A few days shy of January . See, I told you it wouldn't take me three months. Welcome to the halfway point.
Black smoke filled the air as the smell of burnt flesh and blood surrounded two lone figures.
Golden eyes surveyed the scene, watching large jungle cats carry away the dead and dying while survivors were huddled together to await their fate. The young and strong would be recruited into his armies, while others would be sent to villages in his other various territories to become servants and workers. The weak would parish.
Wuya's loud cackle interrupted his planning, and he barely spared her a glance before turning back to the ruined village.
" Do you feel that, Chase? The blood rushing through your veins, the sense of victory and superiority over the unworthy? How you must have missed this," she hissed in his ear.
The snake-like woman's words echoed in his mind.
In his early years, death and destruction were his only goals. To have someone's life in his had and know that with the twitch of a muscle, their light would be snuffed out for good; it gave him a high that was unmatched.
However, with the benefit of hundreds of lifetimes, so came insight. It was better to leave the conquered alive, so as to gain their loyalty, then cause needless destruction. The view before him, however, just made him mildly annoyed at the mess he now had on his hands.
Turning from the witch, the Heylin emperor gave the command for his cats to finish their duties and return home, then dismissed himself to leave.
Still, the woman followed.
" What is wrong, Chase? Does the rush of success not satisfy you anymore?" she asked, stubbornly stepping in his path and forcing him to stare her down, " Does only the pleasure of the flesh mollify your hunger?"
Yellow eyes flashed dangerously.
" If you have something to say, Wuya, say it. I don't appreciate back-handed implications."
A sickening grin overtook her pale face.
" Your little pet is a hindrance to your goal of defeating the Xiaolin and taking the world for your own. If you need a toy, fine. But you are letting your focus on her divert her from your path."
Silence surrounded them, with only the distant sound of the crackling fires, fueled by the burning village below.
Suddenly, a deep rumbling laughed escaped from Chase's lips.
" Jealously is unbecoming on you, crone. My affairs are of no one's concern, " the laughing stopped and a growl took its place, " You would be wise to remember that. If I have to have this discussion again, you will not like the outcome."
With that, he walked past her, hearing her mutter curses under her breath but paying her no mind.
He had been away for long enough. He realized how foolish he was acting, letting Wuya's words effect his actions.
He did not love Lan-Ying, was not capable of it. But he did enjoy her company and what she could offer.
And had he not declared her his mate and empress?
All of his plans had been overthrown just because the stupid witch had filled his head with ideas of love and weakness, and now he was going to return home and remind himself that as Heylin emperor, he was allowed to have whatever he please.
First Lan-Ying. Then the world.
The room was on fire.
Not really her plan, but at least now Lan-Ying felt better.
Upon her arrival to the small room, usually built for quiet mediation, the Heylin apprentice could no longer quell her rage; smoke bellowing from her mouth as she took deep breaths. She imagined herself a terrifying vision, all sharp teeth and claws, glowing eyes, readying to burn the world in her anger
As a result of her venting and sparring, the tapestries that hung on the walls were burning to ashes, the once cool stones were so hot that one could cook on them, and the few pieces of furniture that the room held were now slowly roasting and crumbling away.
Even her beautiful new clothes were not spared her temper, she had come to realize, picking at the burnt holes and ruined sleeves.
Slowly, she peeled the charred material from her sweat-soaked skin. The door unexpected opened, and her glowing turquoise eyes met the surprised red ones of Jack Spicer.
Lan-Ying, vaguely remembering Chase saying that her nude form should not be exposed to anyone but him, drew the material to cover her front and look at the intruder.
Jack, in all his usual glory, shrieked and covered his eyes, shouting, " Sorry! So sorry!" over and over.
" Can I help you?" she question wearily.
Trying to look anywhere but at the girl in the room, Jack furiously tried to remember what he had been doing.
" I-I was just looking for the kitchen. I'm . . . . hungry?" he offered faintly.
With nothing more to do until Chase found her again, the dragon girl nodded absent mindedly, giving a low whistle.
A small puma crawled around the corner, eying the painted human before bowing to Lan-Ying.
" Please escort this man to the kitchens for food. Then, bring a new robe to the bathing area for me, please." she instructed.
The feline gave another bow, grabbing Jack's coat in his teeth and pulling him along, the sounds of the human's " Thank you!" and " I promise I didn't see anything," echoing until there was silence again.
The black haired female made her way to the warmed pools of water, sinking down and letting the stress of the day wash over her.
Too many thoughts swirled in her mind, so she let herself be taken by the soothing rush of the bath, willing her mind into peace and darkness.
. . . . miko. . . . . oung drag. . . . . kim. . .
Lan-Ying shot out of the water, scanning her surroundings for intruders. Yet, she was met with nothing.
She heard voices. She knew she heard them. So clear, echoing in her ears and yet foggy and far from her.
She was far more exhausted that she thought. She just wanted to dress, and crawl back into bed for years to come, and when she woke, there would be answers to every question she had.
Alas, life was not that kind.
She took her time, dressing in a deep purple gown, setting her wet hair into a bun atop her head, before venturing into the halls.
One path lead to the main throne rooms, and from there, the bedrooms. However, she felt no inkling of Chase's presence, and so, with him gallivanting out and about, she made her way to the painted human boy.
The kitchen was a mess. Food scattered the floor, dirty dishes lay in heaps and none of the palace cats could be seen. In the middle of the disarray, sat Jack Spicer, eating something green and slimy out of a bowl, looking as content as could be.
" What have you done?" Asked the dragon girl, wondering how so much damage could have happened in so little time.
" Oh, hey Lan-Ying! I whipped up a little of Spicer's famous mint ice cream! Want some?" replied the human enthusiastically.
The Heylin empress walked over and sat next to him on the filthy ground, not caring that she was getting dirty only minutes after her bath. Her day had been so hectic, that the simple-minded thinking of this boy seemed like just like mental vacation she needed.
" No, thank you." she sighed.
The unyielding stare of the man beside her burned into the side of her face, causing her to lazily turn her gaze to meet his.
" You look terrible."
Of all the things she had expected, that was not it. The sheer shock of this odd human boy coming in her home, tearing up her kitchen and then insulting her was too much, and silence laughs racked her body.
Jack was equally shocked by her reaction to his usual rudeness. Kimiko the Xiaolin warrior would have kicked is ass half way to Canada for that comment. He expected Lan-Ying the Heylin warrior to kill him, or at least maim him. With no other reaction readily available, he joined her laughter.
The two laughed so hard, they rolled on the ground, dirtying themselves more. They continued like this for a moment more, before Jack wiped away the tears that had sprung from his eyes and looked at the female next to him.
He saw,, however that her loud laughter had turned into silent sobs, her arms wrapped around herself.
" H-hey! I didn't mean it! Well, I mean I did, you don't look good. B-b-but I didn't meant to make you cry. Here, look!"
Grabbing the previously discarded bowl of mush, he made sure he had her attention before slamming the whole thing over his head, smiling at the goo dripped down his face and onto his already ruined clothing.
Lan-Ying smiled wearily, wiping the few stray tears that had settled on her cheeks.
" It is alright. It wasn't what you said, it was how you confirmed how I am feeling." she shifted herself upright, reach down and pulling the boy up with her. With both of them standing, she gently pulled the bowl from his head and walked over to the sink, filling it with water and beginning to wash all the dishes she could reach.
The repetition of the chore brought peace to her mind, and that same feeling of nostalgia overtook her, making her sadder that before.
Jack cleared his throat, walking to her side and helping dry the dishes.
" I'm sorry if you are feeling shitty. I know what that is like. But if you need to talk, I have a relatively good attention span and am willing to listen"
The black hair girl made no response for a long while, so Jack jumped a bit when she finally spoke, just as she finished the final dish and retrieved a bucket to fill with warm soapy water.
" Do you think Chase is hiding things from me for my own good, or his?"
This was dangerous territory. One wrong move and he would find himself locked in the palace dungeons, tortured for eternity.
" I think . . . it's both," he said, grabbing some rags and helping her move the bucket to the floor and began cleaning his mess.
" Lan-Ying, I know I may not be the sharpest tack in the box, but if I have learned anything since joining the Heylin side, it is that some questions just lead to pain, be it physical, like Wuya smacking me, or emotional, like having to learn you aren't as important to people as you think"
Lan-Ying hummed in response; soaking in the shockingly wise words of the boy she had previously considered a dolt.
" But what if I need to ask those questions anyway? What if I am not content just being ignorant?"
Jack shrugged helplessly, all out of wise words for the day.
" Then I guess you will have to learn your own lessons."
The atmosphere of the kitchen grew heavy and Jack suffocated in it.
" Okay, I know something that will cheer you up! How about a round of Goo Zombies 4?" he shouted awkwardly, throwing the rag from his hand into the bucket and lifting Lan-Ying from the floor.
" Goo what?" asked the dragon girl, wrinkling her nose.
" Oh, you are going to love this" was his only reply, running out of the kitchen to retrieve his bag, and pulling the confused empress with him.
"Yes! Eat it, Jack Spicier!" came the shout from the inner bedchamber. Heaped on the bed, surrounded by pillows and blankets, two bodies clutched their gaming systems, one looking triumphant, the other looking pissed.
" Guh, Why did I ever teach you trash talk?" Jack mumbled, restarting the level in aggravation.
" You just can't handle how quickly I learned." she replied, sticking her tongue out between her fanged teeth, making her look more sinister than childish.
The red-haired human didn't say anything, trying to gain the upper hand with her distracted.
It didn't work however, as their games pinged a few minutes later, announcing her victory again.
Jack groan loudly, flopping onto the bed in defeat.
When it was clear he wasn't about to start a new game, she turned off her game and laid next to him, smiling with her good mood. Jack turned to yell at her obvious cheating, when he noticed how close her face was. On the bed. That she shared with an evil dragon lord.
The human never moved so quickly in his life, jumping across the room, and pretending to survey the space that few had ever entered. He tried to keep his eyes from straying from the bed and the pale woman atop it. When she first suggested that they play the game in her room, he objected on the grounds that if Chase caught them, there would be blood spilled.
Lan-Ying only replied that when Chase went off on his trips, especially without telling her, he wouldn't be back any time soon.
Jack was also disturbed with the idea of sitting on the bed that he knew the two held their more. . . . intimate activities on. He tried to explain this to her, but she seemed confused at to why it would bother him. Nevertheless, she ordered the sheets and blankets changed and directed him to which pillows were ' safe ' to sit on (although it took her a little while to find one).
While he contemplated all this, the dragon girl took his silence for sulking, like how the younger cats got when their elders put them in their place.
" What's wrong, Jack? Can't handle getting whooped by a girl?" she said with a smile that rivaled Wuya's.
Jack huffed loudly. " No, It just thought that I would finally have an edge since you can't-" he slapped a hand over his mouth, willing the damning sentence to go away. However, the female caught on to this suspicious behavior.
" I can't what, Jack?" she queried, rising from the bed and approaching him slowly.
The boy shook his head.
" Tell me." she ordered, channeling her master's commanding voice.
" You. . . can't. . . . play?" he offered weakly.
Lan-Ying clicked her tongue.
" Don't think so. I can smell your nervousness. Tell the truth or we will have problems" she whispered, stroking his cheek with her clawed fingers.
The final word slipped from his throat unwillingly in his fear.
" remember"
The turquoise-eyed beauty jolted away from him.
" Remember? How to play a video game?" That didn't make sense. Why would a dragon have known to do that?
She leaned closer, hissing " What do you know, Mr. Spicer"
" Please, Kimiko. I can't talk about it, let's just move on, okay?" Jack responded, moving from her grasp and towards the door. When he looked back, however, he just saw her standing frozen in the middle of the room.
" What's wrong?" he asked nervously.
" What did you call me?" her voice was quivering and any fire that she had in her eyes had died out.
Jack didn't understand.
" Lan-Ying?"
Without warning, her body crashed to the floor, her legs tucked under her body as she clutched her head in her hands.
" No no no no, " she screamed, " That's not my name! What is my name?!"
Her body began shaking as Jack ran to her, leaning down and trying to tear her hands away. Her breathing began to heave and she shook with the coughs that overtook her.
" Lan-Ying, you have to calm down, you have -" he was cut off by her shoving his body away. When he looked at her, he stopped breathing.
Tears rolled down her face as she bared her fangs. Her skin had become unnaturally pale, but the most shocking was her eyes.
The glowing eye of Lan-Ying, with the dragon iris narrowed to a slit, the other, the pale turquoise of Kimiko, pupil dilated looked back at him.
The world stood still as he watched her face crumble as the mental stress became too much. Her body's only defense now was to shut down, but she struggled against that, shaking herself awake.
The loud clattering a footsteps rushed towards the room, as two of Chase's generals threw open the doors.
" What have you done?" the large one roared, frightening Jack into standing and backing against the wall.
The smaller one rushed over to the fallen empress, wrapping her in a strong hold and whispering. She would not be calmed, however, as she lashed out and clawed at his face.
" Stein! Come here and help me!" the man yelled, ignoring the blood that began to run down his face and trying to lift the woman from the ground.
" But what of him, Mao? I-"
" Leave him! Empress Lan-Ying is the priority!" Mao yelled, struggled to gain footing with the thrashing woman.
" No!" was all she yelled, sounding hysterical at this point.
Stein rushed over, and with his strength, led both of them to the bed. Once he had her pinned, Mao rushed to the desk across the room, grabbing a cup of water and pouring a black powder into it. He mixed it hastily and ran back to the bedside.
" Hold her nose and watching your hands. She's aiming to wound," he commanded to Stein.
Screams still emitted from her mouth, but they soon became muffled into mere gargles as the vile liquid was forced down her throat. It took a couple of minutes and a few more deep wounds, but she began to calm down. Once they were sure she had lost her fight, Stein gently brushed away her hair, soothing her into sleep.
" Rest, Lan-Ying. All will be well," he whispered.
" No," she protested weakly, " Not Lan-Ying. Kimiko." she whimpered, before sleep finally wrapped her in its embrace.
Mao rose slowly, examining the other two occupants of the room.
" I think it is wise that I stay here, to make sure no further harm is done. Stein, you will escort our . . . guest to the holding room until Chase returns?"
Stein grunted, grabbing the human boy and throwing him out, glancing back once more.
" You will take care of her?" he asked quietly
Mao nodded.
" As you said, all will be well." Stein nodded, slowly closing the door behind him
Once the two had left, Mao pulled a chair up to her bedside, using a cool rag to pat away her tears and blood.
" At least, that is my hope." he said quietly, fearing the consequences of this new development.
The master may not realize, or perhaps did not want to admit it, but he needed his mate. She brought a balance to him, the stability that he desperately sought. If this was to end badly, if she were to leave, Chase and all he ruled would plunge into a darkness that they may never come back from.
So I am now officially a college graduate. How fun is that? Now I have to get a full time job, but while I am working on that, I also have a lot more free time to write again!
Next chapter, Chase comes home and finds out what happens when he leaves without a note, Lan-Ying is going to be going through some changes, and Jack will still not learn to shut his mouth. Also, I have a smut scene written and I am considering publishing it separately, since I don't think I can work it into my plot right now. What do you think?