Kimiko and Raimundo had broken up.

It had been when Raimundo had been in a Showdown with Jack. It was a race on the mountain tops, jumping from one high peak to the next. The Dragon had used the Sword of the Storms to blow Jack away from a particularly sharp peak, which caused the red-haired boy to fall down, even if he did have his Heli-pack, or whatever he called it. Startled, Raimundo quickly used his wind powers to fly down to Jack and catch the falling boy in his arms. Then, without even looking at the other boy, Raimundo flew up to a mountain peak and landed on one foot. Raimundo looked down at Jack. Jack stared back, but then his eyes switched gaze to behind Raimundo. Jack grinned evilly, and jumped out of the brunette's arms to grab the new Shen Gong Wu, which was floating in the air.

And after blinding lights, Kimiko ran up to Raimundo and told him that if he just had not saved Jack, he would've won the Showdown. Raimundo, slightly annoyed at Jack, was aware of that, but he told her that someone's life is more valuable then a piece of metal. Kimiko had paused, then guessed aloud that he was still seeing Jack. Raimundo said he was.

Kimiko blew up right then. She burst out crying, but remained shouting at Raimundo. "Why're you still seeing that little jerk? Aren't I more important than him? Are you going back to the evil side, Rai?"

"I'm not going to the evil side, Kim! I'm not turning evil, but what does it matter if I'm friends with Jack? Why do you care so much?"

"I'm worried about your safety! I'm worried about your saneness!"

"Well, you should stop, because it's none of your business what I do with my life!"

Kimiko had paused. "You don't love me anymore, do you?"

Raimundo had sighed and looked down at his feet. "No, Kim... I don't."

------------------------

Raimundo didn't know how he lost his love for the little girl. He could be friends with Jack, and have a relationship with her, right? Raimundo sighed. He guessed he could either have one or the other.

He was still not allowed to go actually visit Jack. Master Fung kept him from doing that. And if he betrayed Master Fung, like he had betrayed Kimiko, it would really be just like going to the Dark Side. And he didn't want that, no matter how much he liked Jack.

Yes, he liked Jack. He liked him very much, but not close to love. He wasn't in-love with Jack; just friends. At least, he chose to believe that, but little did he know that he, in fact, did love Jack, and broke up with Kimiko because the love for her was replaced by the love of Jack.

But still, Raimundo had no clue.

It was awkward when Raimundo and Kimiko were in the same room now. They couldn't talk normally, they couldn't train normally. It was as if their teamwork had disappeared, as well. Every time Raimundo and Omi were training together, doing chores together, doing anything of any sort together, Kimiko would burst out crying and ran away from both of them, and would not come back until twenty minutes later.

A broken heart, Raimundo thought, could do so much.

He had told Jack that he needed some alone time for now. He didn't want any company; he just needed to be alone, apart from everyone else.

Why did it all feel so wrong, yet so right? Being with Jack… it was too much of a hassle for him. He didn't know what the relationship between him and Jack was anymore. He didn't know anything anymore. He just wanted it all to stop… he wanted everything to leave him alone…

Raimundo often went on these little walks, where his mind would be free, and he would just think to himself, daydream. He needed to set some things right. Everything was flipped and crazy. He just needed… everything… to be… right...

"What's the matter, young child?" Raimundo blinked. Standing in front of him was a man in shining gold armor, long jet black hair, piercing yellow eyes and slits for pupils…

Raimundo narrowed his eyes. "Chase Young."

Chase Young had never come to him before. It was only to Omi. Chase always came to inspect Omi, even if he couldn't take the yellow boy on his side anymore. Chase never paid any close attention to Raimundo. That's why the brunette was surprised when he heard what the man said next.

"I see you've fallen in-love with my little admirer, Jack Spicer."

Very surprised, indeed.

"I… what?" Raimundo blurted. Did he just say the Dragon was in-love with Jack? But… that couldn't be true, could it? They were only friends… well, in Raimundo's point-of-view, anyway. Jack was in-love with Raimundo, yes, but Raimundo wasn't in-love with Jack…

Was he?

"Stop denying it." Chase said, rolling his eyes. "How long have you been seeing him?"

Seeing him… That made it sound like he was… going out with him, or something. And he definitely wasn't doing that. They were just… friends…

… Right?

"How long have you been seeing him?" Chase repeated, a little more demanding.

Raimundo shook his head quickly, making his hair swish back and forth. "I'm not seeing Jack--"

"How. long. have. you. been. seeing. him. Raimundo." Definitely a demand this time. Chase was glaring at him, too. That couldn't be a good sign.

Raimundo narrowed his eyes. "For about one and a half months now."

"And you still refuse to love him? He's pouring out his love for you. He has been, even before you started to see him--"

"I'm not seeing him, all right, Chase? We're not going out, or-- or we're not-- we don't--"

Chase smirked. Raimundo sighed. "Why deny it, Raimundo? Why deny it when you know it's true." Then Chase's smirk disappeared, and glowing yellow eyes stared down at him. Hard. "You love him, Raimundo."

For a second, Raimundo refused to believe it. Why should he listen to a crazy evil guy like Chase Young? But then, he let down his barriers and let the truth sink in. Was that why he had a hole in his heart when he wasn't with Jack? Was that why his love for Kimiko had died? Was that why he thought about him so much…dreamed about him… his beautiful ruby eyes… his flaming red hair… those soft lips…

Raimundo did love him.

The Brazilian smiled to himself. This realization… this love… it wasn't a simple crush, like with Kimiko… this was love… this was true love… He loved Jack… He loved Jack with all his heart.

But he still wondered something.

"Why do you--" care if I love him or not, Raimundo was about to ask the Evil Lord, when he noticed Chase had gone while Raimundo thought about loving Jack.

Raimundo frowned. Hopefully, this wasn't a trick.

------------------------------------

Raimundo landed in Jack's room, the portal caused by the Golden Tiger Claws behind him, slowly fading. He looked up with a grin. "Jack, guess wh--"

Raimundo froze. Green eyes stared in front with horror.

Jack was standing against the wall of his bedroom, eyes closed, position tensed. Pushing him against the wall was a small girl, standing on the tip of her heels to get to Jack's height, black hair tied up in pigtails, red dress flowing down to her ankles, a light blue sash tied around her waist, capturing his beloved Evil Boy Genius in a kiss… a passionate, deep one… moaning into his lips… running her hands through his red locks…

"K… Kimiko?" Raimundo stuttered.

Raimundo let the Golden Tiger Claws slip out of his hand. It landed with a loud thud on the carpeted floor, but he paid no attention to it. His eyes grew wide as he watched the two embrace. He felt his heart slowly shatter, piece by piece… His breath hitched… He could no longer see… tears were obscuring his vision… everything turned blotchy and indistinguishable… his bottom lip began to quiver… his whole world began to slowly shatter…

Jack's eyes flew open, at the sound of Raimundo. The ruby eyes spotted him, and widened. Jack began to struggle to get Kimiko off him. It took a couple tries, but finally, Jack had successfully pulled the Japanese girl off him. Kimiko landed against the bed with a grimace, but then her eyes landed on Raimundo, who was trembling from head to toe. Kimiko smirked.

"Well, if it isn't Raimundo?" Then she glared at him with those blue eyes that used to be filled with so much love. "This is what you did while you were here, wasn't it? Making out with Jack all the time, breaking my heart without noticing it, without caring. Well, now you know how I feel, Rai! Now you know how it feels to be heartbroken!"

Raimundo exhaled sharply, and looked over at Jack, who was sitting down and leaning against the wall, hugging his knees. He needed an explanation. He needed to know why Kimiko had kissed him. Surely she wouldn't just do it because she wanted to get revenge?

"Jack..?" Raimundo whispered. His voice cracked in desperation. Jack couldn't love Kimiko now… Jack loved him… right?

The flaming haired boy's head snapped up.

Red eyes met green.

Jack winced. He looked so pained… as if reliving the worst memory of his life… as if completely lost and disheveled… he looked so sorry… he looked so… disgusted with himself…

"Jack?" Raimundo whispered, a little louder, a little more desperate… what did this look of utter pain mean?... What did this all mean…?

Jack looked back down at his knees, strands of red hair shielding his face from view. Raimundo's heart tore a little more. Jack couldn't even look at him…

What had he done to deserve all this?

And, even though those beautiful strands of hair were covering his face, even though Raimundo was at least three meters away from him, Raimundo could see the first of the many tears fall from the flaming-haired boy's eyes.

And Raimundo's heart just broke a bit more.

Then, with a sudden burst of anger, Raimundo turned to Kimiko, glaring at her venomously, so intense that it even made her gasp. He was shaking, not because of distress and sorrow, but because of anger and deep, deep hatred.

"You!" Raimundo spat vehemently. Kimiko flinched openly. "You! How dare you touch Jack! How dare you make him cry like that! I thought you were different from the other girls! I thought you actually had some sense, actually understood! But I guess I was wrong…!

"You are going to pay for what you did to Jack!"

And without a second to lose, Raimundo leaped at Kimiko. Kimiko yelped under Raimundo's weight, trying to support him with her two skinny arms. Raimundo was seething with anger. For just that moment, he wanted to rip the little girl in two. He just wanted to demolish her, completely destroy her lithe body, until there was no sign of her alive. He wanted to make her completely pay for what she did to Jack.

Kimiko yelped again. Raimundo gritted his teeth at her, his once calm green eyes, burning with anger. He tightened his grip on her shoulders, amusing himself as he saw Kimiko's face screw up in pain. He didn't feel any sympathy toward her. He didn't care that he was hurting her. The only thing that mattered was that this girl touched his Jack.

Raimundo's hands slipped from the girl's shoulders, to her neck. He squeezed tightly, trying to bring the end of her story, the end of her life. Kimiko gasped and squeaked. She clawed the strong hands around her neck, desperately trying to save her some time, to save her life. Tears began to form in her crystal blue eyes, and they suddenly filled with sorrow and deep, deep regret. She choked, pulling at the tanned hands, tears flying everywhere.

Behind Raimundo, Jack got up and shouted for Raimundo to stop. But Raimundo didn't hear. He didn't hear anything other than Kimiko's choking noises and his own heart, beating anxiously as he sucked the breath and life out of his former lover.

And at that moment, she snapped. Her eyes turned red, and she snapped her hand forward. A green spark shot out, and if Raimundo hadn't moved a fraction of an inch downward, he would've been fried.

Of course, that wasn't all.

Behind him, Raimundo heard a gasp. He craned his neck, and saw Jack leaning slightly forward, eyes wide, expression in surprise and shock. And then it contorted with pain. His pale arms were wrapped around his torso, and as Jack began to fall-- Raimundo's hands flying off Kimiko's neck, and running over and catching the boy in his arms-- Raimundo knew why.

In Jack's midsection, there was a deep gash. Raimundo had dodged Kimiko's strange green spark, only to leave Jack wide open. Jack had gotten hit. And it was all Raimundo's fault.

Raimundo had never felt so horrible in his life.

Jack's eyes were closed, and his whole body had gone rigid, but the flaming haired boy was at least still breathing, and his heart was still pumping. Just very faintly.

Once again, Raimundo turned to Kimiko, eyes burning with anger. Kimiko was still recovering from Raimundo's suffocating attack, when Raimundo punched her, right in the nose.

Kimiko's head hit Jack's bed with a loud thud. She let out a slight exhale, but other than that, she made no sound. She had had enough.

Raimundo spotted something glinting on the floor, and picked it up. The Reversing Mirror. No matter how many times the Xiaolin Warriors tried, they could never win that Shen Gong Wu from Jack Spicer.

"Reversing Mirror!" Raimundo yelled, pointing at Jack. He needed to be healed. He needed to be reversed, so that everything was back to normal again…!

But, of course, nothing happened.

"Reversing Mirror!" He yelled again, shaking the glass. The mirror just glowed faintly. Nothing happened.

Then, with a final attempt and last resort, he pointed the mystical mirror at Kimiko. She was too dazed to notice.

Raimundo whispered the name. The mirror glowed bright this time. Kimiko gasped as her frame glowed gold. Raimundo blinked.

Somehow, it worked.

But that wasn't all.

Kimiko started… transforming. Her feet grew longer and fatter. Her arms did the same. Her torso grew broader. Her head changed shape, black hair growing out of the tight pigtails and falling down the back. Golden armor that glinted in the artificial room light fell over the new body, red robes disappearing. Blue eyes became brighter, yellow. Pupils grew thinner.

In the place where Kimiko used to be, was now Chase Young.

Equipped with the Moby Morpher.

It took a good five seconds for Raimundo to register what had just happened.

And then he snapped again.

"YOU!" Raimundo roared, pointing accusingly at the stoic man. "YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"

"Now, now, young warrior, it is not the time to use obscene language--"

"DON'T YOU TALK TO ME IN THAT I'M-BETTER-THAN-YOU WAY, YOU FUCKING OLD MAN! YOU KNEW I LOVED JACK, DIDN'T YOU? AND THEN YOU DID THIS, JUST SO I COULD BE HURT, AND YOU COULD ENJOY ME SQUEALING AND CRYING AND SUCKING THE LIFE OUT OF ONE OF MY FRIENDS--"

Raimundo continued to shout at the man, as Chase Young stood, unmoving, uncaring to whatever the young warrior was saying.

He barely missed the vow to kill the Evil Lord, and only started to pay attention when Raimundo started advancing towards him.

Chase raised an eyebrow, amused. "Do you really think that's a good idea, Raimundo?"

Raimundo scoffed. "Of course I think it's a good idea, Chase." He spat out the last word, as if some disgusting bug was in his mouth. His voice was dripping with malicious venom. "I'm going to make you pay for what you did to Jack… for practically taking his life away from me… from right in front of me…" then with an intense glare, "I'm going to break you apart!"

"Do you really think you have the chance?" Chase mocked, smirking teasingly.

Raimundo pursed his lips, and when Chase expected the tanned boy to leap at him, all the boy did was lift a single finger. He pointed it straight at Chase's heart.

There was a loud wave in the room, a great disturbance in the air. Raimundo felt it. Chase felt it. Chase definitely felt it. Because in just a second, Chase fell to the floor, face forward into the carpet.

Sonic boom.

It was a move Raimundo had been working on. Nobody had mastered the technique before. It was when you put all your focus and concentration on your target, and released a large enough amount of energy to decapitate the target with one hit. Silently. Quickly.

Raimundo didn't spend a minute to congratulate himself, or check if Chase was dead or not. He immediately rushed to Jack's side. The tanned boy held the limp body in his arms and brushed the stray hands of red hair out of the pale face.

"Jack…?" Raimundo whispered gently, a complete opposite to how he was before. "Jack… can you hear me?"

Jack groaned slightly, so softly it was barely audible. His eyelids slowly parted, revealing beautiful ruby eyes. Raimundo's breath hitched. Jack's eyes… they were losing their color…

"Rai… mundo…?" Jack mumbled, reaching his hand up to touch the face above him. The back of his pale hand brushed against Raimundo's cheek. Raimundo caught the hand in his own before it could drop.

Jack grimaced slightly. "I'm… losing time…"

"No… no, you can't…!" Raimundo gasped, pressing the cold hand against his cheek. "Don't… don't say that, Jack… everything's going to be fine, don't worry… everything'll be all right…"

Jack smiled weakly. "You're so beautiful…"

Tears started to form in Raimundo's eyes. It was just too much. To see his loved one just die openly like this… he couldn't cope with it much longer…

He needed Jack.

Jack almost frowned when he saw the tears threaten to overflow. "Don't cry… please don't cry…"

But the verbal support wasn't enough. Glistening drops of silver trailed down Raimundo's cheek and landed on the boy below. Raimundo sobbed like there was no tomorrow. Because in fact, there was no tomorrow for a certain somebody. Jack shook his head, almost in disappointment.

"Raimundo… you know, I'll… always love you… right?" Jack whispered.

"Jack, I--"

"Shh…" Jack gazed at his lover's face intensely, as if taking it all in. He knew Raimundo could never love him. But it was okay. He didn't need to hear it. It hurt too much to know that inside, so wouldn't hearing it from his mouth just make it worse?

And Jack did not want to feel hurt before he died.

"Just... promise me one thing…" Jack said, before violently coughing up metallic liquid. He guessed it was blood… it was soaking down his front, from the spark Kimiko had made… it hurt so much… But he had to cope with it… just a little longer, as he poured the rest of his soul out to his lover before his time ran out…

A soft, 'anything' was the response he got, along with some more tears.

"Become the greatest Xiaolin Warrior… fulfill your dream…" and then, closing his eyes. "And get it into their thick skulls… that love like this isn't… wrong…"

"I will. Don't you worry, Jack, I will. And you'll be there to help me, right Jack? You'll be by my side, and we can both scream and shout at them until our voices get hoarse, when we're convincing them that this love… that this love isn't wrong… and we can play with each other all the time. It'll be Jack and Raimundo, all over again!"

Jack laughed softly, before letting a single smile grace his features. He was losing the battle… but it was okay… dieing in Raimundo's arms, and having the image of Raimundo as the last thing he saw was more than enough…

God, he was so beautiful…

"Raimundo…" Jack had to strain to keep his voice steady, when all he wanted was to collapse right there. It was so alluring, to just fall into nothingness right there. It was too hard to remain living.

"Oh, Jack… no, don't leave me…! Jack!" Raimundo desperately kissed Jack, trying to keep the boy alive… Jack couldn't leave him! Not now, not when they still had so much to say…

Raimundo broke off, and looked down at the dieing body in his arms. Jack looked so dead… but he wasn't… not yet…

"Just remember… I'll always… love you…"

Raimundo cried harder. "Jack… I…"

"And remember… to… keep… your… promise…"

"Jack, no! Jack, I… I…" Raimundo sobbed, gazing hopelessly at the boy below him, at the corpse below him.

Jack's arm had gone limp.

He was gone.

"I love you…"