Kaori woke up from a nightmare of clam shell that contained a glowing, dark red pearl springing open to reveal a giggling baby girl. Strange thing about this newborn that scared Kaori to the point she had to take a late night stroll. One that had her pull on a shawl and step out onto the courtyard with the moon over her head.
"We both are unable to sleep," She sighed after sensing a familiar presence, "How is your new problem?"
"She calls herself Shadow over the name I gave her," Chase said, stepping forward, "Has been difficult in dealing with her."
"Chen was like that a few times," She was amused with the memories, "I recalled that I gave him space and didn't smother him."
Chase was quiet when he felt her eyes on him when she guessed he made a few mistakes in handling a creation he named Willow. Being that he abused her, refused to compliment or acknowledge her skills and abilities, and broke promises. Almost incestual relationship he shared with her didn't really help him in the long run as they were telepathically linked. He knew he didn't have to put into words what was going through his head at how Kaori stared at him.
"Why are you here?" Kaori figured he was having problems, "Since I am beginning to think your cats can't keep you company anymore. Your new creation in the form of an apprentice is not all what it turns out to be. "
"I always forgot how insightful you were," Chase couldn't bring himself to look at her, "You have grown up from that immature girl that followed me around."
"One that knows better," She kept her place, "One that knows that you still drink that poison."
This was when she neared him when he shed his human form for his bipedal draconic one with slit-like reptilian eyes. Her touch of her fingertips on the scales of his jawline that he could barely feel through his thick hyde. Further angered him when he found himself becoming fond of these moments with her lover, one with Shadow. Made him withdraw from her touch to the point her finger ended up being scratched by his scales. Which he didn't stick around to mend when he was being overcome with a pounding heart and dizziness. Carried with him when he stopped underneath Chen's tree right outside the temple's grounds with a roar.
"Lost in your emotions?" Chen's voice had him looking up.
"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Chase asked Chen.
"Kinda learned I have a half- sister," Chen spoke of Shadow, "Not like I want to know about the whole apprentice thing. Since the four here are keeping the existing Wudai Warriors quite busy when they aren't giving me a headache."
"You live in a tree outside the grounds?" Chase pointed out.
"You never been in a temple full of teens?" Chen laughed at what he said, "I can only take so much raging hormones and drama."
"Lucky you." Chase looked back.
"I have my good days and bad days." Chen shrugged.
Chas tried to not ball his hands into fists when he wanted to say he was having more bad days then good days. Trying to figure out Shadow's latest form of rebellion against him. She was a perfect reflection of him with Martial Arts and her natural beauty, separating her from him.
"Cat got your tongue?" He was asked by Chen.
His joke got a laugh out of Chase in a way that left him rethinking what to do with Shadow with a Chase returning to his human form with a sigh as he bowed to Chen. Saying his goodbyes as Chen nods from his seat on one of the tree's lower branches. Looking up to a set of eyes belonging to a pajama clad Omi with Omi. Poor boy couldn't sleep and came to Chen to talk about what was bothering him for some reason.
"Even evil has its moments," Chen addressed Omi, "I hope what you saw gave you an answer."
"It has and may I spend the night here?" Omi yawned.
"Your friends already know you're here." Chen assured him.
Back to bed Omi went with Dojo coiling back on a large pillow since she had been half asleep. Leaving Chen to stay sitting on the branch with fear of what was coming in the next few days. Figuring it Shadow was that kind of girl, then a lot of them were going to be in heap of trouble.
"Please," He leaned back, "Don't let curiosity this time around kill these kittens."
Seems his pray was carried on the end wind to the lair of Chase Young, where Shadow stood in an angry state. She had seen everything take place between Kaori, Chen, and Chase through a looking glass. Chase was gentle toward Kaori and friendly toward Chen. These people she didn't even know somehow bothered her and frustrated her. Along with questions about their existing relationship to Chase. Had her leaving scratch marks on the nearby wall that didn't go unnoticed upon Chase's return.
"Taking a late night stroll," She hissed, "Since you oddly smell like wisteria perfume."
"Visiting a mistake in my life that actually went right." He upsettingly addressed her.
"Is that all?" She asked, "Since you seem quite friendly with one."
"A woman that became the mother of a son I never knew I had," He stepped away, "Now good night."
When he walked away from her is when she screamed until her throat grew raw and she last her voice. Where she ends up coming up with a plan to get to know these two people her way. Came in the form of her appearance to one and a small trip to the temple that morning.
8*8
Chen was not very nice to the blond haired girl when she came to the temple seeking sanctuary from Heylin's side. She innocently asked to live with the monks when she appeared that morning. Into the girl's side of the sleeping quarters she was moved with a bigger space. Given turned down the gesture of a change of clothes or fresh robes. Needing to bath and eat alone instead of with the other girls when chance came.
"Something wrong?" Apikalia asked Clay once, "Since you seem more interested in THAT new girl, then being my teacher."
She further made her point that she used her elemental move, metallic break, when splitting logs. A chore Clay and her use to do together as a sort of game. Whoever got through their pile first would usually have other's dessert.
"You act like love struck a pig during breeding season," She spoke of her mother's prize winning swine, "Always pining when separated."
"Just something about her." Clay tipped his hat.
"What You Used To Say About Me." Apikalia roared with fury.
This anger she carried was also shared with other girls and Trent for reasons about to be revealed. One had Kimiko also lose control of an ember she was using. Since Trent confessed he didn't really have an interest in girls. Which had Amber using a basket of water to put flames on him out.
"Have I missed something?" Trent asked, taking in his damaged robe.
"You haven't noticed," Amber and Kimiko pointed out, "Other guys and their way they fawn over Willow."
"Not everyone." Trent reminds the girls of Chen.
Not once did their elder monk show favoritism to Willow when she could barely lift a bucket or an ax. Saying how she got a single splitter in one of her fingers from fiber of rope or wooden pole. Which had the boys taking over her chores on top of what they already do.
"What's excuse to not be effected?" Trent was asked by Amber and Kimiko.
"I feel a sibling bond with her, " His answer startled them, "I was out fetching tonight's dinner."
He lifted fresh rabbits he killed using traps he set that made Dojo's mouth water and Shu Yung rolled her eyes. He would hand off to Trent to take to Kaori in the kitchen to prepare. Willow didn't fall to the ground over the view of rabbits and quiver of blood stained arrows. Her voice caught in her throat as pure fear over the sight of death showed on her face. Which didn't stop Trent from taking them from Chen as Amber and Kimiko watched this Willow.
"Those poor creatures," She started to cry, "How can you have done that?"
"You hunt?" Kimiko asked her, "How do we get food around here if we don't go to the market."
"Usually Clay goes with Omi to check our traps," Amber pointed out, "Sincd you got here…"
Her point was made when Ping Pong almost floated in with a water can in one hand and pruning shears in the other. Mumbling care of the vegetable garden for Willow like she wanted. Alarmed Kimiko and Amber since he was completely sunburned in exposed areas.
"WTF." Kimiko couldn't understand what she saw.
"Ping Pong?" Chen approached him, "Are you alright?"
"I am ok." He kept his eyes on Willow.
"You look like a lobster." Amber was worried about how red he was.
Deciding to give him basic first aid instead of letting him go weed the garden. Become top priority for them with how bad the sunburn looked on him. Kimiko and Trent were the ones that wisp Ping Pong away from Willow's presence. Amber was handed Chen's arrows to wash off since she couldn't take being close to her without screaming.
"Why is everyone so indiffcent around me?" She asked Chen as she messed with her hair.
"How you use your beauty to manipulate the boys," Chen explained, "Don't work with the girls and Trent."
"Oh dear," She was shocked by this discovery, "I never knew."
Chen tried to had to keep himself from coming up with excuse to leave her since he didn't want to be around her anymore. From the beginning he was interallu nagged by a sensation that he and this girl were related somehow. Not wanting to offend her with a question about them sharing the same father was inching to come out.
"If you excise me," He recalled Shen Gong Wu vault, "I have to put away."
"May I know that something is?" She had to ask.
"Viel of reveal," He pulled a Lace-leaf Japanese maple style viel from his hip pouch, "A veil that when placed over your eyes allows you to look into the past as if you was there!"
"Wow!" She blinked quite surprised.
"Now excuse me." He left her to secret path of the temple.
That had her cursing since she never learned the code or where the location was inside the grounds, which none of the guys have shown her. Not like she had tried to use her best charms to trick them. Omi refused to tell her out of her not being a official xiaolin monk like new apprentice. Clay and Raimundo couldn't show her while Trent just plainly shook his head at her. None of the girls were ever seen holding a Shen Gong Wu outside of retrieval mission or personal use. Left her to hide within the shadows and follow Chen throughout the buildings to find the vault. Which never came since Chen lay the viel down on a table in a careful manner when his mother called him.
"Fool." She walked from shadows.
She barely picked up the viel with mildly disappoint over plain looking a powerful magical artifact appeared to her. She rolled her eyes and ended up using the Veil to see the connection between Chase and Chase. One that also showed Kaori's connection to him that had her angry Chase never shared this bit with him. She pulled the viel from her head and tossed it where she found it instead of folding it back over with disgust. Hissing like an angry snake as she walked into her shadow and traveled all the way back to Chase's lair.
"Xiaolin Dragon of Beasts," She roared loud enough that Chase's cat went running, "Is your son."
"Took you this long." Chase opened his eyes.
"What am I compared to him?" She asked pointing in the dierdction of the temple, "Some attempt at a fatherhood you never got? A chance to start over since you never shaped him into a warrior? A strange or sickening form of showing you can be a father? What?"
"A made you as nothing more to then a mind I want to teach." He plainly answered her.
She went quiet after picking up a boulder one of Chase's cats were sitting on and threw it across the lair out. Trying her best to not allow her image she created be shattered by her fury.