CHAPTER THREE: I'M NOT GOING TO KILL YOU
Back in the dank caves in the mountains of China, Raimundo was leaning against the caves wall, playing with a small rock in his hands, tossing it between his palms. Omi was deep in thought, staring at the fire's tiny flickering flames. They couldn't risk making a decent sized fire; the smoke would be spotted faster than they could escape. The fire was only for warmth, so Dojo, Omi and Clay spent most of their time huddled around it, in their torn and thin robes in an attempt to warm themselves.
"Come join us, partner. You'll get sick if you don' keep warm…" Clay had said as he used his thumb to lift his torn, but ever present hat to a better position on his long hair. Clay's favourite ten-gallon hat had taken a beating since the world had 'gone to pot' as Clay had said. It was tatty and frayed, particularly around the edges. It was also faded from so much use, but the cowboy simply refused to throw it away. He said that it was his little piece of home. The others wished they had something to remind them of home.
"No thanks." Raimundo had drawled in response, turning away from Clay slightly.
"C'mon Rai, you'll get a cold, and this time you aren't using my blanket as a tissue." Dojo frowned slightly, nodding in the direction of his favourite blanket, which lay relatively near the mouth of the cave. It was Dojo's bed, it wasn't much, but it was a bed. The last time Raimundo had caught a cold, they had resorted to using poor Dojo's blanket for him to use as a handkerchief. Apart from their sleeping mats and their clothes, they had no other materials with them for Raimundo to use. He remembered thinking at the time that it wasn't the right time to be sick, but, as much as Raimundo thought otherwise, it was simply out of his control. Poor Omi had spent days trying to wash Dojo's blanket clean whilst Raimundo was recovering from his cold. It took a while for Dojo to be able to sleep on it comfortably after his friend's use.
If Raimundo was completely honest with himself, he hadn't felt warm since Kimiko had left. All sense of motivation had left his body, and the only thing he was clinging on to was his hope, and his love. If Kimiko had turned into a small tyrant that the rumours suggested, then he would confront her one last time. She could kill him where he stood, just as long as he was near to her. He just didn't care anymore.
"Raimundo." Omi said after a long time of staring into the flickering light. "Do you believe Master Fung to be dead?" Raimundo turned his blank face towards the tiny monk, who still didn't avert his eyes from the flames. He wasn't surprised to see tears starting to form in his big, round eyes.
"No, Omi. I don't. I think that everyone we've ever loved is dead. Families, friends…" Raimundo stopped, recalling that Omi was an orphan. He had always felt somewhat different because Omi had never known his parents.
"Then you believe Jimmy, Mater Monk Guan, Jermaine, Klofange and Jesse are all dead?"
"Jimmy, Klofange and Jesse are probably already dead, dude, and there's nothing we can do about it now. Just don't mention what I said to Clay, Jesse was his sister, after all." He said in an emotionless tone. It was a good thing that Clay was out on a water trip with Dojo, or else the cowboy probably would have yelled at Rai fiercely. Clay was one of the strongest-willed, most stubborn people Rai had ever met. Since Chase's reign, nothing could dampen his sky-high spirits, which Raimundo found all too irritating. Omi was shocked by his friends' lack of care for their friends and stood up abruptly. He turned a deep shade of red.
"What has happened to you, Raimundo?" Omi snapped, pointing his finger directly at his face as the tiny monk stomped towards him purposefully. Raimundo turned to face Omi with a bored expression.
"This whole thing is a mess, Omi. Chase Young happened to me, that's what." Raimundo drawled, turning to face away from Omi again.
"Raimundo Pedrosa, do you believe that all hope is lost?" Omi asked, looking deeply into his soft green eyes.
"Of course it is, Omi. Going into that god-forsaken palace with delusions of saving the world is a suicide mission! We're going to die trying to save the world. Right now, Chase is probably panicking that he hasn't caught us yet, so lets keep it that way. After we're gone, he's going to turn into the heartless tyrant we always thought he was." Raimundo's voice had lost its' bored drawl.
Omi raised his eyebrows. "For a moment there, you sounded like your old self." Omi voiced quietly, patting his depressed friend on the shoulder. "We will get her back, Raimundo. Kimiko belongs on this side, and I know if we work together as a team, we can defeat Chase and she can come back." Omi continued in his hushed voice.
Raimundo looked up at him, and just for a moment, Omi could see in his eyes how broken he really was. His blue eyes were cold and dead, as if everything he had ever lived for was gone.
"I don't think she's going to come back to us, dude. She made me promise that I would kill her when I got the chance… but I know deep down that I won't be able to do it." Raimundo replied.
"Do you think, if she could see you now, she would want you to be depressed about her, or do you think she would want you to be plotting Chase's downfall? I truly believe that Kimiko's good side is still in there somewhere, we just have to let it back out, and the first way to do that is to stay focused, Raimundo. Master Fung would tell you the same, I am sure of it. Kimiko would not want you to be in this sorry state, my friend."
Raimundo looked down again and nodded.
"You're right… I hadn't thought about it that way." A slight smile flicked onto his face, but it was nowhere near the big cheesy grin he had once worn so often, stretching from ear to ear.
Still, it is a start, Omi thought.
"Small steps, Raimundo, small steps." He said, patting him on the shoulder again comfortingly, "Now come sit with me by the fire. Your robes are cold to touch."
With a small sigh, Raimundo pushed his stiff body towards the fire and replaced Omi's hobby of staring into the flames, deep in thought. Was there any hope of them saving her after all?
Kimiko pushed Jimmy forward. She held his wrists together with her left hand. Her grip was surprisingly hard to break, as Jimmy soon found out. His heart was throwing itself against his eardrums, getting faster and faster with each step they took. A step closer to what he thought was certain death.
This is it, he thought, I'm going to die.
Kimiko placed her right hand on his head a twisted her delicate fingers into his shaggy hair as she approached her chambers. Two of Chase's warriors guarded the metallic doors, and when they saw Jimmy approaching in an awkward position, they didn't spot the small Japanese girl, who was a foot shorter than him, forcing him forward. She was almost completely blocked by his frame. She stuck her head around the boy and glared at the warriors.
"It's okay, let me pass." Kimiko commanded in a dominant tone. They opened the door for her, then stepped aside, astonished by how strong she seemed to be.
"Allow no one to enter." She said as they closed the doors behind her, sealing off Jimmy's only root of escape.
Kimiko's chambers were impressive, to say the least. There were so many different aspects of beauty within the room, that Jimmy momentarily forgot his place, staring in awe at the wonderful furniture. The wooden bed, chez-lounge, the dressers, the mirrors, the intricate fireplace were all worthy of respect in Jimmy's eyes. Being a simple peasant, Jimmy had never seen anything to marvellous. It was clear that Chase took care of Kimiko, even if she had to do unspeakable acts for his care.
Jimmy soon remembered his cause when Kimiko pushed him through the room towards the bed.
"You can relax. I'm not going to kill you." Kimiko repeated for the third time when Jimmy started tugging to break free. Why didn't the boy believe her? She hadn't done anything to harm him as far as she knew. She was just attempted to control and restrain him to stop him hurting her.
"How am I supposed to trust you?" He snarled, trying to look over his shoulder to stare at her, but to no avail. She pushed him down onto the bed dominantly. She needed him to know that she was in control here. She wanted information from him, but she wasn't going to beg for it. Not expecting the shove, he fell onto his back, rolling slightly. The unexpected blow made him blink for a moment. Just then, Kimiko clambered on top of him, draping her silvery black hair over his face as she moved in closer.
"What the hell are you doing?" Jimmy whispered in a moment of panic, wriggling beneath her. She was only inches away from his face, staring deeply into his eyes, trying to recall him, but there was nothing. She had hoped that scrutinizing his face would bring something back.
She climbed off him, and then sat on the bed beside him. "Tell me how you first met me." She commanded, staring at him with her striking blue eyes. He eyed him apprehensively, waiting to find if she would have to resort to violence to extract the information.
"I don't know the whole story, but you turned up out of the blue one day in my village, back when things were good," Jimmy began, "You demanded that we follow Chase and said any who refused would be killed. I attacked you as you led my village away to be prisoners. You told Chase's warriors that you were going to kill me, but then when the coast was clear, you asked me for help." Jimmy looked at her, wondering if she really was not going to harm him. Her expression displayed curiosity, but suspiciousness.
"But that sounds like Chase was ruling…" She muttered, "You're lying. I would remember." Kimiko voiced out loud, her cool eyes could have turned to daggers with the look she was giving him. How dare he lie to her? Was he completely unafraid of her? Well, she would have to change that!
"I'm not surprised you don't remember, Kimiko. I doubt Chase wants you remembering how you used to live…" Jimmy said sadly, meeting her eyes.
"Tell me." Kimiko commanded again, staring at him with a poisonous expression. If he lied to her again, she would have him punished.
"I don't know it all." He warned, "but what I do know is that Chase Young threatened to kill one of your frien-"
Jimmy was cut off; mid sentence as the door to Kimiko chambers burst open with a deafening bang. The door flew off its' hinges, revealing Chase Young in his lizard form, looking at Kimiko with a murderous expression. He was a few feet taller now, towering over them both. Kimiko heard Jimmy whimper slightly. He had heard too many rumours about the lizard Chase to feel relaxed.
I was wrong… Now I'm going to die.
"Speak no more, human scum." Chase snarled, pointing at Jimmy.
"But…" Kimiko started, but then she stopped. What exactly was her argument? She had let him down. She had disobeyed him, and all because her curiosity had gotten the better of her.
"I'm very disappointed with you, Kimiko." Chase said sternly in her direction, "How could you have been corrupted so easily with this pathetic humans lies?" He pointed at Jimmy again. Kimiko couldn't help but notice his forked tongue slither out of his mouth as he spoke.
Chase moved forward, grabbed the startled boy with his claws and threw him mercilessly from the room and into the hallway. Kimiko heard the crack as Chase had grabbed him, and now Jimmy was clutching his arm, writhing in agony as he flew through the air with impossible speed and height. A scream escaped Jimmy's throat as he slammed into a far away wall. His limp body slid down the wall, and he lay still.
"No!" Kimiko almost yelled, staring at Chase, who turned to stare at her with anger ever present in his eyes.
"He…" She began again, but then faltered and stopped herself. Anything she said would make the situation worse. If she justified her actions, Chase would punish her for betrayal, if he wasn't going to already, that was.
Chase morphed back into his human form, staring at Kimiko with his cold eyes. He snapped his fingers in a careless manner, and the two warriors that had been waiting outside her chambers proceeded to drag Jimmy out of sight. He clutched his arm, swearing loudly. His cries could be heard, echoing along the deserted hallways as they dragged him away to an unknown location. Kimiko stared, hoping that her apology was obvious on her face.
"Where are they taking him?" She asked quietly, not raising her head to match his eyes. If she looked into those cold eyes, she would begin to crumble. Knowing that Chase was disappointed in her was one his effective techniques for stopping her from repeating what she had done.
"That concerns you no longer." Chase said coldly. "You will not inspect the prisoners again, nor will you be leaving the palace anymore." He folded his arms as he spoke. Kimiko had served under him long enough to know that this usually meant that he wasn't going to change his mind.
Yet, Kimiko, stubborn as ever, proceeded to protest. "But, that's not fair!"
"No, it isn't, but neither was sneaking around behind my back like that. I thought I could trust you, but I was obviously mistaken. Well, I will not make that mistake again. I assure you that I will not entrust you with such an important task. You may tend to the wounded captives and take their food to them. I need some of them alive, so just make sure they are fed and watered. That is your only task from now on." Chase's voice was his low, dominating tone again, expressing that his matter clearly wasn't one open for debate.
Chase swiftly left the room, leaving her stunned and angry behind him. She sat onto her bed with a sigh, laying back on it.
Jimmy's words repeated themselves in her head.
"When things were good…", "I'm not surprised you don't remember. I doubt Chase wants you remembering how you used to live," and "Chase Young threatened to kill one of your frien-"
The way Jimmy had spoken about her, it made her sound completely the opposite of what she was now.
Had he been about to say friend?
Kimiko didn't have any friends, apart from Chase, but he didn't really count as a friend. He was just her master. A friend?
No, it couldn't have been what he was about to say, could it?
Kimiko knew only one thing for sure…
She was desperate to find out more about her locked past.
No matter how much Chase tried to stop her; it was something that he wanted to keep from her. So whatever was held in her past was obviously something that Chase wanted her to forget. Was this friend what he had wanted her to forget? Jimmy had also mentioned that she had asked him for help, but what had she wanted help with?
I will unlock my memories, and when I do, I'm pretty sure things are going to change around here.
(Please review!)
