Lyrics Challenge: Kung Fu Fighting
Author: Misty Flores
Email: mistiec_flores@yahoo.com
Teaser: A stay in Chin proves enlightening when Joxer discovers the martial arts, and Gabrielle and Xena make some hard decisions. For the 2002 Lyrics Challenge on the GJRS mailing list.
Distribution: http://www.stoic-simplicity.net/imperfect
Notes: Kung-Fu Fighting? Kung-Fu Fighting? Greg, remind me to kill you.
--

( Everybody Was) Kung Fu Fighting
Carl Douglas
 
Oh ho ho hoooooo.....
Oh ho ho hoooooo.....
Oh ho ho hoooooo.....
Oh ho ho hoooooo.....
 
Everybody was Kung Fu fighting!
Those Cats were fast as lightning.
In fact it was a little bit frightning.
For they fought with expert timing.
There were funky Chinamen,
from funky Chinatown.
They were chopping them up.
They were chopping them down.
It's an ancient Chinese Art,
and everybody knew their part.
From a feinting to a slip,
and a kicking from the hip.
 
Everybody was Kung Ku fighting!
(Huh!)
Those Cats were fast as lightning.
In fact it was a little bit frightning.
(Yeah, yeah)
For they fought with expert timing.
 
There was funky Billy Chin,
and little Sammy Chung.
He said "Here comes the Big Boss.."
(Hya Haa!)
"Lets get it on!!"
We took a bow,
and made a stand.
Started swaying with the hand.
A sudden motion made me skip,
now we're into a brand new trip.
 
Everybody was Kung Fu fighting!
(Huh!)
Those Cats were fast as lightning.
(Haa!)
In fact it was a little bit frightning.
(Huh!)
But they did it with expert timing.
(Haa!)
Aw yeah!
Oh ho ho hoooooo.....
(Huh!)
Oh ho ho hoooooo.....
(Haa!)
Oh ho ho hoooooo.....
(Huh!)
Oh ho ho hoooooo.....
(Keep on, keep on, keep on, keep on)
Sho nuff!
Everybody was Kung Fu fighting!
(Huh!)
Those Cats were fast as lightning.
(Haa!)
In fact it was a little bit frightning.
(Huh!)
Make sure you have expert timing!
(Haa!)
Lawd!
Oh ho ho hoooooo.....
Kung Fu fighting...
Oh ho ho hoooooo.....
Hands and feet- fast as lightning...
Oh ho ho hoooooo.....
(Huh)
Oh ho ho hoooooo.....
(Haa!)
Oh ho ho hoooooo.....
(Huh!)
Oh ho ho hoooooo.....
(Haa!)
Oh ho ho hoooooo.....
(Huh!)
Oh ho ho hoooooo.....
(Keep on, keep on, keep on)
Oh ho ho hoooooo.....
(Yeah, yeah)
Oh ho ho hoooooo.....
(Everybody was Kung Fu fighting)
Oh ho ho hoooooo.....
(Hands and feet- fast as lightning)

--

She had known he was fascinated the moment he had seen them fight. It had been amusing at first, standing side by side, hands gripping her sais in an awkward attempt to hold in the anxiety, and then turning to see his face. The image of rapture had taken her by surprise. Awestruck, her friend stood, watching as the soldiers from Chin danced in their intricate movement, swords gleaming, stalks of wood clapping against each other.

"Joxer?"

He never moved, but flashed her a small grin before jerking his deep, dark eyes back to the men and their footwork. "I' ve never seen anything like it."

She wondered at that. Joxer had been around fighting his whole life, his father was a warlord, and his friendship with Xena and herself had more than guaranteed him a life rife with violence. Narrowing, she focused back upon the forms, gaze lingering on Xena. The dark-haired Warrior
Princess stared passively down, graceful and firm, a small, trademark scowl on her lips, a gleam in her eye as she waited patiently for the formalities to finish. Beside her, stood Lao Ma's daughter, regal and still young, a pleased expression on her tranquil face.

It was a celebration, a peaceful end to a bloody fight, and the forms that the warriors engaged in were truly beautiful: swift, strong movements with powerful thrusts, sharp yells. It was different to the chaotic carnage that defined Greek fights, Gabrielle would admit. These warriors were trained perfectly; it made the savagery of battle an art.

"They're called forms, Joxer," she responded, voice low. "The warriors learn them to discipline their movements."

"It's amazing."

She smiled. "It is beautiful."

"Wow." Again, she grinned. Joxer always had a boyish enthusiasm that, when sincere, was almost contagious. Turning back, she studied the movements, the coordinated drumbeats, and attempted to see them through Joxer's eyes. Glistening muscles, dips and turns that seemed to almost defy gravity, focus and determination so clear on their faces. They fought with expert timing. It was more a dance, than anything. Around them, the crowd was hushed, reverence for these warriors clear. Sucking in her breath, Gabrielle once again felt a smile alight on her face. He was surprising, her Joxer. It wasn't the first time he had brought the innocence of his view into her jaded life.

God, she missed that innocence.

It wasn't fighting to kill, for him. These swords, Gabrielle knew, these forms, they were for the purpose of killing, not for show. Every one of these warriors was deadly, masked in beauty. Honor was their ultimate goal, death their ultimate prize.

The smile fell from her face, and once again, her innocence was stripped away. The invisible victim now became real in her eyes, as she saw the fists gripping the dagger jab forward, the synchronized yell coming from their lips in perfect character with the blood she now imagined spilling on their fingers, dripping from their knuckles.

She turned away.

"I'm a little tired," she rasped, a trembling hand brushing aside short blonde bangs. "I'm going to take a nap."

She waited, almost expectantly, for Joxer to turn, immediately ask her if something was wrong. Joxer liked to smother, it was something she had come to learn to deal with, just like his crush on her, with a lot of irritation, and (if she reached deep down) a little bit of comfort. But he was lost in the presentation, and he only muttered an absent "Okay" as she moved past him, pushed her way gently through the crowd, back toward the palace.

Chin was a beautiful place. It was also a land wrought with bloodshed, rife with evil, and meticulous in its formalities. The royal order in this land was impermeable, and houses upon houses clamored for rank. The elite warriors, the men, lived their lives for battle, honor.

There was much honor with the bloodshed.

As Gabrielle walked, she turned, eyeing the crowd from her perch, finding Xena once again with her Queen, the warriors giving reverence, and Joxer, a tall, pale young man in a sea of shorter natives, watching rapturously.

In the forms was a discipline she admired, a meticulous rank of cold hearts and dead eyes, and she wondered if she was being entirely fair, passing judgment on a set of warriors.

Someone could very easily have said the same about her.

Her eyes lingered on Joxer, on the way he stood, oblivious to anything else but the forms. A jolt made her heart twist inside her, and she found she couldn't watch anymore.

Something was bothering her, but Gabrielle, for the first time, was not interested in searching her heart. She felt tired, exhaustion creeping into her brain, and she knew it was most likely because of the fights with the gods, adrenaline only taking her so far.

That was what was causing the quake in her heart, the tremble in her palm. Sliding the sais into her boots, she turned back to the castle, pushing the forms and their deceptive beauty away from her thoughts.

Suddenly, home was so very far away.

--

Xena had told them that they would only stay for a few weeks. A vacation, she called it, a well deserved one that they would use to calm down, get some rest, before heading back to Greece and fighting all those Gods again. Joxer wasn't sure if she meant he could come along when they returned, he had long since learned that he was welcome (sorta) company during most visits, but when push came to shove, as it had been recently, he was expected to find his own way around.

This, he was more than happy to do. Joxer was a man of many words, and most of them didn't make sense to anyone really, but himself, but he understood people, at least he felt he did, and he knew that despite Xena's burly nature and Gabrielle's snippiness, they were his best friends. It was something he had to believe, because it gave him hope.

In fact, nothing on earth had ever seemed so beautiful to Joxer, than to watch Xena and Gabrielle in a fight. He had learned to count Gabrielle and Xena's exploits in stages, ones that he based by the state of Gabrielle's hair. Long and dark blonde meant things were okay - not a lot of complications: discovery, mostly. Fluid and doubtful. Medium length and blonde streaked, that was worse. That was when the green shirt got shorter and Gabrielle's eyes grew dark and jaded. Then came the REALLY short light blonde, his least favorite stage, that had ended in nightmares and death.

It was a stage he preferred not to think about, but had to, because it led him to the stage he now knew, the 'equal' stage. This stage was new, but easy to get used to. It was the stage where Gabrielle wasn't the sidekick, but Xena's equal, where the two didn't act like an old married couple, but like twins. It was the stage where he caught similar looks of sadness and regret in dark blue and green, where he watched as the blonde and the brunette stood side by side and without saying a word, formulated a plan that would defeat impossible odds.

It was the one where he no longer knew where he stood, and the one where he felt he was helplessly standing still, while they moved on, away from him.

Joxer had never come to terms with the fact that he was not meant to be a warrior, but he knew now that it was not glory he was seeking in his quest, not anymore. It was a desire to protect, a desire to be seen as a protector in Gabrielle's eyes - to see the look of trust the woman he loved gave his best friend, directed toward him.

Maybe that was what made Joxer approach the warriors that day. Perhaps that was what forced him to take a seat, day in and day out, for a week, never moving as he watched the Warriors ignore him, while they cracked stones on their bald heads, stood still while others slammed planks of wood into their chests. It wasn't their strength he admired, but their discipline, and to this day, he would never understand why one day, the one they called Sammy Chung turned to him, and quirked a finger.

"You," he said in words he could barely understand. "Come."

Stunned, Joxer nearly tripped on his armor as he strode forward, feeling as out of place as a lark in Tarturus as the warriors froze, watched him move between them.

"Yes?" he asked. He contemplated bowing in front of this great man, but decided against it, when the man suddenly pushed him, so forcefully, he skidded back, the seat of his pants steaming, forcing him to land with an 'ooomph' against the rock.

"OWW." Joxer blinked. It wasn't the first time he had been shoved, granted, but... "what'd the... wha'd you do that for?!" he exclaimed angrily, pulling off his helmet and rubbing at the bruise on his head.

"You have no balance," Sammy Chung said. "Yet you wear the sword of a warrior. You have not earned that honor."

Stunned hurt overcame the warrior wannabe, and Joxer scrambled to his feet, the tips of his ears flushing bright pink with hurt. Who the hell was this guy anyway? He didn't know anything about him!

"I am TOO a warrior!" he blustered. "I travel with Xena and Gabriel-"

"Their exploits we know," Sammy said. "But of you, we know nothing. Who are you, Joxer the Mighty? That you earn your reputation by carrying those of women?"

Joxer stood, suddenly so very aware of the burning stares of the warriors, burly and muscular, who watched him with their eyes. These guys, they were the real deal, and suddenly, he felt so very small.

"I'm Joxer," he responded. "And I know who I am."

"Then why do you watch us, day and night, with longing in your eyes?" Billy Chin asked. He was taller than Sammy, and he stood, a master of his height, beaded narrowed eyes gazing from a scar streaked face.

"I also know who I want to be," Joxer responded stiffly. "I wanna be like you."

That again, garnered no reaction. Billy Chin glared at him, and asked a very simple question.

"Why?"

The answer was surprisingly simple, even for a man like Joxer, who boiled down a complex thought to one sentence. "Because I could be."

"You believe this?" Sammy Chung's words were in scoff. "Would you bleed for this? Die for this? Be a worm?"

"I would."

There was silence again, as the warriors waited for Billy Chin, and Joxer rubbed at the scratches on his arms, heart pounding in the deafening silence.

And Billy Chin laughed, a shrug that seemed to say, 'why not', before turning away, picking up his sword. "Meet us tomorrow," he responded. "We shall see if you are whom you believe."

--

Things had been busy at the palace, and Xena, Warrior Princess and Mommy, was having a hell of a time trying to keep up with her 'vacation'. Ruefully, the dark haired vixen had to concede that her reputation was a real son of a bitch sometimes. Her 'duties' here in Chin carried more baggage than she wanted, memories of Lao Ma and her many ties to her dark ways vivid and clear.

It made something long ago buried, ache inside her, and after the trembling in her insides that she stubbornly insisted came from after birth hormones (despite the fact that it had been four months since Eve had fought her way into this world) came for what seemed the hundredth time, Xena decided that perhaps it was time to go home. Not that there was anything more pleasant in Greece, where a bounty lay on her child's head, and the Warrior Princess forced friends to kill fathers to save her child, but it was almost easier to handle, than the memories that magic brought back so vividly here.

It was busy, too busy really, for Xena to spend much time with Gabrielle, much less Joxer, but she was able to do some observation, and one was enjoying himself, while the other, seemed to be slightly bored.

She never imagined Gabrielle was downright miserable, until she opened the flap to their tent and found her lying on the cot, an expression haunting her face that was so unreadable it almost scared her.

Xena was a curious woman: self control exerted from discipline sometimes governing her reactions, instinct and passion sometimes taking complete control. She was grateful it was the former that took over now, the tightness in her chest painful as she closed the flap carefully, and in a constructed gentle tone, said simply, "What's wrong?"

Gabrielle didn't move, but she did offer a small smile to her friend, eyes staring up at the ceiling. "Hey, Xena."

Xena was quiet as she pulled on her robe, letting the silk glide against her skin. "You okay?"

Her friend shrugged, stretching slightly as she forced herself to sit up, "I just... Xena, we're leaving here soon, aren't we?"

Xena froze, ever so slightly, a movement that she wasn't sure Gabrielle caught, but she kept her voice deliberately easy as she responded, "You don't like Chin?"

Gabrielle didn't answer right away. She stared at her hands, a nervous habit that Xena had long ago recognized, and evaded the true answer, which worried Xena more. "It's... very beautiful Xena, but... it's not home."

Xena's light blue eyes honed, narrowed their focus, until all they could see was the blonde bard, and she stepped forward, gently taking a seat on the cot next to her. "And?"

It was the appropriate nudging, and Gabrielle said quickly, "I don't want it to be home."

"I never said it would be."

Gabrielle was silence, and she gave a slow, tired smile.

"Have you seen Joxer, lately?"

"Just an hour ago," Xena responded easily. "He was training with the guard. They've taken a real liking to him."

"To beating him up, sure," was the sarcastic reply, and Gabrielle immediately winced, shaking her head and offering an apologetic shrug. "I'm sorry, I just think the training is kind of... harsh."

Xena frowned. "Sure, the fighting is very disciplined, but the warriors know what they're doing. Joxer needs that grace, Gabrielle. I don't know, maybe we've been doing it wrong."

"Doing what wrong?"

"Joxer needs to learn to defend himself, Gabrielle, " Xena said, frankness in her voice evident. "What's coming with Evie... I don't know if we're going to be able to protect him and protect Eve, and I don't want-"

"Him to get caught in the crossfire, I know." Gabrielle was silent for a moment, and her expression grew troubled. "Xena?"

"Hmm."

"You're not thinking about... you know..."

"I don't know," Xena said, and she noticed her palm was clenched around the cot with more force than necessary. Taking a breath, she relaxed it. "Maybe I didn't know what I was thinking when I made the command, but... it makes sense."

"No."

Xena turned, started by the angry emotion in Gabrielle's suddenly fluid green eyes. "Gabrielle-"

"We're not leaving him to be turned into one of THEM."

"Gabrielle, we've left him behind before."

"Not forever. We knew he'd follow."

It was a confusing revelation, one that came to Xena seconds before it worked it's way through Gabrielle's mind, as the two stared, one hostile and angry, the other sad and unsure. The crossroads that stretched before them was glistening with its borders and corners, and neither quite understood how much the Mighty Man meant until that moment.

"You think he wouldn't?"

She could almost hear the thump of Gabrielle's heart, the fear laded in the heavy voice as the blonde bard closed her eyes, pushed out a heavy breath, and rested her chin on Xena's shoulder.

"It was a little bit frightening," she said quietly. "To see him with them. The way they treat them, the way he treats himself."

A warm hand stole around her waist, bringing her in closer. "You don't want him to change," Xena whispered.

Gabrielle's eyes closed, her breath was heavy and rough against her shoulder. There was an absence of fear that lasted only a minute, before she tilted her head.

"Is it wrong to not want him to change, Xena?"

"Gabrielle..." Xena's voice was firm, sympathetic, but frank. "You know what we're going back to. Are you prepare to lose him to that?"

Lose him to that, or to this? Xena could see the question unspoken, the battle in Gabrielle's heart.

In the end, the bard slipped away from her grasp, took a skin and wrapped it around herself, moving out of the tent, and into the chilly air.

--

Gabrielle didn't realize she was looking for Joxer until she saw the dark head outlined in moonbeams, standing next to the well in the far corner of the small village. The armor had long been forgotten, and now he was dressed like a native, leather and cloth. Shirtless, his chest was riddles with bruises and scrapes, and on his face, a dark patch of discolored flesh outlined his cheek and his eye.

Her breath caught at the sight, and fists clenched in pure instinct, rage clouding her thoughts, focused on the men who would dare hurt her dear friend.

But he turned, and his bruised face lit up with the smile of a thousand suns, and he waved his arms emphatically. "Hey, Gabby! Come 'ere!"

Feet wavering, she did, anger halted by confusion as she stepped forward, a frozen smile on her face as he leaned back, and produced a staff, long and thing, a spear pointed at the end.

"Sammy gave this to me. Said I earned it. Neat, huh?"

She stared at the wood, at the rusted blood crusted on the metal tip, and found herself attempting to form words around the sudden lump in her throat. "Yeah," she managed. "Neat."

He smiled happily, turning back to the well to cup the water in his long fingers, splashing his face with cold liquid. He shivered, and shook it out of his hair, like a dog. "Wha'd you to today?" he asked.

"More of the usual," she responded. "Bartered a little, took care of Eve."

"Oooh, Eve. Can I see her?" he asked eagerly. "I know it's late, and I gotta get up early to learn some new forms, but, it's been so long since I've seen her, and I-"

"Sure, you can," she said stiffly. "You know you're always welcome to see her."

Another 'Joxer' grin drifted on his face, and she couldn't help but smile back, even as she lifted a finger and gently cupped his chin, tilting it. Inspecting, she now frowned. "Would you like some ointment, I can take care of those."

"Aww, no thanks." Joxer leaned over the stones of the well, and she moved to his side, watching him as he studied his distorted reflection in the rippling waves. "I kinda wanna keep them. Not permanently, but... it's hard work, Gabby - and they- Sammy and Billy - told me that the bruises will remind me, it's not easy, it's hard. I like that. I mean, it'll take me years to get to where they are, but it's just... wow."

"Years," she repeated.

"Yeah." He nodded eagerly. "But can you imagine, Gabby? I mean, I'm too old - they told me. They train these little kids, have you seen them? I went to one of the temples, and these little kids, no bigger than Evie, I mean, everybody was kung-fu fighting! And it was so cool!"  His face was so animated, so full of hope and eagerness, that Gabrielle was transfixed, suddenly taken back to a short blonde-haired bard, eager to please, learning how to use a staff from an Amazon Warrior because it was 'fun'. "Some day," he continued, "That could be me."

"Does it have to be?" The words were rushed out, almost in afterthought, and they took even her by surprise. Joxer blinked, as the words hung between them.

His expression was blank. "What?"

There was so much there she didn't want to discuss, and the oblivious nature of her friend nearly undid her. Her eyes stung with tears, and she turned away. What was the matter with her? Why did every word, every sentence coming from his mouth make her ache?

"Gabby?"

She took in a haggard breath. "If you did - I mean if you are... would you promise me one thing?"

"Gabby? Are you okay?"

She turned, and her words broke slightly. "Promise me, Joxer."

"Yeah, course... but... what's... Gab, are you crying?"

She wasn't, and she shook her head emphatically as she brushed the stinging tears away. She managed a trembling smile. Just get the words out. Get the promise. "Don't change," she whispered. "Don't go hard on me, Joxer. I know you have to do this, but don't forget."

"Forget what?" he asked, clearly exasperated, and that was when she did it - lost control of her senses and launched into his arms, pressed her mouth heatedly against his.

He was stunned into silence, as her lips desperately moved against him, asking for reassurance, for an unspoken promise that he didn't realize she was asking for. But it was in his kiss, as his lips grew firmer, his hold grew tighter, and his tongue slipped between hers, gently, so gently.

It was too much, much too much. Gabrielle pushed away, and held him at arms length, as she whispered slowly, "Xena and I are leaving tomorrow."

With that, she pushed him away, and wrapped the fur around her, walking as fast as she could back to the tent.

--

At roughly six o'clock in the morning, he sat waiting on the top of the hill, at the fork of the only lined road out of the village. In his hand was his staff, on his back was a pack full of clothes, and one of those sticks with the chains that Billy gave him.

He hadn't expected the disappointment, nor did he expect the shame that crept with him when he knelt in front of his master and explained that he had to leave.

There were no harsh words with these warriors, but an acceptance of choice, and Billy did nothing but bow his head, and wish him well.

Joxer was left with the feeling that he had disappointed his master, and it hurt. But he couldn't fight that - Gabby and Xena were leaving today, and he was going with them.

So he sat, with his staff clutched to his hand, watching and waiting for a blonde and a brunette, for two horses and a baby, and when he saw it, he smiled, waving to them and picking up his pack, realizing that the clank was missing in his step, finding he didn't miss it.

He jogged quickly, pack flapping against his back as they stood, waiting for him, and he grinned.

"Hey guys! I'm ready!"

"Joxer..." Gabrielle looked confused, and he felt himself blush, look away from her in an attempt to forget his lack of control the night before, and focused instead on Xena, the blue-eyed warrior who watched him coolly. "What are you doing here?"

He shifted, twisting his grip on his staff. "We're leaving to Greece today, right?" He blinked. "Did I get my days wrong?"

Gabrielle coughed, and Xena pursed her lips. "Joxer... I said, XENA and I were leaving to Greece."

It happened like this a lot. It usually felt the same way - the anticipation, and the sudden drop to reality that made his heart tremble and his expression freeze. "Oh..." he mumbled. "So you... meant... just the two of ya... yeah, I got that... I... catch up, I guess. Where can I meet you?"

The silence was horrible, and it made him feel terribly bad, and weird, and he blinked when they stared at him, at each other, and Xena crossed her arms.

"What about your training?"

"What?"

"Joxer." This time, Gabrielle spoke. "I thought you said your training would take a while."

"Well... I told Master Chung that I was leaving - cause, Gabby said we were leaving, and you... weren't going to take me with you." The realization hit him on the head like a bucket of ice water. He blinked, shocked, and the pack fell from his shoulders, landing on the strange, foreign soil with a thud. "You don't want me to go-"

"Joxer..." Xena's voice was soft, smooth, like honey.

"No, Xena. No, I can't do this." Joxer's mouth opened slightly as Gabrielle shook her head, shaking her blonde bangs.

"Gabrielle, we agreed-"

"I don't care, look at him, Xena!"  Joxer again, just stood. Agreed about what?

"Gabrielle..." Xena's voice was low, but he could still hear her, as she placed a hand on Gabby's shoulder. "Look at me. You know what we're going back to. You know what he needs-"

"I can't-"

"YOU HAVE TO."

He couldn't contain it any longer. "Guys? What are you talking about? Can you tell me? Please?" The last word was burst forth in anger, and it finally made them look at him, the stupid sidekick that when push came to shove, got left behind.

Gabrielle really had beautiful eyes. They were round and clear, like emeralds, and she was close to crying again. He could see, as her gaze locked with his own.

"Joxer," she finally rasped, and her shoulders deflated, before she turned to Xena. "Give us a minute?"

Xena's jaw was firm, but she did, moving the horses around him. She paused, and suddenly he was engulfed in a hug, strong and bearlike, before he heard a whispered, "We'll be waiting for our boy," before she was gone.

What he had left was Gabrielle, who stared at him with a look she had never had before, a look that reminded him of the kiss from the night before.

"We're not leaving you behind." He felt a glimmer of hope, until she amended the sentence, "not because we want to."

He swallowed, and wondered why Xena didn't just tell him this. It would have been easier, cause Xena would have given it to him quick. Gabrielle was slow, soft, like the way her palm lifted to his cheek, the way her thumb traced his lower lip, gently, slowly.

"Gabby-"

"Joxer. We want this to be about you. Right now, this is where you belong."

"But-"

"NO..." She stepped closer, and suddenly their faces were centimeters apart, and he saw the dark jade flecks in her orbs, the slight trembling in her face. "You don't understand, Joxer, that we need this. Because we don't want to lose you. Not to Greece."

"So you want to me to stay in Chin? For how long, Gabby?" he whispered hoarsely. He didn't understand, not at all, and he didn't quite get it, until she tangled her free fingers in his, and placed them over his staff.

"How long have you been waiting to be a warrior, Joxer? This style suits you, and you can learn. From Master Chun, and Billy."

"But, Gabby - it could be years, Gabby..." he was pleading now, because he knew now, what she was saying, and he didn't want it. He didn't want to be away from them, all alone here while they went farther and farther away. And the gods were after them, and one of them could get hurt and he wouldn't be there-

"I want you to do this, Joxer. For you." Gabrielle's lower lip was all shaky, and the emotion behind the words struck him, because she was trying so hard to hold back the tears, and she was crying for HIM. Cause she didn't want him to stay.

He swallowed down hard, the hand that wasn't holding the staff slipped around her waist, and it connected their bodies, her breath mingling against his lips.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't FAIR that this was happening NOW.

"Do this for YOU, Joxer," she whispered. "You need it."

"But what about you?"

"I need you alive, Joxer," she said after a moment. "Because the last thing I'd want is to lose you."

He closed his eyes, took a deep, shuddering breath, and then looked over the rolling hills and greenery of the place that he was going to leave.

Where his training was.

"Joxer, do me a favor."

He blinked, didn't realize that he had tears in his eyes until they stung. "What?"

"Don't make this your home," she said.

What was she afraid of? That was- "Oh, Gabs... Gabby... home is with you guys. And I'm gonna be homesick every day- take me with you, Ga-"

"Joxer." She managed a smile. "You're already staying. You know that. And we'll find you. Cause... we'll get homesick too."

She hugged him, then, an embrace unlike any she had given him, soft, and pliant and unwilling. She didn't want to let him go.

When his lips found hers, her response was immediate; a whimper and a tilt of her head, drawing him in deep, mouth opening under his, unspoken words spoken in actions.

It was over too quickly, when she pulled away and pressed her lips against his ear, and she whispered, "Come home when you're ready, Joxer, I'll want to see those forms."

She never looked back as she walked away from him, toward Xena who was waiting a hundred feet away. Joxer stared, holding his staff, his pack dragging on the floor.

He was already homesick, and his body was bruised and his scratches stung, but he somehow managed to grab his pack and sling it over his shoulder; managed to drag his feet and walk heavily in the opposite direction to the camp, to learn.

He would learn, he would work hard and he would be ready to go home. He would learn, and protect and then she would see him again, and it would be different, but it would be the same.

Home was always home, and Joxer never questioned it. He had to work on forms, cause he would show Gabby and Xena and they would be proud.

If Joxer had looked back, he would have seen a blonde bard and a Warrior Princess standing at the top of the hill, watching him move toward his destiny. He would see them waiting until he turned the corner, wait a few minutes after that, and then turn.

He might have realized, with his aching heart, he was a little stronger than they, because he never looked back.

But he didn't, he never questioned the battles that lay ahead, he only knew that he would find them, when he was ready, and they knew it too. It wouldn't be long.

Home was home, even if everybody was kung fu fighting all around the world.

--

FIN