...Real life hits you so hard, you have no explanation as to why for a mega-late update. No rhyming intended. Either way, here is chapter one. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: Do not own Xiaolin Showdown. Just the character(s) you don't recognize.

Xiaolin Showdown

Xiaolin Showdown: Reborn

Ch. 2-The Dragon of Lightning Returns Home

On a clear sunny day at the Xiaolin Temple, located in a rolling valley near the Sho Quin mountain range, the four current Dragons: Omi, the Dragon of the Water, Raimundo Pedrosa, the Dragon of the Wind and the Shoku Warrior, Clay Bailey, the Dragon of the Earth, and Kimiko Tohomiko, the Dragon of Fire, were in their daily scheduled training session while Master Fung, their guardian and teacher, was watching them and pointing out useful improvements for the young monks to work on when he sensed someone approaching the open gate that faced the training court. Turning, he saw a young woman of about nineteen years come up the steps and enter wearing a long billowing sleeved green turtleneck shirt despite the warm weather, a pleated green short skirt, mid-calf black high-heeled boots, and a green headband in her massive mane of green-tinged black hair. She was carrying a small bag that looked like it had hardly anything in its enclosed space. As she came forward, the warriors noitced the older monk not watching their session progress and saw the newcomer approach, stopped what they were doing and let the young woman woman stand before them, a looke of hopeful reassurance and acceptance on her face.

A few minutes of awkward silence past until the monks' guardian clared his throat and asked, "Can we help you with something?"

"I sure hope that you can," the green-claded girl answered with a smile."After being away for so long, I'm guessing that things are being run a little different around here."

Everyone getting confused by what she said, it took Dojo Kanojo Cho, the temple dragon and the Guardian of the Shen Gong Wu Scroll, who was slithering out to the group and said, "Hey, what happened to the noise out here? Is Spicer back again?"

As soon as his eyes casted a glance at the newcomer he let out a gasp of surprise and shock then quickly launched himself right into her arms, crying happily, "Oh, Mauri! You're back! Oh hohohohoho, you have no idea how bad I missed you!"

"You mean you missed my cooking, didn't you?," the young woman implied taking the dragon in her hands and raising him to eye-level.

"Well, there was that," the little green reptile replied sheepishly knowing that he was caught.

"Uh huh. Then I guess that I'll just have to make a big batch of my sweet pot stickers with candied ginger on top, just the way you like it after I get settled in," the dragon's old friend suggested coily.

Practically drooling at the sound of his favorite treat, Dojo shook with delight and agreed, "Alright! You've got a deal!"

About that time, all five monks were just befuddled of their rockers at the sight before them. Not being able to take it anymore, Raimundo was the first to ask, "Okay, before I lose my sanity, what the heck is going on here?"

Looking at the young Brazilian, the green snake-lengthed reptile answered, "Sorry about that. Everyone, this is Maurisaka Otakin who used to be a Dragon here over 1,500 years ago."

"If she was a Dragon here that long ago, how does she still look like this,?" Omi asked, very confused by what was said.

"Well, I guess my torment has quickly come to light quicker than I wanted it to," the visitor sighed in remorse. "You see, 1,500 years ago as Chase Young was cursed while drinking the Lao Ming Long Soup I too was cursed with an eternal life and immortality, one of the unkown nasty side effects of the concoction."

And once again everyone was bewildered by what she had said except for the ten-foot dragon who knew exactly what his old friend was saying. Seeing that her fellow warriors weren't understanding what she was trying to explain, she said, "Come with me. I do believe that there is a scroll in the library that will better inform you of what I mean."

Leading the monks from the training grounds inside to a large room of scrolls, the same room that the scroll that the dragon guarded layed closed on a podium in front of the room's only window Maurisaka began rifiling through the shelves, looking for a certain roll of old parchment and after a few minutes of searching finally found it hiding behind a stack in the farthest corner of the room.

"I guess I should have started here first," she said to herself as the young woman dusted the object off.

Unrolling it then turning it around for the others to see, the Dragon of old let the young heroes read along as she told them of her terrible tale, "Over 1,500 years ago, I along with Dashi, Guan, and Chase were Xiaolin warriors training to become Dragons. During that time the friendship between Chase and I sort of...grew into something more than us just being friends, you could say. The others were content about it and of course Dojo got the chance to poke a little fun at us from time to time. Everything was going so well, that is, until a certain Hannibal Roy Bean decided to stick his grotesque bald head into the works. With Chase's confidence being so rocky and unstable at the time, I was surprised how well he hid it from all of us, that disgusting legume was able to manipulate him into drinking that aweful mixture, never knowing that the one thing that you should never be when you taste the Soup is in love. Remember when I said that there was a nasty side effect of that stuff? It's that it will turn your lover evil as well. And you can probably guess by now that I got the short end of that stick. The pain that I experienced for so long was so unbearable I had no choice but to leave the Temple so that I couldn't hurt anyone. For years it was nothing but a worldwide trek as time tolled on and things changed yet I remained the same, never to grow old and having to control my ever growing evil. But I soon found myself in the home of an old shaman who helped me block my darker nature and once it was sealed deep within I made my way back here and now I'm ready to rejoin the Xiaolin side and fight the forces of the Heylin until they are wiped out for good."

When she was finished Mauri rolled the parchment back up then looked at the group with an expression that was filled with nothing but hope that they would accept her back after everything that she had told them. It was luck that Master Fung said to her, "Your trials have been hard, and your journey rough. But know that you are home again and among your fellow Dragons."

Her face lighting up with joy the warrior of old replied, "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much. And know that you don't have to worry about my evil side from escaping. It's locked for good."

With nods from everyone, the Dragon of the Water told his new teammate happily, "This is so exciting! I just want to say that you here means that evil won't be sticking their fingers in our busy-ness ever again!"

"That's sticking their nose in our business," Raimundo corrected for about the millionth time in his opinion.

"That too," Omi agreed in his usual manner.

Giggling a bit, the newest member asked, "Hey, can you guys go set up the kitchen for me? I've got a feeling that I'm going to be making a double batch of my sweet pot stickers for everyone and not just Dojo."

Nodding excitedly in reply, the four younger warriors and the ten-foot dragon rushed off to the dining hall with the master following casually behind. When she was alone it gave Maurisaka the chance to smirk and say to herself, "Then I guess when the time is right that you need to worry about my evil side since my good side is the one locked away for good."

She then put the scroll away in a secret compartment in the room where it could never be found again then rejoined the others and got started cooking, continuing her ploy as directed.

Oh, boy, things just got interesting. Not sure when I'll have the third chapter up but I promise it won't take as long as this one to put up.