Chapter 1 - Prologue
Submitted September 5, 2006 Updated September 7, 2006 Status Incomplete | Dashi, Chase, Guan, Wuya. Four very different people who were once held together by a powerful bond of friendship and love. This is the chronicle of their lives: the events that brought them together, and the events that tore them apart.
Category:
Cartoons » Xiaolin Showdown |
Chapter 1 - Prologue
Chapter 1 - Prologue
This is my greatest project to date. It will encompass the entirety of the lives of these four during their time together, 1500 years ago. Rating will be PG13 to soft R overall, though this chapter is G. There will be het, and there will be slash, although more than that you'll just have to wait for.
Enjoy the beginning of an era.
---
The Beginning of the End
Prologue
---
The year was 499 A.D. A steady hiss of rain assaulted the simple bamboo roof of a small, secluded temple nestled in the mountains of China. Despite the late hour and weather conditions, the indoor lanterns could still be seen shining through the windows. A young boy sat curled up just inside the doorway. He wore a simple robe of red cotton, and a black sash adorned his slender waist. As the light from the lantern that hung from the wall just above him flickered in the wind, it cast quivering shadows on his clean-shaven head. He shivered- the night air was cold in the mountains- and struggled not to nod off to sleep. All fatigue vanished, however, as a faint, animated shadow appeared in the distance through the rain.
As it drew rapidly closer, the single shadow became four, one tall and three small. A huge grin spread across the bald boys face and he nimbly hopped to his feet and out of the doorway as the people hurried inside to get out of the rain. The boy, Dashi, would never forget this first impression of his lifelong friends- out of breath and sopping wet- and years later, it still would make him laugh.
The tallest of the newly arrived children had prominent cheekbones and sharp features that stood out particularly against his peach-toned skin when the lantern light cast his face into semi-shadow. His garb revealed him to be an average, if rather well-built, village boy, and like Dashi, he was bald, save for a shoulder-length black braid that fell from the very back of his head. Immediately upon arriving, he collapsed against the wall with an exhausted sigh.
The second child, also a boy, appeared the polar opposite of the first. He was extremely slender, and had long, dark hair and an olive-toned face with gentle, childlike features. He wore only a ripped tunic, and even the hard sheets of rain had not quite managed to cleanse him of what appeared to be years worth of caked-on dirt. When he realized he was being watched by Dashi, he blushed in embarrassment and produced a tattered book from inside his tunic, immediately burying his nose in it.
Despite the sorry state the newcomers were in, the final child still stood out from the other two, if only because she was the strangest-looking person that Dashi had ever seen. Her skin was an exotic shade of bronze, with ears that narrowed to a slight point at the top and strange black stripes starting at the bottom of her eyes and streaking down her cheeks. Since they had not smudged or run because of the rain, Dashi could only assume that they were tattoos, not painted on. Her clothes were ornate, and the bangles and ornaments she wore on her wrists and in her long, mauve-colored hair glittered in the lanterns flickering light. She looked supremely unconcerned with the entire affair, and began absently twirling the ends of her soaking-wet pigtails around her finger.
No matter what they looked like, though, Dashi was grateful for any company his own age. Although he'd only been training at the temple for two months, it got lonely very quickly for an eleven-year-old when he discovered that that the next-youngest person there was over three times his age. So naturally, hed been ecstatic when the old temple master, Master Chang, had told him that he was leaving for a short time and promised to return with new young students. Now, Dashi approached the elderly master, still wearing his exuberant grin, and said, "I'm so glad you've returned, Master! Did you have to run all the way back here in the rain?"
The master shook his head and laughed, answering, "Thankfully, no, young monk. It began only a few minutes ago." He gestured to the other children. "Allow me to introduce you to our new students. Guan, the future Dragon of Fire." The sharp-featured boy looked up when he heard his name, offering a small nod and a weary smile. Master Chang continued, inclining his head to the smallest boy. "Chase Young, Dragon of Water." This didn't surprise Dashi in the least, as this boy appeared to be the only one not bothered at all by the fact that he was soaking wet. However, even when his name was called, he made no move to acknowledge it, still staring intently at his book. Chuckling, Master Chang indicated the finely clothed young girl and said, "And the Dragon of Earth, Wuya." She smirked, making a small 'hmph' noise and tossing her hair, which showered everyone else with droplets of water.
Still smiling, Master Chang bowed slightly and moved to the doorway of the temple hall. "I will leave you children to get to know one another," he said, then left the room.
The awkward silence left in the room was interrupted only by the sounds of the rain outside and the gentle rustling of Chase's book pages. In a slightly desperate attempt to make conversation, Dashi approached Chase, leaning over his shoulder and asking, "So...is that a good book?"
Without looking up, Chase answered, "I don't know."
At this point, the other children were also listening, and with a confused expression, Guan inquired, "You don't know? Is it that difficult to understand?"
The olive-skinned boy laughed lightly and shook his head. "No, no, it's nothing like that. It's just that I don't know how to read." Despite the taken-aback looks on the other children's faces, he gave an honest smile and added, "I just love looking at the pictures." Finally looking up from the worn book, he exclaimed suddenly, "Oh! By the way, I'm Chase Young." The others chuckled; clearly, he had been too absorbed in his pictures to hear a word that had been exchanged so far.
It was Wuya who sat down next to him, extremely close, and playfully poked his smooth forehead. "We know." He tried to scoot away from her, but she had latched rather firmly onto his arm while he hadn't been paying attention.
Stifling another laugh, Dashi said, "Come on, now. You all look exhausted." He based this mostly on the fact that Guan had sat down against the wall again and nearly nodded off. "You two can finish your...conversation later." He was just the tiniest bit jealous of Chase at the moment, but he didn't let it leak into his tone of voice. "Oh, and I'm Dashi. I'm going to be the Dragon of Wind someday." He grinned brightly and motioned for the other children to follow him out of the hall to the sleeping quarters, which they eventually did.
When Dashi finally fell asleep, though, the only reason was to make the next day come faster. He couldn't wait.
---
In a back room of the temple, Master Chang bent over a roaring fire, returning a moment later to a table in the center of the room carrying a red, oval-shaped object. He laid the egg on the table and watched, and for a moment all it did was smoke gently. Then, a faint tapping sound could be heard, and a single ivory-colored claw poked its way through the shell. More claws followed, then a larger crack appeared and the end of a snout pushed through. Finally, the shell split cleanly down the middle and a tiny creature plopped out onto the table. It was shaped something like a ribbon, with fine green scales and a crest and beard of red fur. Smiling, the temple master gently picked it up and scratched its belly. The little dragon cooed happily and began to chew on his finger.
"Welcome to the world, Dojo."
---
End Prologue
---
Feedback is much appreciated.
Enjoy the beginning of an era.
---
The Beginning of the End
Prologue
---
The year was 499 A.D. A steady hiss of rain assaulted the simple bamboo roof of a small, secluded temple nestled in the mountains of China. Despite the late hour and weather conditions, the indoor lanterns could still be seen shining through the windows. A young boy sat curled up just inside the doorway. He wore a simple robe of red cotton, and a black sash adorned his slender waist. As the light from the lantern that hung from the wall just above him flickered in the wind, it cast quivering shadows on his clean-shaven head. He shivered- the night air was cold in the mountains- and struggled not to nod off to sleep. All fatigue vanished, however, as a faint, animated shadow appeared in the distance through the rain.
As it drew rapidly closer, the single shadow became four, one tall and three small. A huge grin spread across the bald boys face and he nimbly hopped to his feet and out of the doorway as the people hurried inside to get out of the rain. The boy, Dashi, would never forget this first impression of his lifelong friends- out of breath and sopping wet- and years later, it still would make him laugh.
The tallest of the newly arrived children had prominent cheekbones and sharp features that stood out particularly against his peach-toned skin when the lantern light cast his face into semi-shadow. His garb revealed him to be an average, if rather well-built, village boy, and like Dashi, he was bald, save for a shoulder-length black braid that fell from the very back of his head. Immediately upon arriving, he collapsed against the wall with an exhausted sigh.
The second child, also a boy, appeared the polar opposite of the first. He was extremely slender, and had long, dark hair and an olive-toned face with gentle, childlike features. He wore only a ripped tunic, and even the hard sheets of rain had not quite managed to cleanse him of what appeared to be years worth of caked-on dirt. When he realized he was being watched by Dashi, he blushed in embarrassment and produced a tattered book from inside his tunic, immediately burying his nose in it.
Despite the sorry state the newcomers were in, the final child still stood out from the other two, if only because she was the strangest-looking person that Dashi had ever seen. Her skin was an exotic shade of bronze, with ears that narrowed to a slight point at the top and strange black stripes starting at the bottom of her eyes and streaking down her cheeks. Since they had not smudged or run because of the rain, Dashi could only assume that they were tattoos, not painted on. Her clothes were ornate, and the bangles and ornaments she wore on her wrists and in her long, mauve-colored hair glittered in the lanterns flickering light. She looked supremely unconcerned with the entire affair, and began absently twirling the ends of her soaking-wet pigtails around her finger.
No matter what they looked like, though, Dashi was grateful for any company his own age. Although he'd only been training at the temple for two months, it got lonely very quickly for an eleven-year-old when he discovered that that the next-youngest person there was over three times his age. So naturally, hed been ecstatic when the old temple master, Master Chang, had told him that he was leaving for a short time and promised to return with new young students. Now, Dashi approached the elderly master, still wearing his exuberant grin, and said, "I'm so glad you've returned, Master! Did you have to run all the way back here in the rain?"
The master shook his head and laughed, answering, "Thankfully, no, young monk. It began only a few minutes ago." He gestured to the other children. "Allow me to introduce you to our new students. Guan, the future Dragon of Fire." The sharp-featured boy looked up when he heard his name, offering a small nod and a weary smile. Master Chang continued, inclining his head to the smallest boy. "Chase Young, Dragon of Water." This didn't surprise Dashi in the least, as this boy appeared to be the only one not bothered at all by the fact that he was soaking wet. However, even when his name was called, he made no move to acknowledge it, still staring intently at his book. Chuckling, Master Chang indicated the finely clothed young girl and said, "And the Dragon of Earth, Wuya." She smirked, making a small 'hmph' noise and tossing her hair, which showered everyone else with droplets of water.
Still smiling, Master Chang bowed slightly and moved to the doorway of the temple hall. "I will leave you children to get to know one another," he said, then left the room.
The awkward silence left in the room was interrupted only by the sounds of the rain outside and the gentle rustling of Chase's book pages. In a slightly desperate attempt to make conversation, Dashi approached Chase, leaning over his shoulder and asking, "So...is that a good book?"
Without looking up, Chase answered, "I don't know."
At this point, the other children were also listening, and with a confused expression, Guan inquired, "You don't know? Is it that difficult to understand?"
The olive-skinned boy laughed lightly and shook his head. "No, no, it's nothing like that. It's just that I don't know how to read." Despite the taken-aback looks on the other children's faces, he gave an honest smile and added, "I just love looking at the pictures." Finally looking up from the worn book, he exclaimed suddenly, "Oh! By the way, I'm Chase Young." The others chuckled; clearly, he had been too absorbed in his pictures to hear a word that had been exchanged so far.
It was Wuya who sat down next to him, extremely close, and playfully poked his smooth forehead. "We know." He tried to scoot away from her, but she had latched rather firmly onto his arm while he hadn't been paying attention.
Stifling another laugh, Dashi said, "Come on, now. You all look exhausted." He based this mostly on the fact that Guan had sat down against the wall again and nearly nodded off. "You two can finish your...conversation later." He was just the tiniest bit jealous of Chase at the moment, but he didn't let it leak into his tone of voice. "Oh, and I'm Dashi. I'm going to be the Dragon of Wind someday." He grinned brightly and motioned for the other children to follow him out of the hall to the sleeping quarters, which they eventually did.
When Dashi finally fell asleep, though, the only reason was to make the next day come faster. He couldn't wait.
---
In a back room of the temple, Master Chang bent over a roaring fire, returning a moment later to a table in the center of the room carrying a red, oval-shaped object. He laid the egg on the table and watched, and for a moment all it did was smoke gently. Then, a faint tapping sound could be heard, and a single ivory-colored claw poked its way through the shell. More claws followed, then a larger crack appeared and the end of a snout pushed through. Finally, the shell split cleanly down the middle and a tiny creature plopped out onto the table. It was shaped something like a ribbon, with fine green scales and a crest and beard of red fur. Smiling, the temple master gently picked it up and scratched its belly. The little dragon cooed happily and began to chew on his finger.
"Welcome to the world, Dojo."
---
End Prologue
---
Feedback is much appreciated.
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Kickassgirl on September 5, 2006, 11:55:57 AM
Kickassgirl on
Really good so far. I read it on fanfic, and probably should have just waited, oh well. Keep it up!