The Balance in Love, Lies and War
A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own Xiaolin Showdown or any of it's characters or plots. I only own the plot line of this Fan Fic and my own characters and objects.
Reviews: Adorabella: I suppose I could say he isn't going to be evil. But I'd be lying, and telling the truth. Wait and see! –giggles-
Other: I am officially The Earth Spirit's first Fan girl. I love him so much! The way he talks and acts, his design; I love it all! It must seem so shallow to love your own characters, but I love him so much!
Anyway, This week has been busy. It's gone so quickly. I haven't been able to get on fanfiction in the past few days and the email's been messing up. It sucks. Anyway, thanks once again UXD for the email! I never would've known otherwise! (Not that you read this or anything, but just in case you do –sweat drop-)
Golly Gosh! This chapter is very important. Very important indeed. Keep a look out for Daisuke, he is very important, but not for a very long time. And if you read very, very, very carefully, you learn Kaida's greatest weakness and something very important about her father. He plays a very important part in something very important, trust me. Anyway, thanks for reading this and enjoy! And review! And enjoy some more!
Chapter 7:
'Starting with a Punch'
"What was it you wanted to speak with me about Clay?" Master Fung asked quietly, patting a cushion beside him. He had had to move into one of the spare rooms, as his own was currently in disrepair and still reeked of incense and burnt fabric and wood. Clay looked a mixture of nervousness and embarrassment as he sat down slowly, twiddling his fingers.
"Well, y'see Master, you told us 'bout that place in our minds where you can meet the spirits? Well last night I tried to get there, but y'see, I have a little problem." Master Fung nodded slowly, Clay leaning in slightly, red covering his freckled cheeks.
"I'm a real deep sleeper, I don't even have dreams, or nightmares anymore, unless it's the Shadow o' Fear, an if I do have dreams, I don't remember any o' them." Master Fung nodded, drawing a small bottle of incense from his sleeve. Pouring the sweet smelling liquid into an incense burner, he lit it with a match that appeared from no where.
"Young Warrior, this perfume shall help you access your mind in meditation, no matter how deep you are a sleeper." Clay smiled, reassembling himself into a meditating position, saying,
"Thank you Master Fung." The old monk nodded, before leaving the room, Clay's eyes drooping slowly…
"How the Hell have you heard of me! Was it in the chartrooms? I swear they lie! Please don't say, you got 'Jacked'!" Jack pleaded, kneeling in front of Kaida, who looked rather surprised. Leaning further back into the tree, back pressing against the bark uncomfortably, Kaida answered nervously,
"You're the guy who let Wuya out, anyone who knows anything about the Xiaolin Warriors knows that." Jack blushed furiously, moving away from Kaida, leaning back against the thick tree trunk.
"I feel so stupid for doing that, letting that hag out." Kaida looked at him with a slight smile on her face, recalling what had happened only yesterday.
"If you hated the 'hag', why were you so upset that Chase Young took her?" Jack hesitated, opening and closing his mouth for a moment. Why had he been so upset? Shrugging, he answered simply,
"I guess when you hang with someone a long time, you get attached. It just seems weird that she's not shouting at me for something or other…" his voice trailed off, and Kaida knew now was the time to stop talking about this. She simply nodded and they sat in silence for a minute or two, before Jack continued.
"She really was a hag. It didn't matter who she used, as long as she got Shen Gong Wu. She even used Raimundo at one point. Did anyone tell you that?" Kaida thought for a moment and nodded slowly.
"Kimiko mentioned something about him going Heylin, but nothing else." Jack nodded as well, smiling to himself. It had been the first time he had ever worked with the Xiaolin monks, and where he had made his pledge to take them out for ice cream, his treat. They had gone out for ice cream five times now, and once they had gone Christmas shopping. It had been fun, but strange. Kaida saw his little smile and knew exactly whom he was thinking about as his eyes wandered over to Kimiko who was chatting quietly to Omi. Innocently, she asked,
"So did Wuya shout at you for liking Kimiko?" Jack laughed, clapping his hand on Kaida's shoulder.
"She would've killed me if she ever found out, ripped me limb from limb! Even though she has no hands! She never found out though, but I think she was getting suspicious when…" His voice trailed off, face paling, Kaida giggling beside him. Blushing furiously he looked away from the giggling girl.
"Uh, please don't tell anybody I said that, ever." Kaida giggled again, hugging him gently, ruffling his already messy red hair.
"Promise, you have my word. I just think it's cute!" She let go of him, his once pale cheeks bright red.
"Who's cute? I told you girl, you can't go around telling Jack I'm cute, I've already got enough fan girls." Both of the sitting teens turned to Raimundo, who winked at the giggling girl, cocky grin plastered onto his face. Jack huffed furiously, muttering,
"I am not a fan girl!" They all laughed; Raimundo sitting beside Kaida, Kimiko wandering over to them, remote in hand, as Omi headed into the obstacle course. Smiling at them all, Kimiko sat in front of them all, taking a quick look at the metallic controller before saying,
"Raimundo, twelve minutes and thirteen seconds, not bad. But you cheated on section two and five." Raimundo shrugged and smiled, putting his arm around Kaida.
"Cheating was better than the alternative." He indicated to a large rip in his monk robes. Kaida giggled and Jack and Kimiko frowned. Of course they had no idea what was down in the murky depths of the obstacle course. Kimiko was soon to find out, but for now, she had no idea what the other two were talking about.
"So why did you cheat on section four? That one was easy-peasy compared to the others." Raimundo asked. Kaida gulped and felt her bones chill at the thought of that horrible black lake. Her fear of it felt silly now she was in the bright light, sitting with her friends. But it had seemed so real down in the deep depths…
"I freaked." She replied quietly. Her tone of voice indicated that the subject was closed. Kimiko bit her lip, and edged away, making quiet conversation with Jack. Raimundo looked bemused for a second, before concern filtered through, tightening his grip on Kaida's shoulders, asking softly,
"Are you alright Kaida?" The English teenager turned away, looking down at the grass, breathing out a heavy sigh. The events of the day were already taking hold; she felt tiredness make her eyelids droop and the dull ache of pain that was only slightly more painful than usual. It was only around noon, at the latest, yet she already felt like falling to the floor, collapsing. She shrugged slowly, replying quietly,
"I don't know, still freaked, I guess." Raimundo smiled, resting his head against hers, taking her hand in his.
"Don't worry, you're out the course and Chase isn't here. Everything's going to be ok." He hesitated before leaning that little bit closer, lips almost touching her black hair, about to whisper something in her ear.
"I have finished! Kimiko, I demand to know my time!" Declared Omi, triumphantly walking over to the other monks, all of them turning to him, controller beeping quietly. His left sleeve had been ripped off, and the knees of his trousers were torn. There were a couple of other scratches here and there, but he grinned proudly. Kimiko smiled and looked down at the controller, stating excitedly,
"Ten minutes and thirty seven seconds, you're the quickest so far! And you only cheated on section two, good work little man!" Omi grinned, grabbing the controller from his friends, pushing her in the direction of the cavern's entrance.
"I expected nothing but the best from the best, now run along Kimiko!" His eyes were alight with joy as he looked at the shiny metal controller, muttering quietly,
"So many buttons…" Kimiko scowled and snatched it away from Omi, handing it to Jack, ignoring Omi's protests.
"Sorry Omi, but I just can't trust you anymore with electronics, remember what happened with 'Goo Zombies 10'?" Ignoring the small monk's pouts, Jack started pressing buttons, smiling at Kimiko giving her the thumbs up. Kimiko giggled, jogging off to the cavern entrance, waving, before disappearing. They were all silent for a moment, before Omi sighed, falling to the grass with a soft thump.
"I am most tired now." Raimundo smiled, laughing softly, Jack poking Omi in the sides. Kaida half heatedly smiled, leaning against Raimundo, feeling slightly light headed.
"So what happened down there? Kimiko isn't here so you guys can spill now." Jack asked, still poking Omi in the side, who groaned loudly. Kaida shifted uncomfortably in Raimundo's strong grip, trying to move away from the conversation, blocking her ears.
"Imagine this. There's no light, and you're walking down stairs, unable to see a thing. Then there's a swoosh, something large is cutting through the air in front. You have to get past that without being sliced. It's still pitch black. You carry on walking, no idea where you're going. Suddenly you're not on the ground anymore but tubes of bendy wood-"
"Bamboo" Kaida said coldly, trying not to listen but finding herself doing so anyway. She shivered again.
"You're on tubes of bamboo that are shaking around like mad. You jump onto another tube and then suddenly swords sharper than, uh, sharp things, come hissing out the ground all around you. You jump away loosing your balance, falling to the ground. You start running, spying a light in the distance, a candle. You reach it only to be surrounded by flames, fire everywhere. Your only chance is jumping through a door that doesn't stay in the same place for more than two seconds. You take your chances and jump, knowing if you miss, you burn. You're sent crashing through a door into an icy cold room-"
"Wait, this is section four isn't it?" Jack asked interrupting. Kaida looked at him nodding slowly. Raimundo huffed impatiently and hit the red haired teen around the head gently and continued,
"As I was saying. You're in an icy cold room, lit by a pale blue light. You're standing on a ledge over a lake of blackness, the only way across thin vines dangling from the ceiling. You're swinging across the lake using the vines, you know they could snap at any minute, leaving you to fall into the murky depths. You speed up, seeing a faint light in the distance. Now you're in a well, beams of wood criss-crossing high above you, a maze of beams. You clamber up, only to be blasted by wind. You have to evade huge gusts of wind until the floor opens, sending an enormous wave of air. You have to get out before it hits you. Then you're out, and its over." Raimundo smiled smugly, finishing his dramatic retelling of the obstacle course. Omi groaned again, not wanting to be reminded of that dark abysmal place, Kaida shivering slightly. Jack looked at them wide-eyed.
"I am so glad I'm weak and pathetic…" There was a laugh as the controller started to beep quietly.
"You really shouldn't be proud of that Jack, it makes you even more of a wuss!" Jack blushed as Kimiko walked over, Omi sitting up quickly, The fiery haired teen stammering,
"E-eleven minutes fifty eight, g-good time…" Kimiko smiled and bent down facing him, replying in a put on baby voice,
"Aww, is widdle baby Jack upset 'cause that mean old Kimiko insulted him?" Jack scowled, thrusting the remote into Omi's hands, who almost giggled in delight, standing up fully, towering over Kimiko, being a good few inches taller than her.
"I am no baby, I'll show you, I'm a real man!" Kimiko giggled, replying flirtatiously, shocking Raimundo and humouring Kaida, Omi oblivious to it all.
"And just how are you going to do that?" Jack smirked and was about to reply when a stern voice cut in,
"I suggest, if you have all participated in the obstacle course, you head over to the Dining Hall for lunch." They all turned to see Master Fung walking towards them; Dojo wrapped around his shoulders and a cold look in his eyes. Kimiko blushed furiously; Jack blushing harder, the other three stifling sniggers and giggles.
They all stalked off in small packs, Kimiko storming off with a hurried 'Yes Master Fung', Kaida running after her giving their Master a quick bow. Jack hurried off, nodding his head towards Master Fung, blushing furiously, scowling at the little yellow monk who kept asking how he was going to prove he was a man to Kimiko. Raimundo walked silently beside Master Fung, Dojo wrapped around the old man's shoulders inspecting his nails and muttering something about doughnuts under his breath.
"Where's Clay?" Raimundo asked quietly. Master Fung cleared his throat before replying,
"Busy, I doubt you will see him for the remainder of the day." Raimundo nodded silently, wondering why his friend was so 'busy'. Patting his shoulder gently, Master Fung smiled down at him, as they both neared the entrance to the Dining Hall.
"Seeing as you cannot go on to the next level of the obstacle course without Clay, maybe you should take a few hours off, help Kaida settle in to the temple, anything. I shall find you when Clay returns so you can continue you training, and do not forget you chores!" Raimundo grinned and rushed off to find and then tell his friends of the good news; it was not often they got days off and Raimundo intended to have the most fun he could manage.
Pushing against the marble door, Clay shielded his eyes against the bright white. Closing the door behind him, he stepped into the hazy white cloud, pushing through the mist. Then he saw green. Green grass, cut neatly. Green dragon reaching up towards a large Oak tree. Green leaves on a giant Oak tree, acorns nestling between them. Clay backtracked a second. Dragon?
"I'm guessin' you're the Spirit o' Earth?" The dragon turned to him, chewing leaves slowly, eyes alit with joy.
"That is I." The dragon spoke without opening its mouth, still chewing. His voice sounded earthy, like clay, yet with a slight click of rock against rock. His scales were bright green, a large stripe of brown running down its spine. Large bronze horns curled up from the back of his head, two slightly smaller ones curling up underneath. Five bronze plates jutted out of his spine from the back of his neck, linked together with a leathery brown skin. A crest had been formed over his mouth, yellow plates covering his snout, reaching upwards towards cheekbones. His under belly was covered in yellow plates that matched the one on his snout, starting from under his chin and ending at the tip of his tail. He had a bulky body, full of muscle, strong legs and a large neck. Its tail was thick, ending with a club on the end, which was a bronze colour similar to the dragon's horns and claws. His eyes were a muddy green, mixed in with green grass with flecks of clay colours and forest greens.
"You be Clay, I been waiting long time for you." The dragon spoke slowly, but his words were filled with emotion. In this case, joy. Clay smiled and tipped his hat. Looking at the Dragon, he could feel its power radiate, raw strength pulsing from it. The dragon itself looked strong, muscular, and sturdy like a rock.
"You think I strong? Looks be deceiving. You learn this. Enemies and friends always be something they not seem to be. Inside I weak." Clay looked surprised, he had known what he had been thinking, was he reading his thoughts?
"Your mind screaming it at me. Sorry. Was not meaning to listen." Clay smiled and shook his head.
"No worries, lil', uh, big partner." They both smiled silently, Clay gazing at the old Oak tree, the Earth spirit looking intently at Clay.
"Chase Young not easy man to defeat. He strong like rock, slippery like water. He has many sides. Many secrets. Today was introduction. Warning. Beginning. War start very soon." Clay nodded, sitting on the grass, moving nearer the dragon, which also sat down.
"War very dangerous. Monsters hard to defeat. But more to war than fighting. Friends turn to enemies quickly. Keep them close. Do not get used." His voice had a mixture of sadness, concern and anger, the last sentence especially. Clay nodded slowly before asking,
"Use me? Why would they use me?" The dragon turned its head, resting it on its own hands, lying down slowly. Clay inched closer.
"Times like these bring out worst in humans. Bad things happen. People say things, do things don't mean. Hurt people not want to hurt. Use you." Clay's heart sank. Was he referring to the time the Fire used him to make the Wind jealous? The Earth looked at him with doleful eyes full of hurt.
"New friend Kaida, she hurt bad. Zen good girl, be nice. They deserve it. Bad times. Friends need rock to lean on. You that rock. Lots of pressure, yes, but friends need you." He nodded his large head slowly, still looking mournful and unhappy. Clay could tell from the emotions in his voice. Getting up, he walked over to the dragon, sitting beside him, patting his head softly.
"How 'bout I be your rock too?" Clay asked kindly. The dragon did not answer; nuzzling his large head into Clay's side, careful to avoid spiking him with his sharp horns. They sat in silence, watching the acorns fall from the oak tree, an imaginary wind that wasn't really there, blowing the leaves and grass blades gently, everything in gentle harmony. They both smiled a dreamy smile, content; for now.
"There is no way you can say you don't!" Kaida laughed, clicking her chopsticks together and dropping the piece of chicken he had been holding with them. Kimiko blushed, chewing her food silently. They were sat in a rather secluded corner on a small table, away from the hustle and bustle of the warm room. Lunch was the only time of day where all the monks, pupils, warriors and teachers ate together, having breakfast and dinner with their respective groups.
Two years ago, Master Fung had introduced a scheme where the temple became a sort of school. It started out with ambitious boys wanting to be the best but it had expanded. Not that anyone complained; the fees paid towards the temple had bought a newHospital Wingand lots of other little extras. Now there were, between, one hundred and two hundred people, all of different ages, cultures, religions and backgrounds; ranging from thirteen year old boys training to be the best at martial arts sent by their rich families, to older adults, needing a break from reality.
Kimiko sighed looking around the room, which contained roughly one hundred people currently, and looked at her grinning friend.
"Fine. I admit it. I have a crush on Jack Spicer. Happy now?" Kaida giggled childishly nodding her head frantically, stuffing a chicken piece, covered in a red sauce and rice, into her mouth. Kimiko grinned slyly.
"Now it's your turn. Admit it." Kaida almost choked on the chicken.
"Uh, admit what?" This time it was Kimiko's turn to laugh.
"You like Raimundo, I mean you've been holding hands practically non-stop ever since you got here!" Now it was Kaida's turn to blush.
"I d-don't know what you're talking about…" She looked away from her friend, who was currently giving her that 'you so know what I'm on about' look, and secretly knew exactly what she was on about. Except it really wasn't much of a secret.
"Fine. I have a, crush, on Raimundo…" Kaida's voice trailed off, pushing her bowl away from her, not hungry anymore. Kimiko looked at her with concern and then suspicion; there was something Kaida was hiding.
"Hi Kimiko! Who's your friend?" A young boy with messy black hair and pale skin asked his voice full of joy. His pale grey eyes passed over Kaida with curiosity, before returning to Kimiko, who smiled at him.
"This is Kaida, a new Warrior and an old friend of mine." Kaida waved, smiling brightly. The boy almost squealed, grabbing her hand and shaking it frantically replying,
"Oh wow! Golly gosh! Another element, that's amazing! My father mentioned something about it when we were talking last night, but wow! It's an honour! I'm Daisuke Shichiro Akashki, it's a pleasure to meet you Miss Kaida!" Kaida smiled again about to say something when Kimiko blurted out,
"Your father was here? He actually talked to you?" Daisuke nodded frantically, letting go off Kaida's hand, replying excitedly,
"Yes isn't it amazing! It was so good to see him again! His hands haven't healed though and I still don't know why he went away or anything, but I got to see him! He went away this morning but he promised to be back next week! I think I'm making progress!" Kimiko nodded smiling as brightly as Daisuke.
"That's really good Daisuke! Listen, we've got something to discuss here, we'll meet up with you in a bit alright?" Daisuke nodded again, messy hair waving about, replying brightly,
"Alright, I can see Daichi and Adrastos over there anyway, see you later!" He walked away waving to two boys in the distance, all three wearing the same white robes with black sashes. Kaida looked over to Kimiko with a smile on her face.
"Friend of yours?" Kimiko laughed and nodded.
"He's a little in your face, but he's awesome. I have no idea how he stays so happy though…" Her voice trailed off, as the two girls looked over to Daisuke, who laughed loudly with two other boys; who were presumably Daichi and Adrastos.
"Why wouldn't he be happy?" Kaida asked quietly, not entirely sure she wanted to answer. Daichi reminded her of someone, but Kaida couldn't quite place her finger on it.
"His mother died a couple of years ago and then his father disappeared. They were really young as well. Daisuke was sent here and his dad came back here recently, but it hasn't been the same between them. Daisuke doesn't know anything about what happened, why his mum died or why his dad disappeared or anything. And he managed to stay smiling through it all." There was silence between them as they both watched the boys.
Kaida knew who the boy reminded her of now. In the Meeting of Truth last night there was a man who looked like him, one who had asked if what had happened before would happen again. His hands had been bandaged and he had looked exactly like an older version of Daisuke. Except his eyes. Daisuke's were full of life. The other man's were dull; dead.
'Who is this Akashki man? Where did he go and why are his hands bandaged?' Kaida's mind was a flurry of questions as the Zen cut in saying icily,
'You would do well to remember Akashki, any and all of them.'
'Why?' Kaida questioned. There was no answer.
"C'mon Kaida, I can see Raimundo over there, lets go see why he looks so happy." Kimiko said, taking Kaida's hand and pulling her up. Kaida nodded, allowing herself to be dragged off, looking back at Daisuke, thinking darkly,
'I will find out why you abandoned your son Akashki. No body deserves to loose a father. No body.'
"Well this is boring." Kimiko said testily fanning herself with her hand. Jack handed her a drink, the black trench coat lying at his feet, replying,
"You could always go play soccer with Raimundo and Omi." Kimiko lifted up her sunglasses, taking the drink slowly, looking up at the boy with raised eyebrows.
"I'd rather stay here thanks." She sipped her drink sighing, laying back in the grass, sun bathing. Jack smiled at her before watching Raimundo kick the ball away from Omi once again.
"You're too slow! And Raimundo heads for the goal again; the goalkeeper's vanished! He shoots, and he scores! And Raimundo is the best once again! And he's also free on Friday nights!" He winked at Kaida taking a bow, his shirt disposed on the grass, sweat trailing down his chest. Kaida laughed at him, dangling upside from a nearby tree, waving at Kimiko who had looked up and waved back.
"Do not count you birds before they lay, I can still win!" Omi yelled, kicking the ball fiercely into Raimundo's goal, grinning wildly.
"That's 'don't count your eggs 'til they hatch' lil' partner, thought we taught you that one already?" Clay called out, approaching the other Warriors, all of whom looked up at him.
"Clay! You have returned, we missed you!" Omi shouted gleefully, racing up to the cowboy, clinging on to his leg desperately.
"But you got us out of training! You're awesome! But now we have to go do that obstacle course…" Raimundo said as they all groaned. Clay chuckled, prizing Omi away from his leg.
"It can't be that hard now can it, bet you all found it easy!" Kimiko laughed, about to reply when her face froze in shock, shrieking,
"Kaida, behind you!" Kaida jumped out of the tree, rolling on the floor, looking up with wide eyes. The tree was being pulled out of the ground, mud and soil falling to the ground, only to be thrown far into the distance, leaving a gaping hole where it had been, parts of the grass torn out where the roots had been.
A huge monster, creature, thing, was stood behind where the tree had been moments before, an evil grin on its muddy face. Its huge muscular arms swung at its sides, legs small and belly large, seemingly made up of oozing mud, coating thick hard stone. Its head was small compared to its body and its grin was huge, mouth spanning from ear to ear. Strands of what could be called hair dangled from the back of its head, stringy strands dangling into its carved out glowing green eyes. It opened its huge fist, smiling wildly, tusks, fangs, glinting maliciously. A piece of paper floated down to Kaida, who caught it has she sat up.
"To my Princess," It read,
"This, I am afraid, is your last chance. I believe you made the wrong decision this morning, as my actions stunned you into making a bad choice. This will not happen again. The creature, which I have sent to give this to you, has been given simple instructions. If you agree to take your rightful place at my side it will leave here quietly and peacefully with you, none of your little friends being hurt. However if you disagree, the creature will be forced to take you by force, destroying anything or anyone who gets in its way. By that I mean you new home and new friends. Choose wisely my princess; otherwise, the war begins now.
Waiting for you expectantly, as always,
Sincerely yours,
Chase Young." Kaida laughed. She laughed and laughed. It was a hollow, spiteful laugh, mocking the letter. Glaring up at the monster, she promptly tore the letter in two, standing up slowly. Holding up her fists, standing in a fighting stance, digging her feet into the ground, she grinned wildly, voice hissing and sinister, shouting,
"Bring it, you oversized mud clot!" The creature growled menacingly at her, bringing back its fist, punching Kaida in the stomach, the sound of bones cracking loud and clear. Standing strong, winded, feet deeper and further back into the ground, Kaida coughed, wondering for the thousandth time that day, if she had made the right choice. But as the creature drew its fist back again, all the warriors readying for battle, Kaida knew it was too late. The second greatest war between the Xiaolin Warriors and Chase Young had begun with a torn up letter and a punch.