Ana: Hello there. I am Anatonia Barcelona, but you can call me Ana, -smile- Now let's start the story, shall we? Hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I own no aspects of Xiaolin Showdown, but Ahn-Li and all aspects surrounding her story belong to me.

Chapter 1: A New Dragon

It was a chilly fall day in Atlanta, Georgia. Cross Keys High School was letting out for the day, the students were making their way across the schoolyard. The scene was very lively, the students flitting around and chatting excitably with each other about the latest trends and hottest celebrities. However, their socializing abruptly ceased as one student walked out of the school building. They all grew quiet, staring at the young Chinese girl walking out of the double doors.

She had pale skin that looked almost as if it had never been touched by any sunlight. Large, almond shaped lilac eyes peered from under a black hat with the letters ATL in silver letters and the bill angled slightly over her right side. Waves of ebony hair spilled out from under it, the locks going down to her hips. The front portion of it was dyed orange. Her gloved hands were stuffed into the pockets of her black leather trench coat. She quickly walked down the sidewalk as the whispers and heckling giggles of her peers were heard, hoping to just get home without conflict this day.

Unfortunately for her, fate felt like spitting upon her, as per the usual. "Yo, Pinkeye!" a boy called out to her from behind. She frowned and ignored his call, holding her head high and continuing to walk. "Ahn-Li Nguyen! I'm talkin' to you!"

The girl, Ahn-Li, stopped and whipped around, eyes alight with irritation. "Do you mind, Ricky?" she asked heatedly. Surprisingly, her accent had a hint of the South in it. "Unlike you, I've got things to do."

Ricky put a hand over his heart and took a step back, acting as though he had just been shot. "Harsh. And here I was gettin' ready to compliment you."

Ahn-Li raised an eyebrow at Ricky. "Really, now…?"

"Martial arts." The mention of that piqued her interest a little bit, but not enough to erase her suspicion. Her hands went to her hips. "I mean, how could some little shrimp like you be so tough?" he said mockingly.

"Tch…" Ahn-Li rolled her eyes and began walking off, "Isn't it time you got a life?"

Ricky watched her walked away with a frown. He hadn't gotten the desired reaction at all. "You know…" He smirked, forcing out a laugh. "It's also weird how some freak like you can strut like she's actually someone."

She stopped dead in her tracks as the crowd of students fell dead silent. She turned her head to him, her lilac eyes showing pure fury. She crossed one foot over the other, using that to pivot herself around as she took her hands out of her pockets.

Her messenger bag slid from her shoulder and fell to the ground with a quiet plop. She began taking dangerous steps towards him, cracking the knuckles on one hand. "See, I've been trying so hard to keep out of fights lately." That wasn't entirely true; she'd just gotten back from a two week suspension for that very reason. In total contrast to her scorching eyes, there was a delicate smile forming on her face as she reached Ricky, cracking the other hand. "Then, you had to go and piss me off…"

Her hand curled into his fist and she tucked it back, putting all of her power into it as she thrust it forward. When her fist was almost at his face, a yellow spark suddenly emitted from her hand, striking the boy so hard that it sent him flying across the schoolyard. The students started chattering again. Some with seriousness. Some with worry.

After a few moments of staring at her hand, Ahn-Li picked up her bag and dashed out to the streets. She traveled about four blocks and then jumped over the white fence in front of her house. It was a white, two-story structure, a large arch-shaped overhang covering the cherry wood door. A light blue railing traced around the rectangular deck, complete with a porch swing fit for four hanging from the roof.

Ahn-Li ran up the cobblestone walkway, jumping onto the porch and flying through the front door. "Mama! Papa!" She threw her bag from her shoulder, running through the hallway, "Nai-Nai! Nai-Nai! Are y'all even home?'

A short woman with wisdom lines in her face-in other words, wrinkles-in a black turtleneck sweater and pants, Ahn-Li's grandmother, came from around the corner, her grey hair tied pulled into a bun. She waved a red silk fan with a golden dragon sewn into it over her face. "Must you always be so loud, child?" She asked with a kind smile, grabbing Ahn-Li by the hand. "Come, Yue. We have a guest. Oh!" She stopped her and then reached down to untie her shoes. "Shoes, dear."

Ahn-Li let out an exasperated sigh, stepping out of her shoes. "But, Nai-Nai, this is important!" She protested as she was dragged towards the living room. "Okay, so at school, Ricky was making fun of me again. I may have lost control of my temper and was about to punch him, right?"

"Yes." The aged woman sat Ahn-Li down on the leather couch and sat down in the chair beside her. "And?"

She sat on her knees to face her grandmother and continued to speak. "When I was about to hit him, this weird yellow…sparky thing came out of my hand! I don't know what it was!"

"It was an elemental attack." said a calm voice from beside her.

Ahn-Li up and saw an elderly man in blue and white robes with a black mustache and beard and kind blue eyes sitting across the table from her. Master Fung. Sitting beside her on the couch was her younger sister, a peach skinned girl with black pigtails wearing a school uniform. Judging by the frown on her rosy lips, she was far from pleased right now. Across from her, on the sofa next to Master Fung, were her parents. The mother was an adult version of her youngest daughter, only her hair was cut to her shoulders and she wore a light blue Chinese dress. The father had short hair and round spectacles pushed onto his nose. He was dressed in a crisp black business suit, looking as though he had just come from work.

Ahn-Li blinked, looking from person to person to person. "What the—? How'd I end up in the—?" she stammered then looked at the elderly man, going silent for a moment. She scrutinized him, her eyebrows pushing together. "Who're you?"

"My name is Master Fung." he answered, bowing his head to her, "It's nice to finally meet you, Ahn-Li."

Ahn-Li's already large eyes got even wider. "Why do you know my name?"

"Jeez, Li-Ahn." Her sister said, "Why do you have to ask so many questions? By the way, it's impolite not to take off your coat when you enter the house."

Ahn-Li glared at her, sucking her teeth. "It's more impolite to speak when no one was talking to you, Jing."

Jing rolled her eyes and put up her palm facing Ahn-Li. "This is America, Li-Ahn. Freedom of speech."

"Shut up, ya sassy-mouthed little twerp!" she snapped as she put the smaller girl in a headlock.

"AAH!" the younger girl whined as her sister gave her a noogie, "Li-Ahn is a meanie! Mama make her stop!"

"Take it like a man, squirt!"

"But I'm a twelve-year-old girl!"

"Irrelevant!"

"Chénmò! Nǐmen liǎ!" Their mother shouted, causing both the girls to freeze.

Their mother was not one to yell, which meant it was bad news when she actually did. Ahn-Li clicked her tongue, looking down at Jing. "Way to go, squirt… You made Mama mad again."

"Me? You're the one who's got me in a headlock!" Jing snapped.

"Stop it, you two!" She yelled again before they could start arguing again. "The outcome of this situation is important to Ahn-Li's future!"

Ahn-Li stopped to look at the serious faces around her. "My future?" Her grip loosened on her little sister. "What about my future?"

"Wen." said the woman's husband, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We should tell her everything."

She scanned the room. Her usually easy-going family was suddenly so serious and it was unbearably discomforting. Even Jing was silent for once in her life. "What's going on here?"

"So many questions. The young mind is truly a joy." Master Fung smiled at her, putting his hands inside the sleeves of his robe. Ahn-Li, have you ever considered yourself to be a bit different from the people around you?"

"Well… I kinda am different." she said, gesturing to her body.

"I did not only mean physically." he told her.

The girl tilted her head to the side in slight confusion. Wen cleared her throat to get her daughter's attention, a nervous smile on her face. "Ahn-Li, remember how I said my family's dragon trait skipped both of our generations?" she asked. Ahn-Li nodded. The older woman chuckled lightly but nervously, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "Well, it actually… didn't skip you. Not completely at least."

Ahn-Li's eyes widened. "Mama said what?" she exclaimed in a sudden hip-hop colloquialism, frantically rolling up her sleeves to check for scales.

Her grandmother put a hand on her shoulder. "Relax, child. You aren't that sort of dragon." she turned to Master Fung, "Am I correct?"

He nodded, "That you are, Yang- Li." He turned back to Ahn-Li, "Ahn-Li, you are what they call a Dragon of the Elements. In China, I am already training four other Dragons of the Xiaolin Order, Water, Fire, the Earth and the Wind. You, dear girl, are the next Dragon. The Dragon of Light. When the balance of this world is shaken, it is the duty of the Xiaolin Dragons to defend the world—"

"And restore the delicate balance before it's destroyed." Everyone's attention was on Ahn-Li now as she finished his sentence. "The Tale of the Xiaolin Dragons…" The pale girl breathed as she turned to Yang-Li, who was smiling casually, waving the fan over her face again. "Nai-Nai, my bed time story—"

Yang-Li smiled. "Some stories aren't just stories, Yue."

"Ahn-Li." Master Fung said, calling her attention back to him, "This is not mere coincidence. You may not have realized it, but, you were always destined to be the Dragon of Light. I would be pleased to have you come to the Xiaolin Temple and hone your skills."

She looked to her mother and father, her eyes pleading for help, "Mama? Papa?"

Her parents exchanged a glance with each other and her mother looked down at her hands. "Master Fung is right." Her usually over-protective father agreed.

"Papa!" She exclaimed with her hands curling into claws, shocked at his quick response. "Hell, could you have answered any quicker?"

Yang-Li's fan suddenly snapped shut and flew into Ahn-Li's forehead with a loud thwack!. Ahn-Li yelped, covering her forehead as her grandmother gave her a steely look that could have very easily had the potential to kill. "Mind your tongue, Yue." Yang-Li never liked it when Ahn-Li swore. She felt it was unbecoming of a young lady and yet another reason they should have stayed in China.

Cheng's hand went to the back of his neck, rubbing it as he went on to explain himself further. "I'm not saying that I want you to go, honey. I really don't." He said with a wry smile. "But you might have a better chance in dealing with this there, with others who share the same traits." He defended himself.

She stood up, her eyes now carrying a hint of anger in them. "But what if I don't want to go, Papa? Huh?" She asked bitterly, placing her hands on the table. "I just want to have a normal life! Having this Albino gene from your side of the family is bad enough, having powers isn't going to make it any—"

Suddenly a pulse passed through the table and a bolt struck up beneath a teacup, sending it into the air. As it came down, Master Fung caught it on his index finger, every last drop of the liquid falling right back into the cup. "… Better…" She whispered the last word, staring at her hand.

"Nice reflexes!" Jing complimented Master Fung, clapping enthusiastically.

Ahn-Li looked to her parents for support once again, hoping to receive more than just a "you should do it". Their eyes bore into hers. Prompting. Anticipating. She knew exactly what they wanted her to say, but she also knew that she wasn't ready to give an answer just yet. In actuality, she wasn't sure if she would ever be.

She turned back to Master Fung. "Master Fung, can I think it over awhile, please?"

"You may." He nodded. "I would also like to talk privately with your family."

Ahn-Li stood up and walked for the stairs. She turned around and bowed before proceeding up the stairs. Despite her demeanor, respecting her elders was natural to her, as it was drilled in since birth. She turned a corner upon reaching the top step and walked into her room, which was fairly large. It was decorated with dance posters, karate belts and shining medals and trophies from various contests. One of the walls was a large mirror with a ballet barre attached to it, by her mother's request. She untied the sash on her trench coat and tossed it over the foot board of her bed, walking over to the mirror. Sighing, she placed her hands on the barre.

Why me?She asked herself, staring at her reflection as she did a plié. I'm sixteen, almost seventeen. I'm supposed to be getting zits, but noooo. I had to be a late-blooming dragon!She groaned and did a relevé, lifting a leg up onto the barre and leaning over to stretch it.New York is one thing, but I don't want to move to another continent, not without my family… Away from Mama and Papa and Nai-Nai… Plus, I don't even know howto be a Dragon.

She did the same thing with her other leg. But, then again, maybe I should go. I mean, I don't have much else here. If I'm lucky, I could even make friends with the others. But I don't know…

She stopped mid-thought, looking towards her door. I wonder what they're saying down there.

Ahn-Li brought her leg back down again and dusted her pants off, walking out of her room. She crept towards the stairs and was careful not to step on the squeaky floor boards. She was used to sneaking around the house like this to sneak out to the dance studio at night.

She soon reached the stairs, hearing the faint voices of Master Fung and her family as they conversed. Quietly, she crept down the stairs, sitting down on the stair at the point where the wall and the banister met. She had used this spot many times before, usually when her principal or her counselor came to report on her. Her father was speaking at the moment.

Cheng's eyebrows had pushed together and his arms were folded tightly over his chest. He was not particularly angry, but that didn't exactly mean that he was happy. His teeth ground together and his jaw was set as he looked over at Yang-Li. "Mother, I specifically remember you telling me that those stories you told Ahn-Li as a child were just that. Stories." He growled at her.

"No, I said that there was no harm in telling her those stories, Cheng." His mother said calmly, waving the fan over her face daintily. "I knew who she was destined to be from the very beginning. And you should have, too, considering yours and your wife's ancestries. It's in her blood."

She fanned herself slower and flipped it to the dragon side, gazing down at it a moment before looking back up at her son. "However, I know that she'll now appreciate those stories and treasure them even more than she already does." She looked sharply at her son. "And you should also appreciate my teaching her Kung Fu and much of the ancient ways at such an early age."

"That is true." Wen agreed, putting a finger to her chin as she found a silver lining. "Plus, sending her to the temple seems like it would be good for her. You know, having her be around other dragons."

Jing's head tilted to the side slightly. "Jake and Haley and Grandpa are all dragons." she pointed out, "She's with dragons all the time, so what's the big deal on sending her all the way to China?"

"Aside from the fact that her training would take place there, it would be for her own safety." Master Fung pointed out, causing everyone's heads to snap towards him. He let out a light sigh, looking into his tea. "There are many enemies of the Xiaolin Order. There will always be someone who wishes to keep the number of Dragons from increasing. By whatever means necessary." He looked up at them, his eyes reflecting a hint of worry. "If you were to keep her here, you all would be in danger as well."

Cheng went wide-eyed and Wen gasped. Ahn-Li's heart skipped a painful beat. Mama, Papa, Jing and Nai-Nai… They could get hurt cause of me…? She thought, putting a hand over her heart in an attempt to relax it.

Jing shrugged. "I say let Li-Ahn go." She said, leaning back into the couch. "If it'll get her out of the house I'm all for it."

A large vein throbbed on the side of Ahn-Li's head as it usually did when she was mad. Why, that little…! And I was worried about her!

"Jing!" her parents scolded her as Yang-Li bit back a giggle.

"What?" she asked innocently, blinking at them as if she were clueless to what she had just said. "I'm just putting in my two-cents, is all. She wanted to go back to China, anyways."

Yang-Li put her hand up to quiet the discussion. "Before we decide on anything, we should hear what she wants to do." She smiled and tilted her head towards the stairs. "Isn't that right, Yue?"

The rest of the Nguyen family and Master Fung turned to the stairs as Ahn-Li reached the last one. She walked over to the rest of the group, taking her usual position in her grandmother's lap and leaning against her shoulder. Yang-Li smiled at her, reaching up to pat her head. "So, what is your decision, Yue?" she asked.

Ahn-Li sighed. "Well…" She began, folding her arms over her chest. "Seeing as I would be hunted down and y'all would be in danger, too, I guess I'll go."

"You're sure about this?" Cheng asked her, his overprotective demeanor showing itself as he stared at her with sad eyes. "This is a big step. You don't have to go."

"Mm-hmm. Plus, staying here would kind of be pointless after today, y'know? So, yeah…"

Master Fung pushed himself to his feet. "I'm pleased to hear you will be joining us Ahn-Li. When is the most convenient time for you to come?"

"Hm…" she put a finger to her chin, "It's Tuesday, so I guess Saturday would be best. You know, to get things cleared up at school and everything…"

The old monk smiled kindly at her. "Excellent." He bowed to the family and then headed for the door. "I will see you in a few days."

Ahn-Li bowed in return, then straightened up and waved to him as he walked out. "Later, Master Fung."

The following day, Ahn-Li went back to Cross Keys to speak to Mr. Ronaldo, the school principal. Rather than telling every last detail of her new situation, she simply said that she was going to a private boarding school in Hong Kong. She also brought a note from home, one reluctantly written by her father.

Mr. Ronaldo was a very understanding man despite the fact that this girl was sent to his office just about every other week, twice on a bad week. Which occurred almost twice as often as a good week. nodded his head and set the note on his desk after reading it. "So, you really are leaving, huh?"

"Yes, sir." She said.

He smiled at her. "I, for one, am going to miss you." He said, standing up, "But I hope that you will try to make this experience a positive one, Ahn-Li."

He held his hand out to her for a shake, but the girl kept a tight grip on her hands as she stood. She stared at his hand, fearing that the close contact with her unpredictable new powers would be a disastrous combination. She simply waved, shuffling out the door. "Oh, and Ahn-Li." He called to her.

She was already in the hallway and poked her head back into the room. "Yeah?"

"Try not to get into any fights at this school." He advised her with a grin.

A smile of pure amusement at the irony of this situation graced her face and she even giggled a little. "Mm-hmm." was her only response.

Ahn-Li was actually going to miss the principal too. Because of her short temper, she often got into fist fights, which resulted in being sent to the principal's office. Unlike other principals, though, he never just gave her detention and only suspended her for a week when she did something really terrible. He actually took the time to reach out to her and talk to her over a game of Chinese Checkers or Sorry!. By the time she left, she wouldn't even remember why she had been angry in the first place. Honestly, saying goodbye hurt a little more than she thought.

[~*:^:*~]

Ahn-Li did not attend school for the rest of the week, putting all of her time into getting ready for the big day. Saturday.

Friday evening fell upon them quickly. At the Atlanta airport, Ahn-Li was sitting with her parents, anxiously fiddling with the sash of her trench coat as she waited for her flight. "Would rows G through K on Flight 721 to Hong Kong please begin to board the plane now." said a voice over the airport intercom.

Ahn-Li and her parents stood up as her section was called. She walked towards the gate, then quickly turned around and ran back to her parents, hugging her father. "Bye, Papa." She said.

Cheng smiled, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "You'll do just fine, kiddo." he assured her.

Ahn-Li moved to her mother, holding her tight. She actually looked close to tears. "Bye, Mama."

Wen smiled, gently rocking her daughter as they stood. She then pushed her orange bangs from her face and tucked them behind her ear. "Just remember to always do your best… And to keep that right hook, okay, sweetie?"

Ahn-Li nodded, wiping her eyes. "Alright, Mama."

"That's my tough girl." She kissed her forehead and turned her around, nudging her towards the gate. "Now, go on."

Halfway to the gate, she turned around again. "You'll tell Jake, right?" she asked hopefully.

Cheng nodded with a laugh, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders. "Don't worry, we will."

Ahn-Li showed her ticket to the woman at the gate, and then walked through the long hallway to the plane. She took her seat by the window, looking out of it. She saw her parents standing in the large airport window, staring at the plane. She knew they couldn't see her, but she waved to them anyways. "Zai jian, Mama and Papa…" She murmured.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said the pilot, "We're about to take off. Please fasten your seat belts."

Ahn-Li followed the command. As the plane rose into the air, she began to fall asleep. It was the type of peaceful, dreamless sleep that had eluded her for a majority of the week. She had been up almost every night this whole week, so anxious about the trip she would have to train herself to sleep. She was grateful for this nap more than anything.

When her eyes opened, people were already getting off of the plane. She got up and walked off of the plane then to the baggage claim. After retrieving her suitcase she headed for the exit.

Ahn-Li waited outside the airport and she was getting really bored. She then noticed that she was baking in her coat. She untied the sash and slid it off her shoulders, revealing a tight blue tank top cutting off above her navel and dark blue jeans, white Air Forces on her feet. "I forgot, this is the other side of the world." She said to herself, draping the coat over her arm. She sat down on her suitcase and listened to her MP3 player, her head bobbing and her foot tapping to the music.

"Pardon me, young lady." someone said, tapping her on the shoulder.

Ahn-Li looked up and saw the four Xiaolin monks, unaware of who they were, but acknowledging that they were a strange bunch.

A tall, buff blond wearing a cowboy hat, only one blue eye visible beneath his hair. A lean-looking Brazilian with emerald green eyes who, in the back of her mind, she thought was kind of cute. A pint-sized kid wearing traditional robes and had… yellow skin? And she thought she was strange. And a petite Japanese girl, from what she could tell, with lavender hair in pigtails and what looked like a green, lizard wrapped around her shoulders. "Hey." She greeted them, pulling the earphones out and letting them hang on her shoulders. "Can I help you guys?"

"Yeah," Raimundo said, looking down at a small piece of paper, "We're looking for someone named Ahn-Li Nguyen."

"Do you know her?" Kimiko asked hopefully.

"That's me. Ahn-Li." They all went silent, only staring at her. She frowned. "Alright, what's with the weird faces?"

"From yer name, we were thinkin' you'd be…" Clay looked her up and down. "More Chinese-ish." he admitted.

"I am, but I was born here in China, but raised in Atlanta, Georgia since I was five. Didn't you see the hat? It's right there." she told them, pointing at her hat. The monks still looked confused. She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Okay, let's take a step backwards." She was instantly smiling. "Hi there, I'm Ahn-Li Jia Nuan Shi Ming Nguyen, the new Dragon." She bowed her head and then looked back up at them. "And y'all are?"

"You must be your parents' first child." Kimiko said, grinning at her introduction as she stepped forward, pointing at herself. "I'm Kimiko Tohomiko, the Dragon of Fire."

She was actually relieved that there was another girl and waved. "Hi."

Clay was the next to introduce himself, tipping his hat to her. "How do ya do? My name's Clay Bailey and I'm the Dragon of the Earth."

Ahn-Li inwardly rejoiced when she heard Clay's Southern accent, feeling even more at ease because it reminded her of home. "Nice to meet you."

Omi stepped forward with a smug smile on his face. "I am Omi, the mighty Xiaolin Dragon of Water." He said proudly.

Ahn-Li giggled as she looked down at him. "Hey, there."

Raimundo pressed his hand into Omi's head to keep him, and his ego, grounded. "And I'm Raimundo Pedrosa, the Dragon of the Wind and the Leader of the Dragons."

"Really?" She bowed to him quickly in respect to him. "Nice to meet you."

They all suddenly became very quiet, the shuffling of feet and the honking of cars the only sound around them. Ahn-Li cleared her throat, also clearing away the awkward silence. "Sooo, Master Fung said y'all were going to take me to the Temple. But how are we getting there?"

"We're gonna fly Air Dojo, of course." Clay answered.

Ahn-Li's head tilted to the side in confusion until she saw Clay pointing at Dojo. She bent down to look at the little lizard-like creature and then busted out laughing. "You guys are funny. You can't expect me to believe we're getting out of here on the back of a gecko are you?" she asked between giggles. "Seriously, how're we getting there?"

Dojo growled at her, his eyes narrowing. "Look here, sister, I am not a gecko!" he retorted, pointing a claw at her.

Ahn-Li shrieked, jumping back a couple of paces, pointing at Dojo, obviously frazzled. "He talked!" she exclaimed, looking at the others for support. "That gecko just talked!"

Dojo gave the monks a look that clearly expressed his displeasure and then turned into a full-sized dragon in front of her. Her laughter ceased quickly and her jaw dropped. "I'm not a gecko! I'm a dragon!" he roared, looking her dead in the face.

"Alright, alright!" she put her hands in front of her defensively, "You're a dragon! My bad!"

Who knew there was so many types of dragons in the world? she thought.

The four monks got on the dragon's back. Ahn-Li looked up to the sky with a nervous eye, biting her lower lip. "Are you alright, Nguyen Ahn-Li?" Omi asked her.

"Yeah. Never better…" Ahn-Li said nonchalantly, mounting Dojo behind Raimundo.

As soon as the dragon left the ground, Ahn-Li grabbed onto Raimundo as if her life depended on it. He flinched, slowly turning his head to look back at her "Um, Ahn-Li…?"

"I, uh… may have an acute fear of heights…" She looked down briefly and then her arms jumped around him again, her head buried in his back. "Okay, I'm really, really scared of heights!"

"Don't worry, the first flight's always the scariest." Clay told her, looking back at her with a grin. "You get used to it in no time."

After a short flight through the sky, Dojo descended onto the grounds of the Xiaolin Temple with Master Fung waiting for them. Ahn-Li was still a little shaken by the fact that she just rode on a talking dragon's back. Master Fung walked over to them with his hands tucked behind his back, smiling down at Ahn-Li. "Ah, Ahn-Li. I'm glad you made it safely."

"Barely…" Ahn-Li replied, a bit dizzy.

"Turns out that the Light's terrified of heights." Clay said, jumping off of Dojo's back.

"I was not scared. Clinging to someone for dear life is a very formal greeting in China!" Ahn-Li snapped at him, swining her legs over Dojo's back. "Ack!"

As Ahn-Li was getting off the dragon's back, she lost her balance from a mixture of jet-lag and lack of acclimation, nearly falling. Clay caught her by the back of her shirt before ended up doing a face-plant. "Whoa! Good looking out, dude."

Master Fung pulled his hands from behind his back and handed her the folded robes of a Xiaolin monk. "Put these on, Ahn-Li. You will be wearing them when you are on the temple grounds." She unfolded the robes and looked at them, inwardly smiling at the color. "Kimiko." Master Fung called and she was soon beside Ahn-Li, "Will you show her to her new room?"

Kimiko smiled and nodded quickly. "Sure." She nudged Ahn-Li and started walking towards the temple, "Just follow me, Ahn-Li."

Ahn-Li looked back at the boys as she followed Kimiko, smiling sheepishly. "See y'all in a few."

Ahn-Li walked inside the temple leaving everyone else in the courtyard. "I still can't get over that girl saying 'y'all'." Raimundo commented, "It's like having another Clay around."

Secretly, though, he found the accent appealing on her.

"Rai, the girl's from Georgia." Clay reminded him with a hearty laugh, giving him a slap on the back. "You're gonna have to get used to it."

Inside the temple, Ahn-Li was still following Kimiko. She led her to the hallway in which the rooms were. Ahn-Li noted that they were separated by thin paper walls, much like the types she'd seen in the movies. Kimiko showed her an empty one at the end of the hallway, stepping aside to let her go in. "You can toss your stuff in here." She said with a smile. "It's gonna be nice having another girl around, you know?"

Ahn-Li couldn't help but smile back, finding this kindness refreshing compared to what she had endured at her school in Atlanta. "Thanks." She held the robes to her body. "I think I'll try these on now."

Kimiko nodded and began to leave, then stopped, looking back at Ahn-Li. "We'll be on the training grounds." Her smile expanded a little bit. "When you're done, come on out and we'll give you a tour."

Ahn-Li nodded enthusiastically, stepping into her room. "Thanks, Kimiko."

The raven haired girl left her and Ahn-Li began to switch outfits.

About half an hour passed since Kimiko had left Ahn-Li. The monks were on the training grounds, kicking Raimundo's soccer ball around. "It's been a while, Kimiko." Clay said, kicking the ball to her, "Where's the new girl?"

"I don't know." She answered, bouncing the ball a few times before passing it to Raimundo. "But she'll come."

Ahn-Li walked out to the training grounds of the temple and they noticed that she was still wearing her hat with the robes. Clay understood. What one wears is a key part of one's personality. "So, Nguyen Ahn-Li," Omi came running up to her. "How do you like the temple so far?"

"It's big. Reallybig." Ahn-Li replied, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "I just got lost coming over here."

Omi was bouncing up and down excitably, circling her as he did so. "Can we see your abilities? Please?"

"Um, sorry, little dude, but I have no control over them." She admitted, her eyes following Omi up and down and up and down as he pranced around her.

"You can't?" Clay asked, pressing his hand into top of Omi's head to hold him in place on the ground.

"Nope." Ahn-Li looked around the training grounds as she spoke. "Say I want to hit… that jar over there." She pointed at a glass jar across the way from them. "I don't know how I'm going to—"

Suddenly, a yellow bolt flew out of her finger, flying towards the jar. It bounced off of the jar and headed straight for the monks. "Hit the deck!" Ahn-Li shouted.

The monks ducked as the bolts zoomed past their heads and annihilated the training dummy. "You weren't kidding." Kimiko confirmed.

"Still, that's pretty cool. Hit me up high." Raimundo said, putting his hand up for a high five.

Ahn-Li was about to return it but ended up zapping Raimundo by mistake, sending him flying across the training grounds. "I'm sorry, like, so, so sorry!" She apologized, running to him and helping him up.

"No problem." He stood upright, cracking his neck, and then turned to his fellow monks. "So, how about that tour?"

"Please." Ahn-Li answered quickly, not wanting to get lost again.

Ana: Well, that was the first chapter. Hope you liked it.

Rai: I didn't. How come I had to get zapped?

Ana: Simple. I don't like you.

Rai: That's harsh, Ana.

Ana: C'mon, boy you know I love you. As for everyone else, see you in Chapter 3. Peace out.

(1) Nai-Nai- Chinese for "Grandmother"

(2) Yue- "Moon", for Ahn-Li's pale skin

(3) Wen basically, told her daughters to shut up