"You've got so much anger in your eyes. Did he break your fragile little heart?" The villain within the armor chuckled and peered down at the girl with interest. She was the daughter of a weapons master and a seamstress. He had been watching her for a while now, observing the way she followed the Xiaolin warriors. It was obvious what her motivation was. From the way she stared at Dashi, it was quite evident that she was infatuated.

"My eyes are of no concern to you. Nor is the state of my heart." The girl, seventeen years old now, watched him with caution as she settled on the river bank. She had followed Dashi for months now and not once did he acknowledge her. Not only was it becoming frustrating, but she was slowly beginning to doubt that he would ever love her.

"I guess you don't care about getting his attention then." Within the armor, he smirked. Jiayi's long black hair was tangled and matted. Her pale skin was bruised and bloody, smudged with dirt and mud. A wooden sword was strapped onto her back and there were bandages wrapped around her hands and forearms. She had been trying to get stronger so that Dashi would see her as a potential ally. They both knew her plan was failing. "I could help you get his attention."

"…and how do you expect me to do that…?" She lifted a hand in front of her, the fingertips bleeding and the palms blistered. It hurt. Every part of her body was hurting. She was trying her best to ignore it. If she could only make Dashi realize that she would be valuable in battle. Clenching her hand into a fist, she saw blood ooze through her fingers. "What do you have to offer? Why…should I stay here and listen to what you have to say? I don't even know who you are."

"You can call me Hannibal Roy Bean. And what I can offer you is power." At this, she finally lifted her dark gaze to meet his. "You wanna show him how strong you are, don't you? There's just one little side effect. I'm gonna need you to join the Heylin side."

She tilted her head, hair falling to hide one eye. "…join the Heylin side…?"

"If that doesn't get his attention-"

"Right. No, I understand what you mean. If I can become stronger…and if I become evil…I mean, there's no way he can ignore me then, right?"

"That's right."

"Right. Evil though, hm?" The drops of blood dripped from her closed fist and into the river. A half-grin took form on her chapped, pale lips. "Hannibal Roy Bean. If I do this, do you really think he will notice me? Do you think he might love me?"

The villain paused, watching her blood mix with the river water. "If he doesn't love you, I know someone else will." The girl may not have noticed, but he certainly had. A certain someone had been watching her as well, though even more closely.

She shivered and opened her hand. Her palm was painted red now and smelled strongly of iron. Wiping it on the grass beside her, she winced. "Fine. If becoming evil is what it really takes to make him notice me…if it has even a slight chance of getting his attention and making him love me…then I'll do it." Ignoring the feeling in her gut, that strong feeling of doubt, she stood and turned toward the villain. "I'll do whatever it takes."

He chuckled at this. "That's what I wanted to hear."

Present day

Standing in the forest, just outside of the villain's lair, Jiayi took a moment to consider the situation. Behind her were the young monks, along with Jack and her feline companions. She lifted a hand to the Lunar Locket and found herself fidgeting with it. The thought of activating it crossed her mind, but she quickly dismissed this thought. Her actual experience with shen-gon-wu was quite limited. Her amber eyes lowered to the ground, trying to formulate a plan of attack. What can I really do? We're basically the same, right? Our speed, our strength, our resilience, our stamina. If I don't plan something to give me even a slight advantage, we'll just be circling each other over and over until one of us gets bored.

"I didn't expect to see them again so soon."

The words made her lift her gaze. Chase Young was standing across the clearing from her, jungle cats spread out behind him. Jiayi grinned maliciously and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Nothing wrong with spectators."

"You won't make them help you retrieve your sword?" he taunted.

"I don't need to make them do anything. Unlike your jungle cats, these two willingly follow me," she replied. Her hips began to sway in anticipation of the fight as her eyes drifted to the Blade of Renshu. Its sheath was gripped in the jaws of a panther, which stood close at the immortal man's side.

"They are Jiayi's disciples! They will fight for her because they are loyal to Jiayi!" Omi spoke up fiercely, perched on the lion's back.

She looked over her shoulder at him and gave a small thumbs-up. Her body tensed when she felt warm breath on the side of her neck, a presence standing before her. When did he get this close?! I need to get away! I can't let him-! As she tried to step back, his arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her against his chest.

"If I win this battle, I intend to take you. This is your last chance to send them away before they witness something best left unseen," he hissed in her ear. Chase smirked as she tore from his hold and twisted out of reach.

Jiayi put as much distance between them as she could and looked to her companions. Turning into a tiger was her last resort this time, being too afraid that she might injure them in her rage. "I have…a fun idea. Dojo, didn't you refer to the Blade of Renshu as a pseudo shen-gon-wu?"

"Well, yeah, but what-?"

"Alright." She licked her lips and caught the weapon that Kimiko tossed to her. "I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown for my father's sword. I wager the Thorn of Thunderbolt. Do you accept?"

Though perplexed by this turn of events, having expected a standard battle, Chase nodded. "I accept your challenge, Jiayi." He saw her wince at the way he said her name. "I wager the Tangle Web Comb."

As the ground began to shake and the scenery shifted, Jiayi felt herself start to tremble. For the first time in a long while, she felt genuinely nervous. Alright. I've never been in a Xiaolin Showdown and I've only witnessed a few. The patch of earth she was standing on suddenly rose up and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming. All around the forest, pillars of earth and stone were rising. They seemed to form a path leading to a particularly wide stone pillar where the panther stood with the sword. Alright so I guess we're really doing this. Is it always like this though? How does this not disrupt the plants and animals later? And do ordinary people see this?!

"Are you ready to start or are you going to stand there for a while longer?" Chase taunted from a few feet away, perched upon his own pillar. "You do know what our true wager is?"

"Whatever it is, I'm sure I didn't agree to it. This is a battle for the Blade of Renshu."

"There is more at stake here than your precious sword. If I win, you will join me."

"I don't agree to that! Gong Yi Tanpai!" She heard him say it as well and darted forward to the next pillar. It was fairly easy for her, but considerably less so than if she was in her tiger form. At least then I'd have claws. I would be able to clutch onto things. Her grip on the shen-gon-wu tightened as she rushed to the next pillar and then the next. He was close behind and she knew it. He had deferred from his own pillar pathway and was now pursuing her. Turning, she began to move backwards so she could glare at him. "You look so foolish…chasing after me like this. Like an egotistical fool."

His brow furrowed, long hair blowing behind him as he lunged forward. The man was able to keep pace with her easily, but every time he was certain that he would catch her, the girl leapt back and out of his reach. "You should count yourself lucky."

"And why do you say that?" Jiayi dodged a strike that would have knocked her from the pillar if it had connected.

"I have yet to use my shen-gon-wu."

Realization set in quickly and she leapt up to dodge an attack from the Tangle Web Comb. Her eyes went wide and her confident smirk fell. I've never been in a Xiaolin Showdown before this. What happens if I fall? I won't break my back, right? I mean…it would heal eventually…but even an immortal can be hurt by a broken spine! She glanced down at the ground briefly and gulped. Deciding that it was best not to find out, Jiayi's lips settled into a determined straight line. "Thorn of Thunderbolt!"

Chase dodged the attack, scowling when she laughed. "Do you think this is a game?"

"Hm…? I mean…isn't it?" She was not teasing him; she truly wanted to know if it was a simple game or if they could actually be hurt by a fall from that height. We're at least fifty feet off the ground. A fall from this height would kill a mortal. I've never seen someone fall in a Xiaolin Showdown, but…

He was suddenly in front of her and aiming his shen-gon-wu at the girl's chest. "This is not a game."

Jiayi took a step back on her pillar. She pointed the Thorn of Thunderbolt at him, but her hands were shaking with fear. Jack's voice called something from far below, though it was too faint for her to decipher. It was only when a dozen flying robots rose around her that she realized what he had done. For a moment, she contemplated jumping onto one and trying to ride it to the Blade of Renshu, but she worried that it might be breaking the rules. Having never been in a Showdown before, she was uncertain what the penalty would be for breaking the rules.

While Chase was vaguely distracted by the robots, she darted to the opposite path of pillars and began to race toward the end. He was soon behind her once more and just as she was about to reach the last pillar, she felt tendrils wrap around her left ankle. Jiayi struggled to try to free herself and felt his hand on her shoulder. Shortly after he grabbed her, he sent her body flying back down the path. She skidded over several pillars, managing to stay on top of them, and aimed her right hand at his back. Just as he was about to step onto the last pillar, she launched an energy blast that pushed him over the edge.

"Urgh…damn it!" Jiayi clutched her side with a hand, gritting her teeth. Skidding over the pillars had torn her shirt and taken off a thin layer of skin over her ribs and side. Skinned ribs! No injury I hate more than getting skinned! Bastard! This is it! I'll make him pay! She knew that he had not fallen to the ground below because the pillars were still standing. Rushing forward, she focused all of her attention on the sword in the panther's jaws. When she leapt onto the platform, she saw the villain clinging to the side and she barely had time to dodge an attack. Her hand grasped the sword's hilt and her free arm wrapped around the panther's neck.

Chase was standing across the platform from her now, wearing a smirk that suggested he had won. "You think that you've beaten me?"

Her hips swayed back and forth, fingers digging into the panther's sleek black fur. "I know that I've beaten you. What am I holding? The prizes. What are you holding? Nothing. You can't win against me, Chase. I won't let you." To her irritation, his smirk grew when she said his name. The pillars began to shrink and soon Jiayi was standing with a panther purring at her side, facing her nemesis. "Oh and by the way…if you keep losing jungle cats to me, you'll soon be alone." She snickered as the panther rubbed its head against her hand.

"I will always have you. From the day we met, to the end of eternity. I will always have you, Jiayi. You may think you have won. You may think that you're in control. You may think that you have a choice. We were made for each other. The sooner you realize this, the sooner you can be happy."

The girl snorted. "What do you care, if I'm happy or not? You only care about your own happiness. You can't fool me!"

The villain closed the distance between them in less than a second and gripped her jaw tightly. "You will love me." His sharp eyes met hers, burning deeply with a desire that made her wince. "You will be with me forever. Why wouldn't I want you to be happy?"

"Wh-what?" She hated that her voice sounded so weak, but simply being close to him was beginning to make her tremble. What's wrong with me?! It wasn't like this last time! I'm just…nervous from the fight, right? That has to be it! She could feel the others watching her, waiting for her to strike at him or run. Instead, she remained frozen in place with wide amber eyes staring up into his. "I…don't want…"

"Wouldn't it feel so much better to be your true self? Those pathetic villagers would learn their place. Imagine how it would feel to stand at my side as the world burns around us."

"I…don't want…" Her eyes widened more as he pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was rough, his arm wrapping around her to hold her close, and he growled quietly in pleasure. Gripping the handle of her sword harder, Jiayi found her courage once more. With her courage came enlightenment and tears were soon streaming down her pale cheeks. My father made this blade for me…to protect me from Chase Young! She tore from the man's hold and backed up quickly before launching a blast of ice with a swipe of the blade.

He dodged it and excitement grew in his expression. "You really want to fight me? Wouldn't you rather give in now so we can get to the good part faster?"

Jiayi took up a fighting stance. She was faintly aware of her jungle cats taking up positions around her. I won't let them be hurt by him again. Their presence alone will make me stronger. She heard her human companions conversing on the side and gritted her teeth. I just wish they hadn't seen me acting so weak! They all saw that! They saw him kiss me! I won't let that misdeed go unpunished! Her hips swayed like a cat's tail and she tilted her head. "Don't tell me you're afraid of the Blade of Renshu. Does a little snow and ice frighten you?"

"I fear nothing and no one." Chase crossed his arms, seeming not in the least threatened.

"That's funny. If there's anything in this world you should fear, it's me. We're equally matched. Or had you forgotten? If I wanted to, I could tear you apart completely. And believe me, I want to. Your very existence is an annoyance to me. A threat to my own existence. Tearing you apart and finally ending you would be the greatest pleasure." She snarled when she felt him behind her, one hand gripping the girl's neck and the other arm wrapped around her waist.

"You call that pleasure? Have you already forgotten the last time I had you alone? I will show you what pleasure really is."