Chapter 1 - De ja vu...

The atmosphere of the temple was peaceful, quiet, comforting. The perfect time to take a nap.

At least in the eyes of this elderly cowboy, the last dragon of earth.

But he had to be resilient- it was his turn to watch and test them, to help them to think like warriors-
Because after all what was the point of tests if you didn't learn anything?

He smiled as the inheritor of his element, Lee dodged the various traps of the obstacle course with ease as the other young dragons cheered him on-
Sasha dragon of water
Michael dragon of fire
and... Jack Spicer dragon of the wind.

It had been 80 years sice he'd been told, 80 years since he'd last seen the boy- before he'd travelled from that time with the infamous sands of time to now and yet he still felt shocked.

After all, who would have thought that Jack Spicer, the boy who regularly annoyed and attacked them all those years ago- didn't even belong in that time?

Or that he was a destined xiaolin dragon of the future?

Of course the future was now the present he suppossed.

Tearing his eyes off the childen he gazed into the blue azure sky.
Where HAD all those years gone?

He hadn't even realised until a year ago when Master Xao told him that Sasha, Omi's granddaughter and little Lee, the boy who'd lived in this temple all his life would be taking their respective places... since kimiko...

The ex dragon of the earth shifted uncomfortably. Poor Kimiko. It had just been her time.

He could almost laugh if it wasn't so depressing. How many years had they fought evil? How mnay times had they gotten THAT close to dying at the hands of Chase Young and other enemies?

And then she died peacefully in her sleep.

This had resulted in the need of new dragons, for ALL the elements- not just fire, Kimikos- for the special formations which they all formed together, only worked in that particular team. They couldn't just say, have Michael in their team to fight in her place- it just didn't work like that.

Besides in a few years, they'd also be gone- and where would that leave him?

The children... he really should be watching...

He glanced back, and noticed Lee pass through the finish line with ease- stuffed animal in hand.

Sasha stopped her watch and laughed "Well done Lee you beat my time by 2 seconds!"
Sasha- Omi's granddaughter, and inheritor of water- his own. So like Omi in some ways but in other ways so different. When the 2 stood side by side people could not believe they were actually related- he was short, she was tall. She had long flowing black hair and light skin despite her life in Australia- where for 10 months of the year until recently- she'd been raised.
In terms of personality was where she shared something of Omi's- she wasn't as boastful or proud as he was at that age (thank goodness). But she seemed to have had no doubt over her abilities and whenever there was room for improvement in the others, she didn't fail to point it out.

She didn't mean it rudely, she just meant to help- the boys realised that in the group and took heed of her words- most of the time(the realising AND listening parts), though of course not always.

But she also knew positive reinforcement usually worked better- something Omi hadn't learned until much later in life- as well as tact.

She was also slightly naive as Omi had been, about good and evil- she insisted like he had there was good in everyone- at least DEEP down. Though again, her naivity did not scale the extreme heights Omi's had.

Clay guessed she saw herself as the leader as Omi had done when they'd first met. She was motherly and kept the boys in line... a bit like Kimiko actually come to think of that.

Kimiko, the now passed on dragon of fire- HER elemental heir Michael, a boy from Africa slapped Lee on the back "You win again! you're starting to make us look bad, can't you just lose... for once?" he said jokingly.
Michael, the tall boy from Nigeria for the most part was good natured, but like Kimiko and his element he had a fiery temper. He had a strong sense of justice.
At first he had been wary, as had Lee about letting Jack into their 'family'. Particulary since the boy was an evil genius not so long ago.
But Sasha trusted him and eventually, he'd grown to do so- they were now friends.
But of course Jack had already felt the tail end of his temperment when both he and Sasha had accidently broken his phone while fiddling with it in the lab.
"We were just trying to upgrad- AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" The cowboy smirked at first when he had heard that girly scream- it suprised him actually, how much he'd grown to miss it.

Lee the Chinese earth dragon said proudly to his firey companion "Never going to happen my friend".
Too proud. The cowboy worried. Lee, having been brought up in the temple all his life, like Omi was proof that personality did not result from genetics- but environment. Like Omi had been, he was FAR too used to being the best. He was the spitting image of Dashi which sometimes made people wonder if they were realted in some way- but no-one could be sure.

He'd known Sasha since he was a baby, but until recently he'd always been MILES ahead- likely since she only came to the temple in the summer.

But both she and Michael, in the past year since they'd become pernament residents had achieved great gains in their fighting techniques- so now his head start was becoming smaller- which could Clay could tell worried him.

So any victory, however small soon became and ego trip.

He sometimes rushed head on into battle- trying to get whatever problem it was done quickly- he often forgot that as earth dragon sometimes you'd have to stop and think, no matter how many times Clay told him.

"Okay Jack You're up" said Sasha
The young goth, dressed in xiaolin garb, but with his pateneted goggles and make up still present, as ever walked slowly to the start/finish line.

"I think my title is safe" smirked Lee to her

"You don't know that- who knows what I'll do!" grinned Jack waving his arms manically

"Puh. You're not even an apprentice yet...OW!!" he yelped as Sasha smacked him "What was that for?!"

"Stop being a moron- he may suprise you."

"What with all the secret training you've been giving him? Excuse me but who was the last to make apprentice out of us 3...?"

Sasha gritted her teeth. The fact the Lee had been first and Michael and followed soon after was a sore point for her. It almost made her understand why Uncle Raimundo had once gone heylin for a while. Almost.

"Even I have to agree with Lee, you couldn't turn him into an expert in a MONTH" said Michael.

"You know! None of this helping!" complained Jack

"Just ignore them Jack-o, besides a 'fearful mouth flaps endlessly'"

"You are sooo related to Omi"

"Dude, I KNOW, will you please get over the shock? Its been a month- and yes I'm related to a 'cheeseball' as you say- just get over it!" she laughed "Now are you ready?"

He took a stance and nodded.

"Go!"

Clay almost collapsed with shock and layghter as the oh so familar scene played before him "De ja vu..." he murmured (a word he'd heard Kimiko say alot when younger)
as Jack went over and instead of completing the course, grabbed the stuffed animal adn went back to the line grinning.

Sasha stopped her stop watch "VICTORY!!" she yelled, as both she and Michael cracked up- with Lee looking outraged.

"I wish I'd thought of that!" giggled Michael

"But that's cheating!" Lee said, annoyed to say the least.

"Sorry mate I didn't see the point of doing all that kicking, spinning stuff if I didn't have to... I mean the toy was just THERE- why bother?"

He smiled as he watched the dragons of water and fire continue to laugh- so he jumped onto them- causing all 3 children to laugh even louder.

"Its not funny! This is serious!"

"Oh get over yourself Lee" snorted Michael "It's NOT that big a deal- its not a real contest..."

"We are here to fight evil! NOT to make jokes...."

Then Clay decided to intervene "But what Jack did was right... you 3- why don't you all take a break? I'll talk to this partner"
The 3 did not need to be told twice- they all ran out into the clearing beside the temple and collapsed underneath a huge tree to share more jokes- which had been planted by Raimundo himself when he had become leader... its branches seemed to twist and turn into the sky as if trying to sup water from the clouds, rather than the ground.

Lee was stumped- this was Clay, the predecessor of his own element- what he said was... law practically.

"Huh?"

"Hes learned that sometimes you have to..."

"Stop and think... yeah sure" Lee muttered "I know..."

"You think you know... you are hearing what I am saying little partner but you're not really listening...."

Lee gave him a tortured look. The cowboy smiled kindly, adjusting his beloved hat.

"Now go- join your friends- I think you all deserve the rest of the day off."

Lee gave a small smile and dashed of to reach his comrades telling them the good news. Soon the 4 had a mock battle, with Jack and Sasha wrestling each other as they rolled down the hill, before collapsing at the bottom laughing.

Clay smiled, it was hard to believe that THIS was the same Jack- laughing like a normal child and having fun with children his own age.

He had a better life then he'd ever had before coming to the future.

But sometimes Clay wondered whether the darkness would ever return to him- whether he'd ever turn to evil once more. And true on the outside he seemed happy- but was he?

He had not met Chase Young since traveliing and it was only a matter of time... and Chase would likely be more interested in him now since he was a chosen dragon- and well his friendship with Sasha WAS still a major plus, despite dispelling the immortal into the ying yang world 80 years ago.

But as Sasha had told him, he would escape and so he had- without anyone knowing how.

And who knew what other evil was there waiting and watching these 4 seemingly normal children, planning goodness knows what?

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