A/N: Missed me anyone? This is Tajeri Lynn striding forward with Chap the 3rd of the famous "Demon Heart" saga from tari-chan! Thanks are given to Vampire Naomi, Zarius, Chibi-Hime and Pusspleef-in-Boots for continuing to inspire and read the works of Extremo Luchadore. Hsi Wu, Jade and others are under the enslavement of Jackie Chan and Kids WB. Hsi Wu and Jade do love each other. It's kids like us who have to keep freeing them, you know.
Track 3: Why can't I love her?
The next morning…
"Jade, what's up?" Hsi Wu asked. The Sky Demon, old as a god yet young as a child,
"Hsi Wu, how dare of you to come here and ask me how I'm doing. You were a jerk yesterday. Why are you always keeping me in the dark…." Jade spoke, her red lips quivering in frustration.
"Jade, I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark. But it's for good reasons," Hsi Wu covered. Now all he hoped was for Jade not to question those good reasons.
"Are we not friends? We're friends, aren't we?" Jade then looked down at the silent floor, holding back small, salty tears. Seymour put his hand on her shoulder and she looked at him through her golden eyes. Seymour smiled, for rarely ever would such pretty spheres present themselves to him.
"Here, I picked these," Hsi Wu said, giving her a handful of shining blue lilies.
"What? Where did you get these?" Jade asked, holding up the flowers.
"Hey you brats! What are you doing to my lilies!" yelled a young, but not so young woman who was charging towards them. The woman was much bigger and ran like she could cross miles.
"What? Did you rip them out of Miss Lily's yard?" Jade asked the boy bat.
Hsi Wu nodded. "Well, yeah. I thought of you when I saw them and I was thinking she wouldn't care if I picked some."
"AH! We better get out of here. Come on, Hsi Wu, before she lets us have a piece of her mind." With that, Jade grabbed Seymour's wrist and ran hard as their little feet could permit them. The two went up hillside streets and steep inclines, but amidst all the zig-zagging, Miss Lily hadn't lost a breath, or maybe she just didn't notice.
"HEY! GET BACK HERE!" the lady yelled.
"Hsi Wu, this way," Jade said, pulling the Sky Demon roughly into a nearby alleyway. Unfortunately, a steel fence stood there, like it wanted to put the kids in trouble. Neither one had much experience in climbing that. "Ah. Dead end," the little Chan panicked as the mad, mad lady got them cornered.
"Jade, hold on," Hsi Wu urgently picked her up.
"Hsi Wu," Jade said.
Hsi Wu sprouted his indigo wings off his childish back and carried Jade and himself over the fence.
"Ah!" the freaked-out Miss Lily toppled flat on her behind, completely in shock the boy had wings. Perhaps exhaustion hallucinated her? Perhaps.
"Well, at least we lost her," Jade found time to exhale, feeling relieved, if not just a tad intimidated that a boy her size was carrying her, especially when he was beyond a mortal boy.
"Out of energy already?" Hsi Wu asked.
"No way. I just wish I had a cell phone to call school and say I'm absent," Jade replied.
Hsi Wu smiled at her. "Is school that boring?" He'd dislike to think boredom would chap Jade Chan's beauty. He decidedly brought up another subject "I hope you know you talk in your sleep, pretty Jade."
Wrong subject.
"What do you mean I talk in my sleep? Were you spying on me last night?" Jade asked, worse yet, demanded, her arms folded up as she glared at the now uneasy Hsi Wu.
Oh no, she's getting in on your voyeurism. Think of something to say, Hsi Wu. The demon boy coolly raised up a more complimentary voice.
"Did anyone tell you that you're wise beyond your years, and you look very hot when you're mad?"
"Some people tell me I'm wise beyond my years, and…Wait a minute, did you just say I look hot when I'm mad?"
"Yeah…or do you prefer to be called hottie?" Hsi Wu spoke, his smiling face moving closer to Jade, who felt uncomfortable in the claustrophobia of a demon's arms.
"Hsi Wu, are you trying to win brownie points?" Jade questioned. She shut her eyes as if to deny her lover's impending glory over her. She wasn't about to compromise her tomboyish-ness juuuuusst yet.
"Is that what you call it? To get extra points with a girl?" Hsi Wu teased.
"Hsi Wu, why do you keep asking questions?"
"To get extra points with a girl," Hsi Wu teased her again.
Jade smirked and gave him a gentle punch in his arm.
Seymour nearly shouted, quite unaware that Jade could strike his immortal soul through his mortal body. "Ouch, what was that for?"
"For getting extra points with a girl," Jade half-scoffed her answer.
"Well, did it work? Getting extra points with you?"
"No," Jade said and Seymour stared at her hard. But it was the good kind of hard, for now the deceptive adolescent's chocolate eyes poured into her sights. Her own eyes felt an eagerness to treasure that vision forever, whilst her cheeks felt like the blood was about to bloom all over in joy. She quickly halted the possibility of a blush by opening her mouth. "Alright. You did a bit," she conceded quietly.
"Yes," Hsi Wu whispered.
"But that doesn't mean I'm not still mad at you and I plan to find out what you're really up to," Jade warned him, her desirous visions of Hsi dissipating to the pits of memory. She'll try and deal with them later.
"You sound so determined to find out what I'm up to. Don't worry, you'll know someday," the boy grinned, bouncing the girl he carried like a precious object, though wishfully she wouldn't come down to being anything so superficial. I want to win your heart like how you strangely won mine. Hsi Wu's wings elevated them up beyond the clouds. The city of San Francisco became like a spot on the map.
"Where are we going?" Jade asked, looking at Hsi Wu.
"We are going only where few ever wonder. Beyond the clouds. Hold on, Jade, and close your eyes. I'll tell you when it's safe for you to open them." Hsi Wu flew into the clouds. "Hold on, Jade." Hsi Wu repeated. Jade leaned against his chest with her eyes closed. She wasn't sure why, but she trusted the Sky Demon even from such a frightful ascent. His careful clutch, protective though not selfishly so, made the flight more blissful than frightful indeed.
Beyond the clouds….
"Okay, Jade, open your eyes." Hsi Wu informed her. Jade opened her eyes and gasped.
"Wow, it's so beautiful. And look, there are swans here too. This is the best place I've ever seen in my life. I never knew there was so much behind the clouds. Personally, I always wondered what was behind the clouds and now I know. All thanks to you," Jade watched Hsi Wu with renewed glee.
She fell for it. She's falling in love with me. Hsi Wu's mind cackled. But what am I feeling inside my heart? Am I falling in love with her too? No. I'm the demon player. I won't have a pathetic human emotion. Jade Chan leaned against his chest and smiled at Hsi Wu. He frowned and felt his heart melt like chocolate. If only he'd become his old demon self earlier, for now he yearned for Jade's enticing warmth over his unclothed skin. Still, necessity told him to best keep a hold of her. Being in the heavens meant having to go back a long way down.
She's right. It does look beautiful beyond the clouds. My heart tingles when she's near me. I never felt this strongly towards anyone in all my life. Why now? Why her? Why can't I love her. Why won't Tso Lan let me love her? She doesn't seem to be a demon princess at all. I can't believe that Tso Lan thinks she's a demon princess.
True, I want to protect her with all my life. I don't care if she is the demon princess, she is the girl of my dreams and if she is the demon princess she'll be my princess. It'll be our little secret. Just between two forbidden lovers only wanting to love each other. Hsi Wu bit his bottom lip as he stared at Jade. Jade still held the lilies that Hsi Wu gave to her in her hands.
"Hsi Wu, look. The sunset. It's so pretty." Jade pointed to the sun going down.
"You bet," Hsi Wu agreed, staring at the sunset. Jade looked at him. He changed from a jerk to a real dream guy. I wonder why? Does he like he me or is he only wanting to win my heart so he can show me off to other demons. He's being so generous to me and winning my heart a bit. He's being all romantic to me, showing me places I could only dream of. I guess that's what happens when you are the Sky Demon. You can fly in the sky and have someone special to share it with. I'm glad he chose me to see beyond the clouds." Jade's heart started to feel all fluffy and light.
"Jade, I want you to remember this. Beyond the clouds. This is my first time behind the clouds too. This is our secret place. Between you and me," Hsi Wu told Jade.
She smiled. "I will," Jade promised.
"Good. Well, we should go back to your place," Hsi Wu said.
"Okay. Thanks Hsi Wu for taking me here. You are winning a lot…I mean, a bit of brownie points with me," Jade spoke quickly so as to straighten her trembling voice.
"I'm winning brownie points from you. That's good news. You are also winning a lot… I mean a bit of brownie points with me too," Hsi Wu replied, half-mocking, half-teasing lovely Jade. "Close your eyes and lean against my chest. We'll be going through the clouds again," the Sky Demon replied before his fluttering wings sliced through the air in flight. Jade leaned against his chest and closed her eyes.
"Jade, we're almost at your home," Hsi Wu told her. Jade opened her eyes. She loved the feeling she was getting when she was flying back to Earth's ground. It was like a dream of her flying for fun. The refreshing cold breeze blowing on her made her feel so free, especially when she was being held by the guy who was winning her heart. I think I'm falling back in love with him, but it's not love at first sight. I don't know. I hope I never wake up from this dream, it's too good to wake up from or am I awake. It feels like I'm in a dream with the guy I'm slowly by every minute falling harder and harder in love with him. Forgetting all the heartbreak other guys left me. He is the only guy who picked up for me. Jade stared at Hsi Wu's face, the chocolate eyes, the gray hair, the big grin…. This was but his human façade, the façade of Seymour who never truly existed, and yet being human seemed more to Hsi Wu's liking than being a demon. Jade knew for sure it was most certainly to her liking.
"Hsi Wu, am I dreaming? Are you really carrying me?" Jade asked.
"Of course. Here," Hsi Wu told Jade as they landed on the ground right by her door. He put her down on her feet. "Jade," Hsi Wu said before entwining a blue lily in Jade's hair. "I want you to have this lily. To remember this night. You and me under the same blue sky, in the clouds and falling for each other." Hsi Wu licked his lips as he stared at her. "You are more beautiful then in the night of the dance…. I promise, you and I will thrive, under the stars and moon where the sky keeps lovers together forever." Hsi Wu continued touching her face gently. He started to lean towards her to give her a midnight kiss. Jade closed her eyes as he leaned in closer. Inches away from touching.
The door opened. Hsi Wu flew away. "Jade?" Jackie questioned. "What are you doing here this time of night? You should be in bed," Jackie said. "Oh. Yeah," Jade chuckled cheaply, entering the house. Jackie nodded and closed the door. A spiky-headed shadow looked at the door one more time before meeting with his brethren.
Well Jade. I just have to wait to give you a kiss that I long for. Hsi Wu thought, flying away.
End Track 3
Notes on this chapter….
How did the chapter begin with a morning and ended at midnight? Why didn't Jackie go bonkers over Jade staying up that late? Don't ask me!
As before, Seymour comprises the number of appearances for the Sky Demon, NOT Hsi Wu.
Wait till you check out the next chapter. It's a million laughs!