OMG, I am so, so, soooooo sorry for not updating in almost a month. So I guess this chapter should actually start out with me begging for forgiveness. I've just been SO lazy these days – school's over and I just don't want to do anything. Which sucks because starting July my days are going to be jam-packed. I'm volunteering, my first summer job, swim team, and studying for SATs and crap like that. Not to mention summer reading books and stuff. Thank GOD there's no math packet this year. I wish I could go back to eighth grade... (sob) High school is so tiring... And I doubt tenth grade will be any better than freshmen year – I'm just happy to have survived – and all A's! WHOOT! (does happy dance around the room)

Anywho, enough about my life – onto the next chapter, which I hope you'll enjoy! I've been itching to write a scene with a sword fight since I hadn't in so long... so I added one. But no blood or gore – promise! Just action. (wink)

Chapter Thirteen

Kimiko narrowed her at both opponents before her. "Kendrick and Jack, I challenge you to a showdown trio!"

--

"Name the game," Kendrick replied coolly, not at all bothered by her deathly cold glare.

Kimiko grinned slyly, a sudden idea forming inside her head.

Kendrick raised a curious eyebrow while Jack fiddled with his helibot, not really sure where this whole thing was going. He thought the monks would have kicked this so-called Kendrick person out by now, since after all, none of them knew him. The whole situation just seemed really suspicious to him, and Jack knew that he sure as heck didn't trust him. A random guy who just so happened to know about wu? NO one knew about this whole Xiaolin versus Heylin thing except for, well, the usual exceptions. It was all too fishy in his opinion. There must be a more elaborate plan than at first glance. And if he figured that out, then why couldn't the monks? They were turning out to be even dumber than him.

Wait, that didn't come out right.

Kimiko, opposite Jack, was wondering the same thing. Who WAS this new mysterious stranger? There was no way he could have known about shen gong wu unless he was a new evil or something. But he didn't seem like any of the evil villains they'd ever fought before. He was… different… There wasn't the same eagerness to kick butt and win or… just the usual glint in one's eye betraying their thirst for evil. This guy… didn't seem evil.

But he didn't look like a guy who would readily do anything for good either. There was… indifference, in the way he was acting. That was the word she was looking for. He looked like he was just here on an errand or something, and that he couldn't care less what happened so long as he completed his task.

But that only led back to the million-dollar question: how did he know about shen gong wu?

There had to be a source. And there had to be a more complex plan behind this all. But who was the real mastermind?

Oh God the whole thing was making her head spin.

"The game will be a war simulation," she declared, deciding not to ponder about the situation until later when she could talk about it with the rest of her teammates. They could figure it out later together. As of now… well, she had some major butt-kicking to do.

"Come again?" Kendrick asked, a bit perplexed at her challenge.

Kimiko grinned devilishly. She loved simulations. She would spend hours playing them as a child. After all, her papa was the owner of the biggest video game corporation in the world.

"A war simulation," she repeated, eyeing the terra cotta soldiers surrounding them all. "We'll be fighting in the midst of all these life-sized soldiers, except, of course, in the simulation they'll all be real. It'll be three armies – each of us the commander. We can be defeated by anything – a random soldier from an opposing force or one of the commanders – you, me, and Jack." She paused before smirking at her adversaries. She was fighting a game that she knew how to play. "Last one standing wins."

Kendrick laughed. "A war simulation? You are so on."

Jack, meanwhile, was having his doubts. "A simulation?" he squeaked. "Of war?"

"Jack, it's not real," Kimiko said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, don't give me that pitying look – it's very disrespectful to an evil boy genius, especially since it's not like I'm not scared!" he snapped back. "If the game is a war simulation then fine! All I know is that I'm the one who's gonna be walking home with the prize." He whipped out his shen gong wu. "I wager my monkey staff against your star hanabi!" He turned to Kendrick. "And what about you, assuming you even have any wu."

Kendrick was unfazed. "The tongue of saiping."

"Wait, WHAT?" Kimiko looked confused. "But I thought we had that wu back at the vault."

Now she was really suspicious.

Kendrick offered no explanation, instead simply said, "And while we're at it, I'm adding a shen yi bu dare!"

"Just who are you?" Kimiko exploded, not believing this was happening. The tongue of saiping, which, as she mentioned, the temple was supposed to have? A shen yi bu dare, which, only the monks and their usual opponents would know of? There was no way this boy could know so much. And okay, knowing about wu was believable, but specific showdown rules?

Kendrick smirked at her. "You look dumbstruck."

Kimiko felt her temper rising. She glared at the dark-haired boy before her, fire automatically lighting up in her hands. "Don't sound so cool and confident. I have ways of making people talk."

Kendrick laughed. "A fighting spirit. Perhaps this will be more fun that I initially thought."

"Oh how fun indeed," Kimiko snarled back. "I will enjoy clawing the secrets out of you."

Kendrick was momentarily startled. The girl before her certainly looked like Karina, but there was nothing similar about them when it came to personalities. Karina was soft and quiet, mischievous when she wanted to be, but generally a martinet. Perhaps this girl… Kimiko, could be just as caring, but that temper of hers definitely needed an adjustment.

"Ahem, are you still alive?"

The girl's voice brought him back to reality, and Kendrick hardened his eyes again. "Of course, how can I forget?" his voiced laced with sarcasm. "I wager the eagle's scope against your shinko illusion. And what wu do you also wager, Jack?"

How did he know I had the shinko illusion with me?!

But something else had caught her attention. For just a minute, she thought she saw a flicker of emotion in his usually cold, green, eyes. It seemed to be remembrance, and huge remorse. But then as soon as she spoke again, his eyes froze. What was he hiding?

"The reversing mirror," Jack was saying as Kimiko shook her head to clear her mind. She had to focus if she wanted to win.

"Then we are in agreement," Kendrick said smugly. "I will take pleasure in leaving with seven shen gong wu."

Kimiko narrowed her eyes. "We'll see about that," she answered evenly, leveling her eyes to her opponents.

"Let's go, Xiaolin Showdown!" they all shouted.

The scenery around them suddenly changed. The tomb in which they were standing opened up from the top, revealing a sky that shone a deep, dark crimson. A closer glance depicted streaks of orange and gray; a mixture of colors scattered across the sea of red. In a matter of seconds the buried tomb was exhumed and raised to ground level, the non-competitors stationed on a hill overlooking the battlefield. Everything flashed white and the dirt beneath them transformed into a grass-filled prairie. Another flash, and the three opponents vanished, immediately reappearing in different parts of the field. An aerial-view revealed them as dots, equal distance from each other, and forming an equilateral triangle if they were to be connected. One last flash, and each's army of terra cotta soldiers appeared behind them.

Kimiko felt her outfit change into her usual xiaolin battle-gear. But this time, she saw that a red and gold armor had appeared over her blue fighting dress. She wasn't complaining though, instead adoring the steel boots and skirt, her new shoulder-pads and armored top. She unsheathed her sword from its scabbard, balancing the long, silver blade to get a quick feel before battle.

She smiled, loving the medieval theme. It made her feel like an ancient goddess of war. Oh was she ready to kick butt. She felt her hands instinctively lighting up with fire, and it rose until the blade was a conflagration. Her eyes sparkled. This wu was hers.

Kendrick, a few hundred feet away from her, raised an eyebrow as armor and a sword magically appeared over his regular clothes. He'd never experienced anything like this before. The way the tomb almost immediately changed into a battlefield had him speechless. He thought this whole showdown thing was just a simple battle that took place where they said the challenge. Not this whole, change of scenery and stuff randomly appearing. Not that he was complaining – he actually found the effects quite amazing and cool.

He turned around, not believing that just because of a challenge all the terra cotta soldiers suddenly became alive. But there was the proof right behind him in black and white. He glanced at their wear and then back at his own armor. It was practically the same. Kendrick drew his sword, not sure if he was happy about fighting with it or not. He'd only used swords a couple times 1500 years ago – there weren't many wars – and he hadn't touched one since. He'd rather stick to his hand-to-hand fighting abilities, but he could see why the sword was there. The game was a war with terra cotta soldiers. They fought with arrows and swords. So that's what the competitors were provided with.

He quickly glanced at the girl. She seemed confident, strangely looking like she'd been wielding a sword since she was a kid. Which struck him as odd since in this time period, people never used swords to fight. But in this time period, there sure as heck were a lot of video games. Who's to say there weren't any in which people could actually use a toy sword or whatnot in a simulation?

He shrugged. It didn't matter how good she was. He was on a mission, and he promised he wouldn't fail. He swung his sword, renewing his skills. He would win, and he would guarantee it.

Jack, on the other hand, was growing paler by the second. He eyed his opponents nervously before turning around only to see a huge mass of soldiers standing behind him. Seeing them and how real they looked left him unusually faint. He couldn't deny the fact that he'd never touched a sword in his life before, and sure, it was only a simulation, but that didn't make it feel any less real to him! Why couldn't Kimiko have picked a different challenge? It so wasn't fair. His two adversaries seemed great in swordplay, but him? Not so much. He knew it would end up as a battle between Kimiko and Kendrick. Which made him mad. Really mad.

He was sick of always losing. And so this wasn't really his best game, but he'd made a goal to dominate the world. Since second grade, so to speak, and he was going to win this one.

The soldiers behind him suddenly all drew their swords. He gulped. The showdown was about to start. The clangs of metal reverberated across the field, and Jack felt his heart practically stop.

Hopefully… he prayed.

"Gon Yi Tempai!"

Jack felt rooted to the spot, almost paralyzed with fear. And even though he was "commander," the terra cotta warriors ignored him, instead charging ahead without his consent. He couldn't help himself. He let out his famous girly shriek as the soldiers ran around him.

He'd get in the game. Eventually. Maybe when most of the soldiers were dead so that it was just him, Kendrick, and Kimiko. Yeah, good idea. That'd be so much easier. He grinned, activating the monkey staff. For now, he'd focus on dodging and staying alive. And when almost everyone was dead, he'd surprise them all and win.

Hey, he did have his smart moments.

Kimiko and Kendrick immediately charged at each other, Kimiko's eyes burning with determination and Kendrick's with promise. Neither was about to lose, and they knew it. It would be a big battle.

Kimiko swung first, aiming for his neck, but Kendrick ducked and the blade sailed harmlessly over his head. As he dodged he thrust his sword toward Kimiko's heart, but she, predicting the move, quickly leaned back and the sword flew by only inches above her chest. In the process she kicked up her leg, aiming for the hilt to hopefully knock the sword out of his hand. Her foot found the target, but his grip stayed firm. Kimiko growled as she did a back-flip, landing perfectly on her feet.

Missed.

She had no change to recover. Kendrick immediately struck out again. Kimiko blocked with a twist of her sword, pushing him back before leaping forward, her sword aimed for his chest. Kendrick sidestepped, and parried her attack. The metallic sound of their swords clanging echoed across the field. All around them, the terra cotta soldiers fought, but Kimiko and Kendrick were lost in their own personal battle.

"Not bad at all," Kendrick grinned as he dodged another stroke. "I admit I'm quite impressed."

Kimiko spun around, avoiding his attack, and instantly whirled back around to strike again. "I can say the same about you," she replied. "I chose this showdown, thinking you wouldn't know anything about swordplay." She parried. "Guess I was wrong."

"Tell me this," Kendrick said, driving his sword down at the girl's shoulder. She dodged, and he was forced to fall back, avoiding her next attack. "Where did you learn to fight this way?"

She laughed, her voice echoing across the field. "My father owns the biggest and most advanced video game company in the world. I grew up playing simulations."

Kendrick raised an eyebrow. "Of war?"

"Well, no. But there was this one game where you played a samurai, and it was really hard to beat. Let's just say I played that simulation enough times to feel comfortable handling a sword because I wanted to win." She dodged his swinging sword. "And you?"

He couldn't tell her the truth. That he was a 1500-year-old werewolf working for an evil prince of darkness all because of a stupid dagger. She'd never believe him. Plus, he wasn't ready to tell the world of his… interesting ability yet either.

He sidestepped and moved in for another attack. "I've actually only used swords a couple times back where I come from. I'm surprised I still remember the skills."

Kimiko plunged her sword forward only to have it blocked, the blades of their swords crushing against each other. They were locked in place, the challenge a test of strength and will. Kimiko pushed forward, but Kendrick resisted. He was strong. She looked at him, her eyes filled with determination. "And may I ask where that might be?"

Kendrick laughed. "Nice try. But I'm not giving anything up yet."

Kimiko felt her frustration starting to rise. So much for her plan of talking and hoping he'd spill something unconsciously. She felt a new anger bubbling inside her. She wanted answers and she wanted them now. The bar had just been raised.

She immediately kneed him in the stomach, forcing him to double over and lose his concentration. Using this advantage, she pushed forward on her sword and Kendrick was driven back down to his knees. She then leapt into the air and shouted, "Wudai Mars – FIRE!"

Flames exploded from her hands and she sent fireball after fireball to the ground where the boy was kneeling.

Kendrick was furious. That girl had just forced to the ground – something he took pride in NOT happening. In all his 1500 years, that had rarely ever happened. Kendrick jumped into the air and dodged each blast to the best of his ability. Oh was she asking for it.

"Tongue of Saiping!" he shouted, holding the shen gong wu to his mouth. "Animals around the world, attack!"

Kimiko landed gracefully on both feet, gazing at Kendrick unbelievably. "Animals?" she asked skeptically. "You're going to get animals to do your dirty-"

She never got to finish. Immediately birds began bombarding her from the sky, pecking and clawing at her as she tried to dodge. Insects from the ground began crawling up her legs, and from the distance she heard the unmistakable sound of tigers growling and loud stampeding. She couldn't believe it. She was getting her butt kicked by animals!

Kendrick looked smugly at her from afar. "Still think animals can't take you down?"

Kimiko glared at him, her eyes filled with fire. "You are SO gonna regret that!" she yelled angrily. "Star Hanabi – FIRE!"

She threw the wu into the air. It spun like a boomerang, only instead of flying forward it flew up into the sky. At her whim the wu began shooting flames, showing the world with fire as the flames flew down like rain. At the same time she summoned her elemental power, and her body was engulfed by fire. The animals, not impervious to the fire like Kimiko, let out shrieks of pain and began scampering off, trying to escape the fiery hot flames. Fire continued to fall from the sky, and Kimiko sent fireballs flying in every direction, a warning to all oncoming animals. It seemed to work, for none continued to attack.

She finally allowed the fire to stop, the star hanabi dropping from its place in the sky and back into her hands. She smirked at Kendrick. "Still so confident?"

Kendrick smiled. "Impressive, I must say. You managed to ward off my attack, as well as destroy half the terra cotta soldiers with your fiery rain."

Kimiko for a moment was puzzled. What was he talking about? But looking around, she quickly remembered. She'd been so consumed fighting Kendrick she'd forgotten they were fighting within a war. But one thing had her confused. "How come we weren't killed by a stray arrow of anything yet? In the middle of war, I've learned you must be conscious of all sides because any false step could be your last. You could be killed by anything within seconds."

Kendrick shrugged. "Guess your fire was a big flashing sign saying 'stay away or you will be burned to death.'"

Kimiko felt a giggle escape her. "Maybe…"

She felt her anger slowly dissipating. Why was she so worked up anyways? It's not like they were mortal enemies. He was just a boy her age after all, and funny and sarcastic when he wanted to be. If they met at the subway or something, she wouldn't mind sitting down and starting up a conversation with him. She just wanted some answers.

"Kendrick…" she started. "Just who are you? Why are you so protective?" she gazed at him earnestly. "If you won't tell me, just give me a reason why not. I fight for the xiaolin temple and I have to know who you are and if you're a threat." She stopped for a moment. "Please?"

The girl was looking at him for the first time without anger and pure honestly. Kendrick couldn't help himself. She seemed so friendly and caring. He wanted to talk to her. To tell her everything. But he couldn't. He just couldn't.

He felt his voice cracking. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"You won't believe me."

"Try me."

Kendrick sighed. "It's also… personal."

Kimiko tried a different approach. "Then how about this: are you working for the heylin side or xiaolin?"

Kendrick tried to keep his look neutral, but couldn't help looking down guiltily.

Kimiko sensed that he was uncomfortable discussing the topic. She stared at him, trying to get the truth out of him. And when he looked down, she knew. She didn't have to be a mind-reader. It was so obvious.

"Why?" she asked. "Are you evil at your own will? Tricked, bribed, why? Or are you just working for evil? As a result of…" she let her words trail off.

Kendrick sighed. He didn't want to hide anymore, and he didn't want to help Chase anymore. He wanted to help the girl in front of him, and the xiaolin temple.

He took a deep breath. "I can't explain everything right now, but I'll give you just the basics."

"I'm listening."

"Okay, I'm actually more than 1500 years old, and-"

"Wait, WHAT? 1500 years old? But how can-"

Kendrick was already beginning to get annoyed. "Can you not interrupt please? I'll explain everything, I promise." When the girl nodded he continued. "Back then I was young and naïve so I foolishly accepted a curse to make the girl I loved fall in love with me. Because she didn't love me when I wanted her more than anything else in the world."

Kimiko felt her senses perk up. A curse? She felt her eyes widen. Please don't let this be going where I think it is… she begged to herself.

"The curse, unfortunately, was lycanthrope. I didn't know at the time, and I-"

Kimiko heard nothing after lycanthrope. His voice had become a blur. She stared at him in disbelief, her eyes slowly widening in horror.

A boy… who was cursed to be a werewolf forever. A wolf that bit Raimundo a month ago when they were retrieving the silver dagger. A wolf with long, jet-black hair. And a boy in front of her with shaggy jet-black hair. A boy with dark, green eyes. And a wolf who's eyes were green but glowed yellow under the full moon four weeks ago. And the silver dagger… silver… the only thing that could destroy a werewolf…

The boy in front of her… and the wolf they met a month ago… it was the same person!

"You…" she breathed. "You were the werewolf who bit Raimundo a month ago…"

Author's Note:

Not the greatest ending to a chapter, I know, but I had to cut it off here. See, I was typing it up and when I passed 4,600 words and STILL wasn't finished, I was like, WHOA, gotta stop the chapter or it'll be too long. So I went back and reread what I'd written, trying to find a good place to cut off. And this was the only place I could find that even remotely resembled an ending.

But on the other hand, there is some good news: since I cut what I'd written off, I've already finished half the next chp, so hopefully the update will be sooner next time.

Hope you enjoyed the read! Please tell me what you think. :D

xxFireWarriorxx