A deal with a witch

Chapter 10

"Wuya" Omi called the witch but he didn't turn to look at her, he concentrated on bending the sea around them to delivered them to the little island she had pointed to. "Is this a trap?"

"Yes, it is." Wuya humed, Omi was bright and talented, and more important very vulnerable at the moment.

"Then why are we doing everything he wants?" Omi asked.

He knew that Chase had seen this unfold on his mind.

Chase had expected the monks to go for the Wu, and for Wuya to pointed them where to find it. He also knew Hannibal would show up sooner than later. Jack sent the old bean a fake message during his plan, and Chase knew the bean would not appreciated it.

He knew it was going to be messy, hence why he choose to remain on the Spicer mansion -that and it was nice to relax while everyone else run like headless chickens. Except the man couldn't relax, an old rom-com play on a large screen and he couldn't stop thinking he has overlooked something.

But all plans had their risk. As all deals have a loser.

"Because the bait is something we really want." Wuya explained but it didn't seem to satisfied Omi.

"What do I want?" Omi asked already regretting everything he has done. Wuya tried to not smirk to that question; Omi had been screaming what he wanted for years. Of course back then the young boy wouldn't dare to take it. Because everything Omi ever wanted it could be reached from the Xiaolin side; to be the best fighter, the wisest monk, and to be respect and adorn by his teammates.

Omi had never truly want anything from outside his reach, until now of course.

"To be the best. It didn't feel good seeing someone you care die, and you could only stand doing nothing. You aren't strong enough to fight Chase, and you will never be. All those years of training might as well be nothing. If you ever try to fight him, then you would simply die. Nameless, clanless, maybe the temple might give you a line on their history books for your valor; 'one of the many that fail to make a something worth remembering: Omi.'" Wuya said cruelly fully knowing that for someone who had only train to become what he is today those words were translate into: you are nothing, and you will remain nothing.

"You couldn't stop him either!" Omi snapped unsure of what was upsetting him. jack dying, Chase always holding back during fights only to show the gap between them to killed jack, or how he just pushed over the open wound and thought how helpless the whole situation was. jack was so ambitious and talented and he got nothing.

"And since when do you comfort with being stronger than me?" Wuya asked now laughing a little.

Omi closed his mouth. He was the most talented monk the Xiaolin temple had ever seen Master Dashi. That thought have been so calming and it always fill Omi with pride, but right now it felt short...too small to hold everything he wanted to be.

"You don't have to become Heylin, Omi. You seem to think that there are only two options here. Let me show you your possibilities." Wuya offered and they reached the tiny island. It had not space for trees or terrestrial animals, it was but a single cave that could only be seen during low tide. "Follow me."

Omi looked at the rat that hid on his pocket. The animal seem to had understood that if it try to escape and it succeed it would be lost at sea. So it had stay calm and quiet through the trip.

"I just abandoned my friends." He confessed to the rat, and them he followed Wuya.

Wuya waited patiently.

She remembered when she urged and rushed Chase to convinced Omi to join the Heylin side, but the man always answered annoyingly how the boy wasn't ready yet. Wuya didn't really understand it at the time. But now she understands.

The witch saw Omi walked into the cave with small cautious steps, a shocking contrast from the young monk, who has grown tall and was known for his over energetic personality. If you looked at him really fast you might confused the trained warrior who has over a decade of experience with a very exposed nineteen year old who knew very little about the world he is about to enter.

"I know you are a monk." Wuya hummed again and Omi ignored her. "You want to be something else too. Something more than a monk." She pushed and Omi's eyes widen. He couldn't agreed, it hurt to said that he would turn his back on his fellow monks, to abandon his temple. The thought alone made Omi sick.

"I'm proud to be a Xiaolin monk!" Omi screamed as an answer and he felt breathless. He was really proud to be a Xiaolin monk. He was a dragon apprentice, the only long term goal he has ever have: accomplished. Of course that didn't mean his training was over he still have to train against all the laws of nature until he had forged his body into a weapon.

Omi was happy with his goal and his life. But he was also unsatisfied.

"But you want to be a legend." Wuya poisonous voice sounded soothing to Omi. " Your friends will understand. All of them are something beside a monk, Omi. A entrepreneur, professional entertainer, and farmer. They all know the world from a different point of view. They all had families. They all have options, Omi." Wuya said softly like she thought that noise might had startle her prey.

"I want to be a monk. I chose the Xiaolin." Omi was trying to not listen. He doesn't resent his friends for having lifes before the temple, but he envied them sometimes. They seem so whole. Omi loved the temple, but Wuya was right.

He wanted more, he wanted so much more.

Omi remembered a conversation he had with Jack. It was about ambition, temptation and traps.

"They will understand if you want more. Omi, you deserve more. I won't asked you anything that conflicts with your honor code." Wuya offered and Omi turned to listen. He knew he couldn't trust the witch, she only lied, but she lied so well. "I won't promise you I won't cross you. Because promises are stupid so it doesn't matter. I will make you a deal." Wuya offered and Omi told himself that he could defeat Wuya if he has to. Wuya was weak and Omi had train for this. He could do this, if he wanted to.

Omi remembered a conversation he had with Jack. Jack told him that someone knowingly walks into a trap when temptation is too much, and is easy to know is a trap; you only have one possible move.

You turn back.

Omi's answer seems now so dumb. He remembers Jack laughing.

"A deal?" Omi asked but he knew before Wuya had explained the details he will accepted.

You can't just turn around Omi, you kinda give into temptation. Like...honey and bees.

Wuya smiled and moved further into the cave where the light wouldn't reach them. Omi followed in and he could hear his heartbeat raised.

"I won't ask you to hurt your friends." Wuya started but Omi shaked his head incredulous.

"I might be a little naive, but some of your lies are just too blunt." Omi tried to laugh but he couldn't. " I already hurt them." Omi dragged the words out of his mouth. He remembers Raimundo's and Clay's faces when they saw him leave. The tall fires, those meant that Kimiko was fighting with all she got to protect them and Omi left without even saying sorry to his friends.

"I can't control people's feelings." Wuya sighted, it was so hard to work with teenegers. "But you didn't attack them, you won't have to." Wuya explained.

"They will attack; is their duty to fight the Heylin." Omi reminded the witch.

"You are not Heylin Omi, you haven't done nothing wrong" yet.

"I stole the Wu instead-" Omi rushed to confess.

"You recovered the Wu. That was your mission wasn't it." Wuya offered an excuse.

"I left with you." Omi followed.

"Because you knew it was a trap. Think, Omi, think. You got the Wu awfully easy. All of your friends had an easy time. Well, Kimiko might had a scratch or two but that's nothing. But You know Chase's guards; You know what they can do." Wuya stopped Omi from talking. "You didn't know what Chase wanted you to do, what should your next move be, But You knew you shouldn't bring the Wu to the temple. I mean, that would be like...knowingly bringing a trap into your home, Omi, You couldn't do that." Wuya stopped. Omi looked at her with his mouth hanging low.

For a moment Omi found comfort on that lie. But he knew that Chase would not allow Wuya to stay if he didn't expect her to play a part on his plan.

"You know that-"

"No one else knows." Wuya whispered and Omi felt the ugly feeling on his stomach travel up his spine. In another situation Omi might had called it a trill.

Real temptation is when you want that shit -thing. You really want it and suddenly you are doing things you shouldn't.

"Omi, let me offer you a deal."

It was trap, so plainly setted Omi won't have anyone to blame but himself.

And Jack, he will partially blame Jack on the years to come.

"You and I want the same thing, Omi."

So in the dark end of the lost island Wuya and Omi made a deal.

Not an hour later Hannibal had appeared.

Wuya had warned Omi, but the monk was still terribly uneasy around the creature-monster.

Omi watched Wuya lied to Hannibal to his face, but her lies sounded so well put and her tone never changed -her voice never stutter. Wuya was an excellent liar, she made everything seem so real and possible.

At the end of the day Wuya had presented a plan she had just made up, and Hannibal agreed with a twisted grin.

"You think the little rogue monk won't get on the way." The old evil didn't trust the witch but she was needed.

"No, he thinks he can kill Chase if given a change." Wuya's cruel laugh was tangle with each of her words. Omi didn't think he could kill Chase and he was already scared of the amount of plans that had been formed.

He thought of a question to asked Jack once they meet again.

'How Heylins keep track of all the backstabbing going on?' Omi would get his answer a month later.

That night Omi learnt that Wuya wasn't just a fighter on her youth, she was a great warrior.

She showed Omi a brutal fighting style which has lost its name but the closest ramification was Krabi Krabong.

It was near her motherland, she told him and Omi found himself surprised to visualized Wuya as a human girl.

Omi was unused to Wuya's spartan like teachings. The hard environments of the cave; low light if any, hard uneven ground, and cold always cold. He wasn't used to carried weapons, the short swords felt strange on his hands, he kept throwing away -he had always prefered hand to hand combat.

The hardest aspect to his training was without a doubt to be forced to used his element day and night. Since the cave would be completely submerged under water except for a few hours every day Omi was forced to stay awake and bend the sea for ten hours without rest. The pressure of the ocean over his shoulder for hours to end until the low tide returned.

Omi could feel his muscles aching while his stamina raised. He knew that Wuya was a great teacher and would forced him to face new challenges.

The young monk felt like he was pushing his limitations on ways his dear teacher Master Fung would never dare to. But Omi knew he could rise to the witch's challenge.

The only part of the training that Omi did complain was that he had to eat seaweed for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

He killed five small fish for Bùxìng de, the rat. He gave her what he believed to be a fitting name, she had been trapped with them and she never agreed to a be a vegetarian so helped her find food.

Days and nights had passed.

Omi would sleep as soon as the tide was low enough, and train through the rest of the day and night.

4 hours of sleep and 3 hours to eat and rest, his body protested through most of it but his mind craved the challenge.

The shadows he used to train started appearing very real, sometimes Omi would find a bruised and wondered which one got him. Then he remembered he is the only one with a body on the cave.

A long period time passed but Omi couldn't figured out how long.

Wuya grinned at him while he eat a handful of seaweed. He had become accustomed to the taste. He even have a favorite one; extra thin and very crunchy. And a least favorite; red-ish-brown-ish-round-ish, it made him itchy.

"We must go now." Wuya laughed and Omi knew it was because she had waited for him to eat all that seaweed: childish.

"Bùxìng de" Omi called, the animal didn't understood it was her name but it had learn to followed Omi's voice, and for her Omi was a very quiet creature. He only spoke to the air to fight or to her when it was feeding time.

"Now Omi is ti-" Wuya stop.

Wuya stop talking and she look at the sky, the moon was blurry behind the tons of seawater over them.

"Wuya?" Omi asked, he feels strange saying her name, he wants to call her something more official like teacher or…

"It is time Omi." She says and goes deeper into the cave where is too dark to see. She doesn't tell Omi that she tied a little of herself to Jack, so she will never be fool by Jack like that again, and that Jack has just been hurt.

She doesn't know how badly, but he is not death so she doesn't care as much.

"Okay." Omi tells the rat as he secures herself inside his robe. "It is time."

They made a deal.

Omi follows Wuya's voice until he can't no longer see.

A few more miles in and Omi can't no longer bend the water around him as well, he lets his body drift into the cold black water. He controls his breathing and concentrates on keeping the air flowing on his gradually shrinking bubble.

Bùxìng de is squeaking on desperation.

"Shh." Omi tries to sooth her when he feels something big touch the back of his leg. "No! Wuya -Wuya!" Omi screams and the air bubble he uses to keep himself safe starts coming undone. The cold water numbs his body and Omi tries to swim upwards but he can't tell what direction is up.

"Wuya! Wu-" Omi tries to hear her voice but she sounds distance and weirdly calm.

That's right, this is the plan. Omi thinks but he is unable to stay still, he rushes to find something to hold, he can feel Bùxìng de clawing his chest on desperation. The Omi can't no longer move.

Bùxìng de swims on the pure darkness away from her friend like she can sense something is very wrong. She, unlike every other very mortal creature, is unbothered by death.

Everything becomes really loud and quiet at the same time, the brown eyes open and Wuya looks through them. She senses the warm blood of the rat like monsters smell fear, and on a single strike she captures the animal.

She can feel the lungs of this body burning like they are holding their last breath of air. She uses it to cast a spell she had been saving for a millenia. Then she breaks the rat.

Everythings becomes clear, she can see and breathe, the water running inside her lungs is heavy and it hurts but she is alive.

Wuya swims and swims until she is used to her new body and she is able to use Omi's element.

She slowly leaves the water, but as she climbs the exterior of the rocky cave she can feel her body hurting from the change of pressure. It doesn't matter, it won't kill her.

She smiles at the thought; very few things could kill her now, if Omi keeps his word of course.

"Okay." She says. "Your turn." Wuya says and leaves.

Omi was still puking seawater and seaweed when he wakes up. He wasn't happy with the sunlight, is as he forgot how the sun looks like without the sea as protection.

Omi looks at the green mess that came from him. Extra thin crunchy seaweed is not longer his favorite.

His second thought was much darker, he looks down at his hands. They were cold and more white that they should be. Not like the last time they hold someone who die.

He regrets befriending the rat, but Bùxìng de deserved a nice last days.

"Okay." He says instead. The sun was warming his skin and he was regaining his strength at an alarming rate. "My turn." Omi repeats Wuya's words and jump into the sea, bending only part of the surface was much easier than a whole current. Omi could tell he was traveling faster than...whatever portion of time he has spend on that cave.

He enjoys the clean air for a second before sinking on the water, a thick bubble of air enfolds him and it morphs into a drill like cone when he moves forwards. He prays to higher powers that Hannibal has not yet notice he has left the cave, he only has a day -maybe less to explain to his friends why he made a deal with the witch.

AN: I hope you guys like it. I'm actually very happy with this chapter!

Specials thanks to forgottenegao, you really made my week. Thank you!