Chapter 1

Xiaolin Temple, China

Rain pelted on the roof of the Xiaolin temple and the sun was hidden in a mass of grey clouds, sending raindrops flying down to earth under a veil of darkness. The wind made the leaves and branches sway, but the trees stood proudly in their place. Centering his energy, Shui was getting into a crane stance and jumping from one pole of bamboo to another, jumping and landing gracefully on the tips of his shoes. Rain beat down on him and dripped off of his red Xiaolin robes and bald, yellow head that resembled his father's. Shui looked almost like a carbon copy of his dad, except for the fact that that his eyes were brown and not black, a trait he inherited from his late mother. With his eyes closed, he jumped to another bamboo pole, and flipped in the air while going to another. Suddenly, he heard a call in the distance.

"Shui!" yelled his father's voice from inside.

"Yes, Father?" said Shui, leaping from his perch at the bamboo pole and running over to the temple where his father, Omi, was standing. Since Shui was born, Omi had not given up practicing martial arts, but he was a little out of practice with his element. Omi put his hand on Shui's soaked shoulder.

"Shui, I am most concerned for your health, my son. If you stay outside in this weather, you could catch a freeze!"

Shui looked up at his father with pleading eyes. "But if I do not practice, how will I become a great Dragon of the Water?"

"That time will come later, Shui. But right now, we have to focus on getting you dried up." said a voice behind them. Shui and Omi whirled around and saw Master Fung walking towards them with his cane.

"Master!" said Shui warmly as he ran up to his master and walked beside him.

Master Fung looked up at the sky and squinted his eyes. "I'm sensing that something is not quite right."

"What do you mean, Master?" asked the adult Omi.

Master Fung would not take his eyes off of the dark, grey sky. "How long has it been since the shen gong wu had separated?"

Omi calculated the information in his head and his face brightened. "To this day, it has been twenty years."

Master Fung patted Shui on the head. "This is your lucky day, young warrior. You get to meet some new people."

Shui beamed and his energy level increased ten fold.

"Really? Who are they? When are they coming? Will they be my friends?" he asked eagerly, nearly jumping with excitement.

Shui stopped attacking his master with so many questions when Master Fung held up his palm to Shui and silenced him. "Be patient, young monk. Your questions will be answered in time."

"Who are these people that Shui will meet?"

Master Fung looked at his pupil and smiled. "It's time to call in some old friends of yours, Omi."

Bailey Ranch, San Antonio, Texas

Fifteen year old Brendan Bailey was on a mission. A very dangerous mission that needed precise timing and total focus. A mission that needed to be done in secret, so that nobody would see him do it. He needed to be stealthy and quiet and fast, categories that he had some trouble in, but he would manage. Two bright blue eyes showed from his straw blonde bangs, his head topped with a cowboy hat identical to his father's, as he sighted his target- his father's barbecued chicken wing, which was on the table. Brendan had not eaten breakfast this morning because he and his father, Clay, were on a cattle drive and he was starving. There was almost nothing in the fridge and he didn't feel much like a peanut butter sandwich, so…he would have to steal his father's lunch instead. His stomach growled and Brendan put his hand on it.

"Easy…you'll get your lunch right about…NOW!"

At that instant, Brendan Bailey dashed from the hallway and felt his stomach churn with hunger and guilt for stealing his father's food. Then he hesitated when his face was inches above the plate.

"I-Is this right?" he asked himself.

Well, of course not! But I'm starving! Aw, why not? Daddy will understand…

Brendan then picked up the chicken wing and opened his mouth to stick it in, but then he heard footsteps and then a low, gruff voice saying: "Brendan, what're you doing?"

Clay Bailey, whose blue eye saw Brendan holding something behind his back while the other eye was hidden under his bangs. Clay could tell immediately from Brendan's uneasy glance that he was hiding something.

"Brendan, what's behind your back?"

Brendan's eyes widened and he stepped away from his father, who was circling around him like a vulture, trying to see what was behind Brendan's back.

"I-I'm not hiding anything, Daddy!"

Clay chuckled and he smiled warmly. "Yes you are! Just show me what it is. I won't be mad."

Brendan looked at his father in disbelief. He was almost expecting his father to be like his grandfather, who would stare you down and force you to say what you were hiding, and then when he found it, he would severely punish you. But Brendan had forgotten that his father was nothing like that.

Sighing, and looking down, Brendan pulled the chicken wing out from behind his back and showed it to Clay.

"I was hungry…" he grumbled, closing his eyes and tensing his muscles. He knew that his Daddy was nothing like his Grandpa, but he was just as unpredictable.

But when he opened one eye, Clay had Brendan in a head lock and gave him a small noogie. Brendan laughed and cried out for help for the fun of it, and then Clay released him.

"I don't care about no durn chicken wing! Take it fur all I care."

Clay ruffled Brendan's hair when he took off his hat, then he put it back on and walked out of the kitchen. Brendan then sat at the table and ate the chicken wing, thinking about his Daddy and how spontaneous he was.

Pedrosa Mansion, Tokyo

"I'm home, Mom!" called fourteen year old Holly Pedrosa, who opened the large door to her home with her backpack drawn on her shoulders. Her mother, Kimiko, was racing down the stairs to embrace her daughter. Kimiko had inherited the Tohomiko Electronic Industries and was now as filthy rich as she was before. She had also maintained a skinny shape after giving birth to fraternal twins. Raimundo was a tester for the company that Kimiko ran. Holly had a sister named Alex, but Holly looked more like Kimiko than Raimundo, and it was reversed for Alex- if she didn't have black hair, she would've been the completely accurate girl version of her father. The two girls were also total opposites- Holly was a girly girl and a little preppy, always worrying about her appearance and talking on her cell. Alex on the other hand was a stereotypical punk. She liked to roller blade and was always blasting her stereo to alternative rock and metal. Even though they were opposites, they were inseparable and had a strong friendship.

"How was school today?" asked Kimiko, looking into her daughter's oceanic eyes.

"It was alright."

Raimundo then appeared and asked Holly if she wanted to play Goo Zombies 10, but she turned him down politely. Rai shrugged, but then he noticed that something was amiss, out of place.

Rai looked behind Holly and looked out the door, looking for his other daughter. Alex usually came home with Holly.

"Holly? Where's your sister?"

Holly got a glass of milk from the fridge and poured it in a glass.

"Huh? Oh! She cut class to go to the skate park again."

Holly squeaked and cupped her hands over her mouth. She could not believe herself! She just ratted her sister out! Raimundo's jaw dropped and Kimiko's eyes widened to the size of cocker spaniels.

"She WHAT!" yelled Rai, but he was nothing compared to the shriek of Kimiko, who was now fuming in anger with her other daughter. Kimiko could have honestly blown the roof off of the house with her shriek alone.

"AAAALLLLEEEXXXXX!"

Alex Pedrosa had not heard her mother's shriek, because she was at the skate park as Holly had revealed and was currently grinding a rail at the sidelines. Her friends were skating with her, trailing behind her when she decided to go into the bowl and ride the sides. Her emerald eyes were bright and carefree, as she thought that nothing could go wrong. Until…

Not looking in front of her, Alex was laughing at a friend of hers named Suichi, who fell but she then crashed into something hard. Rubbing her head and looking up, she realized that she ran into a person. She got up and still not looking in front of her, expecting it was a kid.

"Hey! Watch where you're goin- ipe!"

The 'ipe' was due to the fact that Alex was not face to face with a kid, but her own mother. Kimiko's hands were on her hips and her angry blue eyes were staring deep within Alex's green ones.

"Um…what's up?" asked Alex sheepishly, preparing for the worst. Kimiko took a deep breath in and then she sort of…exploded.

"What's up? WHAT'S UP! I'LL TELL YOU WHAT'S UP, YOU LITTLE CLASS CUTTER! YOU'RE GROUNDED FOR A MONTH! LET'S GO!"

She pulled Alex by her ear and she heard the sound of Alex going 'ow' every time she took a step. Alex's friends were laughing in the distance and Alex was flustered. When they stepped into the limo, Alex got a lecture on how she shouldn't cut class, but of course, she wasn't listening.

"If you hate it so much, then why don't you just sell me to a circus?" grumbled Alex, resting her cheek on her hand.

"You're not your father. And no sarcastic remarks."