NeonHorizon: I want to send out a quick thank-you to Mikikitty and SarahAidaJ for letting me know about the mistake I made when I uploaded the last chapter. If not for them, the wrong chapter would have been up for who knows how long and I'm sure everyone would be pretty confused. Thank you!

"Don't you think Jiayi's a little intense today?" The blonde young man tipped his hat back a bit, watching her spar with Omi in the distance. They always stayed a good distance from the temple buildings so that Jiayi would not have an unfair advantage. She feared that she would leap onto a roof without thinking about it, leaving Omi on the ground. When she arrived, she seemed to be in a strange sort of mood and now she was sparring with Omi fiercely.

Kimiko yawned and checked her phone for social media updates. "I guess? She's been acting anxious all day."

"What do you think it is? Think something's wrong with her?" Clay persisted. He did not want to say it, but the thought of her returning to the Heylin side had been bothering him lately. If she was evil once, she could always become evil again. So far, she showed no signs of actual evil. Just her usual mischief and a recently developed unsettling grin.

"Maybe she just feels energized."

"Maybe she's bored." This answer came from Raimundo, who was watching the fight closely. As they had said, Jiayi did seem to be moving differently. There was a ferocity behind her every move and she snarled every so often when Omi would dodge her attacks.

"What's that supposed to mean? She has stuff that she does," Jack argued from his seat. He hated going to the temple for these socializing visits, but had a bad feeling about letting Jiayi go by herself. Not so much a possessiveness, but a dread that something terrible might happen.

Jiayi heard all of this being said and scowled. It's none of their business. What are they thinking? That I'm turning evil? She dodged a kick from Omi and lunged in with a strike that accidentally connected and sent him skidding across the ground. To her horror, she saw a clawed paw attached to her wrist in place of her hand. The girl blinked and saw that it remained. Shaking her arm violently for a moment, she began to panic. What's happening?! No! No, no, no! I don't need it! I can handle it!

"Are you alright? You are being more aggressive than usual," Omi remarked curiously. He ran toward her and his eyes went wide when he saw the clawed paw that she was clutching to her chest. "Jiayi?!"

"Don't…don't look at me! Not right now!" She turned away, putting her back to him as well as the others. Get ahold of yourself! If they see this, they'll think you're turning evil! Don't let them see…don't let them see…Jiayi felt the bones shifting in her hand and looked down to find that it was back to normal. "Alright…I'm alright…sorry, Omi."

"Are you sure that you are alright?"

She turned to him with a half-smile. "I'm fine…sorry to scare you like that. Maybe we should quit sparring for the day."

He nodded his agreement and frowned slightly. "Teach me about the best plants for medicines, Jiayi."

"The best?" She snorted. "The best for what medicines? What are you trying to cure?"

"Everything!"

He's certainly ambitious. It's admirable, really. She gave him a full smile, but it was a small one. "Alright…I guess we can go over various ones. What do you want to learn about first?" Jiayi started to walk with him, hearing Jack run to catch up. She was explaining the proper way to make a medicinal wound paste when she felt Jack's hand grab hers. Color rushed to her pale cheeks and she half-grinned. He's so sweet…

"You know so many ways to cure wounds!" Omi finally exclaimed. "You learned all of this from Master Monk Guan?"

The girl shrugged. "I guess…most of it. Whenever I can get a book or a scroll on medicines…I try to read as much as I can and remember it."

"And why are you with Jack Spicer?"

She glanced at Jack, who looked a little annoyed at the question. "…I like him…"

Omi frowned and tucked his hands into his sleeves. "You should be with Master Monk Guan. He speaks so highly of you and you would be stronger together. Jack is weak and evil."

"I'm not weak!"

"He's strong in his own way…" Jiayi's smile was faltering. But he is evil, isn't he? Jack sometimes talks about taking over the world with me at his side. I don't want that. I never want to see the world around me burn the way it did that day…She changed the subject quickly and began to tell Omi about different types of tea for curing different ailments and how best to brew it. Jack was bored by this, but pretended to listen and kept pace with them as they walked and she pointed out plants at the forest's edge.

When they went back to where the others were sitting, she took a seat somewhat far from the others and examined her hand. At the back of her mind, Jiayi knew what she had to do. She needed the Lao Mang Lone Soup. Without it, she would be weakened and have less control over her beastly form. Sitting beside Jack, she sighed and ran her hand through her long, dark blue hair. I don't want to see Chase Young. I refuse to ask for his help this time. But I need to get some before he attacks again. He knows now. He knows that if he hurts me badly enough when I've gone this long without the soup, I'm almost doomed. She sensed a fellow immortal approaching and quickly looked over at the others.

"Master Monk Guan, we were not expecting you! Have you come to see Jiayi?" Omi greeted the man.

"Yes. I would like to speak with Jiayi for a while, if she isn't busy." He smiled in her direction and she sighed again. "Jiayi? What are you wearing?"

Her face turned pink and she let hair fall over half of her face. "I mean…it's fashionable. It looks nice, doesn't it? Do I look…cool?"

His brow furrowed. "I would not know, but it makes you look evil."

Jiayi grimace and stood, quickly making her way over to the man. "This…is the style right now. With teenagers." They began to walk away from the young monks, wanting to put them out of earshot. On this day, Jiayi was wearing a pair of tight-fitting black jeans that had buckles on the thighs as well as a black shirt with long sleeves and holes cut out for her thumbs. The shoes she had taken to wear were black boots that laced up to her knee. I guess maybe I do look a little villainous. Like Jack. But I like this style. Kimiko said that I look cool. And Jack likes when I wear stuff like this.

"There was nothing wrong with the clothes you wore before. They were far less dark. And you are aware that you are not a teenager. You cannot hope to be on equal terms with the young monks simply because you dress their age."

"…I look like a teenager…I might as well dress like one," she retorted, almost bitterly. "Saying that I can't blend in…it's something that Chase Young says every time he sees me."

"That is what I wanted to speak with you about. I understand that he paid you a visit the other day." He saw her nod from the corner of his eye. They were a good distance from the young monks and Jack by this point. "The young monks have said that he attacked you before. Did he hurt you when he visited you, Jiayi?"

She bit her thumbnail and shifted her gaze away. "…just my pride, really…he didn't hurt me physically or leave any marks…"

His frown deepened, reluctant to keep speaking on this subject. "It was recently divulged to him that you were made eternally young so that you could be his. I know this is only a half-truth, but you must understand the effect this has had on him."

The girl stretched her arms over her head and yawned. "He's an arrogant fool…thinks he can convince me to join him." Seeing his eyes widen ever so slightly, she raised an eyebrow. "Guan…I would never join him. You know me better than that."

"I would hope that I do." It was now that he shifted the bag slung over his shoulder, drawing her attention to it. "I brought you some Lao Mang Lone Soup and some things from your old home. Hopefully they will serve as a reminder that you are good."

A muscle in her cheek twitched once, violently. "I am not evil." She took the bag from him and shook her head. "You know…I'm not with Jack to cause trouble."

"Do you love him?" There was no hint of jealousy or anger in his voice. Only curiosity.

Jiayi's amber eyes half-closed and she shook her head. "I can't…I can't hurt him that way…hurt myself that way…I swore to myself that I would never get into such a situation again. Loving a mortal would be worse. Watching him grow old. Watching him grow weak until he died. Just the thought of it…"

"You have always been very sad. Since the day we met, I have seen it in your eyes. No matter what you did, you always held such a deep sadness. I can see it slowly fading now. I don't know if it's him or the young monks. Whatever it is, I am glad for you, Jiayi." He placed a hand on her shoulder, displaying a warm smile on his face.

"Hm…thank you…I guess." Remembering the bag that he had given her, she half-grinned. "Thank you for the soup, especially."

"What did you do last month? Did you skip your dose?"

Her mouth twisted into a frown at this. He always referred to the soup as if it were her medicine for some common ailment. "I was injured…and Jack took me to Chase Young for it…." Jiayi saw his jaw muscles clench and sighed. "I…might have died otherwise. And if you hadn't brought this today…but I think he was almost expecting me…"

Guan could see a change in her expression each time she mentioned Chase Young. He knew that the relationship between her and his nemesis was quite strained, but something seemed wrong. "Did he do something inappropriate?"

The girl's face turned bright red and she shook her head. "N-no," she lied. "He didn't. He just…scares me. I hate him."

"If he did something inappropriate, you can tell me. I will continue to protect you so long as you stay on the Xiaolin side, Jiayi Xun."

So if I turned back, you would abandon me. Good to know. Biting at her nail again, she shrugged. "If he touches me again…I'll rip out his insides." With a small grin, she looked at her savior and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Thanks again, Guan. For everything." Jiayi started to walk away quickly, before he could react.

"Are you wearing a shen-gon-wu around your neck?"

She froze and gave him a timid look over her shoulder. "…maybe…" Her free hand lifted to fidget with the artifact, frowning. "I'm only wearing it…because Jack gave it to me."

"Jiayi, you do realize what sort of danger-"

"I promised him…that I won't let him get hurt…that no danger will come to him," she quietly stated. "Jack is mine. I won't let Chase Young…or anyone else…separate me from him. Do you understand, Guan?"

The look in her eyes was frightening. It left Guan unsettled, seeing something familiar in her gaze. Malevolence. Evil. Though it was a simple flicker of evil, it still made him instantly begin to worry about a possible relapse. The past centuries, she had been on her best behavior. He had worked hard to make certain that she would never stray back to the Heylin side. To keep her away from the dark destiny that Hannibal had determined for her. He needed to do something to bring her back. Something to draw her away from the path of darkness.

"Guan…do you understand?" The evil was gone from her eyes now. "I…really like him. I might even…maybe…love him. I know he's evil…but he isn't really that bad so…just let me have this."

"This is truly what you want? That boy makes you happy?"

She nodded once, but had her back to him now. "Guan...are you angry?" The last thing that she wanted was to disappoint him. Throughout her long, ever-changing life, he had been the one thing that was a constant. He was always there, always ready to help her if needed. To lose him now would be like losing a part of herself almost.

"I am not angry. If he makes you happy, I suppose that is all that matters." He had more to say. More that he wanted to say, to be precise, but knew that he should not say it. Though there was something that need to be said. It was difficult. "Jiayi Xun, you swear that you will not relapse to the Heylin side?"

"I swear." She spared him a glance before looking toward the temple. Jack was waiting for her, leaning against one of the buildings and watching curiously. "Guan, if I do…begin to feel evil…or the young monks notice me acting…wicked…I will find you. I will need your help and, no matter what I might say, I will want you to do everything in your power to bring me back. Can you promise me that?"

"I promise."

Jiayi proceeded to walk back to the temple, determined not to look back at Guan. She had seen it in his eyes. He was worried. This, in turn, made her start to worry. Shaking her head, the girl tried to push these thoughts from her mind. When she reached Jack, she greeted him with a half-grin that made him grin back. "Guess what I got."

"Shen-gon-wu?"

"What? No." She raised an eyebrow and poked him on the cheek with her free hand. "One-track mind, much? No…I got something much more valuable. He bundled some things from my old home…as well as some soup." The redhead frowned now and rubbed his cheek. "What? Why do you look so disappointed? Were you…actually hoping that we would need to go for help again?"

"Kind of. I mean-"

"Why? You do realize…what sort of trouble he would cause…don't you?"

"Yeah, but-" His face turned bright pink when she closed the short distance between them, her chest pressed against his and her mouth curled into a small smirk.

"Jack…you would want to have to share me with him…would you?" Her free hand came up and trailed fingertips down the side of his face teasingly. "You wouldn't…right?"

Summoning forth as much courage as he could, he wrapped an arm around her and grinned again. "You know I'm the jealous type. Let's go home."

She snickered and swayed her hips against his. "Oh? That eager to get me alone again, hm? All of this talk about your idol get you excited?" Jiayi bid farewell to the young monks and began walking back to the road with Jack, only vaguely aware of the stare that seemed to follow her. The stare that bore jealousy, anger. She was blissfully unaware.