Omi walked north for two whole days. His plan was to travel to one of the sea-side villages and persuade a merchant to take him to the island. There he would confront the demon general and then banish him from this world and for that he knew that he would have to call on all of his skills. Eventually he came to a small village that was surrounded by miles of rice paddy fields. As he made his way through the fields, he saw two figures approaching him. One was a sour-faced skinny little man, wearing slightly tattered robes and a pair of spectacles. His companion was a tall muscular man, who was dressed in simple brown tunic and pants and had blonde hair.

"You cannot come in here. These fields are private property of the village! You must leave immediately."

"Good sir," said Omi evenly, "I only wish to pass through your fields."

"Well you cannot. Not without express permission from the headman, which is me, and I do not."

"Please, I am on a very important mission and I must pass. It is a matter of life and death. To go around your land would add another three days to my trip, which I cannot afford."

"No, no, no! I will not allow it. This is my village and unless you pay the fee, you cannot pass through here," yelled the little man. Then, turning to his counterpart he said "Remove him!"

The giant moved towards Omi, cracking his knuckles in preparation.

"I'm real sorry about this, but I got my orders. If I don't follow then I don't get paid and I can't eat," he said apologetically.

Then without warning lashed out with a meaty fist. There was no doubt that he was fast, but Omi was faster. He dodged the punch then landed several strikes of his own, all which seemed to be ineffective. Changing tactics, Omi leaped up and put his hands on his opponent's shoulders to give himself extra lift so he could flip over the top. Before the other man could turn around, Omi drew his black-blade and casually flicked it towards the headman's neck.

"Please, this needs to stop before someone gets hurt."

All traces of unpleasantness had been replaced with fear in the headman's as he stood quivering. The other man looked as though he was about to keep fighting anyway, but reconsidered.

"You're right. That was completely uncalled for. My apologies."

The headman barely noticed when Omi re-sheathed his sword and went on his way. A few minutes later, he heard heavy footsteps approaching, sloshing through the fields behind him. Perhaps they had changed their minds and attack him again. He tensed, ready for conflict.

"Hey, where are you goin' pal?" It was the big man again.

"I am travelling to the north, until I reach a sea dwelling village. From there I hope to get a boat to reach the forbidden island. It is my duty to prevent armies of metal monsters from invading our land. I will vanquish their demon general and return home."

"Sounds like quite a journey. Mind if I join ya?"

"What about your village? Do you not need to protect it?"

"Well sure, but if those metal critters aren't stopped then the village will be destroyed anyway," replied the stranger. "By the way, my name is Xiong- the great bear."

"I am Momo-Omi-Taro, Xiaolin Dragon. Tell me Xiong, what skills do you possess?"

"Well," said Xiong thoughtfully, "I guess I'm pretty strong. Watch this."

Walking over to an oak tree, standing at the edge of the fields, Xiong seized the trunk and heaved. After a few moments, the tree began to creak and uprooted. "There's a reason the call me the great bear you know."

"Your strength certainly is impressive," marveled Omi. "Perhaps you could accompany me on my quest after all."

Before they left, Omi shared a millet cake with his new friend, to keep their spirits up for what was sure to be a difficult journey.

***

Soon they came to a dark, dense forest. Xiong had never seen so many big trees all in one place, and was a little bewildered. Omi – being the son of a woodcutter- was more accustomed to it, yet he could not shake the feeling that he was being watched.

"Stay close and stay alert," warned the bald boy.

There was a rustling among the branches above them and they heard an unearthly screeching far away. Omi drew Kanojo-Cho, while Xiong took up a ready stance. There was another screech, closer this time, followed by more rustling and then with a whoosh, a speeding blur swooped down and plucked Omi's sword from his grasp. The screeches turned into laughter.

"Ho-ho! All who enter here are surely doomed. There is none that can stand up to the demon of the forest," taunted a voice, which seemed to come from all directions. "I took your sword, but soon I will take your life!"

Xiong refused to be scared into fleeing and threw himself at the closest tree from where their tormenter seemed to be hiding and knocked it over. He roared in anger as the laughter continued.

"Ho-ho! Truly pathetic."

Omi signaled for his friend to keep still as he came up with a plan.

"My friend, isn't it obvious that to resist such an awesome foe? Our only consolation is that we may share one of these fine millet cakes before we die." He calmly opened the small bag given to him by his mother, ignoring the puzzled look from his companion. He split a cake and handed half to Xiong before beginning to eat, savoring every mouthful. After a moments hesitation, Xiong followed his lead. A sudden snapping of a twig alerted Omi, and he felt something tug at the pouch that hooked on his waist. As swiftly as a snake striking at it's prey, he reached down and grabbed the hand. With a shriek of dismay, the forest demon realized that it had been tricked. Now that it was out in the open, they could get a good look. The 'demon' was actually a young man, with an olive complexion and jet black hair. He clutched a golden staff in one hand, on top of which a monkey was carved. Then they noticed that he appeared to have a tail growing from his nether regions, a sign that all was not as it seemed with him.

"So this is the dreadful demon of the forest eh? More like a thief!"

"Let me get my hands on him," growled Xiong, "Then he'll be the fearful demon of the forest." At this, the ersatz demon paled.

"Arg….please spare me, oh noble travelers," he pleaded. Omi told the strange fellow that they meant him no harm, but he still kept his firm grip. Instantly, the would-be thief changed his tune, becoming chummy. "Well, Saru the monkey-lord has never been caught before. And who might the honorable one who has managed to capture me?"

"I am Momo-Omi-Taro, and this is my companion Xiong- the great bear. We're just passing through on our journey north."

"Well Peach-Headed-Boy, this sounds interesting. Can I come along?"

"I don't think so," snorted the great bear. "Not after you tried to trick us like that."

Saru looked sheepish.

"We all have to make our living somehow," he said.

"Your agility would be a useful asset indeed," said Omi, releasing Saru. "If you would be so kind to return to me my sword, we can all be on our way immediately." The monkey-lord climbed skillfully up a tree and retrieved Kanojo Cho.

"I suppose I couldn't trouble you for one of those millet cakes could I?" he asked and the trio set off again.

[Part Three is on the way!]