CHAPTER ELEVEN: ENSLAVED
"I still can't believe it!" Raimundo said, pacing the floor and rubbing his neck, "How could she?" He looked at Omi and Clay, who were being checked over by Master Fung for any serious injuries.
"Ouch!" Omi shouted as Master Fung touched the sore bump protruding from his head.
"Hmm. It appears you are fine, Omi. Your injuries will heal quickly." Master Fung knelt down to inspect Clay's broken leg. He was leaning against the wall in the corner. He was sweating and looked like he was going to be sick. Master Fung touched Clay's knee and he flinched with a loud groan.
"Your knee-cap is fractured." Master Fung continued to press along Clay's leg. There was another cry of agony from the pale cowboy, who closed his eyes, as if trying to block out the pain.
"You need to rest your leg, Clay. It is broken here," he gestured towards the lower half of his leg. "I will find suitable bandages for it and something to take away the pain." With that, Master Fung got to his feet, and went through the doorway, leaving the room to stay in silence. Raimundo sat on the sofa inside the temple's sitting room and sighed. Omi was sitting on the floor with his legs folded and his eyes tightly shut, in a meditating pose.
Omi frowned. His head was hurting from trying to think too hard. But Omi could not think of any way possible to get Kimiko out of her deal, unless they challenged Chase Young to a Xiaolin Showdown. If they challenged him, they would most likely lose. After all, Kimiko was part of the team and without her help they would definitely lose. There was not even a slight possibility that Chase would allow her to fight with the Xiaolin Monks again. The monks combined were too strong for Chase alone to compete with. Chase knew this, which is why he would never allow Kimiko to fight with them.
"I am most worried." Omi said after a while, not opening his eyes. Raimundo jumped at the sound of his voice. He had been trying to drift off to sleep. He was exhausted after everything that had happened.
"Me too, Omi." Raimundo said quietly, "Me too."
Something touched Kimiko and she jerked upright, hissing furiously. Sleeping as a cat was difficult and the positions were uncomfortable a new to her. The slightest noises or movements seemed to force her awake. Her fur had brushed against a pillow and made her jump. The lack of sleep was making her highly irritable.
Chase had taken her from the Temple and given her a small bedroom of her own to sleep in. It was just a few doors down from Chase's bedroom and once or twice she had thought about creeping in there to attack him. But the chances of her attacking and getting anywhere in this form were very slim. Her bedroom was really quite dull. She had an old cot to sleep on, which took up most of the space in the tiny room. There was a cat flap installed into the door, which was locked from the other side, and a small slot at the bottom of the door. Kimiko assumed this was to post any food or water through, but it was locked at the moment. When she thought of food, she felt slightly hungry and jumped down from the bed.
Using her newfound senses and abilities was a lot more useful than she had first anticipated. Not only was she a much better climber, runner and jumper, but she also had better senses, which helped her dearly to tell when Chase's Jungle Cats were near. When she had first arrived at Chase's home in her cat form, the warriors and jungle cats eyed her hungrily, as if she were a free meal. She had kept close to Chase's legs when she had first entered. They had not said a word to each other since they had both left the Temple; she had just followed him without question. After all, he essentially owned her now. Even if Kimiko could escape, she would be bound by her word to stay. Kimiko had followed Chase around his home until he stopped outside a black door. He opened the door and stood in the doorway. Kimiko assumed he was waiting for her to go in, so she did. He slammed the door behind her and had not returned since.
Kimiko's stomach let out a loud grumble again and she paced the room. Everything was much easier for her now, but she had noticed she felt considerably weakened. It was almost as if she had been turned into this form so that she could not hold her true power.
She began to think of her friends, for she could not stop herself. Her mind had been drifting back to them often, but to stop herself getting upset she had blocked them from her mind. Kimiko rested her head on her paws and put her ears down miserably. She could not imagine how things could get much worse. How wrong she was, as just at that moment the door banged open.
"Come, Kimiko. It is time to begin your training." Chase stood in the doorway, looking upon her with piercing eyes. Kimiko almost felt as though he could see right inside her head. Perhaps he could. With the strange connection they had, perhaps he could see inside her thoughts. With a sigh, Kimiko got to her feet, which were paws actually. She decided he must have read her thoughts; Chase would not want her to think of the Xiaolin monks now. Kimiko was almost certain that he would attempt to keep her as busy as possible to stop her thoughts from wandering.
Kimiko approached her new master timidly, a trait which she did not usually display, and looked upon him with fearful eyes.
"You need not be afraid. I will not hurt you." Chase told her and beckoned her to follow him down the corridor, her stomach grumbling all the way. Chase paused and she almost crashed into the back of his armoured legs.
"Would you like something to eat?" He asked quietly, not even turning to look at her.
"Yes." She said clearly, smiling. A hungry Kimiko was not a happy Kimiko. He carried on walking and she followed him like his shadow.
Chase led her into his dining room. It was a big room with a small table in the centre of it. Kimiko was surprised to see a table covered in plates filled with smoking food. The smells filled her nose as she drew closer to the centre of the room. The dining table was covered in a large white tablecloth and there was a single wooden chair on the far end of the table. There was candelabra's on the walls to light up the large room. It seemed strange to Kimiko to use such a big room for such a small purpose, but she was not concerned greatly by this matter. She was mainly focusing on the many plates holding mountains of food. Chase Young laughed when he saw her expression.
"Help yourself." He told her and within an instant she was gone. Chase blinked and saw her up on top of the table, nibbling ferociously on a large, sizzling hot chicken, which rested upon a silver platter. She didn't care if she was being rude; she was famished. She looked so tiny compared to the huge bird on the table. Chase was only reminded of how powerless she was in this form. I shall change her back when she is learned in the Heylin ways.
Kimiko was struggling greatly to eat. The shape of her mouth made it very difficult to eat unless the food was flat on the floor in front of her. She was also having trouble biting large chunks at once. Kimiko also saw many of her favourite dishes, including Sushi and noodles. There was also a bowl of strange-looking soup, which Kimiko would not touch, just in case it was a bowl of Chases' famous Lao Mang Long soup.
Chase sat quietly at the table, sipping at a cup of tea, watching as Kimiko devoured tiny amounts before breathing heavily, almost as if she had eaten her fill already. He couldn't help but imagine her doing this everyday until the end of time.
"Again!" Chase shouted at Kimiko, who was almost panting like a dog. It was a simple task, but nearly impossible. Chase had taken her to his own personal training room and told her to catch him. Thinking it would be incredibly easy with her newfound abilities, she charged and was thrown headfirst into the wall. Chase was surprisingly fast. He was able to move quicker than Kimiko could see him. When she finally managed to catch him, he told her to do it again. Kimiko felt like she was going to collapse. Her paws were sore and she could hardly catch her breath. She stopped for a moment to take a drink from the water bowl Chase had left for her. She couldn't get used to using her tongue to drink, but Kimiko assumed she was going to be here for a long time. Every bit of fight and attitude that once made Kimiko herself had left her when she had sworn her loyalty to Chase. She found herself questioning if, when she had sworn her loyalty to him, she had sworn away her Xiaolin Qualities. She hoped that she hadn't, but until some sort of test came along, the answer to that question would rely upon her decisions, particularly under Chase's rule.
"You may rest for a moment. Then we will continue." Chase told her, brushing his hair out of the way of his eyes. He took a long sip from his silver cup but didn't appear to be fatigued at all. Kimiko eyed him jealously. She flopped onto the floor; feeling like she had just ran a marathon with a thick winter coat on in a swelteringly warm heat wave. She still had to carry on after her quick rest.
After ten minutes, Kimiko had caught her breath and had taken a long drink. Chase had watched her the whole time. She felt nervous with his eyes upon her like that. Chase had stood in the same place without moving, until he finally spoke.
"Come Kimiko. Now we will begin to train using your element."
Kimiko followed him, easily keeping up with his brisk pace. Eventually, after making their way through the endless maze that was Chase's home, they ended up outside. Kimiko took in a long breath of the fresh air. The view was not much, just a large forest and a few mountains in the distance. It was nothing compared to the beauty of the temple. It had not even been a day since she had left the Temple, yet she had found herself missing every aspect of her old life, the life, which she could not now return to.
Upon sensing Kimiko's thoughts wander back to the Temple, Chase snapped his fingers. Kimiko saw the forest disappear and the Temple appear instantly. She wondered if she was hallucinating, but then she realised Chase had teleported them.
"Why did you bring me here?" She asked quietly as she gazed out at the view. Even from here, it was spectacular. Now she away from it, she realised she had never fully appreciated the view from the mountainside. Forests and mountains stretching as far as the eye could see. Kimiko stood on the mountainside cliff, overlooking the Xiaolin Temple once again.
"It's them!" Dojo cried, slithering into the dining room of the Temple, "I've been using the Falcon's Eye to check up there all day. Just in case he tried to attack from there, using her element! But, guys, they're there!" Dojo shouted at the monks, who were all huddled around the dining table. Omi raised his eyebrows and ran to the window.
"He is right! I can see two figures on the mountainside." Omi turned to tell Raimundo and Clay, both of whom were both still looking surprised at Dojo's outburst.
Raimundo seemed to realise the situation after a second and flew to the window. He squinted to see two dark figures on the mountainside. It was a long way away to tell if it was Chase and Kimiko or not.
"Dojo, can I use the Falcon's Eye for a sec?" Raimundo held his hand out, without taking his eyes away from the two figures. He felt the small Shen Gong Wu drop into his hand.
"Falcon's Eye!" Raimundo shouted, activating the Shen Gong Wu. He pressed the metal against his eye, while Omi and Clay waited for his confirmation.
"Yeah. He's right. I can see them both. Chase is talking to her and she's still Kimiko-cat…." Raimundo said, looking at the small black creature next to Chase. It was obviously Kimiko. No other black cat could look so miserable standing next to Chase. Chase was a cat-lover after all. The thought of Chase petting Kimiko made him shudder slightly.
"Kim…Cat?" Clay asked uncertainly, "Are you sure? When he attacked with Omi, he was back in his Omi form."
"No," Omi piped up, "You are mistaken. The evil me from the Yin Yang World attacked you. Omi-cat was when I was bound by my word afterwards." Omi looked miserable. He knew exactly what poor Kimiko was going through and could sympathise entirely. To be imprisoned by your own doing was heartbreaking.
"Guys!" Raimundo called suddenly, "She's burning the forest!"
"I want you to set the forest on fire using your element, Kimiko." Chase told her, looking down at her.
"I don't know how to. Not in this form." Kimiko replied, hoping to get away without doing it. There was no way she was destroying the beautiful forest which harboured so many animals, not to mention it was a neighbour to the Temple.
"It is exactly the same as before. Do not think I will be fooled by such lies." Chase smirked annoyingly at her. She scowled at produced a tiny ball of fire, no bigger than her little toe and shot it at the forest. It barely got a few inches away from her when it burnt out.
"I'm too tired." She lied again, "I can't do it today." I am not going to set fire to the forest! There is no way in hell! I won't do it!
"Kimiko." Chase looked fierce, "either you set it alight, or I force you to set the Xiaolin Temple on fire. It is your choice." He glared at her, looking terrifying.
"I can't do it! I'm too tired!" She lied, "It's not my fault!" Kimiko hoped if he thought she was genuinely too tired to produce her element properly, he would give in.
"Very well. You leave me no other choice." Chase closed his eyes, while Kimiko watched in horror. She had hoped that her final attempt to refuse would work. Kimiko yowled as a sharp pain shot through her skull. Her head throbbed as she felt her body move without her making it do so. It was almost as if she was sitting in a car, the driver was Chase, and Kimiko was sitting in the passenger seat, watching as Chase drove the car, or in this case, her body. Kimiko could still feel everything, but her control was gone. It was the strangest and worst feeling she had ever experienced.
Chase closed Kimiko's eyes and she felt her fire rushing to her surface.
"No! Stop! All right! I'll do it!" She shouted, but the words came out as thoughts and not from her mouth.
Kimiko gasped for breath as Chase left her body, smiling nastily.
"You see, Kimiko. You have no options here. Either you do as I say, or I force you to do it. Simple." Chase told her sternly, "Now, set the forest on fire!"
Kimiko closer her eyes, horrified at what she was about to do and felt her fire rushing up to the surface of her body. Concentrating, she managed to make the fire appear and group into a large, burning ball of fire. She held it there for a second, feeling her energy drain by the second. The strength required to hold something of its' size was enormous. The fireball was at least three times her normal height.
"I'm sorry…" She whispered to herself and for some reason, she hoped her friends could hear her.
Looking away, Kimiko let go of the fireball and it sped towards the forest.
The forest set on fire quickly. The strong winds helps to fan the flames and blow them around, making the other tree's catch alight quicker. Within a minute, a large part of the forest was alight. The smoke rising from it was thick and black. It clung in the sky like a koala to a tree and would not fade or disappear. Kimiko could feel the heat from where she stood and saw many animals fleeing the forest in fright.
Within five minutes, the whole forest was burning. The smoke was unbelievably thick and heavy. Kimiko choked as the black smoke washed over her, blowing ash above her head. She could hear the frightened cries of animals trapped in the forest. She even saw a large animal, set alight and fleeing from the fire, still alive. She felt a tear slip out of her eye and she bowed her head. What have I done?
Out of the corner of her eye, Kimiko saw something move to the North. She happened to glance over to the Temple to see three figures running out of the courtyard. Her friends were arriving to tidy up her mess.
Omi was using the Orb of Tornami to try and extinguish some of the fire. Whilst Clay helped the animals burnt or wounded by the fire. Several dead animal carcasses were dragged out of the forest by Clay, who was hopping along on crutches, and laid out delicately in a row. Kimiko did not dare count them.
Chase and Kimiko stood and watched as Omi and Clay attempted to stop the forest burning. Omi was doing a good job. When the fires were almost out, Chase Young turned around, putting his back to the fire.
"Your training is over for today. I am proud of you. Already you are showing excellent qualities. Soon, I shall return you to your human form." He told her, smiling at her like a teacher would do when their student did much better then expected.
"Why did you do it?" Raimundo's voice called from somewhere behind Kimiko. She wiped her eyes and whipped around, turning her back on the fire to find the source of the noise.
"I saw you! It was you! Why didn't you refuse?" Raimundo had run up the mountainside passes to reach them both and approached them from behind. His head was wet with sweat and he was breathing heavily.
Kimiko was about to defend her case, when she was struck with an idea. She smirked, just as Chase had done so many times already.
"Why would I refuse, Raimundo? Why would I? It's not like I don't want to do it. I've learned already that using my element to release all of my emotions is wonderful." Kimiko turned her voice into a cold, icy murmur, which managed to sound soft but could be heard over the noises of Omi and Clay working behind them.
"Kim… What has he done to you?" Raimundo looked as though he was about to burst into tears. "You aren't the Kimiko I know!" He yelled at Kimiko, pointing his finger at her. Chase was amused, he began to wonder if she was being serious or not. Somehow, when Kimiko's emotions were strong, he was unable to penetrate her thoughts.
"I am still the same Kimiko, Raimundo. But Chase has shown me true power. He was right all along, Raimundo, don't you see? I've got more power than I thought I ever could. Choosing Chase was the best decision I've ever made." Kimiko said in her icy murmur, trying to imitate the way Chase spoke.
"No. You aren't Kimiko. Not anymore." Raimundo turned his back on them and disappeared down the mountainside path.
Chase lifted his eyebrow and Kimiko turned away from Raimundo. She dropped her pretence and looked at Chase. She was trembling as she spoke,
"Can we leave now please?"
With a snap of his fingers, Kimiko was transported instantly from the mountainside into her small, dull bedroom back at Chase's house. She was alone. Where Chase was, she did not know, want to know or care. She leapt on the bed and curled into a ball. More tears fell from her sore eyes.
If they think I'm evil, when they take down Chase. They can take me down with them. After everything I've done and will be forced to do, there is no way I can go back to being Xiaolin. Omi is stronger than me and had more chance of getting out. I have to do something to get myself out of this mess and if dying at the hands of my friends is the only way to do it, so be it.