though he really didn't care.

"Let's say that he has a very stressing and traumatic life, and the last two years were enough to drive him crazy.", Julia said smiling pleased with her father's annoyed expression.

"What happened?", Xiao wanted to know.

"Well, besides all the 'supernatural' events, two years ago he was responsible for my mother's death and-"

"I WAS NOT RESPONSIBLE!", Valmont shouted from the other side of the room and Julia ignored him.

"And we don't get along at all. And there're several other reasons...", Julia continued and Xiao looked at his siblings.

"But Bai Tsa, Shendu and Hsi Wu never needed any psychiatrist...", he remarked and Julia looked curiously at them.

"Why do you say that? What happened?", she wanted to know and Xiao grinned.

"I'll tell you, they three-"

"Shut up, Xiao!", the three siblings ordered angry and Xiao smiled nervously.

"-don't like to talk about that. Sorry, but I can't tell you..."

"Maybe if you tell me, I can help you somehow?", Julia asked tilting her head and approaching of the three demons that now were with their arms crossed over their chests.

"Only if you could change the past.", Shendu said bitterly and Xiao appeared behind Julia, grinning as usual.

"Or if you knew some spell to resuscit-"

"No! Xiao, I already said that I do not care anymore about what happened!", Bai Tsa shouted impatiently.

"Neither do I!", Shendu snapped.

"Yes, I hate her! She ruined my life!", Hsi Wu finished. The three demons stood up and each one went to a different place, leaving Xiao Fung, Tso Lan, Julia and Valmont alone in the room.

"Who? What were they talking about...?", Julia asked curious and confused. Xiao opened his mouth to say something.

"Xiao!", Tso Lan said in a warning tone and Xiao was silent. "Do not!", the moon demon ordered and Xiao Fung lowered his head and nodded.

~/~/~

Hsi Wu went to the room that he decided to be his. He laid on the bed looking fixedly at the camera. He was watching some recordings that Jade had done before to 'lose' it.

"Where did you find it?", a voice suddenly asked behind him, and the sky demon flinched. He turned to face the girl trying to hide the camera, but it was already too late.

"How do you dare to come in my room, mortal?", he asked angry, but it seemed that Julia liked demons.

"Were you talking about her just a minute ago? She was the one who ruined your life?", Julia asked and Hsi Wu looked away.

"No, that was a long time ago... but I don't want to talk about that now..."

"I see. I did not come here to force you to talk, but...", she smirked glancing at the camera. "...that is Jade's camera. I never had a Super Moose camera, that's very old. It was popular seven or eight years ago, though."

"She... lost it when she was accidentally banished to the Netherworld.", Hsi Wu said unsure and Julia opened a snack packet that she was holding. She took some and offered to Hsi who observed them. He had never seen that cookie type. It seemed to be made of cheese.

"Tell me... how did you meet each other?