Author's note: Special thanks to VampireNaomi, who drew a very cute picture of my favourite JCA pairing that inspired me.

– CHAPTER 29 –

Passion Night

"Uncle?"

The old man opened his eyes and raised his head with a start. However, as he saw it was just Jackie and the others in front of him, he frowned in annoyance and leaned back on his chair.

"What is it?" he asked grumpily. His nephew raised his eyebrows in disbelief, as did the others.

"'What is it!' I'm the one who should ask that! You called us here, so we all came!" Jackie replied, confused.

"Never mind him. He's just cranky because you woke him up," Viper whispered in his ear. Even so, Uncle heard her and glared at the couple.

"Uncle was not sleeping! Was just thinking!" he retorted.

"Then why were you snoring, sensei?" Tohru, who was sitting next to him, asked and regretted immediately when Uncle whacked him in the head with two fingers.

"Do not question Uncle!"

"Yes, sensei..." Tohru murmured. Jack tried to suppress a laugh and was discreetly scolded by his father.

"In any case, Uncle... why did you call us here?" Jackie wanted to know. Uncle relaxed a bit and nodded.

"Paco was attacked by one of the demons this afternoon. Unfortunately, by the time I got there, he had already gone away."

"And how is Paco? Is he all right?" El Toro asked in concern.

"El Toro!" someone called coming from the corridor and everyone turned to see the Mexican boy apparently unharmed.

"Yeah, I think so," Viper said. Paco approached and took a glance at each one of the group.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in surprise.

"Uncle told us you wer—" Jackie started, but was interrupted when El Toro rushed past him, accidentally pushing him, and gently held the boy by his shoulders.

"Paco! What happened? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, it was just some scratches," Paco answered, smiling lightly and touching his chest where he had been wounded. He then turned to Uncle with a serious expression. "Now we know in what direction is the demons' hideout! Let's look for them and save Yade!"

To everyone's surprise, Uncle didn't snap at him or even seemed angry, but looked at the boy with anxiety in his eyes. The others were taken aback to see him like that. However, his expression soon changed into one of determination.

"How many times must I repeat myself? Jade is fine! She can take care of herself! I would not be surprised if she were already in the shop, waiting for us," he replied.

"As matter of fact, that's probably what she's doing," Viper murmured, getting a disapproving look from Jackie.

"But the demons... You saw what they did to me!" Paco tried, but Uncle shook his head and stood up. Then, he turned to leave, ignoring him.

"Come with me," he said to everyone.

After glancing at each other and shrugging, Jackie, Viper, Tohru, and El Toro went after him. Paco sighed in exasperation and began following them, but stopped when he felt somebody pulling his sleeve and looked down at Jack.

"I, too, think we should save Jade," he said, probably just trying to make him feel better. Paco barely managed to force a smile. So the only one who agreed with him was a ten-year-old boy? That was just great... After taking a glance at the rest of the group, Jack said in a conspiratorial tone, "But I think we should do as Uncle says. I think he has a plan, you know."

"Yeah, sure. And his plan is to hunt a demon who may be on the other side of the world while there're other eight in this city with Jade as their hostage," the Mexican boy said bitterly.

"He must have a good reason for that," Jack guessed. The two noticed that the others were rather far from them now and began to walk towards them.

"Maybe..." Paco muttered, though his tone of voice suggested that he didn't believe that. Jack, on the other hand, looked very calm.

"Besides," he said, smiling evenly, "if we don't obey Uncle, he may get grumpy again and whack you in the head."

oOo

The sun was setting in San Francisco, and the atmosphere in the demons' hideout was not so peaceful. Bai Tsa, Hsi Wu, and Po Kong seemed irritated by something, but refused to answer when their other brothers asked about it. Valmont, on the other hand, was very pleased, smirking every time he and Bai Tsa looked at each other. On those occasions, the water demon would just glare at him for a while and then abruptly look away.

Fortunately, Tchang Zu summoned his siblings to a meeting, which would relieve the tension between the humans and the demons. They made it clear that Jade and Valmont should not interfere if they knew what was good for them. Valmont was a bit disappointed because he would not be able to keep provoking Bai Tsa, while Jade relaxed, since Hsi Wu was not with her anymore. She even thought of enjoying her free time, now that the sky demon was not watching her, but her curiosity, as usual, was stronger and she found herself wondering what the demons were discussing in that meeting.

Silently, she tiptoed to the door that leaded to the dining room, where the demons were having their meeting and eating. Carefully not to make any noise, she opened the door just a few centimetres and knelt down. She could see some of the demons and hear Po Kong devouring the food on the table while the others talked in a serious tone.

"And you, Tso Lan? Have you located her yet?" Tchang Zu asked.

"The spell is not yet precise enough, but it already indicates she is somewhere in Hong Kong," the moon demon answered.

At that moment, Jade almost let out a yelp when she felt someone approaching behind her. However, she sighed in relief as she saw it was just Valmont coming to listen to their conversation as well.

"How much time do we have?" Shendu wanted to know.

"I am not sure. Once she can exert some control over the Hun Yu jewel, directly or indirectly, we will have from one to three days. She still has to locate her brothers' portals, and releasing them takes time. After all, the magic that imprisons them is still very strong."

"And what if she cannot exert any control? What if that little girl kills herself with the power of the jewel?" Bai Tsa questioned, and Jade could see how Valmont tensed as he heard that.

"The chances that anything like that will happen are almost none. I know Mei Liang and the way she acts. She will most likely use her powers to manipulate the girl's dreams and bring some bad memories in order to awake the hatred within her. The jewel will be completely corrupted and the girl will be consumed with her own hatred."

"Do you really think so?" Dai Gui asked, sceptical.

"Perhaps not," Xiao Fung said, nodding in agreement with Dai Gui and frowning in confusion. "Deep inside, she is just a human child. Whom could she hate that much?"

"Valmont," Shendu answered. Jade frowned and turned when Valmont moved away from the door and leaned against the wall, sighing heavily.

"Exactly. And even though it is not actual hatred, perhaps just momentary rage or a sorrow, Mei Liang can easily transform that into pure hatred. I think we all remember the last time she used that very same tactic," Tso Lan continued. The others groaned in agreement.

"So we have to banish her first and then get rid of the girl. Firstly, we have already decided that Mei Liang will be sent back to the Realm of Eternal Suffering," Tchang Zu said.

"Which means we need someone to sacrifice. Someone who has some sort of sentimental value to any of us, even if very little, and is willing to be the sacrifice," Tso Lan complemented.

There was a sepulchral silence in the dining room and Jade held her breath, anxiously waiting for an answer.

"I have a suggestion," Bai Tsa finally spoke up. Valmont paid attention to their talking again and Jade's eyes widened a little.

"What is it, Bai Tsa?" Tso Lan asked softly.

"I think Shendu should be sacrificed," she said fair and square and Jade heard the sound of cutlery falling on a plate.

"Me! And why does it have to be me?" the fire demon questioned in indignation.

"You are to blame for all this mess! It was you who took that little girl to the Hun Yu jewel, it was you who gave her the tiger talisman, and it was you who assured us that she was on our side!" Bai Tsa accused.

"I didn't expect Mei Liang would return! My intention was to do exactly what she is doing now and use the girl to control the jewel!" Shendu retorted.

"In any case, Bai Tsa, it is useless to try to force him. The spell will only work if he is willing," Tso Lan said.

There was another long moment of silence.

"I bet that Chan girl would be willing to sacrifice herself to save the world," Xiao Fung suggested.

Jade paled, but Hsi Wu quickly replied, "She doesn't mean anything to us. Not to me, that's for sure, nor to any of you, I believe. It is useless to sacrifice her."

"And before anyone suggests the other human with us, he won't do, either. He wouldn't be willing to sacrifice himself for the world's sake to begin with," Bai Tsa said coldly.

"Tell me about it," Shendu remarked sarcastically.

"This won't do! There must be somebody we could use!" Tchang Zu complained impatiently.

"Perhaps we should just leave that for the Chans. They will certainly think of the same spell if no one else does and won't hesitate to sacrifice themselves," Dai Gui said.

"Then let us just eat!" Po Kong proposed with her mouth full.

The humans moved away from the door and stared at the floor, each one with their own concerns about the whole situation. Suddenly, the door was opened and they turned around in guard. Hsi Wu looked between Valmont and Jade in suspicion.

"Were you listening to our conversation?" he asked. The two humans shook their heads vigorously and the sky demon sighed. "Jade, why have you been having the bad habit of lying to me? I think we need to talk up there," he said, nodding at the stairs. Valmont looked oddly at them and raised an eyebrow when noticing Hsi Wu's mischievous smile.

The sky demon approached Jade and pushed her not so gently towards the stairs. "Come on," he said and then turned to Valmont. "And you had better get out of here before my siblings see you. Some of them are not so tolerant to spying," he warned before going upstairs after Jade.

Valmont ignored Hsi Wu's advice and waited by the door. The first one to come out was Tchang Zu, who luckily just glanced at him as if he were a cockroach and went away. Dai Gui came right after him, growling at Valmont when he saw him, but did nothing more and kept following Tchang Zu.

At last, Bai Tsa left the dining room. The water demon narrowed her eyes and hissed when she saw Valmont.

"What do you want?" she asked sharply.

"You'd better not harm my daughter!" he whispered, glaring daggers at her.

"Who do you think you are to talk to me like that? I do as I please, and I shall not let a pitiful human such as yourself threaten me," she relied in a dangerous tone and began to wrap Valmont in her tentacles. However, as soon as he saw them approaching, he retreated and looked momentarily afraid. Bai Tsa smirked. "Scared?"

Valmont snorted, his expression turning cold again.

"Why would I be scared of you?" he snapped with contempt in his voice. Bai Tsa couldn't help but laugh. Of course, she though in amusement. He would die before admitting he was afraid of her. While arrogant men were loathsome, the proud ones were always a great entertainment.

"Pity. You are so adorable when you are scared. You look so... delightfully helpless," she said softly. Valmont's face contorted in repugnance and indignation, and he was about to reply when Shendu called Bai Tsa from behind her and the water demon turned around.

"If you are done declaring yourself to that pathetic human, could you please get out of our way? You are blocking the door," the dragon said sardonically and only then Bai Tsa realised where she was standing. Glaring daggers at Shendu, she retreated so that he, Tso Lan, and Xiao Fung could come out of the dining room.

"Honestly..." Tso Lan said, giving his sister a stern look.

"Are you sure we can't use him as the sacrifice?" Xiao Fung asked, making Bai Tsa blush slightly.

"Whatever are you talking about?" Bai Tsa asked, giving them a cynical smile. "I was just teasing him to have some fun."

"I don't know, Bai Tsa... I mean, that's what you always say, and it is the truth only half the times," Xiao Fung pointed out. Bai Tsa shook her head in irritation and turned to Valmont again. However, the man was no longer there.

"Where did he...?"

"He's long gone, Bai Tsa. He went upstairs," Po Kong answered, winking suggestively at her. Shendu looked disgusted at his sisters and went away, muttering something about bad taste.

oOo

Jade threw herself onto her new bed while Hsi Wu closed the door and turned to look at her. The girl leaned on her elbows to raise her head and face him back as he sat beside her.

"Did you hear everything?" he asked. Jade hesitated a bit before nodding.

"There's one thing I wanted to ask," she said. "Are you going to banish Julia too?"

"If she keeps causing problems, yes," Hsi Wu answered. Jade lowered her head, thoughtful and melancholic.

"And is it true what you told them? I mean absolutely nothing to you?" she wanted to know.

Hsi Wu was silent for a long moment before quietly replying, "I lied to them, Jade. I just don't understand why you rebelled against me this afternoon back in the park," he said. Jade looked at him again.

"I didn't rebel against you, I just didn't want you to harm Paco," she protested. When hearing the Mexican boy's name, Hsi Wu's eye twitched.

"Who is that human, anyway?"

"I've told you, he's a friend!"

"Friends don't sit in the park hand in hand."

Jade blushed and looked away. "It's not like we were on a date or anything, he was just very worried about me. He thinks you're torturing me and stuff," she murmured.

Hsi Wu stood up and turned his back to her, crossing his arms. "Even if I believe that and forgive you this time, I have been wondering. What will you do when our families fight again? Will you stay on their side or on mine?"

"Do we really have to fight?" she asked, frowning. Hsi Wu stared at her and hissed angrily.

"What kind of stupid question is that? Do you think your family will accept that the demons rule the world again?"

"Do you think I will accept it?" she questioned, standing up as well. "What makes you think I am on the demons' side? I want them all to be banished into some parallel dimension and never again come out!" she paused and approached him with a softer expression. "Except for you, of course."

"Why only me?" he asked sharply.

"Because you're... different. You're more... tolerant to humans, smarter than the other demons, and not bloodthirsty," she answered, smiling spontaneously at the last sentence. Hsi Wu snorted and shook his head.

"You are cherishing fond hopes, Jade. I may be as cruel as any of my siblings. Do you think I am better because I like a human? Some of my siblings used to treat their lovers very well. Each one has their own way. My sister Bai Tsa tried to be gentler just because she hated to be compared to Tchang Zu, Dai Gui or Shendu. Xiao Fung used to disguise himself as a human all the time and have fun among the mortals. Tso Lan never really appreciated bloody deaths, he said they were too barbarous."

Jade blinked in amazement. "I had no idea they thought like that..." she admitted, but then was serious once more. "Yet, you all have a problem, something in common. You're obsessed with becoming the rulers of the world again. Why is that? Isn't it possible to just live with the mortals and enjoy the world's beauty in peace? Not even to you, not-so-violent demons?"

"Why would we lower ourselves to the mortals' level?" he asked coldly.

"Forget about your siblings, then, let's talk only about you. You're the sky demon. When Shendu changed the History, I saw what your palace was like. I bet you didn't even stayed there for too long, but liked to fly around. As long as you have your freedom, you're happy, aren't you? Am I right?"

Hsi Wu looked away and considered those words for a while, then took a deep breath and nodded. "You are right, Jade. Being on my element is what brings me happiness. But I cannot betray my family."

"Right, and I can't betray mine, so we're back to square one," Jade concluded in an ironic tone. Hsi Wu smirked and approached her.

"How about leaving this dilemma for later?" he proposed, brushing her hair with his fingers. Jade smirked back and lay down on the bed.

"Sounds good to me."

He lay on top of her and they kissed each other. "After all, this may be the last time," he whispered, making her chuckle.

"Yeah, maybe... but I hope not."

"Oh, and don't forget it; from the moment we leave this room on, we have to treat each other as coldly as possible, unless you are willing to die for the sake of humanity."

"I don't know about that... but just in case, yes, I hate you."

"I hate you too," he said before kissing her again.

oOo

Valmont opened the wine bottle that he had been keeping for a while in this house and filled a glass. He then sat down on his bed, leaned back on the pillows, careful not to spill the wine, and drank while staring at nothing and thinking. Was it true what Shendu had said? Did Julia really hate her own father that much? Well, he admitted he was not exactly the best father in the world, but...

"I should have never returned to San Francisco," he sighed, closing his eyes tiredly. It was like a curse; ever since he met Shendu, everything in his life began to go wrong, and every time he set his foot in San Francisco, terrible things happened.

The sound of the door being opened woke Valmont from his thoughts. He slowly opened his eyes and looked disinterestedly at the door, not at all surprised to see the water demon standing by it. At this point, he had already realised she would never leave him alone. But he didn't care now; he was too tired and depressed for that.

The mermaid smirked, which made him frown, and entered the room, taking her true form. He relaxed a bit, glad with her transformation. She was easier to look at in that form; she was a very beautiful woman, unlike her demonic form. She looked harmless, and her voice was also softer, like a real mermaid's voice was supposed to be.

"Is that wine?" she asked, sitting on the bed, next to him. Without waiting for an answer, she stretched her arm to grab the glass. Her cold and delicate hand touched Valmont's and she took the glass to drink some wine. "I love wine," she said more to herself than to him, smiling pleased.

"What do you want now?" Valmont asked coldly. She took another sip, watching a random point between the wall and the ceiling, and shrugged.

"Nothing, I just came to see you. Perhaps now I can remember..." she answered absently.

"Remember what?"

"Nothing." She drank a bit more and returned him the glass almost empty. Valmont refilled it and was rather surprised to see Bai Tsa staring oddly at him. "You look horrible."

"Thank you. You are very charming as well," he replied sarcastically and she rolled her eyes.

"You know I mean you do not look so well. Is something wrong?"

Valmont's eye twitched and he tried hard not to answer. Something wrong? Nah, just imagine it! He was the demons' prisoner, his daughter was possessed by an evil jewel and now hated him, the demons were wasting all his money, but it was all right, really. Valmont said nothing, just rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"If it is because of your daughter again, I have already told you to forget it. There is no other way, we will have to kill her," Bai Tsa said.

"Not if I can stop you," he muttered. The water demon sighed in exasperation, closing her eyes for a moment.

"You humans are hopeless! I don't understand! She hates you! How can you not hate her for that?"

"Of course you don't understand. You are a demon, and you don't have children..."

Bai Tsa smirked. "Actually, I've had many children. In fact, I think I still have three daughters. Perhaps I will even take you to meet them someday."

"You think you have daughters?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah, it has been so long since we last saw each other or even talked. They lived isolated from the world..." Bai Tsa lay on her stomach beside Valmont. "I never really cared about any of my children... Probably because most of them were... uhn... accidents."

"I see," Valmont murmured, disinterested. He just kept drinking, and there was a long moment of silence, until he noticed that the mermaid was still watching him intently. "What?" he asked annoyed.

The water demon looked startled and blinked. "Huh?"

"Why are you staring at me?"

Bai Tsa smiled in thought. "You remind me of someone," she answered. After a pause, her expression became very serious. "Someone I met a long time ago... But I cannot remember very well..."

"If you can't remember, it mustn't be anyone important," he commented. Was he really having a civilised conversation with the water demon? Perhaps he had drunk too much already... Sighing inwardly, he placed the glass on the bedside table. Then, to his surprise, he felt Bai Tsa slowly removing the band in his hair and untying his ponytail. "What are you doing?" he asked, tensing.

Bai Tsa hissed at him to be quiet and brushed Valmont's hair with her slender fingers, and then made him turn around so that she could look at him in the eyes. The both of them stared at each other for long moments. Suddenly, Bai Tsa's expression brightened and she seemed to have remembered, but then frowned and shook her head, lying down again.

"I can't..." she murmured to herself in frustration.

Without noticing, Valmont filled another glass. "I'm telling, it's no one important."

"But it must be! I am a demon; I have lived for many centuries. I spare my memory for important things, but some of them happened so long ago that..." She stopped suddenly and stared at the ceiling, as if she were in a trance. Then, she closed her eyes slowly. "Oh, I almost remembered..."

"Oh, well. Pity," Valmont said sarcastically while placing the glass on the bedside table again. He was tired of this and was feeling exceptionally uneasy next to the water demon. Bai Tsa hadn't even threatened him yet! That did not bode well. After a quick glance at the mermaid, he started to stand up to leave. However, he barely moved and felt the demon's cold hand grabbing him by the wrist.

"Where do you think you are going?" she asked sharply.

"It is none of your business," he answered in the same tone of voice and tried to break free, but with no success. Bai Tsa was much stronger than him, even in her human form.

"You are going nowhere, human. We still have some matters to discuss," she hissed, pulling him back onto the bed so violently that it made him lose his balance. Valmont raised his head to face her and noted that her expression had become cold and cruel again. She smirked and leaned forward. "I have been thinking about what you said to me back in the park."

Valmont paled slightly, but kept his cold façade.

"And I realised you had a point. It is pathetic that I, a demon sorceress, would want a slave just to think that I still rule something. In fact, that is something my younger brothers would do, not me. Then, I figured out you could be useful for other things." The malice in Bai Tsa's eyes increased and she began to brush his hair again. He gulped, not getting her point. Or rather, he had a pretty good idea, but he really hoped he was wrong.

Bai Tsa chuckled, probably noting his growing discomfort – and loving it.

"And I think you will do very well for the use I have in mind right now," she whispered. Valmont frowned and abruptly turned away to leave, but Bai Tsa grabbed him by the shoulders and kept him sitting on the bed. "And you are not going anywhere until I am satisfied."

"Leave me alone!" he shouted, trying to stand up. She stopped him again and slipped her hands onto his chest. Valmont tensed and felt as if he were burning when she held him and leaned her head on his.

"What is the matter? You look nervous. Is it because I am too close? Funny, you weren't like that when you taught me to play violin," Bai Tsa whispered in his ear, sending cold shivers down his spine.

He frowned, irritated. "Don't you think the situation now is a bit different?" he asked through clenched teeth. Then, he yelped in surprise when Bai Tsa pushed him onto the bed.

"Will you do it, or do I have to enchant you?"

"Don't you dare do that!"

Bai Tsa laughed and leaned over him.

"Get off me at once!" Valmont demanded, struggling. Before she could react, he reached for the wine bottle and used it to hit her. Bai Tsa yelped and retreated, flinching when pieces of glass cut her skin. Valmont took the chance to escape, but the demon's cuts healed almost immediately and she stopped him by punching him in the face, making him lie down yet again.

"Why, you—" she hissed angry, preparing to hit him again, but then relaxed and sighed. "You really drive me up the wall sometimes." She observed him for a while, thoughtful. "Tell me, what is your name?"

Valmont stared at her in disbelief. What was she thinking now?

"What do you mean? You know my name!"

Bai Tsa sniggered. "Valmont," she said slowly and in scorn. Valmont flinched; it was the first time she said his name. "A very strange name, if you ask me. That is your first name?" She smirked and shook her head. "I don't think so."

Valmont sighed. Why was she insisting on this subject, anyway?

"You are right, it is not my first name," he admitted unenthusiastically.

For a long while they were silent, and Bai Tsa looked at him as if expecting he would say something else. Perhaps she thought that he would tell her his first name, but he had no intention to do so. His name was none of her business, and besides, he hated it.

Suddenly, Bai Tsa reached out to Valmont, which caused him to flinch. She stopped and he mentally cursed himself for demonstrating his fear.

"Relax," Bai Tsa said with a cynical smile, making Valmont frown crossly. "Now... where were we? Oh, yes."

The mermaid began to force him to lie down, but Valmont grabbed her wrists and pushed her back. Irritated by his insolence, she tried again, harder. The crime lord didn't give in and shoved her one more time. The two kept fighting until Valmont lost his balance and fell from the bed, taking Bai Tsa with him.

Besides the pain in his back and his head, he felt a weight on him, and he opened his eyes to see that Bai Tsa had fallen on top of him. At least she had stopped fighting and was calm now, although her lips were still forming a smirk. Valmont felt suddenly hot as he faced her so closely, her body pressed against his. She was really beautiful in her human form, and he just realised he loved her sardonic smile; it was so similar to his own. In fact, now that he thought about it, they were alike in many aspects. If only she weren't a demon...

He felt a warm breath on his face and only then noticed how close their faces were now. He felt hypnotised by those blue eyes, which wasn't impossible, as she was, after all, a sorceress. But that didn't matter; he just knew that a force which surpassed his common sense was attracting him towards her. Barely realising what he was doing, Valmont held Bai Tsa's shoulders and slowly slipped his hands to her back while they both closed their eyes. Part of him thought he shouldn't be doing this, but he just didn't care.

Then, when he knew his lips were almost touching hers, he heard the door of the room burst open and one of Bai Tsa's brothers shout, startling the both of them, "Bai Tsa, Tso Lan is—" Xiao Fung stopped mid-sentence and gasped, his eyes widening. "What in the Netherworld...?"

Bai Tsa jumped off Valmont, blushing as much as him. "What are you doing here!" she demanded of him.

"You should have locked the door!" the wind demon complained.

"We weren't doing anything like that!" his sister protested.

"This is the second time!" He sighed and waved his hand dismissively. "You know what? I don't even want to know what excuse you will come up with this time. I would even go away and leave you two alone so that you could have a nice night, but Tso Lan said we must have another meeting now. I think it has something to do with the spell to locate Mei Liang."

Bai Tsa breathed hard and pushed past Xiao Fung, who didn't seem to mind and followed her out of the room. Valmont got up and tried to recompose himself, doing his best to straighten his tie and his suit. He didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed for the wind demon having appeared just at that moment. He should probably be happy for getting rid of Bai Tsa, but now he just felt frustrated.

Shaking his head to get those thoughts out of his mind, he left the room and went after the two demons until they stopped in front of a door, which leaded to one of the guestrooms. Xiao Fung tried to open the door, but to no avail.

"You see? At least Hsi Wu locks his door," he said, smirking suggestively at Bai Tsa, who just snorted, crossed her arms and turned her head away. Her eyes met Valmont's and they quickly looked away in embarrassment.

oOo

Knocks on the door made Hsi Wu abruptly raise his head and move away from Jade, who sighed in irritation. Couldn't they even have a moment alone in this house?

"What is it?" Hsi Wu asked, annoyed.

"I hate ruining your night as well, brother, but Tso Lan said it is meeting time!" Xiao Fung answered from the other side of the door. Hsi Wu closed his eyes for an instant and leapt from the bed.

"Do you really have to go now?" Jade asked, leaning on her elbows.

"Yes. Even if it is not important, brother Tso hates being ignored. I must go and see what he wants," the sky demon explained, taking his true form and then grabbing Jade's clothes. "Quickly. Get dressed."

"Maybe he found Mei Liang and Julia," the girl guessed, taking her clothes and absently putting them on.

"Maybe..."

"Hsi Wu!" Xiao Fung called impatiently. When Jade was done dressing, the sky demon opened the door and saw that Bai Tsa and Valmont had been waiting for him as well. "And I still cannot find Po Kong anywhere," Xiao remarked, walking to the next room.

While trying to brush her hair, Jade noted Valmont standing close to Bai Tsa and frowned; there was something different about him. It took her a while to realise what it was.

"Valmont, you let your hair down!" she stated, smiling slightly.

"So what?" the Brit asked, scowling.

Jade shrugged. "Nothing, it's just that I'd never seen you like that. I think it's cool," she commented. Bai Tsa glared at her so angrily that the girl winced and stepped back, while Valmont seemed suddenly very interested in the wallpaper of the corridor.

"Where is Po Kong?" Xiao Fung asked, opening all the doors in that corridor.

"She must be in the kitchen, as usual," Bai Tsa replied.

"The kitchen was the first place where I looked for her. I've searched the whole house already!"

"Ah, she must have gone out. You know she hates enclosed places," Hsi Wu said, unworried.

"But what about the meeting!"

"Never mind, Xiao," Bai Tsa, grabbing Valmont's wrist so tightly that he yelped and dragging him to the sitting room. The others went after her and were greeted by Tso Lan, Tchang Zu, Dai Gui and Shendu.

"I couldn't find Po Kong," Xiao Fung told them.

Tso Lan sighed. "She must have gone out. Shendu, go look for her," he ordered. The dragon's eyes widened.

"What? Why me!" he asked, irritated.

"Because I told you so."

"Go now, Shendu," Tchang Zu growled. The fire demon's eyes glowed red and he hissed angry, but nodded and obeyed. As soon as he left the house, Tso Lan turned back to the others.

"I have summoned you because we are about to discover the exact location of Mei Liang and the Hun Yu jewel," he explained briefly and when his gaze fell upon Valmont, he said, "You, human," he called, pointing at him. "I want you to get us one of those 'airplains'."

"Ehr... that's 'airplanes'," Jade corrected, suppressing a laugh. Tso Lan glared at her and Hsi Wu elbowed her in the ribs. "Uhn... sorry," she mumbled.

"What is that for?" Dai Gui wanted to know.

"We do not have much time and I intend to get to Mei Liang tonight. I suggest that you prepare yourselves, for this fight may be even harder than the previous, now that the Hun Yu is involved," Tso Lan said calmly. Everyone else exchanged serious glances. The moon demon clasped each pair of hands and closed his eyes. "Let us begin."

To be continued...

Many, many thanks to my reviewers: VampireNaomi, Hellblaze, Spleef, tayla83, and Senda san.