The weather is starting to get nice, which means I need to burrow further into my dark room to avoid going outside.
Not a fan of summer bugs, this one is.
Anywho, I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. I am an impatient person, so let's take Chase and Lan-Ying's relationship up, say. . . 5 notches.
2 Weeks Later. . .
A loud thump indicated her body hitting the ground at a painful speed.
" Again" called a cold voice from above her.
Blue met gold in a challenging look, one pair pondering if they could run to the door and hide away quick enough, and the other expecting a strike at any moment.
Ever since the incident in the dungeons, Chase Young had gone from 'slowly introducing Lan-Ying into his training methods' to ' all out, to the death' matches that left her tired and aching.
Still, she had adapted quickly, her body acting on its own during their sparing matches. Chase was a hands-on kind of master, teaching her through her failures, but it proved effective. She had yet to defeat him, but at least she was causing damage of her own now.
In their latest session, the idea was for her to land at least one blow before she was allowed to retire. It had been hours.
Closing her eyes, she slowly exhaled, before whipping up and wrapping her tail around his hand to propel her body over his head.
And advantage she had was that she was fast, faster than any of the felines she often sparred with, but Chase moved in a way that betrayed his years of practice.
Therefore, when she launched herself at her master, he struck her down with barely seen reflexes, aiming a hard hit to her back, and causing a screech to escape involuntarily through her mouth.
The blue dragon attempted to react and began to twist her body to aim another strike, but the pain was more intense than she had anticipated. With a groan, she rolled over to announce her forfeit, which would cost her dearly, in the form of early morning training with no breaks, but she had also learned it was better to accept defeat and plan for retaliation, instead of fighting until you were so weak, the enemy could land a finishing blow.
" That is enough for today."
Lan-Ying was so genuinely shocked; she rotated her neck in a painful snapping motion to look at the emperor. When she saw what had caused him to call of the session, she could not hold back a grin.
He stared hard at her, holding his hand to his cheek, blood seeping from between his fingers. If she looked closely, she could see three individual and deep claw marks underneath his hand.
She must have landed the scratch unknowingly while he was lining up the shot to her back.
" Finally" she breathed, before trying to stand on her paws. Unfortunately, her leg support was shakier than she planned, and she collapsed onto the cold floor.
She had every intention of lying on that floor until she could recover her strength, but instead she felt herself lifted into the air by firm arms.
She would have questioned the Heylin warrior, but she knew he would not give any answer. Their few weeks together had taught her that much.
It was odd, though. Chase had avoided contact with her ever since their first training session.
He gave some vague excuses that he was not in the habit of touching anyone unnecessarily, but Lan-Ying had another theory.
Ever since their first encounter, she had been curious about the whole ' dragon mating' that Chase had talked about.
She tried to weed information out of him, but he refused to answer, often punishing her inquisitiveness with hard training.
She didn't ask just for curiosity sake, but for her own sake as well.
Sometimes, the intense way he looked at her made her shiver and her whole body feel like someone was dipping her in lava. She wanted to both bite and claw at him, and then lick his wounds and curl around him to fall asleep.
There was also this deep ache within her that she couldn't figure out how to fix, but had a sneaking suspicion that Chase could help her.
Soon, as they walked down the hall towards the springs she usually used after training to sooth her muscles and body, she couldn't help but once again feel that ache. She tried to push it down, but whenever she did that, her throat burned and her insides twisted, making her highly uncomfortable.
The doors parted way to let the duo through, and Chase walked her to the hot spring, before slowly lowering her down.
A moan left her mouth as the warm water wrapped around her form.
" I aimed to hit a certain pressure point along your spine. The warm water with help the swelling caused by your landing. Once that goes down, I can release the pressure myself."
Lan-Ying gave a nod, losing herself in the feeling of the pain relieving water. The steam swirled around the room and the only sounds came from the waterfall in the corner, which was becoming more and more distant as her mind became foggy from relaxation.
With her eyes closed, she floated along the spring in a tranquil state, forgetting the pain and aches of the day, even if her back was still throbbing.
Unfortunately, said state was interrupted at the sound of splashing and the feel of the water rippling around another form.
Lazily opening her eyes, she saw the outline of the dark-haired man through the steam.
It took a few minutes for her fogged brain to notice that the man now sharing her bath was very close and very bare. Chase had never entered the springs with her. Actually, she wasn't sure when he bathed. After training, he excused her, and then went off to speak with his advisors for hours. Sometimes she would see him at dinner, but more often than not, she spent her time until the next training session alone or with Jor, who watched her like a hawk when they sparred or explored the halls.
So to see him relaxing across from herself, very naked she suspected although the cloudy water hid his lower portion from her eyes, was a shock to her system.
" Um. . . . are you going to stay in the bath?" she ventured.
" Yes. Will that be an issue for you?" he replied, not bothering to open his eyes.
Lan-Ying shifted uncomfortably. It was absurd. Chase trained in just in underclothes, just pants, before. Why was one missing piece of cloth such a difference?
" No, of course not" she said, trying to subtly go back to her former relaxed posture.
Silence overtook them.
On a normal day, she would spend about a hour in the bath, before drying off in her room and practicing her breathing techniques, especially with the fire she discovered she was able to create, until Jor got her for dinner.
But now, Lan-Ying stewed in the water, waiting for Chase to release the pressure on her back.
Glancing over at him, he had not moved from his position sitting calmly in the water, arms spread behind him and eyes closed. He seemed very relaxed.
So relaxed, in fact, that she might be able to finally get some answers.
Slithering her way over to the man, she got as close as she dared before speaking.
" What is mating like?"
Instead of his usual ignorance or rebuff, the man in front of her slowly let out a breath before opening his eyes to set his attention on the blue dragon.
" You have been asking this since you have arrived here. Why do you so desperately need to understand dragon mating habits?"
Lan-Ying shifted closer to perch herself on the edge of the underwater seat next to Chase.
" I can't help it. Ever since our. . incident with my first session, my body has been feeling odd." She turned to concentrate on the waterfall in the corner of the spring, not believing that she could continue the conversation if she had to look him dead in the eyes.
" For weeks, since I woke up one day with no memories or home, I have felt lost and confused. You gave me someplace to go, and I feel more confident in myself, but there is still this huge mystery in my past."
Gathering up her courage, she returned her gaze to the raven-haired man.
" If mating, as a dragon, is apart of what I am, I want to, not necessarily embrace it, but to understand what is going on with my body.
After her impromptu speech, she just stared at him, waiting
It took a few moments, but he never broke eye contact with her, just looked as if he was formulating his reply.
With a quick transition, she watched his form change from human to reptile.
Leaning closer, he replied:
" And what exactly is going on with your body?"
With a loud gulp, she stood her ground.
" I feel so hot. Like my blood is made of lightening and fire. And wherever you touch me, it aches and I just want to get closer."
Chase grabbed her face in his clawed hand, licking his lips and exposing those razor sharp teeth that she had dreams of digging into her scales.
" Let me explain then, young one. It starts just like you described. Heat and aches and yearning for more. Then, when it becomes too much and your body cannot handle anymore, you act on impulse. You grab what you desire." He leaned close and she felt his hot breath on the side of her face.
" I can persoannly testify that you may have no choice in who your body acts on."
An odd, warm feeling overtook her stomach at the thought of Chase acting upon his desire with someone else. She felt annoyed, for some reason.
Still, he continued.
" Then, you get the overwhelming desire to mark your territory. It starts with the scrapping of teeth along the neck, so close that you can feel their pulse."
Lan-Ying shivered at the feel of his teeth.
" Then, when you have found your perfect spot, you bare down."
A sharp intake of breath seeped from her mouth. She felt his jaw surround a part lower on her neck.
" Wouldn't that hurt, or even kill them?" she asked shakily.
A deep chuckle echoed in the room. Chase pulled himself away from her, leaving her both relieved and disappointed.
" Maybe a weaker creature. But for me, any mate of mine would be the strongest and could hand much more than a simple bite" he said with a smirk that left her feeling like she was made of jelly.
" What next, than?" she asked in a daze.
" Well," he began, wrapping claws around her to rest on her back.
" Once the mate is marked. Then the actual mating begins. It would be difficult to put into words, but rest assure that it ends with both parties melting into each other from both heat and gratification"
With one last flick of his long, reptilian tongue against her cheek, his claw dug into her back, releasing the pressure point and sending her into a fit of relief and pleasure.
The young dragon scratch against his back, making no real dent against his tough hide.
Slouching against his hard body, she breathed heavily.
" Is that what you want, little one? For me to conquer you completely? To posses and mark every inch of you?" his whispered to her.
Despite how tempting the offer was, she couldn't let herself submit that easily. It wasn't in her nature.
Using every part of her will power and strength, she placed some distance between them.
" Chase. I won't deny that I desire you. That I want what you are offering. But I have some . . . issues. The foremost being that you, while part dragon, are also a human. You can't possible be satisfied with what I have to give you." she explained, looking truly concerned.
The dragon extracted himself from her form, which allowed her to slump into the water.
"I am many things, Lan-Ying. Selfish is one of the most prominent parts of my personality. If I want something, it will be mine"
The intensity with which he said it with made Lan-Ying wonder if it was lucky that she wanted him as much.
" So the fact that I am your apprentice will not change or be affected?" she questioned.
He assessed her carefully.
" Personal and professional lives are separate. For now, I suggest a mutual release of certain . . . tensions that have been building during our private hours. During training and in public places, we maintain our relationship of master and apprentice."
Lan-Ying pondered the proposal. Nothing would really change. She absolutely knew that if her and Chase were to enter any sort of relationship, it would be purely physical and he would still continue to train her harshly. All that would be different would be that, on her downtime, instead of laminating her body's reactions to her master, she could act on those impulses that haunted her slumber.
Still, she was uncomfortable with some aspects of the arrangement.
" You are only rarely in this form, and I am not sure we are compatible in your normal appearance. It would be odd, a dragon and a human, yes?"
The look he gave her made her feel like he knew a secret and did nor want to tell her it. He recovered well enough, however, to slip back into his cocky demeanor, once again wrapping himself around her so that they were intertwined.
" Our forms are much more compatible than you think."
The Heylin warrior said it with such confidence and slickness, she felt herself cave and move close, in hopes of beginning the ritual he so wonderfully described before.
Unfortunately, a large crashing noise and a loud voice calling for Chase interrupted them.
The larger dragon looked up in anger.
In a few swift moves, he was back to his human form and moving out of the hot spring, drying himself and dressing before Lan-Ying could register the voice.
She stared at his departing form, in hopes of some instruction of what to do.
A faint " Stay here" was all she heard clearly, with a few mumblings of " moronic Spicer" and " eat his own skin" before he was gone from the room.
Sinking into the water in hopes of calming down, she lingered for a few moments, replaying the events in her head.
Had she agreed to mate with Chase just for the pleasure of it?
That did not seem like her, even if she didn't quite know who she was.
What did seem like something she would do, however, was ignored Chase and climb down to see what newcomer had breached the palace security and dared call out directly and informally to the emperor.
Yes. Defiantly something she would do, even if it wasn't something she should do.
Meanwhile, in the ordinate throne room of the palace, one painted, evil teenager was making noise and fighting off huge cats in the hopes of seeing his idol.
Ever since a couple of weeks ago, Chase had secluded himself from the world, no explanation given.
Jack had been a good enough friend to go and see if he needed anything, evil minions built or plans made, but had been rewarded with claw and teeth marks all over his body, and a door clammed in his face, causing a broken nose.
When the boy genius had asked Wuya her opinion on what was wrong with Chase, she had purred in a weird and slightly gross kind of way and mentioned something about his body needing relief.
After a new Shen Gong Wu was revealed and he showed up to find three tired and upset monks who did not really seem to care about the Wu, although he ended up challenging them anyway.
A shift in the air announced the Heylin Dragon's arrival, and Jack saw his moment to shine and gave it his everything to win the Wu and possible an approving look from his idol.
Instead, all he got was a Wu that made hair grow longer and the disappointment of watching that stupid Raimundo collect his team while mentioning that Chase ran off without even glancing at Jack's victory.
Figuring that Chase Young, master of all things evil, was planning something big, Jack gave him some time to develop his strategy and before visiting him and asking to participate it whatever it was.
But as the days turned into weeks, with no word, Spicer became impatient and decided that he needed to see for himself what was going on.
And so, here he was, securely latched on to the chandelier in Chase's throne room while he fended off the attacks of the various jungle cats.
At the sound of the large doors that lead to the inner rooms of the palace slamming open, Jack let out a sigh of relief.
A low whistle alerted the cats to their master's desire to have them abandon their prey. With one last glare and hiss, the cats stalked away and out of the room, the doors closing behind them.
All was quiet in the room as Jack leaped down from chandelier.
" Chase! What's up man? Where have you been? Doing something evil, I bet?" Jack asked, his eyebrows quirking. Moving to attempt to place his arm around the emperor's shoulders, he let out an embarrassingly feminine shriek and his arm was grabbed and twisted while his whole body was throw to the ground, pinned by armor-clade knees.
" Spicer. You were not invited here and are interrupting my personal time. What reason could you possibly have for coming here?" Chase growled out, placing more pressure on the arm in his grasp in hopes that the pain would motivate him to speak quickly.
" Wuya mentioned that you caught yourself a little dragon and I thought maybe you had food poisoning - ow ow OW okay I apologize for inviting myself in. But seriously-Ah!- Just making sure that you haven't been trapped by some crazy Xiaolin magic "
Chase slammed the boy onto the floor before allowing himself to stand over him. His golden eyes watched carefully as the face-painted teen rotated his arm to relieve the discomfort.
" Whatever your reasons, I have told you time and time again to not enter my domain unless requested so. Leave now, before I get angry."
Jack watched the man turn his back, seemingly in a hurry to go back the way he came. It was, as far as Jack was concerned, a rather normal encounter with the Heylin warrior.
It became strange, however, once he saw the form of the man freeze, looking at something.
Jack heard an murmur of something in what sounded like Mandarin and, as his curiosity got the better of him, he leaned over to look around the form, spotting what was causing Chase's distress.
A blue dragon, the coloring more appealing than he had pictured in his mind when Wuya described the Heylin warrior's latest meal ticket as a dying, pitiful creature, was standing in the doorway. He wasn't an expert in animal behavior, but the creature looked upset and to be on the defense. Jack couldn't see Chase's face, but his tense posture spoke volumes about what he was feeling.
Unsure of how to break the ice, Jack did what he knew best.
Awkward, mindless chatter.
" Hey little fella! Want to be my sidekick and I can train you to be like Dojo, but way cooler? You know Dojo right? Little green dragon, friends with the Xiaolins? I have been saying that the Heylins need a dragon mascot forever, not like Chase dragon, like you dragon. Can you fly? Or are you a fire-breathing dragon? Or maybe a water dragon, cause you're blue and"
He was silence with a fireball too close his face for comfort, not quite sure who had done it.
"Right. Shutting up."
First things first. Yes. There will be another chapter. There will be a bunch more chapters until I feel like the story is done.
Second, have officially decided to crank this story up to M, once we get there. For now, Rating won't change and it will be vague allusions to mating because I am not writing dragon sex scenes. When you see the story has changed it's rating, you will know what is up.
Finally, Thank you all so much for the support for this story. It really does motivate me to write better knowing you guys are here. You all are amazing :)
So, read, review and enjoy the weather. Let me know what life is like outside :P