To the readers: I'm so sorry! I've been trying to update so quickly, I haven't been completely answering some of your review questions! I know I have sent some private messages, but just in case people had the same questions, I'll answer them on the chapters from now on. So first of all, let's thank the reviewers since ch 9: Fate-of-true-Moonlight, XemlovezyouX11233, Xiaolin Fan, xXfigxXD, greenluvr14, Star, TheXGrayXLady, f3296, Raikimlover0730, Luna636, 21hugs, RAIKIMFOREVER, mikcook, LovePrincessZ, Sunshine5643, Hyperbeamgo, Nanopanda, Rokunami123, Secretiveninjathingy101, zoe, APOLLO'S-DAUGHTER-TIL-THE-END, and 23namesandasplashofwater! Thank you thank you thank you! On to answering questions:
Rokunami123: Kimiko is having conflicting thoughts between Jaku and Riamundo and who she really likes. Because the Sorceress Heba has now revealed this truth to them, she is even more upset!
Sunshine5643: Perhaps Rika will find out the truth, which would involve her knowing not only was it Chase pretending to be Clay when he said all of those terrible things to her that made her run away, but that Chase was ALSO her black cat Toki… but for now we'll just have to wait and see how things turn out in Chase's Lair…
21hugs: Asked me a little while if the anime they were watching in chapter 9 at the beginning was real or not. It wasn't, but hey isn't that how all the corny romance shojos go? Haha.
XemlovezyouX11233: Now that Jaku has found out about Kimiko and Rai, he has confronted Raimundo and they're about to have a conversation! So, enjoy this episode of…
The Xiaolin Chronicles
Episode 14: Topsy Turvy Day
"We need to talk, Pedrosa."
Rai didn't like the tone of his voice, so he folded his arms in response. "About what?"
"I know you heard what Heba said, but I think I should just tell you straight out: I like Kimiko."
Raimundo stared at him blankly. "Well, she was kinda leading you on… but dude, she's my girlfriend now."
"And whatever issues you two have, I'm sure you both can figure it out, together. However, there is something I must say…"
Here it comes. So Jaku wasn't going to quit, eh? That was fine by Raimundo; as far as he knew, Kimiko loved him, regardless of whatever feelings she harbored for Jaku. Now Jaku wanted to fight? For a pointless cause, Raimundo concluded, because it was his destiny to lose this battle. Kimiko belonged to him, and no red-headed tea-sipping smooth-talker was going to get in the way of that!
"…I apologize for having such thoughts towards her."
…
…
WHAT? "Wait, what?" Raimundo stated, baffled.
"If she is your girlfriend, it's not my place to think she could be mine. I really like Kimiko, and Heba knew that, because of my thoughts. She was also telling the truth when she revealed how I've wooed plenty of other girls too,"
No surprise there, Raimundo thought.
"but with Kimiko, it's really different. I genuinely like her, and I wouldn't treat her like some fan girl or anything." Jaku grimaced. "I was sorta bummed when Heba revealed that you guys have been secretly dating. I sort of feel like an idiot, for trying to hit on girl that was already taken, but even more so I'm upset that it's Kimiko that's taken."
Raimundo's mind was blank. How should he reply? Jaku was willing reveal his thoughts on the situation, no mind-reading Sorceress involved. "Uh… I'm sorry we didn't tell you, Jaku. I kept trying to tell you, but..!" He lowered his head. "No, I have no excuse. You're my friend, I shouldn't have lied to you."
Jaku smiled. "I'll forgive you, if you can forgive me." He told him with a smile.
How strange. Raimundo had expected Jaku to respond with anger (or at least he had seemed mad about the whole thing before), but Jaku was actually apologizing to him! What a humbling reaction… Jaku was a good fellow. Guys would usually let their ego get to them in a situation like this, which is why his response was so shocking.
Raimundo was jealous.
How could Jaku be such a gentlemen about this? Or, perhaps he was just not interested enough in Kimiko to care….
"I forgive you, dude."
Jaku laughed. "It's all good, then." He looked down, solemnly. "Rika was right. I shouldn't be so focused on dating. Perhaps if I was more preoccupied with my responsibilities, I would have noticed how upset Rika was. I can't believe she'd join Chase Young… every second I'm just dreading for her."
"Don't blame yourself, dude," Rai encouraged, "she chose to go to the Heylin side. But we'll get her back!"
"No we won't. Not until she gets stronger, however long that's going to take. She's so damn stubborn I can never convince her when she gets in one of these ''power hungry'' moods of hers."
"Maybe so, but still, we can't let Chase Young think he's won! Besides… I think this is really getting to Clay."
"Oh yeah, now that he's had the stitches for a few days, I should be able to use my Gaia Rejuvenation technique to heal it right up, so he can help us with the mission."
"Good. We're gonna need all the help we can get. Well, I better, uh, go get packed now..."
"Of course. Oh, and by the way Raimundo, I'm going to forget everything that Heba said. It's not fair that she shared all your thoughts."
"Okay, I'll do the same."
Jaku grinned. "Well then, as a friend, you should know then that I'm also not going to give up."
…Wait, WHAT?
"WHAT?" Raimundo replied confused. "Give up on what?"
"What do you mean, what? To win Kimiko, that's what. Since I didn't hear a thing Heba said, I'm going to have to keep trying to win Kimiko's heart, because I have no idea that you two are even together, and I no idea she's having conflicted thoughts between us."
Raimundo's fists tightened. "Excuse me? I don't remember giving you permission to be winning my g-"
"But Raimundo," Jaku argued, "we've forgiven each other, and forgotten about the whole thing, yes? It's time to move on: and as a friend, I am simply telling you that I am not giving up on her."
A trick.
All his apologizing was just a trick. When Raimundo realized this, he was even more angry.
"Are you trying to sway your way to becoming my rival without using fists, dude?" Raimundo held up his to fight. "'Cuz that's the only way we're gonna solve this!"
"Nah, we shouldn't fight; not today, anyways. We have a mission to worry about. Besides, I think Kimiko should choose who she wants to be with."
Raimundo smirked. "I think she's already made her decision."
"Perhaps at the spur of the moment, she did. However, like I said already, I don't truly know what's going on in her heart. So, I'm going to do what I can to find out, if she likes me."
This jerk. Raimundo wanted to tussle with him, right there… and he could, he was the leader! Oh yeah, he was the leader… so he'd have to calm himself down, for now.
Had Jaku schemed this? It was a clever move… making himself Raimundo's "rival' in the matter. This way, at least they wouldn't be facing each other head on like mortal enemies, but competing to win the prize based on her decision.
"Heh, alright Jaku," Raimundo's intense aura faded into amusement, "You and I are not only friends then, but rivals. We're going to fight for the thing we care about, and guess what: I'm not about to lose!"
Jaku smirked. "Then bring it on, Pedrosa; bring, it, on."
…..
...
...
...
Hungry.
Rika was still not hungry, but she knew she was going to have to eat for her body to be nourished for this training. She got out of bed and sauntered lightly into the kitchen.
She was surprised at how homey the atmosphere was in the room; it looked like any regular kitchen; for an evil lair it was weird.
What was really weird was that nobody was in sight.
The sun wasn't up yet, but Rika had decided that Chase was going to be up by now. She was irritated. She wanted to start training right away.
"Freeze!"
Rika spun around to see Jack Spicer, in his buttoned up blue pajamas holding a laser gun.
"Damn, are you trying to end me? Put that gun down!" Rika ordered.
"Wha? Oh, it's just you, Chase's new favorite." Jack mumbled as he lowered his gun. "I thought you were an intruder, seeing as how the sun isn't even up yet! What the hell are you doing up so early?"
"I'm up for training, and you really thought that somebody would break in? HERE? In Chase Young's lair? With all of these jungle cats for security?"
Jack pondered this. "Good point."
Rika observed his attire and scoffed. "Nice PJ's."
Jack grinned. "Thank you. Nice dress; trying to seduce Chase Young with that?"
Rika growled. "Fool! I wouldn't do that. Maybe you've seen Wuya try to do it, but I have no desire to entice Chase; what good would that do for me?"
"Well, I could think of a lot of things…"
"Forget it. So, what do you usually eat around here?"
"Um, BREAKFAST?" Jack retorted.
"Really?" Rika replicated the sarcasm. "What the hell is that? CAN I GET SOME?"
"No, Chase won't let me eat anything from his kitchen." Jack said sadly. "He said he'd rather let a can of worms eat all of his food than me."
"Well, I hope the situation is different for me." Rika replied. "I don't want to piss him off by eating anything I shouldn't, but I need something in my system for training."
Jack cackled. "Chase Young doesn't get up until later in the morning! He sleeps in a lot, for an evil lord, now that I think about it…"
"What? Chase Young sleeps in?" It was a shocking quality of his, but more importantly, Rika had gotten up early for no reason. "Well, great, what am I supposed to do until he wakes up?"
"You could always go out to eat, that's what I do." He pointed out. "And since you damn well woke me up, I might as well go out now…" He paused. "You uh, wanna go with me?"
She blinked at his request. "Uh, I don't have any money with me."
"Never fear: Jack Spicer, Evil Boy Genius… is loaded!"
Rika folded her arms. "Really? I don't believe you."
"Hey, if you aren't gonna be nice to me, I'll just go eat a delicious egg and sausage sandwich myself!"
Rika frowned. For some reason, that sounded really tasty. And her stomach agreed… it started growling.
"Okay Spicer, I'm sorry. If you don't mind, I'll go with you to have breakfast."
"Bomb dot com! Let's go then, I'm starving." Jack stuck his hands in his PJ's pockets and strolled casually out of the kitchen, with Rika not too far behind, wondering exactly what bombs and the internet had to do with eating.
Jack used his Jack mobile 3000 to fly to the nearest Bagel Bros. Factory.
"I'm surprised you are able to recreate such materials as this ship, Jack," she noted, "I would have thought you were broke, considering your sister kicked you out of your old hideout."
"Eh, it wouldn't be the first time that trick stole something of mine," He enlightened, "I'm used to handling these delicate situations."
Rika grinned. "You mean having to shack up with an evil Heylin lord who wants to kill you?"
"Heyyy, what did I say about being nice?" He warned. Once they landed, Jack helped Rika out of the cockpit.
"Ladies first." He held the door open for her to enter the restaurant. They both got their breakfast sandwiches; Rika had orange juice to drink, and Jack bought a latte. They sat at the small tables outside, where they had small conversation about all the times Jack "crushed" the monks in the past before Jaku and Rika joined them, then they fly back to Chase's evil lair.
…
"Where the hell have you two been?" Wuya pressed them.
"None of yo business, wi-atch," Jack insulted, "what are you so temper mental about?"
Wuya grabbed him by his throat and yanked him into the air. "Fool! Chase is furious… he wanted to begin training 20 minutes ago!"
"What?" Rika replied in a panic, "but Jack said he sleeps in!"
"He does, once and a while," Wuya grumbled, "but he said today was too important to be snoozing."
Damn. Rika raced passed the dangling boy and frustrated witch to search for Chase.
"C-can you p-put me down now? I'm gonna have a major b-bruise on my neck!" Jack choked. Wuya dropped him and he hit the ground heavy.
Rika searched around the empty halls but couldn't find Chase. Finally she found him in a great room with a changing roof, sitting crisscrossed on a giant cushion at the end of the room with his eyes closed.
"Ah, decided to join me, have you?" His voice echoed around the area, and he spoke with his eyes still closed.
"Forgive me, Chase," Rika bowed to him, "I went to get breakfast with Jack, and I thought I'd be back by the time you awoke."
When she lifted her body straight back up, she was caught with those big yellow eyes staring inches away from her face.
"That sounded like an excuse," he said flatly. "I do not appreciate back talk."
"S-sorry." She stared at his yellow orbs in entrancement.
"Now that you've finished your little date, can we get to training?"
"A date?" Rika repeated, burning up, "Look, I didn't come here to hang out with Jack Spicer! I want to get stronger, got it? I will do whatever it takes; including accepting punishment for by tardiness."
Chase grinned. "Punishment? I'll keep that in mind," he noted, "for now, I'm getting anxious. Let's begin training, shall we?"
…
...
...
...
"Good luck, young ones," Master Fung waved goodbye to the Xiaolin warriors, who were headed for their journey to the Jade Dragon.
"I packed my toothbrush, my PJs, and Fung-plushie, so I'm ready to go!" the giant Dojo proclaimed.
"Come along, we must do the making of haste before Heba does!" Omi exclaimed.
Raimundo and Jaku followed, then Kimiko did, with a sluggish pace signifying her distress.
When they boarded, Dojo took off. She really wanted to talk to Raimundo, or Jaku… and all night she was contemplating how to do it, but with little time, she was going to have to get over it and focus on the mission. She sat on the very back of Dojo, with her head down, texting Keiko. She felt so miserable, but she knew she had to get over it.
"How are you feeling, Clay?" She asked coolly.
"Better than a goat climbing a mountain on a chill Monday mornin'!" He told her. "I'm ready to kick some evil can!"
She smiled weakly. "That's good. I'm glad you're okay."
"Yeah, me too." He replied similarly. "I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get Rika back. I just know Chase Young did somethin' to change little darlin's mind to join him."
"Yeah, well don't worry; once we take care of Heba, we'll go save her."
"We're handeling that masked theif too!" Jaku added. Kimiko was almost taken aback by hearing him enter the conversation. "That little dirt bag owes me for making my face bleed!"
Dojo landed in the canyon where the monks had found the necklace Shen Gong Wu Heba had been sealed in.
"How do we find this other dimension?" Omi asked.
"According to Master Fung, the prophecy was that Heba's powers could only be revealed once what she desires is turned downside." Dojo explained.
"What the hell does that mean?" Raimundo carped. "We're never gonna find this dimension with these stupid riddles!"
"Calm down, I'm sure if we think like Master Dashi once did, we will be able to figure out what that means." Omi enlightened. He sat upside down, with his head as a platform to the ground, and his legs crisscrossed in the air.
"What are you doing, Omi-chap?" Jaku asked curiously.
"I am meditating! Dashi always meditated like this, so I figured maybe-" he gasped in realization. "OH THAT'S IT!"
"That was fast." Kimiko commented.
"Everyone, sit the wrong side up, like me, and face the alter the Necklace was rested upon!"
"By alter, you mean the boulders over there, right little buddy?"
"Exactly! Heba desires the world, yes? Perhaps if we look at it upside down, the dimension will reveal itself!"
The monks sat upside down the way Omi had.
"My head hurts!" Raimundo whined. "All this pressure's gonna give me a headache!"
"Don't be such a baby," Kimiko chided, completely forgetting she was planning on keeping her mouth shut to him until they could talk.
…Moments passed.
"This is stupid," Jaku broke the silence, "Nothing's happening!"
"All in due time, my impatient friend." Omi informed, so the monks continued to sit upside down…
…
…
...
...
...
Rika hit the wall.
Hard.
She was breathing heavily and drenched in sweat. She recovered from her impact quickly and steadied herself for another attack from Chase.
Chase was panting too, but not as heavily. He cleared his fighting stance and sat up straight.
"That's all for now," he told her, crossing his arms, "take a break. We will begin again momentarily."
Rika bowed and strolled out with excellent posture as she left the training room. When she found a distant room, she collapsed in it.
Wuya slid into the room, observing the girl who was curled into a ball and struggling to rise in the center of the floor.
"Tired already?" She teased.
"He is… as Jaku would say… 'kicking my ass'." Rika panted. "It's only lunch time, but this morning has been..!" Her body ached as she sat up. "No, I will not complain over such ideal training. I should be grateful I am learning all of this…" She managed to stand up.
Wuya glared at her with pursed lips. "You are weird. I can see you are about to pass out, but you are grateful? I haven't heard such disciplined words in ages."
Rika stared up at her. "What do you mean?"
"Well, despite being around monks and evil lords all day, I have also seen how low the human race has fallen. Everyone, selfish, and disrespectful, and they complain about everything and want to get what they want fast because of all of this technology." She grinned. "And to be honest, I am enjoying seeing the world rot. But, once and a while, it is refreshing to see some of the old ways being used again."
"It's not in my intentions to bring joy to you, Wuya, but I thank you for your analysis." She stated flatly.
Wuya growled. "Come now, why can't be friends, huh? You are on the side of evil now, after all."
"Only for this week."
An evil smirk. "Only if you defeat the Jabberwocky."
Rika did not reply, but Wuya's words gave her an incentive to grow stronger by the end of the week. She did not want to be Heylin forever, and she would be if she lost to that dragon.
She didn't have time to complain.
Rika sauntered carefully out of the room. "If you'll excuse me…" She bowed to the witch before leaving.
Wuya folded her arms and thought. She didn't know what Chase Young was up to, but quite frankly she didn't care; she was going to get her witch magic back by the end of the week, and Rika was going to help her do it.
…
…
...
...
...
…More Moments passed.
"Damn you, Omi." Raimundo cursed.
"What? It was cost hitting!"
"I think you mean, 'worth a shot'." Kimiko grumbled.
Raimundo stood up. "Well, whatev- what?"
"What's wrong, Rai-buddy?"
"I… I am standing up right now, aren't I?" He asked everyone.
"Duh," Jaku enlightened.
"But then… why I am seeing everything upside down still?"
The monks sat right side after hearing his question. Even though they were all standing up the right way, their vision was upside down!
"Omi, what did you do?" Dojo cried.
"I did not do anything!" Omi protested. Suddenly, the monks began floating, and they all yelled at once in confusion.
"Hey, who turned the gravity pull off?" Raimundo choked out a joke. Before they knew it, the monks were all flying up and out of the canyon, towards the sky and landscape above.
…Landscape?
The monks were dropping from the canyon towards the majestic verdant valley below them!
"What IS HAPPENING?" Jaku wailed. The monks were falling down quickly towards the ground.
"Dojo, grow big and save us!" Kimiko screamed.
"I CAN'T!" Dojo screamed louder. "My magic isn't working!"
"I'll handle this!" Clay pulled out a Shen Gong Wu. "Silver Manta Ray!" The Wu evolved into a flying mechanism and Clay rode it in the air to catch the other falling monks. Once they were all secure in the Manta Ray, Clay landed them safely within the forest. The monks got out of the Wu and began to investigate.
"What the hell just happened?" Jaku demanded once they were safely on the ground.
"The world just went… upside down," Raimundo guessed. He looked up at the sky, where the canyon they had fallen from was still at, and an entire landscape around it as well. "It's like a dream. The earth in the sky above us must be our world, and the world we just fell in is…"
"The other dimension where Heba's powers are!" Kimiko finished.
"Well, let's get huntin' then, kiddos!" Dojo began to slither forward. "I don't have my powers in this realm, so we're gonna have to do the old fashion walking."
"where should we start looking?" Omi asked aloud as they began their search.
"Just for clues; Heba's powers may be locked up in something symbolic in this weird realm." Raimundo decided.
"This place doesn't seem too different from our world…" Jaku pondered.
Clay pushed the tall grass in front of them, revealing vast plains that contained something irregular existing on them.
"Uh, I think you might have spoken too soon.." Clay managed to say. The monks gaped in amazement at the majestic statures before them…
It was incredible.
…
…
...
...
...
Rika was going to die.
Or at least, that was how she felt.
The moon was full that night, as she sat out on the patio. She was exhausted. She turned around and headed to the training room. She passed by Chase when she entered.
"Forget something in the dojo?" He asked her.
"No, I'm going to train some more." She admitted.
He quirked an eyebrow. "No seriously, what are you doing?"
Rika was flabbergasted. "Sorry, but… is it alright with you if I train in here some more, Chase?"
"Chase-sama."
"What?"
"You are to address me as Chase-sama, understand?"
"Wh-?"
"You studied Japanese, didn't you? You are to address one with authority over you as –sama, in that language."
"I know what it means, but how did you know I studied Japenese?"
…
A pause to consider this.
"Jack told me. He mentioned how you told him this on your date this morning."
The word date made Rika agitated. "It wasn't a-"
"You are not to train any more today."
"Why not? Is there something wrong with a little extra work?"
Chase kept a staid expression. "That sounds like more back talk. Did I not tire you out enough today?"
"Your training was appropriate, Chase-sama, I'm quite fatigued. However, if I intend to defeat a mythical beast by the end of this week…"
"You are to rest." An order. "I will tire you out more tomorrow, if that is what you are requiring now."
Rika stared up at him with drained eyes. "…Please, Chase-sama, let me train. I won't do a lot of difficult practice, I just need to do something that will take up my time."
…Take up her time? For what reason…
Chase tapped her forehead, and she fell backwards, but caught herself.
"You are wiped out," He confirmed. "You should have collapsed by now, but you won't rest… why is that I wonder?"
She remained steady, even though her head was spinning. "There are lots of reasons I want to train." Was all she said.
"Hmph." It was not a satisfying enough answer. Chase grabbed her by the waist and threw her over his shoulder.
"Hey, w-what are you-?"
"I am taking you to the bed, of course. You are not allowed to be up any longer for today. Be patient and wait to train tomorrow."
"No!" She argued. "I can't sleep! I won't go to sleep!"
"Why not?"
"Because, I just can't, okay? I want to train more, please!"
Jack and Wuya could hear the screaming from the floor below them and decided to investigate.
"Who is ruining my beauty sleep?" The witch asked.
"Put me down, I can walk myself!"
"Only if you swear to me you will go to bed." Chase bargained. He was having no difficulty keeping her captured while she struggled.
"What is it with you and swearing loyalties?"
"Swear to me."
"Okay, FINE!" She retorted. He pulled her off his shoulder and she jumped away from him, straightening herself.
Chase seemed angry. Throughout her entire rant, his face remained expressionless. "Rika, this situation is not working out correctly."
Again, she was confused. "I'm sorry?"
"You are making my end of the deal more difficult, Rika Harper." He turned his back on her and folded his hands behind his back.
She didn't want to hear that. "I-I'm sorry, I'll go to bed, if that's what you wa-."
"This situation is not working out correctly, because you won't tell me anything."
…Was that all?
"Chase-sama…"
"You are going to strain what sanity you have left if you continue to train tonight, and seeing as how bright you are, you already know that. You do not want to train, you just want to find something to do to keep your mind occupied." He turned his head to the side. "But you refuse to tell me what it is that you don't want to be thinking about."
Darn, he had figured her out. "Chase-sama, it would be more appropriate if I just went to rest, rather than tell you."
"No!" He snapped. "If you wish to be trained to the fullest, then you must tell me everything, so that I can help you."
"I don't want your help, I want you to train me." She said simply.
Chase sighed. This girl was annoying. "More back talk? I would think somebody who has read about me so much like you, would be more aware of the danger she was in with such a swift tongue."
She really was pushing her luck. Rika had always been seen by her teachers as respectful student, but once and while, she had to let loose, and she would do just that when she was left alone…
But he wasn't going to leave her alone. Not until he got what he wanted.
"You're trying my patience," Chase explained to her, as she did not respond. "If you refuse to cooperate, then I cannot train you to the fullest… which means our deal is broken."
Damn. How was she going to do this…?
"Chase Young," Wuya sauntered gracefully down the steps towards them, "why are you harassing this girl at such a late hour?" She purred. "Perhaps you're interested in her, but we're all tired. Can you two chit-chat tomorrow?"
Chase glowered at the intervening witch. "I am not interested." He alleged.
"Ah, then let us all go to sleep, yes?" Wuya placed her hands on Rika's shoulders and pushed her up the stairs. "Come on, let's go."
Rika blinked as they walked by Chase, but she did not dare scope up at his yellow eyes.
She knew without looking he was scowling down at her.
When they reached Rika's room, Wuya let her go.
"You okay, sweetheart?"
..Sweetheart?
Rika was shocked. She didn't want to admit it, but Wuya had saved her from having to tell Chase anything.
"I'm okay." She said weakly.
"I know you may feel uncomfortable telling Chase anything," Wuya continued, "but you can tell me everything, my dear, if you want."
Rika looked up at the witch with her comforting smile.
She hugged her and started to sob.
Wuya stared blankly down at the child who was wrapped around her. "There, there," She settled, "you don't have to be tough all the time. I know you're still scared about what happened to you. I mean, it's only been one night…"
"But Arko didn't do anything to me yet," Rika cried, "I shouldn't be feeling this way, so scared, and weak..."
Wuya furrowed her brows. "He may have not done it to you, but those were his intentions, and you know it. It's still scary, being pinned down and man-handled like that, and you were still assaulted, regardless of what actually happened. It's perfectly natural that you are feeling this way, my dear."
Rika wiped the tears off of her face. "W-Wuya…"
This was strange. Rika would have cried, in front of Kimiko, or her father, but since neither one were around, Wuya was the one she was most comfortable with?
"You aren't comfortable talking to Chase, are you?" Wuya guessed, practically reading her mind. "It's not a subject to speaking with older men about. If you need to talk, you can always come to your fellow Heylin sister, Wuya."
She was only going to be evil for a week. "Thanks, Wuya." Rika recovered, standing up straight and clearing off the water from her face. "I think I'll try to go to bed now; it may not be on my mind as much now."
Wuya grinned. "Good. Then I'll see you on a refreshing start tomorrow." Wuya headed to her room, but looked back at Rika before she turned the corner. "Remember, I'm here for you!"
Rika nodded, then went into her room to attempt sleep.
…
..Chase was standing against the wall with his arms folded, beside the hallway Rika's room was in.
He had heard Wuya's conversation with the girl, and was quite agitated.
That witch, he thought, when will she ever learn? She's trying to butter Rika up for some reason…
He also thought about the contents of their conversation.
Allowing Rika to be victimized pulled her to the side of evil, but would it help her linger there long enough for Chase's plan to take action?
He didn't care about how the situation was affecting Rika, but if it was going to keep her from cooperating at his side, then it was going to be a problem.
A serious problem.
Before he went to his quarters, Chase decided right then that he was going to have to take drastic measures to secure his evil plan.
No matter what that meant.
…
…
...
...
"Holy crap holy crap holy crap!" Jaku echoed. "What are we gonna do? How are we supposed to roam around searching freely with those things here?"
"Calm down, we just have to be cautious." Raimundo informed them. The monks had wandered for hours, and finally set camp as the night approached. "We're gonna have to take turns keeping watch tonight. I'll go first."
"No, I will, Rai." Jaku inclined. "I'm not tired at all, so I don't mind taking the first shift."
Raimundo agreed, skeptically, and the monks retired from their weird day. Jaku sat up on a tall tree branch, scrutinizing the area, when he noticed one particular monk who was still awake among the camp fire that night…
"Kimiko," he whispered to her.
Kimiko became alert when she heard the voice from a distance. She had covered her face, but was shifting about too much, so he must have noticed she was still up. Oh, how she wanted to avoid this confrontation…
"Jaku." She shifted up and out of her sleeping bag, and walked under the tree he resided in.
"Come join me." He patted his hand next to him on the branch, informing her of the free seat.
Like a squirrel, Kimiko climbed up the side of the trunk and sat beside him. Her face was flushed red already. Why was she nervous around him? She had always been pretty chill with Raimundo, ever since they met, but with this guy it was completely opposite.
"Hey." He said simply.
Kimiko smiled. It warmed his spirits. "Konichiwa."
"Heh, sorry if you wanted to sleep, I just figured you were up, and I was up, so…"
"I-it's okay, I couldn't sleep either." She replied.
He smiled down at her.
Handsome. He was so handsome…
"J-Jaku," She stammered, "I know you heard what Heba said…"
"Actually, I didn't." He said sweetly. "What Heba did was unacceptable. The mind is the only place where we can be secretive, and she took that away from you. So, I won't hold anything against you that she revealed going on in your head. It's your thoughts and desires; you get to choose yourself if you want to reveal your heart to me."
Persuasive. He was very persuasive.
"Thank you," She whispered, "but I think I do want to talk to you about what she said; it's been bothering me all day."
Jaku stared vacuously. "Alright."
This was it. Kimiko was going to tell her true feelings, despite being with Raimundo.
I win.
…But not just yet.
"Everyone, wake up!" Jaku yelled. His instincts kicked in, when he spotted it approaching their camp.
He jumped down and pointed his bow in it's direction, but there was another one coming from the left of him, then the right…
The monks rolled out of their bags and took a fighting stance.
"What's going on?" Raimundo demanded. He had his blade ready.
"They're here," Jaku informed.
Omi saw one ahead of him, but Clay did as well, and Kimiko joined their circle. They all scanned the trees around, backs against each other.
"Oh no! This is not happening!" Dojo kept himself hidden in the middle of all the warriors.
They were surrounded.
"What exactly are these kind called?" Omi decided ask.
"Does it matter? They're gonna try to eat us anyway!" Raimundo elucidated.
They were velociraptors. The monks had been aware that there were dinosaurs in this world when they stumbled upon all the herds in the plain earlier that day, so they knew they were going to have be cautious of the carnivorous ones.
"Not on my watch, they aren't," Kimiko glared at the one in front of her. "Arrow, Sparrow, FIRE!" The flames. Spun around the creature and a few of it's comrades around it.
"Hey, Kimiko," Jaku realized, "let's put our fire together! We can create a whirl that strikes them all!"
"Okay!"
They both stood beside each other and pointed their elements towards the forest.
"Wudai element: FIRE!" The massive force of fire that surged from them was incredible, as they were able to bend the element together to encircle all around their camp, and devour the monsters.
"Nice work, Kimi!" Jaku chanted.
"WATER!" Omi stepped in right away, before the flames could torch the plants around it. Omi swayed the flow of liquid about into the air, allowing it pour down on all the damage, after he had pushed it throughout the trees for some time. When there wasn't a single flame left, Omi collapsed.
"Omi!" Kimiko cried. She knelt down to help him up.
"I will be alright," He informed them. "It just took a bit of skill to acquire enough power in destroying the fire."
"That's because there were two of us using fire," Kimiko assumed. "I'm sorry Omi, I feel terrible."
"You should," Raimundo sneered, "I never told you two to do such a dangerous attack like that!"
"Hey, chill Pedrosa," Jaku challenged, "I'm the one who suggested it, not Kimiko."
Rai could see what Jaku was doing. So, he tried to make Rai look like the bad guy in front of the girl, eh? More importantly, Rai was concerned at how well they had worked together.
"It doesn't matter, we both did it, besides, it worked, didn't it?" Kimiko snapped. "There's no reason for you to be mad about it!"
"Yes there is, what if Omi couldn't take out the flames? You two could've burned the whole damn forest down with your element!"
"I've been the dragon of fire for a while, and I've known Omi's power too; I calculated that we might need his help, okay? I don't need you supervising my actions and giving them your own comments."
"I'm just saying, fire isn't exactly the best element to use here! It's mostly destructive in all aspects to begin with anyway!"
Kimiko grimaced. "So is starting up a storm, wind boy! So what if I'm a little dangerous? I have it under control!"
"Okay, I think we should start hunting again, seein' as how we're all awake now." Clay declared, but nobody was listening.
"Hold on, I'm not saying you're dangerous- well you kinda are- b-but I mean, wait! That came out wrong, we're all pretty dangerous, but…"
"But I'm the most dangerous, right? Actually, Jaku and I both are, so that makes us both a threat in your book, right?"
"What? Well if you wanna put it that way, then yeah, I'd just stick you both right in the first chapter!"
SLAP.
Omi, Clay and Dojo gasped, and Jaku was too shocked for words.
"Do not insult me, or my element! Understand?" She warned. "I have never shown that I've been threatening with these powers, and they're very hard to control… but I don't complain! Who are you to say where my level is at?"
Raimundo rubbed his red cheek as he looked down at her with cold eyes. "The leader." He answered. "Don't ever do that again."
He was so stern, and serious… It frightened her, then it pissed her off even more. He could have at least answered 'your boyfriend' rather than leader and maybe she would have considered apologizing. But now…
"Sure thing." She spat back. "I wouldn't want to mess up your chick magnet-excuse for a face."
He growled at the comment. "I thought we were passed this!"
"We were, but you had to go and piss me off!"
"That's no excuse! You don't bring shit up you're not supposed to after we promised not to talk about it again! That's the number one thing not to do when you're dating!"
"Oh really? I thought the number one thing was to not be an asshole!"
"What do you want from me, huh?"
"OKAY! WE REALLY GOTTA GO!" Dojo interrupted them.
"Not now, Dojo!" They both yelled in unison.
"No, I mean we REALLY GOTTA GO!" He pointed behind them.
Kimiko and Rai looked up to see a giant mug staring down at them.
With fangs.
"Don't move…they can't see well in the dark." Rai told them.
Clay shuddered. "Uh, Rai? That's only with T-rex's…"
The monster lifted its head up and roared into the sky.
"…THAT'S A spinosaurus !"
"Oh…THEN RUN!" The monks dashed in the opposite direction, with heavy footsteps chasing them from behind.
They were chased all throughout the forest. All. Freaken. Night.
...
...
….
"Rika, come in here."
Rika followed the echoing sound of his voice, until she found the dining room.
"Chase?" She walked in. He was sitting in his usual chair, petting a cat beside his seat while he ate one of the marvelous entrees in front of him. "Oh, I mean Chase-sama."
"You slept well?"
She lowered her head.
"I'll take that as a no. Have a seat."
She sat in the chair across the long table from him.
He raised a brow. "Am I repulsive to you?"
"Huh?"
"You can sit over here, there's no point in being so distant."
Rika got up and sat in the chair beside his head seat.
"Chase-sama…"
"It's late. You should have been up an hour ago. I've already finished eating."
"I-I'm sorry…" She didn't care. She had tried to sleep all night, and she was finally able to close her eyes an hour before she was supposed to get up… which was two hours ago.
"It's acceptable."
A surprise. She stared at him, curiously. "I-it is? No; I was late, twice."
"Indeed, that would usually require a punishment. So, what do you think it should be?"
"What?"
"Your punishment. What do you think it should be?"
"Uh…"
One word. She could barely say one word to this man, who was constantly spewing out his command.
"Well? Surely you can be creative and think of something."
"I, just usually accept the punishment, I am never required to make one of my own."
Chase scowled. "How are you to expand your powers when you cannot simply expand yourself beyond other's commands? You have been constantly told what to do, so you cannot form ideas of your own, is that it?"
..An insult.
"No." She said strongly.
"Then, by all means: come up with a punishment."
She stared at the table. "I'll clean all of your dishes for you."
He stared. "Bigger."
"You're kitchen. I will clean it and the dining room for you."
"A little more, if you please."
Really? "The palace. I'll clean the whole entire castle for you."
He grinned evilly. "That's more like it. So then, Rika," He stated, "as your punishment, you are susceptible to cleaning my entire home… it should be spotless."
"Yes, Chase-sama."
Her respect was back, it seemed. This pleased him greatly; he didn't want to have to deal with a grumpy, disobedient woman today.
"CHASE! WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY HAIR ROLLERS?"
…speaking of grumpy woman…
"HEY, HEY, HEY THAT IS SO NOT FAIR!" Jack followed Wuya into the dining room. "How come she gets to eat in here? If she can, I should be able to as well!"
"Why, because you've shacked up here longer?" Chase questioned. "I like her more than you. Actually, I like everyone more than you, Spicer."
"Oh, I see what's going on…" Jack pondered.
"What is going on, Spicer?" Wuya mumbled, not really caring.
"I don't know… but Chase never lets nobody in the dining room! That's so not fair that she gets to be in here!"
"Is there some trophy or world domination guidebook you get for eating in here?" Rika asked him.
Wuya chuckled. "Come to think of it, Chase does eat alone all the time,"
Chase scowled at the witch. "What are you getting at, Wuya?"
"Oh, nothing, I suppose."
"Hey Rika, let's hangout at lunch time." Jack insisted. "I'm sure you're just dying to hear about all of my victories in the past, and I'd love to tell them to you." He glared at the Heylin lord. "Or are you gonna hang with him again?"
"I do not hang, Jack." She informed him. "But I don't know if I can be available then anyway, I'm going to be training as much as possible."
"In other words, she's not interested, Spicer." Wuya informed him.
"Heh, I see how it is…" He pointed his finger into the air. "Just you wait! Jack Spicer is going to rule the world! Then everybody will be impressed by me… even Chase Young!"
Rika's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, good luck with that one." She chuckled.
"Are you all done with your ranting?" Chase asked, looking down at his food. "This is exactly why I don't like dining with others."
"Humans annoy you, don't they, Chase-sama?"
Chase glowered up at her. "All the time. Especially that one." He darted a glare at the boy genius.
"Well, it must be weird to be immortal; you're looking down at everyone else like they're insects all the time, probably."
"A few of them are depicted that way," he mumbled, "but others can be quite interesting; they will try to fight me, even when they know they can't win."
It was an inspiring situation, to be trained by an immortal; a god, really. But more importantly, Rika was observing Chase Young for his traits at the time more than his stamina; he was always cool and collective, not really showing any exuberance for anything unless involved evil.
Chase caught her staring while she thought about this. "Anything else you want to ask me?" He asked. "Or are you just going to sit there and admire me?"
She grimaced. "I don't admire you, Chase-sama." She admitted. He scowled at her response. "Sorry for staring."
"Eat." He ordered as he stood up. "Today is going to be much more trifling than yesterday."
She smiled. That's what she wanted to hear, sort of… deep down in all of us there's a lazy voice telling you not to do the work, but today, for Rika, that voice was mute.
Chase left the dining room, and Wuya followed him. "Jack, leave her be." He stated.
"Pssh, whateva." Jack stuck his hands in his pockets in defeat and left as well.
Chase paced gracefully into his throne room with his arms behind his back.
"Something troubling you?" Wuya sauntered to his side. "You seem awfully quiet for somebody who scored a suitable apprentice."
He sat on his chair, sighing in aggravation. "I can't read her."
"What?"
"That girl... is annoying. I cannot read what's going on in her head until she speaks first. She keeps a staid expression, so I can't determine if she even has a true desire for evil or not! It was so much easier with little Omi, whose emotions I could tell easily enough and bend at whim."
Wuya rolled her eyes. "The girl was backed into a corner, and your ultimatum seemed to be the right choice to her. Now that you have her under your wing, you just have to let the evil come naturally the longer she's around you. "
Chase raised an eyebrow. "Those are surprisingly good words of advice, Wuya," he sneered, "any particular reason you're being so cooperative about all of this?"
"Not really, just bored, I guess. I mean, it's not like I have my magic to entertain me and help me take over the world while I'm lingering here, right?"
"Get out."
Wuya didn't flinch. "Not to mention," she continued, "you could use what you learned of her when you were 'undercover' to your advantage."
"I already know that! Now please leave!"
She smiled at him before turning to leave.
That damn witch is up to something. I cannot be fooled…
Chase shook off the thoughts and proceeded to prepare for training.
…
…
Kimiko couldn't handle this.
None of them could. They had been fighting monsters all night, and were finally taking a breather now that the sun was rising.
"…this…stinks…" Jaku panted.
"…we gotta, find, Heba's, powers!" Dojo whined.
"Really? I didn't know that, Dojo." Raimundo told him sarcastically.
"Oh, well, I thought you might want to know, since Heba herself is flying overhead right now!"
The monks looked up to see the sorceress gliding overhead, towards the volcano in the distance.
"Dang, she caught up to us; we gotta hurry!" Clay pulled out the silver manta ray and the monks used it to fly after her. They landed on the side of the volcano quickly and raced up to it's core.
"Xiaolin monks," Heba was standing there, with her hands on her hips, glaring down at them, "you will not get my powers! The Jade Dragon is mine!" She dove into the inferno pit, and when she did, sparks came flying out of it.
The monks attempted to dodge the falling fire. "We can't go in there! We'll be fried more than roasted pork belly on a Thursday afternoon!"
"I'll handle this; volcanoes are my specialty!" Jaku declared. He pulled out his bow and raced into the depths of the mountain.
"Be careful, Jaku!" Kimiko called out. The sparks began to die down so the monks ran to the edge of the volcano's mouth to observe its contents below.
Jaku and Heba were both standing on a platform in the middle of the pit, both with one hand on a green object that the monks assumed to be the Jade Dragon Shen Gong Wu.
"Heba, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown! My Serpent's Tail against your… uh…"
"Arrow of Edina." She finished for him.
"What? How did you get-?"
"You left it at your temple before you left," She enlightened, "So I decided to pick this dangerous Wu up."
Jaku smirked. "Heh, okay then. The game is a duel over the magma; whoever can keep fighting over the magma, wins!"
"I accept."
"Then let's go: XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN!"
The volcano's mouth widened, and a thin, rocky bridge was formed magically over the pit of hot liquid.
Jaku and Heba prepared to fight. "Gong Yi Tempai!"
"Aw man, if Heba wins, it's the end of the world!" Dojo cried.
"He's not gonna lose," Rai announced, "if he does, I'll have even more of a reason to hate him."
Kimiko thought to herself what he could possibly mean by this, as she watched Jaku's brawl.
A few swings here and there, but both players managed to keep their balance.
"Jaku Romane," Heba alleged through punches, "you are quite the devious one, aren't you?"
"Save it, witch! My friends and I are not gonna listen to anything you say!"
She scowled. "Don't… call me… a WITCH!" Her speed enhanced and she managed to kick Jaku in the cheek and he fell back, then she pinned him by the arms to the ground and sat on his torso.
"Get off me!" She was surprisingly heavy, despite her petite figure and stick arms.
"I may not have all of my magic, but I have enough to detain you, Jaku."
He kept struggling in vain.
"I see your current plans, Romane," She ignored his grunts and exhausted gasps as he tried to break free, while she continued. "You told Raimundo you forgot about everything I had said about you before… but you didn't. In fact, you plan to use what I've said to your advantage, aren't you?"
"What are you..?"
She leaned into his ear. "You want her."
His eyes widened.
"What in tarnation are they whisperin' about over there?"
"C'mon Jaku!" Dojo exclaimed. "Get the broad off of you and take back control!"
Raimundo smiled at his guttered thoughts. "That's what she-"
POW!
"Owwww!" Kimiko had hit him in the arm before he could finish his joke.
Jaku was trying not to let Heba's words get to him. "You want to make friends, but you want her more, don't you? Your mind is clouded with only her. Even when your best friend is in serious danger, you still have regards to only Kimiko being on your mind." She grinned down at him. "And those thoughts are quite perverse, if you ask me, little boy."
Jaku furrowed his brows. "S-so what if they are? We can't help what has crossed our minds, but we can choose to act upon those thoughts or not. Regardless of what I've thought, my actions would not be as hasty!"
Heba stared down at him with skimmed eyes.
"See, Heba, you think you're so fascinating with your mind reading abilities, but really you're just telling me what I already know. You may be trying to turn all of us against each other, but I'm afraid we're better than that… So, without further ado…"
BONK!
Jaku head-butted her; a clean knock out. The Sorceress, dizzy, slid off the edge of the platform and into the fiery pit.
"YES!" The monks cheered as the showdown cleared, and Jaku returned with victory of having claimed the Shen Gong Wu.
"Another villain down!" Dojo turned to Heba, who was standing at a distance with her arms folded. "IN YO FACE!"
Heba's angry screech shut the dragon up enough. "You wretched brats!" She had lost her cool, finally.
"Sorry, Heba," Omi stood up to her wrath, "but you must retreat, for you have suffered a most humiliating defeat!"
"Regardless! You still have the Jade Dragon, so I WILL get it back from you rodents eventually!" Heba soared up into the air, and headed for the canyon in the sky.
"Nice work, Jaku buddy!" Clay cheered.
"You did almost as good as I would have done!" Omi enlightened.
Rai sucked up his ego for brief moment. "Good job, Romane."
Jaku smiled. "Thanks guys."
"Well, what are we standing around in this Dino period for? Come on, we gotta be getting back home!"
…Regretfully, the monks were going to have to WALK back to where the canyon was right-side up, before they could step out of this freaky dimension.
As the moon was setting overhead, Omi had found a cave to sleep in for the night, so to avoid any interruptions from giant hungry Jurassic creatures while they slept.
Kimiko decided she would try to go to sleep faster tonight, so to avoid conversation with anyone, but regardless…
"Kimiko?"
Damn. She kept herself stiff and covered by her sleeping bag.
"Kimiko! I know you're awake, I can see your light from your phone under the sheets! You're texting Keiko, right?"
She groaned quietly.
"Raimundo…" She replied.
He was pointing to the outside of the cave. Did he want her to go out there with him so they could talk?
With the best of their ability, they crept through the sleeping monks and were outside.
"You're supposed to be keeping watch." She told him simply.
"Yeah… well I can't concentrate…" He paused. "W-we should probably talk."
Kimiko blinked. "'bout what?"
"C'mon Kimiko, this isn't funny. I'm sorry about what I said earlier, alright?"
She pondered this. "Hmmm…"
"I know controlling your fire is hard, so I shouldn't have said nothin' about it."
"It's not hard to control," she explained, "I just have to be really careful with it. You saw how easily Jaku and I melted those raptors? One wrong move and I could be using the same flame thrower on you guys!"
"Is that why you got so mad? Kimiko, I'm not worried you're gonna hurt us with your techniques. We all have flaws in our powers, but have we ever made the mistake of using it against each other?"
"…You did." She grinned.
Raimundo knew she was recalling his small slip up in joining the Heylin side with Wuya for a while. "Well, that was different. Anyways I'm sorry, alright? Right now… I just want things to be cool with us."
Kimiko frowned, then turned her back to him. "Why are you apologizing to me? It should be vise-versa, you know."
Raimundo was confused. "What do you mean?"
"First of all, for slapping you, and second, I know we agreed to forget about what Heba said, but, I know you heard her, Rai…"
He remembered enough. He was just trying to figure out now exactly what part she was referring to, though.
"…about my thoughts on Jaku, how I'm having conflicting thoughts between you and him."
Oh. How could he forget something so relevant? Jaku must have remembered everything, which is why (now that Jaku knows Kimiko could have the same feelings for him that he has for her), Jaku wasn't going to give up.
"But you're with me." Raimundo reminded. "I can't blame you for thinking about Jaku in that way, I mean, he's a good player-"
"Oh, so you're saying I was just swindled by his smooth talk then, is that it?"
"No—Look, you know how bad I am when I explain myself! Quit getting' so pissed off with everything I say!"
Kimiko was about to protest, but instead she closed her mouth in response.
"I get it, he's cool, alright? A real charmer… well I'm sorry I can't be like the great Jaku."
"That's not-"
"Let me finish! I know he may have lured you in a little, but that doesn't matter," He wrapped his arm over her shoulder. "I'll charm you back to me, my own way."
She smiled. "That's corny. Just be yourself. I don't want any special attention…"
She felt guilty. Despite all of her pride, Kimiko felt like she was somehow manipulating Rai and Jaku, because she couldn't give either one of them a straight answer.
"Rai, if you want to charm me…" Her hushed voice was like silk, drawing his face in closer.
"Yes..?"
"…Then by all means, let me get some sleep." She wanted this awkward feeling to go away.
He frowned, then snickered. He wanted to keep her this close for the whole night, but he let her go.
"Okay, I'll let you get your beauty sleep." He grabbed her hand and led her back into the cave, where they went into their separate bags to slumber.
Jaku was trying not to laugh while he remained motionless in his camper.
I'll charm you back to me? My own way?
He snickered. Jaku was getting anxious. So it seemed Raimundo had truly accepted his challenge and was going in for the gold. His head was spinning, thinking about how his next move had to be a good one, and how intrigued he was at the excitement and spectacle his life was currently in.
Oh Raimundo… my rival, my friend… you have just made things so much more interesting. But don't be fooled; I've never lost, so I'm not about to lose to you.
TO BE CONTINUED
CONGRATULATIONS! You have just finished reading 45 pages worth of text! Haha sorry it's so long… I'll try to shorten it next time!
A few Important notes: Sooooo I felt like this chapter was a little weird… and long. It didn't feel like an 'episode' to me, but an ongoing event, with WAY more than two parts to it, and it's still rolling!...
-I was originally going to have Heba get her powers back in the fight with Jaku, but with everything going on between the monks and at Chase's lair, I figured it was too many things happening at once; we'll just leave her for now as the monks having had defeated her mind reading manipulations. I really wanted her there as a rival for Wuya, and for her to reveal everyone's thoughts, which as you can see is causing conflict among Jaku, Raimundo and Kimiko…
-Don't worry! I haven't forgotten that Chase had spied on the monks (particularly Rika) as a cat, and that will be put into effect probably the next chapter…
-I hope none of the characters are OOC, especially Jack Spicer. I figured since he's just living about in Chase's lair right now, he'd be more chill, but still funny .
-LAST but not least: The scenes with JakuxKim and RaiXKim all "cuddly" together might get more, er, 'intense' from this point on, but I had to summarize them earlier because they were on a mission…
-Why dinosaurs? Well, I know they were already used before in Xiaolin Showdown, but there's a reason that they're in this dimension with the monks, but that will be explained later..
-Hmmm it seems some of you are also having troubles with deciding if Kimiko should be with Jaku or Rai. I love it! Haha well we'll just have to wait and see how that mess turns out..
If anyone has any questions, let me know. I hope I answered everyone's questions in the beginning! Sorry for the late update… reviews are welcomed, as always! Thanks you guys!
You rock XD