Episode: Friend in Need Pt. 1
Author:
CN Winters
Fandom:
Subtext report, Xena Fanfiction, Xena and
Gabrielle fanfiction
Author
Note: Many of these reports are littered with errors
because I wrote them quickly and 'on the fly' so I could post
them quicker to the 'Nutforum' back in the day.
Feedback:
Drop me a line at cnwinters71@yahoo.com.
Friend in Need Pt. 1
Gabby talks about
life where they are and where they're going while she looks up
at the stars. Ahh yes the philosophical bard. Gotta love her.
I know I do. I love Gabby. Have I mentioned that? (VBG) Xena
tells Gabby maybe they could go to the land of the pharos. She
heard they might need a gal with a chakram. Gabby pauses and
tells her someone is in the bushes. Xena said she heard them
roaming around for awhile. Gabby gets up to inspect and Xena
watches for a moment and then follows.
A monk shows up and
says he saw Akemi at a teahouse. He and a buddy need a place
to come inside from a rainstorm. They see three beautiful
women (hubba, hubba). His buddy gets it on with two gals in a
hot tub. The monk however is being a somewhat more faithful
religious figure just admires Akemi who's playing some music.
As things heat up in the bathtub we get the idea that bad
things are afoot for the teahouse of horrors. A wicked looking
face melts through a wall and forms into an ugly looking dude.
Ugly dude sucks up the monk’s friend as he looks on. He runs
(no kidding) and the young woman tells him to fight the soul
stealer, handing him a sword AKA katana. He pretty much tells
her she’s got the WRONG guy! She tells him to take the sword
west. He asks if he’s looking for a priest or a god or
something. She tells him he’s looking for a warrior
princess.
End of teaser.
Gabrielle is
drilling with the monk with staffs as he tells her that it’s
better for a warrior to die as a martyr than to live as a
coward. Gabby, green-eyed monster slowly peering its head,
asks about Akemi. He tells her that Akemi is beautiful and she
stole souls for Yosi and she’s a ghost. Gabby gives Xena the
‘eye’ from where she’s sunning on ‘Rob’s Folly’.
Xena says she has to tell Gabby the story. Gabby takes a spot
next to Xena in their ‘bathing suits’.
She says she had to
go to Japan with Borias to find a kidnapped girl for the
ransom. And if she could take over the country while there
that would be good too (LOL). Young Xena was so ambitious and
idealistic. Ya gotta love her too. I love Evil Xena. Have I
mentioned that? (VBG) Anyway, they met the young woman who
automatically knows Xena's name. The girl tells her that Xena
will love her. She tells Xena she has to take her with her and
teach her everything she knows. Borias says Xena loves no one.
Which earns him a dirty look from the WP. Akemi’s captor
however doesn’t want to make a trade of 50 gold pieces. Xena
put the pinch on him while Borias sits and drinks some tea.
Xena fights some bad guys. Borias continues to drink some tea.
Xena fights some more bad guys and steals the girl to ransom
her back to her father. On a ship the girl tries to learn how
to fight. Xena kicks her in the stomach and tells her the
first lesson is to trust no one. They leave the ship and walk
through the forest. Akemi gives Xena a piece of paper and
tells her that she writes. Gee…another bard. Go figure. (VBG)
She wrote a love poem for Xena.
We go back to Xe
and Gab and Gab tells Xena she must have loved Akemi very
much. Xena says, ‘actually she broke my heart’. Gabby says
she doesn't understand what that means. Xena says that when
she went to get the ransom she realized she was seeking
something else.
Akemi stops by a
rickety house and says she has to get her blessing from her
grandfather. Xena's pissed because they’ve been walking away
from the palace and she wants to get her money. She raises her
sword to decapitate her but she stops. The girl prays and
rises to say her grandfather thinks Xena can teach her much
but she's not the best 'sword'. Akemi talks about the Katana
but says women can't own it. Of course the word can't is just
a catalyst for Xena. The girl takes her to the sensei for the
sword. Xena beats them all to a pulp and takes it. But not
before she has to ‘save her sidekick’ just once. (VBG)
They’re setting you up folks – I think we’ll find out in
part two that Gabrielle is in some way Akemi, if not then they
have a realllllllllllllly close comparison the producers are
trying to draw for no reason what so ever. But back to the
story….
Later that night
the two of them are making shelter. Xena tells her that she's
a nice kid but she came for the ransom. Akemi tells her that's
not true. Akemi asks Xena what she ‘hears’ since Xena
seems to be in tune with the things around them. Xena says she
can feel Akemi's heart beating faster than normal. Akemi loves
her and says she wants to have Xena teach her the pinch. Xena
agrees.
Back to present,
Gabby's trying to read Xena the riot act. ‘You only knew her
a few weeks and you taught her the pinch after all this time
you and I.’ Looks like Gabby's gotta little pen...erghh.....pinch
envy going on there (VBG). The captain comes and says he's not
gonna dock. The city they are going to is on fire. Xena says
she's jumpin'. Gabby says she's coming too. Xena smiles
expecting as much. Xena goes first and Gabby shakes her head
but does the heave ho over the ship. At the city they decide
to destroy the water tower. They go through a ton of great
action shots, helping each other travel to the top of the
tower. But I did notice something. Xena couldn't help Gabby
turn on the water main - she just watched. The main does open
and Xena says it's not the way she would have done it (i.e.
this is the E.T. clip folks). It seems that Xena is watching to
see if she’s trained Gabby the ‘right way’ and if
she’s become a warrior like Xena. They come down from the
tower and Gabby asks if Akemi ever used the pinch. Xena says
unfortunately yes.
Flashback time!!
They traveled back to her father's palace. We see Akemi in a
mask. When she reveals herself she puts the pinch on a guy who
she says killed her family. Xena busts in and takes on the
guards who come after Akemi. Akemi then tells the man that
it’s over father. Akemi then asks Xena to kill her since she
just whacked her Pop. Xena won't do it because she’s
grown attached to the girl. So Akemi stabs herself telling her
that her love will go on. Xena can't watch Akemi suffering so
she chops her head off. Nothing says love like a good head
chopping.
In the present a
man approaches and he says Xena has trapped the souls of the
village. Xena tells Gabby what happened. In the past with
short hair and face paint. She drunkenly tries to make it to
the temple with Akemi’s ashes as she requested when she was
dying. But the people of the village try to stop her. Akemi's
ashes get scattered through the town and it lights up. It
seems Akemi's dad, Yosi, was really evil and it didn't stop
after his death. In fact he trapped the souls that burned in
the town thanks to Xena. Xena feels it's all her fault. Gabby
says it's an accident. Xena says she's gonna put it right.
Xena is teaching
Gabby how to 'listen'. Gabby hears three armies approaching
and says she's going to warn the others. Xena sees the old man
from the village and calls him the ghost killer. He says he'd
kill Yosi but he can't get close enough since he's mortal and
Yosi is on the spirit plain. Xena is then seen kneeling and
says she knows what she has to do. Gabby comes in and asks why
she isn't ready yet. Xena has Gabrielle sit in front of her.
Xena takes Gabby's hands in hers and makes her feel her veins
to show her how to do the pinch. She wants Gabby to know what
she knows. Gabby wants to know why she's doing this. She says
if she's only got 30 seconds to live she wants to spend it
looking in Gabby's eyes. Gabby begs her not to die and Xena
shows her how to release the pinch. Gabby's not quite sure why
Xena is wigging out. To be honest I'm not sure either. But
Xena says it's important that she teach Gabby everything she
knows but they've got a battle to fight right now. Xena gets
up and next we see Gabby walking with the monk. The monk asks
why Xena isn't coming with them and Gabby tells him that they
are splitting up to attack from two different angles. Xena is
dressed in her Samurai bikini.
CN Winters
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