-1The next morning, Master Feng decided it was time to get the Dragons training again. Jack woke up to Rai shoving the robes that the Xiaolin Dragons wore into his arms. He groaned, ''I forgot about the pajamas.'' He said. ''Don't worry, we only have to wear them during training and Xiaolin Showdowns,'' Rai said. ''Yeah, but they are so not my style,'' Jack complained. ''God, you are such a fruit. C'mon, if we're late, Feng will be angry.'' Jack got dressed ("See, it's not so bad.'') and they both went to the training
clearing. Since Jack was the newest at the whole Xiaolin Dragon thing (as Rai so kindly reminded him) he had to train separately. After training, they decided to introduce Sylvan to Jack. "Sylvan, meet Jack, Jack meet Sylvan,'' Kimiko introduced. They exchanged hellos, and everybody went their separate ways. Omi went to ''practice his tiger instincts'' (stuff himself with cookie dough), Clay and Dojo went to make really hot chili, Kimiko went off to play 'Goo Zombies 2', and Sylvan went who knows where. ''Sooo, what do you want to do?'' Rai asked, turning to Jack. Jack blinked, ''You talking to me?'' He asked, truly confused as to why anyone would want to do anything with him, of all people. It was beyond him. ''Why not?'' Rai was confused now. ''Well, you know, I've been not so nice to you, and the others have not been not so...'' Jack trailed off weakly. Jack was just trying to make an excuse for why he really thought Rai didn't want to hang around him. Rai knew that it was just an excuse, a pathetic one at that, but he respected Jack's privacy, so he simply said, ''How about some soccer?'' Jack grinned sheepishly, ''What's soccer?'' Rai gaped at him. ''You know, soccer, the sport played with a ball and a goal net?'' Rai prompted. ''Uhhh, guess soccer isn't really popular 'round here. I don't really have time to study sports from other countries and I'm kinda shut up a lot, ya know?'' He said, then added hopefully, ''Maybe, if you want to, you could explain the rules to me?'' Rai chuckled, ''Sure Jack,'' He replied. Jack played well for his first time, but he still lost. However, by the look on his face, you could tell he didn't care. Jack was happy, for the first time in his life, he had made a friend. Jack and Rai spent most of their free time together, doing various, random things together when they ran out of things to talk and laugh about. They didn't do very many various, random things.
Master Feng had been doubtful of Jack's loyalties, but seeing him befriend the young Dragon of the Wind was heartening. Not only that, but Jack was also taking his training very seriously. It seemed the young boy had finally turned away from the darkness and entered the light. At least, that was how it seemed. Master Feng knew that only time would truly tell. Jack had supposedly turned good before, yet had eventually betrayed them all. He wondered why the boy was like he was. What had made Jack evil in the first place? What made him want to constantly switch sides? Was it because he really wanted to give up his evil ways, but then something would happen that tempted him back to the darkness? Some psychological problem? He was no psychologist, but it didn't take one to see that Jack had a low self-esteem. What could caused him to dislike himself so much? What or...who? Such thoughts confused even a wise monk like himself. It saddened him that he should know so little about one of his apprentices. He shall go clear his head, and then, go have a talk with Jack's parents.
That evening Feng traveled to Jack's mansion and knocked on the door. It opened to reveal Jack's father. ''Yeah?'' He asked. ''My name is Master Feng, and I'm here about your son,'' Henry's brow darkened, ''Jack!'' He called. Master Feng looked at him in surprise, ''Sir, Jack's with us right now, don't you know that?''
"Oh, well, we don't interact with him all that much.''
''Mr. Spicer, Jack has for a period of six weeks. Do you seriously interact with your own son on such a rare basis?'' Henry's face twisted into a look of thunderous rage. ''So! After all we've done for that bastard, he still had the fuckin' nerve to run out on us!'' Master Feng's eyes snapped open at this sudden outburst of pure anger. ''No, no sir, it's not like that all!'' Master Feng quickly explained the situation. That's when Mrs. Spicer decided to enter the scene. She looked from her husband to Feng. ''What's going on?'' She asked. ''According to this man, that scrawny bastard of a son ran out on us for some sort of circus six weeks ago.''
''Really? Son-of-a-bitch.'' She barked out a laugh. The kind of laugh a sadistic twisted asshole gives when she sees someone in terrible agony. ''Well, it was gonna happen sooner or later. I mean, with all the times we beat him!'' She hacked up another horrible laugh. ''Wh-what?!'' Yelled Master Feng. Probably the first time he's really yelled in sixty years. Nobody paid mind to him. "Yeah, and all those times we bribed those teachers and kids at his schools into rejecting him. But it wasn't like we even needed to, nobody ever wanted that scrawny little runt!'' Feng could take no more of this cruel reminiscence. He left. Jack's parents didn't notice. They were too busy having their remorseless laughs. Something ran through Feng's head, something Mr. Spicer had said. "Nobody ever wanted that scrawny little runt!'' He had said. Did that mean Jack had never had a friend before Raimundo? Feng thought about Jack on his way back to the temple. When he arrived, he had thought of something he wished to say to Raimundo. But first he must speak with Jack. He should know that he had been to speak with his parents. He also wanted to make sure he didn't tell Raimundo anything Jack didn't want him to know. So he called Jack in to the small meditation room that served as Feng's 'house'. When Jack had entered (a little nervously), he told Jack what had happened. Jack simply nodded, ''I was kinda hoping you wouldn't find out, but, oh well.''
''Well, I wanted to say something to Raimundo about all of this. And in order to do so, I need to tell him the whole story. Is this alright with you?''
''Yeah, sure, whatever.'' Jack replied, as he made to leave. Right as he was going through the door, Master Feng spoke up again. ''Jack?'' Jack looked back over his shoulder, ''Yeah?''
''Your parents said that, at least before Raimundo, you have never had a friend before.'' Jack gave one of his patent 'this is so terrible, yet so hilariously ironic' laughs. He faced the direction of the exit once more, ''For once, they're right,'' He said as he left. Master Feng sighed as he watched the pale youth leave the room. Suddenly telling Raimundo what he needed to tell him seemed more important than ever. He called the Wind Dragon in. When Raimundo entered (just as nervous as Jack), Feng immediately launched into re-telling his story. Raimundo had a much stronger reaction than Jack. At first he was shocked into speechlessness. Then he began ranting and raving about how people like that deserved to be murdered in their sleep, or something along those lines. He was 'talking' much too fast and much too loudly for Master Feng to understand him clearly. After he successfully calmed Rai down, Master Feng said what he so badly needed to say. ''Raimundo, you are Jack's first and only friend,'' Raimundo opened his mouth to rant some more about how that was impossible, and how people never even bothered to...But Feng silenced him, ''I know Omi has accepted Jack, but he is so busy, as always, doing other things. He hasn't had the time to really 'warm-up', as you say, towards Jack. Kimiko has accepted Jack as well, but she believes Jack is 'after her', whatever that is supposed to mean.''
''Just a bit of self-centered paranoia, that's all.''
''Ahh, okay. Dojo is, well, Dojo. Sylvan is rather, shall we say, unresponsive?'' Rai snorted, ''That's the understatement of the century.''
''Different martial artists, different styles.'' Rai raised his eyebrow in confusion, but said nothing. ''Let's see, who else? Well as you know, Jack has never been allowed out except for school. Other than that, he had to sneak out. And according to Jack, he's only ever done that to collect Sheng Gong Wu for Wuya. So, he couldn't have met anyone by going out and no one had ever accepted him at school. We all know Chase and the other villians just used Jack.''
''No matter how hard he tried to please them, he never even came close to befriending one of them. Not even his own chameleon-bot.'' Feng nodded in agreement. ''His entire family hates him. Did I miss anyone?''
''Clay.''
''Ahh, yes, Clay. Well Clay barely acknowledges his existence now-a-days, is that correct?''
''Yes,'' Rai all but growled out. ''Well, Clay does not adapt to change very well at all. However, this is no excuse for how he treats Jack. I shall speak to him once we are through with this conversation.'' Master Feng raised his hand before Rai had the chance to speak. ''I know what you are about to say, and you are correct, young Wind Dragon. I should have spoken to Clay earlier. I was just hoping he would accept Jack on his own. However, it seems that my hopes were to be in vain, all I managed to do was to let the problem progress into something worse. Well, there may be nothing to be done about the past, much to be done about the future. Like I said, I will speak to him after we finish our conversation .'' He said. ''Now, to say what I called in for, being as you are, Jack's only friend, please be completely, now this is important mind you, and totally honest with him. Do you understand?''
''I understand Master Feng.'' Raimundo said solemnly. ''Will you do it?'' Raimundo hesitated for a few moments. Good, thought Master Feng, he's thinking about it. Means he's actually taking it seriously. Rai gave his answer, ''I will do it Master Feng.'' Rai stepped outside the temple house's doors. He wanted to find Jack. He had something he needed to tell him. But he was nowhere to be found. Rai was about to panic. Hundreds of images flashed through his mind. Each more terrible then the next. Then he remembered the forest. He and Jack go walking there sometimes. That is where he would find Jack. He followed the path they usually took. He's probably up in a tree somewhere, thought Rai. ''Jaaaaaaaaack!'' Rai called. ''What?'' Said a gloomy voice above him. ''That's what I thought,'' Mumbled Rai. Then he noticed Jack's appearance. He had bloody scratches on his face, his goggles were around his neck, pulled down by the same branches that had caused the scratches and tangled his hair, which fell around his shoulders and in front of his eyes and his eye make-up was all runny. ''Jackie, what happened, what's wrong?!'' Rai said worriedly, as he clambered up the tree, to reside on a branch next to Jack. Jack raised an eyebrow at the nickname, but didn't say anything concerning it. ''Nothing.'' Jack lied. ''Please Jackie, it looks as if you've been crying.''
''You're acting seriously feminine, it's kind of creeping me out. And what's with this 'Jackie' shit, huh?''
''Sorry, I'm just worried. And I think Jackie is a good nickname, don't you Jackie?''
"No, Jackie is a girl's name, I'm not a girl.''
''Well, I think it's a good nickname.''
''Well, you're strange.''
''Why were you crying?'' Silence. ''Don't you want to talk about it?'' More silence. ''It might help.'' Finally Jack spoke. ''Did Master Feng tell you about... my parents?''
''They're bastards, so just forget about them.''
''You think?''
"You wanna know what I think? I think you should focus only on the people who care about you, like me.''
''You care about me?''
''Yes, Jack, I care about you because I love you. I love you. I love you with every fiber of my being.'' Even more silence, then, ''I love you too, Rai. I really do.'' Rai climbed on to Jack's branch. He then proceeded to positioning himself so he was sitting on Jack's chest, straddling him. ''Uhhh, Rai? What are you doing?'' Jack asked nervously. Rai smiled at Jack devilishly (who then started sweating profusely in a 'what the fuck do you think you're doing' fashion). Rai crushed his lips to the older boy's mouth. Jack made a surprised 'Mrmph!' noise, but soon adjusted to the feeling of having someone kiss him. He wrapped his arms around Rai and kissed him back forcefully.