Chapter 2

When Xiaolin woke up next she was feeling much better, cold but better. Feeling around for the torch in the darkness. Finally finding it, Xiaolin let out a sigh of relief. Turning it on, she shined the light down at herself and sighed in regret. Her clothes were destroyed, and so were her shoes. They were ripped to shreds by the rocks. All well, they were not her best, so it really did not matter. Her family would just see it as a reason to go shopping again. It did not matter if she did not end up buying any cloths, she would just be dragged shopping. Pulling the bag closer to her, she dug around until she found what she was looking for- her training gi.

The tough canvas-like material was completely black and very comfortable to wear. It would also provide some protection from the many knock and bumps she was sure to come into contact with. Adding an undershirt for extra warmth and so her bag would be lighter, Xiaolin threw the ruined cloths into the water, watching them sink into the inky darkness below. Turning back to her bag, she dug around a bit more until she once again found what she was looking for. Her hiking boots. They were heavily made, designed for the harsh conditions back in Australia. No only would they protect her feet from the worst of things, but they would also lighten her bag considerably.

Throwing the old sneakers into the water, Xiaolin picked up her bag and prepared to leave the small cave. Looking around the cave with the torch, Xiaolin noticed that there was a slight shadow in the far corner of the cave. Walking over she found that it was in fact a tunnel leading out of the cave. Sadly, it was small enough to have to force Xiaolin to have to crawl through it, pushing the bag in front of her.

As she went along the bag got caught in the tight space many times, slowing the already slow process. Suddenly it widen out into a larger cavern space, allowing Xiaolin to stand up. Flashing the torch around she saw another tunnel off to the right.

Guess I cock a right. Xiaolin moved off towards the tunnel, which thankfully was big enough for her to move though it without having to crawling. Shouldering the oversized backpack, she continued onwards.

Xiaolin spent the next hour travelling through the tunnel. For the most part she was going ever upwards. Ever so often, she would come to a part where she had to do some cliff climbing (no Sister, she is not in a sarong so you cannot go off at me!)

Feeling the wall of rocks over and removing anything she could of the smaller rocks before moving on to the slightly larger ones. Slowly she begin to make a whole in the wall, but every so often she was forced to retreat as the rocks would fall toward her, threatening to crush her. After the third one of this rock falls, a hole appeared in the wall, just large enough for her to stick her hand through.

Xioalin was tired, hot and dirty at this point, but there was no point in giving up then, that would do her no good. Sitting down for a sort rest, she heard the voices on the other side of the wall.

"What's happening? Should we go get the elders?"

"Quiet! What if it's a youkai?"

Figuring this would be her best chance for getting out of there, Xioalin got up and started towards the wall. Carefully climbing up the wall a bit, she carefully put her hand through the hole and into the outside.

The first voice let off a loud scream at the sight of her arm and the sound of hurried scrambling could be heard from the other side of the wall.

Finally a voice spoke up.

"Who-…who are you!"

Xiaolin paused. The only way to let them know she meant them no harm was to speak. But to speak would to break her long held silence.

Debating raged in her head as until she came to her decision, she would have to speak

But when Xiaolin open her mouth to speak out, no words came forth, only a soft croak. Her recent ordeal had rendered her unable to speak even if she wanted to.

"Can't you talk?" The first voice pressed. Waving her arm from side to side, Xiaolin prayed they would get the idea.

"Come on, we got to get him out of there!" the second voice answered. The sound of rocks being pulled out of the wall could be heard for the next hour as the wall slowly came down. More people was sent for as time went on, ending up with nearly ten people working on the wall.

Finally the wall fell, freeing Xiaolin from her prison. Coughing at the dust that raised when the wall at last fell.

Stepping out into the light, Xiaolin heard a gasp at the sight of her. Through she was covered in dust and dirt, it was still clear to see she was not one of the locals. Looking about her, she saw that it was mostly children in the cave itself, with two older men acting as supervision and helpers.

"Ye be foreign to these parts, girl." Xiaolin looked up to the man that spoke with the clear disapproval in his voice. By the looks of him he was a farmer, hands worn from long use and a heavy build from the hard work he preformed each day. Though he looked like her was nearly fifty, Xiaolin guessed that was most likely to be from thirty five to forty five.

Xiaolin narrowed her eyes at him, not from the tone of voice he used but the glitter of silver that came from beyond the cave. Looking past him, she saw a strange group of misfits and rough looking characters. Doing a quick count, there was nine of them all together. And from the cruel expressions on their faces, she guessed that there was going to be trouble.

Pointing behind the men to the new comers that were creeping up quietly, Xiaolin tried to warn them.

"Do ye come from the North?" The second man asked. Xiaolin gave him a flat look, clearly showing that was not what she was trying to say. With a roll of her eye, she again pointed to the group of men that were almost there.

"The wench means us, ya fools." The man that spoke up Xiaolin guessed to be the leader or the person in charge of the attack. Everyone in the cave spined around to see themselves trapped by the group, who by now Xiaolin had identified as bandits.

"What do ye want? Ya already take everything we can afford! There is nothing else we can give ye!" The first man demanded. The cold chuckle that the leader gave sent chills up Xiaolin's spin, causing her to shudder.

"Me and me men are a little bord, and we want entertainment!" Laughter arose from the group, and Xiaolin knew what they wanted. The children in the cave huddled together, fearful of the bandits. Looking at them, Xiaolin realised that most of them were young girls.

There were many things in the world that Xiaolin hated with a undying passion, and what these men wanted was top of the list. Stepping forward, she forgot her weariness and focused on the task at hand. Cracking her knuckles, she prepared to fight.

More laughter rose from the bandits. "Do ya think you've got a chance against nine full grown men girl? Ha, ah, ha, ha, ha!" Walking calmly up to him while he was still laughing at her, she slogged him one on the mouth, almost knocking him flat.

"Ya-….ya…ya hit me! Ohhh, ya goin' get it own, wench!" He swang wildly at her, hoping to hit her with enough force to get her down in one hit. But Xiaolin dodged to the side, letting the fist sail past her. Grabbing hold of the fist, she pulled hard on it, and brought her elbow down into his stomach. Felling the air from his lungs blow past her ear and almost coughing at the smell of his breath, she brought the palm of her hand up into his waiting chin, before pulling him over her shoulder and leaving him flat on him back, out cold.

The was gasps of surprise as the limp from of their leader laid on the hard floor of the cave. Xiaolin hoped that it would be enough to convince the rest to leave, since she doubted that she could take them all on. Stepping away from the limp from of the fallen leader, she waited for them to make their move. Another man stepped forward and eyed her carefully.

"You's two, him and get him back to camp. We'll take care of this wench." The two men addressed came forward and picked up the fallen leader, leaving quickly with him. That left Xiaolin with six men to deal with.

Calmly taking up a fighting stance, she readied herself for the attack that never came. Blinking in surprise, she saw the last six and drawn their weapons and laid them on the ground before kneeling.

"Thank you." They all said in union, causing Xiaolin to almost fall over anime style.

"we have been trying to get rid of that useless man for a long time, now we are in your debt. But do not believe that this fight is over, we will merely be continuing it in less…tiring times." The man speaking shot a meaningful look at Xiaolin's state of dress and her difficulty she was having just standing.

Finally he stood up and left, the rest of the men following him.

Xiaolin was confused, since when did bandits have any sense of honour? Isn't that why they were bandits? Or were they more like a Ned Kelly thing? Having honour but not obeying the law?

Great, just great. Was Xiaolin's last thought before she collapsed to her knees.

"Oh no! Are you alright? You need help! Uncle, please, we have to take her back to the village! She saved us, now we have to help her!" Xiaolin could not hear anything after that, she passed out from her long day.

When she woke up next she was alone in a small dark room, sore and stiff from her injuries. At first she thought that her entire escape from the caves was nothing from then a tiring dream, only to realise that the walls of the room were not mode from rock and the fire light was outside the room. Gently sitting up so as not to cause her head to swim, Xiaolin crawled towards where most of the light was coming from, guessing that was where the dor was. Outside the door was another, much larger room then that of which she was in. Opening the door wider and careful not to loose her already poor balance, Xiaolin moved into the next room. In there was an old women sitting next to the fire, while what seemed to be her family laid down around the fire.

"Are child, ye wake. You have been resting for nearly two days now- I was beginning to wonder if ye would ever wake. Come, eat." The old lady held up a ladle filled with some sort of stew. While Xiaolin had never eaten anything like it before, she ate it none the less. She was hungry and thirsty, and this was just what she needed.

Glancing down at her hands, Xiaolin noticed that they were bandaged, along with all the other cuts and scrapes she had obtained on her escape. Also she was no longer in her training gi, she was in a light weight plain cotton kimono. Looking up questioning at the elderly lady, she was given the answers that she wanted.

"When ye came her ye were in a sorry state. Ye cloths have been mended and cleaned today, ye wounds cared for. But something confused me still, young one the bruises on ye ankles, how did ye get them?"

Xiaolin cocked her head to the side, not really understanding the question. Looking down at the ankle in question, she saw that there was a ring of bruises on it, and they were darker then the others she would have covering her body.

Then she suddenly could make out the shape of a hand mark and remembered that this was the same ankle that Sesshomaru had grabbed to prevent her escape to home.

Frowning, she glanced back to the elderly lady before shaking her head. There was little chance of Xiaolin speaking here, she had already hear the people speak disapprovingly of her and she was not about the give them more reason to by telling them that some guy with long white hair and a fluffy boa over she shoulder and thrown her up into the air and down into a lake, where she then found a underwater cave to hid in before going through the cave system to the cave that they had found her in. No for now she would remain a mystery.

"Can ye not speak?" Xiaolin almost smiled, this was the perfect chance to have an excuse for holding her silence. Nodding her head sadly, she calmly continued her meal, hopping to keep the questions simple.

"Well, then that presents a few problems, does it not? Now child, my name is Akina, and I be the village miko. And what may be your name?"

Xiaolin set down her bowl, knowing that she would have asked this question sooner rather then later. Still, it was going to be hard. Her name wasn't even Japanese, it was Chinese, and she doubted many here could read and write here. Sighing, she sat down the bowl and tried sigh language, quickly guessing that was useless.

"Never mind child, shall give ye a new name until we can guess what ye true name maybe." The old miko sat back and pondered for a moment, before finally answering. "Akiko, autumn child. Ye eyes are a strange colour, are they not? Are ye from a far off land?" Xiaolin nodded in calm response.

"Yet ye speak, or know of, Japanese?" Again Xiaolin nodded, finishing off the last of her meal.

"Me thinks that be enough for ye tonight, we shall speak more in the morning. Sleep now, Akiko." Xiaolin bowed her head and made to stand, only to discover her body did not wish to do so and collapsed beneath her. Shrugging off the fall, she decided it would be best for her to crawl back to her bed.

The next morning she woke up to the sound of bird calls, people working outside the hut and voices coming from inside the hut.

"Are ye sure she not be youkai? Them kitsuze are a tricky lot." The male voice she identified as one of the farmers from the cave.

"Yes, I be sure, she's mute, but human. I know not of what she was doing in that cave, but me thinks we shall never know. Now off with ye, you have a family to provide for! I shall tend to the girl. Stranger she may be, but a kind stranger she is."

Fox youkai, what the hell? What are they on about? No matter, as long as Akina says I'm one of the good guys, I don't think they'll be able to do anything. Xiaolin got up and tried to stand on her feet again, thankful for the fact that while it hurt, she could now stand.

Moving noisily to alert the other people of the next room, Xiaolin moved to the other room.

"Ah, Akiko, you are awake. Come, let us began the day."

And so began Xiaolin's journey to recovery. Every day she would work out around the hut, helping out where she could while careful not to annoy her injuries. While they were all minor, considering what she had been through, it still took time before Xiaolin could move freely and do her morning exercises. Sometimes she would gather a audience before the parents would come along and scold the children for not eating breakfast before going out. Within two weeks, Xiaolin figured she was ready to start looking for a way home. But she soon found out that she couldn't leave until she completed yet more tasks. Starting with the bandits

When she had last saw the group they had said that they would finish their fight later. Which really did not make sense since they all seem keen to get what the leader had hinted at. So why would they suddenly change when he was taken out? Why send the leader back before the rest of the group followed? He was out cold, therefore he would have known nothing of what was going to be said. Xiaolin could only make hazy guesses at what was really going on.

Meanwhile, Xiaolin had taken to patrolling the edges of the village and the farmland that surround the village, looking out for trouble. There never seemed to be anything to worry about, but Xiaolin did not want to be unprepared.

It was one of these days, when she had been volunteered to watch the women wash the cloths while the men did work in the fields. It may not have been the most interesting of duties, but it passed time and she could not wait to get home once more.

Hearing a rustling behind her, Xiaolin snapped her fingers to alert someone that she was leaving for a few minutes. Taking off silently, Xiaolin moved toward where the sound had come from. Slipping silently through the undergrowth- a technique she had not learned from her mother's family- Xiaolin found the source of the sound. Three full-grown men, aged from about twenty to thirty crouching in the undergrowth, waiting for a chance. What chance they wanted precisely Xiaolin did not know, but she could take a very good guess and she was not about to allow it. Taking the plain wooden staff given to her by the village, she ready herself for the attack. Only she never had to make it, since someone- or something- else had other plans for them.

Out of the stream next to them came a sudden serge of water, which seemed to grab them and take them under.

Just like a bloody croc. Wait, if it's taken them, then who else is it going to take? Glancing back at the blissfully unaware women still washing their cloths, Xiaolin knew what had to be done.

Bursting out of the undergrowth, she raced over to the women, grabbing the closest one and dragging her away from the bank.

"What's the matter Akiko? Is there something in the forest?" Asked the bewildered woman.

Do I look concern about the bloody bush! The water, moron! The water! Shaking her head vigorously, Xiaolin pointed towards the water, hoping that they would get the idea.

"Do you want your cloths washed too?" She tried again. Xiaolin gave her a blank look

"Huh, if she wants her cloths washed, she can do it herself!" Spock up another woman.

"Yes, all she does is sit there and do nothing!"

"Yeah, she should do it herself!"

"What does she do to help us?" Added yet others.

Sighing in annoyance, she pointed to the water yet again and tried to pull her away.

"I think she wants us away from the water." Spock up one of the younger girls.

Finally, someone with a higher brain capacity then that of the common housefly! Nodding her head, she moved towards the direction of the road that lead to the village. However, it was too late- the water threat had arrived.

The swirling waters forced anyone still hesitant to follow to run for their lives.

However, Xiaolin stood her ground. She had caught sigh of what the thing truly was, a single blue figure that looked like some sort of water sprite. Looking up into her face, Xiaolin took note of the completely calm appearance before making her move. To get through the swirling waters would be near impossible, but they did leave one point completely unguarded, above. Jumping up into the trees, Xiaolin bounced of one of the more springy branches, using the extra lift to get over the water. Coming down, she gave her staff s sharp twirl over her head, before bring it down into the sprite's head. However, the staff never touched it, instead the sprite because water itself, whirling around her but ever actually touching her. Confused, Xiaolin landed gracefully, doing her best to keep as far away from the eerie blue waters as possible. The next thing she knew the water seem to be crushing down on her, making it almost impossible to even hold her ground and stand.

Fighting to regain her balance, Xiaolin felt herself beginning to weaken. Her failing strength forced her to her knees, everything that had happen in the last few weeks was being forced through her mind by a unknown force.

Flash backs

Xiaolin stepped out of the hut for the first time in her own clothing, holding her hand up against the glare of the sun. Nearby, a mother pulls her child closer to her, fearful of the unknown standing before her in the almost foreign clothing.-

She was walking though the village later that day, looking about her with great interest. Could it be that she really had taken a step back in time, that this was the past of her mother's country? Her own country's history didn't go back very far, therefore she most likely was in a time before even her land was known to the rest of the world.

Xiaolin was brought out of her wonderings as something hard pushed her aside and into the mud. Wiping mud from her face, Xiaolin looked up to see a stocky man frowning down at her. Shaking his head, he moved on without a single word.-

All she had wanted was to watch the women do their weaving, and hopefully learn to do it herself so she could be of a bigger help to people. However, every time she got a decent view of what was happening, one or more of the women would move into her line of sight, their backs to her. Finally, one of them had had enough and decided to be a little more direct about it.

"Go away you stupid mute! Go! Shoo! Be gone, foreigner!" She angrily brandished her fist at Xiaolin, who gave her a hard stare before calmly moving on.

You would think that she was use to it by now, that it would no longer hurt to be out rightly rejected in such a harsh way. After all, it had been like that when she first arrived in Japan.

End of Flash backs.

Xiaolin trembled as she struggled to cope with the strain she was under. The last thing she expected was a voice speaking to her within her mind, her only sanctuary.

Why do they hurt you? Why don't they understand you only want to help? Why do they even deserve your help? They should be punished, they should be hurt, just as you were, just like you. The pain in your heart, it should be theirs!

"No…." Xiaolin whispered almost silently to herself, she would not, she could not, she should not.

Just say it, and it will be theirs, al the pain you suffered, all the suffering, it will be all theirs! Just say it! I will do it, I will make them pay!

"No…." Xiaolin's will against this monster in her mind was weakening. Her strength quickly draining as her spirit was being washed away by the churning waters.

Yes! Do it! Do it! They will pay, they will ALL PAY!

Flash back

"Remember, Xiaolin pay back not evil for evil, since two wrongs will never make a right. Don't hurt other people just because they hurt you. After all, the best way to annoy your enemy is make them your friend." Xiaolin's mother laughed at the old joke, hugging her daughter and rubbing her hair lovingly.

End of Flash back

"No…no! Don't!" Leave themLeave them alone! Don't hurt! I'm ordering you! Xiaolin had no idea where the thought of ordering it came from, but she prayed it would worked.

To her surprise and amazement it did. The waters settled down and the sprite itself could be seen as clear as day.

You have chosen well, but not all the tests shall be as easy as this one.

Again, the sprite transformed into the water but this time it had a sense of direction-Xiaolin's forehead. A bright light shone out and everything went pale blue. No one present could see, hear, or even feel anything.

When Xiaolin opened her eyes, again she felt a cool point in the centre of her forehead. Blinking back the last remaining effects of the light, Xiaolin raised a hand to her forehead she felt a cold hard surface connected to a chain that was just as cold.

Now that the swimming waters had settled around her, Xiaolin's head decided it was its turn.

And with that, Xiaolin passed out.

A/N

At the moment I'm typing up around three stories. No four, I think. Two of them are mine, one of them isn't a fanfiction and the other one isn't mine. I'm just transferring it from paper to computer- it's for my friend who never updates, so I'm doing it for her.

Someone ask how to pronounce the name Xiaolin- I confess. I got the name from a cartoon called Xiaolin Showdown and thought it would do nicely for a girls name (it's actually the name of a temple in China)

Someone else said I had a talent for this. All I have to have to say is wow, thankyou! I only started this story because I forgot to bring my other story to school and I got bored to death in computer studies. But hay, I'll continue the story for the hell of it

Well, that's all for now. Bye, bye for now.

Oh, also one more thing, I don't watch that much in the way of TV, so I don't do much in the way of cross overs.

That's all for now. Really.