"Are you sure you don't want to take a break?"

Jack shook his head, his hands on his knees as he fought to catch his breath. Zephyr grabbed his towel off the ground and held it out to him; Jack had insisted they train so he could get his body and mind moving again. The others weren't so sure that it was a good idea, but Zephyr knew that Jack would do what he wanted, with or without help.

"Thanks," Jack said as he took the towel and whiped his forehead. "Think I'm ready?"

"To take on Chase?" Zephyr asked, his brow furrowed. "I don't know, Jack."

"Well, maybe we'll be lucky and I won't be in control."

His answer didn't make Zephyr feel better. He patted Jack's shoulder as he sat on one of the large rocks in the monk garden. While they'd gotten approval to take their weapons back and to "borrow" Shen Gong Wu, they hadn't gotten permission to leave the monestary, mostly because Raimundo didn't want his little brother out of his sight until this whole thing was over.

"How is it...living with the Dragon in you?" Zephyr asked carefully.

"Like someone's clawing at my insides and squeezing my brains between their teeth," Jack sighed, standing up straight and stretching his arms over his head. "And that appears to be the good days."

He slapped Zephyr on the shoulder when he saw the pinched look on his face.

"Don't worry so much, I'm fine," he assured him. "C'mon, before I get all tired again."

Zephyr nodded and stood, then groaned when he saw his brother coming towards them. He had that look on his face, like he'd caught Jack and Zephyr cheating on a test.

"Don't you two think are pushing it?" Raimundo asked when he got to them. "I mean, neither of you are fully healed, after all. And one of you just woke up from a coma."

Jack glared at him as he twisted his wrist around, then grabbed one of the training staffs.

"It wasn't meant to be offensive," Rai said, raising his hands for peace. "I was just sayin'-"

"Why don't you stop "just sayin' and do something a little more useful," Jack growled. "Like, I don't know, come up with a way to get into Chase's castle, in case the direct approach doesn't work. Or, heck, get ready for battle yourselves, instead of worrying about how we're doing."

"Right, this is the part where you think you know how to handle this situation."

"Apparently I'm being smarter about it than you are."

Rai squinted at Jack; without his coat on, Rai could see the beginnings of muscle in the boy's physique, and for the first time he realized that they were the same height. It could have been that for the first time Jack wasn't slumped down, wasn't afraid. Whatever the Dragon was doing was making Jack braver...or angrier.

"Maybe you are," Raimundo said slowly. "I'll give you credit for the fact that you've thought about this a lot. But there's the issue with the...Dragon. It wouldn't be a good idea to take you if the Sapphire Dragon is so tempermental."

"It's not," Jack assured him.

"But it is! Jack, you've never been this fired up before, you've never been this brave before-"

"And what's wrong with that-"

"But you've also become a lot angrier, and a lot less rational, to be frank!"

"Rai..." Zephyr warned, his eyes on Jack's aggitated face.

"What if you go off and make things worse?"

"I won't," Jack snarled, stepping towards the Shoku Warrior.

"We can't garentee that. I'm not telling you that you can't go, but I just think you should settle down and think, before you wear yourself out-"

"I'm already worn out!" Jack shouted, shoving Raimundo away from him. "You think that everything happening when I was unconscious just stopped when I woke up?"

"Whoa, Jack-" Zephyr cried, stepping between him and Raimundo.

"I hear it in my head, Raimundo," Jack continued. "It hasn't left me alone at all!"

"Jack, please calm down," Zephyr begged when he and Raimundo saw his eyes flicker from red to blue.

"Why should I calm down? Maybe your brother and I should just go at it! As long as he's standing there thinking he's better than me-"

"Jack Spicer calm down right now!"

Jack's eyes snapped back to Zephyr, snapped back to red, and he saw the fear in his friend's face as he clutched his shoulders.

"Take a breath," Zephyr said, letting one of his shoulders go cautiously. "I'm beggin' ya."

His plea made Jack furrow his brow; his eyes flashed blue again when Rai shifted, causing the monk to pause as Jack's lip curled up.

"Don't look at him, look at me," Zephyr instructed, directing Jack's attention again. "Take a breath. Everything's fine."

Jack stared at him, his eyes flickering. After a moment, he let out the breath he was holding through his teeth. Two streams of black smoke billowed out and into the air as his eyes slowly melted back to crimson. Rai shivered.

"Better?"

Jack didn't answer, just diverted his gaze to his boots as another headache started.

"Okay, well...I think that Rai's right."

He put a hand up when Jack glared at him.

"Just in the sense that you need to rest. It won't help any if you're exhausted."

"But-"

"We'll train more later, I promise," Zephyr assured him, gaining a sharp glance from his brother. "Right you should go inside and try to relax. I'll make sure we're ready for what's ahead."

Jack looked up at Zephyr, conflict in his eyes. He nodded, then jolted his shoulder away and walked passed him. He paused to give Raimundo a piercing glare, then closed his eyes and forced himself to the temple.

"He doesn't look ready for this," Raimundo said as he watched him go.

"You think I don't know that?" Zephyr asked, a bitter tone to his voice. "The only reason I let him work so much was so I could keep an eye on him. Something tells me that if he knew we were waiting a couple more days he'd zip out of here himself."

"We need the time though. He's not well, and neither are you, only a few of your wounds have healed."

"I only had a few."

"A few my butt, Zephy. You look like you're going to fall over just standing there!"

Zephyr glared at him, hating that he was right. His arm still felt like it was on fire, even more so now that he had been training with Jack, and he was pretty sure he wrenched his knee the wrong way. But he had to keep going, had to help his friends. They'd been so strong through this, the least he could do was suck up the pain and do the same.

"You're putting too much pressure on yourself," Raimundo told him, his eyes filled with worry. "They'll understand if you're hurt, Zeph-"

"You don't get it," Zephyr interrupted, looking away from him. "You've always been there for your friends, it isn't as big a deal to you when you have to stand up with them, because that's how you've always done it!"

"Zeph-"

"I've never had situations where I needed to be there! None of my friends were dangerous, we didn't get in trouble or anything!"

"I know that, but Zeph-"

"So with this? I need to be there for them, just to prove to them and to myself that I'm not going anywhere. I don't care if it's dangerous, if I die, as long as those guys know that I'm here till the end."

He met Rai's eyes; his brother was astounded at how adult he looked.

"So forget sitting out just 'cause my arm hurts," Zephyr said. "I'm coming with you guys and that's final."

Rai sagged; even with his new maturity, his little brother couldn't fully hide how scared he was. There wasn't any way Zeph would come out of this fight unscathed.

"You know that you'd do this if you were in my situation," Zephyr told him.

His statement made Rai laugh coldly, then massage the bridge of his nose.

"Ai yai yai, you know I hate when you're right," he sighed.

Zephyr smirked at him as he came over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Alright alright, you're going. But you're resting for today. If you're good tomorrow I'll help you further stabilize your Wudai Form."

"Shadow Form. I'm not a monk, Rai-Rai."

"That can always change, as long as I'm alive."

Zephyr shook his head and laughed as they walked into one of the monk houses. A moment later Jack slipped out into the doorway of the temple, glaring sapphire daggers at the two brothers. They were going to wait a couple more days to go after Chase? To free Stryker? No, that is not what they agreed on!

Traitors! a familiar voice hissed into his brain. They're betraying you, Young Dragon. You can't trust them anymore...

Jack shook his head and cringed, trying to shake away the idea.

Go. Fight the battle on your own. You don't need them!

No, I need them, Jack thought, opening his eyes a little. The one I don't need is you.

Echoed, narled laughter was his answer. He leaned against the doorframe and covered his face with his hands.

You need me more than you think, the Sapphire Dragon told him. You don't really believe that our connection will simply end? That you can 'get away' from me? There is no end to me. There is no end to you. We will be one until the end of time!

Jack slid down the frame and put his forehead onto his knees. His hope for an end to this had just been crushed, and yet, with everything that had been happening, he felt no sorrow, no fear.

Only the urge to tear out his brains.

So is the fate of the Dragon who will change all.

******JP******

This might be...slightly weird so...yeah let me know if it is.