Jackie Chan Adventures 1. Of Old Wounds and Water

**Author Notes:** I've always wanted to write a fanfic of JCA. It has been my favorite cartoon over the years, when it hit me that this show was so badass not because of Jackie's own hand, but Jade Chan. Perhaps the most awesome girl that I've ever seen in a cartoon. She's carefree, adventurous, perky, without inhibitions and her only worries are her family and to have her own fun. But man when I watched Queen of the Shadowkhan I was hooked; it was my favorite episode of all times and I really thought that a continuation should be needed…just too bad that the writers didn't exploit a better intake on Jade as a Shadowkhan and here is where I come into play. Still, a warning needs to be said: it will be rated T for language, sexual references, teenage anguish and quite a bit of gory violence. Forgive any typos and grammar, English is my second language.

I also have to thank Eduard Kessel and the Project Dark Jade (PDJ for short) for inspiring me to keep writing on this. His constant support and straight answers have helped me to shape this story to life. And I am having lots of fun writing it. Enjoy it ladies and gents.

An special thanks for my wonderful beta reader **Dark-Automaton, **who has my most sincere thanks for this and the contribution of the cover image by the deviantart user name **yondechan**.

-Summary: Through the changing years, Jade is now a shadow of her former self. A victim of her frustrations and embodiments of anger; a dormant evil now lies awake within her, consuming and transforming her into the Queen of the Shadow Khan once again. The struggle between darkness and light just began. (Project Dark Jade)

-Disclaimer: Jackie Chan Adventures belongs to Warner Channel and John Rogers. And I gain no profit writing this.

**The March of the Black Queen**

**Chapter 1**

**Of Old Wounds and Water.**

The air was crisp with the light sun rays, which obliterated any chance at the cold air that howled out of it's own reach. In the segregated buildings, the city of San Francisco was already buzzing with activity. In that street there were more than a few that did not share other architectonic eclectic mix of Victorian and modern structure that littered entire blocks.

It was the center of San Francisco's Chinatown. The smell of spices and old oriental structures besieged several blocks in the city within the city. A cable car rattle followed the street, descending with the echoing of a bell through the narrowed street so characteristic of San Francisco, and a sight that the thousands of Chinese and other Asian descendants had come used to.

A narrow and penchant street ran down alongside several Chinese establishments; within the left corner of it was a very peculiar building that seemed to drawn attention to itself from the others. The three story tall building stood apart from the charismatically beautified Chinese architecture building with two separated towers and urban squeezed out pagoda atop.

The red tiles reorganized into the oriental architectonic curved upward, so recognizable while not knowing their true significance as a vanquisher and drive off evil spirits, who clearly after so many assaults and invasions to that unfortunate building, their occupants could call it a bluff. The ten foot long notice of "ANTIQUES" written in a simple yet clearly oriental font was enough to drawn the attention of potential customers who could take a different approach to enter the store.

Underneath was a simpler yet smaller notice board with the words 'Uncle Rare Finds', the word Rare could be an inducer of better income if the store wasn't closed at the moment. Overtaking the ornamental red window with a good display of products and a simple, purple, Chinese style umbrella covering the wall, was the entrance that clearly displayed a "closed" sign behind the ornamented auburn door square glass.

Inside the door, the whole shop was composed on seemingly infinite books, ordered in an obsessed alphabetic display on aged book shelves that had seen better days, with plenty of dusty antiquities lying in every corner. The second floor and the leading snail stairs, beautified with the same outside elements and a deep frosty red. At the rear back, bypassing the piles of books only illuminated by dim lights that flickered from age was another room, adjacent to the atrium.

The kitchen lacked of the Chinese indulgence, which was something out of the ordinary and only made it this way to reciprocate a more subtle way, courtesy of the other occupants. It was so different from the house and interior itself; it was decorated with square tiles of cyan blue, faded yellow cabinets and fitted with clearly recent equipment to make proper meals and not older technology, in this case a toaster and a microwave reciprocating the endeavor surroundings, much to the dismay and horror of one resident. The kitchen walls went by a soft yellow reproducing the exterior walls of the house. One individual particularly was preparing some tea humming a tone. The man being 8 foot tall and plump peeked over the other room adjacent to the kitchen.

The other room, joined only by the section in the wall was decorated more heavily by oriental designs and so many pictures.

Inside, sat two men stem the tide of the venerated silence, the only thing that broke the delicate silence was an elderly man slamming a white cup into a flowered adorned saucer.

"Jackie, more tea! Uncle needs his fix" Screamed the Asian elder.

The other man across the table rolled his eyes. "Uncle, the pot is right in front of you! And you drank the entire thing by yourself!" Retorted the man known as Jackie.

Uncle smiled sweetly before beckoning Jackie to come closer with a finger; Jackie unclear of what would transpire at that moment. A blur followed by a two fingered strike at the man forehead. Jackie groaned rubbing the offending spot with a groan.

"How do propose Uncle to relax accordingly at the afternoon! This old bones needs the calming essence of tea to survive! Do you want dead Uncle? No? Then bring more tea!" Yelled Uncle.

Jackie could only wince at the tone of voice, letting his pleasure wasted on an annoyed scowl plastered against his face. He did not plan to get such a greeting after having to get another trip courtesy of the San Francisco Historical Museum to retrieve another ancient artifact, to New Zealand no less.

Thankfully not attached to demons, ancient magic or worse, attached to sorcerers looking for that particular piece. And for many months he had been happy for actually doing his job and not getting his behind pounded by fighting evil, always with an empty stomach. Any displeasure he felt at the moment disappeared when the oversized man entered the small dining room, ducking his head under the doorway.

"Coming Sensei" Said the mountain of a man, holding a tray with steaming pot of tea, and three cups. He placed the cups calmly against the battle and poured a fresh dose of tea into Jackie's cup first and then Uncle's.

Jackie felt the scowl turn upward into a smile nodding in appreciation; the first of the morning as he calmly sipped the warm liquid and immediately all his worries and anxiousness disappeared. Uncle threw an evil eye at the giant of a man for serving tea to his nephew first, but did not say anything as he as well sipped his own drink that was poured gently by the giant.

"Thank you, Tohru" Uncle nodded eventually thankful, sighing contentedly. Then he blinked in confusion peeking towards the kitchen and then his gaze turned upwards.

"One more thing. Why niece not awake? Doesn't she know about the gathering today?"

Tohru gave Jackie a worried gaze placing the tray at the table. "She's spent Uncle, very tired from her science school project. I think she deserves her rightful rest" Jackie said with a thoughtful grin, then as an afterthought he checked his watch. "Then again, her rightful rest should have ended two hours ago. I will go to wake her up"

"Don't make a fuss of it! You always do! You know how she gets these days" Uncle smacked a chord to Jackie with a warning ear pull.

Jackie rubbed the second offending pain of the morning, whilst making his exit out of the kitchen; Uncle's stare parted with a shake of his head. Jackie sighed once he was at the shop entrance hall. With dismay he stopped at the stairs steps already bringing a hand to smack his forehead; he was entirely sure what would transpire the moment that door was open. His phone began to rang, he exhaled noisily placing his foot at the first step and eventually began his ascend even as he answered the phone call.

* * *

><p>The one good thing that came with a Saturday was sleeping late. The soothing near self induced coma keeping you occupied from the horrors of the waiting for just that beautiful sound, that hellish bell signaling your freedom for another weekend free of school.<p>

The San Franciscan sun started his journey from the peak of the buildings of the city; it had already risen over the skies for a couple of hours, and it was disappointed that it's magic failed to give the desired effect on all the inhabitants of the city.

Posing his attention on a cream two story building with pagoda red roof decorations, he noticed the unrest of one individual. Rubbing his rays with malevolence, he turned the temperature a little higher. Still the most wanted effect left an empty glare on his face.

The warm wind got into the coup d'etat starting to blow his deadly gust of wind from the light cream wood ajar windows, over the yellow tanned walls. He stopped just for a minute to annihilate a blond man poster, so fake with his cheapen shopped smile with a fart of airstream. The facade of a man's eyes widened from the smell, the top of the printed obscenity fell prone hugging the wall. The loss of glue from the old plastic tape screamed in protest and the whole thing came crashing down with a silent scream of panic.

The wind almost laughed with mad enjoyment and continued his trek over the room, towards a lone person in a wooden bed. The wind traveled upwards poking the person through the marine blue covers. The weight shifted to another angle with a profound grunt of protest, disclosing black disheveled hair hugged under the weight of the own lethargy laziness of that person underneath the covers.

The wind prepared for another kamikaze attack and dived for the kill. Any plans that the wind to unfold after were shattered when the door with blackened wood from so many years of shine-less neglect opened and the air that came with it howled. Trying helplessly, the other airstream tried to hold unto anything that just happened to be the unlucky poster sooner than his ass went flying through the window.

"Jade wake up! We are going to be late" An Americanized Chinese voice pierced the sacred serenity of the Saturday.

The alluded just groaned in response, turning sideways. The man that came to take the sleep of the girl in the bed threw his hands in annoyance and walked to her bed. Shaking his head with a disappointed frown, the man dressed on a black Henley shirt, white pants and shiny brown leather shoes; made his way towards the bed with an expression that could have rival an exasperated mandrill. He could just shake her awake but he elected to take the whole bed cover from the bed in a single motion from his hands. The now visible girl grunted in vexation covering her head with the pillow.

"Jackie, its Saturday" The girl known as Jade whined, her voice muffled from the pillow.

The man acknowledged as Jackie, pop across her bed and started to pull her feet with his right hand, having a difficult time putting Jade out of bed.

"Knock it off, let me sleep" She retorted irritably answering with the pull of her feet to the opposite direction.

Jackie's hand flew to pinch the bridge of his nose. "We are supposed to meet your parents for lunch! They didn't come all the way here from Hong Kong so you could stay in bed!"

"Jackie, that's uh in the afternoon, it's barely the nine of the morning" Answered Jade with another muffled yawn.

"Jade it's twelve o'clock! We just got one hour and a half! Take a bath, get dressed!"

Slowly at first, Jade removed the pillow and sat upright stroking her tired eyelids with her fists while yawning. Her brow tightened in a deep thought while ridiculously she stood there for things to make sense.

"Jade!" Wake up! Exclaimed Jackie snapping his finger on her direction with an anxious look at her failure to fully realize what was happening.

"Alright, alright!" She held up her hands in placating protest with the same anxious tone whereas she suddenly understood looking outside that the afternoon sun had long settle in. She let her head drop into her hands and groaned irritably at her laziness.

Jade looked at Jackie with groggy eyes, a tuft of her black hair sticking up from having been slept on the pillow the whole night and half of the day. She sleepily slid herself out of the bed and stumbled across the floor almost tripping her legs against the nightstand in a direct trip to the bathroom. If Jackie wasn't so upset and irritated at the moment, he would have deem that an overdue of cuteness.

Still clearly aggravated with the matter at hand, Jackie turned to the bathroom door. "Don't take too long Jade, Viper is going to pick us up in half an hour, and from her restless tone in the phone it appears there's plenty of traffic" All he received in answer was subdued tired mumble and the shower starting to pour water.

He stood there for a moment, drumming his fingers against the wood before finally turning to face the door.

"I'll be downstairs Jade, don't take long" He harked back her at last, and this time he didn't receive an answer. With another disillusioned shake of his head, Jackie simply stared at the empty space she had left behind. With a frown, he trudged out of the room closing the door behind him.

Jade stood against the door scratching her head for a few moments, cracking her neck she yawned while starting to remove her clothing. Her cream nightgown came down first; she sleepily slid down her pale green panties and kicked them to the corner prior to step into the bathtub sooner than grunting. Her short socks were still invading her feet.

A low moan and a face palm later, she grabbed both socks and threw them from the gap between the ceiling and the curtain; one of them landed inside the toilet, the other in the sink. She heaved a sigh groping the wall for both faucets twisting both of them to the left, water started to flow, that's when she heard the door of her room closing, but she rapidly dismissed the noise. The water roared with pressure hitting her skin like a million needles as she stood there with the water rinsing every inch on her undeveloped body, with another tired grumble she closed the bathtub purple curtain.

Years have not been kind to Jade; at fourteen years old, Jade's body hadn't developed much but her size reached now to Jackie's plexus. Yet her own hips only remind her of a carton of orange juice while her breasts hadn't advanced much from the size of half eaten peaches. There was simple no clue on it; why now touching her small mounts with both hands, why did she have so small boobs? The other girls were already expanding their bosoms, the eyes of the boys following every small bounce here and there; and she was clearly distressed and angry with her stupid body. Not that she felt envious from those airheads, no way!

And she had a toned body, her face wasn't splashed with pimples or zits and her legs weren't covered by unaesthetic hair like the other girls. Besides, having a bunch of pervs fluttering around her, with their smelly bodies and their hoarse voices, calling her names like "Melon Madness" or "Pizza face" wouldn't be a nice memory to remember when she'd grow up…at least it wouldn't be so painful like other things that have occurred in the not so distant past.

But what hurt her the most, was when her ex-friend Jimmy Riegel faintly baffled her when unexpectedly went absent from her company, later into full periods of hours and eventually days. He went to others over the motivation of his desire for acceptance using his new jog confidence that she had been administered by consent and friendship that only she had provided and he nourished from it. How the jackass reciprocated?

For two years she had been there for him, two fucking years hearing his bullshit about nobody understanding him, nobody caring at school. She protected him from everything; from the anguish of homework at her own misery, from people picking on him, defending him and roughed them up when nobody was watching.

Then he left her for a blond bimbo, while she stood agape; the only thanks he gave her, was a simple and apologetic smile devoid of a single word and a laugh; almost like if it gave him pleasure that he was breaking their friendship and her heart apart, flushing it down the toilet.

Jimmy had reneged his promise of friendship with maybe a chance to grow into something more. And she in turn had done something entirely unjustified and not in favor of Jackie's teachings; Jade, against all odds still memorized how good it felt.

In that day she was freed from the constant reproach, the same tireless routine of rules that have been keen on from everyone since the day she was born; from her parents, to teachers as well as certainly her family and friends. And for that single instant she felt truly free to do what she wanted; not what she was induced to belief. She had been freer than all of her adventures together, with the fervent desire to do it again. At that time Jade gazed at the ceiling feeling like doing it once more, she closed her eyes even as the water cascaded down her body.

She held that change so close to her heart and in that cold day on November's rain; she was finally liberated from the reproach of her existence…

…in blood and rainwater.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Author Notes: **Well here is the end of the first chapter. I'm going to have fun writing this while at the same not promising quick updates. I am at your debt if you clicked this story and I would like to hear what you have to say about it in a review. If so, thanks for it; for those who don't worry, then it is okay…just keep reading. Well goodbye then, I'll be seeing you all in the next chapter.

From Houston

D4rK


	2. Message in Blood

**Author Notes:** Thanks all of you who took their time to review; your help was very appreciated for me to write this even faster. I am still sorry because of the waiting yet again I can't promise such a new 'shipment' for a time because I am busy with college and personal life. Still I will continue to write this exchanging between the other ongoing fics that I have yet to finish.

-Disclaimer: Jackie Chan Adventures belongs to Warner Channel and John Rogers. And I gain no profit writing this.

**The March of the Black Queen**

**Chapter 2**

**Message in Blood**

_(Flashback)_

_**Two years ago.**_

_**November 5th.**_

Only the ruffle of her feet dragged against the cement paved ground let her away from the dullness of one more boring day of school. Another seven hours of her life wasted on dreary subjects like math and physics that were fun as watching Jackie having an affair with a toaster, only to realize it was a doorknob. When her life went to be so tedious? There was no fun, no adventures and zero chances of doing something anything of interest besides spending her days going from the shop to the school to repeat it next day in the most deadly rut she ever had the pleasure to experience.

Even weekends seemed to have lost their shine in useless tirades with a ton of compressed homework and the always, eagle like eyes of her uncle, watching her every move. And even when she had an empty space to do what she wanted nothing came to mind, like the world had suddenly went insane.

She roughly wished that whatever evil was lurking around the world hastened his plan already so she had something to do, and the rightful excuse to miss out school. She sighed as she made her way off the school grounds and into the open street; her dejected footsteps being the only camaraderie offered from her mind turmoil.

_If I had one hour to live, I'd spent it in the school because it feels like an eternity_. She thought, continuing her way down the street.

Not only did she set her firm intentions to carry on her drained routine on a direct return to the store. Her eyes never got to receive what went through around her. The constant pressure drove her to resort to her anger that led to punishments, more lectures and in her mind, more distress than her secluded life on Hong Kong have caused her. No adventure escorted to wipe out every shred of her charismatic side to carry on with the same endless outcome and no way to turn her back to the pressure that had been building inside her. Jackie had tried to have more time for her to make up for how her life had turned out to be, but he eventually grew tired with his constant travelling. She was mad all the time, screaming and quoting Jackie's own words _'Jade is out of her mind'_ let her stressed. Having no friends at school, names that had before come to mind like Simone Magus and her only student Munson had moved out of her life. Whilst Simone parents moved her out to another school out of town, a private one which they felt it would be a better education and brighter future. Her student, Munson. The last time she heard, his parents died in a car accident, she was told and he moved with her aunt who eventually opted to let it all behind and move to Boise, in Idaho for a new beginning.

With no one to turn, she eventually choose to place her new found depression in the hands of Tohru, her tiny brother as she have called him and Viper, the ex-thief and girlfriend of Jackie, her uncle who finally had the courage to advance to the new level; thankfully at least.

They have helped surely as more she liked to always have their companionship, including the one of his grumpy senior uncle, Uncle.

Therefore, should she feel any better? No…she did not.

The Japanese mountain of a man had tried to cheer her days up; she conceded that if it wasn't for Tohru, she'll be broken on the floor already throwing an explosive tantrum. It is something she acknowledged, Tohru is the closest thing to a brother she ever had and loved him dearly. It was ironic actually; the man had tried to kill her family in more ways that she could count when he worked for the Dark Hand and changed to become the happiness that still cling to her body like an unfamiliar, shrouded layer…yet she felt warm around him. It made her think what role would he fit in her future.

But even Tohru could not envision when his Lotus flower started to grow to be so sour around life and the changes that came with it.

The runnel of the days made her more stressed than ever, mixing irritably with school let her wilder side run free to ease the ever building anxiety; a path that never had seen the light of day was shaped. Her violent side eventually ruled out against the pressure, among the remnants of her patience. Things that would come logically to her disappeared, replaced only by the violent stimuli of her own frustrations building over her anger and ultimately they would be let out to play with the rules set out by her snapping psyche. For Jade, it would be the start of a new period as her life started to shift to the glorious future she hoped for. Something darker and trim that she would never have guessed in a million years, because at that time where the cars roamed the street to the other side of the sidewalk, splitting the air and her silence; one of the last things her mind was trying to avoid caught her attention, it was Jimmy.

That boy changed so much since the last time she saw him; that timid and abused boy that was picked on from everyone at school; the same boy she cared so much about and the same one who have destroyed her heart into millions of pieces several months ago, in a meeting with him behind school. It made her stomach queasy as the memory of her last encounter weighted on her mind and heart alike, with his betrayal and insults that hurled her mind into a thousand thoughts in a second and in the end, her own anger clouded the better of her judgment and won out. The only person who could have stopped this train wreck of emotions had been him and only him.

In a distant future, a more grown up Jade sat a desk on Section 13 looking astonished as she looked at her own hand started to disappear before her, the world she knew crumbling into a leap of darkness, replaced by the angry stare of a pissed off child into the present because Jimmy had not been for her as it happened on a distant future.

Jimmy, clueless as he was, was holding hands with the blonde harpy who stole her best friend in the entire world and the pair of boys who kept company to the blonde and Jimmy, eventually introduced to her by the frown that came from her face. Her mind snapped into two, torn between indecision and the remaining piece of her heart was pounded into dust, clenching her hand into fist she made her way across the street as soon as the traffic light shifted to red. They never saw it coming either, the group was too concerned to reach their destination, joking and snickering with each other.

With each progress she didn't knew what would she do, what would she say or why; she only knew that she had to make her way to him. Her heart thundered with each advancing step as the group started to drift away down the street. Pedestrians she ignored, shouts after shoving her shoulder against them did not had any effect and it did not stop her from her sudden rush of waded impulse. She had run and leap into the back of a dragon, she had hopped on moving jets, nearly barbecued more than a pyrotechnician lightning up nitroglycerin, she had faced death in the face and slapped her across it so many times that she had already lost count and not to mention the thousands of things that had tried to kill and eat her. And spite of the rush of adrenaline she have come so used to in her misadventures to the screams and the certain thanks and 'oopsies' exchanged, nothing could prepare her to the batch of ice that lodged into her stomach which forced her to stop, merely inches front the group; to them, she was only one more of the crowd.

Unfortunately it was a known fact that she was left paralyzed, unable to move and with her spiritual hellbent attitude waving goodbye and hopping on a cab. She needed to do something, anything that could gain his sole attention.

_And what do I have?_ She thought. _A stomach full of needles, iced up feet and a word._

"Jimmy."

She finally spoke aloud, strident enough to halt their feet and hurl around to face her, their eyes trained on her and one by one derided like thee have been doing the entire way. The last to turn around was the boy in question, Jimmy; her eyes turned to look into his, and even as he placed the mask of arrogance, tiny beads of sweat formed on his brow.

"If it isn't for the ninja girl!" The blonde stepped forward, confidence radiating from every word.

That nickname had struck hard enough to let her fists clench unconsciously. Since Drew, the annoying asshat have continued his campaign to shot down every attempt to gain some approval from others, even as he witnessed the ex-enforcer Hak Foo transformed into the evil knight of Daolon Wong a while ago; the jerk had not stopped his verbal assault at the slightest.

It took all of her strength to remain composed, quite interested in shoving her fist into the blonde's side, except she knew better. For so long Jackie had teach her the ways of avoiding her own anger clouding her judgment; tenseness eventually led to confrontation and that lead to the disaster. There was also the matter of the unusual need to tear the blonde to shreds, at least to remove that disgusting grin that was making her so abrasive to use violence and hugging their differences wasn't really a solution either.

Her throat cinched shut to breath nice and easy. "I just want to talk with Jimmy, it would be just a minute" She said. "Just a minute, please." She repeated.

The blonde lifted an eyebrow and as she prepared for a comeback Jimmy stepped forward. "Its awww-right." He said. "I'll go and see what this loser _wants._" Jimmy said, placing emphasis on the last word.

She cringed for a small fraction; apparently that's what the blonde have wanted to see. Rather than staying at the trench ogle wars, she went through the small group, smacking her shoulder on purpose against the other girl who groaned audibly on response. Smirking to herself she ignored her protest and followed the boy who had stepped into a small clearing on the left side of the sidewalk. She interleaved through the gap of the narrow alley following after him, without even realizing that her anger was already boiling.

The small breach was just an empty and deserted space, with concrete poorly covering the small patches of dead grass that littered the ten feet separation between two buildings; tall walls alienated them from sight. At first glance he looked ready to snap at her when he turned around, but on close inspection, the sweat that she had noticed earlier now traveled freely from his forehead, the mask of superiority crumbling with the nervous twitching on his eyes.

The distracted-torn expression was right on his face, one she had seen so much.

"Cut the act, you are not fooling anyone. I'm just here to talk, honest." She deadpanned, her fingertips dancing on her hair. But as he took a breath and placed his head in his index and thumbs, the performance could probably take a few words to shatter it completely, so she took that approach jabbing Jimmy in the chest with a finger.

She frowned looking at him. "What I'm supposed to do when my friend suddenly goes AWOL on me and call me a bitch in front of the whole school?"

He shrugged unimportantly; by the time the declaration registered on his mind he saw his mistake when her eyes started to twitch randomly…never a good sign.

"They are my new friends." He said, throwing a thumb in their general direction. "You never cared whom I meet before, why suddenly you do?

She met his response with a scowl of her own. "The problem Jimmy it's when people stab you in the back. I thought we were friends! For two years I hav─"

"Oh no, no, no, no heh." He interrupted her. "Don't give me that speech; I knew it, you're just like the rest. The moment they are not by your side you come to claim them as prices!"

She was stupefied by his ridiculous rant. "What? It's nothing like that at all. Look, I just want my friend back, is that such a bad thing?" She lay her doubts to him, simply as that; expecting a simpler answer, she had not been prepared for what came out of his mouth.

"I have new friends, why can't you be happy for me?"

"And where does the BITCH part have to do with this!?" She staggered a response slamming her aged marine blue backpack against the wall, inches from Jimmy's head hardly enclosing her own fury by a hair length.

Her display of anger made him back off a few steps. It was like a clumsy kitten unaware of its claws, she could hurt him just by lifting her pinky and he knew it too. For so long people have know that she suffered from a very explosive over reaction, even though she did not want to admit at first, her violent side said otherwise. The grimy white walls felt like closing in, almost mocking her whilst she clenched and unclenched her fist, evidently very disturbed.

"It wasn't my idea you know, it just flew from my mouth, honest. They say that word an awful lot, it just wedged from them."

After a pensive pause, she sighed. "I just want my friend back, I really, really miss you Jimmy. It has not been the same in the store you know? Jackie asked many times where you were, Tohru really misses you, hell even Uncle is crankier than usual when you are not in the store." She softly said placing a hand on his shoulder, giving a squeeze he smiled and she smiled in acceptance.

"The last part I can agree with. Didn't you tell me he was like a goat?"

"A very, very angry goat that goes AIIIEYAAAHH!" They both laughed at the comment.

Immediately after a chuckle, she punched him lightly in the shoulder. "I really missed you dude."

Jimmy struggled with a grin, passing a hand through his unkempt brown hair. He opened his mouth to say something, but his lips fell short as soon as his gaze plunged into the advancing cluster trio with which he had been walking prior to meet with her.

"You said one minute kung fu girl." Smirked the blonde girl, stepping from the duo with matching grin across their faces. Her brow furled in irritation watching the display of filthy egocentric walk, hand at her hip and all.

The blonde still continued. "It seems to me you said one minute, but we were left hanging around for ten minutes girl. Give us our pal back."

"Yeah she just finished, right ya loser?" Jimmy stated conceding the blonde's point with a leer, but it was all a bluff, Jade could tell from the humorous glint on his eyes.

Her brows furled together in forged defeat. "I wasted my time, alright? I couldn't even let this big jerk over here spill the beans why the hell he even wasted his time with a dimwit like me! It's not like I was a bad person!" She exclaimed radically, outperforming her recital in 'Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', her first and last play. She sighed rolling her eyes taking hold of her folded backpack resting against the wall and turned to leave with a dismissing wave of her hand, her eyes casted to the floor.

On the other hand, she was astonished when she felt the heavy strain at her shoulders shove her back, slamming her into the opposite wall; she closed her eyes on impact, puffing for breath more from surprise shock than from injury and even before she could place her eyes in the assailant. She felt the pain of the broad history book spine ramming onto her back through the backpack whilst she was slammed for a second time.

The point being uncertainty, she had looked questionably without even the most remote idea what would happen after those two boys who kept the blonde company held her back with their hands on her shoulders and on her orange hoody.

"Hey what the h─" Her world turned white, her mind halting in mid speech and her dying tongue slamming against the roof of her mouth; her stomach took the blow pretty badly. And even before she could even gasp, the boy at her left; the one with bald head, jeans and a single white shirt, catapulted his geared up fist and smashed it across her nose. It literally sent a chunk of squashed blood and cartilage through the air, an explosion of pain and an aggrieved scream.

Her eyes welled with tears as she doubled over in pain, trying but failing miserably to get hold of the strangled cough that escaped her lips. That wasn't the only thing though; the blood found a way from her nose to the contour of her face. She could feel how it painfully trickled over her skin; her lips and her clenched teeth that were busy puffing for breath tasted like her own busted flesh.

"No! Stop!" She heard Jimmy said through her panicking senses.

Her eyes looked for an explanation of what happened merely to receive her answer as the guy holding her; a dude with brown hair, threw her forward to give the same administration as the other boy she pictured in her head.

She never let him.

In her naivety she never saw the attack coming. She fully forfeited no heed to her senses and now she paid the toll of her stupidity; in a instant, she grabbed the boy's arm just as he was about to connect a right hook to her face and bounced from her left feet to her right one, twisting his arm behind his back. The boy squealed in shock and even before he could even struggle, she prepared to slam him over the wall, of course if her feet had not tangled with his own with the rush of the move. Free falling onward and with nothing to hold into, she grabbed the first thing that came in contact with her hand which just happened to be his brown locks. Her hand took fly to clutch the boy's hair scalp, the other hand sliding from the arm lock to his lower back as his face slammed against the wall, nose first.

Jade felt the collision impinge on the boy and her; with a sharp intake of breath she smashed his face once more on the wall to break her own fall. The guy face embedded on the wall with a spurt of blood attached with a shriek of pain as she snatched him by the collar and threw him to the left with all the force she could muster.

As her eyes departed from the falling figure, her gaze twirled to the guy who have punched her; his face was in a expression of surprise, even after his partner slammed painfully into the ground, when he bounded to attack with a right hook, the righteous anger that she had been enjoying disappeared to be swapped by the synchronization of Jackie's training. Ignoring the protest of her gut and the blood that persisted in flooding out of her nose, she jumped her way to him with a round kick who forced the boy bent to the left to avoid it. It took him by surprise when her foot missed a certain impact to his face and instead her knee bended her lower leg at the last time, firmly grabbing his violent, punching arm. She felt the small unwittingly struggle and that's when her leg that supported her balance, crooked slightly and took a jump, foot sent flying upwards.

There was a crack as her flying punt kicked the boy straight in the jaw; instantly, the world started to remind her of gravity. Jade let go of his arm while her body started to fall backwards. She pulled both of her feet together as she fell slightly to the left; heels together, foot bended slightly. At the last moment, her ass went screaming from the near impact; she supported her weight in one hand, and spun her leg around with the energy of her drop as his supporting leg was swept out from under him, sending him unceremoniously onto the floor. The boy, who had been so distracted from the blow, fell like a sack of potatoes with a loud 'Woomfph' and laid there, in the ground unmoving.

She completed the arc, joining it with her waiting leg and catapulted herself backward with her hands, landing with the soles of her feet; her hands immediately shout outward, fingers curled, legs bended slightly in a neutral combat position for a counter attack or defense…if she at least have a target remaining.

It took her thirteen seconds to beat those two boys; she counted from when the blow to her stomach came flying.

Jimmy stumbled a bit backing over, but does not fall. As her eyes rested into his terrifying pair of eyes, the blonde takes a step forward. She's angry and furious; fuming she takes a long look over the fallen and moaning boys in the ground prior to lock eyes with her own.

Above, lumpy grey clouds threatened them with rain, distant thunder rumbled through the skies. The thunder growled again, growing closer and then the clouds let loose the crystalline water. It began softly, mere whispers against the ground; she didn't care at the water starting to splash against her shoes, staining her clothes with the purity of it. The skies opened much washing a nonstop flowing of water; the stream slapped against her clothes, her face, bloody nose and lips. She exhaled noisily, moving slightly to the left.

The blonde sneered at her. She sat her furious eyes over the cowering Jimmy and grabbed him by the collar of his brown shirt.

"Aren't we friends? This is what friends do for each other. Kick her ass!" She growled against his face. Jimmy blinked in confusion and then gawked upon her golden eyes.

A pang of fury attacked her from her the stomach to the neck. Jade hands were shaking; she was so cold. The water flowed freely now, the droplets falling from the sky like bullets. She pushed her wet hair against her ears, rubbing her bloody nose to the side. It left a trail of blood that started to leak to the side with water.

At the lack of response, the blonde pushed Jimmy to her. He backed off with an expression of fear. The blonde tugged her wet hair to the side watching Jade like a hawk.

"Do it! Do you want to be friends with us?!" She signaled from herself to the unconscious boys in the floor. Jimmy was left paralyzed with fear and bewilderment.

She pushed the falling wet black hair against her ears again straightening her pose and lowering her hands.

"You don't want to do this Jimmy! We are true friends, I forgive you for everything! Please come to me!" She shouted in hope he could forget about this whole thing and come with her. Even though her clothes were now damp and heavy, she couldn't stop the shivers against her spine. In the darkness of the rain and the darkness that had swallowed the light, she could see his eyes; they were struggling with indecision.

"I don't... I don't know." He uttered fearfully.

Baffled at his words she growled. "What do you mean you don't know? She's not your friend, they aren't either. They attack me, they punched me! I'm bleeding!"

"Yes, and you beat them to a bloody pulp." Countered the blonde with an emotionless tone leaving her in mild shock. Jade parted her mouth slightly surprised at the harshness of her words; failing to form a coherent comeback…she had never in her life been this violent. The blonde stepped forward placing a hand in the boy shoulder. Jimmy watched of course, suddenly realizing that he knew what to do already.

"She was following us! You saw her, it wasn't her business. She got what she deserved." The blonde told Jimmy, eyes on her surprised ones. "We offered you many things, don't you remember? We listened to you like she never did, right? We are your friends; we understand you and you don't need to hide yourself to us. She doesn't deserve your company."

"Yes." Confirmed Jimmy.

The blonde smirked. "She attacked us, we just defended you."

"No ah, that…this is not what happened." He addressed the blonde prior to turn to Jade. "But I-I don't really wanted to talk with you Jade. I want to forget about you and I don't need ya anymore. You helped me but it's not the same anymore."

She implored again. "Jimmy I need you, I miss you. We are friends, we have been through many stuff together, haven't we? Who-what more do you want from me? I could give you more, I want to do so. I-I think we could be more than friends. I would like that, and you? Would you like it?" Even before she confessed what she had fought to keep under control, his eyes didn't change, his expression remained impassive…almost cold as the water that now roamed her body.

She shivered, pushing her muscles up in a frown. She groaned feeling the pain cringing at the busted skin and couldn't feel her nose. She heaved a sigh, starting to feel the effects of what water and icy wind did to your body.

"It's ok to be afraid, but you can't let your fear make your decisions." She reflected on the very same words spoken by Jackie and how it changed her…for the worst to Jackie's aggravation.

"Don't be like that…please." Implored the boy.

She growled menacingly. "Then what the hell do you expected it would happen? That I would throw two years to the shitter for nothing?" An unsettling aura seemed to linger in the moment those words left her mouth, that's when the blonde decided to step in.

The blonde quirked an eyebrow "Know what? Screw this and screw you Jimmy!" She screamed in his face, the blonde roughly smacking his shoulder.

That's all it took for Jimmy to reconsider his decision. "Wait, wait Angela! I didn't mean to!" He foolishly followed after the blonde.

She watched him go, her heart admonished that this would be the outcome yet she refused to admit it to herself, that he had abandoned her, like everyone else does. She reasoned that it must stem from her former encounter when her rage flared with the adrenaline, made her clench her first painfully cutting skin, She couldn't help but pant cursing the rain as her heart screamed with a vengeance.

Her feet were trembling; she cast a look at her bleeding hand, warm yet cold whilst the rain water took care to wash the blood. She unconsciously licked her lips tasting the copper of her own blood. She twisted her eyes to perceive as the two beaten down boys got to their feet, warped legs filled with gasp of pain and agony.

"W-wait up" Said one, struggling to walk to his retreating companions. He stopped just to take a look at her and hurried his phase coughing. 'A wise choice' Jackie would have said she thought with a cringe. She ignored as the boy helped the other when she felt a dull blurred feeling in her eyes. She rubbed them both just to observe the form of Jimmy and that blonde bitch arguing in the distance.

It was then that water started to protrude from her eyes, her tears mixed with the rain and she thank it quietly however her mind remind her of Seymour…the demon of the skies, Hsi Wu and how much it had destroyed her soul. Why did she felt this way? Jimmy was not a demon…

…why?

Why should I give my own happiness for others? Why did she need to lie down? Why she has to take this? Why nobody cares? Why he isn't here with me? Why my chest hurts? Why my heart clenches at the pain? Why do I feel I should peel their flesh from their bones? Why I want to smash his skull against the pavement? Why I am doing nothing?

'_I have no right? That thing cannot be forgiven'_ She thought bitterly. '_No right for love, no right for friendship? For happiness? Why should I be punished like this?_'

'_Stupid world, stupid Jimmy, stupid blonde bitch…stupid Jackie'_ She cursed inwardly, feeling like acid ate her mind away.

It pained her to admit that Jackie never assisted on her social life. He always casted a disapproving glare when she defended herself. In his eyes, she was a disappointment for the mischief she caused with the training that meant to be used to calm her spirit but it only aggravated further with the lack of interest in her life. He always sure on his decision that school and the duties that came with it, would be enough to ease her mind but it only got worst and at remembering them, she degraded less cheerful one day at a time. That's why she insisted in meddling with his life but it always back fired on her, causing more problems than it was worth the attention amending the few nerves that Jackie used to remain sane.

So she pushed it aside keeping on doing her usual rut only to find herself being forced into a wall by all the disappointed glares, the shame and the words of wisdom that didn't make any sense to her.

But she didn't want to; she wouldn't let the world take his sick pleasure in torturing her. When the world throws crap at you it is best to throw shit back.

'_Bit-bitch, stay away from us!'_

With those bitter words, her eyes narrowed in sadness, clenching them shut. She refused to cry, but even so, no matter how hard she tried to close them; tears started to protrude, dancing along the contour of her face, mixing with the bitter rain and the blood that throbbed from her nose. Jade's legs started to tremble as the blood stretched from her neck to her orange hoody. Jade took another look at the retreating figure of the boy who had reached out to the bitch side and started to have a verbal fight, she could judge from their violent flicker of their arms and mouths; their words unintelligible because of the rain.

She clutched her nose that had started to sting again, and across her burning flesh she bared her teeth with a loud cry of desperate anguish. And even at this moment, Jade's memory threw the words that had hurt her so much fueling her anger. The words kept repeating in her head like a wasted mantra that continued until she bared her teeth sucking air through them. Agony flashed across her face in which her nose kept reminded her in the kind of pain it was; with a sneer, she smeared the blood aside with both hands, licking her lips unintentionally. It tasted just like she felt right now…cold and useless.

Her feet shifted uncomfortably in the ground very much aware that she unexpectedly headed to the arguing Jimmy and the blonde. Pensive and unreadable, Jade walked with the violent silence of the batter, product of the never ending, bouncing water raining down the earth.

Icy tears burned her face whereas the cold rain smothering her cheeks with cold fire. Jade couldn't feel the burning blood, just the water and the wind as she picked up her phase and started to jog.

So she ran with a single goal in mind.

The words, the pain and the dejected nature of her life egg her on to run like mad at the cause of her suffering.

It was a bad idea her mind had said; it would be wise to surrender for the time being and left all of this, behind. Then what of Jimmy? What was of that boy who she offered companionship and a promise in her future?

By sheer of stupid luck, the verbal fight with Jimmy and the blonde bimbo continued to escalate whilst the two boys failed to detect her rapid approach, confusing the hastened wet splashes of her shoes for the drizzle that rained down the earth. Her eyes hardened, her mouth twisted into an unfamiliar yet refreshing clench of teeth and she screamed with a blood curling scream, just loud enough to stop the verbal fight that had scaled between Jimmy and the bitch.

The boy with the bald military cut and white shirt, who ceremonially had been holding his nose, was the first to look through the slits of his flexed bloody fingers and stared at the advancing, clenched fist.

Jade punched through the uncovered skin of his face, across the ripostingexploding nose. Strawberry jam splattered against her clenched knuckles. The blonde only quirked an eyebrow, unsure how to react at the display of violence and the fierce descend of her friend, battering the back of his head across the dirtied white wall before tumbling completely. Wracked with a horrifying fury, Jade did not know she possessed; she spun around the shocked brown haired Jimmy, backhanding him with the back of her left hand while the other blocked an approaching blow from the blond bitch. Jade growled at the impact, quickly slid her hand to extended fingers, applying a sharp jab at the neck of the blonde. The girl clogged in shock and pain, gurgling spit, gripping the offending wound; the pain was white agony by any stretch of the imagination, it made her fall to her rear, the talent to breathe stolen.

The brown haired teen reacted badly, looking stupidly between his two friends not keeping his eyesight where it should be…forward. In a fraction of a second, Jade applied a spinning back-kick that scored a hit at his chest; he slammed against the ground, hard, taking into consideration the flare-up of pain at his chest.

She didn't even let him to turn his gaze towards his own wound as she strapped his movements with her weight. The boy looked at Jade with his eyes, widened from the pain and the dripping tears streaming down his face unsure of the new development but his shaking body legitimized the fact of what was coming.

Jade watched Jimmy tumbling to the floor almost pissing his own pants while watching with terrifying eyes what was happening before him, the blonde continued to choke and he turned his attention to her.

It was when she shifted her stare on the boy that lifted an arm with their firm intentions to get Jade out of him only to be seized at mid air and before she pulled back her arm and punched him on the jaw. She fed her habit, punching him again across the nose, the impact sending the back of his head directly to the slippery floor with a dry and sickening thud. His whole body was wobbling in pain but that did not stop the flurry of punches that were just yearning for his blood. She punched him again and again.

His entire being was practically a mess of nerves and she could see the red yogurt that sprayed from his nose and lips into his white shirt and her orange hoody with every hit of her knuckles. She didn't even count how many times her fist raised and fell she just stopped when his mouthed tried to wobbled something intelligible. The boy spat blood and a few broken teeth with a gurgle and for the first time she could see the damage that she have caused. She looked back in horror feeling a fit of pain on her blood blemished hand.

"Pweaze, nah m're, I-I bedj ywu"

Her body was shuddering and she could see the tiny bumps on her skin that either signaled fear, cold or both.

"It's what I was yearning for"

She heard a stranger say, only then she discovered that those words have been spoken from her own mouth. Ice lodged on her stomach, a sensation colder than the freezing torrential downpour and to confirm her doubts she laid her gaze at the broken boy beneath her. Both of his eyes were inflated and purple like if someone had stuffed cotton under his eyelids that tried to stay closed to bite down the pain that leaked from his nose and lips.

Jade whipped her head quickly to see at the dismayed gazes of both the struggling blonde and Jimmy. However a cold existence then wrapped itself around her as if evil itself was now in her presence that brought her to fix your eyes on her blood stained hands, a knuckle hurt, it was broken. Grief like no other slipped into her heart as she stood up from the teen that took his chance to let a pained cry, rolling to the left.

The silence was deafening while the rainwater brunt adjacent to the broken teens that have changed so much in an instant. Two boys were hurt, their faces purple and unrecognizable, the same could be say for the Angela girl who even as she choked in her own spit, broadcasting a hate she will never be able to share as for that in that moment, Jade against all odds shoved Jimmy aside and strolled towards the blonde until she was looming over her.

Jimmy was astounded at the events, he couldn't believe it but it happened. The water that cascaded down her body has twisted the blood smeared at Jade's mouth coercing her features into a desecrated skull like smile. Neither of them moved from the spot, the blonde arched an eyebrow at the recent turn of development; she opened her mouth to say something but closed it afterwards. Jade shifted from her spot, eyes flaring up dangerously, the blonde looked back with puffy eyes and a bleeding mouth without a link to her fate and sometimes, silence is the best warning.

The blur of bluefish pants came and Jimmy parted his look with a shocked cry.

Not bothering to look at him or wait and see if he had something to say, she finished her ministrations on the bitch with a kick that left her unconscious and leaving a trail of blood down her chin. Jade sighed tiredly prior to look for her backpack lying in the floor obscured by the tinted water. That didn't stop her to clutch it close to her heart, as if he was the only witness who have observed the damage that she caused. Jade heaved a sigh slipping the weight around her shoulders.

Jimmy still hadn't moved an inch.

Overwhelmed by the unfamiliar emotion, her eyes filled with tears and she ran. She roughly brushed her shoulder against Jimmy's one and ran out of the alley, the rainwater attacking her skin like fiery needles. She ran and ran under the surprised gazes of the people calling for her to check on her wounds, but the damage had already been done. What had transpired on that alley was her fault; she gave into her anger just like Jackie have instructed her not to do and done the opposite, she couldn't control her temper and that had been the result.

But even so, a voice she couldn't recognize told her otherwise and placed the blame on the group and Jimmy for being so stupid and attacked her. She was hurt, confused and grieving for an answer to cling to save for the hurt and warm tears running down her face. Under the black stare of the skies, Jade turn up running at the store at full speed, and opened the door. The bell atop the door ringed signaling the quick entry of a possible customer. A call that did not went unnoticed by Jackie, as a full time explorer and archeologist still found time to work at the store where he grew up. He smiled behind the counter encouraged by Tohru's grin to make Uncle happy, the only reason he still helped around the store.

"Welco-" His speech paused at mid articulation; the smile was erased from his face.

The scream with dismay from Tohru made her ran faster and faster to his uncle who vaulted over the counter to her. Jade threw herself at his arms, crying like there was no tomorrow and Jackie could only hold her as if she was about to disappear from the world.

Tohru had called his Sensei to come with medical supplies, his reaction was to be expected; he screamed at the sight of her wounds and rushed forward with a first aid kit.

Jackie's marine shirt was smeared with her blood and the boys she punched, as he took sight of her niece face; she avoided his gaze, shamefully admitting to him what had transpired on that alley, leaving the small detail at the lack of control and what came with it. She didn't need to wait a second to see that his uncomfortable gaze turned into a horrifying look to terror as he took sight of her wounds. Jackie was opening his mouth to say something but he broke down with her; even in these kinds of times, she had been never been badly hurt and it scared him. It was the first time, and it was horrible simply horrible that she was the cause of his grief, she was at fault…like always.

Per version of the truth, she waited with a purpose until she felt better confirming the doubts of her uncle in the same vein she had arrived; in tears and soaked in rain water and blood.

"Why?"

This simple question carried all sorts of meaning to everyone especially to Jade who whimpered, burying her tear and blood stained face on his shoulder. Exertion, her mind was strained from the unending terror of the sorrow and the violence that have come with it, but that was done and in the past both of her uncles reassured her with a smile, young and old.

The rest of the day had been filled with rest, her uncle have stayed at her bedside, holding her hand until she felt asleep, her wounds patched up and for once, a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Deep down in the night, even in her restful slumber, the same voice gave her comfort, placing the blame on Jimmy and the group of douche bags who had kept him company and the pain that got associated with it, while at the same time confusing her.

In the morning, the voice had disappeared.

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**A/N: **I know that it looks like I am pinning a lot on Jade, but that is to be expected. I am trying to get into perspective what changes she went through life before the grand thing happens soon. Stay tuned folks. I would appreciate if you tell me your thoughts with a review. Until next time!

From Houston

D4rK


	3. The Wicked Therapy

Author Notes: Another chapter delivered. Thanks for your support

-Disclaimer: Jackie Chan Adventures belongs to Warner Channel and John Rogers. And I gain no profit writing this.

-betaed by Dark-Automaton

The March of the Black Queen

Chapter 3

The Wicked Therapy

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Present time.

43 minutes until the arrival of Viper.

Jade jolted awake from the remains of her memory, the water had turned cold and damp leaving just an after reminiscence committed to a particular scar. That bald boy left a souvenir at the peak of her nose, it was barely noticeable, but still there, she could still touch the jagged line of flesh.

But even now, in her darkest despair, in the dampest hour, there was a confusing side to all of this. The fiery cold water washed over her body, the small scars hid against her skin pulsing with the ghostly pain of memories. What could be the soul crushing experience that left her so bitter inside? She had been too trusting, always her ignorance fucking up with her resolve. She had cried herself to sleep after Jimmy's betrayal thinking that the trickery Seymour, who really was the demon of the skies, Hsi Wu, would be the last one and everything would be better. When the demon revealed her true form to her, she had been devastated with the revelation.

The first boy who had been a friend to her, and she fell for it. The stinky shell of her insides may actually have more fury than she let on. She had wanted to kill him and make him suffer, just as much as he made her cry with the way it impaired her heart. And even after all these years, Tohru still kept the half coin close to his neck as remembrance to never repeat the same mistakes ever again.

'But that stupid fuck of Jimmy had to happen' She thought bitterly clawing her palms.

Her fate had been so maddeningly uncertain and unknown. It's not that she was anti-social; she was a good person taking pride in everything she did. She has so much to give and nobody had ever let her. The hatred bubbled up inside Jade; her stomach became knotted and tense against her better judgment, her memories still very fresh on her mind. She closed her eyes letting a humorless chuckle escape her throat. With a confused smirk, Jade took the soap and started to caress her cadged skin with haste. She wondered how much water she had let to waste swathing her body as she rested in the comfort of the cleanliness of it.

Jade squatted down to take hold of the shampoo bottle on her left hand. She flipped open the cap and poured a small quantity of the fine sluice liquid in her other hand and closed the cap.

With a flick of her wrist the bottle collided with a wet splash against the bathtub wall; Jade in turn rubbed her hands, spreading the thick liquid in her palms along with the nice feeling while they collided with her waiting scalp. She scrubbed her head, nice and slowly, stroking every strap of her jet black and silky hair to perfection trying to concentrate on the task.

But the real truth was that she felt scared of her coerced future.

Her parents, Shen and Lee Lee Chan were coming and she was not prepared to meet them; after all, they pinned their disappointment in her; with the harshness of their neglecting words and their business like smiles when they were in the company of others. Small, self-deprecating laughs to cover the reprimand of their dissatisfaction in her. One was Jackie, scolding her as an advice that was meant to be listened for learning, but their words had straightened to something else along the years.

Their parents always accompany their words with the pain of a belt a few times, always ending with the phrase 'It's for your own good'. Jade felt several scars singing their agony to go along with the ghostly pain of the memories that her experiences had enclosed on her flesh along the years.

She finished her bath quickly, stepping out of the shower; she dried her silky hair as she went into her room still dripping wet. She sighed, directing her walk close to her closet, decorated with a life size poster of Bruce Lee. The man seemed to scowl at her while she opened the door and directed her attention to her extensive wardrobe. Jade fished out a dark purple blouse, light gray dress pants, white socks, black sneakers and a pair of white panties with black dots. She dressed quickly, tugging her memories to the back of her mind, it's not like any of them would serve her any good.

She braided her hair while she waited for the clock to advance and the soothing comfort in the simple act of braiding her hair. Ten minutes later, someone knocked her door three times.

"Jade? Are you ready?" Came the muffled voice of Jackie. Rather than answering, she threw the comb at her bed; the service already rendered and directed her attention to the door.

For once, Jackie looked pleased with her way of dressing and with a smile; he leaned loosely in her door frame. "It's good that for once you are on time dear niece, it will be a few minutes before Viper gets here. Come, Tohru and Uncle are waiting"

Jade bite back a response in its place, she smiled following after her uncle downstairs. What surprised her when she came to the last step was the state of dress of her family; Uncle have taken the opportunity to slip a pale gray-brownish dressing suit with a yellow tie while her tiny brother have hung up his dark brown overall for a jeans that seemed very, very custom made, blueyish tennis shoes, cyan dress shirt and a smile to receive her.

"You look nice brother, that shirt complement your eyes" She said with a smirk that earned a blush from the giant of a man; rubbing the back of his head, it was a motion that already brightened Jade's day as she was proud of all the years under her belt making the man blush here and there with the right words.

The mountain of a man lifted and engulfed her in a warm hug. We are all, at one point or another, forced to acknowledge when we are weak, and this was the case of Jade that immediately warmed up at her tiny brother with a squeal of laugher. Out of the ashes, her mood improved drastically from the bloodied cinders of her pain filled memories and the cold pit in her stomach disappeared. She sighed in relief, enjoying the warm embrace of Tohru, enclosing her open arms around his form; her hands barely got into the sides of his torso, but she held out nonetheless with the same fervor as the mountain of a man.

She gave Tohru her best preeminent smile as he gently pulled her to the ground, rustling her hair lovingly after. Jade eyed all of her adults in the same room and shrugged.

"What seems to be the special occasion?" She chuckled with humor.

Jackie's eyes widened. "Jade! I just told you, is your head working properly?"

It was amazing how one word could turn a smile into a scowl.

Jade scowled, forgetting the joke she was about to make. "My head is fine, Jackie" She spit the last word as it was acid. Her uncle cringed but she made no motion to apologize for her outburst. He deserved it.

Tohru looked at his sensei for advice, but all he got in response was a shrug.

Even Uncle couldn't battle with a teen right in the beholder of her puberty, and truthfully, if he ever tried, he would be rewarded with harsher words than he intended.

Jade crossed her arms taking a look at her family, then at the door. She looked at her watch and frowned.

"All this hurrying Jackie and she still ain't here. I would still be asleep, catching some good shut eye" She sighed. "If it was for you, you would get me ready four hours before school" She said detectibly holding her angered gaze for a moment, abruptly snapping her attention to the blowing teapot, signaling that the tea was ready.

Coming from ancient traditions, Jade still loved a good cup of jasmine tea with a hint of lemon. The aroma and taste were quite exquisite and she wished that more people could appreciate it. She served herself one cup, waving the hot teapot in front of her family.

"Ooooh, tea!" Uncle rubbed his old hands together.

"Uncle! You already had two cups. Viper is about to get here, and I promise, the bathroom is going to call you on our way to the restaurant!"

Uncle smiled sweetly, beckoning him with a finger. Jackie, never discerning his actions, got closer until he was in front of him.

"Yes?" Asked Jackie.

Uncle snapped his dual fingers on his head. Jackie blocked with a chuckle then frowned in pain as Uncle other hand hit him on the forehead with his dual finger attack.

"You will never outsmart Uncle! I raised you, Jackie, and I trained you, now! Dear niece!" He put his hands together, extending a cup. "Give Uncle tea"

Jackie rubbed his aching forehead with a wince. "Where did you get a cup?"

"Uncle is always prepared!" The old Chan said, watching with happiness as his niece poured a cup for him. He smelled it, and sipped it.

"Ah! Tohru! You make such a good tea" Uncle thanked him with a small nod of his head.

The mountain of a man rubbed the back of his head, granting his Sensei a complete bow. No words were given, just the sips of Jade and Uncle. The teen gurgled her tea as it was a mere soda slamming the cup on the table not even affected by the hot liquid, already accustomed to the warmness of it. Jackie visually cringed at her lack of manners, extending a finger and opening his mouth to voice it.

"Save it Jackie" Jade snapped. Jackie got angry, following after her to give her a good scolding. Whatever was in his mind was interrupted as a twin car horn blared from the outside.

Viper was here.

"Finally!" Jade threw her hands in frustration, going outside before the others.

"Aiyah. Jade, wait up!" Uncle made a hasty exit, dropping tea everywhere.

Jackie sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose; he felt a large hand covering his shoulder.

He looked up to receive the warm stare of Tohru; he squeezed his shoulder a little tighter.

"Give her time, she is going through tough times Jackie. She doesn't do this on purpose"

Jackie exhaled to clear any annoyances that he felt. "I can't avoid worrying Tohru. She's being impossible. Years has passed since Jade came into our lives. And the once sweet and caring niece that had her emotion for adventure, stubborn, and impulsive always annoying me and getting into such troubles…is disappearing. She doesn't get to follow me anymore. All she does is get stuck in her room, doing I don't know what. She is always so angry, so full of anger and low level of patience. And when I intend to talk to her, she snaps at me, full of resentful malice. Where is the Jade we once knew Tohru?"

Tohru digested everything he told him before answering. "She is still there. The reason she doesn't follow you anymore is because of the strong punishment you had put on her, you could say she has learnt to not dwell where she isn't called. Although I have to admit, that of the many times she got herself into trouble, she has always being loyal and saved us in more than one occasion" He chuckled, closing his eyes and shaking his head to remind himself of the good times.

He sighed, not opening his eyes. "She is going through difficult times, difficult situations. The life she expected isn't turning better for her. I have noticed that Jade is more frustrated. And that she hates your authority and the constant disappointment that you so willingly express"

Jackie gasped. But Tohru wasn't done just yet.

"Jade is, but a person who can easily wither if not properly cared for. I know that you give her training, food, money and a roof over her head but the frustration of being inside a world where she is constantly pushed on the edge isn't making this easy on her" Tohru's eyes opened, revealing sadness.

"Then what am I supposed to do? Let her loose and start to cause havoc again?!" Jackie expressed anxiously. "We've been through this before Tohru. The same advice, you have given it to me before. And no matter how I talk to her, she insist that nothing is wrong, and that she is the same as she has ever been" He sighed deeply. "She's even refusing my idea to go to the Section 13 therapist, which it's free for us mind you and even escaped once to avoid going."

The mountain of a man shook his head. "No, you should treat her like she deserves to be treated. And help her. Lectures just won't do Jackie, nobody likes to be lectured showing what they did wrong. That annoys people, it doesn't teach them. Believe me, I know" He closed his eyes. "Be there for her, and help her, do everything you can and I promise that the sweet lotus flower that I know will rise again"

"Lotus flower?" Jackie questioned.

Tohru blushed, chucking and playing nervously with the folds of his shirt. "Our secret"

Both men jumped at the constant loud beeping from the car horn, courtesy of an annoyed Jade. Viper laughed inside the car.

Jackie sighed again, hugging his face with both hands.

"I will try Tohru…I will try again" Jackie said before exiting the store, in tow with Tohru. With the store closed, the mountain of a man looked at the massive van, used just when the occasion where he was going on presented itself. He silently made a bow with Viper, who returned it as he entered the van.

"Hello there sweetie" Viper raised an eyebrow at the archeologist who with a blush smiled.

Everyone clasped their seat belts.

Tohru being the heaviest of them caused the van to steer a little bit to the left. Viper quickly pressed a button; the hydraulic counter weights stabilized the van back into position.

"Sorry? The Japanese man apologized.

"No biggie big man" She smiled sweetly, looking at the passengers inside the van. A restless Jade blew a bang of hair from her face, Jackie at the front seat with his arms akimbo gave her a sweet smile that she returned,

Tohru was busying himself with an electronic game, with custom made buttons for his large hands and a sighing Uncle sipped more tea earning a scowl from the ex thief.

"Watch it with the tea, these are suede seats…if I see a drop on them you will have to pick up your cup with chopsticks" She threatened with a hint of jest.

"Do you want a piece of Uncle? I'm right here" The older of the Chan clan threatened, beckoning her with his hand. When further threats weren't thrown, he sipped the last drops of his tea, sighing in relaxation.

Viper smirked, putting the pedal to the metal, the van skidding across the asphalt with speed, Uncle went forward, ramming his head on the front seat, not really hurting him, but annoying him.

Jade laughed in good fun as Tohru restrained a screaming Uncle that was threatening to destroy Viper, piece by piece. A sighing Jackie looked out of the window, trying to steer his attention from the ruckus inside the van as the vehicle went around the city.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The restaurant itself was in the middle of Chinatown. It was the very same restaurant where Jade had swallowed the rooster talisman years ago, Jackie mused. As the van stopped in the parking lot, Viper motioned to the restaurant.

"Get out all of you; I am going to look a spot big enough for this big whale"

Tohru couldn't help but to blush again, brushing the back of his head.

The former thief laughed. "Tohru, I am not mad. What I am going to do? Shrink you?"

"That would be a very! Hard task to complete!" Uncle observed. "The quantity of ingredients would have to be vast"

Jade rolled her eyes. "No more than the other times"

"Aiyaaa. Jade ruined joke!" Uncle sighed. "The youth of these days"

A car behind the van made itself known, blaring the horn repeatedly. Viper scowled behind the wheel.

"Alright, alright. All of you, out" She pointed outside.

The others exited normally, but as soon as Tohru placed his massive hands on the edge of the doors, the car horn stopped. The driver, a mere college student could only pale as two giant legs and a massive frame made the van to tilt to the opposite side, and then to steer back into position.

The giant of a man threw a dirty glare at the driver. He wisely turned back scared, the screech of tires echoing through Chinatown.

Viper laughed inside the van, gazing back on the mirror.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The place was as luxurious and fancy as Jackie remembered. The restaurant name was 'House Wu'. It was redecorated in honey brown wood covering the walls and a darker shade of brown for the ceiling. The tables had been expanded, the curtains red to match the new atmosphere. The Chinese columns had been removed and were replaced by a mix between wood columns and oriental colors. The kitchen was now professionally covered, a red and black satin curtain covering it with ornamented decorations.

The outside beautifications were as similar as any to many buildings in Chinatown. Pagodas with curved and horned ceilings, several rice paper traditional lamps covering its massive ceiling.

A doorman, dressed in a black suit as well as a matching shirt and slightly modern white collar opened the door for them, Viper now in tow. All but Jade smiled at the gesture.

"Psssh. It's the same as I remember with some changes…minus the Dark Hand buffoons crashing the party" Jade chuckled, then blushed looking at Tohru. "No offense"

"None taken" He smiled slightly, instantly placing all the events of that night in the past.

"And when you didn't chew your meal and swallowed the rooster talisman" Jackie mused with a chuckle.

"It was soup! You don't chew goddamn soup" Jade pinched the bridge of her nose, her feet stomping in annoyance. "We live in Chinatown, we have Chinese traditions and we eat the goddamn food every day; don't you get tired of Chinese food Jackie? I want a juicy rib eye steak! Or Spaghetti or Pizza!"

Jackie threw her a disappointed look that carried on many meanings, and was partially grateful when a mix of voices called their attention.

"Jackie! Uncle! Jade!" A warm womanly voice called for them.

The entire family turned around to gaze at an elderly couple, Jade's parents.

Jackie and Uncle brought into a smile.

Viper observed a certain disdain on Jade's face as she faked a smile.

Tohru politely stayed behind his sensei, opting to bow.

"Come! Sit, sit. It has been so long!"

Jade's father, Shen Chan; hasn't changed in the slightest. He wore a sincere but small smile, his white and gray hair cut in a short buzz and the lines on his face dimly relaxed to match his expression. He wore a black dress coat with a white silk shirt underneath and brown pants with matching leather shoes.

Lee Lee Chan, Jade's mother has aged considerably. Her wrinkles were more noticeable; her brown hair looked slightly longer and obviously dyed. Her pink lips displayed an expression that almost seemed…perfect, by the many years of experience. She wore a European brown dress with a slight exposed neck, a golden necklace around it and black shoes around her pale feet.

Jackie engulfed them both in a slight embrace but respectfully. "Indeed it has been so long. It's good to see you"

"Uncle!"

Now, that was something that never changed. Mused Jackie, as Jade's parents embraced the older Chan and then let go when they gazed on a new sight.

"Mom, dad" Jade went to them, placing her arms around her parents, both adults reciprocating. She held on, primary to ease her disbelief of today, the reunion wasn't all that she expected. A trail of batch of cold ice lodged inside her stomach. She nervously let them go, smiling yet looking sideways.

"Well look at you. You've grown up" Her mother caressed her slightly longer hair. "All changed up yet oddly looking presentable…a good change I might add" The elder Chan said, keeping her eyes on his daughter's face.

Shen Chan nodded in approval, keeping a prudent distance and motioning to the table.

"Let's sit" He smiled.

With a sigh, Jade sat on the empty seat at the back of the table.

"Ah…ah Jade. Have you forgotten your manners? The other guests go first before the main guest" Her mother scolded her. Jade sighed inwardly, standing with an awkward feeling in her mind. Her family sat with puzzled looks on their faces, and finally Jade could sit down.

"My apologies" Lee Lee said. "It is a custom in our home for the guest of honor to sit last…habit that has to be reinstated in our daughter while she's in our present. Right Jade?" The woman smiled sweetly, yet her eyes looked like cobras.

"Yes mother" Jade answered automatically without emotion, fist were balled and pressed firmly against her hips.

Shen Chan looked in approval. "Very good" He clapped his hands. "So! What do you want to drink?" He threw a smile.

"Uncle wants tea!" The elder said.

"Uncle, do you carry a cup with you at all times?" Jackie sighed.

"Jackie?" His uncle calmly said.

"Yes?" The archeologist answered eager for him to speak up already.

Quick as lightning, he felt a quick strike of his fingers at the top of his head. Jackie couldn't help but wince in pain. To his dismay, the entire table exploded into laughter and chuckles. Jackie sighed, oddly observing that Jade had not joined them. He smiled, clearly she respected him.

The Older Chan, uncovered his collar, exposing a chain around his neck with a tea cup clicked on it. Uncle unclicked the cup. "Now…tea!" Uncle lifted his cup.

Shen Chan chuckled, lifting a hand for the waitress

Minutes later, hot steamed tea was served with mantou(1) dessert and other Chinese treats.

Jade, if she had something to say, never did, keeping her eyes focused on the tea in front of her, not really sipping it, but resting her lips against the liquid and listening to whatever conversations the adults were keeping around. Her parents were too busy in the company to pay attention to her. It was always like this, with their strict customs, the guest was more important than anything else.

Someone placed a hand on her shoulder; she turned to the tanned former thief, a concerned gaze upon her.

"Hey" She caressed a strap of hair behind her ear. "This is supposed to be your happy reunion, yet I don't see happy written on your face"

Jade's face lowered in a dejected manner. "It's nothing Viper. I am just tired"

Viper arched an eyebrow. "Do you really think I would have the job that I have right now without able to spot a lie?"

The Honkonese girl sucked air through her teeth.

"Leave me alone"

Yet, the woman never did, taking a hold of her hand. "We're going to the restroom for a few minutes"

Jade could only nod when the entire table turned to them, unable to do anything but to be dragged until the door closed on her back. The hair of her neck stood on end, the serpent like eyes of Viper looked straight at her soul.

"I know unhappiness when I see it" Viper told her softly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

The girl tried to brush her hand off, just to be replaced by another. "Tell me everything" She squeezed.

"No…" Her voice sounded so small and fragile. The part of her that never reached the eyes and ears of so many was on bare display. She needed air and wanted to get out, but Viper held on. She wheezed, anxiety gripping at her mind.

"Nothing…is…wrong" She latched out with venom, her eyes betraying the inside turmoil into her mind. Her thoughts flared like wild fire, her feet tangling together yet not falling, the ex thief hands still gripping her, still suffocating her with her closeness. She hyperventilated, a strange sight to behold.

Viper held her closer, gasping at what was happening. Slowly but surely, Jade brought her hands around her back and squeezed, small droplets of liquid splashing against her cheek.

"I have never seen you like this" Her eyes widened as saucers.

"Do you remember when we took a bath together and asked me of my scars?" Jade said with a broken voice, keeping her hands firmly latched on the older woman, fingers nervously twitching between the folds of her clothing.

Viper could only nod.

The truth needed to come out.

If the former thief had only gazed upon Jade's eyes, she would only see the nothingness that ruled and a flash of something darker beneath those pools of sorrow. Jade felt something running around her mind, curling in her very thoughts. Her eyes clenched, slightly horrified of what she felt. The pain and misery eating at her mind, confusion running rampant and the everlasting dark thoughts, whispering petty things inside her head. She panicked yet she could not move. They whispered harsh things and even so, it was faintly comforting to have something that understood her situation. Her heart skipped a beat, anxiety attacking her breathing as her mouth struggled, teeth clattering to get them firmly in place, then she took a deep breath.

"My parents called me stupid and reckless for having an accident I had back in Hong Kong. Just…having fun climbing around the walls, but I wasn't ready for one and I fell. I had a lot of bruises, cracked a rib and ended up with several scars. But others…well, let's just say, that there were more of those occasions" She held back a humorless chuckle.

There was a gasp and the uncomfortable clench of stronger hands against Viper's back, soft pained sighs coming straight from Jade's mouth.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back in the reunion, Uncle laughed in good jest, showing Shen Chan a few tricks of his…street magic. While not necessarily cheating, Uncle was a proud wizard and got plenty of amusement when he tried his oldest trick. Appearing a whole pickle in their drinks.

It was a simple trick; he only needed to play with the person eyes to achieve it.

Shen Chan looked startled. "Uncle…how did you do that?"

"A true magician, NEVER reveal his tricks. I've got plenty of years to perfect my magic" Said the oldest of the Chan clan offering a small but gratified smirk at the surprise of Shen.

Lee Lee applauded. "That's a fascinating trick, if only we could use magic to bring our meals quicker"

Tohru and Jackie laughed at the joke, Uncle just got thoughtful, wondering if some of his spells in repertory could accomplish such task without blowing something up.

Jackie looks up to the bathroom, counting the minutes of absence of the girls, and then he remembers that they're girls. Even though he was never one to follow stereotypes, they usually did take their time.

The former thief and girl in question did return a few minutes later. Uncle Jackie could notice that her face looked downcast and wondered if anything happened that would get Jade to act this way. Suddenly, he had the desire to press it to her, but remembering her snappy attitude, he thought otherwise. He was again broken from his reverie when the food arrived.

The smell wasn't anything but delicious. While Jackie had eaten many kinds of food across his years as an archeologist and travelling around the world, nothing was better than the steamy smell of fresh fried rice, vegetables and sliced beef.

Jade sat without a word, careful to keep her gaze focused on the guests, as it was dictated by her parents protocol.

Viper sat just beside her, squeezing her hand under the table. She noticed happily how the girl gaze seemed to relax, but she never noticed how her golden eyes started to radiate darker than before, a small red circle drawing into the pupil.

Tohru felt a slight shiver down his spine….almost too familiar for him to ignore. Almost like when Oni were nearby. He just chuckled. Probably he needed thicker clothes, he wondered if perhaps he could ask Uncle if they could go to the store that made his custom clothes. He tugged that thought inside his mind as the waitress served him a big bowl filled with fried rice, vegetables and sliced beef, with some fried shrimp.

As all the meals were served, Shen Chan lifted his cup of cola soda.

"A toast for our happy family"

All around the table, the cups were lifted and went to their respective mouths.

Jade's cup was the loudest to impact on the table, Lee Lee gave her a gaze of apprehension, Jade if she noticed, didn't care, going straight to her food.

Jackie had reasoned with the chef to serve her a complete steak, 12 ounces of beef that were regularly sliced into the different dishes; with a side of salad with mayo, black pepper and salt. And a long glass filled with green cold tea, just like she liked it. She had to give it to him; he did know how to spoil her sometimes. She gave her uncle a look, and a small nod of her head, a small smile playing on her lips which her uncle returned, equally pleased.

She lifted her knife to cut the meat, her eyes reflecting on the fine but sharp blade.

'Use it…'

She shook her head, eyes tightly closing. Then opened one and sighed, cutting her meat. It didn't help that red juices came flowing out of the meat. She stared dumbly at it.

'Blood must flow…'

"No…"

"What was that Jade?" Viper wondered.

"No…Uh, the meat, yeah. It's kinda, undercooked for me. I would like it well done"

Viper nodded and called for the waitress, indicating the problem, she took it away straight to the kitchen.

Jade sighed, placing the knife back on the napkin, the meat juices staining it like red blood. Her eyes widened slightly horrified at the sight. She promptly shook her head again, taking hold of her drink to take a long sip, droplets coming down her hand, apprehension and stress building in a pinpoint pressure on the back of her head.

Someone rasped and called her attention. Her father gave her a look, a silent scold at the lack of manner, eyebrow lifted. She sighed loudly, wiping her hand on the folded cotton red napkin. She suddenly wondered where was her bravado and child adventurer self, gone to? When was she dipped into this hole of a mess, where her hormones, depression and lack of excitement tore her personality? Directly in front of her, she looked at Uncle, still entertaining and thankfully getting her parents attention to his innocent magic tricks, keeping away his real magic from them.

She often wondered if her life would continue to be like this. And surely, she would love a change, back to her old life, when everything was happier and made sense. She felt another squeeze under the table. She squeezed back, careful to avoid the manicured and sharp nails of her elder. Viper smiled giving her a nod which she returned.

Yet...

…the thoughts continued, bombarding her mind with violence against those who caused her pain, dark whispers of death and evil ripping like a flow, eating away all her thoughts. She clenched her arms again, feeling a slight headache building at the back of her head. She had to turn away the blood stained napkin around to avoid looking at it. Thankfully her meal arrived, and as on cue, the thoughts were held back by the need of the well-deserved nourishment and distraction.

Throwing slight thanks at the waitress, she ate immediately. She spared no attention to her parents and the strict protocol of rules and etiquette of their table for years, neither paid attention to anything but her meal. Strangely, she felt at ease eating her steak, to the point of taking huge amounts of meat, chewing gratefully and swallowing with gusto, never taking into account that she had never received such pleasure before from eating steak. Her tongue passed around her teeth to clean out any pieces that might be stuck when she felt a small but sharp pain in her tongue.

"Ah" She complained, tasting the coppery taste of her blood with the iron and delicious steak. She felt her teeth again, her eyes widening as she felt longed canines, the tips sharp.

Fangs? What the hell?

And her surprise would have to wait as always, problems were favored cruelly on her life.

The entire table had watched her. She looked at all of them but her parents and realized with horror, that the blood had spread from her lip to the darkened purple blouse she was wearing and it wasn't stopping, curving a thin path down her neck.

Jackie was the first to stand up, concern flowing on his features. "Jade! My, my, you must have cut yourself with the knife" He looked upon his napkin and went to clean her.

Her ears were blurring, pain burning at the back of her throat. Uncle had gasped, bringing his medical supplies like always in his wool jacket, while Viper checked her wounds, Tohru loaming over her calling for more medical supplies from the restaurant staff. It was only when she noticed that she had all of her parents attention, displeasured expression against her old faces, wrinkling. And suddenly, they looked older than before.

The older man threw his napkin angrily on the table and opened his mouth. Chinese flew out.

"Jade, this is a family reunion, why are you always so clumsy?" He said in a whisper, but it was enough for Jade's family and friends to hear.

Her mother stood up. "Your father is right. You are even worse and more troublesome than your time at Hong Kong. I thought that your time here will change your reckless manner, but alas, I think that we were both wrong. Just let them nurse you and remain seated for the rest of the meal."

Her eyes watered instantly, clenching them painfully, her mouth tightening enough to hear the teeth pressing against each other.

"Stop" She whimpered.

Uncle and the younger one repressed a scowl of fury and only partake on the surprise at such hurtful words.

"My niece is hurt. Please, let us talk on private when we're done with dinner." Jackie said motioning at the pain stricken Jade.

But they were not done.

"While we appreciate your concern Jackie, this is a personal matter. And you," Shen Chan pointed forcefully at Jade, while not touching her, his finger made her heart to flare up painfully in her chest, almost if uncaring that blood was flowing out of her lip, running down her blouse.

"We send you off because we thought that our Uncle and Jackie could straighten your problematic attitude, but you obviously you are still that child, and not as mature as we have hoped you to be. Just clean yourself up and let us continue our meal, if, at least we can still continue to do that."

All but Jade stared. Her eyes filled with tears, and Jade could not stop herself.

"Please daughter, do not cry. We only tell you this because we love you and care about you." Her mother reassured her, yet not making an attempt to comfort her.

She cried silently in front of everybody, sobbing against her hands and that's when she felt two hands to encircle her from behind. The hands were a gentle but strong, and in such a desperate time, she couldn't help but to cradle and press against whoever held her.

Without noticing, a single droplet of blood trickled down from her lip and fell on the floor.

The blood drop fell right on her shadow, and as if in control, the shadow absorbed it with the whisper of a purr.

Something broke inside of her, rushing with the force of a rocket. Every bad memory, every shaken fantasy, dreams, nightmares and experience was thrown inside her mind, mixing into a painful trip of depression and fury like no other. All the darkness, the voices and the cruelty sustained by the years of neglect broke her spirit.

Why?

The question send the turmoil that broke through whatever sanity and defenses her mind had. When she opened her eyes, it all had disappeared but the table she was sitting at. Casually she stood up, the blood had become dry on her shirt and there was nothing to be seen but darkness. Just the light on top, coming from an unknown source kept her rooted to the spot, afraid that if walked around, she would fall into the abysm of darkness that loomed whenever she placed her gaze at. She returned to her seat, cold breath puffing visually across her face, disintegrating in a slow arc against the air.

Jade blinked with a shaky breath, her eyes gazing anxiously around the darkness, her ragged breath sending a steam of cold breath dancing across the very air she breathed, and for a moment, it was the only thing she could hear.

Something snapped at her left. Her eyes perked up, her senses flared hastily. Years of training had developed her senses, but here. She felt completely blind. Unable to hear or see anything other than her own body.

"Jade"

A whispered voice rasped her name, female in kind. She jumped visibly on her seat, looking more frantically, passing through the brink of sanity to panic in an instant.

"Who's there?" She called out, swallowing a lump of spit.

Yet no one answered

Her eyes sharpened, trying to look for a source of movement, but there was nothing. She looked up at the source of lights, never finding where it could be from. It wasn't that she feared darkness, she felt distressed at the unknown.

Her eyes widened, remembering Jackie's training.

She closed her eyes, sharpening her senses. He had taught her to fight without eyesight, just using your ears. There was nothing she could hear, or nothing she could pinpoint except for the hissing of her own breath through her teeth and the silent hum of the darkness she resided.

Jade's frayed nerves converted her unease into a ticking bomb. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, closing her eyes and steeling her resolve to calm her mind. She forced down all thoughts, taking a trip back to a rational level, she had to thank again Jackie for the breathing techniques. When she felt at ease, she opened her eyes with a slight smile curving at her lips.

A pair of red eyes stared at her.

"Hello" Whispered the darkness.

She screamed, leaping on the table on one leg, breathing heavily, her eyes widening as saucers as she adopted an automatic combat stance.

A deep and childlike laughter ran through the infinite liquid darkness, booming over Jade's entire senses. Her fists firmly tightening against her skin.

The eyes observed her; an amused and relaxed stare gazed back at her. The eyes were not completely red, but a soft glowing one; the pupil was a vibrant golden, and smaller than usual.

Not a strange to ghosts, vampires and even demonic apparitions, Jade breathed again and exhaled, her hands held firmly across her face.

"What are you? And where are we? It's as spooky like if someone tried to copycat Freddie Krueger" She whispered, too shocked to speak properly. The eyes tilted away from her rolling her eyes if that was possible and then straight at her own withering gaze, going closer, then travelling in a slow circle around her. Jade scowled harshly, her stance following the eyes in the darkness.

"I thought you were smarter than that, Jade" The voice chuckled, eyes closing themselves in a sickening and sweet expression. "The reason you are here. You woke me up. And truthfully. I wanted to speak with you in private without the interference. Just you and me, alone. And here we are-e" She sing sang her and then laughed. It was disturbing enough that her laughter sounded so much like her own, innocent and childlike.

"You never answered my question" Jade hissed, marching forward, with a threatening step.

The voice rolled her eyes, and then started to rotate around her, Jade followed the eyes whatever direction they were going to.

"Say…" The voice began. "Do you ever heard a little…tiny voice that whisper understanding and makes you feel better? Someone who understands you better than you ever thought of? And not our conscience. I guess that thing hopped on a cab years ago"

Jade eyes widened in recognition.

The voiced laughed, the outline of a mouth appeared out of thin air, and the lips opened revealing a row of sharp teeth, a wicked expression drawing itself on the air. The right eye curved in a twisted smirk, teeth following suit.

"And there we go. The first step is to recognize that you my dear Jade have a problem. Your life it's a disaster, in turmoil, in depression and you seek solitude so badly…yet, not even the people you love dearly can help you. This is where I got through, several years ago"

Jade's eyes squinted into deadly slits. "I don't know where you come from but I won't have some fool demon or being inside my head! Get out!" She screamed, her voice booming over the darkness. Her fangs looked like the same of the voice inside the darkness, cringing in a tight fit across her jaw.

The eyes and mouth curved downward in mock surprise. "Tsk, tsk. That isn't the way to be grateful. Maybe your parents are…right" She giggled.

Jade growled in fury. "OUT!"

"But my dear child, you are not really understanding this, aren't you? YOU cannot force your own darkness out. As Jackie would say it…yin" She smirked, showing her gleaning sharp teeth and snapping them shut in a wicked smile. "And yang. Part of the same, but not the same. I am part of you. We all have our darkness inside of us which brought me to you"

Jade breathed hard making some sense of what the entity was saying. She followed the eyes and mouth as it passed across the room. "What do you want?"

"Well, isn't it obvious? You have something I want, and I can give what you want the most. Strength and freedom"

"Not interested" Jade resisted the urge to charge. Something always had to happen right? Fantastic, just fantastic. Where her life did turned from bad to worse, to extremely worse, and now weird? She wasn't going to give in to this demon, or creature or whatever it was and the tricks to drag her in to whatever evil place, or hell, even take her life.

The booming voice rang in the room, sharp laughter bouncing off the invisible walls. The eyes shook, mouth opened in a never stopping laugh. Jade's eyes widened, wishing it would stop to resound with a deep echo into her ears.

"Take your life? Me?" She giggled again, passing a red tongue over her sharpened fangs. "Hello stupid? I am you. If you're done for, so am I…well, in a sense. You aren't a host. I am just part of you, as you are part of me" It told her, puffing smoke glowing in empty air. Red and white lines appeared in thin air, shaping a figure across the darkness. The glowing red eyes followed the lines, flexing her new hands across her eyes, smirking as she did so. She moved each outlined finger, the lines ending as sharp nails protruded from the fingertips, a shadow of a smirk playing on her features.

The voice chuckled again, sharp outlined hair, long and spiky moved with the movements of her head, another leer growing out in her face.

"Well, it feels good to have a form. I have to give it to you...it's a good thing that you fed me your essence. I was really tired just to be in your subconscious, dreams and in your most irrational and bad times…such in the restaurant"

Jade found her voice again. "Ahhh! Why does everything weird happen to me? So you were the freak show whispering violent stuff in my head? The voice that gave me comfort wh-"

"When you beat up Jimmy's 'new friends' some years ago to a bloody pulp?" Said the voice in finger quotes. "Well, yes. That was me. Nice job by the way" She shrugged, tugging an outlined strap of hair against her ear. "I've been here as long as I remember. And IT'S such a GOOD THING that I am fully awake now…but for you, the awakening just began" She giggled again.

"What do you mean?" Jade hissed marching straight at the outlined body, surprised as her hands made physical contact with the sketch lines of the being, pushing the body against the table and pinning her down with one hand, the other lifting in a threatening manner.

"I want you OUT, OUT! I don't want to hear your voice. I don't want to have nothing to do with uh…my dark, crazy in the coconut self. Stay away from my mind"

The outlines began to fill with a chalk like paste giving the lines a contexture, shape and weight. The head was the first to be formed.

Jade stiffened and then growled.

It was herself.

The lines were filled. Slowly building a form, hands extended across her doppelganger face as she observed her own body with a pleased smile, the tip of her fangs across her lips. And as soon as the molt was completed, it dissipated in a smoky aura, the outlines returning in deep blood red and phosphorescent white.

The pearled fangs smirked. "How about no?"

Jade was sent flying with a scream, an invisible force punching her across the air, ramming her body back on the table with painful groan. She opened her eyes in pain, hissing as the outlined body roared with a powerful scream, sending her sharpened nails flying through the air with a flash of the bladed tips. The claws embedded around her torso and through her blouse, crossed arms pinning her down on the table, and no matter how much she growled, shook and kicked, the darkness never let go, watching her with a satisfied smile on her face.

"We are going to join, you and I, as one. While it has been reassuring to make you feel better, I want us to become one, and I want you to stop shutting me out. You will acknowledge me." The voice hissed painfully across Jade's ears, ripping a blood curling scream from her as the shadow ran the tip of her sharpened thumbs across her skin, drawing blood.

"We will be together. No more being in the shadow of Jackie, no more verbal abuse in school, no more neglect from our parents, the strength that we always wanted will be our own. No more being persecuted and treated like a kid sidekick, no more will we feel useless and thrown down to the side like trash and no more will we be denied!" The voiced boomed in the darkness, the outlines filling out and revealing the whole body of her doppelganger.

Jade screamed again. "No! No! LEAVE ME ALONE"

Her doppelganger smiled sadistically. "I still love this dress" She said observing the dark silk dress, the chest darker than the rest of the dress with sharp purple ornaments, standing proudly against her shoulders, stretching across the darkness until at the chest level was covered in the same intrigue purple with a slight cut at the upper center. Two smaller blades stood up from the purple materials at her shoulders, burning the darkness with the same dark purple, three purple blades at each side of her dress, the middle ones slightly shorter than the rest.

It was the Queen of the Shadowkhan.

Her face tipped, nose to nose. Mouth opening in a sadistic grin, showing a row of sharp teeth.

"We're going for a little ride"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author Notes: Well! Here we are. Things are shaping nicely. This was more difficult to write, especially the scene in which the Queen and Jade spoke. I had to pay a real attention to detail while keeping them both in character, but I liked how things turned out to be at the end. Be well folks, thanks for reading!

(1) Mantou: It is a steamed bread bum, often deep fried and eaten either raw or with condensed milk.

From Houston

D4rK


	4. Born

**Author Notes: **And here we are! Another chapter. This is where the magic begins….prepare.

-Disclaimer: Jackie Chan Adventures belongs to Warner Channel and John Rogers. And I gain no profit writing this.

**The March of the Black Queen**

**Chapter 4**

**Born**

Jackie shook his niece.

She had passed out over fifteen minutes ago.

They tried everything to bring her back. From fumes, water on her face, and now Jackie was shaking her.

"Jade, Jade! She isn't waking up, Uncle!"

Uncle rolled his eyes. "Uncle can see that…hmmm, can't detect if ma-"

Jackie shook his head with a frantic expression forming on his face, Jade's parents were behind him.

"If may we do something for her" He finished bringing his eyes closer and squinting them. He opened her eyelids with his fingertips. With lament, her eyes had gone to the back of her head. Her breathing rhythm at a normal pace. Viper, the former thief placed her ear on her chest and took her pulse for any abnormalities.

"In my opinion, shock got her unconscious. Maybe it would be a good idea to take here home, Jackie." The woman took Jade's hand onto her on and squeezed.

_Poor girl, she has gone through so much._

It was Viper turn to feel a case of déjà vu. Her foster parents had been the same way. Very strict Jewish parents with a strong hand about military like discipline and impeccable manners. She never looked back when she ran away. She realized that cultures might be different, but still Chinese parents for her really should get loose sometimes. Jade's parents looked as fresh as daisies, just expressing their concern with a heavy expression of anxiety.

She caressed lovingly the wrathful and adventurous child's hair that she had learned to love like her own daughter.

Viper heard Jade's parents talking into Chinese, they looked slightly concerned and judging by Jackie's and Uncle expressions, they got uneasy by the passing minute. Jackie turned around and sharply snapped something in Chinese to Uncle. She lifted an eyebrow as a shocked gasp drew from Uncle. She blew a kiss to Jackie with a wink to calm him down, if not, to make him feel a little better.

He could only blush.

Uncle cleared his throat. "We are leaving. Chop chop. Viper start the car, Jade has to rest!"

She couldn't be happier. "On my way, general!" She saluted him and was on her way. She did stopped before the Chinese couple and gave them a slight look of disapproval yet politely said her goodbyes before leaving, jiggling her keys all the way to the parking lot.

Jackie sighed deeply, taking his face into his hands.

The giant of a man took Jade on his massive hands. Gentle as he was, he had deep principles, and still found the courage to bow deeply to Jade's parents.

"Mah-non" Tohru said to them. It meant good night in Chinese. In the past, he would have torn the restaurant in fury, piece by piece to get his frustration off. But he was better than that, and Jade needed him. He stayed behind Jackie.

The archeologist and Uncle stared deeply into the Chinese couple, who looked back at them anxiously and then back at their looking unconscious daughter.

"We apologize greatly for this ordeal, Uncle. You have been very kind and grateful to have accepted our daughter. And today, there is no excuse, we are at fault here. And if it serves to make you feel better, Chinese customs run deep and they will never go away." Shen Chan said keeping his eyes stuck on the floor.

His wife bowed slightly. "We should have been there more for her and show that we do care. It is our fault."

Jackie sighed, advancing slowly at the couple. "You have nothing to apologize for. Jade is…if nothing, the most important person in the world to me. To see her like this really gets me. It might be your daughter, but she feels like my own daughter. I ask the both of you to still keep her in my legal custody, signed and perfectly clear that I take care of her, like I've been doing" He was breathing hard, nose flaring in a nervous manner as he tried to keep his respiration under control.

"You have our support. Clearly, she needs more discipline. But we understand her difficulties at such…times, when she's well, you know, puberty." Her mother waved a hand around.

Shen Chan just nodded in approval.

Uncle smiled, showing his support to his decision. In many parts of Asia, the elders held the last word, and where most respected.

Jade groaned, signaling her return to the world of the living and catching the attention of everybody.

Her eyes fluttered open, and with a smile Jackie, Tohru and Uncle couldn't help but to come closer, smiling gratefully, the giant of a man tilting his head to look at her.

Then everything went terribly wrong.

Tohru shuddered, his eyes widening in terrifying recognition. The willies shook his very core, hellish cold running through his back, shivering his very soul.

"Sensei! The Oni!"

The eyes opened, and then clenched shut. Jade groaned harshly, grabbing at her head and trashing violently. Jade's eyes shut themselves tightly, her jaw tightening across her face. Her eyes opened again, the golden brown pupil shrinking in a flash. With horror, Jackie observed as the bulging veins vibrated blood red, exploding through the nerves, quickly expanding.

The people in the restaurant screamed, running away in fear as Jade levitated in the air, her hair floating up with a ghostly wind, and snapped free from Tohru's embrace and to the shock of Jackie and Uncle, speechless and horrified as they were; there was a building hum, air whirling through the restaurant as plates, people and chairs went flying, crashing in all directions, the shout of hellish anguish sending a chill through their backs.

Jade screamed and twisted her limbs violently, her hands grabbing at her head, the scream turned harsher, a booming voice ramming the very essence of fear and of something inhuman.

* * *

><p>At the other side of the restaurant, Viper calmly turned the car on, while humming a tune for herself.<p>

The restaurant windows exploded, sending glass, plates and even a person showering across the street.

Viper screamed in surprise, rolling to the seat in cover. Plates, knives, forks, shoes and even a person slammed against the windshield. With a startled scream, Viper took a peak only to cower back again, an entire pastry cart smashing against the windshield sending a shower of glass and desserts inside the vehicle.

Viper sighed, breathing hard and checking for any cuts, yet stained with whipped cream and assorted desserts. When she didn't saw any wounds, she leaped out of the destroyed windshield, doing her best to keep the whipped cream out of her clothes and hair. She gasped, going on her knees to check on the person that was sent flying.

In a bold manner, she checked the pulse of a burly man. Her eyes widened, hands falling down to the sides. The man was dead, his neck twisted in an unnatural manner.

A roar of pure malevolence and fury made her recoil. She placed a sad gaze upon the deceased and sighed dejectedly, she stood up charging back inside without hesitation, taking her high heels and throwing them aside as she did so. What she saw inside, send her in disbelief and shock, promptly grabbing on Jackie's arms to keep her from drifting away from the powerful air current.

With a massive slam of energy, a shockwave send everyone to the floor, the wood support and countless objects crashing in a crescendo of destruction.

Smoke pillared the air. The last remaining figures in the room coughed loudly. Jackie was the first to survey the scene and ignoring the destruction around him, he focused directly in what he was seeing.

An inhuman shriek ripped from Jade's own throat sending the occupants of the room to cover their ears. Grabbing at her head, then closing her eyes softly, exhaling softly, her body ceased to jerk, limbs falling lazily as the girl's body whirled. As she did, puffy white breath poured out in a spiral manner like ink across water, her body lowering down to the ground.

Her face fell forward, hair obscuring her face and just stopping short off the ground through levitation. The eyes snapped open, revealing soft red glowing orbs; the pupils shrank back to the size of pinpricks, flashing with a pulsating golden. Her skin flashed, her natural tan slowly being drained out of her body like fluid until pale skin remained.

The resurrected dark entity looked at her hands in a curious manner, getting great pleasure in clicking her sharp black nails like spears together.

"Blue was really never my color." She said, her lip lifting to display a scary row of sharp teeth as she observed her paler skin.

"Jade!" Jackie called after her, disbelief and concern slipping on his dusty face.

The girl lifted her head, her left bang snapping right with her head, whirling to face them.

The archeologist took a step forward. "Jade?"

The Queen tilted her head, curiosity flowing in her glowing eyes.

"Ayyyyaaaaai! Jade it's under the control of dark forces again!" Uncle screamed with disdain. "Uncle left his blowfish and salamander in the store! See Jackie, I told you to always come prepared!"

The older couple was too shocked to know how to react.

Jade ignored the commotion and sneered, showing her sharp teeth and canines.

Her mother and father took a step back and promptly passed out. With a pleased smirk the Queen observed the rest of them, before remembering a very important detail. She checked at her ankle, smiling as she did so, pleased at the lack of presence of the tattoo.

Unprepared at such development, the Queen smirked.

Uncle observed, terror on his face. "Without a tattoo, there's nothing to link Jade with source of bad magic to disappear like last time. Last reeeee-search useless now!" Uncle screamed, but Jackie seemed to be in a catatonic state.

"Jade." Jackie took a step forward, opening his hands as he did so. "We can turn you back to normal, come back to the store."

A gust of wind sent everyone screaming, Jackie, Uncle and Viper grabbing Tohru for dear life.

"NEVER!" Her eyes shown acidly, with a growl she extended her hands and then opened them in a wide circle. The room went cold, shadows extinguishing all but the light shining atop their own table. Long shadows began to crawl. The shadows shifted, liquefying on thin air, hands flow out the shadows, turning into black masses and shifting into the Shadowkhan ninjas that the whole Chan household feared.

The shadows never stopped coming, until a full circle of twenty five ninjas surrounded them, their hands held low in a lazy manner, clutching many different kind of sharp weapons, assembled in a perfect circle, their demonic red eyes glittering in the room. Their Queen floated slowly forward, her eyes fully glowing. Snapping her fingers, the ninjas extended their weapons with a combat pose.

Viper gasped at the realization. Never in a million years could she foresee this. Taking a stance, she turned to Jackie.

"What now?"

The giant of a man encircled his family for defense, concern flowing deeply. "My lotus flower." He whispered sadly, shocked at her transformation.

The Queen growled deeply, sharp canines shining. "I will never be in your shadow again. I refuse to be the kid sidekick. Now I'm Queen Jade again!" She laughed loudly. Her voice wasn't as dark as before, but carried an echo that disappeared in whispers.

"But how? When did everything go horribly wrong?" Jackie said, voicing his concerns.

Jade just opted to giggle in a sickeningly sweet fashion, and then scowled, hissing. "Horribly wrong? Or horribly right? You really never got it Jackie. I was depressed, sad, and lonely. You just opted to punish me and restrain me! You kept pushing me back! You never realized it but you're one of the factors why this..." She pointed at herself and then her hands turning in a wide circle. "Happened." She smiled, letting that sink in for a moment before continuing. "I was born because of all of you. You made me who I am. And for that, I thank you." She scowled with a sneer.

Jackie opened his mouth and then sighed, placing his face against his hands, realizing that she was right on everything.

"Her frustrations," She advanced slightly. "Her fury," Another step, curving her feet slightly. "Your lack of understanding," She stopped a couple of feet from Jackie. "My gain," She giggled, turning around with a playful dance of her feet.

"Uncle, can you make another potion?" The archeologist whispered.

Uncle sighed sadly. "The potion…" He began suddenly.

Jackie and Tohru eyed him widely; Viper just merely lifted an eyebrow.

"The potion that Uncle used was just to imprison the darkness that took over Jade's chi, straight from the source of the Kingdom of the Shadows, but never to remove it completely…as it is impossible to remove it entirely, but something must have remained dormant" Uncle closed his eyes.

"So…the change was…" Jackie's eyes widened.

Jade turned around sharply "Irreversible to my chi. Uncle just used a wall of sorts to cover it up. A fortress if you will, covering my darkness to protect my integrity and keep my chi pure; but it was still there. I could feel it all the time. Whispering, talking, travelling around my thoughts" The queen smirked, eyes shining madly.

"My dark half just laid comfortable in my subconscious and alas…we both joined into harmony. She made me feel better than any of you could! She gave advice and understanding when nobody was there. Even with all the help I got. It was never enough." She gazed at Tohru and Viper, staring softly, if even, lovingly.

"It just took something to drive me over the edge…and a piece of my own essence to wake my dark self, a drop of blood and now I am back, returned to what was forcefully and cruelly stripped away from me! But enough chatting" She snapped her fingers. Six ninjas circled her completely, their hands surrounded her. She sighed deeply; smoke like watered ink flowed out of her mouth.

"Ta-Ta" She laughed softly fluttering her eyes closed, her laughter echoing in the destroyed room with her body slowly melting into the shadows with the rest of her ninjas and leaving the incomplete J-team alone, surrounded by destruction and misery.

Jackie fell to his knees, tears falling from his eyes.

"Bad day"

* * *

><p>Blue and red police lights dimmed the area in a circular motion, over twelve policemen acquiring the area. Right behind the parking lot of the restaurant, a black security truck was stationed there.<p>

Hours had passed since Jade's transformation, the sun dipping almost out of the horizon.

"Now let me get this straight" Captain Black frowned. "Jade turned all dark and spooky again. Her transformation totaled the place and…in the heat of the moment, an innocent bystander died"

Jackie sighed, looking dejectedly at the steel ceiling of the vehicle.

"This is bad." The archeologist muttered. Sitting all beside him, Uncle, Viper and Tohru looked grimly at Captain Black.

The older Chinese couple had been too terrified to even say anything; they had practically run in panic, muttering something about demons. The Chans had let them go. It was for the best to let them go. As Uncle would say, Jackie sensed confrontation in the air.

The leader of Section 13 sighed deeply.

"We might have used our contacts in the police to give us curtains while we look over at the scene, Jackie, but I already have the police chief breathing down my neck. They want to catch whoever did this, and I don't mean the redecoration of the restaurant. But how can people explain what they saw here today?" Black stated, folding his hands behind his back.

"If we can learn something from the past, Jade will resort to any way to gain power. Without a tattoo, Uncle cannot pinpoint and remove the dark forces from Jade's like he did so with a single potion. It seems that her dark chi and light chi combined into unity. Uncle must do research, we must find a way to separate the darkness from her. Who knows what new catastrophes might happen with a dark Jade on the loose!" The older Chan said grimly, remembering the final battle against Tarakudo and how the world was in the brink of destruction.

Viper who had maintained silent the whole time, she took her time to sigh and rub her hands upon her face. "I hate to say it, but I don't know what to do in this case. No matter what, I will stay with you guys and secure our little girl back to us."

Jackie and Tohru smiled, Uncle remained rooted on the spot.

"Get us to Section Thirteen, Uncle has to find some books before going back to the store to begin his research." The older Chan said spreading out his hands.

"On it" Captain Black flipped his cellphone. "This is Black, going back to the chicken coop"

The powerful diesel engine roared to life, the truck recoiled from the power and then went forward, turning into the street.

* * *

><p>A set of two red eyes appeared among the darkness, in the putrid surroundings of a desolated warehouse. Dusty as it was, there was still an aerie to the much debris that surrounded the broken and destructive insides. The ceiling cracked, water dripping from the many holes of the steel sheet and wood.<p>

The eyes continued their way, ignoring the rusted parts, rocks and pieces of furniture spread about the dusted floor and around a massive hole on the floor. The sea sang, pulling waves back and forth let the eyes to continue their trail, already accustomed to such sound. But not another that made the eyes to widen. The rat escaped with a shriek, coming back where it came.

A shadow topped down by the moonlight among a solid steel heavy duty cabinet started to shift like liquid. A perfectly trimmed hand, female in kind, slowly began to slip from the pool of darkness. The fingers were slender, black nails manicured into spears. The hand slowly squeezed into a fist, then took a hold of a steel wire-rope coming from the ceiling; it pulled revealing an arm attached to the hand, then a pair of black hair bangs, dancing on the salty air.

There was a groan and a harsh growl as two hands departed into the darkness and took a hold of an unseen ring before pulling forth. A head snapped from the shadows, two glowing eyes connected to it, hair bangs followed next, along with a set of onyx black spiked hair.

Jade looked around the empty space, growling in anger. She took impulse and allowed her body to pool like ink on the steel cabinet before going solid; the whole dark shape detached and fell from the metal shifting into a physical form and landing on black sneakers with a soft thud.

The dark girl sighed, caressing her head with one clawed hand. "How ironic," She said to herself, grinning with a fanged sneer.

It was the very same warehouse where the Dark Hand took her when she had swallowed the rooster talisman and Tohru was more than happy to cut her in half to remove the talisman from her insides. She stifled a sob, taking a hold of her head from the rush of memories.

The transformation had taken its toll on her. While in the past it had been easy, the dark chi pouring from the tattoo, directly from the Kingdom of the Shadows fed her with the strength that she needed to complete it. Now, it was a process coming from the magic that flowed deep inside of her, wasting precious energy but transforming none the less. Now that she could think as one, and not influenced by whatever energies came from that desolated kingdom, she knew one thing only.

She wanted to stay like she was and wanted more power to cement her future.

The Queen groaned. She looked at the shadows in the warehouse and stiffened, waving a hand.

Red eyes drew into the shadows, coming forward and forming into the Shadowkhan. Twelve ninjas stood proudly, going on their knees, bowing deeply to her.

Unbecoming with such notions, she sighed. "I need nourishment. Bring me…well done steaks, pizza and the largest bottle of tea you can find. And be discreet about it; use your stealth or whatever."

The ninjas nodded and vanished into the shadows without even as a word of acknowledgement of her state.

Jade looked at her hands, clicking the thin but sharp tips of her nails. She let her fingers go through the black hair like silk and satin and letting a distressed sigh, she poured herself into the darkness, reappearing in the only office. She sat on the desk, fingers twirling on the dry and darkened blood on her purple blouse.

The voice.

She couldn't hear it anymore. If felt strange to be like she was right now. The Queen of the Shadowkhan did her a favor to join with her, even in a forceful manner, it made her realize the terror, disappointment and depression had got her weak to the point she cried at the terrible words of her parents. How dare they!

She hissed and growled, smashing a fist on the desk that had seen better years. A snapping sound reached her ears. Her eyes widened as she felt the wood splinters on her fingers. She lifted an unblemished pale hand to her face. It wasn't bleeding.

She had felt but a slight tingle on the back of her hands. She was a little stronger, yes. But she still didn't recognize her weaknesses or her strengths. The body of a Shadowkhan was still a mystery to her, after all, her first transformation lasted an entire day. Shadows shifting among her brought her out of the mental reverie.

The twelve ninjas bowered, hot and steaming meals on their hands. The hot plates never grazed their blue skin noted Jade with a raised eyebrow. Squinting her eyes at the new company, she lifted a clawed forefinger.

"Leave it on the desk and leave" One by one, the ninjas left the assortment of meals and drinks before disappearing on the shadows. Jade jumped from the desk, sitting on the chair that groaned softly.

For years, she had known of her strong appetite, even today. She could still remember how she gorged on the soup and various Chinese meals that her family had bought her the very same day she arrived on that plane from Hong Kong, as a celebration for the victory against the Dark Hand in the race to claim the first talisman.

But now…

She snapped her sharp jaws at the steak with an unnatural growl, not bothering to use the utensils that the ninjas had brought her. Long ago, she would have screeched in disgust, but now the only thing that was on her mind was to feed. She ate everything. Since she never had said a particular number, the Shadowkhan brought her thirteen steaks, 9 kinds of pizzas, three kinds of soup, a bowl of chili and a 2 quart green tea from a super market.

She snapped the bone of the T-bone steak she held on her hand in half, meat juices slipping everywhere. Cheese flew, boxes of pizza discarded without much of a thought.

A deep burp resonated deep within her, sending the young Queen to blush a deep shade of blue. She sighed and went to the bathroom behind the office. The rusted faucet still worked surprisingly.

She washed her hands ignoring the reek of food that came from the office. She easily slipped into the shadows and reappeared on the center of the warehouse. Anxiousness filled a void in her hind, quickly dissipating whatever feelings of happiness about her new found freedom.

They would found her. Her eyes closed, a deep sigh escaping from her mouth.

And they would turn her back. No matter what she did, no matter where she went. She knew that Uncle, could find anyone, and Jackie and Tohru, along with Viper, would fight tooth and nail to turn her back into her, back to her pathetic human existence.

Yet she remembered small glimpses of what she had done as the Queen of the Shadowkhan. She had been relentless, childish and stupid. But now, she felt more like herself, without outside interference of a dark entity, but how right it felt to think like she did right now. Cold, almost detached and maybe a little evil. While she did not feel as powerful, she could think clearly. And she felt it.

She felt dangerous, lethal like a monarch in charge of forces that a mere human mind would not be able to comprehend, and she loved that feeling.

Cracking her fingers, her eyes snapped open, glowing like two raging infernos.

She would fight, and she would win.

No matter what she did or said. They would try to capture her and turn her back. A dim plan formed in her head, taking shape as she raised a dozen of ninjas from the darkness.

Uncle always came prepared thanks to one of his most used feats and phrases, applied to his many years of magic experience.

"Uncle must do research." She repeated with a dark chuckle. Without any other word, she slipped into the darkness. The ninjas looked at each other, confusion exchanged before a pale black clawed finger extended from the darkness, a deep groan of annoyance coming from the shadows before becoming at them. The ninjas melted into the shadows, leaving the destroyed warehouse behind.

* * *

><p>She hadn't felt this way before, Jade mused. Traveling in the shadows had opened a dim portal to another world that children cowered away from, and where men never let their gaze to linger. It felt different from her first transformation. Her senses were more open. It felt like travelling on an ink river without feeling the liquid. It was a session of soothing cold, puffing at her spine.<p>

But as Uncle would have said, every trail has an end.

She slipped through the solid wall of the store, mere millimeters before the wall ended, her eyes went completely through the wall and observed her surroundings. The studio was empty and Uncle spent more time there than his own room. The lack of noise made her travel among the shadows, slipping like a serpent through them.

She detached from the darkness, landing with a soft thump. She marveled at the complete collection of books that her Uncle had spent practically most of his life collecting and using for his own research and spells. She surveyed the smaller bookshelf's that held several volumes of his own work, perfectly organized per number.

She noticed more annotations in English, Japanese, and Chinese on the rice paper that Uncle and Tohru used. Strangely at first, she squinted her eyes at Tohru's hand writing. Her eyes widened at the revelation that she could read it. She got closer to observe his messy black writing but clearly it stated the ingredients for a potion that made the user to be very elastic.

Taking a hold of one of the black pens she placed the tip on the paper. At first the mere idea of her hunch made her laugh at how ridiculous she was acting. And to confirm her doubts she scribbled the word 'weird' on the paper. She held the paper close to her eyes and with shock; she observed the characters that she had…drawn?

奇妙な

_Well… _She thought. _That takes care of the stickler of learning Japanese. I always wanted Tohru to show me._

She let go of the paper, not caring where it landed. Musing on her discovery, she wondered what other surprises her new blood would bring her. Shaking her head to ease her thoughts, Jade concentrated on the task at hand.

She couldn't stay here for obvious reasons. Jade ran her hands on the wood of the library and looked around to the place that had felt more like home in these years than the one at her parents apartment.

"I am going to miss this place." She said, exhaling sadly before her eyes glowed completely. The Queen snapped a finger and her own shadow twisted and distorted into six shapes before twisting into ninjas.

They bowed deeply. She nodded and tilted her head. "Bring me twenty gas cans, filled to the top, and make it snappy." The Queen said with difficulty, her head not dwelling on the threat.

She sighed and closed her eyes as they disappeared to carry on her task.

Years of good memories have shaped her to be a better person. In Hong Kong, she was always the trouble maker, she didn't listen to authority very much and she had been impulsive. But only because she never had the attention she craved by her own parents or even friends. She didn't have any. So she took her frustrations with the mischief she caused.

When her parents sent her to Jackie, she had expected the same thing to happen. A harsh environment shaped by extremist rules and manners, screaming voices telling her to calm down. But she discovered a new world instead. A world full of magical wonders and adventures. A world where she could have a family that actually did showed that it cared for her and loved her, and it had expanded with new friends and additions

But now she had to burn those bridges, literally. With her new found confidence and new body, she would surpass anyone who ever doubted her, including Jackie. When he wasn't busy going around the world without her, he was voicing his disappointment so openly that it only made her brush it off with the disdain and the humiliation she felt.

She couldn't stay here, and Jade, smart as she was, would not commit the mistakes that many had in the past. She had helped with their defeats after all and in occasions, made it happen when nobody else could.

The place had to come down. If only to stop them for a time while she found a way to have more power.

Uncle's research gave him a lot of knowledge and a clear advantage in the magical field. She knew that this loss would be a massive blow, and while he still kept some books in Section 13, they were merely study guides, not the answer to the many findings and investigations that he and Tohru frequently did across the years.

If only she didn't have to destroy the whole store.

"Oh well. Nobody said that my ascension to the throne would be easy" She murmured, enjoying the last moments of her cherished memories. Going upstairs, she went to her room.

It was still in the same state of disarray of the morning. She needed to hurry. Jade changed of clothes quickly; discarding the blood stained blouse and snapping on a clean white shirt and her signature orange hoody but left her gray pants on and sneakers.

With a low growl, more ninjas materialized from the shadows, bowing automatically and kneeling on the floor. Queen Jade clasped her hands around her back with a gaze hard as steel straight at them.

"Take my clothes, my bed and my belongings. I want everything out of here back to the warehouse but the posters. Leave NONE of my things here…or someone will pay." She hissed.

With the threat clear, the twelve ninjas scrambled, taking the room apart, disappearing and reappearing taking her clothes and her belongings, the TV was the last thing she saw through the shadows. She went out of the room to leave them to the task, observing the brown ceiling and how she used to sneak past Jackie jumping on the railing and sliding behind the stairs.

And all of it would burn.

It sent a wave of sadness through her, but it needed to be done. She clenched her fists and exhaled smoky ink out of her mouth, floating and attaching to the walls like glue. It was like she was on automatic, knowing what sort of certain abilities she had while still keeping her in the dark about many of the things she didn't do in her first transformation. Now that she was reborn, she wanted to explore them.

And something told her that she will learn the way of the shadows, the mysteries and deadliness of the darker side of magic with light in between, if there was any to learn.

The ninjas appeared from the dark spots she placed on the walls with the gas cans, bowing deeply as they came out completely and extending the aforementioned cans to her.

"Spread the fuel on everything" She ordered. The ninjas carried on her command.

One of the ninjas dipped the stairs, the counter and the many antiques, while he carried on his task, two more threw gas on the studio and the books that held knowledge against her. It took more than five cans just with the library.

Jade silently observed, walking slowly with her hands clasped behind her back. She saw the gas hastily and professionally spread around. Jade extended a hand with a silent command; one of the ninjas gave her a can.

Thanking whoever let her have a little bit more strength, she personally poured the gas on her own room, on the walls and posters. The smell was a stench of chemicals and oil, she wrinkled her nose. The Queen silently slipped through a crack on the floor, reappearing downstairs through the wooden floor.

The studio, the store, the rooms upstairs, the bathroom and the kitchen. She eyed intently one of the ninjas left two gas cans inside the oven and snapped the propane gas tube from its socket, sending a hiss of fouling smelling gas. That particular ninja drew a two fingers ring and another on his thumb. He turned around and bowed, asking for her permission.

The remaining cans were left on the center of the store, in front of the counter.

It was time.

Jade's eyes glowed softly again, her contracted pupils blazing a golden brown.

"Do it." She commanded.

The ninja went to one knee, his hand near a trail of gas on the counter. His fingers were surrounded by two steel rings fused with rock. The sparks flew from the contact.

The fuel was lit on fire.

Jade calmly observed as the inferno started. Rapidly the flames followed the trail of gas, lighting the store in dancing flames, cracking as it consumed everything on its path. It would be beautiful if only it wouldn't have been in the place that changed her life forever.

The many chemicals, ingredients and potions in the studio boiled over and exploded sending a shower of splinters and paper flying through the air. The books that held so much knowledge on their pages were rapidly consumed. Ancient and new alike, the flames ate through them without much of a breath.

The Queen took her cue, slipping into the floor, before she disappeared completely but her head; she took one last gaze at the store, fire dancing on her face and eyes.

The destruction rapidly spread upstairs and before she knew it, the massive gas explosion from the kitchen sent her inside the shadows for cover, her ninjas disappearing away with her.

* * *

><p>Captain Black checked his watch, taking a hold of a handle attached to his seat to steady himself as the powerful armored security and surveillance truck turned sharp on the corner of the street.<p>

The others fared a worse destiny.

The Chan household was distressed; sadness and anguish ran among their minds, but no matter how much they shook their heads. This wasn't a dream; it was the pure unaltered reality. Jackie passed the time cuddling softly against Viper who returned the gesture; the need of comfort was too strong in such a moment.

Uncle just waited with his eyes closed and Tohru played video games in his hand held console.

The sirens broke through the hum of the engine and the calmness of the moment behind them. Jackie set his attention on the incoming truck before his eyes widened. The red firetruck sirens swirled rapidly without diminishing speed.

Jackie and the rest screamed as their ride took a sharp left with a screech of tires, going back on the road as soon as the fireman truck went pass them.

"Son of a bitch!" The archeologist heard the driver curse, quickly placing the truck under control.

Uncle looked at the truck with annoyance and disbelief, shaking his fist angrily. "The drivers of today! That scoundrel!" The older Chan shook his fist angrily before recoiling as the fire truck veered to the right in the same street where the store was.

Now, Uncle was superstitious person for a good reason. He just followed the signs. While there were many buildings in the same street he was, years of constant accidents, both magical and criminal had sent him over the edge with the protection of his own store. And the repairs were expensive! He didn't sell as good as before, but did his best to influence his family and friends to help around. Besides, he was old already.

"Uncle" Jackie trailed, having the same hunch as his elder.

"Step it on this turtle!" Uncle screamed.

"Do it" Black commanded.

The powerful diesel engine roared in power, crossing the street in an instant. The driver skillfully avoided a small dip on the road.

"Hold on!" The agent screamed while the occupants of the truck did everything possible to hold into something solid.

Uncle slammed his teeth and his eyes shut as the truck took a small left and sharply turned right, getting right on track.

The archeologist let out a gasp of surprise at the deep trails of plume smoke dipping into the horizon and disappearing in a massive black arc as they got closer. The fire truck stopped right nearby the raging inferno and so did the security truck.

The heavy armored plated doors snapped open with Uncle jumping and screaming in horror.

"My store! My store, Aiiiyaaaaa!" The older Chan screamed. In a terrifying display of desperation and fear, Uncle would have ran to the building on fire if not for the big hands that stopped him in his tracks, big arms holding him down as he screamed and kicked.

Flames danced and ate the wood without a problem. The pagoda ceiling was lit on fire; windows exploding through the fire pressure, and the door was long gone. The sign that said Antiques was burning and no matter how much Uncle screamed, the gentle hands of the giant never let him go.

"My home…" Uncle cried.

Jackie and Viper eyes together with Captain Black eyes observed the flames with surprise and horror stitched on their faces.

"It was my first home when I came to this country, fifty two years back. It always stood firm against all forces of evil, vandalism and the terrible fashion of the seventy's…oh…my beautiful home..." Uncle sniffed not having the heart to look at the fire shifting his eyes to the side, bearing only the crack of the flames.

"And all my books, my research…including all the books that my dear Chi Master Fung gave me before he died…it is gone. The house where I raised Jackie since he arrived…it is gone. GONE!" Uncle cried freely. Tohru took his cue to lightly rock him as he nuzzled his hair in a soothing manner, his eyes never leaving the man he had learned to love like family, an irreplaceable friend and mentor.

Not able to take it anymore, Jackie and Viper held him down.

Captain Black squinted his eyes at the flames in the roof, thinking he saw something. In the moment though, he didn't care right now. He calmly observed the rude and unprofessional firemen setting their equipment hastily to appease the flames forever, wondering why one of them looked familiar.

"LET ET OUT" One of the firemen said in an Irish accent that right now nobody had their attention to. The water flew through the air straight at the flames, hissing violently against the fire.

"This won't stay like it is." Captain Black crossed his arms together observing the flames battling with the special water. "I will see what I can do to provide you for another home…maybe reconstruct. But this won't stay like it is Jackie. I will get to the bottom of this. If it was an accident, you have done everything to save the world multiple times and reimburse you with an equipped house and other supplies won't be a problem. And if it was a criminal…well, nobody can hide from Section Thirteen, no matter where they go, we will find them."

Jackie smiled at his friend as he silently hugged his catatonic uncle. "Thank you, Augustus, you have always been a good friend of mine"

"Don't mention it Jackie. You've done everything and more" Captain Black straightened his coat.

The archeologist sighed deeply. "What else could go wrong today?" Jackie asked himself.

If Jackie Chan knew that the destiny had a sick sense of humor, he wouldn't have said those very same words because at the very moment that one of the windows exploded sending hot glass and debris raining down at the street.

Whatever trance Uncle was awakened by such sound, or it could be also when Tohru shoved him to the ground to cover him and his dear friends with his massive body. The firemen scrambled the water to the second floor, the fire battling tooth and nails against the water.

"Everyone alright?" Viper asked with a deep sigh, straightening her hair.

"Yes, just a little sore…Tohru if you mind?" Captain Black signaled to his foot, Tohru's massive sandaled feet pressing painfully against the Section 13 captain shoe.

"Oh sorry" The gentle giant removed his sandal though helping Jackie to his feet at the same time.

A single gesture of movement caught Tohru's attention. Uncle lifted his arm slowly, pointing at the burning ceiling.

"Look" Said the older Chan, almost a whisper among the crackling of the flames, screams of the firemen and the gush of water and sirens.

Jackie and company followed his gaze.

Between the snapping flames, ashes and torn ambers, two resplendent red shapes stood still, never moving, never disappearing. The shapes rapidly disappeared and appeared akin to a blink and then shifted straight at the surprised group. The shapes blinked again like ambers snapping in a fire pit, even though the raging inferno.

Jackie couldn't think and he could be more surprised. His ability to breath was stolen, his hands shook and his mind blurred with the crescendo of his heart jumping in his chest.

Hair bangs and a recognizable spiky hair flew first through the smoke, followed by two snapping red eyes.

It was Jade that stepped through the thick black curtain just behind the fire.

The family gasped, eyes widening and mouths opening slowly.

The horror that everyone felt cut through the moment, ice lodged in their stomachs. Eyes couldn't comprehend what they were seeing, no matter how much they blinked. The image burned into their retinas as the fire that consumed the store. The image of a cherished and loved girl reborn into something monstrous and dark.

She blinked without emotion; ten red shapes appeared through the smoke, ten ninjas detached from it.

Jackie took a step back.

Uncle almost fainted.

Tohru watched in disbelief.

Captain Black narrowed his eyes into slits.

Viper clenched her eyes silently, not having even the mere desire to open them.

The archeologist fumbled with his mind for a coherent thing to think or say but there wasn't any. He stayed right there rooted to the spot, his veins liquefying into pure cold horror, Jade blinked again, baring her fangs.

Her eyes were hard as steel and for a moment; Jackie felt like he was facing Shendu or the many demons they have battled across the years. The reminder that it was his own niece who stared at them, twisted into something dark and evil concluding that she had set the store on fire and possessed again by darkness send turmoil through his whole body.

And as soon as she appeared, her body vanished behind the smoke with the Shadowkhan, their eyes disappeared between the black smolder. The last reminiscence of her presence was her red eyes on the fiery veil before those were gone as well.

For the second time in the day, Jackie felt to his knees and cried.

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes: <strong>I always felt that without the store and the research it brought, they would be basically rooted for quite a while in the many situations they faced. Jade knew that in order to have the upper edge, she just had to destroy the entire place, even though it hurt her to do it. All of it was necessity and I think that it is working so far. Thank you guys for your continuous support!

From Houston

D4rK

-betaed by Dark-Automaton


	5. Hiring Day

**Author Notes:** I bring a fresh update off the press. Enjoy! And don't forget to review

-Disclaimer: Jackie Chan Adventures belongs to Warner Channel and John Rogers. And I gain no profit writing this.

**The March of the Black Queen**

**Chapter 5**

Hiring Day

The fire roared and growled, shifting from one floor to the other, filling the smoky air with heat. It almost seemed to be alive.

The building toppled down under the inferno's strain. The roof exploded in a shower of splinters as two more gas cans ignited in Jade's room, followed up by a trail of dim black smoke.

The firemen couldn't do more than to protect themselves from the heat, applying an umbrella of water with their hoses and using their special foam to calm down the raging inferno. Despite the fact that the temperature have raised over two thousand Fahrenheit degrees…everyone stayed to watch a safe distance away.

There was no more remedy than the firemen to cool some parts of the house strategically so the fire would burn on and collapse on the center. And it did, ten minutes later; the flames tore a big hole in the second floor. The pagoda curved roof collapsed into the ceiling, slamming into the second floor, pumping debris to destruction of the whole building, flames exploding upwards as the building toppled into itself.

The firemen screamed at the crowd to get back as the flames were extinguished completely by the shower of debris, dust and black plume of smoke covering the air.

Uncle watched with hollow eyes, not even blinking as the burning ashes mixed with ambers, dancing on the hot air. It was minutes later when he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder that he could blink. The old Chan sighed; chin snapping forward as someone approached him and his family.

It was one of the firemen that had appeared to take care of the flames. He tipped his protective illuminated face cover.

"Sorry about your house, old man." The man spoke with a slight Irish accent.

Jackie's eyes widened. "Hey…I know that voice."

The firemen slowly removed his helmet, rubbing his smoky orange locks.

Tohru took a threatening step forward with a growl.

"Easy big guy." The fireman smirked.

"Finn? Are you a fireman?" Jackie lifted an eyebrow.

Viper chuckled dryly, "I see that your observation skills are getting better, love." She slid her hands around his torso.

Finn laughed, balancing the heavy helmet from one hand to another. "You still have the sense of humor of a rock Chan."

The old Chan growled in fury, pushing his sleeves off his arms. "Don't be so disrespectful! No times for jokes now! Aiiiiayaaa." He shoved a hand on the Irish man's shoulder sending the former enforcer back a few steps.

"Hey man! Cool it. I'm reformed. Even since the fiasco with the big lizards that tried to destroy the world, I'm clean as a whistle. Captain Black recommended me for this job, and hey. I always wanted to be a fireman." He waved his helmet back at Captain Black who was busy in the cellphone right now, just answering with a nod from his head.

"Plus the pay is good" He added clearing his throat, signaling to the destroyed house. "Anyway. I'm sorry about the house. It was a cozy place, and hey, we never tried to destroy it in the past."

Tohru sent him a dead glare. "Of course not. Or I would've pulverized you into dust"

The Irish-American laughed nervously.

"So…where are the others?" Jackie inquired, trying to change the subject to get some of the shock out of his system.

Finn tilted his head back, flickering a thumb on his dirty chin. "Well, Ratso is working as a bouncer in a bar in the busiest part of San Francisco, so he gets good green over there. And the good Chow is working in tourism, flying a helicopter around the city, cool job huh?"

Viper nodded. "Seems more decent than picking random crime odd jobs for a few scraps of cash…isn't it?"

The Irish-American nodded. "Aye, it's true." He croaked a response, following the trail of the smoke dissolving in the hot air of San Francisco. "Hey, where's the pipsqueak?"

"She's uh…" Jackie stammered, "On vacation."

"We're done here! Police will wrap this up!" Another fireman screamed at Finn interrupting his reply. He heaved a sigh, waving his hand in circles as a response.

Finn returned the helmet to his respective position. "I am a goner…sure that Black will get ya something good, you deserve it after cleaning up the world." He winked, lowering his gaze as he met Uncle and then Tohru's, lifting a hand shaped like a pistol and mock firing.

"See ya around, dudes…and miss." He tipped his head at Viper. And just like that, he was back in the truck, pulling out.

Uncle didn't say anything, promptly having a hand behind his back and the other on Tohru's back while the giant of a man had one of his massive hands on his shoulder. For the first time, Jackie realized that while it might not appear so, Uncle was older than he gave himself credit for.

He chose the right moment to hug him, and truthfully, moments like this, the man who had raised him since he was a little boy suddenly held more importance than in a long time.

Tohru and Viper joined in the hug as well.

The old Chan regrettably groaned to show his appreciation, then straightened and held on firmly. But not even the embrace of his loved ones could extinguish the fury and frustrations burning inside the old Chan's head. His eyes held steel resolute in them, and the look never wavered from his gaze as Captain Black approached the family.

"Good news. The guys on top approved my request. You're getting your house back, to the last nail…and as an extra. I can help you with most of the ingredients and provide you several passages to some of our rarest book collectors. It is not much, but it's all I can do for you guys"

Uncle bowed deeply. "Thank you"

Captain Black blinked in disbelief. It was the first time that Uncle had provided him with thanks. Left without a way to form a coherent response, he looked at Jackie for assistance.

"Thank you, Augustus." The archeologist provided as he started to laugh, Tohru and Viper joined him.

The pseudo secret agency captain could only scratch his head.

"Uh…you're welcome."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Deep between the shadows, darkness stirred in such ways that not even a stray inch of light went into it. Phosphorescent figures moved through the dark. Traveling like fast piranhas in a water tank, leaving barely a clue of their presence. There seemed to be red oozing across the darkness, similar to ink across water and deep within that world, stood a prison made of pale green glass.

The glass reflected everything, leaving not an ounce of darkness inside, but magical green light poured inside, reflecting a figure floating in the center.

Two pair of yellow glowing eyes opened, its white fuzzy eyebrows furrowed as if looking for something.

Tarakudo, Lord of the Shadows and King of all Shadow Khan resided in his prison, after being defeated in his conquest against the Earth. Each general had its own prison, but to him, the old man had punished with a destiny worse than he could have ever foreseen.

He maintained his whole body, a blood red gi and black pants stood against his firm form. His sandaled feet moved into position, sitting on a simple wood stool. He looked at his red hands as his fore and middle finger transformed magically into a brush. The demonic ninja dipped his fingers in dark ink lifting the mix to his face. His steel gaze went unto his fingers, watching how it dripped.

Irony could chuckle at the situation, but it was Tarakudo who did instead.

He painted across the canvas as he always did. He still enjoyed good Japanese calligraphy as it taught him humility and skill. Tarakudo was as good with a blade as he was with a pen or a brush.

It wasn't often that his eternal prison had such commodities but the old man had provided him with certain things to make…accommodations for his perpetual punishment as a prize for being an honorable enemy perhaps? He did not know, but yet, he did know that at least he was having a good moment, silent as it was; the Lord of all Shadows detected a shift of balance in power. And he was not pleased at all, not at all; he clenched his fingers leaving a short puff of breath to steel his resolve. Yet, while he was very displeased, he was also very intrigued, and his curiosity begged him to be fulfilled.

He did know when his ninjas were summoned; after all, he was and would always be the Lord of the Shadowkhan.

A sudden knock across his glass magical barrier brought him out of his reverie. Another Japanese steel star impacted across the glass, not to break but to catch his attention. He scanned the darkness, before a pair of red eyes appeared through it behind the barrier.

He lifted his hand, beckoning at it. "Come."

A Shadowkhan ninja made itself known, bowing deeply at the King behind his prison.

"Report," He asked simply.

The ninja nodded, pulling out a drawing from his silk robes, slamming it against the glass.

Tarakudo's eyebrows shot up, and then his eyes snapped closed. He let out a short laugh, sharp row of teeth snapping up and down as he laughed.

He gazed at the drawing again, gazing at its fine but clear strokes of a young girl with onyx hair, two bangs falling down each side of her face. The girl was Jade Chan, the one who had the audacity to give him the coup de grace and the very same one who was presented with his royal seal embedded into her very spirit.

He waved the ninja away with a flick of his palm, turning around and ignoring him as he disappeared. The ancient King of the shadows walked to the center of his prison, both of his hands behind his back as he resisted the urge to laugh even further. Yet his expression have transformed into one of glee and even true happiness.

"The prophecy."

His eyes opened, gleaming with the intensity of suns.

His booming laughter echoed across all of the massive Shadow Realm, spreading through its vast territory and never stopping until a certain Queen felt a shiver down her back.

She turned around, eyes scanning her own shadow. Jade felt drawn to it, but the more she stared at it, the more the chill intensified, puffing cold air at her spine. She growled noticeably, her eyes snapping back to the destroyed store.

It was at these moments, where two bad feelings mixed at the same time that she missed having advice on what to do. But clearly, Jackie would just advice to come back to…right; somewhere else, like Section 13 and just be turned back into that pathetic past existence.

No sir, no way in hell would she ever go through that weakness ever again, overcome with those pitiful teenager emotions and worrying about stupid things. Now she was free, she felt like herself. And she liked it, she liked it a lot.

She was snapped out of her reverie by a black helicopter that flew overhead. Jade hissed as the powerful air currents snapped her hair in all directions; she covered her hair with her orange hood, hugging the wall for stealth.

It was not a surprise that Captain Black had already sent the aerial cavalry looking for her, using their night vision capabilities. But how do you look for a shadow at night? She rolled her eyes at the complete lack of competence, melting half of her body inside the brick wall where she was. She gazed from the alley across the destroyed store, embers still shining amidst the burning rubble. She felt another chill down her spine, but it was not because she was scared, but because she felt that something was amiss.

As her eyes watched the remaining crowd around the building, she could not help but to notice an overweight and bald man. He was old, sporting a purple shirt and cyan blue dragons plastered across his chest. His furry eyebrows were up and his gaze showed a…pleasant look about him. Jade scowled in recognition.

It was the same dealer who had sold Jackie the puppet of the Monkey King and all the trouble that came with it. She chuckled as a memory snapped into her head of Jackie moving like a living puppet. The Queen shook her head at the memory, gazing immediately at the old man but he was already gone. She blinked in surprise, immediately going through the alley up until she was atop a rooftop. She saw him again calmly walking to a store as big as Uncle's, if it was still there.

Jade rubbed her chin in thought.

"Well…he still has magical items. And while Uncle has his pride and ego, as much as he nurses it…this guy could be a threat." She thought aloud, humping in thought. "Oh well, I am evil or not?" She chuckled. As an afterthought, she stopped.

"Not fire this time, too suspicious."

Satisfied with her reasoning, she melted back into the shadows.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The night was still as hot under the unforgiving air currents of San Francisco. While many did enjoy warmer weather, Jade was not a fan of warm nights, and was somewhat relieved when she went through the store of what used to be Uncle's antiques rival and his magnificent AC system; something that Uncle have refused to have.

While their flame of competition never truly disappeared, the other old man, a man named Kai Ching have opted to leave it aside and concentrate on his business, using the magic of technology to get some publicity going around the city to get the attention. His sales have multiplied and he now employed a lot of new valuables and technology.

'At least this old geezer follows the flow of the present.' Thought Jade with a chuckle.

Her eyes immediately fell on some objects on display that made her eyes to shot up in surprise. She was kind of impressed that the old man had some ancient weaponry, when Uncle refused to even have a Swiss Army knife. She took a dual handed sword from a rack of assorted weapons, overwhelmed that she could carry it with some ease, relaxing her hold with her pinky out the handle. She liked her reflection on the sharp onyx blade but a noise snapped her out of her little reverie.

The door opened with a creaking sound, cringing at the long years of use.

The old Kai Ching sighed as he went into his store, throwing his keys on a table, sighing as he passed a hand on his face.

To avoid detection, Jade slipped through the wall, stabbing her eyes at the old man.

While Jade was known for many things. Her knowledge and quick mind had saved the world many times. But she was stubborn and impulsive and that was the stone to roll the disaster down the hill. The weapon came through the wall, her distraction caused her to ignore the sword as it came in, crashing against a pile of clean dishes and sending a mess of broken plates with glasses flying everywhere. The cups bounced across the mess before breaking apart.

With her direction centered in the playground of destruction, she unconsciously dropped the sword across the cupboard, the sharp blade going through the wood and smashing against the utensils, ramming on the roof of the cupboard and slipping through the trashed cracks in a crescendo of disaster. Gravity took care to bring the blade's hilt crashing down the mess with the hand guard ramming on the wood, bursting open the cupboard doors and slamming the sword on the mess again.

Jade cringed, closing her eyes tightly. She took a small peek.

A cup comically fell at last, smashing into a hundred pieces, sending fragments flying against the floor.

"Ooops…"

A small voice was heard through the store in an eerie voice, disappearing in a soft echo. Kai Ching immediately ran about the hallway, sharply slamming his hand on the wall to propel him to the kitchen.

His eyes widened at the destruction, but more at a glimpse of a pale hand disappearing through his wall. He blinked to ease his sight, attributing it to his age.

The oriental man gave a shriek of anger. "Thief! I am going to call the police!"

Jade's eyes transformed into deadly slits, eyes exploding into deadly brilliant red.

With a flick of her wrist, eight ninjas appeared from the shadows; gripping the surprised man in a choke hold and slamming him against the wall, his skull pressed painfully against it. The hands of the ninja tightened heavily on Kai Ching's head. Groaning in protest and closing his eyes, the old man whimpered at the pressure that the ninja was exerting on his head, but more at the forearms starting to cut off his air supply. The old salesman eyes started to bulge, his wrinkled hands pushing against the assailant pressure.

When he felt he was about to die, there was a finger snap and suddenly he could breathe again, greedily sucking air into his lungs, a desperate cough on his lips. The arms tightened against him again and he let out a startled yell as he was turned around sharply and held with one hand around his forehead, a strong leg around his and the other around his shaking stomach. He let out a whimper as he felt the ninja put his knee on the back of his leg and forced him to kneel, pinning his arms and legs in a harsh hold.

Small shoes walked into his sight, forcing him to look sharply up.

The store owner lifted his old wrinkled eyes straight to the person's eyes only to let out a silent yell, mouth falling up and down like a fish out of the water.

A pair of glowing red eyes shaped into deadly slits as met his gaze.

Jade chuckled slightly, mouth curving in a sneer exposing a few of her row of sharp teeth.

Kai Ching gulped. "Shadow Khan…a little girl who's a Shadow Khan too?"

At his response, Jade arched an eyebrow. "And here I thought you were not aware of dear us. Now, what would you know about the Shadow Khan?" Letting the part of 'little girl' slip for now.

"Shadow warriors" The hold on his neck started to tighten, he closed his eyes slapping his hand at the offending forearm. "Done…ah…the bidding of many masters across…t-time, seen since ancient Japan."

"Let him go" She ordered.

The ninja released his hold, pushing the old man on the floor with a push from his knee.

The store owner rubbed his sore neck, bringing air into his lungs with a sigh from relief.

"I did not know…there could be a female shadow khan and a little girl to boot."

Jade and Kai Ching regarded each other until Jade sneered. "I guess that I am the first, why? I am the Queen of all Shadowkhan." She closed her eyes chuckling, throwing her hands apart. "I don't care. But you…" She pointed a finger at him. "What shall I do with you? How does sleeping with the fishes sound?"

The man was on his knees in a second. "Please no…I can help you!"

Jade blinked. "Help me? Why, how would a harebrained man like you could help me?"

"I know magic; I can provide you with a service, my Queen."

"Now that's a bold statement out of a desperate situation." The claymore sword was on his throat in the blink of an eye. "Consider your next words carefully, or they will be your last."

He gulped meeting her eyes. "My library is full of ancient magic tomes, several lost grimoires and potions of my own research. I can prove it to you."

He was regarded with a sharp grin and eyes shining. "One try, impress me." She dropped the sword from his neck. She regarded the ninja and nodded, the man was pushed on the floor, rubbing his throbbing skin.

"Do hurry." Jade added, tracing a thumb on the flat part of the blade.

The store owner went to his feet with a shriek, gone was the old age soreness replaced by adrenaline. He looked around his library, fingers tracing the book he needed, he pulled out a leather brown book, opening it up to halfway. He pressed a loose tile on his wall. There was a hum of machinery, with a dry click, the right wall started to slide down, exposing a hidden room with hundreds of flasks with vibrant liquids and ingredients in jars.

"Ha! Well, Uncle should start to do that." She let out another humorous chuckle.

The old man ignored her, grabbing a vial with a blue liquid and another with green powder. He read carefully from the book, concentration placed directly on the task at hand. He started the electronic white heater throwing a gray and red powder into the fire. There was a magic reaction, the fire changed into green and the heat from the cauldron could be felt even from there.

She floated a few feet off the ground, peeking over the shoulder of the store owner; a red pepper and several red spices were thrown into the heating water. With a slight hum, the water turned a vibrant red, bubbling from the reaction. A few careful drops of the blue vial were added and in consequence, half of the vial with green powder.

The potion quickly dissipated into the heat, and with a light stir of his wooden rod, the liquid was heated continuously for five minutes until it was no more than pink powder slightly hot to the touch. Kai Ching scooted the powder into a glass container which seemed larger than the portion of the powder, carefully and presented it to the Queen with a slight shift of his hands.

"Duplication spell. Allows the caster to duplicate any object or living being"

Jade groaned, slapping her head at the memory.

The old wizard shifted an eyebrow at such display of behavior. "Is something the matter?"

Jade huffed, mouth curling and showing her fangs. "No, proceed."

Kai Ching settled the oversized container on the table, squeezing a fistful of it on his right palm.

Jade waited patiently for the object to be duplicated but was more confused when the wizard blew the pink powder into the container, pink mist enveloping the object. There was a shift of blue sparks and glowing curved lines of power. The glass container shook with vigor, but to Jade's surprise, a perfect copy of the container with the powder duplicated on thin air, slamming just a few inches away. The hum went away and with it, the pink mist and glowing lines. Satisfied with his display, he turned to the Queen.

"Pleased Queen Jade?"

Something crossed Jade's expression, but as soon as it came it was gone. She forced a somewhat neutral frown, crossing her arms together.

"Nice." She left it simple, walking around the room. Her fingers traced the vials and potions, reminded of the place that she destroyed. She eased her head of those thoughts bringing her full attention to him. Jade couldn't help a feeling of jealously creeping into her, and for a moment, pondered if she should just destroy his place and made sure that he casted magic no longer. She closed her eyes and eased her concentration in the matter, replaced by logic.

"If you serve me, I promise wealth, power and things your human life could only have in dreams. Aye?"

The store owner blinked in confusion, pointing at his eye. "Eye?"

Jade sighed. "Same as Uncle. Just say yes"

"I will provide services…if you keep your promise"

The Queen laughed softly, floating a few feet off ground in a lotus position and floating between her ninjas. "Oh…you will find my charitable contribution will be quite…" She smirked with a fanged mix of a sneer and a smile. "Promising."

Kai Ching could only stare at the row of sharp teeth, a small if almost unnoticeable bead of sweat running behind his head.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**_Forty eight hours after Jade's transformation_**

Under the city of San Francisco, reinforced armored concrete held a secret base from prying eyes, known as Section 13. A highly specialized base of operations for operatives and agents from across the world dedicated to provide a helping hand with a cloak. Scientists, doctors, among other specialized jobs maintained the lucrative base going like a fine and well-oiled Swiss clock.

Captain Black, leader of Section 13 had this eyes set on a diagram of the city, particularly the Chinatown was displayed with digits and a few raw red circles drawn against areas of interests. Jackie who was at his side let out an exasperated sigh.

"Uncle isn't finding his accommodations easy. He keeps complaining that the whirling and electronic purrs of the equipment is disrupting his chi."

Captain Black did an annotation on the map. "I am afraid that his chi will have to wait. Jade…is very good at hiding. She might as well be able to hide on plain view. You might already know this Jackie, but having Jade as our opponent is very difficult. She knows how we work, she knows where to go, how to move through this city and with her powers, is easy as pie, and I use that phrase very lightly." He closed his eyes and made a pause, and when he opened them, there was a shadow of doubt in his eyes.

"Why do you think Jade burned the store down?"

The simple question took Jackie off-guard, uncrossing his arms, he stared at the ceiling and sighed. "The dark forces inside of her, she hates us and she wants us to suffer after we kicked her from the high mountain where she was."

Captain Black shook his head. "No Jackie, remember, your niece is smart. For the most part, every time a magical turbulence happens, you guys go to the store to do research in the store, gather the right ingredients and a magical solution is born."

Jackie's eyes widened. "Uncle's research, is all gone, his experiments, his notes, his ingredients and spell books. No wonder she did it. There was also Tohru's research and notes."

"Maybe to buy herself some time while she made herself more powerful. The last time she went ninja, she was just in power for less than a day, now…it's been forty eight hours. She must be hiding, gathering her forces or who knows what else. Md500's helicopters with night vision didn't encounter anything, and mind you, they are also equipped with infrared sensors as well, not even a shadow could hide. She has always been good."

Jackie nodded, grimly setting his lips in a thin line.

"I know that Uncle has tracking spells, they function with an object, a part of the person, like a hair. We have used them in the past but I don't know how her transformation has changed her body, it could not work, or I could be wrong."

"When your Uncle settles down, maybe you can ask."

There was a crash a few rooms back.

"Uncle said, no touchy! Aiyayyyyyaaaaa, why Section thirteen agents are so thick headed?!"

Captain Black's eyes widened. "These are ten inches thick steel walls, how can we hear him?"

Jackie sighed. "He'll settle…in a day at most, maybe early with tea."

Captain Black and Jackie groaned at the same time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Her manicured hands fell, smashing a puppet to pieces, scattering them around the wood floor.

"Hey! Hey! Destroying my merchandise was not a part of our deal!" Protested the store owner, an action that proved futile. Her red eyes were on his and it didn't take a genius to know when you were in danger to be disemboweled.

"Shut up. Years ago, you put Jackie and me through a situation I don't want to repeat again. I hate puppets!" For good measure, she slashed another one clean through the head with the sword, it bouncing on the floor and lifting her feet, she crunched it beneath her shoes with a roar of satisfaction.

She chuckled at the display of her destruction. Her head went back to the game in a second, dropping the sword on a cabinet.

"I'm outta here. When I need you, I'll knock."

"How?"

Jade made a face. "Dramatic shadowy entrance, hope you aren't taking a bath when I do it."

He cringed to which Jade laughed shaking her head.

"We'll be in touch."

She grinned before crossing her arms around her chest and passing through the floor slowly, her satisfied grin was the last thing he saw before she was gone completely.

The shadows took her. Since her transformation; she has gone through a shower of new emotions and feelings that were raw, but not unpleasant. And here she was, her body felt cold as it passed through brick, stone, and concrete. Her vision was blocked, yet she could feel her surroundings perfectly through the shadows that surrounded every physical object in this plane. Her hands went through the barrier, tracing the alley wall where she came through playfully.

Her eyes narrowed.

Her senses were always sharp and she never doubted in trusting her gut, even with these new found enhanced skills, she never took the feeling lightly. Her body shot up like a vertical stream of water, passing through the bricks incorporeally; her eyesight was shadowed by the physical obstacle and her breathing felt artificial like breathing liquid as she literally travelled through solid matter until she shot out five feet above the ceiling, rapidly falling against solid ground and running to the roof railing. Her eyes fell in the filthy alley with an uneven look at whatever had called upon her wariness.

Deluded as she was with her reality, she did paid attention to the sounds of moans coming from the ally.

The moans and sudden shifts of two people against the wall of the alley was enough to glimpse her head over and see what the commotion was about. Her mind let out an alarm as the sight finally registered. She let out a grunt of revulsion as the two people making out inside the disgusting display of affection in a filthy alley. Some people really didn't have any shame. She slowly put her hands on the railing, lifting an eyebrow at a sudden thought, she shrugged.

Her hands caressed further down and down, reaching in the deepest part of her courage, she growled putting her feet on the railing, then the other one. She concentrated on her breathing, sliding on the wall of the building connected with the alley; she slid further down like a snake.

Surprised at the turn of events, she crooked her head to the side; a small gasp drew from her mouth, surprised that her whole body stood perfectly still. Shrugging off the surprise, the Queen crouched low walking on the wall, crawling her way down slowly with a small grin drawing over her face.

A sudden thought came over her.

She remembered her experience the first time that she had held the sheep talisman and the frustration connected by it. She shook her head with humor, slowly trekking down the wall backwards.

Her trek ended at mere few feet from the couple, making out heavily. A low unnoticeable growl left her mouth, her fingers squeezed the wall, letting her legs drop over her head landing on an arc crossing her arms and leaning on the wall.

"Get a room."

A gasp left the girl's face, pushing the orange haired man from her mouth.

"Get lost girlie." The man twirled to face her only to let out a girly scream. What faced him was a pair of red glowing eyes and a mouth full of sharpened teeth.

Whatever valor the man had, crumbled. The girl didn't wait any time in running down the street screaming hysterically.

"Lizzie! Cmon! Can I call ye?!" The man screamed to not use. "Well thanks! Really..." He turned to the specter, not totally unafraid; yet still wary…he recognized the face and the hair immediately.

"You!? What the hell happened?"

"Finn? Well, what a surprise." Jade offered him an arched eyebrow with genuine surprise written on her face. "I was returned back to my glorious nature of course." She smiled snapping her fingers.

Four arms came from the wall, grabbing the surprised Irish man from behind. The two ninjas came out of the wall, twisting at the same time slamming him on the wall; his arms were sharply pulled upwards, pinned behind his back.

"Shadow khan? You? No, no! C'mon! I thought I was gone from this kind of world already!" He hissed turning sharply to his left. "No blue?"

Jade observed her sharp nails boringly. "Blue wasn't my color." She passed her hand through her hair. "And black isn't yours either."

He smirked despite the pressure on his back.

"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you." She admonished, turning away, hands behind her back. "I'm recruiting for my new gang."

"You and your pals have been through every single piece of apocalypses that literally destroyed creatures more powerful than time itself, sort of like Jackie. So there must be some sort of competency in you guys. I mean, geez." She waved her hands around "You dimwits even managed to help out against Shendu and his pathetic son." She made a pause, a small smirk playing at her lips. "That gives you a good resume." She placed her hands together, smiling sweetly and closing her eyes.

"So…Are you in or out?"

Finn shook his head. "Nah. I'm not in that line of work anymore. I'm a fireman and I love my job. I told you; I just had too much crap into this enforcer in all the magical freak shows of the world. And now you want me to get into that life again? Where ninjas kicked our asses, to magical dragons, demons, wizards turning us into their lackeys. Your uncle kicking our asses…to that world again? I am surprised I still have an ass." He shuddered. "Oh no, never."

Jade pursed her lips. "I guess I'll have to do this like all the others do." Before Finn could react, Jade groaned extending her arms. The shadows liquefied into over a dozen ninjas, their red eyes shining in the darkness. A dozen of shadow khan materialized just besides the Irishman, brandishing shiny weapons.

Finn eyes bulged out.

"Let me put it simply." She smiled sweetly, showing the tip of her fangs. "Until tomorrow, noon, to decide. Same place, don't be late or we will eat your brains." She giggled.

The Irishman eyes widened at the disturbing display and that's when her threat registered.

The Queen smirked. "Seriously…we'll be watching." She turned around, stopped and sharply twisted her head. "If I get the word that Uncle or Section 13 knows of this. Well dude, end of the line."

He stayed silent.

"I can always sweeten the deal; add some big greens to your salary, if that can convince ya. Until tomorrow Finn." She squished his cheek like a boy, the man turned his head with a grunt.

The shadow khan removed their hands, resting idle beside their Queen who placed one of her hands on the wall in front of her. A dark portal opened, swirling with gray and black.

She gestured to it. "Well?"

The ninjas liquefied into the wall and Jade had to literally fight over her own nature to not make another malicious comment towards the terrified man.

His lack of response pushed her patience over the edge. She growled taking him by his hand and slowly put her heel on his butt and kicked him into the portal, the darkness swallowing his screams. Another portal opened at the second floor.

Finn came down screaming on the trash cans, making a complete mess, trash jumping in all directions.

Jade popped her head from the other side.

"Sorry, couldn't resist." And with a chuckle, she was gone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**_Back in Section 13._**

Long hours had passed since their initial accommodations started into a few of the armor plated rooms. Their rooms were mostly fixed, out of the many situations that had come and go over the years. Jackie was the easiest to settle down, he only had a few packs of clothes that he bought as his were lost in the fire.

Uncle was another story. While he and Tohru usually did their research in the now destroyed store, the supplies that Uncle possessed were less than minimum to even begin a proper research. All of his books were gone as well. As Tohru unpacked a few essential supplies like tea and articles of clothing; Uncle did more than mourn for his destroyed home, research and his inner sanctum.

The books lost were a part of him. Some of them were as old as centuries, but the ones that were from his deceased Master Fung were the most precious to him. Thankfully he had a couple of them to keep him company in Section 13, but was not as important as the others. An inner sadness plagued his soul.

Gritting his teeth and steadying on the desk where he sat on, he turned to Tohru.

"My faithful student. I am afraid that dark clouds are approaching our horizon. We must hurry our task and as soon as we are ready, begin the salvation of our dear Jade."

"What?"

Uncle groaned and slapped his two fingers on Tohru's head.

He yelped bringing his hand to his head in pain. "I was just unpacking!"

"Listen to me Tohru! Aiiiyya. First we rest, and then we start to wait on the books from Captain Black to do our research! Got it?"

Tohru nodded. "Yes Sensei. Would you like some tea?"

Uncle smiled, the first one in all day. "There will never be a 'no' when you offer your delicious tea, Tohru."

The giant of a man got to work.

The door was opened in a hasty manner. Uncle groaned, thinking it was another useless Agent 13 agent pestering him about his things. However, Jackie was at the door with Captain Black. They looked very serious for what Uncle could observe, so they meant business.

"What is it?"

Captain Black was the first to approach. "I've been sending my scouts all night, no sign of Jade, but Jackie could have an idea how to find her, if it still works."

"Uncle. What if we use a tracking spell with an object that belongs to her? You've done this before."

"Ahhh!" Uncle exclaimed with a smile. "Of course! Uncle has been too stressed to think properly." His excitement died seconds after a sudden thought popped in his head. "The problem is that Uncle doesn't know if it will work."

Captain Black rested against the butt of the desk. "How come?"

"Jade…is well, not fully human. Her chi and her essence are mixed with the demonic Shadow Khan. If she was still fully human, it would work without an issue. Perhaps, the best that it could do, is point us in the right direction."

"You can try." Jackie encouraged. Uncle nodded and smiled slightly.

"There's a good chance though that Jade will make her apparition closer than we might think." The archeologist said crossing his arms.

Captain Black lifted an eyebrow.

Jackie uncrossed his arms with a chuckle. "If I know my niece properly, she can never stay in one place before getting bored."

Everyone laughed in response.

"Now chop chop! Uncle needs to think, Tohru the tea!"

Tohru happily poured a cup for the elder, who took it to his lips with a sigh of pleasure. Jackie could only roll his eyes as Tohru retreated to the far corner of the room.

Jackie crossed his arms again, facing his Uncle. "Do you have the ingredients you need, Uncle?"

Uncle stared at Jackie then closed his eyes. "We are only missing one key ingredient."

Tohru intervened before he could continue, with a box on his massive hands. "We only need a couple of hairs. It might be best to check her things; maybe we could find a couple."

"Or we could just check her hair brush" Viper interrupted from the door, reclining against the wall.

Captain Black eyes started to scan the room.

"What is it?" Jackie asked curiously.

Augustus just groaned. "I was waiting for someone to say, duh."

The Chan clan looked at the floor down casted.

"We will get her back." Viper reassured, placing her arms around Jackie.

"I will get the brush." Tohru informed, diving his head through the doorway.

"And I will set up the potion." Uncle opened space on the table, opening one of his books.

Jackie looked at Viper, placing a small kiss on her cheek. "And we will just wait."

Viper could only hold him tighter.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Author Notes:** This took a little bit longer than expected and I had to cut the chapter in two pieces. But I am proud of what I have so far. I can't thank you guys for taking the time for reviewing my story. Have a nice day gents and ladies.

**From Houston**

**D4rK**


	6. Payday

Author Notes: And here we are! Another chapter. This is where the magic begins…prepare.

-Disclaimer: Jackie Chan Adventures belongs to Warner Channel and John Rogers. And I gain no profit writing this.

**The March of the Black Queen**

**Chapter 6**

**Payday**

**The Day After.**

Jade's eyes were blazing with hot irritation. Clearly her threat should have been a little more aggressive. She was just getting started on the idea of incompetent employees and suddenly, she realized to what all those villains and bad guys had to go through when she was with the J-Team. Talk about contracting good employees.

She let out a humorless giggle at the irony of the situation.

She took a look at her wrist watch. Well, she did told Finn that she would wait in the very same alley, maybe he didn't take her seriously, but tracking him down should be easy, and well, if he indeed told Section 13…he would be the very first to fall under her rule.

Jade visually cringed at the thought.

But it would be necessary. She thought, kicking a soda can in boredom down the alley.

"Owww!"

Jade blinked snapping her eyes where the sound came from. Well, she was not expecting that.

"Finn," She grinned.

The Irishman groaned, caressing the ache on his head, the soda can at his feet. "You did not have to do that."

The Queen just chuckled. "It was not my intention, Queen's promise," She uncrossed her arm, floating a few feet off the ground. "So, do you accept my offer?"

"Well," The man began, nervously staring at her eyes. "Aye. I do."

"Excellent!" She joined her hands together, grinning softly. "Now, what about your friends?"

Finn crossed his arms. "I haven't told anyone, girlie."

Jade growled, more literally that she had expected. The effect was immediate; Finn started to back away, wary of her.

"I will let that name slip. Now, let's contact those friends of yours. Together, now, at this very moment." She accentuated every action slamming her fingers together on her hands, Finn watching as her fingers raised and fell.

"I'll call the dudes," Finn flipped his cellphone from his pocket.

Jade floated in a sitting Indian position, waiting patiently.

After a couple of dials, there was an answer. "Hey, Chow! How has it been?"

From the other side of the line, Chow, the American-Chinese man stared boringly at the outline of the city from the cockpit of his Eurocopter AS565 Panther helicopter. The side door was opened as two slightly overweight tourists took pictures of the city as their laughter echoed in the cabin, even though the low hum of the engines.

"Same old, same old," Chow answered, slightly making a turn with his pedals and lowering the lever to the left of his seat to lower the helicopter to show the outline of the rail cars and the streets. "Here in the air, with customers," He balanced his cellphone from one hand to the other, the headphones placed around his neck and with the sun shining across his yellow tinted sunglasses.

"Good, good. Hey man, I have a monetary proposition. Something that could make us some good money while having fun."

Chow looked at the lousy tourists and then forward again. "I am listening."

"Good! Get a word to Ratso. We'll meet up on That-Place."

Jade lifted an eyebrow confusedly.

"What is this about Finn?"

"You'll see when you guys get there. Make it at 2 o clock. We'll be waiting. See ya later!"

"We?" Chow asked, but he never got an answer as the line went dead.

"Hey! Can you get us closer to the bridge! We want to take pictures" The overweight man told him.

Chow gave him a fake smile. "Sure, hang on."

* * *

><p><strong>Back with Jade and Finn.<strong>

"He said that he would come around," Finn slipped is phone back into his jacket.

"Excellent…so, what about…'That-Place'?" She did finger quotes.

"It has been our secret meeting place. We have gone there a couple of times. It's called the Big and Little Wong Tin Bar."

Jade just stared at him again.

"Hmm…although I don't know how we could sneak you in. Since ya know…"

"What do I know?" Jade sneered.

"Well, a bar is not a place for young kids."

"Oh that," Jade chuckled. "Then on the roof."

Finn nodded. "You got it, boss?"

"It has a nice ring to it," Jade said and then suddenly laughed aloud. "It's funny."

Finn lifted an eyebrow at her.

"If you hadn't been here on time I would have come for you and kill you with my bare hands and eaten your brains. But here you are!" She giggled.

Finn could only tug the collar of his muscle shirt, cringing uneasily.

"Well…uh, my car is over here?"

"Car?" Jade asked.

"Transportation?"

"No, no," Jade smirked, showing her sharp teeth. "We'll use Shadow transport." She closed her eyes and opened her hands, making a sharp motion with them. The shadows materialized in front of the pair, slowly taking shape into Shadow Khan, bowing where they stood.

Jade crossed her arms behind her back and in a simultaneous fashion, the Shadow Khan all lifted their faces to meet her gaze, their demonic red eyes glinting.

"I know that you aren't very…accustomed to this. But you will love it," Jade smirked as the ninjas slowly enveloped them, Finn watching nervously.

"But what about my car?" Finn complained. Jade could only shake her head.

"With the money I'll pay you, there will be no complains. Now…to your place."

Finn stared at the hood of the ninjas, and then at her, nothing really happening.

"So…are we supposed to say magic words or something?"

Jade groaned in annoyance. "This will be harder than I thought it would be. Just let's take your car," She waved the ninjas away, disappearing in mere seconds like if their presence was not there to begin with. She looked at her hands. Perhaps constantly summoning ninjas was eating up her energy. She had to work on that.

"Right here, boss."

Jade followed the Irishman, rigid steps made out of the uneasiness that she felt at the moment. She should have been able to work her powers better.

"Everything has it's time," She murmured under her breath, licking her exposed fangs with a grumble of discomfort passing through her mind.

She did wondered what efforts was her family doing at the moment to 'rescue her' but as she said it herself; everything has it's time, and when she was done, their time would be over.

* * *

><p>Despite his best efforts, Finn could not make the trip better for Jade who had come tangled in fear in the passenger seat of his Dodge Charger 1970. She had literally tore a chunk of his magnificent custom seats from holding it too tight. He had screamed in horror at the sight.<p>

Jade just have given a simple threat and that was it. The Queen had just stepped out of his car and floated silently to the roof, waiting for the reunion to start.

Now he was parked, waiting patiently for his buddies to arrive, stealing a glimpse to the seats a couple of times and wondering how much it would cost to refurbish them again. His ears perked at the sound of a low but powerful hum of a sport bike, a man clothed in leather with a red helmet parked just across his car. Seconds later, a black BMW SUV parked on the empty spot next to his black muscle car.

Chow removed his helmet, flipping his spiky hair with his hands.

Finn grinned, stepping out of his car. They shook hands, exchanging a small grin together.

"Hey Chow."

"Hey yourself. Well, here we are."

"Oh no, you ain't saying your greetings without me!" The pale gray 6 foot man known as Ratso said, wrapping his hands around them.

"Good to see ya too, big guy. Glad to see you guys here," Finn straightened his black jacket with a slight grin.

Chow crossed his arms. "You told us about something important. Might as well just spill it out."

"Yeah," Ratso agreed. "You would never call us again without a good reason…we aren't starting a nameless gang again, aren't we? Deciding on the name was so hard."

The American-Chinese man just cringed. "Trying to not get our asses kicked in Ireland was even harder. Now, what's the plan?"

Finn just signaled to the roof. "We'll meet there with our…hmmm…business associate."

Chow and Ratso just exchanged looks. "You know? Being all mysterious has never been your forte. You sure this is ok? I mean, we got new lives dude. This was not easy."

Finn just laughed. "Trust me; this will be a life changing experience," Without waiting for them, he started to climb the ladder to the roof of the bar.

The pale gray man looked at his friend. "This gives me the creeps. The last time he tried to do this, we ended up in prison."

Chow just sighed. "We can always just say no," He started to climb the ladder after Finn. "You coming?" Chow asked.

Ratso shrugged his shoulders, following after him.

The Irishman stood with his arms crossed, legs paired together in a firm posture, the air vents blowing air around his pants.

"Well, we are here," Chow remarked, looking around. "Where's your…associate?"

"Here."

An unnatural girl voice sounded behind him. Chow turned around sharply, coming eye to eye with a demonic stare.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" He screamed like a girl, jumping into the arms of Ratso.

Jade stepped through the air vents, her body pooling like liquid from the metal until she snapped her figure from the steel and landed on the floor.

"Yes, ah-me," The Queen showed them a fanged grin. "Thank you, Finn, for calling your friends."

Chow and Ratso heads snapped in his direction. "You want us, back into that kind of world?! Are you crazy?! Demons, and magic? Jackie Chan kicking our asses? Do you know how much money I spent just getting my suits and my sunglasses repaired?"

The child demon just growled in irritation. "SILENCE!"

"I keel you," Ratso finished with a laugh.

Everyone looked at him. "Uh…I saw it in a video."

"Anyway," Jade waved a hand around. "You don't seem as surprised to see me in this kind of state."

Chow slung his body from Ratso's arms. "It's because we have seen it all. I guess…you are a kind of a demon from before? Although, I do remember you blue and all."

"And giving us ninja spankings if I remember," Ratso finished lamely.

Jade laughed at the memory. "That I will have to admit was very funny. But enough about games here. I have a lovely proposition here. I need muscle, and criminals, especially if you guys have been so specialized in these kinds of things pretty much since a long time…even if your combat skills are lacking, you do have quite a large amount of knowledge about the criminal world that I need.

"Plus, you guys have been there from the very beginning. Surviving the odds, even though when they were not on your favor. Powers that would break empires apart and here you stand before me. Now, that's your job here. Serve me, and your reward will be eternal. And now…I know that you have been promised this kind of thing before, but unlike those before me, I do keep my promises, and to prove it. We will have a hit tonight."

"Not to discourage you, Queen Jade, I suppose?" Chow pressed. At her pleased nod, he continued. "But…why we should follow you? Yeah, you have gone spooky again, but what would be our edge against Chan? This is a dance we have done before, ya know?"

Jade actually took a great consideration about his words; he was smarter that she gave him credit for, except that maybe he was kind of cowardly.

"Unlike those before me, I do know perfectly how Section 13 and my family work. I have been through the defeats of your former employers, and even helped to achieve them a few times."

"And sometimes you have caused those situations yourself," Ratso laughed. Chow and Finn slapped his head at the same time.

"Ow! What did I do?"

Jade clapped her hands together. "Thank you. Now, like I was saying. I have something that the others don't. I know how every single part of the J-Team and Section 13 works. I have the passwords, the tips and the guidelines of how the game is played. And me? I am ready to play a new game with my rules."

Her eyes turned fully red as she roared with a demonic growl, her hands expanding in a circle. White ink like on water flew from her mouth, the smoky substance surrounding her body before expanding into a blast of darkness, passing through the horrified trio of men as they screamed in horror.

When the smoky cloud dissipated, over fifteen Shadow Khan warriors stood, brandishing many weapons stood around them.

"And these are our team players," She smirked. "But enough about team puns. I did tell you guys that you would have a salary of 6 zeros, and I will keep the end of my bargain. Today, we will rob the First National bank. We collect the money to finance our first operation and begin our takeover," She smirked mischievously.

"Uh…the world?" Finn offered weakly.

"No! That's too hard and too cliché. The world is a big place anyway. An empire sounds pretty much better, especially for a Queen," She smiled at the ambition of power. "Now let's get to work."

"So…what's the plan, boss?" Ratso asked. He covered his sides, expecting an elbow from his friends, but got nothing in turn.

Jade smirked at his reaction. "Bank security systems were not really…designed for people like us," She signaled at the Shadow Khan and then pointed to herself. "It is a risk…and it will be high profile so I guess this will catch the attention of our favorite circus! The Section 13," She rolled her eyes. "Maybe Jackie and company might come…it makes our job easier."

"It does?" Finn asked curiously. "So the real plan is to attract him, and then dispose of him?"

Chow and Ratso nodded to each other, agreeing with such plan.

"Nobody will touch my family but me…if you ever bring that up, I will tear your tongues and shove them where the sun doesn't shines. Got it?"

The trio nodded.

"Good. Now leave the plan to me. Just get a cargo truck and park across the street. We will be in touch…and don't be late. Operation begins in..." She closed her eyes. "Five hours. Now scram," Jade hissed before she was enveloped in the embrace of the Shadow Khan, disappearing in black smoke.

As the ninjas dispersed, Chow was the first one to snap his eyes to Finn.

"Do you even realize what we are into now?" He shoved him angrily.

Finn straightened up with a growl. "Hey, we got a nice deal…I know…dealing with this kind of world will not be easy. But this time we got it covered! We got the girl literally doing the work. I have a good feeling 'bout this one."

"Oh yeah?" Ratso sighed. "It was the same thing that you said about Valmont back in the day."

"Well," The Irishman just shrugged his shoulders. "Nobody had ninjas and the brains of a Chan back then. This kid will lead us to something else, I can feel it."

Chow could only shake his head. "We had ninjas, dumbass, and we still got our asses kicked."

"Well…our pockets could be full again," Ratso offered.

The trio looked at each other before snickering to each other, putting their hands together.

"We are back in the game," Ratso happily remarked before looking at his watch. "And we have less than five hours before we get a cargo truck or she will feast on our brains."

Chow and Finn blinked. "Let's scram!"

* * *

><p>The J-Clan waited patiently for Uncle to return. Captain Black had retired to his quarters to make some good old fashioned reports about the case.<p>

"Aiyaaa! Uncle has got it!"

The older Chan brought the hair brush with a smile to the boiling cauldron that Tohru had set up.

"With this, we might be able to track Jade down."

"Do it Uncle," Jackie smiled.

He was answered with a two finger smack on the head. "What do you think Uncle is doing?! Now! Tohru, if you please."

"Hai, Sensei," The gentle giant took carefully a few hairs from the brush with a pair of tweezers. The potion bubbled with a purplish color, changing rapidly to an acidic green when the hair fell into the cauldron. As if on cue, the potion lightened with a vivid green pulse, dissipating and relocating into a small sphere of concentrated light. Uncle stepped in, carrying half of a sphere.

Carefully as he could, he caught the floating sphere with one of his hands, and slowly closed the spell with the other half of the glass sphere.

Jackie and Viper watched in interest.

The older Chan smiled in triumph. "With this, we can find Jade. At least, as close as we can get to her human form. It could be enough to pinpoint where she is located."

Jackie's exalting behavior got the best of him. "Then now-"

"Jackie! Everything has its time! We need to wait until…oh."

"What?"

"It's working," Uncle answered, lifting the sphere. Slowly, the green spell began to dissipate with a colorless white bubble appeared in the middle of it. The details were fuzzy at first, but it was evident that it was showing something. The sphere rotated as if it was a floating camera, displaying a part of the city that was recognizable due the location and buildings, but not a clear view to where it could be.

"Can you make it zoom out Uncle?" Jackie asked.

"This is a magic spell Jackie! Not a camera!" Uncle answered angrily. But as on clue, the sphere began to zoom out a little bit. Jackie squinted his eyes at the sight as the view was posed in a certain building. It was a gray marble rock-like material. The edification was perfectly a reminiscent of the Roman style. The columns stood proudly against the decorated Corinthian style roof. If Jackie did know Archeology, there were just a couple of buildings that could match such description in the city.

The spell dissipated before their very eyes as Uncle sighed.

"This is all we can do. Her essence is not very human at the moment," He informed them.

"The building where she is…I might happen to know which one she is at," Jackie crossed his arms. "Only a pair of buildings could match that description. The National Library and the second one is the First National Bank. I think the most obvious one could be the library. Maybe Jade is looking for a rare book for an evil plan."

Viper rolled her eyes. "Or she is planning a hit on the bank."

Tohru, Uncle and Jackie looked at her.

"What? You guys thought the evil plan too? Remember boys, being a criminal doesn't just takes goons, it takes money, base of operations…key word, money."

Uncle stared at her with a look akin to curiosity. "Ex-thief's words do make sense. To the bank it is, we don't have time to lose! Inform Captain Black."

Seeing Viper quirking an eyebrow, Jackie could not help but to nod back.

"It's rare to see Uncle giving you the right," The archaeologist whispered in her ear.

"First off, he thanks Captain Black, and then he gives me the right. What's next? He'll break a happy song?" She whispered back.

If Uncle heard them, he gave them no recognition of the fact. In one rare display of emotion, Uncle concentrated his gaze in one of his books. Not such because it was the first guides that were written by Master Fung himself, but because the act of focusing helped him calm down his frayed nerves.

In reality, Uncle was scared, but did not show it very properly. He might have dealt with the massive blow of having his wonderful home to be destroyed in front of his own old very eyes, but what hurt him the most was that his favorite niece had done it, influenced by darkness or not. There was also the matter of trying to get her back.

He felt somehow useless, even though his past achievements spoke otherwise. What he did was done by love and love only, being as stubborn as he was, he could recognize that he did needed the support of others, and being able to support them when it came to an emotional level in order to propel their morale.

The book pages were blown softly against his hands, even though there was not an ounce of wind in the room, Uncle immediately knew who it was that was trying to give him. Despite his worries, he found the courage to smile warmly, caressing the pages of the book softly.

"Tohru, Jackie, Ex-Thief, let us go! We have a mission to complete. Jade will be back among us! As family, not an enemy controlled by the dark forces!"

The incomplete J-team nodded, set with smiles on their faces.

The door opening caught the attention of everyone. It was Captain Black that stepped through the door in a hurry, a couple of agents at his side.

"Jackie, Jade was spotted close to the First National Bank."

Viper could only grin. "I did told you."

Uncle buffed. "No time for the bragging, let us go! And one more thing! Uncle needs books as soon as possible as well."

Captain Black nodded. "On it. I will get the transportation. Jackie, do you like flying in helicopters?"

There was a slight moan of discomfort. Everyone stared at Uncle, shaking like a leaf.

Augustus groaned, caressing his forehead to alleviate his frayed nerves. "This will be a long trip."

* * *

><p><strong>First National Bank of San Francisco. The Roof.<strong>

Getting through the bank's vault had been the easiest part of the job. She only needed to get through the solid structure as stealthily as she could. She smirked at the sight of the vault assets. Big piles of money on pallets and hundreds of drawers, just ready to be taken.

As she had done before, it only took a couple of seconds to realize that the vault security system was not even the state of the art kind of stuff that Section 13 had. She was slightly put off by the cameras, and even though she could avoid them, she knew that triggering any alarms would also inform Section 13 of the robbery and her presence, just like she wanted.

But she was not a fool. Dealing with the Section 13 security before, she knew that most secure vaults possessed not only sensors to movement and weight, but also the air was left sterile and compressed every time that the vault's door was closed.

So she was not surprised when her own breathing set the vault alarms going off seconds later. The alarms blared noisily, enough to dull her new sensitive ears with annoyance. With a flick of her wrist she tried to summon her Shadow Khan. It took more concentration, but eventually, a dozen ninjas appeared from the shadows.

"Start to gather the cash! You two!" She pointed at two random Shadow Khan that were the closer to her. "Guard the door!" That being said, the door handle started to turn. Jade's eyes snapped to the noise.

The massive armored door opened slowly with a metallic hum. Six security officers armed with service pistols and a couple with submachine guns entered the vault, guns drawn and pointing at the now empty vault.

The security chief lowered his weapon and stared in confusion. "Central, there is not a soul in here. Did the censors triggered by mistake?"

"Negative, we've got video feed of an intruder."

He heard a finger snap. He turned around expecting nothing, but getting in contact with a pale skinned child and onyx black hair staring at him sweetly.

"Hello there mister."

The security chief eyes widened. "How did you get in here child? Central are you…"

The child opened her eyes revealing her glowing red eyes and her mouth opening in a grin, revealing her row of sharp teeth. The occupants of the room got the surprise of their lives as the features twisted into something that they would have never expected.

Jade growled, charging the security chief, sending a sharp kick to his knee, with the impact, he toppled off balance, throwing his weapon on the floor with a groan of surprise. The Queen quickly put a pool of darkness under the man's shape.

As he fell, he tried to get in contact with anything to grab into, but nothing was there to begin with. His screams disappeared as the pool dissipated in the floor like if nothing had ever been there. Jade quickly summoned five of her Shadow khan with a flick of her wrist to deal with the remaining guards.

As her warriors quickly knocked two of them unconscious, one of the guards lifted his MP5 to attack. Jade never let him; charging again, she took a hold of the submachine gun laid discarded on the floor, by the hand guard. With a hiss of her breath, one of her feet kicked, sending her straight through the air and close to the hostile security guard.

She rammed the butt of the weapon across his uncovered face brutally, breaking his nose on impact. With a pained yell he went down like a sack of potatoes, unconscious, his hat that had been sent flying had fell next to him.

The ninjas drew their weapons to deal with the remaining guard but a quick snap of her fingers stopped them on their tracks.

"Give me the keys," She opened her palm; stabbing her demonic eyes at the terrified guard who could do nothing more than gawk like a fish out of the water at the unreal sight before him. She dropped the weapon that fell with a clank to the floor. Quickly lifting him by the neck, a shadow khan pinned him arms to the vault's floor while another stood guarding over his fallen form, sword drawn and close to his neck.

"I am losing my patience here. Give me the keys to the vault doors or I will make my ninjas to give you a…close shave," She smirked as the threat registered. The guard quickly unslung a key from one of his vest pouches, throwing it on the floor.

The Queen smiled. "Good call. Knock him out," She told the shadow khan pinning him to the floor. The man could only yelp in surprise as the ninja lifted his head enough to deliver a quick punch between his eyes and forehead, quickly putting the man unconscious.

Jade picked up the key, flipping it around her fingers with fake interest. "More guards will come, I presume. Close those doors!" The order was carried out immediately, but Jade ignored it, quickly settling her attention in the pile of cash that remained in the vault.

She rubbed her hands together. "Touch down. And I really have to stop using those sport puns," She shook her head. She did hoped that those trio of idiots followed her instructions to the letter, after all, they were about to be very rich. The Queen threw the key to the waiting Shadow Khan who easily caught the object.

"Get to work; I want everything of value to be stripped down. Everything! Money! Jewels! Sapphires! Everything piled on the floor!" And like the last order, it was followed to the letter as her ninjas commenced to strip down the drawers with the key.

Checking her watch, she grinned, mussing how long it would take Jackie and company to arrive here.

* * *

><p>The Enforcers were waiting patiently, with the engine on in the cargo truck that they had stolen. That was the easy part, the difficult part was to remain hidden in the cabin as helicopters and police cars arrived at the scene, in less than seven minutes, since the alarms had activated from the inside.<p>

Finn gulped, remembering that while reformed as he was, some people could recognize him, and what would be the odds of being inside a cargo truck from the First National Bank of San Francisco? Especially with his former troop of friends riding with him.

"I hope the brat hurries up! The police are here," Chow commented.

Ratso laughed softly. "What was that it gave them up? The sirens? The SWAT team that is entering the bank, or the helicopters?" He mocked as he ate the potato chips bag that he brought to pass the time.

Finn smacked them both across their heads angrily, and ignoring their glares and pained grunts, he did nothing to acknowledge that.

"Quiet you two! We're in top shit right now! We gotta remain hidden, silently until she comes back with the green."

Chow raised an eyebrow back at Ratso, who looked back as confused. "And then?" The American-Chinese asked.

The Irish-American man could only smirk. "And then we'll be rich!"

A sudden sound interrupted the trio. They turned around in the cabin, quickly opening a small hatch to the truck container. A circle of dark power opened with a crack of purple lightning, cracking in the air. The Enforcers looked in shock as the circle bubbled into shadows.

The liquefied hole quickly became larger, until something else caught the attention of the Enforcers. A small pale hand slowly entered the truck through the black hole. Quickly as it came, another one came inside the truck, rapidly slamming against the steel floor. There was a demonic growl as a small pearled mouth came from the hole.

Two sharp red eyes appeared from the darkness.

"Uh…" Chow could only say.

There was a demonic and inhuman screech as the creature charged. The Enforcers could only scream and then frown, as the growls turned into sharp laughter.

It was Finn who first opened his eyes staring at no other than a rolling Jade as she held her head, laughing like if there was not tomorrow.

"You should have seen the look on your faces! HAHAHAHA!" The Queen slammed the steel floor in a bout of laughter.

The trio of enforcers could only sigh. "So…where's the cash?" Ratso was the first to ask.

Jade could only chuckle. "Right here."

The black hole thickness grew.

Jade's glowing eyes intensified as she extended her hands. With a sharp growl, a pair of Shadow Khan started to pour out of the hole, holding sacks of cash. They placed the sacks on the floor, halves of their bodies nodding at their queen as they disappeared to where they come from.

The Queen smiled. "Shadow khan transportation. They can't catch what they can't see."

The trio could only laugh with the whole scare of before completely forgotten. "Money!" They screamed at the same time.

"I do keep my promises," The Queen smiled, sharp teeth showing with a gleam that still put the enforcers on edge. "But we still got to unload more. Stay here lackeys."

The enforcers said nothing as she disappeared with a flash of smoke, until nothing but the sacks of money and the same bubbling hole remained.

"Well, that was interesting," Chow interjected with a shrug.

"I wonder what would happen if I throw potato chips in that hole," Ratso commented with a soft laugh.

The American-Irish opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it immediately with a grin. "You know…we will never have such a good opportunity as this. Yo Ratso…pass me those chips."

The other two enforces grinned as the bag was passed along.

* * *

><p>A floating Jade watched silently as her tribe of the shadow khan worked at an incredible speed, gathering untold jewels, rare coins, and other valuables from the drawers. She focused her attention from them to the pile of cash on the floor on pallets.<p>

Pity that there weren't any gold bars there, but this would have to do.

There was a buzz of vibrations from the other side of the door. She chuckled.

It had been the third one in over fifteen minutes that she had been inside the vault. She presumed that they were using hollow charges to blow the door up. Whatever her ninjas did had sealed the vault door nicely. She did wonder if her family was coming. She turned sharply to one of the cameras in the vault. She guessed that they would be watching so she never really bothered to destroy the cameras the Queen mussed as she looked at her nails as if she was bored.

A sharp square of chi light drew itself on the wall to her left. Queen Jade eyes widened in surprise as the light intensified, shining with a strong green chi that cracked in the air. The ninjas stopped what they were doing and took a combat pose at the reaction of her state of mind, Jade noticed for future references.

The wall came off with a groan of metal, followed by the heavy screech of the steel plates hitting the floor, with a massive crescendo of destruction. Jade groaned at the tremor, but as soon as the wall fell, so did she in a combat pose, her eyes shining brightly red.

It was Tohru who first stepped out of the hole he just made, along with Uncle walking funny, followed with Jackie and Viper at the same time.

The ninjas dropped the valuables, quickly forming a protective circle around the Queen.

Queen Jade eyes went up in surprise, and then it changed to an expression of mockery as Captain Black stepped out of the hole calmly, along with eight Section 13 agents.

There was a chuckle escaping from her lips as the expressions of seriousness tightened across her enemy's faces, a fact that she found amusing.

Jade slowly descended from her spot until her feet touched the ground delicately. "Well, here we are. Perfectly assembled into our very first battle. How funny that we are all here together, you even brought Captain Baldy," Her smirk widened.

"More like I brought them here," Captain Black corrected before he was slapped on the head by an angry Uncle. Groaning in pain and stabbing Uncle with his eyes, he chose not to say anything because of the gravity of the situation.

The older Chan stepped forward "Uncle will never rideeeee in one of those things ever again! They are terrifying, and oneeeeeee more thing! Jade, stop where you are. We need to return you back to normal!"

Jackie loosened his combat pose. "I don't think she is in the listening department at the moment Uncle. We will have to capture her to save her."

At his words, Jade smiled sadistically, showing her pointy teeth, a fact that made the occupants of the room to cringe. Her laugh intensified.

"You can try, but you will fail," Her hands twisted in a jerk of her hands and then slowly started to lift them. Inky smoke came from her lips, quickly attaching to the walls of the vault. Red eyes shone through the ink like spots, quickly becoming full bodies of Shadow Khan who twisted in the air as they fell from the ceiling in a combat position, forming a line across their Queen.

The occupants of the room eyes widened at the sight of twenty ninjas coming into play, their red eyes shining acidly.

The moment was broken silently as potato chips came from the dark swirl. Jade turned around immediately knowing who were the culprits, but decided to ignore that positioning her concentration on the group.

Jade's jaw twisted in a grin, floating a couple of feet off the ground, she crossed her arms. "Shadow Khan, my warriors. Break their bones, but don't kill!"

The ninja quickly went to work, sending ninja stars at the surprised occupants who rolled to the left to avoid being hurt. Uncle quickly took out his blowfish and his salamander, quickly setting two well-aimed shots at the advancing shadow khan, quickly putting them out of the fight.

The mountain of a man followed with three of his, destroying more ninjas. The agents of Section 13 quickly took out their service pistols and started shooting at the ninjas; however their shots took no effect on it to the shock of the agents, bullets passing through the ninjas bodies, leaving small holes that refilled as darkened ink.

"Magic must defeat magic! How many times do I have to say it?" Uncle screamed in frustration, avoiding a couple of sharp stars as they came by.

"Then enchant their pistols with chi power!" Captain Black shouted as he avoided a hit from an advancing ninja, then countered with a kick that sent the demonic ninja against the metal wall, quickly dissipating into a flash of black.

"Bullets?! You could shoot Jade!" Jackie exclaimed as he quickly kicked a ninja on the chin with a signature kick.

Viper looked at the idea in shock. "That's dumb. We can defeat them without any weapons."

Before the J-team could place their objection, the agents placed their pistols together, looked expecting of the old Chan.

Jackie screamed as a pair of ninjas quickly attacked him from each side. He was forced to take a gold locket from the floor, using the chain to entangle it across the shadow warrior's wrist. The surprised ninja could do nothing as the archaeologist propelled the dark being towards him, and connected a left hook to his face and at the same time dropping his grip on the chain. The ninja was sent flying and rammed into another that had a sword, both disappearing in a flash of smoke.

Viper and Jackie nodded at the same time, and locked their arms together. Seven shadow warriors surrounded them quickly, in combat poses. Two ninjas attacked at the same time, as quickly as they came, Jackie kicked the first one on the stomach and quickly spun around for Viper to do a double kick at the other incoming ninja, both of them crashing to the floor. As quick as the attack came, the other remaining five attacked.

At the severity of the situation, Uncle had to access his options as he nodded at Tohru.

"Yu Mo Gwai Gui Fai Di Zao! Yu Mo Gwai Gui Fai Di Zao!" Uncle and Tohru started their enchantment, quickly covering the service pistols with a green aura. The agents' faces smiled and then smirked as they came out of cover and started firing green projectiles, quickly dispatching of the ninjas that attacked Jackie and Viper.

Queen Jade was forced to take cover with a hateful scowl as she summoned more ninjas. "They never did that trick with me around!" She snarled quickly sending a massive black cloud of dark power that enveloped the whole building, to the terrified faces of the occupants.

Twenty red eyes opened through the darkness, quickly fetching the agents with the pistols and throwing their weapons away. There were a couple of hits as a couple of the red eyes squinted into pained faces and started to disappear.

Jackie quickly did a somersault around a ninja, quickly wrapping his thighs around his neck. With a quick movement, he just let gravity did the rest and jerked the ninja with a massive force to the ground, quickly dispatching of him.

"Yu Mo Gwai Gui Fai Di Zao!" Uncle chanted, quickly starting to dissipate the cloud of darkness with a flick of his green magic, along with several of the shadow warriors.

Captain Black had stepped out of the fight and ordered his agents to put their night vision goggles, getting their night batons as a last resort weapon.

When the darkness disappeared all but one ninja remained in the store, holding a bag of valuables.

Uncle noticed a black swirl of darkness in the middle of the room, Jade missing.

Jackie moved to intercept the last enemy only for the shadow warrior to launch a smoke grenade that left everyone in the room blind on the spot. Coughing at the smoke, Jackie quickly put his shirt as a make shift mask around his mouth.

"Everyone! Out of the room!"

Tohru was the last to stand on the massive vault door, scanning for Jade, but she was nowhere to be seen. With a quick sad shake of his head, he went to join the others.

"No sign of Jade," Black sighed as he took his night vision goggles out. "It appears she sneaked out during the fight…the money is also gone, at least the majority of it. She must not have gone far from here. And we found an unconscious guard outside the perimeter. Whatever she did, she slipped away with the money out of the perimeter of two hundred yards that we established around the zone."

Tohru and Uncle looked at each other. "I cannot detect a source of bad chi, whatever she did, she is not among us to detect her bad chi. And oneeeee more thing, she used a portal that just closed, Shadowkhan in nature. She is more resourceful that I would expect her to be. This is, veryyyyyyyyyyyy bad."

"You are telling me," Jackie quickly pinched the bridge of his nose. "At least nobody was severely hurt," Viper quickly enveloped him in a hug.

* * *

><p>Just outside the bank, the Enforcers were crouched on their seats, laughing with amusement as they threw potato chips in the dark swirl. Suddenly the black portal cracked with power.<p>

There was another crack and a sound that could be attributed to a pop. The trio of men could do nothing to cover themselves at the explosion of potato chips back to their faces of the surprised enforcers and countless amounts of bills and piles of jewels.

The Shadow Khan quickly appeared through the same black swirl, slamming the last of the bags on the pile.

"Where's Queenie?" Asked Ratso as he took a couple of chips from his suit.

"Right here," A voice interrupted them and sent their eyes to the front, where Jade was sitting on the front seat, with her arms crossed.

Chow gulped. "Hello there…boss. I see the hit was good."

"Enough talk! Drive slowly, get us out of here! Avoid the Golden Gate and take us through the bridge to Emeryville," She hissed.

Chow quickly nodded turning on the engine and racked the vehicle to life, quickly taking off to the busy street at a regular speed.

Queen Jade sank on her seat with a smile stretched on her face. She quickly eyed the potato chips in question and dipped her hand into them quickly putting a few in her mouth. As she chewed, she started laughing with a childish abandon, swallowing with gusto. The enforcers ignored her behavior, quickly setting up the truck radio to track the Police with their own frequency and driving, spotting out for trouble.

Finn smirked. "Well! Our first success," The other enforcers broke into quiet laughs.

Jade's red glowing eyes turned into slits. "This is just the beginning," She smirked.

The truck peeked over one of the roads, and then turned sharply the ramp of a highway, disappearing from view.

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes: <strong>And here we are! The very first confrontation between Jade and her family. So far, she has the upper edge, just as she planned. Let's see if her plan keeps going along the way. Thanks for reviewing folks and enjoy the rest of you day.

From Houston

D4rK


	7. Heart of the Beast

**Author Notes: **And here we are! Another chapter. It took a long time to complete because I had to really dig into the plot of the main series and of course, personal life and work. You see, the place in Tokyo was used to research about the Oni, either The Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Tokyo National Museum, never really gave more insight about the contents of their investigation. The document that Tohru was researching was not named other than it spoke about the number of masks, generals and the Hana Fuda cards and their location. I had to fill in the blanks to continue. This is where the magic begins…prepare.

-Disclaimer: Jackie Chan Adventures belongs to Warner Channel and John Rogers. And I gain no profit writing this.

**The March of the Black Queen**

**Chapter 7**

**Heart of the Beast**

The tracks of the truck slowly stopped, the vehicle breaks whining as it did. A red rusted door opened, with the occupant's brown leather boots scrunched with its first steps. A second pair got out of the vehicle, her small tennis shoes tapping.

Jade smiled, observing the outline of the city in the outskirts. The sun was peeking over the horizon already, burning the sky with a beautiful mix of rusted oranges, purples, and a few hints of blue. The Queen appreciated the scenery for a couple of seconds, before turning to her recently acquired employees.

"Well, lads," She started with a sarcastic and fake English accent, "I believe that with our first hit out of the way, I am the real deal here. So now…we need a base of operations. Something that doesn't screams, 'HELLO I AM EVIL, THIS IS MY EVIL LAIR, PLEASE COME HERE,' kinda thing."

Finn and Chow gave each other a look, but it was Ratso who had his eyebrows crushing against his eyes in concentration.

"We could look at a list of abandon buildings around the zone. Something that could serve as a good base," Chow suggested.

Finn nodded at the idea. "Yeah! And decorate it with a led 50 inch tv, and all the gadgets we can think of."

Jade crossed her arms, nodding. "I will take your suggestion into consideration. However, there's just a tiny detail," She smiled sweetly.

The two enforcers cocked their heads.

Jade rammed her feet on the ground. "ABANDONED BUILDINGS GET BLOWN UP!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, hissing with anger at their stupidity.

"Hey! Everyone does that over here," Chow defended himself.

"Bah!" Jade waved his words away. "And then when the demo-men take a look at the building, you'll catch unwanted attention."

"Why we don't just buy a big legitimate business?" Ratso spoke out of the blue.

Jade whirled to him, red eyes wide like two glowing strawberries. "Repeat what you said," She crossed her arms.

The tall man looked slightly intimidated at her gaze, but eventually he cleared his throat, "We buy a business, and we make a base in their installations. We carry business as usual with our own agenda. Easy, and nobody would ever suspect. Like hiding in plain sight. And with the money we got, that wouldn't be a problem."

Jade slightly nodded, clapping her hands. "And people say that you're stupid."

"I saw Troy," The enforcer replied lamely, scratching the back of his head. Jade ignored his behavior, and turned her attention to the surprised enforcers. She cocked her head to the side, crossing her hands behind her back.

"Well, at least I am getting the help I need over here. Now a place to stay the night, and plan our next move. Who knows? Maybe there's a business dying to be bought," She smiled sarcastically. "Let's go."

Without waiting for answer, the Shadowkhan queen phased through the truck door. The enforcers quickly went in as well. The truck started its engine; with a tired whine of the engine, the wheels started to spin forward. The lights quickly lit up in the darkness that slowly appeared as the sun dipped behind the horizon.

Jade munched on more chips as she thought the recent events in her head. No wonder that Jackie was looking after the most recent episode. Her lips curled back as she munched, a mischievous look in her reddish eyes. She closed her eyes and relaxed, she hadn't thought of sleep much, and perhaps even evil entities had to sleep.

She sighed. "Give us a ride to the nearest hotel. I need the rest. And please, completely out of San Francisco, 007 Wannabe and my family are looking for me."

Ratso stifled his giggles behind his hands. "007 Wannabe, good one boss."

Chow nodded. "Will do," He veered the truck to the last exit of the highway, smoothly sailing too close to the barrier that divided the roads. If Jade noticed, she did not care in the slightest. Minutes had passed, the environment turned from the city to a wood forest environment. She knew these forests too well.

It wasn't a first that Jackie had took her out when she was more adventurous in her time, in that stupid girl scout troop she was in. A small chuckle escaped her mouth, as she remembered the kind of outfit that Jackie had to wear. She quickly shook her head with a groan of annoyance. She hated her past memories.

The repetitiveness pattern of the trees, and the calmness of the forest eased her eyes, until she felt that sleep finally claimed her, after more than 72 hours without sleep.

The enforcers quickly centered their eyes on her figure. Chow looked at Finn directly in the eye,

"I am not going to wake her up."

Finn and Ratso quickly exchanged nervous looks.

* * *

><p>A streak of green light sank in perpetual darkness. The small ore of light slowly descended with an invisible current. The darkness stirred in a mix of dark purples and black, mixing in a crescendo of a storm of hundreds of incandescent flashes. Yet, the speck of light continued its descent.<p>

A snake like creature, dressed in a pasty gray, gave a shriek of malevolence, hundreds of pointy teeth shaking in fury. It snarled and attacked the light. A first tap of green lightning shot from the small sphere, hitting the charging creature with a powerful blast of energy. The creature howls of pain shook it's body, its essence slowly dissipating with the blast, disintegrating where it stood until its ashes were scattered across the invisible currents of air.

Undisturbed, the light was carried down by a current. Hundreds of red eyes appeared in the darkness, slowly following the light. There was a monstrous roar as hundreds of creatures, the same kind as the first one, swirled in the air. The light paused, as if sensing the sight, it charged down at tremendous speeds, hundreds of demonic creatures snapping their jaws around the air, mere millimeters from the light.

The sphere went closer, snapping with massive speed. The air quickly cleared out with a mix of reddish and purplish murky colors, a cracked wasteland extending until the eye could see. The light ducked through a rock formation, dozens of creatures splattered against the rocks due the sudden change of speed. Dozens more followed through the cracks of the formations, their shadows slipping through the cracks of the dead soil.

The light sphere rushed out of the rocks like a bullet.

The darkness spiraled in a mix of reds, dark purples, and oily greens, as the sphere drew on the dark soil on the distance. A circular beam of light lit in the distance. The small ball of light sped to it.

A creature got as close to nip at the speck of lights coming from the sphere. The creature quickly recoiled in pain, green sparks coming from its maw, quickly cracking around his body before bursting into nothingness.

The ball of light on the distance grew clearer and larger; it was made of glass, glowing with a mix of whites, greens, and blues. The green sphere quickly busted through the glowing glass, seconds later, hundreds of creatures slammed into the glass.

As the path became clearer, the creatures tried to stop, but their speed was too high. They slammed into the glass; the light quickly obliterated their bodies, pulverizing their shadows into cracks and into a massive orgy of howls of pain, until their bodies exploded into black dust.

The small speck of light surveyed its surroundings.

Japanese-like accommodations surrounded by the glass walls were in it's sight. A pure tatami bed was on the corner, next to it was a futon with a wood table and a small bonsai on it. The paper and wood floor was a deep rich white. A small tower of drawings and paintings stood on the corner, assembled in an orderly fashion just behind a beautifully crafted cherry wood dresser.

A single individual dressed in a black gi stopped its charcoal stroke across the black canvas. It's red hands slowly went to tap the fingers blackened by the charcoal into nothingness. The individual sat Indian style on the ground and made a motion for the light to come forward.

"Mr. Uncle, if I may say, what an appropriate surprise for you to visit me," A demonic voice like silk combined with an unnatural echo resounded through the glass room.

The small speck of green line cracked, and slowly started to enlarge into a bigger version of itself. A small swirl of energy transformed the sphere into a square like appearance. There was a slight _woosh_ of energy dissipating with a sound akin to a ripple of water. An image of Uncle appeared, with his hands crossed against each other. His expression was firm, if only more serious than ever.

Tarakudo, the King of Shadows slightly crocked his head to the side. "Ah, I sense that you have come to me to ask of severe calamity. My dear enemy, you are not being yourself in this day…may I say, Thursday?"

The older Chan squinted his eyes. "It is Tuesday, and I have come for questions."

"An answer," The demonic king shifted his weight in a more relaxed manner, whisking his weight on the palms of his hand.

Uncle crossed his eyes before he sighed and opened his eyes in a lazier manner,

"I suppose that demon king sensed what has happened recently, yes?"

The king was experiencing a small dilemma. He did felt a shift in power, but not because of her. He could always feel when his subjects were summoned by whoever needed his services. Even before his imprisonment, when he wasn't available, he could feel how they drew his subjects for service. Without him asking for payment, his kin could only wait in the shadows to be used again. After all, that was the shadows did best.

Wait.

With his mind made up, he nodded at the older man.

"Indeed wizard," He smiled sardonically. "The child finally woke up from her bindings. I am surprised that she did it earlier than expected."

The older Chan growled, "You knew?"

"Of course not," He played with his black claws boringly. "Then again, I wasn't expecting that brat to be a threat to my reign. I can sense her, she is young but powerful, and more than before…which was somehow like a bad joke. Just children playing with what they shouldn't have perhaps?" He looked at the ceiling in wonder, and then lowered his eyes. "But the seed remained."

"And you're happy about this," Uncle observed.

Tarakudo slowly stood with a demonic growl, "You misunderstand my attitude wizard. She is a threat against the power that I hold. And demons…do not share," He slammed his sharp teeth together with a deafening inhuman roar.

Uncle looked at him calmly, despite the demonic behavior,

"Then I offer you a solution."

Tarakudo locked his golden eyes with Uncle's, crossing his arms, and erecting to his full height, defiant, "I am listening intently."

"Uncle needs a way to permanently remove darkness from niece's body. And the threat to your power and influence would be gone."

The Lord of Shadows slowly blinked, and then his maw spread in a malicious grin of pointy teeth,

"Do you take me for a fool?"

Uncle's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"As an eagle of prey would do, you swoop in for the kill, but I am like the spider. Placing traps and waiting for its prey. If I had a method, and I am not saying that I do. Why would I give it to you? It makes more fun to see what happens when the light stoops so low as to negotiate with the dark forces of evil," He made a mocking face with a finger quote.

Uncle stabbed him with a look.

The demon chuckled. "And so far, it is very interesting if you ask me. Plus, she will come to me. They all do," His eyes turned into an acidic yellow glow as he grinned, "She will come with questions about the Shadowkhan, who can better train her than the Lord of Darkness himself? And then…well, perhaps I will have the key to my liberation and I can silently dispose of her to kill the competition," He started to laugh.

Uncle hissed angrily. "You demon! I should just permanently destroy you!"

"Or maybe I was just joking and I don't know anything about the situation?" Tarakudo looked at the ceiling again, tapping his fingers across his well-toned red forearms.

If the older Chan could explode, he would have done so. But he still murdered the King of darkness by broadcasting his hatred with a look.

"However, we can help each other out. Give me more freedom to move around, perhaps a bigger sphere and a library with hundreds of books and I might help you."

Uncle sighed. If you did a deal with a demon, you would have to be prepared for the worse. But in desperate situations like this he had no choice but to comply. He extended his hands.

There was a spark of green into the sphere. A giant book case of books extended across the bed, as the sphere grew in size significantly.

Tarakudo smiled, pleased with the change. "I happen to observe her when she summons my kin. So far so good. Smart kid, I have to give her that," He nodded abstinently with a small tremble of his body. "I see what she sees through the eyes of my kin."

Uncle nodded at him and waited for Tarakudo to continue.

The king of darkness turned around, his hands firmly pressed against his back, "There is also the matter of the event that surrounded her transformation and her dormant darkness was not mere accident. The spell that you used, should have permanently removed whatever influence my mark and this world's influence might have on her, yet, I sensed her inner darkness the very first time that we met not many years ago, something that was not supposed to remain, wizard. Curious isn't it?" Tarakudo faced him again, slowly starting to grin.

"Spill it out. Uncle doesn't has time to chat with demon."

Tarakudo tsked with a shake of his head. "Tough crowd tonight. Since the book of shadows is destroyed, and we don't really keep copies, you might need to look for more information on the Shadow Khan…hmmm…I might have to take that into consideration next time. We never keep copies," Tarakudo murmured the last before looking at the old wizard again. "But dear Jade here is more than meets the eye. Different, elected, take your pick wizard." He smirked, enjoying the puzzled expression that the wizard gave him.

A couple of seconds passed before the demon started to slightly pace,

"Seek out how she is what she is, and one of your answers might be revealed. Her quest just started. Until then, I will be here, waiting."

The demon turned his back on him, and resumed his drawing of Mount Fuji seen from a Japanese town.

Uncle stared at his back, until he was completely sure that the demon would not say any other word. Minutes later, Uncle dissipated back into the green sphere, and then vanished completely in thin air.

The Lord of the Shadows grinned slightly.

* * *

><p>Uncle opened his eyes, as if waking from a long sleep. He was back in the room that he was provided by Section 13.<p>

He sighed and waved his hand over a black cauldron, the shining green liquid dissipated with a gurgle of water, the glow dissipating with it. He stood up grimly, and exited from the door, straight to the room usually used by Jackie and Jade, when she was there to begin with.

Tohru was scribbling notes about books they needed. As he saw Uncle, he put his pencil on the book, "Sensei. How did it go?"

Uncle closed his eyes, and sighed.

They had not told everyone what they did after they came back from the first meeting with the transformed Jade. Uncle believed that she had indeed become a shadow of her former self. More powerful and stronger than before. He could remember that she did not partake on attacks, and most likely relied heavily on her Shadow Khan, but this Jade was different.

Uncle firmly believed that her frustrations that had shown over time perhaps were one of the reasons why her power was wild and untamed. Yet, she exerted a little more control than he could remember. And never the less, her resources were more advanced. He had never seen Jade to conjure a successful portal of transportation; her past attempts at magic were a disaster. But a small part of him reminded him that even if she was a disaster, her logic, elemental magic, and complete expertise with the talismans spoke volumes about her untapped part of her potential for magic. And perhaps, if he had trained her, then the consequences of what happened could have been different.

But Uncle was a man of wisdom, and he would not participate in thinking of a rut of what could have been different.

He was a person of action per say.

The old Chan opened his eyes, "Uncle is afraid that the meeting with Tarakudo revealed more questions than answers. But he did give Uncle a lead. He spoke about Jade being an unique individual. A chosen one."

Tohru blinked, remembering the events of the monks calling him the chosen one. He shook his head to clear his memories.

"Chosen one? I do believe that Jade is very talented with magic, yet very untrained, Sensei. She is very susceptible to chi and magic changes that sometimes we don't even sense. But we can't just think of the past, we must think of the present," Tohru crossed his massive arms with a frown on his face.

Yet Uncle smiled, feeling proud, "Well said, Tohru," He pressed his lips in a thin line. "We must gather more information about the Shadowkhan. But with the Demon Archive destroyed, I do not know where to turn. We muuuust doo reseeaaaarch. But where?!"

Tohru blinked, "The Japanese embassy?"

The old wizard tilted his head to the side, and said simply,

"That could work."

* * *

><p>When the light went to rest, the darkness stirred completely. It felt chilly in San Francisco in that particular time, a rare sight for those who have lived through the seasons. The air was filled with electricity and a hidden boom of power that just a few could feel, building around the city. Yet, everyone else was obvious to what was really happening and what was about to come over their heads.<p>

Across the old reminiscence of the Oriental continent in a different part of the city, even though it's old essence, flavors and voices stood a store called Ching Antiques.

Kai Ching grinded a few herbs of black color, when he was satisfied, he blew a purplish powder into the mix in the grinder. The walls shook slightly with a perturbed whirl of power, yet the wizard stared intently at an empty wall. With a slight grunt, he extended his fingertips, drawing a shape in empty air.

In seconds, his shape burst into life with a bright beam of energy. He slightly grinned before extending his fingertips in a square shape and as he did, the shape of energy shifted with it until it reassembled a rectangle. Immediately, the air cracked with light, bursting flames in the already lit candles, sending melted wax everywhere.

The deafening noise of the air current was almost enough for the wizard to stop his dark ritual, but he pushed through.

"Lasa intunericul veni, lasați-l sa fie domeniul meu, eu voi chema in fața mea. intunericul fi a mea!" The last word sent a ripple of power through the room, breaking a couple of pictures, but yet, the whirl of power calmed itself and a picture of pure energy appeared in the rectangle lit on the wall.

A green shape appeared through the energy screen followed by a pale brown one. It disappeared and appeared again; sharp pupils were drawn into the shapes. There was a fierce groan of anger flooding into the room.

Another dark shape drew into the screen in the shape of a distorted horseshoe with a dot on its center and a thorny line across the pale brownish blinking eye.

"Who dares to communicate with the most powerful wizard that the world has ever seen?"

The Chinese wizard grinned. "It is I, Kai Ching, seeking your guidance in this matter."

A crack of power light up the face of the entity in the screen revealing no other than Daolong Wong. The ancient wizard growled dangerously low,

"Fool, why would I help a weakling like you? Yes, you have managed to conjure a dark spell, but nevertheless. You are of not use to me," Daolong Wong waved a dismissing hand.

Yet the store owner gave the dark wizard a smile, "I might have something in mind," He revealed his face through the flashes of smoke and power coming from the spell.

Daolong Wong eyes widened for a mere second, before an aerie of malevolence twisted on his face.

"I might have something," He stroked his white beard thoughtful. "Do you know of the wizard they call…Uncle?"

Kai Ching nodded. "He lives at a walk able distance of two streets from me."

The dark wizard mouth twisted upwards in a sneer, "Well, then I believe we just found your use after all."

"Then again," Kai Ching continued, "His store lies in ruins at this very moment."

Daolong Wong went from smiling to growling in fury in less than a blink of the eye, "And we are back to zero," He growled again. "That mindless weakling has left his mark. What it is of him? Did he burn with it?"

"I'm afraid not," Kai Ching answered with a grin at the bluntness of the dark wizard.

Daolong Wong grinned. "Good, he will be slain by my hands when the time comes. Him…. and his entire family. The archaeologist, that little meddling brat who-"

"You said brat?" The wizard interrupted the rant.

Daolong Wong looked irritated at being interrupted as he nodded in confirmation.

"Well…she has gone through a slight change."

"You saw her?" The dark wizard inquired, crossing his arms. "I don't have time for this. Spell it out or I will teleport there and suck the information, peeling your brain layer by layer, until I find it!"

Kai Ching eyes faltered at the threat, then closed his eyes and sighed, "She is well…I don't know how to explain this other than the word shadow."

"Shadow Khan?" Daolong Wong stood from his seat in surprise, "Are you sure?"

The store owner remembered the events in their encounter. For a brief moment, he did not speak. "She commanded them. Those shadow khan warriors of the night. They obeyed her every command. She called herself, their queen. Queen of the Shadow Khan," He crossed his arms, intently looking at Daolong Wong's expression.

His face looked like a combination of twisted inked paper. He was saying something but perhaps he was so enraged that he just told it to himself, thought Kai Ching. With determination, the store owner stood from his seat, slamming his palms on his desk.

"She threatened to kill me if I did not follow her. She offered me money for my services. Which I accepted humbly in exchange for my life, but I want power. Not money. Money has really never been my focus. Let me serve you, and you can have an inside ear and an ally in your path for dominance."

Daolong Wong held himself, and took a good look at him, as if trying to judge his words. The dark wizard crossed his arms,

"Know this. You are my asset. You do as I say. It is very difficult to find competent people to use nowadays," He shook his head, having a certain trio of enforcers in his head. "But you look useful. And you might have the insight that I need to win against the good forces. Help me destroy them, and you will get the reward you so desperately seek," He opened his eyes, his green eye shining maliciously. "Power…" He whispered the last word as if it was a twisted action of a lover to the love of his life.

Kai Ching immediately knelt, "I accept. You have my humble service…Master Daolong Wong."

"Excellent. Arise," He motioned with his hand. "Report to me everything that happens. But be careful. That…. brat is more resourceful than the eye meets. And I might think that even a prodigy in the eyes of the fools that ignore her dormant abilities."

Kai Ching nodded.

"Contact me if you need further installment. We will meet shortly," He said as he looked ready to depart.

"WAIT!" Kai Ching stopped him with alarm in his voice.

The dark wizard whirled with a furious expression. "What is it?"

"But how will you find me?"

Daolong Wong laughed softly, "I am closer than you think."

The store owner took his own forearm in his grasp. He hissed in agony taking a hold of his appendage, trying to find the unseen cause of his pain. As he twisted the sleeve from his arm, a representation of the symbol worn by Daolong Wong forehead burned into his skin. The pain subsided as quickly as it came. He hissed clawing at his throbbing red skin with a howl.

"We will be in contact Kai Ching," Daolong Wong smirked, and then the portal went blank. The whirl of power disappeared along with the smoke and the lack of gravity that had reigned across his store ceased to exist. Through the shocked look of the wizard, objects fell and cracked against his wood floor, the echoes of their impact not heard or known, because at that very moment, the eyes of Kai Ching held a shock at the burning mark of Daolong Wong.

A mark of evil and power.

* * *

><p>To say that the Enforcers were tired was merely a statement; they were exhausted, so booking an inexpensive room in a motel wasn't their main concern. As Finn came out holding the keys of the new room, Chow indicated a thumb in their employer's direction and shook his head. Finn cringed, and even Ratso nervously played with his fingers.<p>

Chow opened the door and let Finn enter, crossing his arms as he did so to cover his form from the cold outside. The forest had an icy temperature that neither expected. They turned up the heater and it is then that the three enforcers looked at each other.

"So…." Started Chow.

"How do we…" Continued Ratso.

"Wake her up?" Finn crossed his arms.

The Queen was dormant, with her black bangs covering her pale face. Her hands with sharpened nails lay on her lap. She looked peaceful, her chest falling up and down in a calming manner, yet her mind was another story.

She was in a dream.

Jade was surrounded by a strange world of darkness. A dim and reddened puddle of colors, with explosions of acidic green danced in the distance and in the empty plane. Her small golden flashed in the darkness before they were replaced by the everlasting red shining eyes of hers; watching the complex swirl of colors with fascination, like a decayed aurora lights, swirling left and right. Shapes like light danced on the top before they shifted into clouds. The land quickly became darkness again, before blood red exploded from among the lights, exploding everywhere around her.

The queen hissed, covering her eyes with her forearm, the red lights covering her body whole. She opened one good eye slowly.

Between the crescendo and glows of light, the red, black, and yellow overcame the others, and sooner than she expected, consumed all light and all the colors until an infinite land of darkness with red clouds and yellow undertones as sky remained. She looked at her surroundings, and where she stood before was just darkness, red and cracked soil sprouted from the shadows; cracking with yellow glows on the newgrounds.

The land somewhat reminded her of the prison of the Demon Sorcerers, brothers and sisters to Shendu, the dragon wizard. She blinked, wondering if the ground would split and rocks will float like in the prison. She dared to move one step forward, careful where she placed her feet before walking normally, her snickers placing small clunks with every step.

It is when she saw them.

Blue snakes by the hundreds floating in the sky. She stopped gazing at them. The pale blue snakes had the appearance of a flying fish like head and chipped with dark blue lines on their scales, their fins floating in an invisible current. They floated akin to water, close to each other, some twirled around the air in a hypnotizing pattern of moves. It was beautiful, but she was not a mere child.

She jumped a great distance, far more than a human could. The queen observed that the gravity of this place wasn't as strong as on earth. She landed with a dull thud, bending her knees, she took flight again. It was when she turned around that the snakes growled and advanced towards her, diving like a bomber.

She hissed a curse under her breath and jumped again as she landed, quickly slamming her right foot on the ground as she did so, and using her momentum, she swirled and kicked the nearest snake on the head. It snarled, retiring a few feet before floating against her again; the rest of the snakes swirled pass it without a care, and it was when they were close that Jade landed and took a defensive position.

The snakes took their distance and started to float aimlessly in circles around her. Their eyes contorted into slits poised onto hers. With a confused step, she shifted her balance to her right foot in case she had to retreat.

"Come."

She heard a whisper. She took a step and at her second, it was like an invisible barrier stood on her path. No matter how much she shook and growled, her body was rooted to the spot. The queen hissed, clawed at the air, but her feet just refused to move. There was a flash of white and then, she was wide awake and in presence of the eyes of the enforcers.

"Why…are you looking at me like that?" She cracked her neck with a sigh.

The Irishman cleared his throat. "Well! Uh…. we are here, in the motel," Finn offered nervously.

The Queen glowing eyes softened, but never strayed from his. "There is something peculiar…" She said to herself, before she shook her head, and avoiding the question that would come, she just pointed upwards. For a mere second, she swear she saw one of the snakes, but it vanished in the blink of an eye.

Jade growled softly to herself, placing a hand in her black hair. She grunted again, a slight pain tumbling in her head; the unexpected throbbing sent her fist flying against the glove box, smashing the hard resin to pieces. The three men quickly went out of the car, looking at each other nervously.

Jade let out a reptile-like hiss, and contorted her feet, as the agony traveled through her body, but seconds later, it was gone. Her body fell against the seat with a deep sigh that cut her lungs like glass, and when she opened her eyes, there was an unnatural flash on her golden eyes, before they returned to their original shapes. The queen sighed and removed her fist from the busted console, slowly batting her eyelashes at her new employees.

"I am… tired. Get me to the room…I…uh" Her eyes shot wide as saucers and for a moment, Finn, who was the closest, thought she would do something akin to hurt them or scream at them. Instead, her eyes fluttered to a close and then she was falling, unconscious. He caught her with a palm on her forehead, then swirled his head at his buddies for support.

"Help?" The Irishman implored. Ratso easily took her light weight on his hands, silently slipping her limp body on his shoulders. And then there was a silence.

It was obvious; they were torn and undecided on what to do.

Chow was the one that broke the silence. "I bet you're thinking: We should just leave the brat here and go off with the green."

The other two looked at each other, Ratso quickly rolled his eyes.

"That is very cliché."

Finn quickly laughed, and despite himself, Chow quickly joined in the chuckle. Ratso smiled slightly.

"She will find us and skin us alive," The broad man said, as if he was speaking about an old memory.

"And then mount us on the wall or something," Chow added, "The kid did keep on her promise after all." At his words, Finn took out the motel round and jiggled the keys; without waiting for an answer, he was the first one to move to the stairs leading to the room. The other two followed after him.

"Ya know? At least we won't have to wake her up," Ratso's laughter was heard through the hallway.

* * *

><p>The next day started as usual in Section 13. Jackie nursed a morning peaches tea prepared by himself, but for once, Uncle was not joining him for a cup as he usually did. Tohru and Uncle had gone for an investigation. For his part, Jackie was somehow surprised the secrecy of their motives, but no matter how much he asked, he only received a finger slap on the head and that was it.<p>

However, the thought of living underground had started to become unsettling. You didn't heard anything besides the whirl of machinery, technology, and the hisses of oxygen pumping through the walls. You couldn't hear nature, or see the wonderful sunlight peering through your window at the morning. He knew that some sleeping quarters had an LCD screen with sunsets to get some normality going, at least as normal as a secret agency could be.

The archaeologist sighed as he remembered how the mornings had changed from a wonderful routine to an empty rut without a certain piece of happiness in his life; then again, at least the table was clean from cereal and milk spills, he mused with a chuckle. Clenching his hands tight, he dropped his half eaten kolache, losing his appetite. He quickly went to the training room to spend his negative energies in the rigidity of his heavy weights and martial arts training.

Sharp jabs against imaginary opponents, double kicks and sand bag throws over his head. He carried on like this for over two hours, he was about to take a drink of water, when he heard a slow clap coming from behind him. He turned around and his eyes widened, Viper slightly smirked throwing him a bottle that he immediately caught with his free hand.

"Careful there, tiger, I should report you for abusing that poor bag of sand."

Jackie laughed, despite of the events, he was mildly amused, "I would apologize to it if it had the rat talisman in it."

The thief advanced slowly with a smile tugged at her lips, then her black jacket dropped. Jackie eyes widened.

"You can't be serious…"

Despite his words of protests, he didn't do anything to stop her hands circling his waist and her lips dancing on his ear.

"Thieves never joke about what they want."

Jackie could only gulp.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Japanese Embassy, San Francisco.<strong>_

The two story house that served as the consulate Japanese embassy was mostly in the suburban zones of the city, famous for architectural designs on steep streets. The house was designed with a pearl white, two windows stood at the facade, with sculpted flowers divided by a few lines on the marble brick house. There was a chimney that hugged the center that extended over the house by a few feet, and was decorated in the same sculpted floral pattern; the roof was a dark forest green, curved on both edges but flat in the upper part.

Two Japanese honor guards stood beside the curved entrance, dressed in green uniforms with a matching green cap and Type 89 assault rifles. A more friendly candidate stood on the entrance before the steps, sitting comfortably on a metal chair sipping a warm beverage. He was dressed in a semi-formal attire and holding a clip board loosely between his white gloved hands.

A Japanese flag proudly waved back and forth on a white mast. The steel walls were divided in an intrigued design, no doubt with Asian in mind, with the white gate open and six steps made of marble were before it.

The guards looked up with their eyes, as a mix between a van and a Rolls Royce car appeared, coming up the street and strangely tilting to the right, almost scratching the road with the skirt. The door opened, and the massive size of Tohru made the car groan in relief, as he carefully exited the taxi. Obscenities flew out as the taxi driver demanded a tip for almost damaging the car, and a slim old man paid the driver angrily, as he came out of the vehicle rudely slamming the door. The car went away with a screech of its tires.

Tohru calmly observed the embassy with a frown on his face, "It is smaller than I thought it would be."

The old wizard crossed his arms, "If we weren't looking for a way to be helpful to niece, I would give that rude a man a piece of Uncle!" He hissed ignoring the look of serenity on Tohru's face. "How can you be so calm?!" The old wizard said throwing his arms on the air.

"Because you taught me to have peace," The mountain of a man smiled.

The old man smiled proudly of his student, nodding solemnly. Both looked at the entrance of the building, and without a word exchanged between them, strolled directly through the entrance. The guard looked from his flexed hands, onto his drink, settling it down on the floor. He stood loosely, and walked to the two visitors flipping a pen and lifting the clipboard.

Tohru and Uncle bowed respectfully, which the man answered with a polite smile,

"Welcome to the Japanese embassy. How may I be of service today?"

Tohru looked the man down, who seemed not to be intimidated by his sheer size.

"We have a reservation for investigation in the embassy archives by the San Francisco Board of Archeology, reserved for one museum in the district who is interested in information that might find in the books of your library," He extended his massive hand with a signed and stamped document, which the guard took with him.

The guard quickly took a look at his clipboard. "Ah yes, we did had a call earlier. You are allowed in as much as you need. There's tea and biscuits if you want. Not necessarily Japanese, but it will do the job just fine," He winked.

Unfortunately, Tohru's stomach with a life of its own decided it was the best time to be heard. He looked around him in embarrassment and even the guards looked at each other. The Older Chan just sighed taking him by the ear.

"Tohru! No time for the eating! Research awaits!" Uncle pulled him hard dragging him through the doorway as it was opened by the guards.

The embassy itself was just like any other office building, with the exception of the occasional Japanese memorabilia. The center was decorated with a fine silk blue carpet, and the air smelled of incense with a faint hint of heather and flowers. It was an exotic combination, as it was strange to Uncle.

The giant of a man sandaled feet thumped on the wood floor as he rubbed his ear absent-mindedly. The curiosity of such sound brought heads popping from their cubicles in awe of his gigantic height, some scrambling from cover for their cubicles as if it was a trench, all the time with the small guard on tow. The pair of wizards strolled as if nothing, their duty being a weight far more greater than Tohru's size.

A warm set of light sat on the entrance of the library. It was a comfortable place filled with hundreds of volumes and tomes, and for a moment, Uncle was reminded of his own. He shook his head sadly, focused on his task.

The kindly smiling guard indicated to a specific section of their library, "That is our section of ancient Japan. It is filled with translated books about awe and legend to current Japanese. The life in the old Japan and all the myths and fables that came with it. Be careful with them. They are ancient volumes, and we will entrust them to you." The guard carefully stepped out of the room, but as he was closing the doors, he took a last peek on the occupants.

His sweet expression turned sour and twisted, "Some things are off uncovered"

The wizards confused stares did nothing to stop the door from closing abruptly. Tohru was the first to come out of the bewildered moment by sighing, and sitting,

"If I knew that coming back between my countrymen was going to be this weird, I would have not bothered at all," The mountain of a man placed a hand against scalp, tracing his pony tail slightly. "We should begin."

Uncle nodded as he took the library index. "Ancient Japan…Section one….Aiiiyiaaaaaa. This will take a while." Both wizards groaned at the same time.

The time it took to reach the correct section was exhausting. Biscuits disappeared, and tea was drank extensively. Apparently the Japanese preferred a more traditional cataloging system for their documents and scrolls, a fact that the wizards found as a hindrance, but not a difficult task to overcome, after all these years doing investigations, the job never ended.

A whirl of electricity was the companion of the wizards, who did not expect the extensive amount of exploration that just the Edo Period had, just where the birth and the decline of the Shadow Khan took place.

Tohru carried as much books from the Edo Period as he could, dropping a few on the way. Without further thing to do, Uncle could hurry him up to drop the box on the table without making a mess.

Over forty two books were laid on the table.

"We must begin to root them out…start reading Tohru, I'll get tea and biscuits."

Tohru looked at Uncle, followed by a deep sigh from the giant, "Hai, Sensei."

It is said that meditation is the act of clearing the mind of the user, to transcend a state of pure peace and benevolence. In this case, the purest concentration was needed to gather the information as quick as possible, and as soon as a book was deemed useless, it was taken off the pile.

Books were read with anxious peril in the delay of Jade's transformation. The wizards lost count of the cups consumed, but they only knew that it fueled their concentrated meditation. Uncle had shown his apprentice well as he looked over Tohru with a faint smile.

Their first find came in the strange motion. The tile of the book that he held in his large hands was Nihon Shoki, the chronicles of Japan. The giant maneuvered the book wrongly with his large fingers, it fell into a section of deities and Gods. And immediately he started to read. If there was something that his Sensei taught him was that sometimes such signs were guidance from beings beyond the valley of the living. The passage made mention to a Goddess called Izanami-no-Mikoto, the Goddess of creation and death.

A collection of two Gods named Kunitokotachi and Amenominakanushi summoned two beings into existence with the perennial task of creating an island to fill it with life. These two deities were called Izanami-no-Mikoto and Izanagi. They were given a heavenly spear called Amenonuhoko, knowing that their monumental duty had fallen upon their shoulders, they went to the axis mundi, the bridge between heaven and earth churning at the sea with the spear. The droplets of the spear created a massive island called the Onogoro, a land that constantly grew ten sizes each day. Their destinies fulfilled, the two main Gods freed them from their duties.

Izanami and Izanagi created a castle and made this island their home, with a massive pillar on its center. Izanagi then proposed to Izanami to marry which she accepted only after he promised to walk around the pillar, if they encountered each other circling the pillar then she would know that his actions were true context of his heart. Once they found each other, Izanami spoke first before he could. He did not consider this proper, but they wed. With their union Hiruko was conceived, the God of fisherman and protector of children, and Awashima, the faint child.

However, they were born deformed and in their sorrow, casted them to the sea. The reform of Hiruko into a God was mentioned in another book, but Tohru disregarded its mention and continued with the story of the couple.

Her husband, the God Izanagi and the Goddess pleaded to the Gods for answers, which they responded that Izanagi should have spoken first. They went again to the pillar and circled it again, finding each other only that this time Izanagi spoke first and such, their union was done to perfection.

From their union, the Oyashima was created. All the great eight islands of Japan were born and six minor islands. But on the birth of Kagu-tsuchi, the kami of fire, Izanami was burn alive and died. Wrecked with grief, Izanagi beheaded the fiery deity and cut his body into eight pieces creating eight volcanoes. Almost insane with sadness, Izanagi went to the world of the death and shadows, the Yomi.

To bring her back was his desire, but when he did, Izanami informed him that she had eaten from the the fruit of the underworld, and now she could not return to the land of the living. The news shocked him, but he refused to leave her side as she slept. Burning his long hair as a torch he saw the new visage of his wife, now a rotten body. Horrified at the sight, he screamed sealing her fate. Waking from his screams, feeling indignant and ashamed, she chased after the fearful Izanagi sending monstrosities after the deity. Izanagi used peaches against the attackers from the peak of the underworld, but as they retreated Izanami came herself to drag him to the Yomi and stay there forever with her.

Izanagi blocked its entrance with a massive boulder, sealing the entrance and his former wife for all eternity. Izanami from behind the impenetrable blockade that if he left her, she would consume the souls of the living, one thousand at a time. Izanagi in defiance told her that fifteen hundred will be born a day. To clean the impure feelings of darkness from his body, he took a sacred ceremony to cleanse his spirit, from it, many Gods were born.

The Yomi continued to develop, the grief of the God of creation, Izanami created more monstrosities in order to destroy as much souls as she could in retaliation of her former husband's betrayal. She created a demon door from which evil spirits and all sort of creatures could pass through, always facing the right direction.

Izanami, pouring every ounce of her poisonous being as she could, shifting the boundaries between light and darkness, her wicked nature rose evil horned devils to consume the souls and devour the flesh of humans. Knowing too well that Izanagi and his sons would purge to clean her new kin; she gave them the ability to take on a variety of forms to deceive and devour humans, especially children, where the purity of their souls could satiate her hunger from vengeance better.

She named these beings, the Oni, which in Japanese is translated with the kanji 隠, to conceal. The oni were freed into the land of the living through the demon door, creating disease, pollution, carnage, and massacres. With their abilities to conceal their true nature, many fell prey to their trickster nature.

While they lacked organization, they did not falter in the slightest killing all the living souls that they could find. It was then than the Shinto priest surge to destroy the most catastrophic beings ever released into the world of the living, quickly halting the destruction of the land.

These foul demons could not be stray to their nature of destruction of consumption. To combat this, Izanami selected the top destructor between their ranks, and gave him the sight of intellect. Beyond the lack of reasoning he was reborn again. She named this being Tarakudo and tasked him with rising between the lack of organized Oni and send humanity into oblivion.

"Sensei…." Tohru halted his reading to share his findings.

Tarakudo proved his worth by slaughtering anyone who opposed him between the Oni. With a leader of iron fist, Tarakudo unified the Oni into tribes from his command. He exemplified his vigor of death and destruction, slaughtering hundreds for his creator. However, Izanami did not partake too much into the world of the living, and it was then with Tarakudo that his intellect and intelligence materialized beyond what the Goddess of the Yomi thought she had given him.

The Oni created his elite, nine generals who commanded hundreds of Oni in organized armies. But his expertise of combat and his mind of the tactician did not let himself enjoy these unorganized troops, who cleanly just obeyed them in fear of being destroyed and their need to consume more human flesh. These armies proved to be disorganized and with low morale. Dissatisfied with his armies, he called upon Izanami who gave him the gift of the shadows of the Underworld.

From his new bestowed powers, Tarakudo created a spirit warrior from the shadows of the Yomi itself. He called these elite warriors, the great leaders of combat, the Shadow Khan.

Uncle looked upon his apprentice in surprise, Tohru had his lips set in a firm line.

"Even evil can be born from out of love," Were his words. Uncle nodded, and without another moment to spare, they continued reading.

He shared these new elite warriors among his Generals, who freely amended the shadows to meet their needs, nine tribes, nine Generals. With its army complete, Tarakudo unleashed his power on his former kin, slaughtering every Oni that he could find.

Learning the news of his betrayal, Izanami tried to banish the new King of all Oni, fruitlessly. His power and intellect too vast to be reached, and while his combat experience solidified, so did his love for art and new revalidated thoughts about humanity. While his demonic nature could not be undone, his influence reached a vast evolution in the hierarchy of ancient Japan. Tarakudo found humanity to be an interesting breed filled with advanced and intellect that he deemed of good use. So impressed was the King of all Oni, that he formed alliances with the Shoguns of the era. Those that opposed him were slaughtered, coercing for those who didn't to join him.

A new era was born, in which the wicked beings born from the Yomi coexisted with humanity for centuries, but humanity felt repressed in Ancient Japan. A massive rebellion broke through the land, forcing the Oni to wage war once again, staining the land with massacres. Raining blood was a daily occurrence then through the war.

The terror of the demonic beings sent the Shinto priests to device ways to stop the Oni once and for all.

But Tarakudo's reign of terror always found a way to continue a carved path of wickedness.

In it's cleverness, Tarakudo sought Izanagi, defeating some of his sons on it's way. In a massive and colossal battle, the King of all Oni defeated Izanagi, sealing him in the very same boulder which blocked the Yomi, as a sense of sadistic irony. The King of all Oni took the prize that he came for, the Amenonuhoko, the heavenly spear created by the Gods of creation was corrupted and shifted into a scythe, burning with corruption and lusting for destruction.

The King of all Oni and his armies broke havoc through Japan, slaughtering everyone that came their way.

However, the Shinto priests had finally devised a way to put a stop to his devastation. If they could not destroy them, then they would seal them. Nine masks were created, infused with a spell of exile back from where they came from. Humanity prevailed in the banishment of his generals, but Tarakudo found a way to escape his fate, escaping from the human victory and dropping his prize.

Tarakudo, in a final act of cleverness, found his own mask and took it with him. He promised that someday, he would cover the entire world with darkness. The King of all Oni had escaped, but the reign of devastation had ended. The priests found the holy spear, now completely corrupted by his dark power, with lament; they deemed that the only way to protect humanity from sure destruction was to hide the weapon.

They scattered the eight masks throughout the four corners of the world. They warned that the masks should not be worn, as the user would be dominated and consumed by the imprisoned General and their dark essence. And as a precaution to combat this, they created the Hana Fuda cards as means to find the masks again with its correct ingredients to defeat and banish each mask, if the evil ways broke through the balance of peace.

The spear's dark influence could not be sealed and as a means to an end. It had to be separated into three pieces to break its dark power and influence, sealing them to an unknown location, in which its nefarious power could lay dormant, to the lament of those who knew that it had partaken in the human creation and everything they held dear.

But Tarakudo had left its mark upon the world. Human circles worshiped the King of all Oni, trying to summon him once again to rule them once more. In the Yomi, the fruits of the underworld sow a single sphere of darkness. Tarakudo prophesied than even on his defeat, after the world was covered in darkness, a female child would follow on his footsteps to rule all over that was alive, together with him. Even if the darkness was poured aside, this being would persist in bringing humanity in the brink of destruction, a chosen human would be the undoing of her own race, the King promised.

But his disciples were found and slaughtered for their treachery; Tarakudo disappeared from history. A new era was born from the ashes and the beginning of the Edo Period began.

The chapter ended with a pair of symbols.

女王

Tohru looked at his Sensei. The old wizard was transpiring heavily, forcing him remove his glasses to clear the sweat that had fell on his eyes.

"Joō," Tohru read slowly. "The Queen."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Finally! It is done! The investigation that I had to do took weeks just to join ancient Japanese folklore to my story, but it is finally done. I would dance if I did not had to go to work right now. I hope you gals and guys enjoyed this chapter. Until the next one!

From Houston

D4rK


	8. Walk

**Author Notes: **Another chapter! Sorry about the waiting folks. Life got in the way. Enjoy!

-Disclaimer: Jackie Chan Adventures belongs to Warner Channel and John Rogers. And I gain no profit writing this.

**The March of the Black Queen**

**Chapter 8**

**Walk**

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Two red translucent shapes appeared in the darkness. The shapes blinked on and off for a few seconds before a golden orb appeared between its luminescent interior. There was the sound of an inhuman growl that rattled the windows of the room.

Jade stirred with another growl supporting her head with her hands, looking at her new environment. She was in the hotel room, that was pretty much obvious, what she could not hold a sense to be her hallucinations.

It's true that visions are seldom all they seem, and hers was the key to an incognita that had plagued her the very moment she turned into herself once again.

What was she?

Was she a Shadow Khan? A demon that will have to haunt the earth for a foothold of power and cling for it just to exist? She did not deny that her will to live was stronger by the passing minute. The mere mention of victory was enough to draw her conclusions of how everything would get into place, but she was missing a key. What exactly? Get the masks and the talismans only for the good for nothing morons stop her with a spell? Her actions would only stop stall them for enough time to get her feet on the ground, but as easily as she landed, she could sink fast.

Jade thought hard on her actions, she opened her eyes deeply as a realization hit her.

Demons consume everything that they touch. Would she be forced to kill them if she could not win? The option seemed easy, even on her current state of mind and it would solve any issues to claim her victory. She growled smashing a fist on the nightstand, splintering the wood with frightening power sending it across the room.

There were footsteps behind her door which opened abruptly. Ratso busted through the door, aiming a silver plated revolver into the room, with Finn covering his back with a semi auto sidearm, Chow at his side with a vibrosword.

With a chuckle of pure astonishment, she clapped. "Nice reaction time boys, it's what I like on people in my side. But I am not as harmless as I look" She smirked shaking the splinters from her flawless white skin. "Now…get me some food will ya? I'm starving"

The enforcers sighed, holstering their weapons.

"See Chow? Toldja everything was fine" Finn dismissed waving a hand around.

Finn and a grumpy Ratso went out, but Chow stayed, arms akimbo and looking intently at her.

The Queen raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Loyalty" She opened her arms. "You must never run away from it"

The Chinese American humped a response never turning his back as he got to the door, slowly closing it. The last thing she saw were his sunglasses flashing before the smack of the closing door brought her back to the senses that told her to do something about adjusting her plans. With a sigh, Jade fell once more on the soft pillow, playing abstinently playing with a strap of her hair. She once walked on the path of good, knowing that her future would be great and paved with her good intentions. She would be a Section 13 agent, and eventually the leader of it. But what good would that too now that she was wide awake and nobody to turn but her own ambitions.

With a knowing thought, the Queen floated off her bed, looking at the bright moonlight peeking through the darkened clouds, moving and batting her with slice of dim light.

Jade frowned. "Finn!" She clasped her hands behind her back, waiting.

The door opened slowly, the Irishman poked through uncertainly. "Aye?"

"Get me in contact with Hak Foo. I have need of him"

Finn hushed the whispers behind the door and turned to the Queen, her eyes shining with impatience.

"A simple, yes ma'am, or yes Queen Jade would do leprechaun"

The Irishman cleared his throat ignoring the insult and taking a deep breath to face the floating Jade with her arms akimbo. "We don't have his number exactly. He's a soldier of fortune, always moving around. After the big fight with the crazy lizards he just left to be the, uh…what was his referred at?" He asked behind the door.

"The Black Tiger" Ratso supplied for him.

Jade pursued her lips, biting her upper one. "Then connect me with someone who does. I got money, but we need much more, so much more"

Finn's eyebrows rose in interest. "Another hit?"

The Queen faced the window, the moonlight reflecting on her glowing eyes. "Aye, another hit. But not in this state. Too noticeable. I was thinking…a more sinful environment, on the state next door"

It was the turn of Finn to be surprised, opening the door, the eavesdropping enforcers falling on the floor on top of each other like a pile of domino. Jade ignored the commotion and smirked.

"Vegas or Burst"

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The heavy reinforced steel doors cracked open with an alarm, slowly giving away with a mechanic whirl. Loud steps clanked on as the door opened. Tohru ducked under the doorway as he always did due his massive size; Uncle trailed along in a calmer manner, tugging his arm closer around the notes of their research. Their eyes looked sunken and tired, almost digging back into their faces as their sluggish steps carried them through the platform a few levels before the main. It was a rut that they had experienced before and it was not going to be their last one.

Being men of wizardry disciples was a tiresome and dangerous business. The knowledge gathered at the Tokyo embassy waited most on Tohru who weakly chuckled at the dry irony of the entire thing. Uncle was not so amused. News of their discovery made the situation twenty times worse than it currently was. It wasn't just about saving Jade, their family from the dark forces but it was also a phony prophecy from happening before it submerged everything in perpetual darkness.

The always chaotic movement of the Section 13 agents and research investigators scrambled at their duties and it was a companion to the frustration and sleepless wizards. Squad leaders prepared their leave with their teams, carrying their assigned duties. The international bodies moving across the globe to ensure total peace, carrying all sorts of missions. A part of the organization centered on Jade's case; the leader of Section 13 could not spare all available resources to a single case, not even if he could do something about it.

The Leader of Section 13 was currently speaking with his intelligence officers when he saw the two tired wizards. He dismissed his agents who nodded and promised to keep him informed at a moment notice.

Captain Black dropped his tablet encased in a hard cover on the digital table map, crossing his arms and nodding, a small smile tugged at his lips.

"What did you found out?"

Tohru was the first to give up, sitting in the first chair that he found. The chair cringed audibly at his massive 480 pounds, tilting slightly to the side as the wizard sighed.

"You must forgive me Captain Black, we are very tired"

The older wizard smacked the Japanese man with his double finger strike. Tohru growled at the singing pain, shooting a look of annoyance at his mentor.

"What did I do?"

"Tohruuuu! Forces of darkness don't sleep! We need this information, now. And Uncle can barely understand Japanese"

"I'm very sure they do…" Tohru said with an air of mystery before chuckling at the murderous look of the older wizard. "We need a less chaotic environment"

Captain Black nodded. "Let's go to my office"

The wizards left in tow with the leader of Section 13, but not before an agent came back to the digital map to check on the Captain. Seeing that he was absent, he sighed rubbing his tired temples. The agent saw the chair, looking from side to side. With a shrug and a small grin of gratitude he sat down.

A metallic cringe sent his grin falling down before his ass went down with the entire chair crashing. He falls on his backside and then on the floor, he moans slowly standing up with a moan of pain as he shakes his head vigorously to get rid of the pain and dizziness. He groaned rubbing his head and watching the ceiling, confusion raining down on his mind, wondering when things went wrong.

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In the office, the environment disappeared replaced by an air of calmness of confidence that only Augustus Black could offer. The captain sat on his chair, his fingers intercrossed in front of his face, elbows rested on his desk. Tohru could only see his eyes, but he looked all business that only a man with such duty could provide.

The metallic room always provided an environment of professionalism and still calmness in the past, but now it felt like it had gone sixty degrees below zero and the metal in the office had nothing to do with it. To this day, there had not been a situation like this before and never had they faced an evil like the like. An important member of their family and family was twisted into something unique and twisted and the longer they waited, the further she felt far away from her salvation. The sumo felt his body burning with determination and soon his expression matched Captain Black until he resembled the old Tohru, the hired terrifying right hand of Valmont when he was in the Dark Hand.

"Please, tell me of your findings" Captain Black calmly asked intrigued to the wizard duo.

Tohru opened his eyes, his expression distant and somber. "Our findings took us to ancient Japan. Where time was part of legend and reality seemed like a fairy tell. In their stories, the world and their lands were created due the duty presented by the ancient Gods for two deities who were tasked to create an island and life to breed and live in peace and to help them, an ancient weapon was given to the male God, the Amenonuhoko, or the heavenly spear. The Gods did so but at the cost of perils and dangers that waited for them, they wished to be wed once they completed their task. With their union complete, they had offspring's but one of them, a fiery deity was the reason for the Goddess to die"

Captain Black stayed glued to Tohru's face, his expression darkening with an emotionless stare, quickly making annotations in his mind. Uncle for once stayed quiet, listening intently for Tohru's tale.

"After dispatching of the deity in vengeance, the God seek her spirit in the other world. However in such a dark and unforgiving realm, she ate a forbidden fruit which ate her body and her sanity, but she kept herself under wraps, that's when the God found her. There was a heartfelt reunion, but at night, when they slept, the God found out about her appearance and he ran terrified. There was a confrontation but the God quickly sealed the underworld, the last thing he heard was her screams promising that she would destroy a thousand beings that they had helped to create, the humans, every night forever and ever and in defiance, the God promised that one thousand will be born every dusk. So was the war that began between two lovers. The creation of the Oni came with it"

Augustus made a few notes on his personal journal, stopping only to sip a cup of warm coffee. "Proceed"

"Powerful creatures, born out of the darkest pits of the underworld. Born to hate, born to destroy humans by disguising themselves and creating havoc. Eating their flesh and consuming their souls, but they were soulless brutes and quickly they were overwhelmed by Shinto priests. The demonic Goddess quickly solved the problem by giving the deadliest and savage Oni intellect with the ability to reason, she named this being Tarakudo"

"Interesting" Remarked Captain Black, standing up from his chair, walking and standing in front of the led TV where a realistic and sunny horizon played. His face turned in the general direction of the vault, thinking of the mentioned General and King of the Shadowkhan.

"Just jump ahead and tell him everything already! The quicker we act the better" Uncle finally lost his never, angrily tapping his foot on the ground with his arms akimbo. It was his turn to be surprised when Captain Black slapped his head with a two fingered strike leaving the elder to frown in confusion rubbing the offending and painful spot.

"Patience, let the big man finish"

"Tarakudo quickly proved his worth by accomplishing what his mindless brethren could not do by conquering Japan under his combat and tactician expertise, quickly putting the vast majority of Japan under his rule. But his army proved to be useless and always winning in numbers and not in skill. He prayed to the Goddess who quickly gave him the gift of using the shadows of the underworld under his command. Such was the birth of the Shadow Khan and he put his new army to good use, quickly selecting his nine generals and slaughtering the remaining Oni. He quickly betrayed the Goddess who tried to banish him without any result. Tarakudo defeated the God and stole his heavenly spear, molding him to his wickedness quickly setting a bloody campaign that killed thousands. And you know the rest of the story of how that ended, the unmentioned part comes after the banishing of his generals and the fall of his empire, the Shinto priests found the spear and cut it in three pieces, to separate the corruption, never to be welded together. However his corruption and power left him to be worshipped. Tarakudo himself promised that one day, a female child will would follow to destroy humanity and bring the world to its knees. After the disciples were found and executed, Tarakudo disappeared from history until what happened the last year"

He sighed quickly frowning. "However….the disturbing part in this comes at the word that ended the book. The word…. Joō…it means Queen"

Captain Black eyes opened in surprise, quickly overcoming his shock with professionalism, faking a cough.

"This…information just makes the situation a far more dangerous scenario that I thought for. One is facing against family turned into a demonic being enriched with a cunning and calculating mind who knows how we do things with an army and enough strength to get her ways, whatever they are. But another one is an ancient prophecy that promise that she will be the one to destroy humanity" He groaned hugging his face with a sigh. "I do hope that Tarakudo was not speaking about Jade"

"For our sake, I do hope you are right Captain Black" Tohru nodded getting an eyeful at Uncle, his sensei. "And we will do everything in our power to bring her back and end this madness. But we do need one favor from you"

Captain Black swung to give him his full attention.

"We need the books from the Japanese Embassy. If it comes to save Jade and the world, then we must steal them"

His statement left the occupants of the room shocked, gaping eyes and mouth and looking at each other but it was Captain Black who composed himself in time to give the sumo a look of confusion.

"Tohru, we are an organization that punish crime internationally and see that everyone pays their deeds…to do crime would be…"

The mountain of a man growled. "Would you prefer that the world and Jade were lost? Besides, we stole constant artifacts from museums and ancient tombs that belonged to a country ancestral history. You could not really mean that you could not do this Captain Black. And it was always to save the world"

"Hmmmm" Captain Black brushed his chin. "Butting in that mess of international law will be difficult, but it can be done"

Uncle sighed closing his eyes with a thoughtful hum. "Uncle hates to say it, but we need the services of a certain former thief"

"Time waits for no one. We must do this, straight away" Tohru gave a step forward.

Black nodded flicking his phone open. "I am on it"

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Las Vegas, Nevada.

Even the massive crescendo of lights at night was a constant annoyance to Jade. The city of sins never slept at night with the constant and luminescent spectacle of lights along its streets. The Queen had dark shades that protected her eyes as she walked through the streets dressed with a black hoodie, gray pants and combat boots. To be perfectly honest, she may have gotten more that she bargained for. These lights were giving her a headache and she wondered if the hits should be at daylight. Then again, this city was like the jungle of concrete; it never slept. It was always active even at times like these.

After the private jet that they have acquired, she felt compelled to explore the city. The last time she was here was to avoid Sasha the tiger to fall on Daolong Wong hands. She could never explore the city alone like she wanted to do. Curiously enough, ever since her transformation she has come to realize that her tantrums were not the answer all these years. The world was more open than the sum of all parts together, but when it came to puzzles, she was more comfortable to slamming a piece until it fit.

The Dark Queen blinked as she hummed a tune, stopping just near an intersection. A massive casino tower and hotel was on her sights. The massive tower gave the place a name called Stratosphere for obvious reasons, with the hotel in an odd three shape illuminated with an explosion of yellow and red lights in the distance. She adjusted her sunglasses and dig into her pocket for her cellphone, immediately pressing the call button. There were a few seconds of wait.

"Yeah?" Answered a heavily accented voice.

"Good that you remembered simple instructions. I think I know now where to book our next hotel to spend the night with" She smirked over the phone.

There were a few ruffles of sound from the other side of the line. "In the Las Vegas Boulevard? Sure, I bet the view is nice, lots of green and yellow lights"

Now it was her turn to smirk. "I agree. Bring the party to…." She looked around until her eyes set sights on a burger joint. "Carl's Junior"

"Oooh, they got some nice burgers in there!" Ratso's voice jammed the conversation to a hold as she growled.

"GIVE ME THAT" There was a scuffle and a moan of pain. "We'll be there in an hour"

"What did you do that for?!" She cut the line with a thoughtful hum slipping her cellphone back into her pocket.

Looking at the hotel again, she brushed her chin; she had never really planned a robbery except when she slipped the talismans out of vault in Section 13.

Jade sighed. This was going to take some time.

But the plan was simple. Create a distraction while she and her guys dig through the vaults and snatch as most millions as she could from multiple casinos in one night simultaneously and teleport them to a cargo truck that they have already rented, paid in cash, no questions asked etiquette and then dump them aside, load the jet and made home in their private hangar recently acquired and easy does it. She'll know what to do as soon as they made it to the hangar.

Suddenly her body felt light, too light and she knew she had encountered an old nemesis. For years something that haunted her beyond her biggest fears has always been there, never leaving her side. A fear that was a better fighter than Jackie Chan and could defeat countless demons.

Hunger.

Her stomach growled sending a blush to tint her cheeks.

Damn…she forgot to eat. And now that she was a Shadow Khan her hunger had intensified to inhuman levels. She looked around anywhere to get some food before placing her sights once more into that burger joint.

Rolling her eyes she sighed. "Goddamn it, you win stomach"

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The Enforcers made way with the rented Ford Victoria, black as the night. Their clothes were less colorful this time; Finn was dressed with a thermal black shirt and brown pants, the ABC opted for a dark red jacket and gray shirt with his signature yellow shades while the big man preferred to exchange his black suit for gray suit and white shirt with no tie. The plain looking men were hidden, out of view from the public eye and attention, where no questions could be raised. A detail to note were the leather gloves that they all wore.

Finn was at the wheel, chewing in everything that was plan by their boss.

"Never before we had such opportunity" Chow commented even before Finn could say something about it.

"Aye" He nodded keeping his eyes on the road. "Shendu always focused on the talismans. Never before had the Shadow Khan been used for crime that weren't artifacts. Lil'boss sure knows how to hit 'em hard. Last time we were here was with that ancient lunatic chasing after a tiger" He made a pause as he clicked his lips together. "Makes me wonder where we'll go next. We haven't done really anything magical 'bout so far eh? Magical people always go for magical reasons"

It was Chow's turn to scowl. "I think it doesn't really matter, as long as we are getting paid and we aren't being chased or cut to bits by surreal magical beings"

The Irishman nodded. "Fine by me"

"Shame we couldn't contact Hak Fuu. He would be fun to work with again" Ratso pouted from the back seat.

The ABC laughed. "Yeah sure because CROWD TAKES FLIGHT! Would be very fun to hear every two seconds on this trip!"

A snicker ran through the car at the mention of the mercenary antics.

"God, he could never shut up" Finn chuckled

"Can you imagine if he was here and he had to go to the restroom?" Chow retorted

"Dog raises leg to pee!" Ratso exclaimed making the vehicle explode in laughter.

The Irishman hushed as he tried to stifle his laughter. "Ok, ok. Enough jokes, show's beginning"

By the time the car was in the industrial part of Las Vegas, twenty minutes had passed. The smell of coal and oil was on the air, but the smell was something they paid no attention to. The tanks and cisterns came to view. A city as famous as Las Vegas was always alive, neither part of it sleeping; the industry was not any better. While the Casinos produced money, the city also replied heavily to the need of more money through industrial means.

The enforcers made way to the parking lot of a white deposit building, next to a sign that said 'trucks for rental'. There was a warehouse to the next of the building with at least seventeen trucks with around forty trailer of all configurations.

Finn killed the engine and turned the lights off at the same time as the Enforcers made their way to the front of the building.

A bell chinned alerting the woman behind the counter for potential customers. The woman was on her mid-fifties, sporting jeans and a heavy jacket. She stood up from her chair and smiled at the three men.

"Hello gentlemen. How can I be of service?" Her voice was heavily accented with Russian but the enforcers paid no mind.

"We want to rent an eighteen wheeler for a day. We are a business and we require to move our location to a bigger one we found" Finn explained to which the woman smiled.

"Ah…business expansion da?" She clapped her hands together. "All I would need is a class A and a proper identification from the business you come from"

The American-Chinese slipped an envelope from his red jacket and handed it to the cashier. Inside were the documents from a business called 'Moose Depot' and a fake Class A license from Texas assigned to Chow, who had been renamed James Sie. The woman calmly slipped the ID in the car slot, immediately the data was transferred to her computer, moments later, the data was deemed as accurate and legal.

"Everything is in order. That would be $62 for the truck a day, plus $72.99 for the trailer, totaling $146.13 with tax"

Chow paid for the order with a pre-paid card, cheap and untraceable. He also signed a contract with his fake name.

"Good to do business with you. You need help to attach the trailer?" The lady asked as she flipped the keys to 'James'.

"No ma'am. Good doing business. See ya tomorrow"

"Thank you gentlemen, dasvidaniya!"

"Same to you" Finn said with an estranged look as they exited the door.

The 18 wheeler turned out to be a blue striped Peterbilt 379, its massive chromed exhaust displayed a curve at the end and the truck just screamed power just by looking at it. Finn did not wasted any time, opening the truck tool compartment handing heavy duty gloves to everyone as they got to work.

Ratso got behind the truck flipping the lock of the fifth truck's wheel, dismounting from the vehicle. The truck 820 horsepower exploded through the exhaust as Chow turned the ignition key. The truck veered to the side, quickly turning 180 degrees aiming for the white trailer as Finn guided him with hand signals, veering carefully into the trailer, coupling with it with a satisfying mechanical clunk. The two remaining enforcers climbed into the truck connecting the tubes to the trailer containing electricity, air and brake surplus and they were set. Ratso mounted the truck from the right side. The Chinese American flipped the gear stick getting the truck moving out of the complex and to the road again as Finn got into the car to follow from behind.

The truck stopped no more than fifteen minutes since the trek started, deviating at the side of the road, with the black car stopping behind it. Chow killed the engine slipping from the truck together with Ratso reuniting with Finn as he carried a toolbox.

Ratso opened the hood's hinges of the truck, marveling at the massive engine for a second as the hood opened completely.

"So…where could it be?" Finn asked flickering his eyes around the colossal compartment.

"Well…The device needs clear shot to receive and broadcast its status signal. The internal GPS works by interrupting the starter signal. Therefor located near the ignition…plus we can count with something, humans are lazy and complacent" He smirked earning chuckles from the men. They climbed on the wheel fenders, Finn produced a flashlight aiming at the spot between the thick chromed air intake and the part behind the console. A black plastic box on the driver's side was quickly spotted. Chow opened the compartment, storing the screws in his jacket spotting the device that wasn't bigger than a deck of cards.

"Bingo"

The ABC carefully pried the device open, locating the SIM card slot. From his other pocket, he produced a small plastic box containing a red SIM card. He swapped the cards, putting the original SIM card in his pocket as he assembled the device together.

"One to go" Chow repeated walking to the back of the trailer. Years of expertise have made them good at this 'self-employed' job and the tricks in this trade were learned along the way. The yellow spectacle took his screw driver, unbolting the trailer's plate, with a smirk, he chuckled. Another black box, another SIM card replaced by one of his own as he carefully reassembled the device and put the plate back on its place. He made back to the truck nodding to Ratso who threw the hood closed.

"This should fake the routes to the GPS in their systems" Chow smirked, quite satisfied with himself.

"I swear to God, you should have applied to the CIA Chow" Finn laughed to himself.

The ABC chuckled. "Hourly shifts would be too long. And talking about time, we got to go"

The engine came back alive with a roar, Chow at the wheel shifting gears and swerving on the road again with Finn in close chase.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Las Vegas was bursting with activity. The city of sin catered to the best and the worse of people across the world, all coming to the city for a purpose only. Tourism was not rare, but the call of profit was too powerful to ignore and most always went into the pits of greed, spending their hard earned money in the coin slot machines across the hundreds of casinos around the city. The lights and the sights of Las Vegas were a sight to see, lights so powerful that they could be seen from space, like a luminescent spot on Earth.

Perched on a rooftop of an office building, the Queen observed the streets with eerie attention. Her hair blew across the wind halfway covered by a black hood, her arms crossed across her bomber jacket. To the untrained mind, she was too calm for what was about to transpire, but inside…her mind was in turmoil. Her plans had always ended in disaster, especially if she planned it from detail to detail, Jade was scared, that was a confirmation that whatever she was now, did not spare from her human emotions and conflicts. It was a discovery that interested her and annoyed her. The sights were just as enjoyable as that time when she and Jackie came for Sasha and the spirit of the Tiger talisman. Regardless of the fact that now she could have the time to explore the city to leave her interest in the hands of her inner child, the other part of her slipped into pure business.

She gazed two blocks from her location spotting the burger joint and then to the massive casino at her left side, reminding her briefly of her meal. Checking her watch, she deduced that the trio of useful idiots would be here in around fifteen minutes if everything went to schedule. That gave her more time to think and plan, but she knew the plan from top to bottom, using her abilities to her advantage would only be the cherry on the top; the whole pie would be to slip in the vault and portal her ass and the cash to the trailer, then haul the cash to a safe location until the heat had calmed down, which knowing how the casino owners catered their money would be as if she had killed the president of the United States.

The thought send a cackle through her. Her laughter died off as the skies opened up, slowly spreading a blanket of water around the city that began slowly, quickly expanding into nature's music, pelting the city with water. The Queen quickly covered her head from the water, sinking into the floor and walking through the concrete to the edge of the building, peeking down. The greed walked regardless of the water and no amount of it could purge the greed, something that suited her just fine she thought with a smirk.

Her vision was clouded by the torrential downpour that assaulted her senses, and no amount of abilities could help her to pinpoint what she was seeing from the top, forty two stories down. Casually, she slipped her feet off the concrete and walked vertically like if it was a mere walk way down the building, avoiding windows to not caught attention. Her feet adhered to the material, just like a shadow would. Gravity did not exist as her feet walked down the building, jumping several feet ahead gracefully. Jade jumped on a flag pole, walking with the grace of a cat, squatting on the pole. Her eyes looked down the city, her attention drawn by a white 18 wheeler truck making its way through the streets.

_Excellent._

Leaning further down, she regarded the truck as it parked carefully at the south corner parking lot just to the north of the burger joint. Her senses were screaming at her to let go and glide down, a thought that sent a panicky yell through her.

True, she could float at will, climb solid objects like the flow of water, but never before she has contemplated jumping thirty stories down. Water splashed freely against her, traveling through the whistling of the wind against her skin. She felt nor cold not warm, next to nothing besides the feel of water trekking through her body and yet as the need to stay rooted to the spot. Her rebirth came with so many things surpassing the abilities of the many creatures that she had encountered ever since she first came to San Francisco, but at what cost? Her body limited the feel of the world around her; while her senses have sharpened to inhuman ways, she could not feel heat or cold and she was limited to the things she could feel with her fingertips leaving her in perpetual confusion as to why she could not feel textures, just the vague feelings that something was there, she pondered vaguely while her eyes circled the truck down below.

Slowly at first, she ventured a foot off the pole, cringing as the metal cringed under the additional weight, then she retreated it again. The same motion repeated and hesitantly at first, she uncoupled her whole leg off the pole. This…was completely ridiculous!

The Queen jumped.

Whizzing through the air, she fell. It was perhaps a feeling of freedom that elicited a sigh of happiness before the sharp vertigo broke her mind in two.

"AAAAAGHGHHHHHHHHH!"

She promptly did not plan for this! The cold ground seemed closer by the second as she fell. Jade tried in vain to float or anything that came to mind, but nothing stopped her short of plastering into a scrambled omelet, quickly smashing her eyes closed as the thought hit her and there was no time to make puns in her head. Jade, always quick on her wit and undaunted, she fell into Jade…the real Jade deep beneath the layers of her new identity and drew her out. Immediately her eyes squeezed open, ignoring the dull pain of the droplets of water that felt like sharp needles. She was a shadow…and like one, she was called summoned by them.

The Queen aimed her body to fall into a shadow on the rain droplets exploding parking lot. As the ground grew nearer her defenses cracked sending a blood curling scream just as she closed her eyes only to find herself stopping in mind air. Slowly, she regained her senses and opened her eyes quickly finding that she floated in darkness, like a pool that extended beyond the valley of shadows and death. Jade looked up perplexed as to why the ceiling of her new pool of obscurity had pieces of white bouncing on an invisible layer.

Her body floated aimlessly in the darkness and without hesitation, she swung her arms to the surface feeling them getting pelted by water. Her fingers curled against the invisible ring and pulled up to find herself back in the real world, drenched in rainwater. She gave a sigh of relief with the world renewed itself across her eyes but she felt a memory pulling off from her mind that she eventually crushed before it could take off.

Her eyes made look with the white truck, quickly dissipating the free falling experience for a better one, quickly advancing towards the vehicle with a smirk.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The enforcers true to their word waited for the She-Boss to appear, late as she was, they were forced to wait; their paycheck and their necks counted on it. Minutes passed while the vehicle felt into the rain's music against the vehicle dulling their senses to the rhythm. A pale hand manifested through the truck's console sending Chow reeling backwards with a scream to the sleeping compartment, flipping violently against the table. Finn and Ratso fared no better plastering against the truck doors, the Irishman immediately drawing his silver side arm from his jacket.

Red eyes stared at him, a chilling smile drawing through the console with jagged teeth, hissing to make them its meal.

Finn released the safety, and then he stopped.

Laughter replaced the hiss, violently making the occupants jump on the seats and the pistol to be withdrawn.

Jade slipped from the truck's console with the image of a ghost out of a Hollywood movie. Dripping with rainwater, she floated amid the panicked enforcers, bangs of hair plastered against her pale face, parting them slightly and the glowing red eyes were not making it easier for the three men to calm down. Jeering them with a smirk, the Queen settled Indian style setting her hood down looking almost ethereal in kind. On cue, lightning decided it was time to crack the sky in two, electricity snapping the glowing in her eyes to a furthest intensity.

Ratso was the first to sit down, warily observing their boss but could not help himself to look at her glimmering red orbs shivering with fear. The other two came about, abruptly sitting down on the seats. It seemed that the Queen had a particular knack to scare the shit out of them Chow thought with some discord but still jumped again when Jade extended her water drenched sleeves towards Ratso and Finn.

"A new Las Vegas show is about to start gentlemen"

The three men looked at each other before gluing their eyes to her promising smile, leaning forward.

"And we are the main attraction"

Her deadly eyes glow with malice locking her eyes with the casino in question.

The enforcers quickly smiled back, thinking about the money and how it would cement their pockets, forever.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Author Notes: ** Well! Here ya go guys. A little shorter than usual chapter, life is getting on the way and finding time to write is getting more difficult. I hope I can complete the next chapter earlier than the time it took me!

I know that the enforcers seem more professional and less eager to provide mistakes because at the end of the day, their job was to provide humor relief. But a part of me thinks that they've been in this business for a long time due the skills they have and truthfully, I think that they are more capable than just being humor, that's why I am going to boost my belief to the enforcers. Hell Finn tried to kill Jackie with a pistol in the first episode and vibroswords. Could you imagine what would have happened if they had cut Jackie to ribbons? I dont think that they would have any mercy on him and they are truly capable of killing people and perhaps they ave done it before, so I am going to boost their skills, abilities and the possibility that they kill people once in a while with the mercy of a criminal. If you guys have any opinions about it, just let me know in a review or PM me.

Next chapter will be lots of fun. See ya!

From Houston

D4rK


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Jackie Chan Adventures, Adventure, Angst