Spy In The Herd

"Jade…" Jackie groaned from where they, Uncle and Tohru stood at the back of the baseball stadium. The crowd was murmuring and cheering loudly, the speakers almost shouting to be heard above the crowd. "Captain Black pulled strings to get you a seat in the dug-out. Why aren't you watching the game?"

"Tch," Jade said dismissively. "And miss the real excitement?"

"You mean danger." Jackie corrected gravely as he waved the flute he held in his hand. "The Dark Hand is here somewhere, looking for a demon portal."

"So?" Jade shrugged as she snatched the flute from Jackie's hand. "If they open it, you just toot the flute, and high-fly the demon outta the park! Back where he belongs." She swung the flute like a baseball bat to exaggerate her point with a smile. Jackie took the flute back before turning to Uncle.

"Do you have everything you need for the Sky-Demon Chi spell, Uncle?" He asked. Uncle turned to Tohru, who held a tray filled with various cups of different ingredients.

"Bat wing dust… Lotus oil…" Uncle began to list off as he peered into each cup. "Humming bird saliva… root beer – Ah! Root Beer?!" Uncle shouted in dismay.

"Sorry! Mine!" Jade said quickly as she snatched the drink from Uncle's hand and quickly slurped it down.

"That's your fifth soda!" Jackie said, aghast.

"One for every Fenway Frank," Jade grinned cheekily. "Had to wash them down with something,"

"I do not know where she puts it all…" Tohru murmured thoughtfully.

"Oh! Pit stop!" Jade suddenly said as she put a hand to her stomach as she felt her bladder tighten with the call of nature.

"You have to do this now?" Jackie asked.

"Hell-oooo! Five sodas?!" Jade said as if it were obvious. She then turned on her heel and ran.

Weaving her way through the throngs of people, Jade quickly found her way towards the nearest girls' toilet, skidding to a halt inside the bathroom as she saw with complete horror that each of the stalls were occupied. She wriggled in place as she tried to hold it in, gritting her teeth as she was desperate not to be a baby and have an accident just because she couldn't keep in her sodas.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Jade whispered to herself as she tiptoed on the spot impatiently, the time ticking by as she felt the floodgates threatened to burst. Then, the furthest stall final opened. "About time!" Jade groaned to herself as she all but bolted for the stall, almost barrelling the woman who was exiting over, as she slammed the door shut.

Oh! Finally answering the call of nature was so good! Such relief Jade felt that she was humming to herself as she finally exited the stall. She sauntered up to the sink, not a care in the world as she continued to hum to herself as she washed her hands thoroughly. Jade may have been a tom-boy, but no way was she gross! She spent so long that the toilet room had almost emptied.

"Jade's been in the dugout," Jade said to herself cheerily as she walked back to the door. "But she's back in the game – ARGH!"

Jade screamed as she opened the door and was instantly met with a demon on the other side. It was smaller than the other demons they had faced so far, this one being no bigger than a tall man, perhaps about six and a half feet tall at most. It looked like a humanoid bat-like creature, standing on two legs with only two toed feet, wearing nothing but a loincloth, skinny body and arms yet two massive wings protruding from its back. It had two large ears, a pointed, flat, imp-like face with large flat teeth and a seemingly permanent mischievous grin.

Alerted by her scream, the demon turned to sneer at her, whipping its tail towards her dismissively. Jade instantly slammed the door onto the tail trapping it in place. She heard the demon screech and pushed and pulled as it tried to get free. It was all Jade could do to fearfully hold the door shut.

"Jade!" She heard Jackie yell. "Don't open the door!"

"DUH!" Jade shouted back as she tried to keep the door closed whilst also avoiding the thrashing tail. Jade heard the high-pitch song of the flute, and felt the demon's struggles begin to grow frantic as –

Suddenly, she felt no pressure as the door slammed shut, and something fell heavily to the floor. Jade recoiled in revulsion as she saw the end of the demon's tail squirming about on the floor, much like how a lizard's tail fell off and twitched. A few drops of black blood followed it initially in a small stinking trail.

"Ewwwww!" Jade flinched away from the tail as she felt her skin crawl at the sight on the floor. When no one came immediately into the room, Jade guessed that the demon had gotten away, seeing as she had been the only one keeping the demon still. Squirming in disgust, Jade gingerly stooped to pick up the still squirming tail.

She yelped loudly as she suddenly felt an electric shock zip through her finger the moment her skin touched that of the tail. Leaping back, Jade inspected her hand, but found no damage. Not wanting to feel the sting again, the girl took off her orange hoodie and wrapped it around her hand like an oven-glove before carefully picking up the end of the tail. It still wriggled, which freaked Jade out a little bit – shouldn't it be dead weight by now? But not wanting to think about it, she quickly stepped out of the toilet at last.

Captain Black and several agents from Section 13 were standing outside, along with Jackie, Uncle and Tohru. Shendu, the Dark Hand and the freaky Sky Demon, were nowhere in sight.

"Jackie…" Jade called to get her uncle's attention as she slowly held up her 'gloved' hand holding the still squirming tail. "Check it out…"

"Miss Payne, I understand that things have been a little… rough for you… recently," Professor Hodskins said a little uncomfortably. Valerie sat opposite his desk, trying to control her ever so slight blush of shame. The slightly overweight, balding professor was sweating slightly in the early summer heat, and Valerie couldn't say that she blamed him. She tapped her foot in both nerves and impatience. This was her first week back at school since Hak Foo had beaten her up, and she wasn't overly surprised that the head of the history department had wanted to talk to her to discuss 'her future'. That alone had Valerie's heart skipping beats with nerves as she watched the Professor attentively. "The University has made inquiries as to whether your home life is… stable enough, and whether we should involve ourselves."

"There's really no need for that!" Valerie assured quickly. God, did these people think she was abused?! She couldn't blame them for thinking that, considering all of her 'sick' absences over the past two semesters, especially when she would come back to class with very obvious bruises.

"As your tutors, it is our job to make sure that your wellbeing is of the utmost importance." Professor Hodskins said reassuringly. "But, we have been told that your home life is satisfactory."

"It is, I promise." Valerie sagged in obvious relief, thankful that Captain Black could pull the strings he did.

"Be that as it may," The teacher said a little edgily as he looked down at a file in front of him on his desk, and Valerie sneaked a peak to see it was her progress report. "Your recent absences, as well as your… ahem, health issues… have made it clear that perhaps it would be best if you would retake the year? Or at least consider referrals –"

"No! No! Please, no, Professor!" Valerie all but jumped out her seat, eyes wide with panic as she all but begged the elderly man in front of her. Retake the year? Referrals? That couldn't happen! If she didn't pass then her mother would have her shipped back to Toronto faster than a speeding bullet! "I swear! I am perfectly capable of handling the work load! I don't need to re-do the year! Please! I've worked so hard for this. Just let me take the final paper, let me have a chance of carrying on the course."

"Hmm…" Professor Hodskins murmured thoughtfully, biting the inside of his cheek as he looked back down at the paper again. Finally, after what seeming felt like agonising hours to Valerie, he sighed and looked back up at her. "Very well. You can take the paper with the rest of your class mates. But I don't need to remind you, Miss Payne, that this paper will be difficult for the other students, most of all on you due to your absences from class recently. If you wish to continue this course, you will need to achieve high marks to ensure your place. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir." Valerie nodded vigorously.

"Very good. Have a good evening, Miss Payne." Professor Hodskins grumbled dismissively.

"Professor Hodskins." She said as a way of farewell, before exiting the office.

Quickly making her way down the halls and to the stairs, Valerie's mind whirled with the sudden pressure she felt. She had two weeks until the final paper, two weeks until all the hardships and work she put into her university course would be put to the test. One might think that Valerie would call it quits at the seemingly impossible odds stacked against her, but Valerie knew that if she did then her mother would end their little deal and she would be sent back to Toronto. And despite all the danger that Valerie faced on seemingly a daily basis in San Francisco, she didn't want to leave. She had friends here, a home, things that tied her to this place until she felt that she couldn't possibly want to leave even if she tried. And besides, Jackie and the others needed her help when sealing the portals, she had to clean up Shendu's mess, she felt as if she had to see this through to the end. But in order to do that, she would need to pass the final exam.

She exited building H containing the history department, and quickly walked off campus where the bus would be arriving in about ten minutes. When she heard a voice call out to her: "Hey! Valerie!"

Valerie turned, surprised to see the familiar face of David strolling up to her. The auburn haired young man cam jogging up to her, his heavy pack jostling on his back as he skidded to a halt in front of her. Valerie blinked in surprise at seeing David, for she hadn't really spoken to him in a while, even if they were often work partners in class. She'd just been too busy. David gave a huge and expectant grin as he looked at her, skinny frame and all not much bigger than her.

"Oh, hi David… what's up?" Valerie asked with a little sheepish smile.

"Nothing!" David grinned with his overly eager energy. "I-I mean, I wanted to see how you were doing. We all heard about your accident… I'm so sorry."

"Oh…" Valerie murmured as she looked away uncomfortably. Section 13's alibi for absence as well as her last results of bruising and healing, was that she had been involved in a car accident out of town.

"Anyway, I wanted to make sure you were okay. I was in a car accident as a kid – so trust me, I know they're not fun." David told with the calmest and most sincere expression she had ever seen on him. Usually he was too energetic, too happy, even on the most depressing of conversations.

"Not at all." Valerie murmured to herself.

"But I wanted you to know that if you ever wanted time to just chill, I'm more than happy to volunteer," He smiled with a slight shrug.

"Really?" She couldn't help a small smile twitching at the side of her lips.

"Yeah!" David grinned with more vigour. "I mean, we could go for a meal, or a drink, or even just chill at my place and order pizza and watch a dumb movie."

"You mean… like a date?" She asked, struggling to keep her slight wince to herself so as not to offend him.

"No – god no, if you don't want to…" David assured her quickly, but Valerie saw the slight disappointment in his eyes as he quickly offered her a way out. "We could be just friends, hanging out… or…"

"Look, David, I really appreciate the offer," Valerie told him sincerely, for she did. Not many boys – or males in general – took that kind of interest in her. She refused to let Shendu count. And she was remarkably flattered and touched by David's words. "But Professor Hodskins just agreed to let me take the final exam paper, and I need to study hard if I want to pass the year."

"Oh, don't worry, I understand. We could have study periods together if you'd like?" David shrugged, but she could see the disappointment in his eyes still. He was trying to be kind, to play this her way instead of pushing for something she didn't want. Valerie knew that not many guys would be so accommodating, and she knew that David was a treasure for that.

"Hey David…" She said softly, gaining his attention from where he had looked sheepishly at the floor. "Tell you what: once the final paper's done… we'll celebrate. We'll go on that meal."

"Really?" David's eyes widened. "Ah, great!" He cheered. "I promise, it'll be good! My parents found a good sea-food restaurant, it could be good there."

"Sure, we'll go there." Valerie smiled, before looking at her watch. "I gotta run now David, but I'll see you tomorrow!"

Valerie quickly caught up to the bus and rode it down to the new address she had written in her notebook. Captain Black had managed to find her a new apartment that was located close to Uncle's shop – as her landlord had justifiably not wanted her to return to her previous and now rebuilt apartment. It was reasonably priced so that she could afford it with her wages, and even had a small spare room. Captain Black had also promised that this time, her apartment building would be protected the same as the shop, so that they could better protect her. Uncle had then thought he'd trump it by offering a chi-protection spell.

She got off at the right stop and quickly met with her new landlord as she was shown around the apartment, all the walls painted a creamy light blue, and the tiles of the kitchen a bright white. Valerie wasn't one to complain about decorations, and she signed the contract with the landlord, paid him the deposit in cash, and arranged for when her stuff would be moved in. The entire trip had taken around forty minutes, and the best part, was that her apartment was only a short walk away from the shop.

When she arrived at the shop however, it was already evening, and as she entered, she heard the very obvious noises of destruction within. She opened the door jaw dropping with confusion and shock as she saw Jackie trying to wrestle a snake! Jackie held on for dear life, but the black snake struggled and pulled him around the shop, smashing him into counters and destroying pottery antiques in an attempt to shake him off.

"Jackie!" Uncle shouted from where he and Jade were standing watching on the other side of the store. "You must restrain the tail!"

Tail?! Valerie blinked in surprise. But on a better look, she saw that what Jackie was currently trying to hold onto, was indeed a cut off tail. It was black and writhing about the floor, and Valerie couldn't help her skin crawling as she grimaced in disgust.

"I'm trying Uncle!" Jackie shouted back as the tail continued to pull him along. He managed to pin it down, but as he held it up, the tail's end smacked him repeatedly about the face, until it cracked him on the nose and he was forced to drop it.

"I don't think it likes you, Jackie," Jade said as she watched the whole scene with her arms crossed.

The tail managed to wriggle away from Jackie, straight for Tohru and Valerie behind him. Valerie gave a shrill shriek as she quickly slammed the door shut behind her and jumped onto a chair, trying to keep herself out of reach of the tail as she cringed away from it. Tohru wasn't so lucky, as the tail wrapped itself around his leg, and the big man began to hop about as he tried to shake it off, shouting as he went.

"The tail seeks it owner, Hsi Wu, the Sky Demon," Uncle said thoughtfully as he calmly came over to Tohru.

As if the tail was nothing out of the ordinary, Uncle crouched to inspect it, before pinching it. The tail instantly went limp and fell into Uncle's hands, both Valerie and Tohru gave exaggerated sighs of relief as they relaxed. Uncle then walked into the back room, and they all followed him as he gently placed the tail into a long chest-like-box. After sealing it closed, he then brought out a cup and began to pour a green foam onto the chest. It instantly dissolved, but Valerie could feel her skin prickle at the potent magic in it.

"Okay, someone want to explain to me what on earth is going on?" Valerie asked to fill in the silence.

"We tried to banish Hsi Wu, the Sky Demon today," Jackie said a little tiredly.

"Tried?" Valerie echoed.

"The demon escaped us," Tohru murmured a little worriedly. "But we managed to get part of its tail in the process."

"Freaky, huh?" Jade asked with a slight grin.

"So, are we keeping the tail as bait or something?" Valerie asked.

"For now." Uncle nodded. "Hsi Wu will want to reclaim his lost tail, but we must keep it from him. This box is now protected by a Chi-spell," Uncle explained to the rest of them. "Bad magic cannot touch it. Until we devise a way to use the tail to our advantage…" He then walked to the front of the store, and the others followed him. He opened the door, and began to poor the same chi-spell powder-foam onto the doorstep, where it instantly dissolved. "We must be very cautious. This chi-powder will also keep any demon from entering, unless they are invited."

Unknown to the occupants inside the shop, they were being watched from the roof above. As the door closed once more, large dark wings extended from a shadowed body and flapped softly as the shadow floated to the ground, landing silently on the pavement.

Hsi Wu came to the door cautiously, eyes narrowed. As a demon fond of mischief, he had an eye for knowing when trickery was in place. But he wondered at how effective this Chi-Wizard's spells would be against him. He reached out a hand to the door, but recoiled with a hiss as a spark erupted at his touch. He felt the burn of good magic, and stepped away from the door, still hissing as he held his hand in his other as he bared his teeth.

Frustration made his blood boil. He needed his tail back. Not only in the wrong hands could it be used against him, but he needed it. He felt his flight pattern was a little rougher without his tail to help steady him. And also it was a matter of bodily wellbeing to want all his body parts still connected to him. There must be a loophole, he thought to himself with a grumble, no spell can be cast without a loophole, it was a form of balance. What is hexed cannot be un-hexed, but those hexes could either be broken or sidestepped. Hsi Wu came to the window, peering in from the darkness as he tried to overhear the people inside, wondering if he could probably overhear a way for him to bypass the spell. However, as he looked in, his eyes narrowed on a little innocent figure sitting by the window.

"So… I need an invitation, do I?" He grinned wickedly as a cunning plan formed in his mind.

He waited until the morning, sleeping on the roofs completely unseen as he impatiently awaited for his chance. He avoided the human "cameras" and other technology-things his brother had warned him about that could spy on people. There were a bunch of them spying on the shop, and Hsi Wu thought that he'd avoided them last night. The plan he had in mind would not be difficult, he had done it several times before he'd been banished in order to trick mortals for his own amusement. He was not called the demon of mischief for nothing. And the innocent child he had set his sights on would be easy prey.

Eventually, he saw the infamous Jackie Chan – the enemy of all demon kind – as he exited the shop, with his young niece in tow as they got in a car and sped away. Hsi Wu followed them, flying high enough that if anyone looked up they would mistake him for a bird, but close enough that he could follow the car without any difficulty. When they arrived at the school where the young child was supposedly educated, he landed on the top of one of the nearest buildings and observed. Any hunter – or spy – would know that one needed to observe and learn the target's habits before the ambush could be set. Only through observation could an opportunity be grasped. So Hsi Wu observed and waited.

He saw all of the children intermingle, but his eyes never left the orange hoodie and jet black glossy hair that belonged to Jade Chan. She talked and mingled with the other children, but Hsi Wu could practically smell the desperation all over her. She was trying to impress, to be fully accepted. The other children talked with her politely enough, but she wasn't included very much in their activities. She made herself believe that she had friends, but Hsi Wu smirked at the loneliness that radiated off of her. This was going to be easier then he thought.

But his opportunity came when he saw a small group of children, led by a dark skinned boy in shorts, t-shirt and cap as they came up to Jade.

"Hey Jade," Said the boy, a teasing smirk already on his face though his greeting sounded innocent enough. Hsi Wu had to roll his eyes at how obvious the boy was being in his teasing. "You going to the spring dance Friday night?"

"Hmm, was thinking about it," Jade replied with an air of being nonchalant about the situation.

"Well?" the boy's smirk turned into a full grin. "Who you gonna go with? A ninja?" He asked as he made several martial arts poses. The other children laughed at this, though Jade scowled. "Or do you only fight 'em?"

"You're a riot, Drew." Jade growled out in a low voice, clearly not impressed at the blow to her pride. Jade didn't strike Hsi Wu as the lying type; her naivety was too obvious in her soul, and she looked like she would tell anyone anything with complete disregard for consequences. So obviously anyone calling her a liar of any description ruffled her feathers. That could work to his advantage.

Turning away, he leapt off of the side of the building, extending his wings as he floated down to the shadows of the play-ground, unnoticed. He cast a spell of concealment as he descended, turning his demon appearance into that of a child Jade's age. He had ash-black hair, with three spikes at the front much like his antennae. He had a pointed chin and his still ever present wide grin. For a better touch, he added brown eyes, the kind that he knew mortal females had a certain weakness for.

With his disguise in place, he ran into the playground, pushing through the children in his way as he came to stand beside Jade, grinning as he stood facing Drew. He would show this child how you really humiliated someone!

"Hey Drew!" He called out in a taunt, his voice not as raspy as his demon-shape, but much smoother and softer. "Who you gonna go with? Your mother?" He grinned.

"Err–I–Er, No! I–" Drew spluttered, cheeks darkening with his embarrassment as he was put quickly on the spot. All the other children laughed hysterically as their focus was turned on him, all chanting: 'Mama's boy!' until he turned and fled. All the children dispersed after that.

"Thanks, err…" He turned to see Jade looking at him in fascination as well as gratitude. Obviously no one had done that for her before, and it shocked her. All the better for his plans. At her prompting, Hsi Wu knew introductions were in order.

"I'm Hsi W– Seymour… Wu– Jahoositz." He said quickly as he tried to cover up his slight mistake.

"Jade Chan," She replied evenly, obviously having not heard his mistake. She held out her hand to him, and he realised that it was one of the human customs they had when they greeted each other. After only a second hesitation, Hsi Wu took her hand in his –

Both of them yelped when they suddenly felt the spark of an electric shock painfully snap between their fingers. Hsi Wu had to struggle not to give a hiss as he suddenly felt his dark Chi swell within him, his eyes going wide as he felt warmth enter him, filling him until he thought he would burst. He wanted to spread open his wings and shriek to the sky, he felt utterly invincible, as if nothing could –

But then the moment was broken when Jade recoiled her hand from him with an apologetic murmur as she shook her hand. To her it had been little more than an electric shock, but to Hsi Wu, he knew that it was much, much more.

He had found his Other.

The shocking revelation was so great that Hsi Wu actually froze for a moment, dumbfounded. He couldn't believe his luck! Not only had Shendu found his Other – the possibilities of which were incredibly slim, but now Hsi Wu had as well! The odds were rather impossible. And who else should it be but the niece of the enemy of Demon-kind? Once he had gotten over his initial shock, Hsi Wu barely restrained himself from grinning evilly as he focused his eyes back on the child in front of him.

Jade Chan was suddenly very interesting.

Now he had all the more reason to get his tail back, and fast.

Jade slowly opened the door, pinching the string of the bell as she held her breath, waiting for someone to come rushing to the noise. She waited for thirty seconds to see if anyone came. No one did.

She then waved in the boy behind her, trying to keep the butterflies in her stomach tamed. No one was more surprised than her at the revelation that she had a new friend. A real friend. An actual friend! The girl was ecstatic! She had people she talked to at school, she even tolerated Drew for company sometimes. But she didn't have friends who would go with her to movies, or invite her over to dinner, or ask for sleepovers, she didn't have any of that normal stuff. She'd always brushed it off before, especially since coming to San Francisco. She always compensated for friends by the fact that she went on cool adventures that other kids would kill for – even if other kids didn't believe her when she told them. But now she had a chance for a friend, a friend her own age, and it made her nervous yet overjoyed at the same time.

After this new kid, Seymour, had stuck up for her in front of Drew, the two had been almost inseparable all day. Seymour not only seemed interested in Jade's stories, he actually believed them! He'd asked her questions on everything that had happened to her, his amazement and belief enough to make Jade want to yell to the moon in triumph. They'd also discovered that they shared a mischievous side. They'd both played pranks on the other kids on the playground, both laughing hysterically at the mayhem they would cause. Jade was even surprised at how inventive Seymour was.

Jade was also delighted and couldn't say no, when Seymour had offered to walk her home. Jade felt the butterflies mix with a strange warmth in her chest as she smiled secretly at the boy. She'd distracted herself by telling him about the time she'd been possessed, before telling him about the demon tail her and Jackie had captured. Seymour had been so excited when she'd asked if he'd wanted to see it. She'd led him to the shop, as they now snuck in. Seymour however, hesitated at the door behind her.

"Maybe we shouldn't…" He said worriedly on the threshold. "I wouldn't want to get you into trouble…"

"Tch," Jade muttered dismissively. "Trouble follows me. Come on in."

"Okay!" Seymour grinned, worries instantly forgotten. He walked in, and the pair silently snuck towards the backroom. Neither, Uncle, Tohru or Valerie were in sight, and Jade continued to pray that she and Seymour would remain undetected. She opened the door into the dimly lit backroom and led Seymour to the desk where the chest sat waiting.

"I guarantee you've never seen anything like this!" She whispered to him with a grin.

"You'd be surprised… Jade…" She heard Seymour murmur softly, but took no notice as she came up to the box. She slowly lifted it open, just enough to peak, and she felt Seymour hovering over her shoulder –

"JADE!" Someone shouted, causing Jade to yell as she backed up, smacking straight into Seymour as the two fell backwards. She felt an electric shock zap her painfully before Seymour suddenly leapt away from her, breaking the contact. Jade only then looked up to see Uncle looming over them as he slammed the box closed. "What are you doing?!"

"Err…" Jade murmured, stomach dropping as she struggled for a good lie.

"And who are you?" Uncle asked with suspiciously narrowed eyes as he stared at Seymour.

"Uncle, what's going on?" Jackie exclaimed as he and Tohru came into the backroom.

"What is it? What happened?" Valerie's voice could be heard as she came into the room hurriedly behind the others. Jade looked over at the older woman, a pleading look on her face, and she noticed Seymour's eyes widen slightly as he looked at her.

"Jade opened the box with the… you-know-what inside!" Uncle said with another distrustful glance at Seymour.

"Jade, you know you're not supposed to open the box with the you-know-what inside." Jackie said in a softly scolding manner to his niece.

"Jade didn't open it, I did." Seymour murmured dejectedly as he looked up at the adults as if waiting for the reprimand he would undoubtedly receive. Jade looked at the boy beside her with wide and surprised eyes. Had he just stood up for her?

"Hmmm… bad magic cannot touch good…" Uncle murmured with a hand on his chin thoughtfully. "SHOW ME YOUR BURN MARKS, DEMON BOY!" Uncle yelled as he snatched Seymour's hand in his and turned them up to see his unhurt palms.

"Uncle!" Valerie snapped at the old man in slight outrage. "Enough! Don't grab at the boy's hands that way." She then turned her attention to Seymour, her blue eyes softening slightly. "I'm sorry, Uncle has yet to refine his manners."

"It's okay," Seymour said to her, before looking back at Uncle imploringly. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble, sir… I just wanted to see the you-know-what-inside." He said as he glanced over at the box behind him.

"Let him go, you suspicious old goat." Valerie reproached Uncle as she pulled him away from Seymour. Uncle looked at Seymour in confusion, before relenting and wandering off as he mumbled to himself.

"This is Seymour!" Jade introduced the boy beside her with a proud smile once Uncle had left the room.

"Hello," Valerie, Jackie and Tohru said in unison.

"Seymour, this is Valerie, our bookworm and shop assistant. Tohru, our muscle and Uncle's apprentice. And my uncle Jackie!"

"Nice to meet you all," He said with a small smile.

"You new at Jade's school, Seymour?" Valerie asked with a pleasant and interested smile.

"Yeah, me and my mother just moved here." He said. There was a slight pause, before Seymour almost shyly said: "Well, it was nice meeting everybody…" Taking that as her cue, Jade showed him to the door.

"Seymour…" Jade said in a slightly awed voice. "Thanks for taking the hit. Nobody's ever done that for me…"

"Hey, what are friends for?" He smiled at her, and Jade felt her stomach do a somersault.

"Well, see you tomorrow?" She asked hopefully.

"Probably," He murmured.

Jade tried to keep her dreamy sigh to herself as she closed the door. When she turned around however, she noticed that Valerie was watching her, a knowing smile on her face.

"What?" Jade asked a little nervously.

"I know that look…" Valerie said as her smile grew into a grin. "You like him."

"Sure, he's a friend." Jade said quickly as she felt her cheeks tint a slight shade of pink.

"Oh no," Valerie shook her head, grin still growing. "I mean you really like him!"

"What? No! Ewww!" Jade tried to say quickly, enforcing her disgust with a fake gag. But Valerie only raised an eyebrow at her. "O-Of course not."

"Jade, I've seen it enough to know when a girl really likes someone."

"What is this, girl-talk?" Jade snapped defensively.

"I'll admit, I'm not the best choice for such a thing," Valerie's grin returned to a soft smile. "But you can always talk to me, right?"

"Yeah…" Jade murmured, before a shy smile upturned her lips as she looked at the woman. "He's really nice, huh,"

"I think so," Valerie agreed. "Very polite. Could be a good influence on you."

"Hey!" Jade said, but still smiled. "You think he likes me?"

"Seems to. And I've never seen you so happy. Can't hurt to carry on the friendship, can it?"

"No… but what if…" The girl looked uncertain, almost fearful.

"Hey, Jade," Valerie murmured softly as she knelt in front of the girl, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't be afraid of anything. If it's really what you want, then you need to go for it. Whatever makes you happy."

"Is this the part where you say: 'We'll always be here for you'." Jade grinned.

"Yeah," The older woman grinned back. "But I'm not gonna repeat what you already know."

Jade's smile was so big it hurt her cheeks.

"Jade?" Came Tohru's voice as they both turned to look at the big sumo who was watching with a smile. "Do you want to help me fold the laundry?" He asked. That was actually the one chore Jade didn't mind, because she and Tohru made it fun because they used martial arts skills to do it.

"You bet!" Jade said excitedly as she ran to Tohru, already babbling to him about Seymour as he picked her up effortlessly and carried her down to the basement. Valerie watched them go, smiling.

Hsi Wu waited at the top of the water tower he had claimed as his little 'nest'. He'd always liked high places, his siblings had teased that it was because of the bird in him, but he ignored them. His high places brought him comfort, made him only a wing's reach away from the sky whenever he needed, so he would stay there.

He'd abandoned the disguise of the boy, and stood in his true demon-form, tapping his toe-claws impatiently as he continued to wait. His mind was continuing to spin from everything he had learned. Not only did he need a returning invitation to get back into the shop, but his Other had finally been revealed to him, and she was already eating out of the palm of his hand.

If he made the girl wrongfully feel affection for him, so be it. He didn't care. Unlike his brother Shendu, Hsi Wu knew that having an Other didn't necessarily mean a romantic attachment. He felt nothing for the girl, but knew now that she was extremely valuable and he wouldn't be able to exist without her. But he knew that once she discovered the truth, she would fight him, so he knew things would be much easier if she already had an emotional attachment to him. Hsi Wu thought himself to be more cunning then his brethren, and he knew how to manipulate people through trickery and pretence.

Finally, the Sky Demon caught the scent of magic, and turned in time to see Shendu appear on the water-tower. The Fire Demon's red eyes glowed inside the tall body of the mortal he resided in, white hair fluttering in the constant breeze of the tall height.

"You called, brother Wu?" Shendu inquired.

"The Chans have my tail!" Hsi Wu hissed furiously as he jumped the small distance between Shendu and himself until they were standing nose to nose. To Shendu's credit, he didn't even flinch. "They have placed Chi-Spells upon it which prevent me from getting to it! You must retrieve it!"

"If these Chi-Spells stop you, mischievous brother," Shendu purred out with a smug smirk. "Then how do you expect me to bypass them? After all, even though I reside in a mortal vessel, I still cannot touch good magic."

"What of your henchmen then?" Hsi Wu demanded.

"Incompetent at the best of times." Shendu snapped dismissively. Hsi Wu growled to himself in frustration. "So you have been using your usual tricks to get close to the Chans?" Shendu asked.

"Yes…" Hsi Wu said slowly as a small sly smile curved his lips. "None of them suspected me, it was almost too easy. I even met your pretty little Valerie…"

Shendu tried very hard not to react in any way. But Hsi Wu say the slight twitch in his red eye, and it made the Sky Demon grin.

"Such a lovely creature," Hsi Wu went on with a slight taunt in his voice. "I can see why you would want to take her body, brother."

"She is not as forthcoming…" Shendu grumbled a little moodily at his own words.

"Didn't you once say that they're better when you take them screaming?" Hsi Wu's grin turned nasty.

Shendu glared, eyes blazing with the promise of fire, though he tried very hard to keep his growl under control. Hsi Wu now loved this game; he'd hit a nerve. Shendu didn't like the idea of raping Valerie… How interesting. Though from the gleam of frustration in his eyes, Hsi Wu didn't know how much longer Shendu would "patiently" wait.

"Though, you'll have to hurry up. You should take her while you can… before the others dispose of her first." Hsi Wu was so delighted at trying to goad Shendu that he didn't wait for an answer as he continued. "They all know! They know about your Valerie, they know you found your Other, and they want to tear her to pieces!" Hsi Wu cackled.

"I know." Shendu's cool reply had Hsi Wu pausing mid-laugh as he stared at his brother.

"You do?" He asked.

"Yes. Tso Lan told me. But I know the only one I have left to fear is Bai Tsa." Shendu said.

"Oh? And what about me? I'm free; I could pluck up your little Valerie and drop her from a hundred feet in the air… I doubt there'd be much left for you to bury." Hsi Wu hissed his idle threat, but he wanted to see what his brother would do. How attached had Shendu become?"

"If you wanted to, you would have done it by now." Shendu smirked as he called his brother's bluff. The Sky Demon grumbled as he backed down.

"I suppose I cannot fault you…" Hsi Wu muttered. "As I am now in the same boat as you."

"What?" Shendu asked in confusion.

"Oh? I didn't tell you?" Hsi Wu's grin returned as he smugly proclaimed: "You are not the only one in reach of unlimited power. I have found my Other as well!"

"Who?" Shendu demanded quietly.

"Little Jade Chan." Hsi Wu smirked. "And I know you won't do anything to her, because if you did, then I would have to take a little flying trip with your Valerie…"

"Touché." Shendu muttered.

"Though I do wonder, brother," Hsi Wu put a claw on his chin in thought as if he were trying to work out a puzzle. "Why have you not bound Valerie to you already?"

"I am in the body of another. I cannot bind her to me now, I would only bind her to the body I possess." Shendu hissed irritably.

"But as I understand you, you were briefly in your own flesh before you re-joined us in the Netherworld." The Sky Demon prodded.

"You and I both know enough magic to know that binding two souls together can only work on a willing victim." Shendu explained. "When I had possession of my body, I thought that threats would do the trick. She would be willing to give away her soul in exchange for the lives of her loved ones. That tactic usually works." He grumbled. "But I now know that it must be something more to make her compliant."

"How do you mean?"

"Would it not be a sweater victory if she all but handed me what I wanted?" Shendu grinned wickedly.

"Ahhh, I see… crafty as ever, brother." Hsi Wu complimented. But then his expression soured as he almost snapped: "But this is why I must retrieve my tail. I cannot be joined with my other half if I am not whole myself."

"Then I suggest you improve your methods."

"You will be of no use to me then?" Hsi Wu growled.

"Not in this case." Shendu said but saw the dangerous gleam in his brother's eyes and so added: "But should you need my help on another matter, then I would be most happy to oblige." He said with an over-exaggerated bow.

"I'll hold you to that." Hsi Wu hissed, before he unfurled his wings and soared upwards to fly amongst the stars in the black of the night.

Author's Note: Once again, a big thank you to InsanityisReality for being my Beta. You are awesome!

Please don't forget to review! I'm very excited to see what your reactions will be to the first part of an episode I know a lot of you have all been dying to see! I appreciate every single review and take them all close to heart and take your advice on board. I love listening to my readers, so please go ahead and review! Thank you!