Okay guys, just need to warn you: there is going to be some bad language in this Chappie, so if you can't stand naughty words, just bleep it out with your minds. Oh! And thank you xXsmokeandmirrorsXx for reviewing on every chapter. You make my day my dear! -Redhotgal.
The Bride of Chase Young Chapter 3:
It had been two weeks since Marie had come to live with Chase Young, and she was getting used to it slowly. It was awkward sometimes, like the first night they had slept in the same bed. Marie had been so nervous she had eventually just grabbed some blankets and a pillow and gone to sleep in a comfy armchair in the library. She had woken up with a sore back and a confused fiancee, but after Chase swore he would keep to his side of the bed, she had returned to their bedroom. Meal times were better, being filled with conversation as the two people tried to get to know one another.
"Crow! You're back already?" said Marie as the bird landed on her shoulder. "And you've got Tom's reply! Well done." She hurriedly untied the envelope that was tied around the crows leg. Last week, Marie had sent Crow with a letter to her older brother back in Canada. She had been on pins and needles waiting for this. Crow cawed and flew away to his perch in his mistresses bedroom to have a drink and a quick nap. Marie opened her brothers' letter excitedly and read it.
It said:
Dear Marie,
I was so glad to get your letter. I was beginning to fear the worst about that Chase guy. We're all fine here and Mom and Dad are being their usual selves; selfish and snobby! I still don't like the fact that they gave you away like that. It's not right. You should have had a chance to fall in love, be courted, all that sort of thing. But from what I heard in your letter, Chase is trying to be nice. Just let me know if he hurts you, okay? I'll get in the first plane to China and knock his block off, even if he is a martial arts master. Nobody hurts the little sister of Thomas William Jones and lives to tell about it! Haha! But then again, you can take care of yourself. I did teach you and all.
I miss you Kitten. Take care, and don't let that Wuya woman get you down.
Love you lots!
your loving brother,
Tom
Marie giggled at the letter. Tom was 20 years old, and had always hated the fact that his only sister was going to be forced to marry someone she didn't love. He had been the one to lighten her days when she was young. He had helped her sneak out of her Lady lessons and taught her to fight so she could defend herself from unwanted advances.
"What's that?" Marie didn't jump when she heard Chased voice like she used to. She was used to him disappearing and suddenly re-appearing like he did.
"A letter from my brother Tom." she replied. "He told me before I got on the plane to write if I could." Chase glanced at it and chuckled.
"Protective isn't he?" he said. "I'd do well not to cross him." Marie laughed.
"No need for sarcasm Chase, he's just kidding." she said. This was something else she was getting used to; talking and laughing with Chase. Before, when they talked, it had been strained and formal. Now, the words came easier, and laughter was quick to follow.
"So, what's this Kitten thing about?" asked Chase. Marie smiled.
"It's just a nickname. When I was little, my parents would strike me during lessons if I did something wrong. When I cried back then, Tom said I sounded like a little kitten crying for its mother. After that, he asked my parents not to hit me anymore. They promised to stop, but they always found a way to get him out of the house during my lessons." She clutched her left shoulder. "I still have a scar on my arm from where mother went too deep." Chase looked at her in confusion.
"What do you mean, went too deep?" he asked. Marie looked away.
"It's nothing. Mom just decided I got to smart-alecky during a lesson and her whip cut me, that's all." she said. "She'd done it before, but that time, she hit really hard and it cut me pretty badly." Chase looked shocked.
"They what?! I gave them specific instructions that you come to me unscathed!" he barked. Marie glared at him.
"That I come to you unscathed?" She said, her voice dripping venom. "What is that supposed to mean? Am I some sort of collectors item? Am I damaged merchandise now? Well, let me tell you something Chase Young, I treat those scars as trophies. Trophies of my victory in defying my parents and everything my training stood for: My arranged marriage to a man I didn't love. I can't believe I ever thought you were starting to care!" she was starting to yell now. "Do you know why I came here Chase? It was because somewhere inside me, I thought you'd actually care! But you don't! I hate you! I hate your fucking guts!" She leapt out of her armchair and ran out the door, tears streaming from her eyes.
Chase stood in shock. His comment was meant to be out of concern. He hadn't meant to make her so angry. He had to admit though, seeing her in full rage like that had been magnificent. The way her eyes had sparkled, and how she had spoken so harshly to him, unafraid to say how she felt. He felt an odd sensation running through him, an incredible sense of satisfaction and pleasure he hadn't felt since his days at the Xiaolin temple, sparring with Dashi and Guan. There was also a feeling of guilt and shame. Seeing her in tears had brought it on.
He wanted to apologize, make her stop crying. He was already half way to their room when he stopped. She was so angry, she probably didn't want to see him. He instead turned and left the citadel. He had to talk to an old friend.
Meanwhile, Marie had dashed up to the room she shared with Chase and had thrown herself onto the bed. Burying her face in a pillow, she sobbed brokenly.
"Why?" she sobbed. "Why did I ever think he could change?" she continued to sob until she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. It was Wuya. Ever since their first meeting, she had been cold and distant, but now, she seemed to be genuinely worried about her.
"Are you okay Marie?" she asked. "What happened?" Marie blurted out what had happened between her and Chase in the library, and how she had yelled at him.
"And n-now, he p-p-probably h-hates me!" she sobbed into Wuya's lap. Before telling the story, Wuya had sat down and insisted that Marie lay her head down. "I've ruined everything!" Wuya stroked her hair soothingly.
"There now, it's all right. You know, I'll bet Chase didn't mean to upset you. He was probably just worried about you. I mean, what man wouldn't be upset that his wife had been beaten?" she said. Marie considered this.
"It doesn't matter." she mumbled. "He hates me now, I just know it. What am I supposed to do?"
"You could try apologizing. He's not the type to hate anyone. Well, not you anyway." said Wuya. "But I'd wait for a while if I were you. I saw him take off after you came running up here. He's probably gone to Dashi's grave. He always goes there when he's upset." Marie looked up.
"Dashi?" she said. "Isn't that the guy you all trained with?"
"Yeah. He died years ago. As I recall, he and Chase were really close. Not as close and Chase and Guan, but still really close. He was a year or two older than us, and something of a mentor to Chase. Whenever things got too rough, or something got Chase rattled, he'd go talk to Dashi. Even now, after Dashi's been dead for well over a millennium, you can find him there at the Grave, talking to it like he used to with Dashi." Marie set her head back in Wuya's lap and sighed.
"You're right. I'll say I'm sorry when he comes home. I shouldn't have blown up like that." She sat up and smiled at Wuya. "Thanks for talking to me Wuya. It really helps. But, why are you being so nice all of a sudden? I thought you hated me"
"Oh don't get me wrong, I hated you like a cat hates water, but you're here to stay so I figured I'd better get used to it." she said. Marie grinned even wider and Wuya smiled back. "Later kid." and with that, she left. Marie sat on the bed a bit longer, thinking of how to pass the time until Chase returned. She decided to go back to the library and read for a while. When she arrived, she found the tigress that Chase had given her there, waiting. Marie had named her Ashanti, and Wuya had done a tricky little spell to give her the ability to speak.
"Are you alright my Lady?" she asked in her delicate voice. "You seemed upset earlier." Marie shook her head.
"I'm alright Ashanti. I just had a little argument with Chase is all. No biggie." she replied. She sat down in her favorite armchair to read her copy of Great Expectations. Hours passed and Chase still had not returned. By 11, Marie could wait no longer. She crawled into bed and lay awake for hours, dozing here and there.
Chase returned around three in the morning. He slipped into the room during one of Marie's dozing times and stood over her. Gazing at his young bride he wondered when she had fallen asleep.
"She waited up for you, you know." Chase looked behind him. Wuya was standing in the doorway.
"Get out of my chambers Wuya." he snarled. Wuya stayed put.
"She was freaking out when you left. She thought you hated her. You could at least say you're sorry. I know she is." Chase growled louder
"Get out!" he hissed, not wanting to wake Marie. Wuya smiled and left, closing the door behind her. Chase looked at Marie again. She had left a small lantern lit and she was bathed in its glow. Her chest rose and fell with her calm breathing. Slipping out of his armor and into some sweat pants, he crawled in next to her. He was falling asleep. When he heard a soft voice.
"I'm sorry." He opened his eyes to see Marie staring at him apologetically. "I'm sorry chase. I don't hate you. I was angry at my past. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I--" she found herself cut off as Chase pressed a finger to her lips.
"Shh. It's alright." he whispered. He snaked his arms around her waist and held her close. She gasped in shock and struggled a bit before Chase said.
"Please...just for tonight. I want to hold you close like this. Think of it as my apology for this morning." Marie stilled herself. She was scared, but somehow, being pressed against Chase's chest like this was calming. She relaxed and let herself fall asleep in his strong, protecting arms.
The next day, Marie woke up in bed alone as usual. She stretched and went through her normal morning routine. She looked out the large window in their room to look for Chase. He was usually on a rocky outcrop doing his Tai chi when she woke up. But for some reason, he wasn't there this morning. She shrugged and went downstairs to get some breakfast. She met Wuya on the way.
"Wuya." she asked. "Have you seen Chase today? I can't find him."
"I don't know. He was gone when I woke up too." Marie sighed. This was also normal. Chase would disappear for most of the day, then come back with some weird artifact. Wuya had explained to her the first time this had happened that the artifacts were magical objects called Sheng-Gong-Wu. They could do incredible things like change a persons size, allow then to phase through solid objects, or even get them from one place to the next in an instant.
"I've got to say though, I never thought I'd ever see you seem worried about him while you lived here. Maybe you're starting to care about him a bit?" said Wuya with a sly grin. Marie blushed.
"Well, he's more to me now than he was when I first got here. He's become more of a friend." she said.
"Right." said Wuya still wearing her grin. "You hungry? Lets get some food." Marie nodded and followed her to the kitchen.
After breakfast, Marie decided to go to what she had come to call the 'Cat Room'. It was an old dungeon in the lower levels where Chase kept all his warriors. Marie liked to sit there with the cats for hours, petting and scratching them. They all sat up when she entered.
"At ease." she told them. They settled down again and Ashanti came trotting over to her.
"How are you this morning Lady Marie?" she inquired happily.
"I'm fine Ashanti. I just thought I'd come down and relax for an hour or two." Replied Marie, walking over to a large stone in the corner. A panther moved over to make room and Marie sat down. She looked around the room, taking in its appearance. It was a simple cell with a iron barred door. There were a lot of boulders similar to the one she was sitting on scattered around that the cats would laze around on. It wasn't fancy or anything but just sitting here, listening to the soft growls and purrs, Marie felt calm and safe. The panther that had moved over nudged her hand gently. Marie smiled and scratched behind his ears.
"Some warrior you are." she muttered. "You turn to jelly if someone scratches your ears. What a wuss." The Panther snarled in warning. "Okay, okay! you are a warrior, I take it back." she said hastily, petting him to calm him down. He lay his head down and began to purr. Hearing this, the other cats began to crowd around Marie, wanting attention. For the next hour, Marie gave them all the attention she was able until they all became too insistent. Taking Ashanti with her, she went back upstairs and outside the mountain. Looking out across the barren landscape, Marie wondered where Chase had gone.
"Wuya was sort of right before." she thought. "I am starting to care about him more and more. But then again, I suppose that's only natural right? He is going to be my husband one day. I wonder if he's out Wu hunting again?"
Suddenly, a strong wind kicked up and Chase appeared. He was holding three Sheng Gong Wu this time. The results of a won Showdown. Marie recognized two of them as the Fancy Feet and the Golden Tiger Claws. The third one was unfamiliar. It looked like a teardrop shaped crystal hanging from a deep purple ribbon. He smiled at her.
"Admiring the Dragons Tear, are we?" he asked smugly. He handed it to her. She took it and looked at it more closely. It was the most beautiful Wu Chase had ever found.
"What does this one do?" she asked.
"It makes everyone other than the user relive their saddest moments. They end up crying so hard, they can't fight anymore." Replied Chase. Marie thought of what the Dragons tear would do for her. What was her saddest memory? Losing her dog Chester to a car? No, not nearly sad enough. What about the time her Grandfather died? Still not sad enough. She had loved her grandfather dearly, but that wasn't the saddest thing that had happened. No...the saddest memory she had was of her little sister, Sam. At nine years old, Sam idolized Marie. She would say that Marie was "The bestest big sister ever!" what made the memory sad was the fact that Sam had nearly died for Marie and had been taken away because of it. Marie had been in her lady lessons and had preformed a wrong move in a dance. Her mother had struck her with a small riding crop. Sam had been just outside the door and had rushed in when she heard Marie yell. She had thrown herself over her big sister in an effort to protect her. Flying into a rage, Her mother had grabbed Sam by the hair, hauled her into her bedroom and beaten her. Marie had pounded on Sam's door, begging her mother to leave Sam alone and to punish her instead. All the while, she could hear Sam screaming for her.
An hour later, the cries stopped, and Marie's mother came out. Looking in at Sam, Marie had seen her younger sister's sad, broken little body lying on the bed. For the next three days, Marie had tried to nurse her back to health, but Sam's condition had worsened until finally, they were forced to take her to the hospital. The doctors had healed her injuries, but saw it as an abuse case. They called the CFS (Child and Family Services-Author), and Sam had been taken away to live with a foster family. Sam had screamed when they took her, but they put her into that shiny black car and drove away. The last thing Marie saw of her sister after that was Sam sticking her head out the window and screaming
"Marie! I wanna stay with you! I wanna stay! Marie!!" After that, the social worker had pulled her back in and the car turned a corner.
Marie clutched the Dragons Tear. She prayed no one would use it on her. She never wanted to see that again if she could help it. She couldn't stand the guilt. She felt a tap on her shoulder.
"Are you alright?" asked Chase. "You seem upset over something." Marie shook her head.
"Just remembering some...stuff. I'd rather not talk about it." she said. Chase shrugged and started to walk away. Marie followed, still gazing at the Dragons Tear.
"Chase." she said. "Next time a Wu goes active, can I come with you?" Chase stopped and looked at her.
"Why would you want to do that?" he asked. Marie held up the Dragons Tear.
"Id like to see how you get these." she said. "You told me all about Showdowns, but I'd like to see one live and in person. So can I come next time?" Chase was quiet for a while.
"Okay." he said after a considerable interval. "Next time you can come with me." Just then, Wuya came running up.
"Chase!" she called. "A Sheng gong Wu just activated! It's the Shenbo Staff!" Chase looked at Marie.
"Well Marie, looks like next time just turned into now."
Well guys, hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing it. Review please!