A/N: I'm back folks. I got a good surprise for having reviews within a week it made me so happy! So I updated earlier than intended but it's all good. I wanna shout out to the reviewers who made this update as early as possible:

Of course to start off: VanillaStratos: Only the best for my favorite reader x3

Guest (Anon): Hahaha I don't like story being told in one point of view. Plus I love Jack. He's so adorable xD

Guest (Anon)2: Hahaha I was actually going for that. Thanks and I hope you'll like this!

Scarlet-Karma: Oooh thank you thank you Hope you'll stick around to find out!

AssassinDevil: Yeah, I want to build the relationship between them instead of starting with them already in one. I mean, where's the tension? The drama?

Guest (Anon)3: Done and done! :)

Thanks again everyone! So without any more delays; here's chapter number 2! Oh and another thing, if you guys have no accounts and reviewed as guests, can you guys put your pen name or nickname that I can properly address to because I can't really say Anonymous 1, anonymous 2 so on and so forth so ... you know?

Disclaimer: I don't own the show nor the characters. Except my OCs of course.

Counterbalance

Chapter II

The morning came sooner than they would have liked. Before sleeping, they all pulled their mats together so they could sleep side by side. Kimiko was the one who got the least sleep. Her mind had flitted from one thought to another, each a different matter from the other. Master Huojin and the nature of her training, the Heylin forces, the Shen Gong Wu and her friends; these were the ones that concerned her the most.

Sunlight peeked from their windows before they realized that they were already late. It was mandatory for them to rise before the sun and not before long; they scrambled to make their beds and raced to get to the bathroom first.

The smell of their meal made their stomach growl; especially Clay's which made them all laugh while Omi giggled at how his tummy was growling akin to a lion's. They were greeted by a toque-wearing Dojo who just flipped the last pancake to the stack. The buttery scent of the piled pancakes made them jump to their spot with their mouths watering.

"What happened to the porridge Dojo?" Kimiko asked as she took two and quickly sliced them. Dojo just shrugged as he took off his 'Kiss the Cook' apron which earned some snickers from Clay and Raimundo.

"I wanna make sure my little babies can eat some delicious pancakes before they fly off with their teachers" he explained as he jumped on the counter.

"Thanks Dojo" Raimundo managed to say before he stuffed a large piece in his mouth. Omi tucked into his own stack, chewing slowly compared to Clay and Raimundo. His thoughts were occupied with the scrolls that were given to them. They might not have said anything, but he was sure they tried to take a peek at it at least once. Maybe except Clay.

Raimundo couldn't resist even if he was now the leader and he knew Kimiko tried as well because he heard her mumble furiously by herself near the bathroom and quickly hid something when he approached her.

After breakfast, they did their morning routine which included lapse, tai chi and, of course, combat practice.

Raimundo didn't bother to hide his smirk as Omi fell on his butt. Omi glared at the Shoku warrior before he jumped back to his feet and demanded a rematch. Omi's attacks were quickly rebuffed with a series of blocks and he couldn't keep up with his acrobatic and dance-like moves which he once called "capoeira", something that he picked up on in his home country which was Brazil. His lifestyle from having a family in the circus business harnessed his reflexes and athletic capabilities.

With a huff, Omi wiped the side of his face with the back of his hand. He took a fighting stance and frowned harder as Raimundo feigned a bored look and even yawned before yelled out a battle cry and lunged right at him.

The Shoku warrior hid a grin as he hooked his left leg and swept Omi to the side. Omi did a handspring to catch himself and tackled his oppenent with his hand speared forward. Raimundo caught his wrist and threw him up before he jumped as well and aimed a him punch to his chest. Omi blocked his fist with his arms and placed a kick with the back of his foot.

With a wince, Raimundo picked himself from the ground and wiped the dust from his robe. He made to kick Omi on the side but the monk jumped back and retaliated with a punch on his leg. It didn't hurt much but it lessened his speed now that a numbing sensation scattered to his entire leg.

"That's pretty intense for a training exercise" Kimiko noted to Clay as they watched from the sidelines. Clay nodded as he crossed his arms, "Yep. Those two are like dogs fighting for a bone. They won't back down no matter what." The sound of a punch connecting to the flesh none too gently made him wince together with Raimundo who nursed his stomach for a second before he sent a kick to Omi.

Kimiko frowned in disapproval as their attacks grew more and more serious. "So," Clay's voice made her tear her gaze away from the duo to settle with the teen beside her,

"When are you gonna tell 'im?"

She blinked in confusion before answering him back with a question, "Tell what to whom Clay?"

With the corner of his mouth curving up ever so slightly, he chuckled, the action made the girl even more irate, "What?!"

"C'mom Kim. I ain't blind."

A frustrated sigh escaped her and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Clay, seriously. I'm not in a joking mood right now."

Clay's smile fell and touched his chin thoughtfully, "Hmm, I guess you really are serious. Well I'll give you a hint. It involves a certain Shoku waririor about Rai's height. Same eyes, nose, ears, that spiky hair and that smart-aleck attitude that gets him into all sorts 'a trouble."

"And how is Rai connected to all this?" she asked, intentionally ignoring his quip.

Clay looked at her like she had two heads growing on her neck before he slumped his shoulders and placed his hat between her ear and his face as he swooped down to whisper to her ear.

"Y'know, you takin' a shine to 'im for a while now?" he whispered. As soon as the words reached her ears, she quickly slapped a hand over his mouth and made a shush-ing gesture.

Even with her hand covering his mouth, she could swear he wore a Cheshire Cat smile that she hates whenever someone found something about her. Kimiko brought his face close to hers, despite his rather hulking figure and hissed,

"Would you keep it down?"

Clay gave a thumb's up to her before she released her hold over the bottom half of his face. She crossed her arms tightly to her chest and looked at the ground. Minutes ticked by before she muttered, "Was it that obvious?"

Clay lightly scratched his cheek as he turned to watch the two spar; "Naw. I just noticed you're smilin' more when Rai's around and don't think I can't tell when you two're flirting with each other."

Baby blue eyes widened at his accusations and yet another blush came forth. But this time she didn't say anything. Clay already knew what was going on and she could thank him for not teasing her but his sudden curiosity about her feelings for the xiaolin dragon of wind made her suspicious.

"Why are you so interested about it Clay?" Her eyes were transfixed with Omi who made a double backflip in midair but Clay knew she was really watching him in the corner of her eye.

Clay hummed for a moment then answered, "We won't see each other for a while. Five days might feel longer. I wanna know how strong your feelings are for Rai."

"What? You make it sound like I'm going to hurt him or something. Besides," she added a wistful smile, "It's not like I'm something special; I'm just not his type."

"Kimi...

A large hand placed itself on her head, making he look at her friend who had a large grin plastered to his lips, "You know as well as I do that you're total opposite. And not just about the whole 'I'm not his type' sentiment."

Kimiko opened her mouth to say something before Master Fung approached them with a blank face. And he was not alone. Behind him were the teachers; Min Yen and Li watched Raimundo and Omi while Huojin had his eyes shut.

Omi dodged Raimundo's leg sweep and jumped on it at mid-sweep. Omi was about to deliver the hit when he saw the four masters approach them. He jumped back and bowed his head. Rai tilted his head at Omi's action then turned to see what Omi was bowing at. In front of him was Master Fung with his hands hidden inside the sleeves of his robe, "The time has arrived young ones" he said.

Clay grimaced while Kimiko hung her head low as they walked towards Raimundo and Omi. She could see beads of sweat trickle down the side of the Brazilian's face and very, very light panting came from Omi's direction.

"I'm sure you are now ready to part with your teachers?" Master Fung asked.

Although the question was rhetorical, Raimundo wanted to shout "No" and try and at least reason with Master Fung that they can get stronger together. He turned to look at his comrades' faces but the protest bubbled down. They all have the same determination in their eyes. Surely none of them wished for this but they have to grow up and take their responsibility seriously. It was a burden they must bear as xiaolin dragons.

The older monks gathered into a small circle as if to discuss something. Kimiko took out her handkerchief from her pocket and gingerly wiped the surprised Raimundo on the face. She avoided his eyes as she patted the sweat and snapped at him when she felt his eyes linger at her too long for her comfort, "What?"

"Did you hit your head or something?" he asked with the utmost sincere confusion which made her throw the handkerchief at him with a furious look on her face. He continued to mop his face, mentally memorizing the sweet scent of her perfume, and then handed it back to her.

Kimiko looked at her used hanky with a disgusted look and said, "Give it back after you washed it first!"

A snort came from her right and saw Clay mask his laugh with a cough, "Yep, not obvious Kim" while Omi and Raimundo were lost on their conversation.

The masters suddenly faced them, each lost to his own thoughts before Master Min Yen spoke up, "We shall give you half an hour to prepare your things and say your goodbyes. Come and meet us at the meditation hall when you're finished."

They all bowed at them, "Thank you" they said in unison as if they had practiced it and walked to their room.

Master Fung's eyes trailed at Omi's slumped form. He may not be preparing for a different location but he was preparing for their oncoming separation. But Omi's strong. Although he would feel the loneliness, he was always resilient and adaptable; he can make it through this.

Master Huojin made a step forward with his hands folded across his arms, "The dragon of fire; is she pure?"

The other masters looked at him with wide eyes.

"Come now Huojin, she's merely a child!" Li reasoned out as he looked at his colleague as though he had committed blaspheme.

Master Fung's eyebrows furrowed, "Kimiko is only fifteen. And though she is a teenager, she's a mature and responsible young woman who knows better than to do something she might regret. She also knows that chastity is a must as long as she's in the temple." His tone rang out that he was daring the old monk to implicate that the girl would do something immoral. But Huojin was unperturbed as he stared at the temple,

"I would not tolerate my pupil breaking a traditional law just because she's coming of age."

Masters Min Yen and Li looked at each other before Yen Min placed a hand on Huojin, "I'm sure that they were taught to follow the rules. Isn't that right Master Fung?"

The said monk chose not to verbally reply but nodded once. He knew what Huojin's words truly meant and it was not only about one's virginity...

Clay heaved his backpack on his shoulders and adjusted the spurs on his boots, waiting for Kimiko and Raimundo to finish as Omi sat on his mat.

"Guess I'll see you guys after five days" he said. Kimiko was quick to place a smile on her face as she fastened her orange satchel on her shoulder, "It's only days, not years. No need to be dramatic." They smiled at each other before they walked out. Raimundo was the last to exit and took one good look of their room before he closed it.

"We all have individual temples and training grounds," Min Yen explained as the four dragons walked to their masters. "Each temple has its secrets that we have no knowledge of except for those who dwells in them and of course, Dojo."

Kimiko adjusted the strap of her bag as Master Huojin walked towards the willow tree and looked at it with a strange expression in his normally cold eyes. When Kimiko's eyes stayed at him for a few moments, he quickly turned to her and sent a glare that made her look at the ground.

"Hey," a voice with thick accent distracted her sudden tension.

Raimundo automatically walked towards her when the old man gave her the stink eye. No one bullies his friend and gets away with it. But Kimiko proved her toughness by forcing a fake grin and clasped her hands behind her.

"Drop a line if you can alright?" she asked.

Rai fought with everything he could to not return her affectionate gesture but ultimately failed, like always, "Sure will, if I can figure out where I'm at and your location"

Kimiko gave him a sweet smile which he reciprocated with a grin.

Min Yen placed a hand on his shoulder and said in an ancient voice, "It is time, young warrior." Raimundo nodded before he took one final look at Kimiko, then to Clay who gave him a thumb's up and lastly to Master Fung and Omi though Dojo was nowhere in sight.

A large gust flew from the east. The pressure almost blocked his ears and felt as if he was being flipped around viciously before he opened his eyes and sat down to the ground and tried to settle his tumbling stomach. When his eyes began to function normally again, he stood up and awed at the sight of his new residency. A small temple with two silver dragons circled the roof with their jaws opened as if roaring up to the sky. The grounds were mostly rocks and the grass was limited to small patches, a signboard written in Chinese characters swayed with the wind.

It was when he felt the sudden loss of breath did he noticed something different with this place, the air was thinner that he had to breathe in twice to get the same oxygen. Judging by the sheer density of it, he could very well guess that their location is high above the mountains.

But he didn't care confirm it with his master. Kim's teacher had said that subtlety is something they have to take seriously. So he checked his bag in case it opened on the way there and was relieved to see that it was all secured. Min Yen approached towards the temple's entrance; his robe was so long that Rai imagined the old one glided instead of walking. His eyes trailed towards the two sliver dragons and followed after his teacher.

Kimiko gasped for air when she fell on her left side. Her satchel fell on her head which made her groan out. Huojin stood in front of her, waiting for her to get up. Immediately, she started to regain her composure and held on her knee as her other hand was placed on her head. Her eyes squinted to analyze her surroundings only to find herself inside a cave. The whole area was dark and the only thing giving it light was the lanterns that swung in their stand.

"Keep up" a sharp order echoed on the walls. Kimiko searched for the source of the sound and saw Huojin standing on top of the stairs that was made by stones. Behind him was the outline of a temple that it looks as if it was carved from the cave's wall. Stalagmites were haphazardly pointed down at her direction and Kimiko knows that she won't stick around to find out whether they will break off or not.

The steps were steep and when she reached the top, she saw just how much she underestimated the sheer size of his residency. It was utterly massive. Rows of ivory pillars covered the courtyard and oil lamps were present in every corner. The smell of incense being lit was dominant and overpowered the scent of the earth. If she listened closely, she could hear the sound of a babbling brook that was unusual to be inside a cave.

But as much as she wanted to explore the new place she was in, she had to settle down first and not get scolded by Huojin especially since it's her first day.

The interior was even more worrisome. All the halls were built like a labyrinth. All the corridors looked the same and there were no windows. It wouldn't really surprise her if she saw the skeleton of an unwanted visitor who died because they couldn't find their way out. Huojin went ahead across the room and opened the two screen doors. It led to another courtyard. The grass was cut short and several punching bags and dummies were lined along the sandy ground. But what really caught her attention was the marks on the stone walls. There were sword marks as well as arrows that were stuck on the crags. A dark spot made her cringed when she realized it was dried blood.

"Drop your things and come here" he ordered.

"Wait, what?" she blinked in sheer confusion.

He turned around and stood in the middle of the courtyard, "Don't make me repeat myself." His posture was stiff and his voice was like a whip in the silence of his sanctuary. With a shudder, she slipped her satchel off of her shoulder and placed it carefully on the teak flooring.

Slowly, she made her way towards the middle, her heart pounded in her ears and adrenaline pumped through her veins as her mind warned her body of the approaching danger.

He turned around and looked down at her. She was merely four-nine, quite petite even for a standard Japanese height while he was a towering six footer. Kimiko gulped audibly as he held up one hand, palm faced towards her and made a gesture of pushing something to her.

Chills went through her body and her natural warmth was gone. The overwhelming need to faint clawed at the door step of her consciousness when his voice snapped her out of it.

"Be at ease, I only took some of your chi" he calmly explained and held up his hand to reveal a blue orb that was floating above mere inches from his skin. "This chi contains a part of your inner chi, the one that gives you control over the element of fire. I want to test you without any use of the flame's aid."

Kimiko gritted her teeth as he placed her chi into a glass bottle that came out of nowhere and hid it in his robe. If he wanted to see her combat skills, why did he do that? As if he read her mind, he closed his eyes and said, "I want to make sure that there won't be any... accidents. Or slip ups for that matter. Humans are fickle creatures that will do anything if they were forced to a corner."

'You'll be the one who will be cornered!' the voice in her mind hissed as she positioned herself in her fighting stance.

Master Huojin lifted a brow at her posture, "Master Fung has told me of your fighting style. Although it sounded... preposterous, I want to see if it is effective as he described. Then again, he's always too gracious."

He held up his hand and made a 'come' gesture to her. "Begin"

Kimiko pursed her lips before she jumped right above him with her foot pointed downward. He barely batted an eye as he dodged her attack and pushed her foot away which sent her flying to the opposite direction.

She took a different approach by jumping towards him from random directions. It was to confuse the enemy and not know where she will strike next. Her fist almost connected to his side but he caught her hand and threw her to the original spot where she was standing on. Frustration began run through her but she refused to let it out. He will be looking for that slip up and she will never give him that satisfaction.

"Is that all you've manage to do? Tell me, how did you ever attain the rank as a xiaolin apprentice?"

Fury blazed in her eyes and a cry of anger broke from her mouth. Kimiko dove right to him with a series of punches and flurries of kicks. But every punch and kick was deflected by blocks. She made a twirling motion with her foot planted firmly on to the ground, a technique she used so that a close ranged attack from the enemy would be futile.

Huojin saw through the attack and finally made his move. He jumped up directly above her and brought his left leg down and forced her to stop her spinning but she was not quick enough to avoid his attack. His leg connected to her knee which made her tear a bit.

Through her blurry vision, she didn't know what happened for the last fifteen seconds until she realized that she was on her knees and vomiting her breakfast as she held on her stomach.

Huojin shook his head in disappointment as looked away from her bent figure, "I have to admit, I had overestimated you. I thought you could withstand my attacks for five minutes. Yet you can't even make it to one."

"Wha-what did I do wrong?" Kimiko wheezed despite the rawness in her throat.

"Your first attack was reckless. Frontal assault should only be used if you know that you will succeed at the end or if you want to taunt someone or something to attack you back. While your second tactic had a decent objective, you don't have the speed nor the stealth of the dragon of wind to perform the feat. When you gave in to your frustration, your dexterity was poor and you lack the physical strength to make an opponent shatter under your fists. Your own technique which, I regretfully say; was rather effective especially if you harnessed the fire to your heels like a flaming top. But as I have demonstrated earlier, it has a weakness which was an aerial attack that can stop your momentum and pose a threat to your primary weapon. In this case, your feet."

Kimiko looked away from the remains of her breakfast and sat on the ground as the cool wind blew to her sweaty face, "Is that it?" she asked.

"No. The last actions brought me to the fact that your combat skills are subpar in comparison to a real xiaolin dragon." Kimiko opened her mouth to retort but felt a throb of pain throughout her whole body which made her curl into a ball of agony.

"When my leg connected to your knee, I used your momentary pain as a distraction before I placed several hits all over your body. Three punches on your shoulders, one near your diaphragm and one critical hit on your stomach that caused you to vomit. If this was an actual fight, I would have broken your neck as well." The way he said it was like he was talking about the weather. The girl placed her right hand on the ground and clenched the grass beneath it.

"After you clean up your mess, you may rest for fifteen minutes before you try again."

Omi sat on the grass with his eyes shut. He felt everything around him; the blades of grass that bent ever so slightly by the wind, a stray butterfly that landed on the wild flower that grew just outside the temple walls and the slithering motion of a certain dragon.

"Omii! Omi!" a muffled voice and a tug on his ki began to distract him from his meditation. With the final tug, he opened his eyes and mouth to scold Dojo. But instead of words, a shocked scream was heard as his eyes took in Dojo's sorry state. Painful hives and rashes covered his body and his face was swollen like a balloon. He could barely open his eyes and lifted a clawed hand to scratch his itchy scales, "Shen Gong Wu alert! It's the Headband of Athena! Hey, where are the others?" he asked. Omi stood up and patted his pants, "They have already gone with their teachers"

"What?! No goodbyes for me? Do you know how long it took me to make those pancakes?" Dojo huffed as he turned to his real size. The swelling lessened greatly but the hives and bumps were still there.

Took out his own stash of Shen Gong Wu and placed it in Dojo's ear, "They came sooner than expected. We shall converse later because we have to find the Headband of Athena!"

"The Headband of Athena" Jack Spicer stated as he stood on top of the broken pillar. His bots were scattered all around the ruins in Greece and the tourists ran around like ants caught in the rain when the pale boy told them to take a hike. Even the guards ran away from the sight of his clawbots. Not to mention the menacing form of the Heylin witch with glowing hands.

"Make sure you make a thorough sweep Jack. I don't want any slip ups like last time" she drawled as she leaned on an ancient wall that was covered with vines.

"How come I'm doing all the work? You can detect the Wu so why not find it yourself?" he complained.

Wuya merely lifted a brow as she continued to look at her nails, "I don't want to get my hands dirty just this once. Besides, don't you want to impress Chase?" she simply asked.

Jack choked the retort back to his throat and grumbled. He would very much like to impress Chase but he would always get to do the dirty work while the others would sit back and relax or fight amongst themselves.

"What does it do anyway?"

"The Headband of Athena grants the user look through the opponent's strategy and uses it as their advantage. It's a very important Wu so don't mess this up!"

"Well if you're so afraid of me messing up, why don't you go look for it yourself?" he grunted and crossed his arms grumpily.

"Why you ignorant-"

A sudden beep from one of his clawbots made him jump into action.

It was scanning along the rubble when it came upon the Wu's energy among the rocks. "And no xiaolin suckers in sight!" he cheered as his bots crowded around the rubble and began to dig out the Wu. Jack's happiness of looking for the Wu uninterrupted came to a screeching halt when an enormous shadow encircled above him.

"Orb of Tornami!"

A large wave of water cascaded down on him and his army of robots. Some of them began to spark and ran to each other which made Jack slap himself on the head,

"I knew I forgot to upgrade something!" With his hair and clothes dripping wet, he glared at Omi who jump on the pillars with ease.

Dojo shrunk back to his 'portable' size and scratched his body like crazy, "It's in one of those holes!"

"Holes?" Jack echoed and kicked at the bot that alerted the Wu's 'location', "You stupid bot! You got the wrong place! Agh!" He broke into a sprint as Omi stuck his hand in a hole on the mural. The mural broke into two, prompting Omi to jump back. Something white was sticking out of the cement and he made a grab for it, only to find a pale hand reach for it at the same time.

The Wu glowed and the slab of rock which it was stuck to was obliterated into pieces.

"Jack Spicer!" Omi shouted "I challenge you to a xiaolim showdown! The challenge is the last standing wins and-"

"Wait wait wait! Why do I only see one monk when there was like, four of you?"

"I require none of their assistance! I am many of a candlestick for you!"

Jack scratched his head and looked pointedly at Dojo who rubbed his chin and snapped his clawed finger, "Oooooh! Ya mean 'More than a match!'"

"Yes that too!"

An impatient growl was heard behind Jack. Wuya clicked her tongue as crossed her arms, "It doesn't matter where the others are, just get on with it!"

"Fine! I wager my Monkey Staff against your Orb of Tornami!"

"I accept. As I have stated, last one left standing wins."

"What is the challenge about?"

Omi felt his mouth curl upwards as he looked at Spicer's uneasy look, "Hand-to-hand combat, using Shen Gong Wu is forbidden!"

Jack gasped and immediately looked at Dojo, "Can he do that?!"

Dojo looked up from the book and took of his glasses, "According to Section five subsection 2A, footnote number three; it's allowed. It's under the 'In case of a physically underdeveloped opponent' page."

"What kind of book is that?!"

Everyone could hear Wuya's defeated sigh and Jack's whimpers.

A/N: Meh, not really my best work but I promise you it will get better. So what d'ya think of my OCs? I really wanna know what you think about Huojin since he's my fave. Yeah, I'm a bit of a sadist so R and R everybody. Minimum of 4 reviews to continue and no flames!

ATTENTION! I really need a beta for this one. Anyone up for it? I kinda find myself repeating several words here and it's driving me up the wall!

Toodles!