Author's Note: A long a/n here, so... sorry. But I need to address a serious issue.
Perhaps I should have made it clear in the beginning, but this story is not going to be exactly like the show, in tone or theme (for the most part). There is a more adult feel, with a lot of gaps filled in that can at times get very serious and very dark.
Shendu and Valerie's relationship is not conventional. It is not Disney-esque or cut in black and white. This isn't a beauty and the beast "woman-changes-brute-into-perfect-gentleman" story. This is about two imperfect beings learning to co-exist with one another and trying to understand what they should feel for each other. It is a very strange relationship and somewhat adult in that regard. This chapter, I hope, explains more of the characters and their inner-conflict in order to satisfy everyone.
I'll try and stop rambling now by saying a big thank you to everyone who is still sticking by me and still supporting me in this story. It really means so much to me that you have no idea how much it makes my day. I love each and every one of you so much - and I truly do thank you all.
NEW-EDIT: This chapter has been edited to better suit the story's purpose. I hope you enjoy it.
The Last Door
Valerie opted to stay behind whilst Jackie, Tohru, Uncle, Nat and sneaky Jade left to stop Bai Tza from where she had suddenly sprung on the Indian cost, attempting to cause a Tsunami, apparently. She didn't feel up for a trip in the field, and honestly enjoyed the silence when she realised that Jade was gone. It left her time to think.
She hadn't been able to sleep for the past week. Nightmares replayed Shendu's story to her over and over again, with her own imagination offering violent and horrifying images to accompany them. Ever since that night in the alley, she felt the burn of shame in her chest, because despite everything she knew about Shendu, everything everyone told her about him, she couldn't stop herself from remembering his husky words, his kiss. Heated blasted across her face. Forcefully she tried to remind herself of the evil he'd done. He'd kidnapped a young girl and killed her lover in front of her, he'd driven her to suicide, he'd split a family apart. She'd defended, even slightly trusted Shendu, and it turned out he could be capable of that and possibly worse in a fit of jealousy. That left her a little uneasy.
But at the same time, he had not lied to her. He was deceptive by nature, and he could have lied to her in that alley and made her more sympathetic to his cause. But he hadn't, he'd told her straight who and what he was and what he had done. He'd not sugar-coated any of it, he'd not given her the option of believing any falsehoods about himself. Instead, he'd laid himself bare for her and awaited her judgement… almost like a convict pleading guilty to wash away their sins.
It didn't excuse him, oh no, not one bit. And then there was the fact that he wanted to take over the world, force her to marry him and use her as an incubator for his demon-spawn (though he'd never said that himself, Valerie guessed that wish was in there somewhere). The very idea of that made her angry. But then she reminded herself of the other side of the coin. He'd promised her to not force her into something she didn't want. In the past, he'd been good to her. In his own twisted way, some part of him loved her (or as much as a demon could love) just enough that he wanted the choice to be hers, for her to come to him. Whether this was another lie or not, she didn't know, but it still played on her consciousness.
Why couldn't she forget his words? Why couldn't she get his kiss out of her head? Why was she trying to find excuses or reasons as to why she might have almost kissed him back?
This was not a black and white world, but one filled with so much grey. And Valerie hated herself for even thinking of any sort of defence for the demon. But she couldn't ignore all the facts, either to convict him or in his defence. All of these different sides all pounded in her skull throughout her waking hours, but more so at night, hence the reason why she couldn't sleep.
When the phone rang shrilly, it was all Valerie could do not to hiss at the pounding headache that raced across her skull at the noise. She picked up the phone and held it to her ear as she groggily spoke: "Hello?"
"Valerie…" Nat murmured on the other end of the line.
"Hey Nat," Valerie greeted, her voice slightly slurred. "How'd banishing Bai Tza go?"
"Valerie…" Nat whispered again, and for the first time, Valerie thought she heard a slight tremble in the demon-hunter's voice, and it instantly had her freezing in place with worry.
"Nat?" She murmured as all sleepiness left her brain. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"We don't know what happened, but…" Nat said, and Valerie felt the ball of dread inside her stomach grow larger. "The kid, Jade… she got caught on the spell, and she's… she's…"
Valerie couldn't speak, she couldn't even breathe as she waited with a pounding heart for the words she dreaded. She knew they were coming, but she begged with all her might that she was wrong…
"She's gone."
"No… no! no!" Valerie almost screeched as tears stung her eyes. No! Not Jade! Anyone but Jade – she was just a kid! "Tell me you're getting her back! Tell me Uncle's got some kind of mumbo-jumbo to get her back!"
"The old man says the only way to get into the Demon-Netherworld is through the eighth door." Nat explained.
"The Eighth door?" Valerie echoed, as she tried to remember why there was an eighth door – weren't there only seven Demon-Sorcerers?
"Shendu's door." Nat explained tightly, and Valerie felt her eyes widen as realisation hit her. "But we need –"
"The Pan'ku Box." She finished for Nat as her eyes narrowed.
"I'm gonna call my grandfather, see if he can give us any help." Nat said, her voice filled with determination. "But we're on our way back to San Francisco, we should be landing within the hour. Jackie and Tohru are gonna try and get the Pan'ku box as soon as we land. We need you to hold the fort until we can get back."
"I'm not going to sit by whilst Jade's in Hell!" Valerie all but hissed furiously into the phone.
"Val–" Nat tried to say, but Valerie had already hung up.
She couldn't believe she was even contemplating this. But Jade needed her help. Valerie felt her heart freeze, every beat suddenly feeling painful at the thought of the little girl she'd come to love trapped in that hellish world surrounded by demons – one in particular. The only hope of rescuing Jade was with the Pan'ku Box and Shendu's portal, and Valerie wanted there to be all the chance possible that this was going to succeed. And for that, she would need to swallow her fears and face them head on. Jade was loyal and fierce and would do anything for a friend, and Valerie would have to do the same.
Abandoning the shop, Valerie quickly hailed a cab and paid it to go to the docks. She remembered Valmont's words when he'd come to the shop: the Helm's Fish Cannery was their hideout, and that was where she was headed. After forty minutes of driving, the cab finally pulled up in front of the run-down looking warehouse, and Valerie beheld the place where she'd been kept during her recovery. Somehow, she'd imagined it to be a lot more sinister, but it looked positively ordinary. Bracing herself, she didn't even bother to check for danger, and walked straight inside.
She walked through a small corridor, which turned sharply to the right, and she came to another door, and could hear familiar voices on the other side.
"You may take your leave, Hak Foo." She heard Shendu say dismissively, and felt a shiver run down her spine.
"I order you to stay!" Valmont's voice quickly interrupted.
"Leave!" Shendu insisted.
"Stay!"
"Leave!"
"Stay!"
"Leave!"
"Stay!"
"Your ruffian has outlasted his usefulness to me, Valmont. Get rid of him." Shendu said, and Valerie could hear the sneer in his voice as she quietly opened the door to find him standing in front of the mirror talking to his reflection whilst Hak Foo watched in confusion.
"And be left alone with you?" Valmont asked rhetorically. "I think not Shendu!"
"You're not alone." Valerie said in a deadpan voice as she entered the room fully, closing the door behind her. Hak Foo and Valmont jumped in surprise as they spun around to see her, Valmont's blue eyes turning red as Shendu took over and a look of astonishment grew over his face.
"Valerie…" He said slowly, clearly not sure what to do with this sudden development. "I was not expecting to see you…"
Valerie refused to look at him in the eye, heat creeping up her neck. She didn't even glance at Hak Foo as she passed the thug stiffly, approaching Shendu. She stopped when she was close to him but still out of his reach. She was surprised to see that Shendu didn't seem to have his usual smirk on his face, instead he looked… uneasy.
"What brings you here, Valerie?" He asked, his voice indecipherable.
"Your sister Bai Tza has now been banished," Valerie began.
"I see…" Shendu said, though his tone made it clear that he was even more confused by her presence now.
"But…" Valerie paused, a lump growing in her throat as she feared to speak the situation aloud, as if that would confirm it to be true, or make things worse. "Something… went wrong. We lost Jade in the banishing spell."
"And this would concern me, why?" He asked as his eyes narrowed on her.
"We need the Pan'ku box and your portal to bring her back."
"And why should I believe this? As if this isn't some trap?" He pointed out with a suspicious hiss.
"I guess... you'll just have to trust me," she whispered, and for the first time she let her eyes meet his.
Shendu was silent, his red eyes narrowing on her.
"Look, I need the box," she murmured. "A box that you have."
"So you simply want me to hand it over?"
"No. I'm here to offer you a deal for it."
Shendu's brows rose as he took in this new information, but still he did not appear to have his usual smug-grin. "I'm listening…"
"You give me the box to give to Uncle and Jackie," Valerie said. "And… in return… I give you what you want." She had to swallow hard before she forced the last word out. "Me."
Shendu's brows shot so high up his face in surprise that Valerie thought that they would disappear into his hairline. He seemed astonished and most confused by this sudden offer. But she saw the interested gleam in his eyes, and knew that he was contemplating on agreeing. His lips tugged upwards slightly, it wasn't his usual devilish grin, but it was still a small confirmation.
"Shendu…" Came an ominous hissing voice from behind him.
Before the voice had even finished speaking, Shendu shoved Valerie away from him to the side, and she stumbled back. She almost cried out in surprise when her back collided with something solid, before a huge hand covered her mouth, silencing her. Valerie went stiff as her heart suddenly shot into overdrive as a panic attack almost completely took over when she realised that it was Hak Foo holding her. She tried to struggle but her attempts were for naught, as the huge thug held her in a grip that completely restrained her but didn't crush her. Instead she was forced to look as Shendu turned back around to face his mirror, which she couldn't see, his eyes blinking wide with unease.
"Brothers and sisters… so good to see you…" Shendu murmured slowly.
"Your sentiment will quickly subside Shendu," Valerie heard the voice Xiao Fung sneer.
"Once your punishment is underway." Came the brutish voice of Dai Gui.
"P-P-Punishment?" If Valerie would have thought him capable of producing such a sound, she could have sworn that Shendu just squeaked. "Before I've finished securing your release?"
"And how do you plan to do that with all of our portals permanently sealed?!" Thundered the voice that Valerie vaguely remembered as belonging to Po Kong.
"Why…" Shendu trailed off, and his eyes caught hold of Valerie's. An unusually long moment passed between them as their eyes locked. Valerie didn't know why she was suddenly finding it so difficult to read Shendu, but he seemed to be thinking something over in his head as he stared at her. Finally, a small smile curved the edge of his lip as he turned back to the mirror. "Through my portal, dear sister."
Valerie felt her blood run cold.
"The eighth portal?" Bai Tza gasped.
"It remains unsealed," Shendu explained, his cunning grin widening as he put on his best showman act for his siblings. "All I need do is unlock it with the Panku Box. A task for which I have retained the services of a mortal servant, who may touch good magic. What is mine is yours demon brethren." He said with a bow.
There was a slight pause, and Shendu looked a little exasperated at something, when Valerie heard Bai Tza hiss: "What in the Netherworld is wrong with you Po Kong?!"
"Itch – cannot reach!" Po Kong grunted.
"Hsi Wu!" The water demon commanded. "Scratch your sister's back so we may get on with our meeting!"
"Urgh, there's a lot of back… could take a while." Valerie heard the sky demon growl.
There was a moment of pause, and Valerie had time to think. She was almost glad that Hsi Wu was there at the meeting and didn't seem to be preoccupied, so it made her a little more at ease to think that perhaps he hadn't found Jade yet. But then again, considering how crafty Hsi Wu was, that didn't mean much.
"It passed." Po Kong finally said.
"Now about the Eighth Door, Shendu." Bai Tza murmured as if she were facing off against her brother. "It is the portal of your banishment. Only you may pass through it."
"That once was true Bai Tza," Shendu agreed with his continued grin. "But now that I am a spirit, my portal is vacant, waiting to be filled by others!"
"You mean another." Said a calm and regal voice that Valerie had never heard before. "Only one may pass through each portal."
"That is the rule." Xiao Fung chimed in.
Whilst Valerie was relieved that such a rule existed, she knew that Shendu didn't see it that way as he floundered about to try and explain himself.
"D-Do you think I have been dallying here?" He demanded, his hand patting the desk beside him until his fingers curled around a phone book as he held it up to them – Valerie hoped the Demon's couldn't read tiny English. "I have discovered a spell! Which will keep the portal open until the last of you is freed! In fact, I was just preparing to journey to it when you called. Hak Foo!"
At Shendu's order, Hak Foo released Valerie and leapt to his side, causing her to fall to the ground with a slight 'omph'.
"Bring me–" Shendu turned, only to see the Pan'ku Box being lifted into the air by a rope, and Valerie looked up in astonishment to find Jackie in the rafters! When did he get here?! "The Pan'ku Box!" Shendu cried shrilly.
"SHARK SNATCHES BAIT!" Hak Foo cried as he leapt through the air and snatched at the box, pulling Jackie down from the rafters with it.
"What shark?" Valerie heard Bai Tza ask in confusion and turned to see Shendu doing his best to block the view of the mirror.
"What is he talking about?" Xiao Fun asked. But Shendu turned the mirror around to face the wall. Feeling it safe to now come out, Valerie quickly tried to run to Jackie.
"Jackie!" She hissed to him, trying to be as quiet as possible. But neither man listened to her, and Hak Foo squared off against Jackie, prepared to leap –
Suddenly, a combat boot appeared out of nowhere as Nat sailed through the air and kicked Hak Foo right in the face, the man was sent flying off of his feet and smashed into the gong on the wall. Valerie had to cover her ears as the loud noise of the gong boomed through the cannery.
"Shendu! What is happening?!" Bai Tza demanded.
"Err, Hak Foo always sounds the gong as we take our leave." Shendu told them. "Which reminds me," He grabbed a cloth quickly through it over the mirror. "See you all at my portal!"
And then Shendu turned with blazing red eyes onto the scene. Valerie trying to grab everyone's attention, the demon-hunter and Chan fighting off against Hak Foo, and Tohru and the chi-wizard coming in through the open door.
"Enough!" The demon snarled in a voice that seemed to grab the ear of everyone in the room.
Everyone froze and turned around to face him, wide eyed and eerily still as they waited to see what he would do. Valerie gulped when Shendu ignored them all and came towards her calmly. Nat reached for her sword, but Shendu sent her a withering glare, before focusing his attention once more on Valerie. He didn't stop until he was only a foot in front of her, and Valerie was acutely aware of his closeness.
"I trust your offer is still on the table?" He asked in a calm and stoic voice.
"What?" Valerie blinked in confusion, having to remind herself of what he was talking about before she frowned. "But… you just said –"
"Never mind that." He interrupted crisply.
"Then how am I supposed to trust this?" .
"Trust me or don't." Shendu told her flatly. "It all depends on how much you want the Pan'ku Box."
That was a retort that Valerie couldn't argue back against, and it made up her mind for her.
"Deal."
"What? What are you talking about? What deal?!" Nat cut in, her voice a little shrill with alarm and reminded Valerie of her friends currently present. Valerie opened her mouth to explain, but no words would come out.
"Hak Foo, give them the box." Shendu ordered. Hak Foo looked a little confused, but still nodded obediently, before simply handing Jackie the mystical blue box.
"What is going on?" Jackie asked with unease as he looked at Valerie with growing concern.
"Valerie and I just performed a mutually beneficial exchange." Shendu grinned as he stepped up beside Valerie, though he didn't touch her.
"What?!" Nat all but shrieked. "You can't be serious?!"
"AIIIEEEYAAA! Uncle's shop assistant has lost her mind!" Uncle did screech. "Shendu is demon! One more thing: he is evil! One more thing: he will betray you at first opportunity! One MORE thing –"
"Uncle enough!" Valerie finally shouted over him, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to block out every single emotion whirling through her.
"Valerie… what have you done?" She heard Jackie's voice ask softly, and she looked up, guilt tearing through her as she saw the hurt expression deep in his eyes.
"I traded myself for the Pan'ku box, alright?" She retorted testily, unable to bear looking at him as she tore her gaze away.
"AAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAA!" Uncle screamed, as he grabbed hold of Jackie's shoulder in panic. "Valerie has been bewitched by demon-magic!"
"I have NOT!" Valerie shouted, already impatient with this. Why couldn't they see what they had and just take it?
"Then why would you do this? Go against us? Was everything a lie?!" Nat demanded, and Valerie could see that she was angry, almost livid. Good, Valerie knew she could deal with anger, someone being angry with you was much easier to handle. But she thought she saw a look of betrayal in her eyes that cut her deeper than any insult.
"No!" The blonde snarled as she fought against tears. "Jade is stuck in the Netherworld and as far as I can see, I am the ONLY one who seems to be doing anything to bring her back!"
"If you had just listened –" Jackie tried to reach for her, but Valerie recoiled away from him.
"No!" She hissed again. "Call me a traitor if you want, but I am doing something – you're not! God's sake, Jackie! Why can't you just do something for once! Stop being a coward and just do it! The more time we waste, Jade could already be…"
She was about to say the word 'dead', but stopped herself short when she saw the frightened and wounded look on Jackie's face. She'd been so caught up in her anger and guilt that she hadn't filtered what she'd said. Instantly, she felt her heart grow stiff in shock as she realised the irreparable error she'd made.
"Jackie… I'm…" She tried to say, but Jackie wouldn't look at her. Suddenly, Valerie felt very much alone.
"Perhaps… we should just go…" Tohru murmured softly finally when the silence seemed to weigh heavy over them all.
"Good. We best leave soon if we wish to reach the portal site before my demon brethren do." Shendu's voice cut across the room not-so-softly.
"What?" Valerie frowned. There was a sudden song of metal and Nat's Katana was drawn and pointed at Shendu, a murderous expression on her face.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't slit your throat!" She hissed dangerously.
"Because I'll be sure to make my next body yours. Perhaps I'll then let you watch as your Tutor runs the blade through you, demon-hunter." Shendu growled as he fixed his blazing eyes on Nat. The hunter only flinched slightly as she obviously thought of her father and grandfather, but Shendu caught the movement and grinned. "A member of the family, perhaps? All the more enjoyable."
"Knock it off you two." Valerie muttered sternly.
"Why are you coming with us?" Jackie asked Shendu suspiciously.
"I want to be sure that this isn't some trap. And you will need my magical expertise if you want to bring the child out of the Netherworld." Shendu pointed out smugly.
"We cannot trust you." Uncle spat.
"Do we have a choice?" Jackie murmured.
Shendu grinned.
"Time flies when you're waiting for a cell door to open." Hsi Wu grumbled as he sat hovering in the air by the site where the eighth door would (hopefully) soon appear.
Suddenly, something smacked into the back of his head, causing the Sky Demon to grunt, before whirling around to catch whatever had hit him in his claws. He glared at the peculiar object he held, something square and blue with a moose's head on the top. He frowned at it for a moment, before he recognised it as a piece of human technology. But what was something like that doing here? Unless there was a tear in the barrier between the realms – which he very much doubted, otherwise he would have found it by now – that could only mean one thing.
There was a human here.
Immediately taking off, he soared in the general direction he thought the camera had floated from. His eyes scanned every floating rock, every inch of red sky, searching for his prey. When he found it, his eyes lit up as an evil grin widened across his face. It was just too perfect!
"Where's my camera?" Said the little mortal girl in the orange hoodie, with jet black hair and gold-brown eyes that he distinctly remembered. Jade.
"Oh Jade!" He called out playfully as he brought her camera up to his eye and peered through the lens. "Say Chi-spell!"
He saw the moment when she saw him and horror broke out across her face. She turned to run, but he quickly caught up with her, snatching her up in his clawed feet like a great eagle as he flew off into the sky. At the mere contact, he felt himself fill with energy that made him want to burst with power, and even heard Jade cry out at the unexpected reaction. He grinned in triumph, for he could have never have foreseen this turn of events, but relished it none the less. Spotting a larger floating platform, he quickly threw his prey down onto the ground. Before she could get up and run, he landed right beside her, squatting to be on her eye level as he grinned at her.
"Nice to see you again, Jade." He sneered out her name, his grin turning slightly nasty as he remembered their last encounter.
"Wish I could say the same, Seymour!" She spat back spitefully.
"Still sore about that?" He asked, though he continued to grin like he knew the answer to his own question.
"You lied to me! You used me!" The child shouted at him furiously.
"Hint is in the word demon." He told her nonchalantly. For indeed, he cared not what he had done, he was a demon after all. And he showed how much he cared about her pathetic mortal feelings by picking at imaginary dirt beneath his claws.
"So what now?" She asked, lifting her chin defiantly as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You gonna eat me? Hand me over to the rest of the demons?"
"Oh no." Hsi Wu grinned as he fixed his gaze back upon her with a mischievous grin, a plan already formed in his mind. "I'd like to strike a bargain."
"What?" Jade frowned in confusion, clearly not expecting this.
"I know you're not supposed to be here." He pointed out. "We both want out, so it would seem that I hold your ticket out of here."
"And what do you want in return?"
"For you to be bound to me."
"What?" Jade blanched as she took a step back, obviously remembering what they had discussed on the water-tower before Valerie and the others had come to rescue the girl.
"You don't know?" Hsi Wu couldn't help his grin getting wider by the second. "Oh Jade, such happy news! We're Others!"
"WHAT?!" Jade shrieked, her eyes growing impossibly wide as her face grew pale in shock.
"Did your dear friend Valerie not tell you?" He asked, though knew she hadn't. When Jade looked as if she was on the verge of doubting, he decided to rub it in just a little more to drive it home. "I assumed you knew – why else was she so adamant to get you away from me? How do you think she found us, if not with Shendu's help?"
"She… she…" Jade murmured, hurt and confusion evident in her eyes and voice, and Hsi Wu relished it!
"Oh dear," He said with mocking sincerity. "It would seem your friend has been keeping many, many secrets…" Jade looked at the ground, shaking her head in denial though he could see she knew it as truth. "My deal: we are bound together, and then I help you escape."
"No."
"No?" He blinked in surprise at her sudden and forceful refusal.
"We do this my way." The girl had the gall to command him as if she were above him, and Hsi Wu was compelled to listen, for he had never heard a mortal talk back to him this way. Jade was certainly strong willed, he would give her that. "I know you want out as bad as I do, and I know you won't leave me here if what you say is true. So, we play it like a game. If we both get out, then I'll do your little sick ritual thingy."
"Where your chi-wizard will banish me again?!" He snarled angrily, already seeing the ways this could go wrong.
"All the portals are sealed now, right?" Jade smirked as if she knew she was right. "You get out, there's nothing to send you back." As she said the word, Hsi Wu had to think about it for a moment… actually, now that she mentioned it, she was right. Jade knew she had him when she set her hard gaze on him. "We gotta deal?"
"Deal."
They were on their way to Hong Kong in the fastest jet that Valmont owned. Shendu hated almost every second of it, though he made sure that Chan and the rest of his little troupe stayed at the front of the aircraft whilst Shendu stayed right at the back. Just because he had recommended this little 'truce' didn't mean he liked it one bit. The only consolation to it all was the fact that he had insisted that Valerie sit at the back with him, Hak Foo sitting a few rows in front of them in order to make sure no one came close. Valerie and the others had been hesitant, but no one (apart from the Chi-Wizard) had been too vocal in their objection, still shocked and hurt from Valerie's apparent 'betrayal'. Shendu however, was more than willing to take advantage of the situation.
However, he could tell that something was not… right, between him and Valerie. He kept stealing glances at her where she sat by the window. She was rod-stiff, arms crossed, completely drawn into herself, her hair sweeping in front of her face to hide her features from him. This was very different from how it had previously been between them. Before, he could have almost sworn that when he would reach out to her, there would be something in her almost reaching back. Now, she was cut off, forcing herself to not react to him in any way, making herself closed to him.
He knew what had caused her to be this way, he knew it the moment he saw her in the fish cannery and saw her this way. He silently cursed himself for ever telling her of his wretched past, and almost seemed frustrated by the fact that now everything was out in the open… And he was confused by his own feelings towards this situation. That black pulp that had once been his heart, ached and twisted in what he assumed mortals called guilt, if he had offended her. And then he was worried at what he could've possibly done. And then he wondered if she thought about that kiss as much as he had. It was almost infuriating to think that a mortal woman could make him think this way; what had she done to him? How could she have ruined his resolve to make him crumble like this as if he had a moral compass at all? He knew he should just forget this mess and move on, he was a DEMON after all. So… why couldn't he get over it?
Was she more upset over discovering what had happened to Mei? Or the words of how he might take away her freedom? Shendu didn't want that, but if that was how she interpreted it, then... what should he do?
"I…" Shendu murmured finally, breaking the silence that had been with them since the very beginning of the flight. He knew Valerie was listening, even if she didn't turn to look at him, but he still struggled to find the words to express himself. Finally, he decided to say only what came to mind, no matter how much it hurt his pride. "I have never regretted who or what I am… until now."
"Is that supposed to make me forgive you?" She still didn't turn to face him.
"What?" He blinked as he looked at her, surprised that she was so quick to know what line of thought he was on.
"You destroyed a young woman's life. You enslaved countless people." Though he couldn't see her face, her biting tone cut into him with each and every word. "And you expect me to just forgive you?"
"It did happen 900 years ago." He grumbled.
"I don't care."
"Have I ever done anything to hurt you? Have I ever tried to do any such evil to you? No!" He retorted back at her, his frustration already making themselves known, and he cursed his lack of self-control. What was happening to him?
"That doesn't make it any better." Valerie muttered.
"I know that." He muttered to her. "But what is done is done. I cannot change what happened back then, all I can do is move forward."
"You don't sound regretful when you want to destroy life as we know it." She shot at him as she finally turned around to glare at him.
"I am a demon, Valerie. A creature of evil." He tried to tell her as gently as he could.
"And I'll never be yours so long as that is true." She almost whispered as she leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes as if she were fighting for composure.
"I cannot change who I am." He murmured softly, resisting the temptation to touch her, to comfort her in some way. He knew she would not want him. "But with you everything has been different."
"I fail to see how." She looked back at him, eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"I may have done many bad things to many humans. I didn't care, I still don't care. But you…" Shendu was trying to be as truthful with her as he could. He wanted so badly to repair this rift between them, he felt so desperate he'd do anything! "You are the only human I will never harm, and who I wish to see… happy. Perhaps I am beyond redemption, and perhaps I am… unsettled by that." He was surprised by how much he meant that. If Valerie couldn't ever find it in herself to forgive him, he honestly felt at a loss for what to do, something he'd never felt before. "But if there is any way I can be redeemed, then it is through you."
There was a long silence as Valerie sat there, unable to speak, and Shendu wanted to scream in frustration. What did he have to do to make her see? How could he show her that he was serious? From the depths of his mind, a memory surfaced, of him sitting in the cannery after Valerie had left it, and picking up one of her books…
"'Do not forget, do not ever forget, that you have promised me to use the money to make yourself an honest man.' Valjean, who did not recall having made any promise, was silent. The bishop had spoken the words slowly and deliberately. He concluded with a solemn emphasis: 'Jean Valjean, my brother, I have bought your soul to save it from black thoughts and the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God.'" Shendu recited the passage to her in a hushed voice. He heard her take a quite intake of breath in surprise, and knew the significance of what he had spoken.
"You have been reading the books you gave me…" She murmured, somewhere between a question and a statement.
"It was all I could do to remind myself that you had ever been there." He told her truthfully.
The silence that then settled over them was not as heavy as before. He could almost hear the gears in her head turning as she thought everything over. Shendu could only hope that she would reach a conclusion he liked, and prayed that this venture wouldn't destroy them both.
"When we reach my portal, I will need your assistance." He told her to break the silence again.
"What?" She looked over at him, frowning in confusion. "I thought the Pan'ku Box would open it."
"It will." He nodded. "But if you want the child to come out of there safely, then you will need to help me keep it open until she can come through. Being my Other, you will give me the necessary magical boost."
"I thought we couldn't do that whilst you possessed Valmont's body?"
"There is a way around it…" He murmured vaguely.
He knew he couldn't tell her that he planned on using her connection with him in order to keep the portal open, for he knew she would never agree to it. But if he didn't tell her, he also knew she would never forgive him for lying to her. He shouldn't have cared, for he wasn't exactly well known for keeping promises or being very truthful. But he'd also never really lied to Valerie.
"You know Jackie and Uncle can't let the other demons through…" Valerie's voice was a soft murmur as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
"I know." He nodded. "But if I do not try, then I face eternal torture."
"We need Jade back…" She murmured, as if thinking through what she needed to say slowly. "If you can get her back, without bringing back your siblings…" She turned to face him, and ever so slowly, she reached out and grasped his hand. Shendu was hooked on every word as she spoke: "I'll consider what you say."
He stared at her for a moment, unable to comprehend what she had just said before recognition dawned on him. Either stay loyal to his siblings and free them and resume his plans of world domination… Or, risk eternal torment but gain the favour of the woman he wanted? He thought the choice would be difficult, but he still found himself nodding to her in agreement.
Meanwhile, up at the front of the plane, Nat leaned over the side of her chair in order to glare down the aisle at where the filthy demon was sitting at the back. It went against the huntress's nature to have something so dangerous so close without killing it, but she was forced to be helpless. It did nothing to ease her mood.
"I don't like this." She grumbled as she turned back in her seat to face the front, angrily flicking a lock of red hair behind her ear. She turned to look at her teammates sitting alongside her, letting them see her displeasure. "We should be killing that creep, not making deals with him!"
"If it gets us to Jade…" Jackie murmured as he gazed out of the window forlornly.
"And if it doesn't?" Nat pointed out.
"We need to trust Valerie." Tohru rumbled softly, sat beside Nat and taking up most of the seating on their row. Nat had come to view Tohru as the mediator of the group, the one who helped to keep everyone calm, even if his record suggested he was once a thug.
"Even after what she's done?" Nat grumbled, still sore over everything as she folded her arms crossly.
"That is what friends do…" Jackie murmured. Nat felt something akin to guilt flash through her, even if she was new to such a feeling. She'd never had real friends before, mainly because no one really knew about her profession. Despite the fact that her and Valerie had gotten off to a bad start, they had a start of something… friendly? Which was why it hurt more when Val did this, but it also felt wrong to blame her as well.
"Valerie we can trust." Uncle said from where he was sandwiched between Tohru and Jackie. "But not Shendu. That is why we must be cunning like Jade!"
"What do you mean?" Nat asked, cocking a brow curiously.
Valerie felt her leg tremble with trapped nerves as they all rode in the jeep towards the portal site. She could feel the tension mounting by the second with all of the sworn enemies in such a tight space. With her stuck in the middle. She kept trying to sneak glances at her friends, but they were concentrating on the road ahead as they curved around the bend and went through the tunnel. She just wanted one look, just one that would tell her everything was alright between them, that she wasn't cast out, that she was forgiven… even if she didn't deserve it.
They came out of the tunnel, and Jackie gasped when the Pan'ku Box started glowing a bright green, though Shendu fidgeted uncomfortably. Valerie herself wasn't exactly comfortable with where they were headed, seeing as it wasn't that far from here that Shendu's former palace had been. As they came upon the site, Tohru brought the jeep to a grinding halt, and they all stared slack jawed at what was before them.
"You've gotta be kidding…" Jackie murmured, and Valerie and Nat were inclined to agree.
"It as if Jade herself guided us here…" Tohru murmured.
"Hong Kong Moose World?" Jackie gaped. Valerie immediately thought that the box was broken, why else would it bring them here? The site where a demon portal was located was on top of the most ridiculous and child-friendly place in the world. It would be laughable if it wasn't ludicrous.
"Don't. Say. A word." Shendu hissed out between clenched teeth to all of them. Nat however, didn't even attempt to hide her snort.
"Uncle will now be good-chi counter balance…" Uncle proclaimed as he got out of the jeep and sat cross legged on the floor, bringing his hands together, fingers pointed up.
As they all climbed out of the vehicle, Shendu cast Uncle a look of distaste but otherwise ignored him as he stepped forward. Valerie hesitated, but as she went forward, her eyes caught the green gaze of Nat, if only for a moment as the red head gave her a significant look. What on earth did that mean? But then the huntress moved away, standing tense as if she was prepared for anything, actually, all of the Chan Clan seemed a little on edge. But Valerie ignore it and went to follow Shendu.
"Remember… do as I told you." He murmured to her over his shoulder as he stood ready, referring to his instructions to her on the plane after their little 'discussion'. Valerie was a little nervous about this, for she had no idea what she was getting into.
"Okay…" She murmured, fidgeting from foot to foot.
"Relax." Shendu's voice was soft as he turned his head enough to look at her. "You can do this."
His words caught her by surprise, for it sounded like he meant them. Nodding, she took a deep breath and stepped up to stand behind him, running through every single instruction Shendu had made her memorise on the plane. Shendu then nodded to Jackie, who held up the glowing Pan'ku Box. The thing almost shot out of his hands as it attached itself to the nose of the giant moose head that formed the gates of Moose World, issuing forth a blazing green light. From out of the ground a giant red window appeared, exactly the same as all the other portals before it.
When the portal was opened, Shendu gave a quick nod to Valerie, and she did as she remembered. Holding her hands on either side of his head without touching him, she closed her eyes and concentrated as she tried to recite the words he had told her. The ancient mandarin tongue was difficult to pronounce and sounded clunky in her mouth, but she persisted, doing her best and hoping that she didn't mess up. Shendu had said that this complex spell would transmit her chi into him and give him a temporary power boost so that he could complete his own spell. After a while of chanting the foreign words over and over again, Valerie started to feel as if the fire was draining out of her, something pulled out of her chest and down through her arms to escape through her hands. Her knees threatened to buckle but she held firm. She needed to do this, Shendu believed she could, Jade needed her to, so she would.
Shendu gave a slight intake of breath, before he started to chant his own incantation. He seemed intensely focused on the swirling portal ahead of him, as the edges around it changed from yellow to bright blue. Valerie didn't know the significance of this, but she hoped it was something promising.
"Be ready." Shendu said at last as he dropped his hands, and Valerie did the same. An exhausted sigh escaped her as she almost wobbled before she felt a large hand on her shoulder. She looked up at Tohru, who smiled reassuringly, before subtly moving her back. Valerie was a little confused as to why they were moving back, until the Portal began to rumble.
From the portal something suddenly shot right out of it, propelled into the air, surrounded by the same blue aura that had changed the portal. The little something flew through the air, and Tohru began to back pedal, keeping his eyes on the falling thing as it came towards him. He caught it in his arms, holding it close to his chest, revealing it to be a cute little girl with jet black hair and gold-brown eyes.
"Jade!" Jackie cried happily. Valerie beamed as well as she saw the little girl, and she could have cried in relief. She turned her smiling face and her eyes snagged on Shendu, who was watching her carefully. Well I'll be damned, she thought, he did it.
"FREEDOM!" Came a sudden shriek that had them all turning around with wide and horrified eyes to see a dark winged form reaching out of the portal.
"Hsi Wu!" Valerie screamed, her blood turning to ice, Tohru holding Jade protectively against his chest.
"Nat!" Jackie ordered.
"On it!" The red head yelled as she ran straight for Hsi Wu and the portal.
Drawing out her Katana, she quickly sliced towards Hsi Wu, who tried to frantically get away from her, but her blade still sliced through his left wing. The demon screeched in agony, staring in horror at the ragged tear in his wing. He turned back to Nat with utter fury on his features, and tried to hit and claw at her with his talons, though Nat dodged every one whilst trying to keep him boxed close to the still open portal. Hsi Wu swung his tail, Nat forced to duck underneath it, pushing her hand into her pouch as she quickly withdrew a handful of dust and blew it into Hsi Wu's face. The Sky Demon shrieked in agony, stumbling back enough to put one foot through the door. Nat leapt into the air, and performed a high-kick as her boot connected with Hsi Wu's face and sent him falling back through the portal.
"Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao… Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao… Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao…" Uncle began chanting incredibly fast as the light around the portal went from blue back to yellow again.
"Shendu." Jackie growled out, causing everyone to turn to find him with a sword in his hand now pointed at Shendu's chest. The Fire Demon's red eyes widened in recognition and fear as he saw what he was confronted with.
"The symbol of Lü Dongbin!" He shrieked. Seeing his Master in peril, Hak Foo quickly made himself ready to spring into action.
"ANGRY CROW TAKES–" He was cut off however, when Uncle squeezed a pressure point on his elbow and knocked him unconscious.
"Sword slays dragon." Jackie murmured touched the sword against Shendu's chest.
Shendu unleashed a blood-curdling scream, a green light enveloping him. Valerie stared as she saw something being pulled out of his body, transparent and serpentine and surrounded by a green light. It took her a moment to recognise that it was Shendu himself that was being pulled out of Valmont's body, his spirit looking as his astral form had that had visited her in dreams so long ago. Shendu's eyes met hers, and she recoiled when she saw the look of utter fury and betrayal in his red orbs before he was pulled into the portal with another scream. As he passed into it, the door snapped closed and was no more.
Everyone stared at where the portal had been, holding their breath as everything that had happened finally dawned on them. They'd done it… that was it… it was finally over…
"Yes! Jade Chan is back in the game!" Jade was the first to celebrate as she pumped her fists in the air with a grin of triumph.
"Jade!" Jackie cried, running forward and plucking Jade out of Tohru's arms, swinging her around as he held her close.
"Jackie!" Jade yelled, grinning in delight as she through her arms around her uncle's neck. "Did you miss me?"
"Not at all." He grinned.
"It is good Jade is not demon-chow." Uncle said as he and Tohru came forward, big smiles on their faces.
"Jade! Thank goodness! I'm so happy you're alright!" Valerie cried, tears of relief in her eyes as she –
"Tch, thanks for nothing, friend!" Jade spat as she wiggled out of Jackie's arms to stand on the ground as she glared up at Valerie so venomously that the adult flinched back slightly.
"Jade?" Valerie asked in confusion as a ball of dread sank in her stomach. "W-What are you –"
"I'm talking about you! You're a liar!" Jade shouted angrily, her gold eyes igniting into a flame. "You've been lying to everyone this whole time! First you lied about being Shendu's Other! Now you've been lying to me?!"
"Jade–"
"When were you going to tell me I was Hsi Wu's Other, Valerie?" Jade growled out, and Valerie felt her blood run cold as she gazed at the child. Everyone else gasped in shock.
"AAAIIIEEEYYYAAA!" Uncle cried out.
"Valerie… you knew about this?" Jackie asked, his tone laced with suspicion that cut through Valerie's heart, even as she looked back at Jade's furious expression.
"Jade, it's not what you think." She murmured, shaking her head desperately.
"Oh really?" The girl muttered disbelievingly.
"When we banished Hsi Wu, I thought he couldn't come back – there was no point in telling you!" Valerie knew the excuse was pathetic even as she said it. "Jade, you don't deserve something as bad as knowing that."
"Friends don't lie to each other, Valerie." Jade spat.
"Jade, that's enough." Jackie scolded.
Jade still refused to look at Valerie as she turned away. Valerie felt her heart break into a thousand tiny pieces, each shard slicing open her chest to create new bleeding wounds that hurt in a thousand different ways. An awkward silence hung over the group as no one really knew what to do or say. Valerie however, felt like she wanted to die as the tears stung her eyes and her lip trembled. She cursed herself for ever secreting away a truth, no matter how small, cursed herself for this very situation, cursed the furious and disgusted gaze of the little girl that was now burned into her memory, driving the knife deeper into her heart with every passing second.
Just before she thought she was about to lose it, she felt a hand clamp onto her shoulder and steer her slightly away. She looked up in confusion and almost didn't recognised Nat as the red-head watched her with concern in her green eyes. Regaining her wits, Valerie quickly wiped at her eyes and sniffed as she tried to regain her composure, though failed.
"Hey, Val…" Nat said in a surprisingly soft voice. "Don't let it get to you. Jade's a kid, she'll get over it."
"I don't know…" Valerie murmured in a chocked voice. She tried to go for a small smile as she tried to joke: "Looks like I'm riding back with you on the plane home."
"Actually… you're not." Nat murmured with a wince.
"What?" Valerie blinked.
"All the portals are now closed, all the demon-sorcerer-thingys are gone, so I'm… well, I'm no longer needed." Nat said, somewhat sadly. "Japan's just across the pond from here, I thought it might be nice to check in on my grandfather, maybe see my dad out there… It'd be nice to see them…"
"Oh, of course, I understand." Valerie murmured quickly, but Nat didn't seem convinced. In order to distract from her pathetic-ness, Valerie forced herself to smirk as she said: "And here I was just beginning to tolerate you."
"Hey, don't you dare go soft on me," Nat smirked back as she thumped Valerie's shoulder. "I'm gonna need my little nerd when I come back."
"You're coming back?" Jackie asked, everyone having heard the conversation.
"Yeah… eventually." Nat shrugged. "Look, you guys need to promise to give me a call next time you're in a demon-jam. I don't wanna miss the fun."
"Sure thing." Valerie murmured.
"Goodbye Nataline." Tohru bowed his head.
"Don't worry, I'll be keeping tabs on you guys." Nat grinned.
"That is number eight." Dai Gui growled out. All of the demon sorcerers pointed their livid red gazes onto Shendu's meek little spirit as they loomed menacingly around him.
"Which would make us fresh out of portals…" Tso Lan murmured darkly. Hsi Wu glided between them all, a camera held in his claws as he remained ready to record Shendu's coming torture.
"Say Chi-Spell!" The Sky Demon grinned.
"Perhaps…" Shendu suggested nervously as he tried to back away, even as his siblings slowly closed in on him. "We should seek a tear in the time-space continuum…?"