Xiaolin Showdown Fan Fiction ❯ Out of the Shadows ❯ Help Wanted ( Chapter 3 )

Out of the Shadows

 

By HeavenSentTenshi

 

Chapter 3: Help Wanted

 

The decision hit the family, of now two, harder than they had expected. Lucine had fought night and day for her former husband's property, even attempting to get Sauda in the process, but that was one thing Sauda would never agree to. Not only did she have one of the strongest wills that the judge had ever seen in a divorce case, but she had a decent lawyer to back her up. Lukas was growing nervous. He didn't know that she would have such fire power. Sauda, however, didn't think twice about it.

 

The entire time this divorce went on, Sauda paid little attention to it. She regarded it as something that was happening to make hers and her father's life much happier. To occupy herself, she volunteered at her Judo dojo, getting in a lot of extra practice time with the school's nice equipment.

 

Sauda had begun taking classes at this dojo when she was eight. Seven years had passed, and in that time she had improved amazingly well; that was, at least, the modest opinion of the masters there. When she had first arrived there, she was a small, fragile child with a low self-esteem. After much work in her classes, as well as private lessons set up by her master and parents, Sauda's strength, dexterity, speed, and confidence improved exponentially. Within five years Sauda worked until she reached the level of black belt.

 

Not only did she master most of what could be taught at her dojo, but she was slowly forming a unique style all her own. When she took her upper level classes, she learned as many techniques as she could remember. After having mastered one, she began to develop a rhythm for it, and soon strung it together with many other techniques to use with music. She would hone the transitions and then put her combination to the test. She would set up a CD player outside with her equipment or bring it with her to the dojo, then play the song best suiting her combination and see if she could use it; almost like a dance. This was how she kept her cool during training; she would focus on the beat and then use it against her opponent.

 

The way she would set up these combinations was different for each song she used and the situation she was in. If the situation called for something fast and dramatic, she would find an appropriate song, and set up the attacks and defenses accordingly. If she knew she would need to stay on her toes and keep up a defense, she would incorporate this into the combination. If she knew she would be able to throw attack after attack at her opponent, she would arrange it correspondingly. Everything depended on the opponent, the situation, and the song used for the amalgamation*. At any given time of sparring, Sauda would start up an appropriate song in her head and “dance” to her music; this style, she was sure, was the reason she won so many different times.

 

Sauda had gained a name for herself while at the dojo. Her master recognized this and in an attempt to keep her from getting a big head, he trained with her harder than ever. He knew that if she worked harder, she would grow stronger, and soon become good enough to become a sixth-dan*; high enough to leave the dojo if she wanted, or to work beside him. This was where her volunteering came in. Sauda often came to the dojo when she didn't have a class to help the younger (and older) kyu* level pupils; she would even help by cleaning when classes were sparse, although, in her free time, she was often found training.

 

Meanwhile, Lukas was struggling with his pocket-book. He refused to allow Sauda to fully understand the problem, but money was becoming harder and harder to save. Lucine had been draining his bank account left and right as he was asked again and again to go back to court. It seemed like the barrage would never stop and the light at the end of the tunnel was backing slowly out of his grasp. Lukas was running low on options and cash.

 

Everything that Lucine had owned was taken immediately. The car, which had been in both of their names, was won by her in court. Lukas was afraid that the house would be repossessed, as well, but the judge had ruled with him, since Lucine hadn't contributed, from the evidence provided, to the purchase of it. Large sums of money were taken by Lucine and only a few days earlier had Lukas been granted child support. He knew that the money taken would eventually be paid back, but it would take some time.

 

To make things worse, Lukas had to devote quite a bit of time to the hearings, leaving his boss quite flustered. His job situation was terrible; nothing was really getting done. Soon, he received a notice through mail that disturbed him; he was being demoted and his pay check would be slashed in half. When he heard of the news he stayed up all night trying to figure out a plan to get them back on their feet. But that wasn't his worse fear; he was now afraid that the judge would rule him unfit to keep Sauda. He knew that if Sauda were to be handed over to Lucine, Lucine might not live through it. Things were growing frustrating; he could only hope that things would improve.

 

Lukas would soon be disappointed. Six months passed quickly for Sauda, who was nearly completely devoted to her training. After a month and a half, Sauda had stopped volunteering and stayed in the back rooms, working nonstop on her technique. For Lukas, however, the months were long and grueling. He had finally hit rock bottom now. He'd lost most of their valuable and invaluable objects and was about to announce bankruptcy, had he not been gaining the small income of child support. Even Sauda couldn't ignore what was going on now.

 

Sauda had considered taking on a job some where to help her father, but she had set up an arduous training schedule which took up most of her time. It took some time, but she finally convinced herself that she could train after her and her father's lives returned to normal. Though, finding a job proved difficult. She went to a few interviews, mostly for low-paying, easy jobs like waitressing at a few of the local restaurants, but nothing worked out too well. She was often late because of her classes at the dojo, and too tired to remember or pay attention to the customers. She was fired from every job she took. Frustrated, Sauda eventually gave up on the idea.

 

“That's the second job this month!” she complained as she plopped down upon the tatami floor before her master. He opened his right eye as he had been in meditation when she was allowed in.

 

“Another?” he asked, his black eyebrow raising.

 

“Yes…” Sauda sighed, before her eyes widened and she prostrated herself before him. “Gomen nasai, Sensei; I am quite flustered, I have forgotten my manners….”

 

“Do not trouble yourself,” he said, placing a hand upon her shoulder as she rose again, “you are fine, don't worry; I understand your problems.” He smiled.

 

“Thank you, Sensei….” Sauda took another deep breath as she fully straightened herself. “I just can't seem to hold down a job long enough to help my father…. Do you have any advice?”

 

“Well… do you know what the problem is?”

 

“It's my training… I think it's taking up too much of my time…. But I'm not about to give up… I've come too far to stop working on my technique….”

 

“I am happy to hear you say that… though it could lead to problems…. Perhaps you just need to keep searching for something that will not conflict with your training?”

 

“Perhaps…. I will keep searching, Sensei…”

 

“Do not give up; I am sure that you will be able to help your father.” Sauda rose to her feet and bowed to her Sensei, thanking him, before turning and pulling open the door. “And Sauda, tell your father that I wish him my best.” Sauda nodded in assent, thanked him one last time, and left his office.

 

She walked down the hall to the waiting room. She looked around at the overstuffed pillows on the floor and quiet tables beside them, each piled with a few magazines with which to pass the time. She sighed again as she took in the fragrances of the incenses burning in the prayer room not too far from where she stood. Upon the walls were a few wall scrolls and a bulletin board for the students. The board caught her attention. Nothing new had been pinned there in quite some time, but there was a small flyer pushed off to the bottom left corner that Sauda didn't recognize.

 

Intrigued, Sauda sauntered over to the bamboo-framed corkboard, reading the top line of the sheet of paper, which had been written in bold black letters, “Help Wanted”. Sauda's left eyebrow raised up into her hair as her hand shot out to the flyer and pulled it off. Her eyes scanned over it as a grin spread across her lips. The flyer read as follows:

 

Help Wanted

Hired muscle needed to find items of value.

Pay offered, will be discussed.

Interviews to be held between 9am and 12pm.

Number and address listed below.

 

Sauda stood upon the tatami, shocked to have found something when she needed it most. Hired muscle meant that her fighting skills would come in useful. She scanned the address and phone number before tearing off one of the previously untouched flaps at the bottom which held all of the information she would need. Excited, she stuffed the slip of paper into her jeans pocket as she read the name of the person who had just made her day.

 

“Thank you…” she muttered with a smile, “…Jack Spicer.”

 

 

~~~

 

Words:

Amalgamation: combination

Dan: used to describe an upper level in Judo (a “master” level)

Kyu: used to describe a lower level in Judo (a “student” level)