Blind in One Eye

Grandmaster Dashi battled the Heylin for years. To help him in his quest, he created the Sheng Gong Wu. These mystical artifacts granted weird abilities to anyone who dared use them. It didn't matter if it was a bracelet which allowed the wearer to change into different shapes, or a mask that granted spider powers.

Only the wearer determined how to use the talisman he had, and could fight in a showdown in a struggle for possession for another artifact.

Only the bearers of the Wu could call for a xiaolin showdown.

"This is sweet of you, Ben," said May Parker. She smiled as she took the flowers from him. "How do you know it's Valentine's Day?"

"The Omnitrix is still keeping time from our time," said Ben Tennyson. He gestured to the large bracelet on one arm. "I'm sorry you're stuck here with me."

"I'm not," said May. "This has been like a vacation for me."

"Look at those two," said Lana Lang, wrapped in a yellow robe. "They act like lovebirds."

"We've been here a few months," said Gar Logan. He wore the remains of his red and white costume, with a red tunic over it. "It's natural for them to draw closer."

"What happens when we get back to our own time?," asked Lana.

"What happens if we can't?," said Gar. "Either way, let them be happy while they can."

"You're such a romantic," said Lana. "I guess that goes with being a beast boy."

"Ook, ook, baby," said Gar with a smile.

Lana smiled. She missed Smallville and the familiar people she knew, but she had been a reserve Legionnaire for a few years and knew sometimes things didn't go your way. The village still needed help sometimes, and she didn't mind being that person that could be counted on.

None of the villagers could deal with the crazy guy in the cemetery. They didn't have the Wu, or the fighting skills, to turn aside some of his crazier schemes.

And Shang Tsung liked trying to shift the village into some other world so he could use the villagers for slaves, or batteries, or hunting dogs.

One wrong move and he destroyed the village and possibly time. They couldn't let him do that.

"I have a dinner planned out," said Ben. "The village is having a celebration."

"For Valentine's Day?," said May. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," said Ben. "I talked to the Mayor. He said 'Oh, my,' and then he started talking to people. Everyone feels it's good to have a party."

"You," said May. She hugged him. Ben didn't mind. He was the shorter of the couple.

The sun started down as the villagers congregated around the central square. Tables were brought out. Ben lent a hand with the cooking, using his Heatblast form to burn things for the villagers. The moon started up as the town laughed and talked over the feast.

Feminine shapes appeared in the sky. Capes flowed in a nonexistent wind as the wide brims of hats fluttered. White masks covered their faces with porcelain smiles.

"Where is the eye?," said the twin floating women together. "We need it."

"This village is off limits," said Ben. "The Moon Kingdom has no business here."

"We have been searching for so long," said the twins, alternating words. "And now we know it's close."

"That's not our problem," said Lana. "No one here has the eye."

"Someone does," said the twins. "Someone close."

"Why don't you try Shang Tsung?," said Gar. "He's in the cemetery."

"Really, Gar?," said Lana. "Why tell them that?"

"Shang Tsung can take care of himself," said Gar. "And it gets them out of the village."

The sisters looked at each other. One flew off into the darkness. The other swung her axe on a chain in a circle.

"What?," said Gar.

"I think I should search the village for the artifact that we seek," said the sister. "Stay out of my way."

"I don't think so," said Ben. "If you want to take on Shang Tsung, that's fine. If you want to search the village, that's out."

"You can't stop me from doing what I want," said the sister. She threw her axe at him, letting the chain run through her hands.

Ben threw himself out of the way. He rolled across the ground as the axe retracted.

"Mask of the Spider!," shouted May. She leaped into the air, hurling a string of web from her hand. The web yanked her into the air as the sister flew backwards.

"The Omnitrix!," shouted Ben. "Give me Four Arms."

A green glow surrounded him as he altered into the red, four-armed, giant that he used for fighting. He grabbed a stone the size of a dog and hurled it across the space between him and the goddess. She sliced it into pieces with little effort.

"May," said Gar. "Warn Shang Tsung. They can't have whatever they want."

"Warn Shang Tsung?," said Ben. That seemed counterproductive to him. They had spent numerous times since their arrival thwarting the magician.

"They can't have Kubo's Eye," said Gar. "They will misuse it."

"He's right, Ben," said May. "Save my spot at the feast table."

She flung a strand of web out in the trees. She pulled herself into the air. She swung out of sight.

The maid turned to cut her line. That was enough of an opening for Gar to drop on top of her in the shape of an elephant. The weight drove her into the ground. The Beast Boy jumped away from the cutting blade trying to open him up.

Ben grimaced. Why did they have to attack on this day of all days? Why couldn't they have attacked tomorrow?

He was going to ask May to marry him. Now he had to put it off until he was done with these ghouls.

He jumped forward and swung with all of his might. His fist struck the moon maiden as she floated into the air. She vanished into a house. Then the bamboo roof fell down on top of her.

"Wrap her up, Lana," said Ben. "Then we can go after the other one."

Lana changed her lower body into that of a spider and crawled over to the wrecked house. She jumped back as the rubble shifted. The moon maid stood, sweeping the pieces of wood out of her way with an arm.

She only had a moment to look up before a whale fell on her. Gar staggered away from the impact. She didn't move at all.

Lana leaped forward. She wrapped the maiden in a cocoon of silk strands in a few seconds while she was dazed by the impact. She stood back on her eight legs and smiled.

"That's a wrap," said Gar.

"Not yet," said Ben. "May went after the other one. Meet me at the graveyard."

He changed form into a lizard with balls for feet and vanished in a rush of air.

"Do you remember when we thought living in the past would be so easy," said Lana.

"Nope," said Gar. "Bring her with you. I'm going ahead."

Gar changed into a giant green bird and winged away.

Lana shook her head. Of course she would get stuck hauling freight. Just because she could didn't mean she liked it.

She invoked the ring of the bugs and turned into a bee centaur. She grabbed the cocoon with her six bottom legs and took flight on hazy wings.

The things she had to do for love.

May pulled herself through the woods leading to the village graveyard on strands of webbing. She traced the moon maiden through the air and hoped the others were handling the sister well enough without her. She landed in a clearing at the edge of the cemetery and paused.

Shang Tsung had another guest besides the maiden and neither looked happy at her arrival.

"I want Kubo's Eye." The maid spun the hatchet of her kasurigama on its chain.

"I don't have it, and I wouldn't give it to you if I did," said Shang Tsung. He had his hands up on guard.

The other man said nothing. He watched both of his enemies with his hands up. He bounced on the balls of his bare feet as he waited.

May wondered how she could change things for the better. If a three way fight broke out, who did she help?

"What about you?," asked the maiden. Her smiling mask of a face turned on the stranger.

He said nothing. He waited for her opening move.

"Aren't you going to say something?," she asked. She floated closer, spinning her chain with one hand.

He said nothing.

"Fine," the maiden said. "I don't need you to talk."

"Talk to the fist," said Shang Tsung. "Reptile!"

The black clad sorcerer changed in mid-leap to a green and black garbed masked fighter. A stream of green poison jetted from where his mouth should be. The venom struck the maiden's cloak and burned a streak of cloth away.

She retaliated by wrapping her chain around his neck and slamming him into a tree. He laid there stunned.

May swung over and made sure he wouldn't get back into the fight with a punch to the face.

The maiden swung her hatchet at the stranger. He caught it and pulled. She let go to avoid being dragged into the ground.

May webbed Shang Tsung to a tree as she watched the fight develop. The stranger kept moving away from his enemy, blocking when he had to against her punching, jabbing in retaliation.

"Enough of this!," shouted the maiden. She went for a bull charge, aiming to get inside his reach and make punching her impossible.

"Shoryuken!," shouted the stranger. His hand caught fire as he delivered a leaping uppercut to the face of the maiden. She dropped to the ground. The stranger landed, spinning with hands close together as if shaping clay. "Hadouken!"

A fireball lifted the maiden into the air and flung her like a comet into the nearby trees.

May clapped her hands at the display.

Ben zipped to a stop in a cloud of dust. He looked around at the downed maiden and the cocooned Shang Tsung. The stranger had vanished in the time it had taken May to glance at him.

"What did I miss?," he asked.

"Our engagement dinner if you don't hurry," said May. "Help me with the goddess. We'll be rid of her when the day comes. Shang Tsung can get himself out of his strait jacket."