((Rewritten))
Chapter 9
After a half an hour of steady flying, Dojo began to descend into a wasteland, dotted with cliffs and jagged mountains. I hadn't said anything to him the entire time we were flying, and even now I couldn't say anything. My stomach turned uncomfortably inside of me and I clutched Dojo even tighter. He looked back at me curiously, but didn't say a word.
A cliff loomed up in front of us and as I strained my eyes, I could see a dark cave in its center. It was made of black stone and looked like an opened mouth, its rock teeth hanging along the entrance. A shiver ran down my spine as Dojo gracefully landed on a stretch of flat land in front of it, and I leaped off.
"Thanks, Dojo," I whispered, unable to make my voice any higher. I started to walk towards the opening, but he immediately slithered in front of me, blocking my path.
"Kimiko, I don't know why we're here or what you're up to, but this is dangerous! You don't know what's-"
"He's back," I interrupted him, trying to walk around him.
"…What?"
"Chase Young! He's come back, and he kidnapped the guys…I have to go save them, it's my fault he has them!" Dojo looked at me like I was crazy, but I ignored him. "Please, just believe me. I'll explain later."
I jumped over him and started to walk deeper into the cave, which became as black as night only a few steps in. The air was still and musty inside, as if it hadn't been used in years. Fifteen hundred years…
"Kimiko, wait!" Dojo's voice echoed behind me. I turned and gave him a half wave, a forced smile on my face.
"I'll be back out in a minute, don't worry!" I shouted back. Then, before he could say another word, I disappeared into the darkness.
Fire burst to life in my fingers so I could see, and I started to deftly move down the cave path. The natural light behind me soon faded away and I had to rely on just my element to see. In another hundred feet, I saw that it ended in a large wooden door. My heart started pounding louder in my chest, but I ignored my obvious fear and kept going.
As soon as I was a few feet away, the door slid open at my approach. This had to be a trap, but what other choice did I have? I froze in my tracks, anxiety finally taking over my body until I saw that a soft light illuminated the doorway. Uneasily, I stepped forward, and gasped.
I had been expecting a dark, musty cave or another stone passageway, but instead I found myself in a large stone chamber, as large as all the rooms in the Xiaolin Temple combined. The floors were white marble, and natural light shone in from every direction. Huge blue and green stained glass windows lined the walls and fountains bubbled pleasantly in every corner.
This had to be a mistake. I looked like I was in a temple, not the lair of one of the most evil Heylin warriors ever. Taking a deep breath, I took another few steps forward, trying to find some sign of Raimundo, Omi and Clay…or of Chase Young.
Then, I saw them.
My friends had been forced up against a wall, and their arms hung in chains above them. Gags had been tied roughly over their mouths, and they were struggling fiercely. My heart caught in my throat, and I ran to them without a second thought, even though the door slammed shut behind me.
"Oh my god! Rai! Clay! Omi! Are you guys okay?" I ripped the gag off Raimundo's mouth while he watched me with wild, fearful eyes.
"K-Kimiko!" he gasped, struggling in the shackles that bound his wrists above his head. "Kim, you have to go now! You're in danger! There's this guy…just go now! Leave us here, we'll make it out somehow!"
I froze but shook my head, taking the cloth off of Clay's mouth. "I know I am, but I'm not going to leave you guys here! It's my fault-"
"Raimundo's right," Clay interrupted me. His eyes were full of concern, and I hastily turned away from his gaze. "Kim, you gotta go now, it's your only chance."
By now, I was standing on my tiptoes, trying to break open the shackles on Raimundo's wrists. "I told you," I snapped angrily, "I'm not-"
"Well, well, well…" an icy voice sounded behind me. My heart stopped completely in my chest, and I could only stare at Raimundo, my eyes wide in fear. "It is the third day."
No…not so soon… I turned around slowly, trying not to let my eyes betray my feelings. Chase Young was leaning on one of the stain glass windows behind me, a smug look on his face. At his confident expression, I felt my fear give way to anger, and I clenched my hands into fists to control myself.
"Release them," I said calmly, though I was trying not to scream. "Now."
He ignored me and stood up straight, then started to walk forwards towards us. "Did I not say," he continued in the same cool voice, "that you would come to find me?"
"Only because you kidnapped my friends," I shouted angrily back at him. I wanted to draw my element, but I had a feeling that that would only make the situation worse. The guys hung behind me uneasily, still struggling to get rid of the chains. "Did you think that I would abandon them to avoid you?"
"Of course…the heroine comes to save the day."
My mouth flew open as I prepared to retort, but Chase cut me off again. My anger was sending me on the edge again, and my eyes narrowed into a glare.
"If you want them back so much, may I suggest a Showdown between the two of us? If you win, you and your fellow monks can go. If not-"
"I'm not going to fight you," I snapped back. "I've only come here to get my friends back, and tell you that my decision is no. You can't make me do anything!"
"I can't?" the smug look on his face intensified, and I felt my stomach drop. He snapped his fingers, and out of nowhere, enormous jungle cats began to surround us. I looked around uneasily as their eyes locked onto mine, growling all the while.
"What's up with the cats?" I said, trying to be calm. My eyes darted nervously to the cat nearest to me, and it hissed in response. I flinched.
"They used to be great warriors who lost in Showdowns to me...now they are under my complete control. They feel nothing, and only live to served me…And I have not yet fed them." He raised his hand and the cats started to advance…only this time, they ignored me, and started prowling towards the guys.
Chase was leading them straight to my friends. I stared at him in horror, my calmness evaporating. "You wouldn't dare," I whispered. I glanced nervously back to the guys, to see that they had stopped struggling, and were staring nervously at the cats near their feet.
"Want to bet?" He flicked his hand, and the cats immediately began to crouch, preparing to lunge.
"NO!" I yelled desperately. I ran and dodged in front of the other monks, holding out my hands as if I alone could stop them. "Leave them out of this, it's between you and me! They have nothing to do with this!" I was sure the guys had no idea what was going on, but it didn't matter. I was trying to save their lives…and mine, if I could.
Chase sighed and snapped his fingers again. The cats retreated a few steps, but not by much. "As you wish," he said, his voice sounding slightly bored. "They are of no use to me anyways." I glared at him while his smirk grew bigger, and his golden eyes bored into mine. "Kimiko…Xiaolin Dragon of Fire, I challenge you to a Showdown."
I looked back at the guys and then to Chase, my hope dying in my chest. There was no way out of this. He had me trapped here with my friends…and only I had the option the save them. With a heavy sigh, I hung my head. "What are the terms?"
"The release of your comrades for your pledge of eternal loyalty. You win, and you may leave with the others. I win, and I will release them, but you will still be eternally loyal to me."
"No, Kimiko!" Omi shouted from behind me. "Do not agree! Leave us, do not fight him!"
I turned around and faced them, though I was unable to meet their eyes. Raimundo was staring miserably at me, and Clay had an expression of pure fury on his face. There was no way I was ever going to leave them here, no matter what they said. "I have to," I whispered. "There's no other way."
Chase was watching me intently as I turned away from them and looked into his golden eyes. Now, I wanted nothing more than to wipe that smirk off his face. "Fine," I said slowly. "I accept."
"The game will be stone-jumping. You will rely on your Xiaolin element and your martial art skills only…no Shen Gong Wu. The first to touch the ground looses."
I took a deep breath, and tried to concentrate, ignoring the shouts of the guys behind me. I felt confident enough, since I usually did pretty well in showdowns…but then again, I had never fought against an evil Heylin Master, nor had I ever fought for something so valuable. My eternal loyalty? I was too afraid to consider the outcomes if I lost, so I nodded my head sharply. "Lets go."
The floor began to rumble and vibrate until the marble cracked, and stones shot into the sky. Pillars rose up all around us, while some stepping stones floated here and there. I closed my eyes as I felt the marble underneath of me giving way, and a breeze whipped around my ankles. The cries of my friends were lost in the confusion of the arena preparing itself for our battle, and I took a deep breath. I couldn't think about them right now if I wanted to win.
When the rumbling came to a stop, I opened my eyes to see that I was standing on a pillar fifty feet in the air. Chase was opposite me, a few yards away. Spikes had formed all around his armor, while I remained in my training robes. I cracked my knuckles and stared at him, wondering just how exactly I was going to take him down.
He met my gaze, his eyes as piercing as ever, and nodded his head sharply. I raised my chin, and we both shouted, "Gong Yi Tampi!" The showdown had begun.
I barely had time to even register that he had moved, until something hard rammed straight into me. I yelped in surprise as I hit the stone and skidded backwards until my body dropped off the side. Somehow, I managed to grab onto the edge of the stone right before I fell and I frantically tried to hoist myself back up.
"It's only been a minute, and already you are loosing, Kimiko?" My head snapped up to see Chase standing above me, an amused expression on his face. "This may be easier than I expected…though this means I have much to teach you in the future."
"Go to hell," I snarled back. Just as he tried to step on my fingers, I let go of the edge and fell onto another raised stone just below me. I hit the hard surface and rolled into a standing position, frantically looking upwards. Chase was already gone.
Wind brushed past my neck, and I whirled around, not at all surprised to see Chase behind me. Without wasting a second, I went into a fighting stance and summoned my element. "Judollete Flip…Fire!" I shouted. Flames rushed into my hands as I flipped towards him, attempting to knock him down and burn him. Instead, he easily stepped out of the way and chuckled.
"You're going to have to do a lot better than that if you wish to defeat me," he said, the smirk on his face growing larger. My eyes narrowed as I turned to face him again, trying to figure out my next move.
Flames blazed around me as I rushed at him again. I attempted to slam my burning hands into his neck, while sweeping a leg into his to off-balance him. It had worked dozens of times on Raimundo, so I figured it might work on him. He raised his hand just as I prepared to strike, and I was knocked backwards. Had he just…flicked me?
He was way too powerful for me to take on in direct combat. My heart started to pound as I glanced at him, and then dove for the edge of the stone. He reached out to grab me and missed by inches, just as I dropped down to another ledge. With a giant leap, I fled to a pillar, trying to get away from him.
Chase was too fast for me though. After a few seconds of running frantically, he was in my path again. I furiously hurled fire at him before I jumped away, but he was always in front of me, blocking my attacks without any effort. Now, I was on the defensive. He moved to attack me, and it took all my strength to merely hold him off. We went back and forth, neither of us yielding, though while I grew exhausted, he looked untouched.
Out of frustration, I snarled and threw myself at him with all the energy that I could muster. Again, he blocked my attack…but this time was different. I looked up slowly at Chase to see him holding onto my flaming fist, and smiling.
With one small flick, he threw me backwards. I could only helplessly feel my body fall through the air, until I slammed into another pillar. Pain exploded in my head, and I had the wind knocked out of me with the impact. My body began to slide downwards until I grasped a stone, and pulled myself up. I collapsed on the cool surface, gasping for air as I tried to compose myself. Finally, I managed to stand up, but Chase had already jumped down in front of me.
He advanced, like a predator stalking his prey, but my legs were frozen in panic and pain. His smirk grew, and I felt my body go cold. "Welcome to the Heylin side, Dragon of Fire," he said in a low voice. A cry caught in my throat, and I desperately tried to run away, but it was too late. Chase lunged and caught me around the waist, wrapping his arms securely around me. We went over the edge, and then we both were falling.
I could feel the wind rushing past my face and see the ground coming closer and closer. Frantically, I tried to escape from his clutches, but his grip was too strong. "Let me go!" I cried out, my face growing pale. We began to fall faster, and I felt the vibrations of his chest against me as he laughed.
"Fair enough," he whispered. He pushed me away from his arms, and I let out a shriek. The ground was only a few yards away, and at that moment, I realized his plan. I never felt the impact as I was the first to touch the ground.
