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The Sky's the Limit	By : Spleef Category: +G through L > Jackie Chan's Adventures Views: 14394 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Jackie Chan s Adventures, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Silence
- 2-Apologies
- 3-Spat
- 4-Dance
- 5-Bite
- 6-Claim
- 7-Honesty
- 8-Taste
- 9-Offering
- 10-Revelations
- 11-Almost
- 9
- 10
- 11
The Sky's the Limit
Chapter X – Revelations
o0o0o0o
Tso Lan and Bai Tsa crept closer to Shendu, taking the utmost care to not awaken the sleeping Fire Demon. In the Moon Demon's pocket was a vial of salve which he was to apply to Bai's hands so she could reach into Shendu's body and nab a Talisman or two. Hsi Wu had managed to get the completed brew to him, and for Tso, it felt a bit odd having the vial in his hand after having had nothing in this Void for so long.
He whispered a sleeping-spell at Shendu before applying the contents of the vial to his sister's hands. They glowed green, and she shuddered in pain from the clash of the good chi within the spell against the dark chi within her own body.
She darted forth like a snake, her hands sliding in and out of Shendu's body as she looked for the proper Talisman. They had agreed that they couldn't just take any Talisman now. It had to be one that Shendu wouldn't notice missing, at least not right away. She grinned as she grabbed one and looked at it. However, instead of stopping right there, she took another one, and Tso Lan had to bite back an angry hiss. They were only supposed to do this one at a time!
Bai returned to his side. The first Talisman she presented was the one they had agreed upon, the Dog Talisman. As long as Shendu still had the Horse, he would not notice the loss of the immortality that the talisman bestowed. The second Talisman was the Ox. Rather than say anything and risk Shendu hearing them, he retreated with his sister.
“The Ox! We had agreed on just one Talisman and -”
“He is already strong enough without this Talisman. And you said that the talismans would be purified, anyway...”
“Yes. What is done is done.” He took the two, weighing them in his palms before a moan reminded him of Bai's distress. He took out the other vial that his younger brother had also given him, pouring this over Bai's hands to neutralize the burn of the good chi.
o0o0o0o
Hsi Wu could feel the trace of Shendu's chi on the two Talismans on the table in front of him. The portal remained open, Tso Lan gazing out at him. He had already prepared the spell, wanting to do this as quick as he could lest Shendu manage to sense the missing bits of his essence.
The table was covered with a large piece of paper bearing magical inscriptions. It had not been easy, because like the other demons, he was still touched with evil chi, and so a couple of the steps and ingredients had caused mild burning on his hands. He chanted the necessary words, and the symbols surrounding the Talismans glowed. He could sense the taint of his brother, and longed for nothing more than for it to be gone.
Shendu does not deserve even the slightest trace of himself in this world! By banishing Shendu's residual Chi ensured that he could not try to use the connection he had once shared with the Talismans to find a way back into the real world. Once the ceremony was over, there would be no more bond between Shendu and these two Talismans.
Begone! He started to feel light-headed as he chanted, focusing on his willpower to strengthen the spell, focusing his distaste for Shendu at the Talismans. Be rid of your taint.
The symbols glowed more brightly for a moment before darkening again, and the Sky Demon felt an almost inaudible whoosh in his head before he collapsed.
o0o0o0o
Tso Lan could feel Shendu's malevolent energy sweep through the portal and just past him, felt psychically instead of physically. As he did, he reached for the portal, alarmed at his younger brother's reaction to the spell. Before he could, the portal lost its clarity, wavering for several moments before disappearing.
“Hsi Wu!” he yelled, clawing at the space in front of him where the portal had just been.
o0o0o0o
The Sky Demon groaned lowly as his eyelids fluttered open, seeing carpet just several inches away. He lay still for a moment, orienting himself and trying to remember what had happened to cause him to black out. It took him but a few moments to gather his strength, and he easily slid to his feet. A quick glance at the clock on the wall revealed that he had been out for less than five minutes. With a quiet sigh of relief, he looked down at the table, seeing the inscriptions he had created, and the talismans.
He tentatively reached for one. He steeled himself, slowly bringing the tip of his claw to the surface of the Dog Talisman. There was not the slightest jolt, or any other sort of reaction from either the Demon or the Talisman. With a deft movement, he scooped up both of the carved stones and weighed them in his palm. The malign influence that had tainted these Talismans were gone.
He was so lost in contemplation that he almost forgot about the fact that he had passed out. Tso Lan must be so worried! With haste, he re-opened the small portal. To his gratification, Tso Lan did indeed seem genuinely concerned for him.
“When you collapsed, I tried to reach through, but it wouldn't let me...”
“I'm fine. I think it was just the shock of purging the bad chi.” Hsi Wu remembered the whoosh he had felt in his head, like something was being blown away or sucked out, almost. He actually felt better now, even more so than before. Wait a minute, what if... He bit back his idea, wishing to investigate and confirm it before he spoke to his brother about it.
“The spell worked. I could feel it as it found its way back to Shendu.”
“Good. We'll do that a few more times. Be sure to not take the Rat just yet.”
“We've discussed this, Hsi Wu. I am holding up my end of our... relationship. Are you?”
The younger Demon could not blame Tso Lan's impatience. Had he been in his brother's shoes, he would be salivating for the chance to get out of the Void...
“I have already gathered most of the ingredients needed. Some are rarer than others, but be assured, you will know freedom.”
“Good.”
“Not just good for you. Good for us.” the Sky Demon reminded him. “I can promise you, it will be worth the wait. There's so many things that you would enjoy... and the others. And we can know that Shendu is stuck in the Void, unable to enjoy the pleasure we take for ourselves! We have been punished long enough.”
“And soon enough we will know the truth.” Tso Lan intoned.
“The truth will set you free, so the saying goes.” The portal suddenly rippled for a moment as the spell that activated it started running out of energy.
“I need to rest.” Hsi Wu said, wanting to lay down, he was still weak.
“Very well.” Tso Lan replied before the portal closed.
o0o0o0o
The Sky Demon slunk into his bed, happy for the refuge of the warm and soft nest he had made for himself. It took him only several moments to fall asleep.
The smell of old books tickled his sensitive nose, and he looked around, seeing shelves with nearly-organized books and scrolls. He also caught a whiff of jasmine tea, and turned to see his brother at his desk, deftly handling the brush as he wrote, his strokes smooth and even. The older Demon's larger hands were occupied with writing, while the smaller pair held a cup of tea.
“Tso Lan?” Hsi Wu asked. Tso Lan often went on trips, looking for books to add to his library, scholars to converse with, and and interesting things to write about, he had just come home the day before, and had sent the younger demon an invitation.
The aforesaid demon looked up, and instead of the glowing red that they had become, his eyes were a deep, dark blue, though they would sometimes appear purple under a certain light.
“You're early.” Tso Lan said. The younger demon smiled and shrugged.
“Better than being late, right?”
“There's that.”
Hsi Wu grinned and approached the desk, sitting down on the cushion, facing his older brother. He enjoyed his lessons with his older brother, Tso Lan was so wise and he had many works in his library that were copied from various sources of wisdom, such as Buddha or Confucius, and works from other parts of the world. Even their father, a powerful and intelligent demon in his own right, acknowledged his son's studiousness and wisdom, saying that wisdom and a passion for learning was a rare gift.
“Care for some tea?” the older demon asked. He eagerly nodded, there was no one he knew who could rival Tso's ability to brew excellent tea. With his other big hand, Tso poured him a cup, and he eagerly sipped it.
“Why is it so hard to get the combination of water and leaves right?” he asked as he looked down in his cup. It was far easier for their chefs to make an appealing array of complicated dishes than to make a cup of tea the way Tso Lan did.
“Life is full of mysteries.” Tso Lan said sagely as he sipped his own tea.
“I wish some mysteries could be solved. Like why some people must be so cruel or unhappy when they have so much.” he muttered. Tso Lan slowly set down his cup of tea and his brush, and folded both pairs of hands together.
“What is it?”
The younger Demon sighed.
“This morning... I...” He paused, would Tso approve of him sneaking around?
“Go on.”
“I was at Hau's bungalow.”
Tso Lan raised his eyebrow. “Curiosity is a fine trait, but it has its limits.”
“I know, I know. I would not think to sneak here to your bungalow, or your mother's, or anyone else's. But I had a funny feeling and I just...”
“Go on.”
“It was before breakfast. I hid under the window of Hau's parlor, and heard her talking with Shendu. She was complaining that she was treated unfairly...”
Tso Lan snorted at that, interrupting his younger brother's speech. “Ahem. I'm sorry, go on.”
“She also said that he deserved a larger share of our father's inheritance, that he was the worthiest child.”
Tso Lan sighed. This was not exactly news, he had had a bad feeling about Hau when Father brought her home as his fourth wife. He had been polite to her, and her back to him, but he had been unable to ignore a gut feeling that this demoness was not what she seemed and that she would try to sow seeds of discord in the family.
He had not been wrong. Hau had tried to turn the three elder wives against one another so that she could have their husband to herself. Fortunately, the three senior wives, his mother included, had already had a good relationship with one another, and were able to see through Hau's attempts to cause strife. They presented a united front, and were confident in their husband's affection and respect for all of them. When the fifth wife – Hsi Wu's mother – had come to join the ranks, the first three wives were quick to welcome her into the fold and defend her against Hau.
Each wife received the same amount of land and allowance, regardless of who she was, what number wife she was, or how many children she bore. And Father had promised all of his children that his inheritance would be split equally, his gold split eight ways and his children each receiving one-eighth of his sprawling lands. Most fathers would have given their eldest sons the largest part of a inheritance, and given their daughters only a dowry.
“It's not just that.” the younger demon whispered. He looked his older brother in the eyes. “At first, I thought it was just her usual complaining. But...” His eyebrows furrowed as he replayed the conversation in his head. “She said that Shendu should claim his birthright, and claim everything for his own.”
“That does not surprise me altogether, but...” The implications of Hau's words didn't have to be said, but with her history and that of her son's, it made the Moon and Sky demons uneasy.
“Have you told anyone else?”
“No. I thought it best to wait to talk to you.” he said. Tso Lan smiled a little at that, their siblings frequently sought him out for advice because he could be relied on to be an impartial mediator. “But I do think our other siblings need to know so they can be alert.”
“I absolutely agree.” As a child, Shendu was troublesome enough, and it had only gotten worse as he neared adulthood. Though all the siblings had moved out of their mother's bungalows and were living their own lives, Shendu could still be very much a irritant in the lives of his brothers and sisters. There were even rumors that Shendu was causing trouble amongst the humans.
“Should we tell Father?”
Tso Lan sighed at that. Father was a very well-meaning and kind demon, but he tended to prefer to see the good in others, and overlook the bad. While not an entirely poor trait for someone to have, it could make those who possessed this trait blind to the threat that some could pose. When Shendu was little, his behavior had been dismissed as childish mischief. In his adolescent years, it was shrugged off as teenage rebellion. However, now as an adult, Shendu had the power to do great harm should he desire it. And unfortunately, his siblings suspected he did have that desire.
“What I suggest we do for now is that all of us keep an eye on Hau and Shendu. We need evidence of wrongdoing before we bring it to Father, you know how he is.”
“Should we tell our mothers?”
“They have had their share of trouble with those two. They already know to be on their toes.”
“Very well.”
It felt good to talk about this with his older brother, but the Sky Demon could not help but feel that what he had overheard was simply a omen of much worse to come...
o0o0o0o
Hsi Wu moaned softly as he heard the insistent buzzing of something... what the hell was it? He rolled over, rubbing his eyes, muttering to himself. When he opened his eyes, he was disoriented for several moments. Instead of wooden latticed windows and shutters, there were plate-glass windows with drapes and blinds complementing them. When he looked through the window, what met his eyes was not sprawling hills dotted with bungalows and other buildings, but towers of concrete, glass, and steel, with the ocean beyond.
Who was he?
I am Hsi Wu, the Sky Demon. son of Liangshan.
Liangshan?
Where did that come from?
His eyes widened as he recalled his dream... no, it was a memory.
He heard the buzz again, and realized it was his cellphone. With his sensitive hearing, he was able to hear it from the living room. He picked it up and checked the number even though he already knew who it was, who else could be calling him?
He brought the phone to his ear.
“Hello, Jade.”
“Thank goodness you finally answered!”
“Are you okay, what's the matter?”
“What? I could ask the same of you!”
“What do you mean?” he asked, genuinely befuddled.
“You haven't answered your phone for two days!”
He blinked and rubbed his eyes. What? He remembered having spoken to Jade several hours before he got the Talismans from Tso Lan, and then... He quickly checked the display on his phone. Whoa! He had been out of it for almost one and a half days! Why should the spell he performed make him so weak? He had never heard of a purging spell leaving someone so weak like that.
“I'm sorry, I've been sleeping, I didn't realize how long...”
“What happened? Are you okay?”
“I...” He paused, trying to collect his thoughts. “Look, I just woke up, and I still feel a bit disoriented. I'll explain, but I need time. I'm fine, I just...” He stopped himself, taking a deep breath.
“Do you need me to come over?”
He was tempted to say yes, because he did want to see her again. His girlfriend.
Yes. He now had a girlfriend. He grinned to himself at that thought before he sobered up.
“You can come over tonight. We can have dinner, how does that sound?”
“Awesome.” He could hear the relief in her tone. It felt nice to know that she cared for him. He'd waited for so long to be the recipient of her affection.
“I'll call you again this afternoon, all right?” he asked.
“Sure, no problem.”
“Great. See you tonight, then. It's a date.”
He heard a soft giggle. “Why, so it is. Bye.”
He set the phone down, letting out a slow breath, his mind racing in multiple directions as he took note of the paraphernalia he had used for the purging spell. Two Talismans down, ten to go. One demon down, six to go. There was plenty to be done, and plenty to figure out.
o0o0o0o
Many, many apologies for the lateness in the update of this story. I had a really bad case of writer's block for this story, and went on to work on other projects, including my books. However, I am back in the saddle as far as this story is concerned, and will do my best to be more speedy in updating the rest of this story's chapters.
Bit of trivia – Liangshan means goodness and I liked the sound of the name for the father of the demon siblings. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please don't forget to leave a review! If you have any ideas, feedback or bits you'd like to see, I'm all ears :)
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The Sky's the Limit