Infested Waters

Valerie felt a flash of pain race through her skull. It came on so suddenly she was completely unprepared for the blinding pain that rendered her immobile for all of thirty seconds. It felt like someone had just poured lit gasoline on top of her brain and she sucked in a breath, too stunned to even scream. But just as quickly as it appeared, not even forty seconds later it disappeared. Her mind became clear, not even an ache where the pain had been. It was as if it had never happened at all. She rubbed her head, pondering on this bizarre event, but went back to her work.

"I found Atlanta, does that count?" Jade asked with a small smile, breaking the silence some time later. Valerie had to give a soft chuckle. Jade was just too adorable sometimes, trying to make everyone smile. However, Jackie was still far too exasperated.

"Uncle, this is impossible!" He said with a frustrated frown as he stared at the book in his hands. "Scientists have been trying to find Atlantis for centuries!"

"But if this is our only lead, we need to keep trying…" Valerie was surprised to hear that it was Nat who said the words.

Ding-Ding.

They all looked up, startled at hearing the door open at this hour, as if they all suddenly remembered that they weren't alone in this world. Valerie strained her eyes as she tried to pierce the night shadows that kept the person concealed as they lingered in the threshold out of the light of the shop. Uncle gave a gasp as the figure stepped into view, and Valerie felt a stone of dread sink into her stomach.

"Good evening." Came a charming, silky British voice that had Valerie's spine crawling. Valmont stepped from the shadows and into the store, his signature smirk plastered on his face, and his green suit back on.

Jackie immediately leapt into action as he got himself into a fighting pose. Tohru stood to his full imposing height, ready to launch himself at the intruder. Valerie felt herself instinctively inch back and reach for a broom, holding it in her hands and readying herself for anything, even as her stomach began to twist itself in knots. Nat watched their reactions, and braced herself for battle accordingly, seeming to trust their judgement as she reached for her sword.

"What do you wan–" Jackie demanded but was cut off when Valmont held out a paniced hand whilst the other put a finger to his lips.

"Shh!" He hissed frantically, enough to make everyone blink with surprise. "You will wake Shendu!"

Okay, now Valerie was officially confused. By the looks of it so were the others.

"He's… napping?" Jackie asked, dumbstruck. Valerie would have snorted in amusement had her mind been able to unscramble itself from her bewilderment.

"I know you, don't I?" Nat asked allowed as she looked at Valmont in confusion. Valerie saw the moment when recognition dawned in her expression as her green eyes widened. "You're the demon!"

"Possessed, thank you." Valmont retorted snootily. Nat grit her teeth as she suddenly reached for her sword again, pulling it out of its sheath with a song of metal as it –

"Ah-ah!" Jackie suddenly leapt in front of her and grabbed the hilt of the sword as he cast the demon-slayer a stern expression. "No killing!"

"But he's a demon!" Nat's eyes were begging, and for once Valerie was inclined to agree.

"If Valmont were to be killed, Shendu's spirit would be free to possess another body of his choosing." Uncle told her in slight exasperation.

"Besides, doesn't your warrior code say Valmont is an innocent bystander?" Jade raised a brow.

"I don't know." Valerie said sourly as she sneered at the criminal before her. "Can't we let her kill him, please?"

"Such lovely words, Miss Payne." Valmont retorted her way.

"I wrote them down when you nearly burned half my face off." She spat right back.

"Why are you here, Valmont?" Jackie cut in as he turned his glare back onto Valmont.

"I managed to render Shendu unconscious," Valmont said as a pleading look entered his eyes that Valerie had never seen before. "Now please, you must help me. I want him exorcised!"

"Tch," Jade muttered. "Like we're gonna help Shendu get in shape?"

"Ex-OR-cise, Jade," Uncle elaborated.

"He want's Shendu's spirit removed from his body." Jackie explained softly, before rounding back on Valmont. "But why should we help you?!"

"If you won't do it, I will." Nat proclaimed as she stepped forward, Valmont's face lighting up. Valerie quickly stepped forward.

"Wait!" She said quickly.

"What?" Nat cocked a brow at her.

"I don't think you'll be able to." Valerie explained, not trying to be hostile as she chose her words carefully. "Remember when you went up against Bai Tza? None of your techniques – apart from a select few – worked. I think you're more used to dealing with western demons. Shendu and his siblings are more eastern, and clearly up a level from you."

"Fine." Nat grumbled, clearly not liking being told she wasn't capable. Valerie then turned her glare onto Valmont.

"So please come up with one good reason why Uncle should waste his time on you?" She shot at him.

"Because there is nothing that either of us wants more then to be rid of that blasted fire-demon." He declared. But suddenly, Tohru placed his enormous hand on Valmont's shoulder hoisting him up easily to bring him close to his glowering face.

"A Dark Hand trick." The sumo growled. Valerie was a little shocked at his tone, for she didn't think she'd ever seen Tohru so hateful…

"No tricks!" Valmont reassured quickly. "I will tell you anything you want to know!"

But Tohru wasn't listening, as he began to carry the crime-lord towards the door. Valerie perhaps enjoyed it a little too much when Valmont looked about in utter panic as he tried to think up something to say on the spot.

"Err… our hideout!" He blurted. "It's the Helms Fish Cannery!"

"So that's where you were keeping me…" Valerie muttered.

"That's nice," Jade said with a smirk. "But we have bigger fish to fry."

"Like finding the demon you unleashed. Remember?" Jackie bit out in a hard voice. By this point, Tohru had reached the door and was trying to through Valmont out, even though Valmont braced himself against the doorframe in an attempt to stop him.

"She's in San Francisco!" He shrieked desperately.

"What?!" Valerie spluttered.

"Bai Tza?!" Uncle gasped.

"Here?!" Jade gaped.

"Where?!" Jackie demanded.

Taking this to mean that they were listening, Tohru reluctantly put Valmont down. The criminal shrugged out of Tohru's hold and began to adjust his tie expertly, as if he were about to sit down to an expensive dinner. When he turned to face them, his smirk was back in place that Valerie wanted to punch off so badly.

"You scratch my back, I scratch yours." He grinned.

"Please kill him." Valerie muttered through gritted teeth at Nat.

They then went into the backroom, Valerie glaring daggers into his back the whole way. Uncle quickly set to work on examining Valmont, by staring into his eyes, mouth and listening to his breathing. Nat hovered over his shoulder, casting her own analysis as she stared at Valmont thoughtfully. Valerie was most surprised when she started to mumble words to Uncle – and more surprising was Uncle murmuring back – as if they were in a serious debate. Whilst they spoke, Valmont told them of Bai Tza's "plan" to sink the city into the ocean. Valerie wanted to take Valmont's words with a pinch of salt as she continued to glare down at him, but with a threat like that, she didn't think she could completely dismiss it. After all, drowning was a terrible way to go in her opinion.

"Bai Tza's planning to sink San Francisco by causing an earthquake?" Jackie asked in horror. "But how?"

"Just because I'm possessed by a demon, doesn't mean I can read their minds." He said derisively.

"She would need to jar the Fault…" Jackie murmured thoughtfully. "With an explosion or…"

"A flood…" Jade murmured with wide eyes.

"Then we need to stop her," Nat said firmly. "How much time do we have?"

"Not long." Valerie murmured. "Demons don't wait to act. If she's going to sink the city, then it will be done tonight."

"Tea Sensei?" Tohru offered to Uncle as he held out the tray and china set.

"Thank you." Uncle said as he took a cup.

"Hai kudasai, Tohru," Nat spoke with a soft smile. Tohru's brows lifted in surprise to hear his mother-tongue. Nat shrugged before she said: "Grandfather's Japanese." She then bowed slightly as she murmured: "Arigatō."

"Dōitashimashite." Tohru beamed with his own slight bow.

"Jolly good Tohru," Valmont smiled as he stood to approach the sumo. "I would love a spot…" He didn't get out another word as Tohru growled at him dangerously. "Err, right then." The criminal murmured nervously as he quickly sat back down.

"He's not your attack dog anymore." Valerie spat defensively. Valmont turned to look at her, his mouth already open in order to say something, when he stopped. Valerie felt her skin crawl as she watched him pause as his eyes travelled up and down her body, noting her dressed-up appearance. She almost hissed: "My eyes are up here!"

"Apologies, Miss Payne," Valmont smirked. "But I'm simply surprised. You look particularly ravishing tonight."

"Your observation has been noted." She muttered icily as she crossed her arms rigidly over her chest, suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious.

"Normally, you wear such drab clothing, you look positively dull." Valmont continued nonchalantly, either unaware or uncaring for the sting Valerie felt at those words. "But tonight…" His gaze once again went up and down her body, and Valerie felt her ears redden with shame. "I can almost see why Shendu lusts after you so ravenously. If he saw you now he'd undoubtedly be finding it a little harder to breathe. You'd have to run for your life to stop him from–"

SMACK!

Valerie's hand had whipped out so fast, even she was a little surprised, even with everyone turning to look at the loud and sharp sound from where her palm and struck Valmont's face. Her arm was still in the air, her palm growing warm from the sting where she had slapped him so hard. A bright red hand-print was blooming across the stunned crime-lord's face. His eyes burned as anger soon came over him as he glared up at the woman, but was quieted by her expression. She looked absolutely fuming, features twisted as her mouth was set in a hard line, eyes blazing with a dangerous intensity and brows pulled down to make her expression look as if she was ready to explode.

"Don't… you… dare!" She hissed in a voice so low it could have been mistaken for a snake's hiss before it struck. "Don't you dare talk about him as if he's anything like you! Shendu may be a lying, evil demon, but even he has some semblance of honour, unlike you!"

It was only after the furious and defensive words left her mouth, that Valerie realised that she had an audience. Her cheeks grew red as she noticed everyone staring at her. There was a very long and awkward silence that Valerie felt terrified to break. In the end she merely crossed her arms and turned sharply away from Valmont like a toddler pulling a tantrum. She didn't know what had possessed her to say those words in her current company – for she knew that the others wouldn't understand – but she couldn't stand the thought of Valmont comparing himself to Shendu.

In her eyes – she didn't know whether it had always been so, or if this was something new – Valmont was a scumbag criminal who would stoop to any means and do anything and everything just for a little money. But Shendu, despite being a lying, murderous and evil demon, had at times shown some form of honour, and he was more sophisticated and regal then Valmont. Valmont hid what he was behind an air of aristocracy and superiority that made her blood boil, but Shendu let you know up front what you were dealing with. That little shred of honesty, no matter how vile in its using, still made Shendu more worthy to Valerie then Valmont could ever hope to be. Valerie didn't know why she felt that way about Shendu, for she knew that there were instances in history where he was something out of her nightmares, there were a few things about his past she didn't know about; but after everything that she'd been through with him… she couldn't bring herself to put him in the same lot as Valmont.

"This Hansa will suppress Shendu's spirit until I am able to concoct a true exorcism spell." Uncle's words brought Valerie out of her thoughts as she turned to see the old man paint a Chinese glyph onto Valmont's forehead. The Englishman looked at his appearance in the standing mirror not far from him with a critical eye.

"Well it's more becoming then a horn, I suppose…" He murmured to himself.

"Tohru," Uncle ordered as he approached the large man with a satchel and a gourd. "You must go with Jackie to cast the water demon's chi-spell."

"Yes, Sensei." Tohru nodded before heading for the door with Jackie. Jade made to go after them, but without even looking Valerie clamped her hand on the girl's shoulder and kept her in place.

"Ta-ta!" Valmont grinned as he waved goodbye. "Best of luck."

"Come with us." Jackie said as he turned to look at Valmont with a serious expression.

"Awesome!" Jade grinned.

"Not you, Jade." Both Valerie and Uncle snapped at the same time. Uncle then turned to point at Valmont as he ominously ordered: "You!"

"But… the exorcism spell!" Valmont spluttered an excuse that made Valerie's lip curl.

"You have resources." Jackie said. "We need them."

"Hold on!" Valerie interrupted as she held up her hands. "If you're taking him with you…" She gestured at Valmont with a point of her thumb. "Then I'm coming too."

"Wait, Val," Jade blinked in shock. "You're volunteering to go into the field?"

"I don't trust him as far as I can throw him." Valerie shot over her shoulder at Valmont. "I want to keep an eye on him."

"I'm coming too." Nat proclaimed as she strapped on her sword and grabbed several other different items from her bag-pack. "I can't abandon the hunt now. And if there is any way I can help bring down Bai Tza, I will do it."

"I think we're gonna need a psycho to kill him if he tries anything. I bet you're good at getting rid of bodies." Valerie smirked at the redhead.

"Whatever you say, dork." Nat chuckled.

"This is going to be so much fun…" Valmont groaned.

Valerie was not very pleased with how the night was progressing. Not only was Valmont an insufferable jerk, who kept on giving everyone snide comments and riling up Tohru, but Jade had managed to sneak out in order to join them. Valerie was certain the Chan's were going to turn her grey with stress before she was even thirty.

The group of unlikely heroes managed to track down Bai Tza to Embarcadero Station, following her down to the lowest point of the station where they suspected her to be. For not the first time that night, Valerie cursed the fact that she hadn't changed before coming out, still in her black dress and pump shoes. She remembered shouting at movies with stupid heroines who wore the most ridiculous outfits in the heat of battle… and now she was one of them. Great.

The group came into the station, silently stalking towards the edge of the balcony to peer down at the platform below, Nat and Jackie in the lead. Nat had surprised everyone by being somewhat co-operative in helping to track down Bai Tza as she lead the group with Jackie. As they all looked down onto the platform, Valerie caught her first glimpse of Bai Tza.

The closest thing she could describe her as, was a realistic looking mermaid. No beautiful heads and torsos with seashell bras; instead a long serpentine lower body ending in a fish-like tail, a strong torso and clawed hands with webbed fingers, tentacles for hair and gills on the side of her face. Bai Tza would have been considered beautiful, in a deadly predator-like way. Bai Tza curiously had a pot of black paint in her hands, and dipping the point of her tail into it, she began to paint strange circles and symbols onto the ground.

"Lai Shui Zai… Lai Shui Zai… Lai Shui Zai…" She chanted in a hissing sigh that Valerie could almost feel the concentration as the water demon spoke.

"I have seen such symbols in Uncle's books," Tohru said softly so as not to draw attention to them. "Used for summoning spells."

"What's she trying to summon?" Jade asked.

"Give you three guesses what she's summoning…" Nat murmured.

"I don't know," Valerie shrugged, her usual sarcastic humour unable to resist the bait. "She might just be calling her pet Loch Ness Monster out to play,"

"Could she call on enough water to cause a flood?" Jackie whispered. "The station's lower levels are underground, closer to the fault."

"And I can't imagine the subway system was built to withstand the crushing pressure of raging flood waters." Valmont said gravely.

"Quickly Tohru!" Jackie turned to the larger man frantically. "The Chi Spell!"

"I need preparation time…" Tohru said as he began to pull out the ingredients from his satchel.

"I will run interference," Jackie said with a nod.

"Me too." Nat said with a smile.

"I thought you were more of a lone wolf?" Valerie questioned with a raised brow.

"Well…" Nat shrugged. "Looks like it's time for me to learn to be a team-player." She then turned to Jackie. "You in?"

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jackie asked with sincere concern.

"Face it Chan, you're stuck with me until the Ariel-wannabe down there is dealt with." Nat grinned. "Besides, I can be a better distraction whilst you… mess with her prized art work?"

Jackie smiled at the idea, and the two nodded before going down the still-working escalators towards where Bai Tza was still working, completely unaware of her audience. Valerie watched them go, crossing all her fingers and toes in worry.

"Lai Shui Zai… Lai Shui Zai… Lai Shui Zai…" Bai Tza continued to chant as she drew more intricate symbols into her design. Jackie snuck up behind her, trying to discreetly rub off the wet paint from the floor. Nat boldly however went right in front of Bai Tza and pulled out her sword, cricking her neck before tapping the blade against a metal railing loudly. Bai Tza spun around to see the redhead there, holding her katana ready. "You!" The water demon screeched indignantly.

"Glad to see my skills made an impression," Nat muttered with a smirk.

"Didn't you learn the first time, human?" Bai Tza sneered condescendingly. "You're little tricks will not work on me!"

"Second time's the charm." Nat's smirk remained unwavering, until she suddenly sprang.

As she flew through the air with more impressive speed then Valerie would have thought, Bai Tza suddenly swatted the woman out of the air with her tail. Nat rolled into a ball as she hit the ground and bounced back up into a crouch. Bai Tza tried again to strike her with the bone-snapping force of her tail, but Nat seemed ready for her, as she waited until the last possible moment before bringing up her Katana and slicing through the fin on one side of the water demon's tail. Bai Tza shrieked in pain, before looming over Nat with a furious expression. Nat and the others on the balcony watched in horror as Bai Tza's wound began to form into water and her tail re-grew.

"Oh crap." Nat whispered before she jumped clear of another strike.

The demon hunter then had to almost struggle to keep herself one step ahead of Bai Tza's relentless strikes and blows. Valerie winced every time Bai Tza smashed her tail into the pavement where Nat had been a second before, or her claws only just missed the young woman's jacket. Nat ran towards a concrete beam, jumping up and kicking back off of it towards the charging Bai Tza. Plunging her hand into a little pouch on her belt, she then flung a handful of dust into the air. The demoness shrieked as she tried to avoid the stinging dust of good-magic, though some of it still clung to her arm where it burned her. But as she turned to avoid the dust, her eyes caught on a figure trying to smudge her symbols.

Nat tried to jump in the way, to distract the demoness's focus once again, but Bai Tza merely aimed her arm and a jet of water sprayed out and hit both Jackie and Nat in the same shot. The pressure was enough to send them flying backwards until they hit another concrete beam with an awfully loud 'BANG'. Valerie bit her nails in agitation as she watched the two groan but lay dazed as the water died and Bai Tza went back to quickly correcting what Jackie had erased.

"How nice to just stand back and watch Chan work…" Valmont said, and Valerie could hear the smug smirk in his voice. She would have made a comment about punching him if he didn't shut up, but she was focused on more important things as she turned to Tohru.

"Please tell me that's ready!" She whispered desperately. Tohru nodded, offering her a kind look as he poured the contents he had been mixing in the gourd onto a fish he held in his hand.

"I must be within range," He murmured as he held both and made to walk towards the escalator. He paused however and turned back to glare at Valmont. "If Jade does not remain safe, I will turn you inside out."

"Err… I won't let her out of my sight, old chap." Valmont murmured nervously as he patted Jade's head, causing the girl to growl as she swatted his hand away with a feral expression.

"And I'll watch him." Valerie murmured. Tohru nodded thankfully, before going down the escalators.

"Lai Shui Zai… Lai Shui Zai…" Bai Tza's chanting was getting louder, and Valerie was practically bouncing from foot to foot with nerves as she watched Tohru seemingly go painfully slowly down the escalator.

"Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao…" Tohru chanted as he descended.

"Lai Shui Zai. Lai Shui Zai." Bai Tza's chanting grew faster.

"Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao."Tohru sped up. It was becoming a race between them to see who could finish first.

"Lai Shui Zai. Lai Shui Zai. Lai Shui Zai. Lai Shui Zai!" Bai Tza finished with a shout as she drew the last symbol into the centre of her design. The symbols all began to glow bright green, and Valerie was dazzled for a moment, before water suddenly shot out of the symbols, causing them all to gasp as it was as if a tidal wave had suddenly detonated within the station. Water poured into the lower level, smashing into Tohru and carrying him away as if he were little more than a leaf in its current. Nat and Jackie were only just getting up, when they suddenly screamed as they saw Tohru and the flood waters coming racing towards them.

Valerie lost sight of them as the waters swallowed them up. She looked about frantically, hardly caring for the water level that only stayed just below the balcony she, Valmont and Jade were standing on. Her heart began to race with panic as the seconds ticked by and they continued to not surface. Bai Tza was laughing maniacally as she basked in the coolness of the water that rose and thrashed upon her command. Valerie paid her no mind as she focused on a sudden dark blob in the water that looked suspiciously like a head of familiar dark hair.

"Jackie!" She cried, fearing that he may be unconscious and drowning in the water, half hoping that just shouting to him might make that blob responsive.

Unfortunately, someone else hear her cry, and red orbs in a fish-like face turned and narrowed onto Valerie. The blonde sucked in a breath as she saw murder in those red eyes, clear as the writing on any page.

"Uh-oh." Jade mumbled.

"Run!" Valerie shrieked as she turned and pushed Jade ahead of her as they ran.

Bai Tza gave chase, Valerie only had to hear the demoness's battle-scream to know she was following. Her heart was racing so fast with terror, it hurt. She pulled Jade along behind her as she ran as fast as she could in her ridiculous outfit. Valmont was right behind them, a pathetic squeal building in his throat as he easily over took them. They ran around the balcony, Valerie trying to find another way up to ground level above them.

But she saw a wave of water suddenly rear to the side of them, and without thinking, Valerie all but threw Jade to Valmont. The water crashed into her legs, tripping her with a scream as she hit the ground with enough force to bruise her hip as she felt pain bloom along her side. She hissed in pain and struggled to try and get back to her feet as her shoes slipped in the water and her already movement-hampering dress clung to her skin where one side was already soaked. But as she struggled to get up, she felt the water around her begin to clot and suddenly become solid and a clawed and unforgiving hand clamped around her ankle. With super-strength the hand pulled Valerie towards the edge of the balcony, where the young woman screamed in fear and only had enough sense to grab onto a railing-pole in a fleeting attempt to stop herself getting dragged off of the balcony altogether.

"Valerie!" She heard Jade screech with fear and saw the girl trying to shrug off Valmont in an effort to get to her.

"Get Jade out of here!" Valerie screamed to Valmont, just as her grip on her pole slipped and she was flung into the air.

Something snatched at her, jarring her so fiercely she thought she would snap. A clawed hand found its way around her throat and Valerie instantly put her hands on the wrist the held her, trying to work her way free. Her eyes flew open and she found that she was suddenly face-to-face with Bai Tza. The water-demon hissed as she glared down at the human in her grasp with unbridled hate, the likes of which Valerie had never seen and didn't really understand. She struggled to breathe, though Bai Tza wasn't holding her nearly hard enough to properly strangle her, the claws on her hands digging into Valerie's neck until little beads of blood popped through the skin.

"So you are the one," Bai Tza sneered with a hiss. "The infamous Valerie Payne, the one chosen to be my twin's Other. Well, luckily for you mortal, I plan to correct that little mistake made by the fates. My brother believes he will supersede me, but I shall see to it that he will not."

"Try it, Fish-face." Valerie sputtered out defiantly as she kicked and clawed at Bai Tza, though her heart felt like it would give out in fear.

"I will make sure your stain no longer disgraces my brethren!" Bai Tza snarled as she raised her other hand, tilting Valerie's face until she stared helplessly at Bai Tza's palm above her.

With a sick laugh, Bai Tza unleashed a jet of water that fell straight into Valerie's face. The woman immediately spluttered and coughed and tried to duck her head out of the torrent, but the demoness held her firm. She couldn't even turn her head aside from the water that flooded her nose and mouth as she tried to cough and push the water out. It shot down her nose, causing her to sneeze and choke on the burning pain in her nostrils. However this only allowed the water to race down her throat before she could stop it. She gagged, spluttered and screamed as she tried to expel the water from her body, desperate to take in a breath of air to her screaming lungs. She struggled, panicked and terrified as she was forced to endure the torture as Bai Tza continued to hold her captive. She couldn't see anything as her eyes were squeezed shut, she couldn't breathe, and all she could hear was Bai Tza's laughter, the rushing water and her pulse beating inside her own ears.

In her desperation to try and break free, it was becoming more of a struggle to move, her lungs were burning and her throat was done trying to puke back up all that she had choked on in vain. She felt so heavy, it was so hard to breathe, the pressure of blood in her face was so much that it hurt. Valerie felt her limbs give out as the water continued to plunge into her, and she lost the will to fight it seeping into her mouth and down her throat. A whisper haunted the edge of her hearing, and she –

Something suddenly smashed into the side of Bai Tza, and Valerie was only vaguely aware of the grip on her neck ripped away and the torrent of water in her face ceased for some unknown reason. Arms suddenly encircled her as she was lowered to the wet ground that was only ankle deep. She wasn't aware of much else as the presence of death continued to call as her lungs wouldn't function properly, too filled with –

The arms around her waist violently and quickly punched into her gut, forcing Valerie's body to jerk with pain and making her stomach roll as the contents within her was suddenly forced back up her throat and came shooting out of her mouth with such a ferocity that it burned. Valerie's eyes shot open in shock at the pain, only able to get in a tiny breath before the arms around her did it again and she was forced to spew out all the water inside of her. She coughed and struggled as basic instinct took over as she tried to purge her lungs of the foreign and unwelcome substance within them. It took her a few minutes of heaving and coughing until her vision nearly went black before she could take a deep, burning breath. Her lungs felt like they were on fire, as did her throat and nose. But she was breathing, and Valerie could have wept for joy at this simple thing.

With blurry eyes she looked around to see her saviour, and had to blink a few times as she continued to heave as she knelt on all fours weakly. It took a moment, but she eventually managed to make out soaking red hair and wide green eyes that watched her attentively.

"Nat..?" She groaned out in a hoarse and barely recognisable voice.

"Who else?" Nat tried to say with her usual smug smirk, but her eyes still contained concern as she hovered near Valerie. Valerie herself couldn't understand how it had been Nat who had saved her. Hadn't Nat wanted her dead for being linked to a demon? But she wasn't going to be ungrateful, and weakly shifted an arm to pathetically pat Nat's knee as she gave a trembling smile.

"There's my favourite psycho…" She groaned. Nat sighed, closing her eyes as if this was all the confirmation she needed that Valerie was going to live.

"Right back at ya, bookworm," She chuckled, trying to help Valerie to her feet – the blonde noting how she had mysteriously lost one shoe and the rest of her was soaking and shivering. Nat caught Valerie as the woman threatened to fall on unsteady legs. "Come on, Rookie, keep it together."

"I'm fine – go get Bai…" Valerie said as she clung to the railing nearest to her, and realised that Tohru and Jackie was standing close by in the now knee-deep water. He had a sour look on his face that made Valerie frown as she asked: "Tohru… what's up?"

"I hate fish!" He muttered as he cast a glare to the waters around them.

"We lost the gourd," Nat murmured.

"So now what?" Valerie asked as she felt a little of her strength return.

Before anyone could reply, Bai Tza suddenly reared out of the water in front of them, causing Valerie to shriek and Nat to jump as she held up her Katana.

"Lose something?" Bai Tza said with a taunting grin. Jackie lunged towards her, but Bai Tza swatted him out of the way. Tohru made to punch her, but the demoness made a hole in her middle like a parting ripple as his fist went straight through her before she made it solid around him again. "I want to hold your hand." She grinned as her fist re-formed into a hammer and she struck him across the face.

Nat quickly jumped in front of Valerie, fending off Bai Tza's claws as best she could in her water-heavy clothing. But before her movements could lag, Jackie leapt onto Bai Tza's head, and began to wrench on her tentacles. The water-demon screamed as she tried to whip at him, before her features turned to water and reappeared on the back of her head. Jackie screamed as he quickly tied the tentacles over her eyes and jumped clear. Bai Tza managed to undo her hair, and hissed loudly as she reared in front of the four tired humans in front of her –

Suddenly they heard a shout and everyone looked up as Valmont came soaring through the air and kicked Bai Tza straight in the face. Valerie only noticed for a moment how he wasn't wearing his usually expensive looking shoes, just his socks. Bai Tza fell back with a cry, and Valmont flipped through the air gracefully before landing in front of the other four. Bai Tza thrashed back to the surface, though when she saw who had attacked her, her red eyes widened.

"First Dai Gui, then Hsi Wu… but ME?! You dare to betray ME, Shendu?!" She snarled venomously.

"Yes he does!" Valmont said with a suddenly bright smile as if a lightbulb had just been lit over his head. Valerie suddenly didn't like where this was going. "I insist you remove him from me at once and give him a trouncing!"

But Bai Tza's eyes had suddenly narrowed, and Valerie felt a sick feeling in her stomach as she followed the demoness's gaze: the symbol on Valmont's forehead.

Pointing her hand, Bai Tza suddenly shot a jet of water that smashed into Valmont, knocking him to the ground. He thrashed and tried to escape the downpour, and Valerie could hear his cries as he struggled for breath. Valerie felt a sick feeling in her stomach of familiarity. Eventually the water stopped and Jackie quickly went to Valmont, who seemed unconscious and floating in the water. Valerie held her breath when she saw the ink on the crime-lord's forehead begin to run off of his face.

"Jackie…" She croaked slowly with dread.

Eyes opened, but no longer ice-blue. but a glowing dim red.

"Urgh… Chan?" Shendu's voice asked in confusion. Jackie quickly let go, though Shendu stood, the body he possessed changing in posture and stance immediately to signal that the crime-lord was no longer at home in his own head. Shendu looked about him in confusion at the flooded subway station, until his eyes landed on Bai Tza behind the group of humans.

"They've been playing tricks on you, brother!" Bai Tza accused as she pointed a claw at the humans trapped between them.

"Then they will suffer a dragon's fury!" Shendu growled out in an angry voice that made Valerie shrink back a little in fear. But she couldn't get far before Bai Tza clenched hold of her hair, causing the young woman to shriek in pain at the unforgiving claws that wrenched her head back.

"Especially your little pet…" Valerie heard Bai Tza grin. She struggled against the grip on her hair with her own fiery expression. Going on instinct and the lessons Jackie taught her, Valerie quickly drove her elbow back into Bai Tza's face.

The water demon screamed in pain as she let Valerie go and reared back. Nat dove for Shendu, who sucked in a breath as he prepared to blast the red-head with fire. Tohru and Jackie grabbed hold of Bai Tza, and threw her towards Shendu, Nat ducking at the last minute. Shendu unleashed his flames, and Bai Tza screamed as she was engulfed in them and turned to vapour. She hit Shendu, knocking him into the water with a spluttering cough as steam rose from where he fell into the water. Neither reappeared.

Suddenly they all felt the flood water shift around them, before suddenly surging as it rose quickly up their bodies. They all cried out as they had to kick off of the floor in order to keep themselves up in the steadily rising water. Valerie looked around in panic, and saw Jade up on the higher balcony still waving them over.

"Come on!" Jackie called to the rest of them as he swam towards the escalators. Nat wasted no time in following him, though slower as her clothing and gear began to weigh her down. Tohru followed, and Valerie brought up the rear. As they reached the escalator however, Valerie held onto it to keep her anchored, but looked back, searching for something. Shendu hadn't risen since he and Bai Tza went down, and Valerie felt her stomach begin to knot in what she could only assume was worry.

"Valerie!" The others called down to her, and she looked up at them, torn.

"H-He's not come back up!" She shouted, and before the rational side of her brain could smack some sense into her, she was already kicking away from the escalators and swimming out into the middle of the flooding station.

The only thing Valerie could describe as being close to the terror she felt as she swam, was the equivalent of knowing that Jaws was in the ocean and you were swimming above him, tempting him to take a bite. She felt her heart hammering inside her chest to the point where it was difficult to breathe, her eyes wide as she looked about for any sign of the demoness that had already tried to drown her. Not wanting to dwell on the opportunity that she had given Bai Tza to finish the job, Valerie stuck her head underwater and opened her eyes as she looked about.

The sting to her eyeballs made her want to close them, though through sheer determination she forced them open. Her world was blurry and hurt her eyes, but she tried to focus. Until finally, she saw a man-shaped blob floating in the water, struggling against the current, movements becoming sluggish in the ever slowly rising water.

Quickly resurfacing, Valerie swam over to where she suspected the shadow to be just below her, perhaps if she kicked out a foot, she might be able to touch him. Quickly diving, she found he wasn't far below her at all. She tried to grab hold of the green suit, pulling with all her strength as she tried to force him up to the surface. But the man was much heavier then he looked, and the fact that he was unresponsive only made him a further dead-weight to her. Quickly running out of her own oxygen in her struggles, Valerie let go and swam back to the surface in order to take another breath. She noted with panic how the water was still rising, and Shendu was only sinking. Realising what she had to do, she took in a huge breath, enough to completely expand her diaphragm and fill her lungs, before diving once again.

She swam down as fast as she could with only a little movements in order to conserve her oxygen. She came in front of Shendu, holding onto his heavy drifting body like he was an anchor to keep her place in the water. His eyes were drifting open and closed, delirious as he was losing the fight against the water. Valerie didn't have time to feel nervous of what she was about to do, or even consider the consequences, she merely held onto him, pulled him close and pressed her lips against his.

Using her own lips to force his mouth to open, she held his face in her hands as she pulled him close until their lips were air tight, and breathed into him. She gave him all the air she could spare, willing a response in him before she would have to go back up for more. She desperately wanted him to come alive, to swim back with her to the surface. He had saved her life on plenty of occasions, she needed to repay the favour.

She almost didn't notice the soft hand that cupped the back of her head and pulled her closer, or the way the face she held tilted slightly to get a better angle. She almost didn't even notice the way the lips moved in a completely different way as they massaged her own. So lost was she in her own little world, that for a moment she simply allowed whatever was happening to occur, and almost kissed him back in relief.

Before that could happen however, reality kicked in and she snapped open her eyes to see Shendu coming back to consciousness, his eyes blinking open as he held onto her. She pulled her face away, and both of them became aware of what was happening. Valerie would ask later why she didn't feel any shame, and instead focused on kicking upwards as Shendu followed her movements and they swam with arms still wrapped around each other to the surface.

They both sucked in huge gasps of air as they broke the surface of the water, Shendu giving an irritated hiss as to how he was drenched in the liquid around them. Valerie looked around for the escalators where everyone had been trying to get to safety, ignoring the way Shendu's hand was possessively holding onto her waist.

"Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao… Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao…" She heard Uncle's voice and swivelled around to see him descending the staircase, holding his blowfish as he swung it back and forth.

Suddenly, Valerie felt the water around her begin to pull and turn, almost pulling her with it if she luckily didn't find a nearby railing to hold onto. She saw the whirlpool beginning to form in the centre of the station, spinning like a giant plug sucking down the water. Uncle continued to chant, the water moving faster to avoid him as his blowfish began to glow bright green.

"No!" Came an outraged shriek, and Valerie turned with a gasp of fear to see Bai Tza staring in horror at her foiled plan. Uncle quickly shot out a green blast at her, but the water-demon ducked just in time as she dived into the water, becoming nothing but a black mass as she raced with the water to the escape. In a matter of moments, all the water that had once flooded the station disappeared back into the symbols it had erupted from, and then even those vanished.

"Uncle!" Jackie suddenly shouted from somewhere Valerie could not see. "Exorcism!"

Before Uncle could do anything, however, Shendu leapt away from Valerie, soaring higher then humanly possible as he landed on the escalators before leaping once again and disappearing up the stairs and out of the station. Valerie watched where he had left with wide eyes, but felt too exhausted to do anything else. She was soon joined by the others.

"We scared him off!" Jade cheered with triumph.

"Why'd you save him?" Nat asked Valerie with an unreadable look.

"I… err… thought he was still Valmont." Valerie mumbled her lame excuse. Nat didn't say anything, but still watched her.

"Uncle," Jackie said with a worried tone. "You did not remove Shendu from Valmont – OW!" He yelped when Uncle slapped him with two fingers.

"With what spell?!" Uncle raged with wide eyes and frustrated shaking fists. "Too many interruptions! I had to concoct anti-water summoning spell FIRST!"

"So Bai Tza and Shendu remain at large…" Jackie murmured gravely.

"How are we gonna catch her now? She could be anywhere?" Valerie asked, the hopelessness of the situation dawning on her wet and shivering body.

"Jackie, Val, hello!" Jade said with a large, infectious smile. "We just saved the city from the big one!"

"She will return…" Jackie murmured.

"And when she does, we'll hook her like a trout!" Jade beamed.

"And I'll be there." Nat said with a tired smirk as everyone looked at her in confusion. "What? I never leave a job unfinished. So I might as well stick around until this one is through."

"We will need all the help we can get." Tohru mumbled.

"Thank you, for your help today." Jackie said with a proud smile. "Perhaps you are more of a team-player then you thought."

"Perhaps this team wasn't as useless as I thought," Nat murmured though her smirk turned into a small, secret smile.

"Hey, Nat…" Valerie said softly as she looked at the other woman. "Where're you staying?"

"I'll probably get a little motel somewhere." The demon-huntress shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't have much money, but it'll be enough to get me through the –"

"You wanna stay over at my place?" Valerie blurted, far too tired to feel nervous at asking the question.

"What?" Nat blinked.

"I got a couch." Valerie said. "And good food, and you'll be close to the shop. Though my landlord does have a no-psychopath policy, so I'm not sure if you'll be able to fit in… you up for it?"

Nat grinned.

Author's Note: Big thanks to InsanityisReality for being my beta!

And please review!