I don't own Jackie Chan Adventures, no money is being made with this story and I claim to own absolutely nothing.

Note: This is a sequel to my other story, 'Ni Tang'. You'll have to read that one first, I'm afraid. Also, I'm writing this AN in 2011, years after I finished the story. I have come to realise that this is my most problematic fanfic in terms of plot and character development, as some of the recent reviews indicate. I would very much like to rewrite parts of this story to make it flow better and to give it a more satisfactory ending, but at the moment I don't have the time for that. However, if I ever get the chance, I will definitely do it.

HEING MEH

Chapter 1

"... all members of the crew died immediately after the explosion. The research institute also suffered severe damage when parts of the shuttle crashed into it. Two people were injured and their state is currently..."

Jackie sighed leaning back on the sofa and staring at the gloomy face of the news reporter in TV.

Bad news. What else?

He didn't bother to fully notice Uncle's arrival. The old man would announce himself when he wanted something. And Jackie would be there to do anything he wanted, nowadays he didn't want Uncle to climb high or try to get a cup from the cupboard. Uncle was too old for that. Or that was what Jackie believed to be true.

The last five years hadn't made Uncle look any older and he was still as strong as ever. Of course he used his high age as an excuse every time he had the chance, but he was not fragile. Except in Jackie's eyes.

The archaeologist had followedas Uncle had hunted the demons these five years with no success. It had stressed him, but he was old enough to know when it was time to give up.

It seemed as if the seven members of the demon family had just disappeared.

Uncle sighed and sat on the sofa next to Jackie. They were both quiet and concentrated on listeningto the reporter, who was dressed in a ridiculous brown jacket. From his pocket peered a tiny moomin figure and the man hadn't noticed it at all.

"... this is already the third shuttle financed by the state that has been completely destroyed before leaving the atmosphere. It is not certain whether this is caused by some repeating flaw, or whether terrorists..."

Uncle snorted.

"Terrorist! Why is every accident always their fault?" he asked angrily and waved his hand as if trying to make everyone see his point.

Jackie frowned. "You don't believe it wasan act of terrorism? The government has spenta lot of money in this research. What could be a better way to make it look ridiculous? Maybe the Russian government is behind this, maybe they want to start their own research before us?" he suggested.

Uncle snorted again.

"Young fool. Cold War over. No human has anything to do with this," he announced with a voice that didn't leave room for objections.

Jackie found himself staring at the old man in surprise. "You mean that..." he started and Uncle nodded even though Jackie hadn't finished his sentence.

"Tso Lan. The moon demon doesn't want mortals to invade his kingdom. As long as he roams free no machine human has built can reach the moon," he said darkly.

"And I had thought we wouldn't be hearing from them again," Jackie said. These five years had been much more peaceful than he had ever dared to hope, the demons hadn't done pretty much anything.

It felt as if life was totally normal again.

Suddenly they both heard steps and turned around just to see Jade leaping the stairs down. She was humming something neither of her uncles recognised.

When Jade had first come to San Francisco she should have stayed only fora year had become a second one and now Jade still lived here, even when she was sixteen. Her parents had wanted it, in America their daughter had better possibilities to get a good education than at home in China. They both hoped Jade would one day become a famous doctor who could return to her home to help.

Even after five years Jackie felt cold when he looked at his niece and he had to remind himself that it was all over. Hsi Wu was gone and Jade free.

The girl hadn't wanted to actually tell them how she had escaped from the demons. She had just said they had been destroying the city and she had managed to slip away. Because the whole place had been chaos she had hid and returned home in the dark.

Jackie could still remember that night...

"Tchang Zu, the thunder demon and oldest of them is gone. His soul has travelled in the Dream world where all magical creatures go when their bodies have died," Uncle said in thought. Jackie sat on a chair holding his head.

"We killed him Uncle. I know he was a demon and evil, but it doesn't help. I feel really horrible," he said miserably and actually hoped Uncle would whack him and tell that what they had done was right.

But the old man didn't do it, just sighed.

"I do not know what this will cause. Ifeel the space he left behind and am afraid someone will use it. It would have been better if Uncle had been allowed to banish him to the Netherworld," he said.

"That sure makes me feel better," Jackie muttered quietly.

"It wasn't supposed to! If something horrible happens it's your fault, I told you demons should not be attacked with weapons!" Uncle snapped losing his temper for a while and immediately regretting it. Jackie lifted his gaze in shock and even Tohru stared at him.

Uncle drew a deep breath. "Let it be. We are all tired," he said.

Suddenly they all heard how the door was opened and Jackie stood up ready fight if needed. The demons knew who were behind the murder of their brother and certainly wanted revenge... Uncle snatched his chi ingredients and tried to remember the right banishing spells.

But it wasn't a demon that came in.

And it was no one dangerous enough to break places.

Black hair reaching shoulders, beautiful brown eyes...

"Jade!" was heard from three mouths at the same time and in the next moment the girl found herself in Jackie's arms. The man held her against his chest and for a while Jade really thought she was about to choke. But she didn't complain, she had missed her uncle too and was happy to find him all right.

"You are... okay," Jackie said and to her surprise Jade saw tears in the corners of his eyes. She didn't remember ever seeing Jackie cry and this made her feel both flattered and embarrassed.

"Tch, what did you expect? You didn't really think eight demons can match me, did you?" she asked cheerfully and just now realised how much she had missed her home and relatives. Oh, soon she would be sleeping in a real bed and eating real food!

Uncle stepped closer looking unusually gentle. He brushed Jade's cheek as if to check was the girl really there. The old man smiled. "How did you escape?" he wanted to know.

Jackie placed Jade on the floor and she shrugged. She didn't dare to look anyone in the eyes fearing she might reveal the truth then, but she had to say something.

"Well, it was like this..."

Now Jade wasn't that brave little girl anymore, she had grown into a beautiful young woman. Her hair was still short, it barely reached her shoulders, she was now taller and her body was well developed. She was still shorter than most girls her age, but the lively twinkle of her brown eyes and happy laughter could make anyone forget that.

Jade was dressed in an orange sleeveless sweatshirt that resembled the one she had favoured as a child. It was a bit darker and made the raven colour of her hair seem more fascinating. She wore brown capris and a silvery Chinese dragon decorated the left trouser leg.

The girl waved at them with her free hand, in her other hand was a guitar box.

"I'm off to Jacques, we have a training." she said happily before disappearing from the door and rushing to meet her friends.

When Jade had turned twelve Jackie had taken her to a rock concert at the stadium. All those people, the noise and screaming had of course impressed her, but Jade had really loved the music. Some had come there just to drink and embarrass themselves, but Jade had barely noticed it. Her whole attention was on the band's guitarist.

He had been a young man, not very handsome, but not ugly. He had leaped around the stage playing his guitar at the same time and totally charmed the young Jade. At that moment she had decided that she would become a guitarist too and nothing would stop her.

At first Jackie had thought the girl had just got an idea again and wouldget over itsoon, but when she after two months still wanted to take guitar lessons he had been forced to admit that Jade had finally found something fun to do. He had nothing against it, it was just good if the girl found a hobby.

And so Jade was allowed to take guitar lessons.

From the beginning she had concentrated on playing with the same enthusiasm she messed with her uncles' plans and dangerous matters. Jade wasn't any more talented than anyone else, but she worked and practised and became better and better.

But in the end it hadn't been enough and she had finally decided to form a band.

"Jade!" someone welcomed her and she raised her hand in the greeting.

Their band was called the BronzeBasilic and they always gathered at Jacques' home, because his parents had a huge garage and had promised they could use it if nothing was broken and they didn't play too long in the night.

"Hey, Evy!" Jade greeted her friend and hurried her pace.

Evy was a year older than Jade, she had short boyish hair that she always combed to look like a mess. Her eyes were greyish and she was a bit plump, but didn't let it bother her. She dressed just like everyone of her age and played drums in the band. Evy had been in the same music school than Jade and they had decided to form the band together.

"You'd better come soon," Evy said seriously and Jade frowned.

"What is it? Something wrong?" she asked a bit worried. Evy nodded.

"Boys are doing something with the new speaker. They won't ever make it without female help," she announced and Jade smiled. She knew she had been stupid when getting worried, but the events she had witnessed five years ago made her a bit jumpy at times.

"True. We should make sure Jacques' new speaker doesn't end up broken before we even try it," she said and together the girls walked in the garage.

They faced a scene that at some other time would have amused them, but now it was just frustrating. And it worried them too, if things got nasty the speaker could really be broken.

"Wait, wait! Don't put that wire there!" a boy with brown hair forbid quickly and his partner, whose hair was a bit lighter, glanced at him in annoyance.

"Come on Jac, I can do it," he snapped.

"So what? It is my speaker and I won't allow you to break it. Do you even realise how much it cost?" the boy who had talked first asked when the girls arrived.

The boy with darker hair was called Jacques, even though he wasn't really French. His parents had just loved the name and had decided to give it to their son. Jacques had dark hair that flowed on his brown eyes making him look playful. His skin was tanned and he was the oldest of them, 19. He played electric piano and sang with Jade.

The other boy, the lighter one, was Åke. He was long and lanky, which made him look physically weak. And he was, sports had never been his favourite. Åke came from Sweden, which explained his strange name. He had learned to know music when his mother had forced him to take violin lessons, but now he played only bass.

Jade sighed."Could we do it?" she asked in frustration and the boys stopped their argument turning around.

"Never!" Jacques exclaimed and tried to protect his speaker.

Evy grinned and elbowed Jade. "Those two never let us touch their toys. It's always the two of them," she stated and no one missed the hidden message. Jac and Åke frowned angrily and Jade laughed uncertainly. Though she had known Evy for a while now she hadn't got used to her perverted sense of humour.

"Shut up, Evy," Jac muttered and while his friend had other things to think about Åke slipped the wire where it belonged.

It hadn't been a difficult task, but Jac and Åke were masters to create an argument out of everything. They had no problems with the girls, but at least once per training they had to yell at each other. This time the speaker had been a good excuse.

Jade placed her guitar on the floor and took a glance around.

They had cleaned up the place by themselves and now it suited them. They had brought there few old chairs, but most of the space was for music only. Evy's drums rested in the corner, few speakers lay here and there and Jac's piano had a place too.

Only Jade and Åke brought their instruments with them, they could be carried pretty easily. Åke had arrived some time before her so he had already made his bass ready and when the problem with Jac's new speaker was settled he plucked the strings of his instrument in thought.

"Should we try that new piece now?" he asked. They thought it was their honour to write their songs by themselves. Usually Jacques wrote the lyrics and Åke composed, but the girls did something too when they were in the right mood.

Jade shrugged. "Why not?" she agreed and took her guitar.

"Well, Evy. Now that Jade is here too you can probably tell us your big secret," Jac said and Jade turned to face her friend in surprise.

"What surprise?" she asked in curiosity, but Evy just smiled.

"We shall see," she said.

When they were all ready Jac started to play and soon they all joined him. They had already agreed that this piece would be mostly sung by him and Jade would join him only in the chorus. It suited the girl fine, they always shared the pieces and neither had anything to complain about.

They played the piece twice before trying another one and then another one. Time flew as if it had wings and when they were finally finished they realised they had played almost an hour longer than they had planned.

Jade shook her hard in confusion. "Why does this happen every time? I never get home when I'm supposed to," she said.

Åke glanced at her oddly. "Hadn't they realised you are sixteen? You can take care of yourself and don't need to be taken care of like that," he told his opinion. Jac shrugged.

"Yeah, but make then realise that. They think something horrible has happened to me if I'm gone even for a minute," she said remembering how Jackie had come to pick her up when she was a bit late. That had been embarrassing.

But this was all just because five years ago she had been imprisoned by the demons and one had taken her as his slave.

Hsi Wu...

The image of the sky demon was still clearly in her mind and when she closed her eyes she could almost see him.

But it was already five years since she had last seen the demon and she didn't think about him that much anymore. Only at times she longed for the friend she had lost, but it happened more and more rarely.

"Jade? Sleeping your eyes open again?" Jac asked playfully making Jade return. She forced herself to smile.

"I think I just had a vision which tells me I'm going to become the saviour of this world. My destiny is the marry the Dragon God and give birth to five soldiers who will fight against the evil," she said.

She said that every time one of her friends asked why she got so lost in her thoughts. They were already used to it and that Jade never told them what she really thought about, and it was a some sort of inside joke.

Jade nodded at Evy. "Weren't you supposed to tell us something?" she asked. Her friend grinned and drew a deep breath.

Everyone waited. "I don't know... maybe next time..." she said letting the air out right before the other three attacked her.

"No! Tell us now!" Jade demanded tickling the girl knowing Evy couldn't stand it.

Evy screeched and tried to struggle free and escape, but it was impossible when the boys held her.

"You give up?" Jac asked maliciously and Evy nodded in defeat. She never stood it that people tickled her and it really annoyed her.

When she was free Evy sighed in relief. "You remember my uncle Roger?" she asked.

"Wasn't he the one who organised celebrations and stuff?" Åke asked and Jac elbowed him.

"No you fool! Uncle Roger is the one who has a pig farm in Texas!" he snapped.

"No he's not!"

"Yes he is!"

"No, he is not!"

"Yes!"

Jade shook her head.

"Will those two ever grow up?" she asked from Evy, who just shrugged.

"I doubt it," she stated. They watched the arguing of the two for a while before Evy slapped her hands together making them stop.

"Actually Roger is the one organising the festivals. As you know, he is in charge of the big concert that takes place here next week," Evy said and Åke cheered in victory.

"I was right!"

"Yes?" Jade asked in interest completely ignoring Åke.

"Howling Tomatoes was supposed to be the warm up band, but they have some problems now and because finding a new band is quite difficult..."

"Yes?" the three asked at the same time.

Evy waited for a while. "We are going to be there!" she exclaimed then. Jade, Jac and Åke had expected this, but hearing it being said aloud made it feel even better!

"Really? We can play there?" Jac asked in surprise and Åke gave him a mock punch.

"Are you deaf, stupid?" Of course we can! We are going to be famous!" he said and together they started to cheer like small children.

Evy watched them in worry. "Boy, they are going to be disappointed," she said to Jade, who frowned.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"We are just the warm up band, we can have two pieces and after that the real band takes over. I doubt anyone even remembers us when the concert ends," she said gloomily. Jade snorted.

"Tch, don't be so pessimistic. Let's play so well that no one wants to even know who the real performer is," she suggested.

Valmont leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. Everything was fine.

Rebuilding the Dark Hand had been easier than he had thought, all Sections had been hunting demons and no one had had the time to follow an ordinary crime lord. Especially if you thought he was dead.

So it had been a child's play to take care of everything and now, after five years, the Dark Hand was big again. He was rich, rich, rich and he had power. He had men who did the dirty job for him and lawyers to take care of everything else.

Valmont knew it would have been much wiser to move into another city, but he didn't want to leave San Francisco. It had been his home for many years and even though he'd never admit it, he loved the city.

Almost as much as he loved London.

At that moment he felt envious for Hsi Wu. The sky demon walked on the streets of the capital of England and was about to meet his new partner, whom Valmont had chosen carefully.

Hsi Wu wasn't actually part of his organisation and didn't work for the Dark Hand. He had tried it, but soon realised a career of crime wasn't for him. Not that he thought it was wrong, he just didn't want to sink that low.

And yet he helped Valmont at times with things normal thieves couldn't do. It was a reward of some sorts, Valmont had given him life in this modern world after all.

Valmont shook his head.

the paper

It was five years since the demons had cursed him and he had become Ni Tang, demon of the polar night. Five years since the curse had been broken and he had got his humanity back.

Or had he? Valmont wasn't sure.

the pen

At first he had felt that something was lurking inside him and he had been really afraid. He wasn't embarrassed to admit it, anyone would have been terrified and he thought he had survived it pretty well.

He hadn't broken, hadn't given in to his depression and not lost his mind. He had been calm and rational and saved everything that made him human and he would never give up.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, could make him become a demon again.

He knew that Chan and Section 13 had killed Tchang Zu and only the painful death of Shendu would have made him happier. The fire demon was the reason why he had suffered. Shendu had taken over him, because of Shendu he had been banished in the Netherworld and it had been Shendu who had got the idea that they could take his humanity and use him.

Blast that demon!

Neither Shendu nor any of his siblings had been caught and Valmont was sure no one would see them again if they didn't want it. For a while he had been one of them, he knew how they thought better than he wanted to admit, and he knew that no mortal could ever find a demon if he didn't want to be found.

Hsi Wu didn't know where his siblings were, but the sky demon wasn't even interested. He had cut all of his bonds with his family after finding out that he had once been a human too - worse, son of one of the Immortals - and he didn't want to see such traitors ever again.

Sometimes, at the dark moments of night, Valmont woke up sweating and his heart beating. He never remembered what he had dreamed about, but he knew it had something to do with what had happened five years ago. It made him nervous, but he forced himself to believe there was no need to worry.

It was all normal. Everyone had nightmares and after what he had been through he had the right to have them too. But why couldn't he remember the dreams?

Valmont flinched. What was he doing? What had he been about to do? Why was he sitting here when he had work to do? He frowned. He could swear he had been about to call someone in Los Angeles. It was an important matter, so there had to be a very good reason he hadn't done it.

But he couldn't remember... What was wrong with him? He could tolerate nightmares, but not that he forgot things in the middle of the day. That would become expensive eventually. He could feel something in his hand.

Valmont took a look at his hands and drew a deep breath.

He was holding a notebook and a pen. That wasn't surprising, but he had drawn something, though he couldn't remember it. He could have passed that too - maybe he was stressed - but not what he had drawn.

On the paper was a long, agile figure whose white hair flowed in the wind. The clothes on the figure were black and even though the sketch was done in hurry it was better than what Valmont had ever drawn. He wasn't talented it arts and didn't even like drawing.

And yet...

"Ni Tang," he muttered to himself and put the notebook down from his trembling hands.

To be continued...