A week had passed since the incident and the more Jack thought on it, the worse he felt about taking her to Chase Young for help. True, he had saved her life. She just seemed different since that day. A little more distant. Every so often, Jack caught her biting her thumbnail with an irritated look on her face. It did not suit her and it made him nervous.

He had been able to feel the tension between Jiayi and Chase immediately and it puzzled him. The young woman seemed to have not known the man before Jack introduced them, but there was an instant tension that Chase seemed almost pleased by. When Jack saw them standing next to each other, it made him realize again that she was quite short. She appeared dainty, fragile even, when standing near his idol.

Looking over at her now, he felt his curiosity spike. She had yet to say a word in regards to the events that followed his leaving the room. She had been alone in that room with Chase for what seemed like hours, but he had known to only be minutes. In this moment, they were sitting in the lair. She was reading a small book that she had found on his mother's bookshelf in his parents' room and seemed to have a permanent smirk stuck on her face. "What are you reading anyway? You have this weird look-" Her gaze lifted to meet his and they both blushed.

"It's…a romance novel," Jiayi replied simply.

"You're reading a romance novel?!" Somehow, the thought of an immortal girl reading something like that was comical. At least now he knew why she was blushing. "Is it any good?"

She shrugged. "Well…it has a clichéd plot…boring heroine…boring hero…bland chemistry…but it has more substance and build up than the erotica I found the other day…" At this, her face turned red and she looked back to the novel in her hands. "…you should hide your things better…please."

How did I forget to put it away?! Jack wanted to face-palm, but forced himself not to. He also wanted to run back to his room and double-check that everything was put away. Instead, he watched her turn the page. She leaned back comfortably in her chair and snickered. Wait. Which book did she find? Suddenly, the thought of her reading something like that made him increasingly uncomfortable. He caught her looking at him briefly and frowned. "Next time you find something like that, don't touch it," he stated, trying to sound aloof.

"…alright…"

To Jack's horror, she dug in the pocket of the hooded sweatshirt he had given her and tossed a book to him. Why was she holding onto this?! Is she that bored that she's just reading stuff like this? Wait a second. He looked from the book back to her and saw her shift in the chair, crossing her legs. A thought occurred to him. An amusing thought that was just so comical that it could not possibly be true. Before he could stop himself, he had blurted out, "Are you a virgin?"

Jiayi's face turned a brighter red and she bit her lip for a moment. She tilted her head back, her eyes half-closing. "…so what if I am…? You want to laugh? Go ahead."

"It's just weird. You're over a thousand years old. How-?"

"It's just how it is!" she growled. "Look, I just…I fell in love…and he hated me. Then I met Guan. And…you know…he isn't really…"

"You never liked anyone after that?"

Shift P.O.V

She closed her book and narrowed her eyes. He was just curious, but it was annoying her. Since her first love, she rarely felt the same toward anyone. She liked Jack, to a certain extent. She found some men attractive. Jack is cute in his own way. So is that monk…Raimundo. For an instant, Chase Young appeared in her thoughts and she shook her head. "It's not that…not exactly. It's just….it would be difficult, you know? I'm not like most people."

"Even without being eternally young, you wouldn't be like most people," he commented.

"So…what about you?" Jiayi ran her fingers through her long, wavy dark hair. "You're asking me…but have you ever…?" She saw him look away and smirked. I see. The books I found in his room seem to be the only experience he has. Interesting.

Jack glanced toward her for a moment, his curiosity getting the better of him. "You've really never loved another guy after him?"

"…really…though I did distance myself…" With a flicker of amusement in her eyes, she tilted her head. "Jack…have you ever thought of a girl…in that way?" Instantly, his face turned as red as his hair. "…the girl monk…? Or perhaps Wuya?"

"Can we not talk about this?!"

"…you started it…" She stood and his eyes were drawn back to her as she stretched. "You know…you're attractive, Jack." Jiayi heard a sound escape him, similar to a frustrated sigh. "I'm going out for a bit."

"Where are you going? I'll-"

"Put away your book," she stated firmly. The young woman stared him down until he mumbled an agreement and then made her way upstairs. Jiayi had taken to perching on the roof when she wanted to be alone. True, it was out in the open where she could easily be attacked, but she found herself missing being with nature.

She remembered spending many days at a time out in the forest, collecting herbs and roots with Guan for medicines. The memory made her chest feel tight. I'm not evil, she reminded herself as she stared up at the sky. It was cloudy and the wind that blew through her hair smelled of rain. Jiayi smiled as the first droplet hit her cheek and ran down the side of her neck. Bowing her head, she drew her knees to her chest and felt the rain begin to hammer down around her. The sound of it striking the rooftop soothed her in the strangest sort of way.

"Always hidin', aren't you?"

"…leave me alone…" Jiayi scowled at the bird beside her and then narrowed her eyes at the small bean perched on the bird's back. This is the last person I want to see right now. Wait. Second to last. I forgot about that fool.

"Awww. Now what do you look so down about? Pretty girl like you oughta be smiling."

"Hannibal…I said to leave me alone." She sank her nails into her knees, fighting the urge to run. But he's right. I am always hiding. Always running. I hate confrontation. Ever since I confronted him…I just can't handle it anymore! Her tongue ran over the tips of her sharp canine teeth. "You're not leaving? Answer me this then…if you're so determined to pester me when I'm down. Why did you choose me? Surely there were other lovesick girls that you could have used."

"Not all of them craved power the way you did. You made it too easy. Besides, I knew he'd go for a cute little thing like you. How could he resist? Wouldn't surprise me if he-"

"Enough." Jiayi's hair was drenched with rainwater now, but she was unfazed by it. She always had loved rain. The smell of it, the feel of it. His presence was beginning to quickly sour her mood, however. "You do realize…love doesn't work that way. It takes time. Effort."

He chuckled as his bird began to preen itself. "What's this 'love' talk?! You thought I picked you because he'd love you? Just so long as he wants you, I don't care how he feels about you, girl. And you're forgettin' that love takes two people. You oughta know that."

Jiayi gritted her teeth, considering leaping down from the roof. "My…unrequited love has nothing to do with this and you know it." She bit her thumbnail, watching the horizon as the rain continued to fall. When she could stand his company no longer, she finally leapt down and went back into the house. Her hair and clothes were dripping wet, but she knew that getting sick was an impossibility for her so it simply did not matter. She wandered through the house until she found her partner and then stood for a moment, watching him.

Jack was in the middle of digging around beneath his bed for something, his back to her. His entire upper half was hidden at one point, creating a rather silly image. When he felt as though someone was watching him, he bumped his head in his haste to get out from beneath the bed. "Why are you staring like that?" he demanded, rubbing the bruise forming on his temple. He saw her hips swaying side to side, the girl seeming to not realize that she was doing it. Normally, the sight of this would make his heart beat a little faster, but this time was different. Her hair and clothes were soaked, clinging to her curves, and it filled him with a more intense feeling than usual. "Jiayi, what's going on?"

She started toward him, but then froze and crossed her arms. "It's…nothing. Forget it." The girl turned away with the intention to leave, but remained standing in his doorway for a moment. What was I doing? I was looking for him, but why? Did I plan to tell him that Hannibal Bean is near? He probably knows though. Or Hannibal might have already gone. Jiayi's amber eyes grew wide when she felt arms tentatively wrap around her from behind. "J-Jack? What are you-?"

"That's what you wanted, right?" He sounded unsure of himself. In fact, he was not entirely certain why he was suddenly holding her this way. It just felt like something that he needed to do. Of course, he had no regrets. Her body felt warm in his hold and she smelled pleasantly like rain. The girl nodded in response to his question, though she was just as unsure as he was. "Jiayi, I love you."

Biting her lip, she shook her head. "Jack…you know it would only bring us both pain…"

"Don't say anything."

I can't remember feeling like this before. Not exactly like this. My first love…never held me. And when Chase Young did…it felt different. This feels so…sweet. Jiayi closed her eyes, her stomach feeling as though it was filled with butterflies. She felt that she should pull away, but wanted to revel in the warmth for another moment. His hips rubbed against the back of hers and she snickered. "…Jack…what are you thinking?"

He immediately released her, putting his hands up. "Sorry! I didn't mean for it to seem like-!" When she turned to him with mischief in her eyes, he blushed. "What? You're not mad?"

"You're peculiar," she announced, leaning up to plant a kiss on his cheek. Jiayi walked past him to the laundry basket, rummaging for clean clothes. She located a clean shirt and underwear, a bit dismayed at her lack of clothing. I own two outfits and only have one of them with me, she thought as she changed. The other outfit was left in the shack. I'm sure it's gone now though. A glance at Jack showed that he had been watching and was now blushing vibrantly. Without giving it a second thought, Jiayi fell back onto his bed and stretched her arms over her head, yawning.

Jack cautiously joined her, hoping that he could get around to hiding his reading material later. "Why were you out in the rain anyway?"

"I just…needed some time alone. To think."

"Were you thinking about him?" He felt nervous asking the question, dreading the answer. It was to be expected that she would think about her first love, but he still worried.

"Only a little." She gave him an expectant look and was glad when he shifted his arm. Jiayi pressed close against his side, letting him wrap his arm around her. "…I ran into someone while I was on the roof..."

"Is there still someone on the roof?" he asked worriedly.

She half-grinned. "He won't be there if I'm not there. But…new information has come to light. A reason behind my…condition. My eternal youth. I was given this gift…so I could act as bait. So I could be used to control your 'idol'. I don't know why…he thought it would work. It's ridiculous."

He was frowning now and pulled her closer. "That sounds stupid."

Jiayi released a short laugh, glad when he grinned. "It does…doesn't it?" She shivered, feeling fingers slide beneath the hem of her shirt. "What are you doing?" Her eyes half-closed as fingertips brushed over her scarred side. "Jack…you shouldn't do this…"

"Your skin feels really soft." He yelped when he suddenly found the immortal girl straddling his waist, gripping his shoulders with both hands and staring down at him. "J-Jiayi?!"

She tilted her head and ran the tip of her tongue over her sharp canine teeth. "Jack…I did warn you. Do you even…realize how much pain it would cause?"

"It doesn't have to! Look, I can find a way! I'll become like you and-!"

"No!" Her grip tightened, her eyes taking on the predatory gleam of a feral cat's. "Anything but that…you have no idea…what sort of…"

"Then just let this happen." His heart was racing, eyes meeting hers directly and doing his best to not tremble.

Jiayi stared down at him for a moment longer before leaning down to the side of his neck. "Jack…I would hate for you to suffer…and if we got any closer than this…that's all that would happen. Suffering. I would stay this way while you aged…I would watch you die…it would hurt us both." Her eyes widened when she felt his arms wrap around her waist, holding her in place on top of him. "Jack…? I'll stay by your side…but romance is out of the question…just remember that…"

"Fine." He sounded irritated, but in reality he knew that he should be thankful that she would even stay. He knew that she was the type that would run when things got awkward or difficult. "I'll always be by your side."

She rubbed her cheek against his pale skin and swayed her hips subconsciously. When a sound left him, a sound that closely resembled a groan, she blushed red. Right…we're awfully close right now, aren't we?

"What should we do today?" Jack asked, trying to change the subject. Trying to forget that Jiayi was still sitting on his waist and rubbing her face against his neck.

"Hm…I want to go to the Xiaolin Temple."

"What?! Why would you want to go there? We took all of their-" Seeing the guilty look in her eyes when she pulled away, he frowned. "Did you give them back?!"

"…not all of them…but I felt bad for taking them to begin with…" She sat back, staring down at him as he tried to fight off a blush. "Just…it will be fun. I promise." Jiayi waited for him to grudgingly agree to go with her before leaning down to kiss his cheek again. She left him alone on the bed and wandered over to the basket of clothes to rummage for some clean pants.

He watched her, frowning to himself and running his fingers through his bright red hair. Jack wondered if he had somehow been manipulated. Not that he minded, after that close encounter. He sat up and snickered when she pulled on a pair of his pants, securing them with the belt off of her wet jeans. "So what do you have planned anyway?"