The Balance in Love, Lies and War
(A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own Xiaolin Showdown or its characters, all I own is Kaida, the plot of this story, Shen Gong Wu I create, Athanasius Cerberus and Arachne and any other of my own original characters I have put in.
Review(s):
Adorabella: I've never actually read that...
But it has voices in people's heads, must be interesting
Kaida: We're soooooooo glad you're friend is better! Yay!
We really are. (My friend got hit the other day, but it wasn't serious, just a really large bruise :( )Glad you're updating again as well!
Other: I'm rather surprised. In my original plan this was going to be chapter two, and in my other original plan half of it was going to be in chapter three, and in my original, original plan this chapter didn't exist!
Kaida: What's that supposed to mean?
In my original, original version of this story, your name was Sam something-or-rather and you were lame and boring, there was no Chase Young and no demons and the plot was some lame Shen Gong Wu turning Wuya into an evil demon animal thing or something. Weird huh. Of course, it has completely and utterly changed. (well not completely, but you get the idea)
This chapter was hard to write… By Friday I was only just starting the sixth page! Busy week…Oh well… This one had a lot of talking, so beware!
And I was trying to make Clay seem brotherly, not 'boyfriendy', I hope it shows…
I'm so proud! 284 hits! Thanks to everyone who reads this, and double thanks to reviewers!
Chapter 4:
'Living in their Denial'
Master Fung was sat in the middle of the table, facing the Xiaolin Warriors, a solemn expression on his face.
"This meeting of truth has been brought about to discuss the recent disturbance in the balance," Kaida shivered at the word. It held so much power, power she didn't fully understand.
"Meaning the Dragoness of the Zen, has awakened." Everyone turned to Kaida, who blushed.
"However this means someone else has awakened also; Chase Young. Perhaps the greatest evil ever lived." He looked over to the monks who looked rather confused.
"What I am about to reveal to you, is a section from one of Grand Master Dashi's hidden scrolls, discovered, in a strange coincidence, by Dojo." The dragon smiled, nervously muttering something about doughnuts and ash and how very sorry he was. Master Fung ignored this, opening a dusty scroll carefully, giving the Xiaolin Warriors a grave glance.
"I must ask that if you are to judge each other, do it now, and not after you hear this." Kaida shivered and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, nausea gripping her. Raimundo slowly took her hand and she gripped it tightly, whispering,
"Promise me you won't hate me." Raimundo nodded and squeezed her hand in reply. Giving him a half smile, Kaida turned towards Master Fung and nodded slightly. Fear gripped her stomach. This was it.
Master Fung cleared his throat and began to read from the ancient texts…
"In my travels, I, Grand Master Dashi; have discovered many new things and created many more. However I have discovered the most intriguing of things in this past week. On a quest to find a resting spot for the 'Jasmine Jewel', I came across a place, much like the Xiaolin Temple. It belonged to the Balance family and they took me in with welcome arms. I explained I was from the Xiaolin Temple and surprisingly they knew about it, and about the elements. They told me of a great tale, one that went back to the furthest corners of history. They recounted to me the story of the Zen Dragoness."
"In the beginning there were six spirits, one of Water, one of Fire, one of Wind, one of Earth, one of Light and one of Dark. They created the Earth and they were the elements themselves. As higher beings, they could not touch the Earth, entering it only as manifestations of their powers, the things they created. The first humans loved their Earth, respecting it and its creators. Many worshipped the spirits. One man in particular. But before the man is introduced into our story, we must first introduce another character. His full name was Athanasius Cerberus, and he was the demon King. For reasons unknown he forced the two sister spirits of Light and Darkness to combine creating the spirit of Zen, or as some called her, the spirit of Balance."
"As time continued slowly, as is its way, the spirits were still greatly respected and loved, and the Zen spirit caught the attention of one man in particular. His name was Chase Young and he was fascinated with the Zen spirit's kind and calm nature, adoring her every second he continued to live on her world. Eventually, adoring her and watching her and praising her was not enough for the love struck man. He wished to contact her. However every message he sent up to her, whether using magic or craft, she never received it. Or at least she did not reply."
"The spirit of Wind had always had a soft spot for the Zen, and when he discovered a mere mortal after her affections, he considered him a threat. This was because the Zen herself was quite fascinated in the mortal man, though perhaps not in a romantic way. Teaming up with the spirit of Water, they both stopped all communications from Chase Young reaching the Spirit of Zen. After many months, the mortal man grew impatient, angry and miserable. Thinking himself not good enough for the Spirit, he travelled the Earth in search of a way for the Zen spirit to notice him."
"He searched long and hard, and was about to give up when he was found by A pair of demons. The first was the demon king, Athanasius Cerberus and the second his queen, Arachne. They told him of wondrous powers they could give him, powers that would make him more powerful than the spirits themselves. Of course there was a terrible price. His soul. Of course, Chase was unwilling to give up something so precious, so the demons made a deal. They would take him far, far away where the spirits resided and if he could win the Zen over without their powers, he could keep his soul. However, if he could not, he would sell his soul to them in exchange for mind blowing, amazing, demonic powers. Foolishly, Chase Young accepted."
"They travelled, away from the Earth and far away, into places no human will ever go. And they entered the residence of the spirits. The King and Queen of demons gave the mortal protection and waited by the gates, not wanting to be seen by the spirits. He entered their realm, heart beating faster. She looked so much more beautiful up close, her thin dragonic body white with dark black stripes, grey eyes glistening in the bright light. He could've spent all eternity looking at her. That was until the wind spirit, covered in dark grey and light blue scales, moved closer towards her, curling his body around hers. Her head nestled in his neck, and Chase Young knew he was too late. Though instead of feeling his broken heart, rage started to consume him, his clenched fists shaking as the other dragons entered the scene, happy for their fellow spirits."
"A blood red dragon was first to notice him, backing away, feeling the aura of hatred and darkness. They all, one by one turned towards him, watching his orange eyes glint with a ferocious anger. The Zen uncurled herself from her lover, shocked. The Mortal man she had been watching, Chase Young was his name. Before she could say anything, Chase stormed off, leaving the spirits in shocked silence. The Zen turned towards the startled Wind spirit who looked surprisingly guilty. So did the Water spirit. As the Zen spirit turned to the mortal who was now making his way back to Earth, a horrible guilt weighed her down. What had she done?"
"Humiliated, certain that the Zen had laughed at his measly attempts to gain her affection, Chase Young sold his soul to the demons willingly, determined to have revenge, and to possess the thing he wanted. They took away his soul and gave him powers beyond his wildest dreams. But like every power, there was a cost. He was no longer fully human. Half demon and half human, his soul gone, he turned into a monster, inside and out. He discovered the only way to keep his human half was by drinking special soup made out of dragons. But he had sold his soul, so he could never be truly human until he got it back."
"He watched the spirits. He watched them everyday, waiting for the moment of his attack. With Athanasius Cerberus whispering evil plots and plans in his ears, with each passing day, Chase Young grew angrier and angrier. He watched the Spirits watch their world with a devotion he had never received. He watched the Spirits look after one another with a kindness he had never received. He watched the Zen and Wind love each other with a passion he would never receive. The Zen, no longer racked with guilt, sometimes gazed wistfully over her Earth, and often Chase Young wondered what or whom she was thinking about. But soon the time came for his attack."
"And then the longest and most perilous war in all history began."
"It waged on and on, both sides quite evenly matched. Chase Young knew he wasn't getting anywhere. So did the spirits. So he changed his battle plan. He retreated to Earth, where the spirits could not wander, and created vicious monsters out of mud, ice, lava, thunder, and dark energy and let them plague the planet, filling it with destruction. This tore the Spirits apart, their wondrous world torn to shreds. They grew weaker. Soon they realised that they too, had to change their battle plan."
"They searched the Earth for five humans, each with old magic flowing in their veins, and incarnated themselves into these humans. They called themselves the Xiaolin Dragons and they fought against Chase Young's monsters with the spirits power, the magic that ran through their veins enhancing it, making them the strongest warriors. However, though the war was quickly diminishing and peace finally returning to some parts of the world, there were several complications. The spirits' emotions started to intertwine with the human's emotions, causing conflict and confusion. The first confusion was with the Wind, the Fire and the Zen. The Wind and Zen still felt for each other, though this was not necessarily the spirits' fault, while the Fire felt for the Wind. Unable to have him, out of jealousy she lied to the Earth, and made him believe she loved him, when she did not. The Earth Xiaolin dragon had felt love for her before so when he discovered it was just an act of spite, he was heartbroken."
"There were other incidents like this in the time that passed. Though, perhaps the direst of conflicts of the spirits' actions and emotions came to pass in the final battle of the war. The Water spirit, though mainly calm, hid emotions stronger and fiercer than a tsunami. And one emotion he had been hiding for many, many, many years, was jealousy. It did not help when the human the spirit resided in, was jealous of the Zen Xiaolin Dragon. In the final battle there were three monsters left. The Wind, Fire and Earth were concentrating on an ice monster and the Water concentrated on a lava monster. The Zen battled alone against the final dark energy monster. This was perhaps not the best idea. Seeing as the monster was made of dark energy it meant that the Zen was fighting against itself. However, only Light energy could defeat these foes, so she had to battle alone. It struck her down. She called for help, the Water having finished off his own monster. He ignored her pleas, turning away from his fellow warrior. As the monster moved in for the final blow, the one that would cease her life, the Wind moved in front of his lover, determined to save her life."
"Death took over his mortal body quickly. The wind spirit was still trapped inside his body, as the magic he used to keep him there, did not allow him to leave. The Zen could not even look at his body, let alone the blood that spilled from his wound. So she fled to the one person she knew could bring back her lover. Chase Young."
"She begged and pleaded and offered him everything: her life, her love, her freedom, anything and everything for her beloved. Surprisingly, all he asked for was a link to her mind."
"No one knows exactly why he asked for this. Perhaps it was the demon king whispering in his ear, plotting things far in the future. Perhaps he took pity on her, as he had once loved her with his now cold, black, demon heart. Perhaps he had deeper a reason to his thinking. No matter what his reason was, she agreed gladly, only too happy to save her love. He assured her that when she returned to her friends, he would be alive and well. She set off quickly, eager to return to the Wind."
"When she returned to the battle scene, she expected her love to be waiting anxiously for her and collect her into his arms the moment he saw her. However he pushed her away, insisting his love for her had only been the spirits' emotions controlling them. The Zen was heartbroken. From that day onward, an uneasy silence was passed between the two of them, the Zen locking herself away in herself, the Wind pretending she didn't exist. Not soon after the war was won, the Zen left in the early hours of the morning without word to the other warriors of her departure or return. They never heard from her again. Eventually, the warriors drifted apart, leaving to walk their own path, each as miserable and lonely as the last. Though they would never admit it, they longed to be together again, regretting every second apart from their fellow warriors and once-friends."
"Eventually the time went on, and the Warriors realised their lives were coming to an end. They agreed to meet on last time. However, the Zen never arrived. When they tried to contact her using the link between the spirits, they were shocked to find her blocking them. It hurt them even more that someone they had once trusted and loved could not even show their face to them anymore."
"Not long after they all agreed on their future. They were too old to protect the Earth from whatever evil may arise, so they founded The Xiaolin Warriors. They combined their powers in their final hour so it would come to pass that every Xiaolin Warrior would have the remnant of one spirit inside of them, and that the spirits would sleep until the Zen dragoness was reawakened, and the spirits could be reunited."
"As the years piled up and turned into decades, then centuries, evil did arise, in the form of the Heylin witches. By this time, even the Xiaolin Warriors had forgotten about the Spirits and the Zen dragoness. She soon slipped from history into legend, into myth until she was just a whisper in the grieving wind…"
"I decided to keep a record of this history, so that in time, when the Zen dragoness does awaken, she will know the legacy that ran before her. The Balance family told me that the history they had recited was actually written by the first Zen dragoness, Kaida Balance, and they had once had a simpler version of the tale in a collection of texts called, 'The Book Of The Balance' written by the first Zen dragoness herself. However it was stolen many years ago. It had contained so much more than history, though it had been so long ago, none of them remembered what. They also showed me two artefacts that the Zen dragoness had given them to look after for the next dragoness. These two artefacts were the Silver Sword and the Kaida's Tear. Though, in time, they had worn themselves away, magic long gone."
"In return for their kindness, I agreed to restore these two artefacts to their original glory, adding in a couple of my own touches as well. They were so grateful, they even let me find a resting place for the Kaida's Tear."
"This past week I've discovered more about the Xiaolin Warriors and their past than I ever could have done alone. I am going to bewitch this scroll so no one will be able to find it until they need it. When I read back, I think of the future, and how I won't be part of this. I t makes me sad that I won't ever meet this great Xiaolin Dragoness. But this is my message to the Zen. I wish you good luck in your battle, for you are going to need it; may the elements be with you."
Master Fung coughed, sipping his water, gently placing the scrolls back on the table. There was silence in the room, the Xiaolin Warriors, silent. Muffled whisperings started to be heard from their guests, but the Xiaolin Warriors were silent. Raimundo's hand gripped Kaida's tighter. Omi was first to speak.
"So there…" Clay then stood up continuing,
"Are spirits…" Kimiko then stood up looking confused,
"Inside of…" Raimundo didn't stand up, but he finished,
"Us?" Master Fung nodded slowly as they returned to their seats.
"Yes. I believe now they are fully awakened, you can converse with them as you think. If you wish to meet them face to face, I believe there is a place in your subconscious you can reach when you dream, where you can meet." Kaida was not listening, her hands feeling cold in Raimundo's grip. The Zen had never told anything of her past and the 'legacy' before her. One question plagued her mind, would the past repeat itself?
"Will the Xiaolin Warriors gain more power now that the Spirits have awakened?" Called out a strong, feminine voice. They all turned to a woman in, what looked to be, her mid-thirties, wearing a plain light blue kimono, green hair pinned up in a bun at the back of her head, with fiery red eyes which looked over to the Warriors. She looked like someone you would definitely not annoy. Master Fung turned his gaze towards her and replied,
"We are not sure. We think it will vary for each warrior, depending on their stamina and strength." The woman nodded, eyes setting on the Zen dragoness, who still wore a face of horrific shock.
"Do you think what happened before will happen again?" A man called out, bringing Kaida back to the present. Grateful she did not have to ask that question herself to turned to the man who had.
He looked rather young, mid twenties at the oldest, and his pale skin stood out sharply against his midnight black hair. His hands were bandaged and the kimono he wore was black with silver patterns on. His eyes were a misty grey, almost black and they looked sad and woeful. A sword was belted under his sash, slid into a battered and worn red leather sheath. It had seen many battles.
"We think there will be war again, but it is not clear if all events that happened before will repeat again." The man barely nodded, starring wistfully into the distance. Kaida looked at him, then back at the woman who had questioned her master earlier and then to everyone else. Who were these people?
"Are we leaving these Warriors, no, children, to fight this war alone?" A wavering voice called out angrily. They all turned to an ageing man, whose eyes twinkled with a determination Kaida would never have believed could be possible from such a frail looking person. Master Fung looked at him with a surprising coldness.
"They are not children anymore. We do not exactly what we are up against; it would be foolish to send someone else to battle whatever Chase Young sends, when he wants to battle the Xiaolin Warriors." The ageing man frowned, brow creasing and eyes sparkling with an angry determination.
"It is foolish to send them when we are unsure what we are fighting against and when it is certain they will be hurt." Master Fung frowned and many of the other guests joined in, until it became a raging dispute, many standing up voicing their opinion loudly. Kaida shrank in her seat, feeling very small, with a large weight of responsibility and guilt placed heavily on her shoulders. Ignoring the warnings of the Zen, Kaida stood up forcefully shouting,
"Stop!" Everyone turned to look at her, silence cutting through the room, ending the dispute. Kaida was stood up, shaking slightly, hands clenched. Her fist still grasped Raimundo's, as his grasped hers, fingers intertwined, and this was exposed to the rest of the room. Raimundo's cheeks flushed slightly, but Kaida apparently was not affected by embarrassment at this moment in time.
"If Chase Young wants me so bad, let him have me! I would much rather spend a life chained to him, with the knowledge the world was safe and my friends alive, than knowing the world destroyed, my friends were killed or hurt in war and in exactly the same position!" Master Fung's eyes filled with concern, sympathy dancing in the gazes of others.
"Kaida, I will not let you sacrifice yourself to Chase Young. No one deserves that fate. Anyway, there is no guarantee that once you joined his side, he would leave the rest of the Xiaolin Warriors alone." Kaida nodded and sat back down slowly, Raimundo tugging gently on her hand. She shivered. This was too much for her to take in, she felt responsible for causing this war, like it was all her fault. Eyes darting around the room, Master Fung continued,
"Is there anymore questions or issues you wish to discuss concerning the spirits?" Giving them hardly any time to answer, Master Fung continued, as if eager to leave the subject behind,
"No? Good. Now onto our second topic; Wuya." Jack shivered violently in his seat, earning a concerned look from Kimiko, who hid behind her fan. His crimson eyes darted around the room, knuckles slowly turning white. He tried not to remember what had happened earlier today; it still greatly disturbed the teenager that the old witch had been crying and protecting him. It seemed most out of character. It made him realise that even after spending roughly three to four years with her, he knew next to nothing about Wuya.
"Jack, would you please tell us exactly what happened?" Jack's thoughts were interrupted as he felt himself stand up. Clearing his throat, his voice strangled and hoarse, trying not to picture Wuya's pain filled face he replied slowly,
"She, she was on the floor, shivering like mad, like she was ill or something. She told me to run, that I had to come here, that I had to leave her. She, she was turning human. She was coughing and wheezing and-" In a very small voice he whispered,
"Bleeding…" Kimiko looked up at him desperately, as he narrowed his eyes and gulped, trying hard not to cry.
"She told me the greatest evil ever was coming, and that he'd kill me if I stayed. She said all he cared for, was his princess. She screamed and her mask turned into that, um, thing with the eye on, the 'Heylin's Tear'. She said I had to take it to the Xiaolin Dragons and to say that, that she was." He took another gulp and forced back his tears.
"She told me to take it to that Xiaolin Dragons and to say that she was sorry." There was silence in the Arena. No one could find a single word to say. Wuya, the greatest Heylin witch, the one who had almost caused ten thousand years of darkness merely three years before hand, wanting to apologise? And give up her most powerful object? It was impossible.
"The object in the question, the 'Heylin's Tear', is an artefact belonging to Wuya as a sort of, battery. By placing magical energy into it, she can keep it stored for later on." With a grave look on his wrinkled face, Master Fung said slowly.
"When Wuya was battling against Grand Master Dashi, she had put half of her power in to the 'Heylin's Tear'. She was only barely defeated." He lifted the small circular object up, so every one could see and demonstrated.
"The triangles in the boarder are a scale of how much power Wuya has put into it." Waving his hand over the object, one by one the triangles began to glow, until all the triangles were glowing with a fierce red light.
"Evidently, Wuya has given us all of her power." There was a shocked silence. The triangles continued to glow, until Master Fung passed his hand over again and the glow diminished. Jack still stood, looking flabbergasted.
"Why would she do that…?" He asked quietly, finally noticing the concerned gaze of the Fire Dragoness beside him, who blushed behind her fan.
"She obviously does not want Chase Young getting any of her power, not even the power she uses to keep alive! Surely if even Wuya fears this man, we must too!" A short woman called out, her bright indigo robes matching her bright indigo irises. Jack frowned as he asked,
"Power to keep her alive? What's that supposed to mean?" Master Fung frowned slightly, explaining,
"Jack every being has power, power from deep inside of them to keep them alive, their heart beating, their lungs breathing and brain working. Some have more power allowing them to perform what you might call 'magic'. Without this power, nothing could live. If Wuya has given us her power, then the only thing keeping her alive is Chase, and that is because he is forcing her spirit to become human. Technically, she is not alive, yet she is not dead." Jack nodded and sat down slowly.
"Will he keep her alive?" The man with raven black hair and pale skin with bandages wrapped around his hands asked. They all turned to him.
"I am not sure…" was Master Fung's only reply, and Kimiko could've sworn she saw Jack's eyes glinting with tears…
The rest of the meeting was in silence for the monks. Trapped in their own thoughts they ate the food that was brought to them silently, and when asked to leave, they left, silent as the grave.
Jack had walked away from the others, Omi running after him, determined to welcome him to their team. But it was more to distract him self than to welcome Jack. He did not want to think about the meeting. It was too much for him. It was too much for all of them.
Clay was about to click away after them, but was stopped by Kimiko, who dragged him away from the other two silent monks.
"Kimiko? What in tarnation are ya doing?" Clay asked as she forced him to sit on a bench, overlooking the sunset. Kimiko looked at him with tears in her eyes, blurting out,
"Sorry! She says she's sorry, she says she's so sorry! She never meant to hurt him!" Tears fell down her face, her mascara smudging as she sniffed, Clay putting his arm around her, squeezing her, answering in a voice one might use for comforting a younger sibling,
"It's all right, he says it's alright." They sat in silence watching the sunset, Kimiko's tears dancing with rainbow colours reflecting from the sun.
Kaida and Raimundo stood awkwardly, side by side and still hand in hand, not wanting to leave the slight warmth and comfort it gave them; avoiding each other's gaze.
"How much of that did you know?" Raimundo asked quietly, remembering how anxious she had been before. Kaida looked at him with woeful eyes, voice filling with panic.
"Only that I had the Zen and you had the other spirits, and I knew Chase was after me, but I swear I didn't know about the past!"
Silence.
"So… what're we going to do?" whispered Kaida, voicing both their thoughts out loud. Raimundo looked at her, a blush reddening on both their cheeks,
'What am I going to do?" He thought to himself, wondering, looking toward the floor sheepishly.
'Anything but hurt her. If you do, I'll make hell for you!' Raimundo scowled inwardly.
'So you're the spirit of the Wind, the one who has been bugging my brain all day! Like I'd hurt her, I don't know her enough and I'm not close enough to hurt her…' there was a growl.
'That's what the Raimundo before you said…' Ejecting himself from his thoughts, Raimundo realised he had been staring at the floor for quite a while now. Smiling he replied,"Well, I for one need some shut eye, you should probably get some too, it's been a long day. As for anything else, we barely know each other, its not like we're suddenly going to be head over heels in love just 'cause some people before us were. Girl, things just don't work like that." Before the Zen Dragoness could reply he walked off quickly before his own words could sink in. Regretfully, blush deepening by the second, he thought to himself,
'Too bad I think they might do, and I think I already am; but I might need a second opinion on that…'
"So that's what he wants?" Kaida whispered.
'I can't believe I was stupid enough to believe he could like me after one day. Stupid, stupid, stupid me!' She started to walk sulkily back to the sleeping quarters, where Master Fung had told her she would be sleeping.
'I can't believe I was stupid enough to even believe I like him! I mean, he's right, I barely know him! It's not like we're suddenly head over heels in love. Definitely not. Nope. No head over heels, I'll keep my feet firmly on the ground thank you very much.' A small pout placing itself on her lips she couldn't believe what a mess she was. One day of having friends and she had already messed it up.
'But I was so sure, in the bathrooms, when he looked at me, I'm sure it was…'
'Love?' The Zen finished off her sentence for her. Growling quietly to herself she hissed,
'No! Anyway, I'm mad at you! You never told me any of that! Why!' Kaida felt the Zen shrug as she replied simply,
'Would you have believed me?' Kaida felt her anger slip away as she whispered,
'No, I suppose not…' Slipping the golden butterfly out of her hair, the cherry blossoms falling with it, Kaida sighed, not noticing the black silhouette of a crow, perched above her, watching her.
"So they are living in their Denial? That will soon change. Won't it Chase?" A demonic voice whispered above the crackling of flames, a black silhouette standing in front of the fire. A crow squawked loudly, edging away from the figure from its perch; Chase Young opening his eyes from meditation as he watched the silhouette with orange eyes, whispering in a strong and sinister voice,
"I think it's time to pay my princess a little visit, wouldn't you Athanasius?" There was a pearly white grin, showing off fangs on the silhouette.
"You took the words right out of my mouth…"