A Moments Choice
The flute had been played and the spell began glow, first from his tail but soon the greenish glow overtook the sky demon's entire form, a roar of frustration erupting from his mouth as he was pulled against his will back to mystical door from which he had so recently escaped. Jade watched with a mixture of satisfaction and remorse as once again they managed to defeat the demon, but this time it felt different, she was losing the first real friend she had had in a long time. She could feel the tears well up in her eyes but fought them back, not wanting to admit to her uncles how much he had meant to her.
"Goodbye Seymour" Jade said, her voice betraying the sadness she felt.
It was at that moment, that one second that Jade had let her guard down that she made a wish, unconsciously, unknowingly. Somewhere deep inside her heart she wished things had gone different, that Hsi Wu hadn't been so quick to turn on her. She had sensed something inside of him, something different from the normal evil vibe she got from his brethren and wished she had been able to learn more. Resigned she followed her uncles back to the shop, unable to shake those feelings and the wonderment of What If.
Unknown to Jade her wish had not gone unheard, the universe perhaps in a act of pity for this broken hearted girl took pause and considered this soulful cry for a chance at what might have been and gave of itself, birthing into existence a new universe in which a moment's choice, an action taken in haste, came to a new end.
His ruse has been found out, the sly chi wizard had used his tail to track him down and what was worse had coated it in some manner of spell. He could not risk re-attaching it until the spell was removed, but the situation was growing quickly out of his grasp, he needed to get away before they played the damnable flute and tried to send him back to the endless void. With nothing left to lose he revealed his majestic wings and prepared to set off, swiftly moving to grab the chi wizard with his talon'd feet and carry him off. Perhaps the risk of death would make him more subservient. Just as he was about to reach the wizard though, he stopped ever so briefly. Taking the wizard was to dangerous to risk, he had already proved wily enough to re-entrap his brothers and sisters, Hsi Wu wasn't going to give him a chance to cast any spells while Hsi Wu might be distracted, he would instead take another hostage. Jadeeee, the fiery girl who had drawn his attention and intrigued him with her fierceness would make a much better hostage, the chi wizard would be to busy worrying about her to plot any acts against him. Banking sharply back around Hsi Wu quickly grabbed Jade by her small shoulders and soared off towards the horizon, shouting down to her family as he passed over them.
"Bring the spell to un-enchant my tail to the top of water tower in one hour dear uncle or Jade will suffer quite profusely"
Hsi Wu deposited Jade roughly atop the city's water tower coming to rest just behind her as he surveyed the city they had flown over to ensure that none dared follow. Jade looked around this place she had been brought, unable to see any way to escape she choose instead to turn and face her former friend, the one person she had felt understood her when no one else did.
"What's the deal Seymour? Why bring me here? You know my uncles will find someway to kick your scaly butt and send you back through your door so just give up now"
"What's wrong Jade, don't I please you anymore? What happened to us being friends?" Hsi Wu asked amused by her still defiant attitude even in the face of such danger
"T'cha, like I'd ever be friends with a batboy like you. Your just like the rest of your family and you'll end up exactly like they did" Jade replied
Hsi Wu's feature darkened noticeably, anger quickly rising in his voice
"I'm never going back to that hellish emptiness, once the spell is removed from my tail I'll reclaim my palace in the sky and enjoy my immortality looking out across my kingdom as your kind destroys itself with petty wars. Unlike my darker family I've little interest in ruling over you mortals, when you rule the sky what happens on the land below matters not."
Taken slightly aback by this new information Jade found her self unsure of what she should say next. She had found out Seymour was in fact the sky demon she had expected him to be just like the others she had helped vanquish but he seemed to be different. She thought she could almost sense something…more to him, something she hadn't felt with the other demons. Jade wondered how much of Seymour was an act and how much was his true nature, the fact that save for his wing he still held his human form led her to believe that maybe he wasn't as evil as she had first assumed. She decided to tread cautiously and learn as much about him as she could.
"So I guess the Immortal that banished you just did it for laughs then? If you're so benevolent then why did you kidnap and threaten me in front of Jackie and Uncle?" Jade asked
"Hiisssss…The Immortal that banished me locked me away for being a demon, he and his brothers set out to banish all demons, they didn't care that what little land I did control wasn't ruled with an iron fist like Shendu did. The peasants that lived within my lands never knew the anger or wrath that the rest of my family frequently displayed on their lands and populace, I cared little about them and they lived a safe normal existence as a result. As for you Jade, I took you because I knew that your dear uncle, the chi wizard, would do whatever I said to get you back safely, including removing the spell he placed on my tail. You are not like most mortals Jade, you do not cower before me like so many other, nor does the fire that lights you eyes ever seem to die down. You are truly unique among your kind." Hsi Wu replied, calming slightly
Jade was even more confused now, had he actually complimented her? Though she could not understand how it could be, he did not seem as evil as he acted…In truth he still seemed so much like the Seymour he had claimed to be and she could not deny that despite his actions and his lies she still felt some sort of connection to him. Could she have been closer then she had known when she was talking to Tohru, could he be the yang to her yin? Unable to think of anything else to say to her captor, Jade looked out from the Water Tower, trying to gather her thoughts on these revelations. Soon Jackie and Uncle would be coming to save her, but she wasn't so sure anymore that she was the one that needed to be saved.
Authors Note – Well here we go, my very first JCA fic. I came upon this idea after watching Tale of the Demon Tail for possibly the 28th time and from there a story just developed. Sorry if it seems kind of disjointed or if any of the characters seem a little OOC, I haven't quite gotten down writing any of these people yet, but with enough practice I'll improve and it'll be as if I'm right inside their head. I hope everyone enjoyed the beginning of the story, Please drop a review even if you didn't as it will help me improve. I'll try and update soon so until then, Later Days.