Chapter Text
At this moment, the Sky Demon Hsi Wu, though appearing satisfied with the progress of his plan, was locked in a fierce battle, torn by internal conflict. His human guise as the boy Seymour Jahoositz had successfully befriended Chan's niece, a crucial step in his scheme. Yet, a part of him, a part he had never encountered in his 900 years of existence, was in turmoil. This was the first sign of the profound transformation that was about to unfold.
That is why he felt deeply unsettled, his stomach churning with a mix of emotions. Like a relentless predator, a persistent voice kept gnawing at the back of his consciousness as he and Jade strolled homeward from the schoolhouse. These were sensations he had never encountered before, not once in over 900 years of his existence in this peculiar creation.
He couldn't comprehend why, in his guise as a preteen boy, he was experiencing such unexpected reactions from being close to Jade. A human form was supposed to be nothing more than a magical construct. So why was his pulse racing, his mind in a whirlwind of confusion? These unexpected emotions will surely intrigue the audience about his character development.
Why was he mesmerized by the luscious fragrance of lavender and lilacs from her silky, jet-black tresses? Or why did he desire to gaze into her alluring coppery orbs? Why did he yearn to make her giggle and smile forever and a day?
"What is wrong with me? She is just a pawn! All I require of her is to get inside the older man's shop and get my tail! And yet she's giving me shakes and shivers I can't ignore. Furthermore, dare I say it? Have I had fun with her these past two days? This is wrong!
This girl must have unknowingly cast a spell on me to let my guard down! Then that blasted chi wizard could banish me! That is the only logical answer! I won't be deceived!" he screamed mentally at himself. Mentally beating himself up for whatever prompted him to be such a traitor to himself and his family.
"Um, Seymour? Are you alright?" came the friendly voice of the only one who had called him a friend.
"Huh? Oh, sorry, Jade. I had a headache. You were saying something?" he looked back up at his friend, no, his pawn. He could never have friends. Demons didn't have friends. They could only have power and only looked out for themselves. That is just the way life worked.
Nothing could alter the Fate of one's lineage of what they were conceived to do. Nothing, so why wish it were different? That was deceiving yourself with an absurd fantasy and being the biggest fool eternally.
"You sure your okay? You look like you might be getting sick," she inquired in a concerned voice. She put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. That struck him internally extremely hard. Was she worried he was sick? She cared about his well-being.
"I'll be fine in a few moments. Is there something you want to ask me?" he said dismissively. Jade resumed speaking about the topic before her strange concern for his well-being.
"Um, yes," she apprehensively fiddled with her hair. He was astonished; she appeared nervous. After all, the Demon Sorcerers knew all about the Chans' escapades.
Furthermore, all had acknowledged that the little girl was more of a thorn in the side than her Uncle Jackie himself. She was reckless, courageous, unpredictable, and too enthusiastic to prove herself.
In addition, she had a hero complex and, worst of all, was a thrill-seeker. She unquestionably had great potential. However, unless she acquired some major discipline and started to think things through, she would be in a situation she couldn't escape.
Why did he suddenly care so much? Why did he care if she got into a problem she couldn't escape? She was the enemy; he shouldn't care if she was safe! He was brought back to the real world as Jade took out two necklaces. Was she blushing?
"I got these for you and me for our friendship and how we make each other whole. I don't know anything about Yin and Yang. But Yin and Yang go beyond dark and light. They um..." She seemed to have trouble speaking and finally got it out. "They also mean female and male. So Yin is female, and Yang is male. Although they are opposite in every way, they complete each other."
"You think I complete you?" he asked, stunned, as she placed half the necklace around his neck. He cupped it in his hands in great turmoil as more chaotic emotions welled up inside him. None of this made any logical sense!
"Well, Seymour, Fate seemed to have caused us to meet. Plus, I've never felt more content and or had someone who seemed to like me for me. I was hoping you felt the same. So if you did and want to be my friend, I'd like that."
"Yes, Fate seems to have caused us to collide. But, truthfully, I never had a friend before either," he acknowledged honestly as he looked back at her while holding the necklace.
"So we can be friends with each other? And if the answer is yes, do you also want to go to the dance together this Friday?" she pleaded with him.
Hsi Wu didn't know what to think or say. He could sense this was the most significant moment of his life. Suddenly, he looked up again. He was startled by what he saw. The world was frozen and colorless! It was as if someone had suspended time and emptied all the color from the planet while they were at it.
Except messing with time or reality was something even the most exceptional magic artisans knew you should never do! Some things were taboo for a reason! And this was one of them! Therefore, who'd broken a universal taboo? And why?
"Calm yourself, Sky Child. I comprehend the laws of magic. Furthermore, I am aware of the taboos of time, space, and reality. However, I'm granted a little freedom given who I am," came a voice behind him.
He immediately whirled around to see a captivating young woman in a plum-colored cheongsam. It complements her hair with her hot pink highlights. She had styled it in a sophisticated bun. Moreover, those highlights brought out her matching eyes and encircling tattoos. She had a few exquisite ornaments and carried a sheathed Jian sword at her side.
"Who are you?! What is going on?! What have you done?! Answer me?!" the masked Demon demanded in a panic. He sought to defend himself, discovering he couldn't return to his demon form. "What did you do to me?!" he asked in alarm.
"Listen here, kid. I'm the one who's got all the power right now. Consequently, you'd best zip it and listen. I don't make a face-to-face appearance to everyone who reaches their crossroads of destiny to give them a nudge. Therefore, you'd best shut up and listen, got it?" she snapped irritably.
"Okay," he did as she said. He questioned how someone could go from being so enigmatic to sounding like an ordinary woman having her period. But best not to offend the powerful woman in front of him.
The cryptic and enchanting woman swiftly regained her composure. She then began speaking once more in her heavenly voice. "Now, to answer your questions, Sky Child. I've multiple names and various forms, but I'm known to one and all.
I'm here because, in every soul's life, they reach a point known as "The Crossroads of Destiny," where they will make the most critical choice. Their choice at the Crossroads will conclusively determine their Fate and all those correlated to them for the rest of time."
"And your saying I'm at MY Crossroads?" he stared back at her in disbelief. He was quivering in terror now in this exotic woman's commanding omnipresence.
"Yes, you, Hsi Wu, after your incredibly long life, have reached YOUR CROSSROADS. This is why I've done what I've done. Bending the rules without breaking them. Instead, I've paused to allow you to consider your choice and offer guidance."
"You said you wanted to nudge me."
"Nudge is the only word I can use. You are still a living being and, therefore, possess free will. I can't choose for you. I can only offer wisdom and help you see some hidden truths. However, the decision you make here and now is still yours."
"Well, please tell me your name."
"The name you might know me by is 'Mingyun," the gorgeous woman answered him. It took the Chinese Demon thirty seconds to figure out who this woman was.
"YOUR FATE! DESTINY! That is what you meant. So many names and many forms know you! So different languages, myths, words, and beliefs!" he bellowed resoundingly. Now he was shaking so much he looked like a piece of Jell-O dancing to a beat.
"I see you are at least intelligent, Sky Child. Good. Now let's talk about you, Hsi Wu," she eyed him intensely, which creeped him out more. Still, it didn't stop him from answering her.
"I know who I am. I'm one of the eight demon sorcerers and the Sky Demon. What a stupid question," he scoffed at it.
"That's what your mind is saying. Unfortunately, when people reach their crossroads, there is frequently a disconnect between their minds and hearts while their Bodies battle it out.
It can be quite tiresome to assist them in sorting it all out and figuring out which path they should take reliably. Even if it's their choice for good or ill, what destiny path will they walk in the end?"
"What's that supposed to mean? How do you bend your own rules without breaking them? Moreover, ensure that you don't infringe on someone's free will. So you don't make their choice for them?"
"I can only allow a sort of glimpse, Sky Child. Again, words of enlightenment were used to discuss what might be and what could be. To see what both paths are and know all the likelihoods. After all, nothing is set in stone. Nevertheless, I still only speak of the truth here and now."
"Really? What truths do you speak then?'
"Well, do you deny you have a guilty conscience? Do you feel guilty for using Jade Chan to get back your tail? Do you deny that she is your first friend? Or that you enjoy her companionship? Moreover, will you further deny that you find her attractive?" She told the truth he denied to himself, laid it bare for him.
"I've only known her for less then two days! Plus, she was the one who snapped my tail off to begin with!" he shouted back at her.
"Friendship, kindness, and love are skilled at sneaking up on you. But, in addition, they swiftly get into your heart and soul. Particularly when they are willingly given with the person wanting nothing but to see the one they have given it to joyful in return."
"Sentimental nonsense," he replied dismissively. Mingyun narrowed her pinkish eyes at him and challenged him openly.
"Then why are you so concerned about her safety? Why care so much if that boy, Drew, was bullying her? You could've befriended her another way. It would've been easy to befriend her that way. But, instead, you chose to stand up for her. As a result, you were secretly happy even if you thought it was an act not to blow your cover. As a result, she didn't get in trouble for showing you your tail."
"How do you know what I think and feel?" he demanded of Maiden, who was Fate itself.
"Look into my Mystifier and see with unclouded eyes. This will bestow upon you the truth of your heart." She conjured up a peculiar sphere from her dainty hands to his tiny ones.
He was peering into the swirly rainbow mist; he perceived visions that considerably confused him. First, he saw himself as his true self. Yet he stood isolated and was suffering. He gazed upward at Mingyun for an interpretation.
"It's how you see yourself. Simply as "Hsi Wu the Sky Demon." A powerful demon sorcerer. Yet you are alone and miserable. Look at the next image," she benevolently encouraged the Demon of the Sky.
The Child of the Sky focused intensely as the mist whirled and blinked. The swirling rainbow mist formed a smiling, attractive, preteen human boy. This boy looked amiable, intelligent, enjoyable, and, most significantly, not alone. He gazed up at Fate in the human form she had chosen for him.
"This is how Jade Chan and her Uncle Jackie perceive you. More so, Jade. Now turn your attention to the last image in my Mystifier." The disguised Demon looked into the Mystifier, as she called it. The concluding image amazed him the most. It had taken every ounce of courage for him to look upon this image. He again was jolted by what Mystifier was revealing to him.
This time, he saw a tall, muscular young man. His bluish-gray hair looked windswept and shimmered with energy. He was the most impressive mortal Hsi Wu had ever witnessed. Energy crackled from every pore as he reached out for someone. But the young man's smile was the best feature, which radiated such joy that you never could feel sorrow again.
"Who is this mortal? What does he have to do with me?" the Demon questioned immediately. He didn't recognize the undeniable. It made Mingyun chuckle musically.
"Child of the Sky, that final image is you. Or, more accurately, you can become the person you choose to become."
"What? How could I possibly become that human? That princely human?" he almost dropped the Mystifier in incredulity. She winced as she hastily scrambled over to him. She steadied his hands to ensure he didn't break them before revealing the visions he'd observed in greater detail.
"I've just revealed three perceptions of how you are viewed. How you view yourself, how two humans view you, and ultimately, the person you have the power to become. Now, again, there are more perceptions for you to observe. Look at your true thoughts," again gesturing to Mystifier.
She waved her right hand over it to activate its magic. He saw his most concealed thoughts and dreams. He desired to go to the dance with Jade. He wore an elegant white shirt, black dress pants, and shoes. Jade was in an attractive emerald green cheongsam, and they were smiling. He saw them playing video games, going out for ice cream, and watching movies. They were laughing and enjoying each other's company.
He saw Jade blossom into womanhood, and things got more serious. He wanted the visions to discontinue. Yet he couldn't help but overhear the sounds of wedding bells. Nor could he avoid the cry of a newborn. "Enough! Stop it!" he shouted as if he'd been burned.
"Fine enough," Mingyun agreed. She took back her sphere from him. She didn't speak for a moment, allowing him to calm down. Then she said again. "You should know this, Hsi Wu, the truth. You won't find true love.
Instead, it finds you when you least expect it. You've heard of the red strings of Fate, correct? That they connect with soulmates? Is it best to start as friends and then grow into lovers to make it last?"
"Why are you tormenting me like this? You said it was my choice, Mingyun! Except you seem to be telling and showing me all this, so I'll make the choice you want," he argued back at her.
She shook her majestic head, reminding him again of her role. "I'm simply extending the truth and a glimpse of what is one possibility. I've not changed you in the slightest. Your mind, memories, and instincts are the same as your whole life, evil and demonic.
I can't change what you are. I only offer you the choice to determine who you CHOOSE TO BE. You're split between the heart and mind, hence the crossroads. That's why what will determine if your human or Demon will come out of the door of Uncle's shop when I start time again."
"What do you mean?" he was now thoroughly confused.
"That's where your choice will be made. You'll live in never-ending suffering if you remain on the Demon's path. If you choose the way of humanity? There is a chance for a whole life and happiness. However, that isn't a guarantee either. It is only a possibility.
That is your choice. Either way, I can't do more then I've done. I've given you a glimpse and shown you the truth. But ultimately, it's still your choice. What you do, Sky Child, next is up to you."
Before he could ask her what would happen, this choice of everything had started up again. He was once more back with Jade outside the shop. She looked like she was still waiting for him to say yes or no to the dance.
"Seymour? Um, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I mean, it's a silly dance. So if you want to go with someone else. I understand." The pretty preteen tried to hold back the tears in her eyes.
It broke his heart that this poor, lonely girl was in such pain. Yet, she could unquestionably hold her own against the forces of evil. The fact that she was only a child said something.
He is also known to be the youngest and smallest. He knew exactly what it was like to be bullied, tormented, and, most of all, lonely. For all of Jade's bravado, he could see in her eyes that she wanted to go to this dance and have someone who cared about her.
Again, new feelings he hadn't felt before welled up in him. The images of Mingyun were still fresh in his mind. Simultaneously, his long memory of his life as a demon played within his mind. At that moment, Hsi Wu made his choice.
"I'd love to go to the dance with you, Jade. However, we'd have to get some clothes first. I'm new in town. Sadly, I don't have anything for a dance. Plus, if I take the prettiest girl in class, she must look her best."
"Really?! Thank you! And you think I'm pretty?" she blushed at his words.
"The prettiest girl I've ever seen. Could you get your Uncle Jackie to take us clothes shopping? My parents aren't around much to do anything with me. Also, my siblings are the worst."
"Are your parents neglectful?"
He had to hide his own tears, then replied sadly, "More accurately, my parents are gone. Likewise, my siblings don't care for me. So I'm left on my own most of the time. So yeah."
"I'm sorry to hear that. No wonder you're lonely. Let's get Uncle Jackie and go shopping for clothes for the dance!" They held hands and continued to the shop. Except they're startled by what Uncle led out.
Hsi Wu panicked at first. He witnessed his missing tail in a poor disguise. Suddenly, something unexpected happened to him, and everyone else was in shock. The tail started to spasm violently. Then it shrieked before it withered up and died right before them.
"Okay, what the heck just happened?" Jade asked as they looked at the remains of Hsi Wu's tail.
"Yes, Sensei, what just happened?" Tohru questioned in bewilderment.
"Uncle doesn't know! It must be unknown demon magic! Must do research! Come Tohru. We must think of another way to find and banish Sky Demon."
"What is he talking about, Jade?" Seymour asked in genuine surprise.
"Um, that's what was in the box, the tail of a demon. But it's now dead, and none of us know why. So I don't know, maybe the Demon died? So we've nothing to worry about now? If the tail is dead, the rest of him has to be dead too, right?"
"I guess that makes sense. If the Demon is no more, then there is no reason for the tail to exist if it has nothing to reattach to," theorized Seymour as he pondered Mingyun's words.
"Let's forget about it. Um, Uncle Jackie?" Jade called out.
"Yes, Jade? Oh, hello, Seymour. Nice to see you again," the archeologist greeted him.
"You too, Sir," the preteen boy replied.
"
Jackie Seymour and I are going to the dance this Friday. We will need some new clothes for the dance. Can you help us locate and purchase them? Seeing how two 11-year-olds really can't afford anything," Jade requested while blushing up a storm.
"No problem. It is nice to do something normal for once. Let me get my wallet, and we can go to the mall. Give me five minutes." Jade smiled, looking happy. Seymour found himself smiling. Suddenly, everything froze again. He turned and found himself looking at Mingyun again.
"What? Did I make the wrong choice or something?" he asked her, and she smiled.
"No, I'm here to say I'll keep an eye on you and a few other people. It's not every day one chooses to renounce being a demon and choose the path of humanity. You have a long and challenging journey ahead of you. Additionally, learning to be human will take work. But choosing love and friendship was the right choice. So now you'll get help from all sides on your journey, Seymour, as you are now."
"Okay, so I'm now human?" he looked confused.
"In form, yes, Sky Child. However, to be one entirely, you've many lessons to learn. Nevertheless, you'll have great teachers. Moreover, there will be those to guide you. So enjoy the dance. Also, it would be helpful to learn to waltz. Enjoy your new life, Seymour."
"Thank you, Fate, " he replied gratefully.
"Welcome. May you be happy," the beautiful woman replied. And with that, time started again. Jade, Jackie, and the new human Seymour went to get clothes for the school dance. It was a new day and a new beginning for everyone.