(A/N) sorry this chapter took so long. I meant to get it out more than 2 weeks ago, but things kept getting in the way, and when things werent in the way I just couldnt motivate myself to write. thats actually been a bit of a problem lately, lack of motivation. anyway, heres the new chapter, hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 10: The Future: The Nexus

Riku and Logan lay on the edge of their cliff, under the Shroud of Shadows, looking down to the ruins of Guan's temple with the Eagle Scope. The found nothing unusual other than the only standing structures that remained on the temple grounds: four states, one of Guan, one of Chase, and Hannibal's armor, and Wuya. If it weren't for the fact that everyone on earth had been turned to stone but them, they would've found the sight to be disturbing. Logan set down the eagle scope and turned to his friend. "Something seem off to you?"

"Yeah. Where's the guy we're supposed to be meeting here?" Riku pointed out. "Not like there are a lot of places to hide."

"You two are really dense, aren't you?" The two boys looked back over their shoulders to find Hikari standing behind them. She kicked the Shroud of Shadows aside and laid down on her stomach between the two boys, snatching the Eagle Scope from Logan before pulling the shroud back over them. "I mean this has to be obvious to someone besides me."

"Enlighten us, oh wise one." Riku said dryly, half annoyed by the girl.

"Yeah, what are you talking about?" Logan asked, less annoyed by his cousin.

"Let's put the pieces together. The only things down there are the statues. And what do we just happen to have with us?" she waited a moment for them to respond, but got nothing. "The Heart of Jong, you idiots!"

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that thing." Riku chuckled.

"So what?" Logan asked.

"I'm going to hit you for being stupid." Hikari stated promptly, which she did before he had a chance to protest. "If those statues are the only things down there, then obviously we need to use the Heart of Jong on one of them… and if you guess which one incorrectly I'm going to hit you again."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it… its Guan right? Ow!"

"Well all right then! Let's go wake the old bastard up so we can save the world!" Riku said enthusiastically, throwing the Shroud of Shadows off of them and standing up. They gathered the other six before heading down to the temple ruins. They approached the stone reminders of their parent's greatest enemies (and one of their greatest allies) cautiously. The very image of Hannibal's armor sent chills down Bonny's spine. While the others hung back, Riku and Logan accompanied Hikari as they approached Guan's statue. The girl pulled out the Heart of Jong and whispered its name before slowly reaching out to place it inside of their old friend's stone chest.

But before she could, Gaun's stone hand reached out to catch her wrist in a vice like grip.

Shocked, she looked up to his face, frozen in an expression of horror from the day he had been trapped in stone. Before she could react any further she felt the other hand strike her stomach, sending her and the Heart flying back. While the others went to her aid, Logan and Riku were about to attack the statue of their friend, but before they could they were both grabbed by the shoulders and tossed aside by the statue of Hannibal's armor. As the two boys got back to their feet, Hannibal's statue slowly approached them while Guan, Chase, and Wuya surrounded their friends. Sarah helped her little sister back to her feet as the six of them circled up.

Logan and Riku slowly backed away as Hannibal approached them. They knew they couldn't take him on in hand to hand combat. They needed an ace in the hole. "I got an idea." Logan said.

"I know exactly what you're thinking you mad man." Riku replied. "Let's do it." Reaching behind their backs, they pulled out the two Shen Gong Wu they needed and called out their names. "Sleeping Boar!" Riku shouted, tossing the golden pig statue out in Hannibal's path.

"Rooster's Crow!" Logan yelled, using the megaphone's sonic scream to awaken the Sleeping Boar. The pig's eyes flashed red and in a flash of light it grew to a colossal size, springing to life. It roared, fire blazing from its nostrils, before charging at Hannibal madly. The statue stood its ground and, just as the Sleeping Boar was about to run it over, it grabbed onto the tusks, bringing it to an abrupt halt. The pig snarled and unleashed a torrent of flames from its mouth, but Hannibal was unaffected by the attack and lifted the boar into the air by its tusks. Spinning around a few times, Hannibal threw the Sleeping Boar back at the two boys. They managed to jump out of the way of as it hurdled at them. Looking back over his shoulder, Logan saw the Shen Gong Wu shrink back down to its statue form, defeated. They were now terrified. This thing had just taken out the Sleeping Boar, one of the most dangerous Shen Gong Wu, without so much as flinching. How were they going to fare against it?

"Don't suppose we've got the Kazusu Atom, do we?" Riku questioned.

"We're not that lucky." Logan replied.

Meanwhile, Sarah and Hikari stood back to back, clutching the Reversing Mirror and Serpent's Tail for dear life, the other three statues surrounding them. Peter, Hunter, Bonny, and Riley had all been knocked unconscious already. "Our only hope is to work together, sis." Sarah said. "I've got an idea, but you have to trust me, Okay."

"I don't like the sound of that."

"Just follow my lead." Then, using the Serpent's Tail, she sunk into the ground, abandoning her sister. Now feeling vulnerable, Hikari panicked as Wuya came flying at her with her leg extended for a kick. The girl used the reversing Mirror to deflect her and send her flying back, and as she landed on her feet, Sarah suddenly rose up from the ground, grabbed onto her, and pulled her down into the ground until she was only exposed from the ribcage up. Now stuck in the ground, Wuya was no longer a threat. Chase came after the older girl now, and she used her Shen Gong Wu's power to phase through every attack. Eventually she dropped down into the ground and Chase's fist hit the reversing mirror, Hikari having positioned herself behind her sister. He went flying back as well and, just like with Wuya, Sarah pulled and trapped him in the ground.

Now only Guan was left to face the two girls, and like Chase he went after Sarah. They used the same tactic to take him out, but Sarah didn't pull him into the ground like the others. "Hikari! Now!" Taking the opening, Hikari pulled the Shen Gong Wu she needed and called out its name. "Heart of Jong!" She leapt at the statue of Master Monk Guan, ready to thrust the brass heart into its chest. But just as she was about to strike, the statue pulled its legs back onto its chest and kicked forward, striking Hikari in the chest mid flight. While the statue landed gracefully back on its feet, Hikari, having had the wind knocked out of her, crashed into the ground, skidding and rolling along and losing her grip on the Heart of Jong. The Heart bounced along further away from her, eventually landing directly on the chest of the Wuya statue, still stuck in the ground.

And then, a blinding golden flash.

Before the light had faded, a speeding green blur burst from it, leaving twin trails of emerald flames in its wake. It headed straight for the Chase statue, which had freed itself from the ground and was towering over the unconscious bodies of Peter and Hunter, ready to rip them in half. The blur struck the Chase statue in the back, leaving a small crater with cracks spreading out from it, before darting away. Moving back just as quickly, it struck at the statues face, knocking the left eye and most of the cheek clean off. Unable to keep up with the blurs speed, the statue tried to defend itself in vein as the statue chipped away at it until, with one final blow to the chest, it crumbled apart, the dust and stones of its remnants hitting the ground.

Hannibal and Guan both went after it, forgetting about the kids. Sarah, being the only conscious member of the group left, watched the battle as she held her unconscious sister in her arms. Just as with Chase, the blur was too fast for either the Guan or Hannibal statues to keep up with. As the blur chipped away at its two foes, Sarah thought she spotted a few red flashes here and there. Soon the Guan statue suffered the same fate as Chase and shattered into dust and stone. Then it came to an almost instantaneous stop and took a very human figure made of green flames. The right arm threw at Hannibal's chest, lodging the fist inside of the stone armor, and then in an explosion of fire and rock, Hannibal was no more. Sarah covered her eyes as the heat and fire radiated out, and when she looked back, she gasped. The green flames had faded away, revealing the crimson locks and raven black dress of the dread Heylin witch, Wuya.

The witch dropped to her hands and knees and let out a gasp, desperate for air as if this were the first time she'd ever tasted it. She looked over to Sarah, watching her cradle her unconscious sister for a moment, before forcing herself back onto her wobbly legs. She staggered over to the girl before collapsing back to her knees in front of the girl. They looked each other over for a moment before the witch smiled. "You're Clay and Saya's oldest girl… and the other kids… still alive after all these years." And with that she closed her eyes and gently lay on her side. There was another flash of light, the Heart of Jong separating itself from her as she returned to her stone form.

~LATER~

Wuya groaned as she forced her eyes open. She could feel it again, the Heart of Jong pumping life energy into her. It was an odd feeling, being flesh and blood again after being trapped in cold stone for so many years. She liked it, but would still have to get used to it. She lifted her head off the ground, finding that she'd been moved from where she was when she fell asleep. She was in a cave now, lying by a fire, and surrounded by the children. "She's awake!" one of them said.

"Yes, I am. And I have a splitting headache, thank you very much." The witch grumbled as she sat up. There were a few moments of silence in which she looked over the kids carefully. How long has she been sleeping? Peter and Hunter had been infants when she last saw them, now they must have been at least ten years old. And all the other kids had aged just as much. Could it really have been that long? "So is anyone else left?"

"We're asking the questions here." Logan said sternly, standing up and walking over to her. "Why did you destroy Guan?"

"I was saving your miserable lives." Wuya spat. "You're welcome, by the way, you brat."

"We needed him alive!" he spat back.

Wuya just chuckled and shook her head. "No you didn't."

"Quit playing games. Rush sent us here to revive him so he could tell us how to save the world."

"He didn't' send you here for him. You're here for me."

Logan knelt down before her and his hand lurched out at her chest, the tips of his fingers phasing through to touch the Heart of Jong. "I could rip this out of you right now, and set the Sleeping Boar loose on that stone husk of yours." He threatened.

"Do that and you'll never save your precious mommy and daddy."

Logan forced his entire hand into her chest, gripping the Heart of Jong tightly in his palm, ready to rip it out of her. "Never mention my parents." He snarled. "Now if you have the information we need, talk!" He let go of the Shen Gong Wu and pulled his hand out of her. She clutched her own hand to her chest for a moment to catch her breath. Having the one thing keeping her alive manipulated like that was not pleasant.

"Have you wondered why the Oni hasn't unleashed his army upon the world yet?" she asked.

"Some BS about hope being poison to demons or something." Hunter said.

"Yeah, and so long as humanity still exists there's still hope or something stupid like that." Peter added.

Wuya nodded. "Stupid as that may sound, that is correct. The eight of you are the only remaining barrier between this world and complete annihilation. And of course once this world is out of the way his armies will spread out across the cosmos, destroying lift in every star system until finally the Oni destroys time, space, and existence as we know it."

"Get to the point!" Logan shouted.

She looked up to the boy again. "You know, Logan, you remind me a lot of your father… and the harpy he married."

She flinched as Logan came at her and forced his hand into her chest again, grabbing the Heart of Jong. "What did I tell you?" he growled.

"You have to find the nexus!" she suddenly spat out.

"What is the nexus?" Logan demanded, tightening his grip.

She glared up at him and bared her teeth. "Get your hand out of me and I'll tell you." He glared back at her for a moment before doing as he was told. She took a moment to catch her breath again before explaining. "The nexus is a living connection between our world and his, a literal crossbreed between humans and demons. With it, the Oni could have unlimited control over the two worlds and their inhabitance… He wants to use it to turn every human on earth, either alive or slain by his minions, into demons… including the lot of us."

Logan took a moment to consider this. "You said the nexus was a literal crossbreed between human and demon… so it's a person?"

"Yes."

"Do you know who it is?"

"I believe so… but you're not going to like the answer."

~ELSWHERE~

In a vast, rocky wasteland, somewhere on the dead rock that was once planet earth, Omi wandered along. Every step he took sent a sharp, stabbing pain through his bruised and bloody feet. After not finding the children and losing Jack at the temple nine months before, he went off on his own, away from the Darklings. He worked better alone anyway. The Darklings were too loud and aggressive, often jumping into unnecessary conflict… Especially Dark Clay. If Omi wanted any hope of pleasing his mother and finding what remained of humanity, he needed to be alone.

But he was not alone. Something was following him. At first he just ignored it, suspecting that it was the Great Eye. But while the eye was indeed flying overhead in the crimson clouds, it wasn't what Omi was wary of. Something else was following his path… something on the ground… something… someone familiar.

Omi stopped and looked back over his shoulder, finding two men standing a distance away, their appearance hidden behind the haze of the heat. They were no one he could recognize and appeared to be human… but there was something oddly familiar about them, and he soon realized why as they came closer.

"Hello, Omi."

"How ya doing, kiddo?"

"Kid, you need to start wearing some shoes. Your feet look like they're about to fall off."

Omi rubbed his sleeve against his eyes, trying to convince himself that this was a mirage and that, when he looked again, they would be gone. But they weren't. It was Master Fung, Dojo sitting on his shoulder, and Dashi standing next to him. There they were, plain as day and, as far as Omi could tell, very real. "N-no…" Omi stuttered. "You can't be real… You're all dead."

"We are as real as you wish us to be, young monk." Master Fun said. He then chuckled. "Listen to me, referring to you as if you were still a child. You have a wife and two children of your own now, don't you?"

"Oh no, you've got it all wrong old man." Dojo said snidely. "All he has, or at least cares about, is his so called mother."

"Cool it, Dojo." Dashi said, noticing Omi clench a fist at the dragons comment. "We're here to talk, not make him angry."

"Precisely." Fung agreed. "Omi, you and your friends have strayed greatly from the path I set you upon. Once long ago the five of you protected the world, and now you may well have caused its very end… Darkness has consumed Raimundo and the others, but not you, Omi. Clouded though your mind may be, it is still yours to control… Why, Omi? How could you do this to the world?… To your wife and children?... To me?"

"My… My mother… My—"

"Son, let me tell you something… she's not your mother." Dashi said, moving up to Omi and placing a hand on his shoulder. "I don't care if she actually gave birth to you or not, she didn't raise you. She wasn't there to pick you up when you fell, she wasn't the one who taught you everything you know, she wasn't there for you any of the times you saved the world, or when you married Mimi, or when Peter and Logan were born… I mean, come on! She had you murder your wife and now she's having you hunt down your own kids! What kind of mother is that?... But all those things she didn't do or wasn't there for, ask yourself Omi… who was there for you?"

"M… Master…" He looked around Dashi over to the man with the Dragon on his shoulder.

"He is your family, Omi. He raised you, trained you, sacrificed himself for you… Lilith is just manipulating you. Can't you see that? You're nothing but a puppet to her… and when she's done with you she's going to cut the strings and throw you into the fire."

Omi clutched his hands to his ears to shut out his words. "No! You lie!"

Dojo flew over from Fung's shoulder and landed between Omi and Dashi, grabbing the tattooed man by the front of his shirt. "Omi, we're not lying to you. We can't. We are figments of your imagination trying to get through your thick, bulbous skull, things you already know. Why aren't you listening?!"

"Perhaps he is." Fung suggested. Dashi and Dojo stepped aside and Fung walked up to them, kneeling in front of Omi. "Perhaps the noble but arrogant young boy we all knew is still in there, struggling to get out so he can right the wrongs he has committed. Perhaps one day, with the right guidance, the Omi we know and love will return." The old man stopped and smiled at him. "Conveniently just in time to save the day. Right, Omi?"

He didn't respond, and Fung's smile faded away. He stood and backed away to stand by Dashi and Dojo. A strong wind suddenly picked up, wiping up clouds of sand that the three began to vanish in. Omi reached out slowly to them. "No… please… don't leave me… not again."

"We will never leave you, Omi." Master Fung said. "So long as you do not give up on yourself, neither will we. We will always be there… to guide you through the darkness." And with that they disappeared into the blowing sand, leaving Omi with himself. He dropped to his knees and cried out, his pained screams echoing out through the wasteland. Tears streaming from his eyes, he looked down to his hands, the tattoos on his skin fluxing in and out of existence. Why was he being tortured like this? He didn't know what to believe anymore. Jack, these hallucinations, they were all telling him the same thing… that his life, his purpose, his very being, they were all lies… lies concocted by Lilith.

He looked up again as he heard something echoing in the distance… crying… from a baby. Through the blowing sand and the haze of the heat he could see something… a mountain surrounded by… life.

Laying on the soft grass, her back against a tree, Nina smiled, looking down at the blanket wrapped infant in her arms. She chuckled to herself. She'd known the little guy for all of two minutes and already she was in love with her son… Jack's son. She even loved the sound of his crying, which he hadn't stopped doing since the moment he was born. Rush seemed less enthusiastic about the crying, flinching every time the baby let out another wail. He sat next to the edge of the pond, still washing his hands after delivering Nina's baby. "Have you decided on a name yet?" he asked.

Nina shook her head. "I'm not even going to think about naming him… not until he meets his daddy… I want Jack to be a part of that."

"And what if Jack never comes back?" Rush questioned, turning to her. "There hasn't been a trace of him since you left the Yin-Yang World… You have to face it, Nina. There's a good chance that he's dead."

"Is there and doubt in your mind that the kids are still alive?" Nina asked him, glaring.

"Yes." Rush stated flatly.

Nina rolled her eyes. "Well until I see proof that my husband is dead, I'm not going to name my son without him… But if he is gone… I've already picked a name."

Rush would've smiled if he'd had a mouth at the time. Before he could say more, he sensed something approaching. He heard footsteps… Human footsteps, or at least something close to human. But that was impossible; the kids must've been half a world away by then, and nothing with a demonic presence could enter the oasis… unless…

"Nina, take the baby and hide. Now."

"Why? What's going on?" Nina asked as, still weak from her labor, she struggled to her feet.

"Something is coming this way… and if one of my two guesses is right, this could end either very badly or very well. Just go hide. I'll come find you when it is safe… Oh, and take this."

Rush tossed the Kuzusu Atom over to the woman who caught it in her free hand before wandering off on her weak, wobbly legs, holding onto trees to support herself well. Somehow she managed to get the baby to stop crying, so nothing would give away their hiding spot. Rush waited back by the pond, resuming washing his hands, not just to pass the time until the mysterious presence appeared. It didn't take long.

"I heard crying… Who else is here, Rush?"

Rush sighed. One of his guesses had been right, but not the one he'd hoped for. It was Omi, not Jack, who stood at the edge of the clearing. "It has been a long time, Omi. Still crazy?"

"Where is the child, Rush?" Omi demanded. "I won't ask again."

"Still crazy." Rush muttered to himself as he stood and wiped his wet hands on his pants before turning to the tattooed man. "You're not going anywhere near that child, Omi. I won't let you."

"Then I will find it myself… but first I will take care of you. Mother has wanted you dealt with for some time now."

Again, Rush would have grinned if he could have. "Has she now? I must've really pissed her off, betraying her and then making her search for me for… how long has it been? Ten years?"

"Indeed, Mother is most displease with you… But I intend to rectify her mood concerning you when I bring you and the child to her."

Rush shook his head. "Good luck with that." He said before charging, leaping through the air to strike Omi with a kick. The shorter man stood his ground, not moving an inch and looking Rush dead in the eye as he came nearer.

Elsewhere, Nina sat on the rotted inside of a large tree stump, softly singing to her baby to try to keep him from crying more. He was just about asleep, yawning every minute or so as he struggled to keep his little eyes open. It brought another smile to her face as she teared up. She knew Rush was out there, fighting to keep the two of them safe… But from what? It was not knowing that made her most nervous.

She heard something moving through the woods outside of the tree stump, making her flinch. Slowly, she stood, getting up just far enough to see over the rotted wood. It was Omi, facing away from her, probably searching for her and the baby as he dragged Rush's unconscious body by the leg of his pants. She quickly ducked back down, not realizing that she'd began trembling. She could still hear him coming closer. With no other choice, she came to a decision. She craned her neck down to his her baby's forehead. "I love you." She said softly before gently laying him down on a bed of moss. He started crying again the second he left her arms. Gripping the Kuzusu Atom tightly, she stepped out into the open. Rush was still unconscious on the ground, but Omi had disappeared. "Where are you?" she called out.

Suddenly he dropped down from the trees, a dark aura surrounding him. As soon as he landed he jumped up again, flipping and extending his left to send a wave of darkness shooting at her. Moving quickly, she easily dodged it before pointing the Kuzusu Atom at him and calling out its name. A beam of energy shot out from the Shen Gong Wu, engulfing everything in its path. When the light faded away, Omi was gone, as was every tree, rock, or anything else in the Atom's path. Nina sighed and lowered it, but kept a tight grip. She wasn't ready to lower her guard yet. There was no way it was going to be that easy.

Through the baby's cries, she heard a rustling behind her. She raised up the Kuzusu Atom as she swung around, but almost dropped it when she saw Omi holding her son. Too shocked to move, Omi was able to raise a hand at her, sending out a tendril of dark energy. It struck Nina just above the naval, piercing her belly, ripping through her organs and wrecking through her spine as it exited out the other side. She collapsed as the tendril retracted, blood spilling out of her wounds and her mouth.

Carrying the baby, Omi approached the woman, now lying on the ground, barely alive. She looked up to him and saw the image from her dreams: Omi standing over her, darkness surrounding him, and she heard laughing… but it wasn't coming from him. He bent over, reaching down to touch Nina's forehead. With her dying breath, she spoke. "I'm sorry, Jack." and then glare at Omi as her slowly turned to stone.

Once she was no more than a piece of rock, Omi moved away, back to Rush's still unconscious body. He grabbed the spirit trapped in ninja garbs and slung him over his shoulder. Then, with both of his captures, he began walking again, soon disappearing in a burst of flames.

(A/N) so yeah, that fight scene in the first part was short and uninspired, I know. It was honestly the last part I wrote and the part I had the most trouble writing. But otherwise I had a good time with this chapter, especially the second part with Omi, Rush, and Nina. anyway, Im thinking this story is about half over by now. according to my notes, I should only have 4 or 5 more chapters in the present part of the story, so that means the same amount for the future. and if anyone has noticed that the future part of the story doesnt seem as well thought out as the present, thats because its honestly not. I made notes, mapped out what I wanted to do with the present. but with the future Im kind of winging it. bad idea on my part, but Im doing the best I can with it.