Shiki smiled."well thank you"

Elliot smiled. "No problem." She replied.

---

Once Xing got to his room he took his shirt off and turned to look at his back in the mirror. The Tao family crest tattooed on his back showed starkly against his pale skin. "I've had this since I was a kid," Xing whispered absently.

Shiki smiled at her,then headed for the kitchen.

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _

Abby blinked hearing someone comeupand placed the picturedown and headed forXings romandknockedon it."everything okayXing?",sheasked softly.

Xing turned back to the door. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied.

Abby blinked but smiled."okay,just cheaking",she said andheadedback to her room.

Xing nodded and flopped down on his bed. He ran a hand down his face. I know I'm going to be facing down my family's shamans in this fight...I just hope I'm strong enough.

Abby sighed going back into her room and thengoingto her windw sheopened it and made her way onto her roof.

"Master Xing, what is concerning you?" Bason asked.

"This fight." Xing replied. "There's no doubt that the rest of the Tao family is competing. We'll have to face them again sometime." At the same time, his oracle pager beeped. "Aw crap....and right after the hospital too...."

His opponent for his next battle was Tao Shinling. His younger sister.

Yukina blinked hearing a beeping frommXings room and crawled over to his window and poked her head down."whos your next aponent?"

"Waugh!" Xing yelped, falling off his bed. "What the hell?! What're you doing in the window?!"

Abby giggeled slightly."sorry didnt mean to scare you,and amd on the roof,i heard the beep,so whos your aponent?"

"Uh, okay..." Xing replied, not wanting to ask why Yukina was on the roof. "I've already been paired with my younger sister, Shinling."

Abby got a worried look."when?"

"I was about to find out when you scared the pants off me by poking your head into my window!" Xing replied. It was only then that he rememberd that he wasn't wearing his shirt. All of a sudden he turned pink, knowing full well how skinny he was.

Abby laughed nervously."hey i said iwas sorry okay?!",she said then also blushed somejust noticeing he was shirtless."uh ...sorry"

Xing grapped his shirt and threw it on. "It's okay..." He said. "I'm just...I suck with girls."

Abby blinked."how do you figure that?",she said leaning forward more but yelped as she sliped.

"You might want to keep a better grip so you don't slide off the roof," Xing commented.

Abby gave a slight glare."yeah yeha ",she muttered.

Xing sat back down on his bed. "So, what've you been thinking about?" He asked.

Abby blinked and sighed."not alot ....my family mosty...."

"I guess that makes two of us." Xing said.

Abby smiled some."whens your battle?",she asked laying back on the roof stareing up at thenight sky.

Xing checked the oracle pager. "In a couple weeks," he replied. He sighed. "I still think it's too close to being released from the hospital."

Abby nodded."samehere,but now youll have to get lots of rest.....",she said in a serious tone.