Chapter 70: Everything Ends With a Nothing, Everything, and Something...
Kimiko woke up, feeling around for her pillow, and Raimundo. None were there.Then
it hit her, everything was in total chaos, and right now she was just
going to take a nap and forget her worries? Impossible!
Kimiko tried to wipe the sleepiness away from her eyes. But there were tears.
That
throbbing pain in her heart began again. Elinor? Where was she? The
darling little child, with black hair and eyes like Raimundo.
"Awake
yet?" Slowly, she turned her head. Raimundo was trying to be his
regular cocky self, but you could see the worry in his eyes, and the
droop in his voice.
"Did you find Elinor?"
He shook his head
solemnly and watched a tear slide down her face. "It's okay Kimiko. I
know we'll find her, she'll be waiting for us at the end of the road."
"And where is the end of the road? Where?"
Lowering
his gaze, Raimundo found himself looking at his unconscious friends,
they were so helpless, and without Master Fung, was all hope lost
forever?
"What happened to the Temple?" Kimiko finally asked.
Raimundo,
on the other hand wasn't thinking about what happened to the Temple. He
started to swat at his eyes, feeling the tears burning in them.
"Raimundo? Don't cry... You're too strong to cry..."
Kimiko hugged her knees and buried her head in her arms while she said that, to prevent herself from seeing him like this.
"Kimiko..." She immediately felt the warmth of his body against hers.
"We'll find Elinor. I know we will. I'll do anything."
"Promise?" Raimundo didn't answer. There was something else on his mind. He'd do anything though, he would even give his life.
Sighing, Kimiko pushed herself up from the ground, stumbling a bit. Raimundo rushed over to her, while she shoved him away.
"I'm going to find Elinor."
"But you don't know where she is, and you could get hurt!"
"I'm already hurt from the inside!"
That was one of the harshest things Raimundo ever heard come from her mouth.
Kimiko tried to move, and he grabbed her arm.
"Don't go."
"I
have to," she said, slapping his hand off. Raimundo couldn't follow, or
else Chase Young would come and take all his friends, but he couldn't
leave Kimiko unguarded.
"Think about our friends! We can't leave them behind!"
She
didn't answer, maybe because she was already at the Temple. Slouching
his shoulders, Raimundo sat down on the dirt again. His friends:
Motionless.
"Come on Omi. Wake up! I won't make fun of you... I'm serious! Wake up! Kimiko needs us. Please.
"Raimundo shook the small monk by his head. He was still breathing, but he wouldn't wake.
"Fine
Omi. You don't know what is going to happen if you don't wake up.
Master Fung might die. The world might wither away again. Don't do
this... Wake up please. You're one of the most closest things I've ever
had for a family, this Xiaolin Temple. I don't want it all to go away,
do you?" Omi's mouth moved a smidgen.
"No... Raimundo. You were the
closest thing I ever had to a family. When I was a Crud, I was happier
in the Temple. Wake me up, rid of this dark magic."
He fell limp again.
Raimundo closed his eyes and muttered, "Omi. I love all you people in the Temple, as my family."
Omi shivered. Suddenly, he jumped up. "Chase Young! You will not... Raimundo?"
Apparently he didn't know what was going on.
"What
has happened? Why am I near this waterfall? I think I was taking a most
realistic nap. May we go back to the Temple and have fix-fast?"
Raimundo didn't correct him, or give him any expression at all.
"The Temple's probably gone Omi."
The Temple...
Kimiko
gasped when she saw the Temple. All was burned, and she didn't see the
peace that used to reside there. If Elinor was still in the building,
then she must have not survived.
If Chase Young really set the
Temple on fire, would he not be waiting, right in front of the Temple?
If Elinor was alive, was she somewhere safe, where she could be cared
for? If Chase wasn't there, what would Kimiko do? There were so many
ifs.
Swearing, Kimiko had no choice but to turn back and get
Raimundo. She had to admit, it was the coward's way out. But she
couldn't cause Raimundo the pain of losing her.
"Finally lose hope Kimiko? Not to worry! It's me!" She spun around quickly. Him... "It's me, Jack Spicer! Your best friend!" Kimiko stared at him for a while in disgust, then he expression turned to understanding. Chase Young must have sent Jack Spicer to do his dirty work.
"HOW DARE
YOU?" Ouch. Just to let you know, Kimiko slapped Jack so hard on the
cheek that he fell on the ground. "WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER! TELL ME!"
Kimiko demanded, kicking him in the ribs, hard.
There was already a red hand print on Jack's right cheek.
"Sorry Kimiko. I don't know where Elinor is. But I do know I'll make you happy in a jiffy!"
"HOW CAN YOU KNOW HER NAME AND NOT KNOW WHERE SHE IS!"
"I think Chase mentioned it once."
The
kicking stopped. Kimiko dragged him off the ground and glared at him.
"If you don't tell me, you're going to wish you never lived."
Jack
brushed some dirt of him and asked, "Wasn't that fun? My buddy, Chase,
asked me to give you this!" He extended his hand, showing Kimiko a
small box made of tin. "Want me to open it? Here!" Before Kimiko could
say no, he snapped it open.
Some sort of smoke went everywhere, and
Kimiko couldn't see the Good Jack standing right in front of her
anymore. Coughing, Kimiko dropped to the ground, putting her hand over
her chest.
With little effort, Kimiko tugged out the Shroud of
Shadows, and she threw it to the ground. Someone laughed coldy as she
suffocated in the smog. "I see you, Kimiko. I see you..."
Waterfall...
Raimundo
sat down and talked to Omi for a while. It seemed like he didn't
remember anything about being drugged. "I went to sleep... I think,"
Omi mumbled, moving his hands around in the water.
"How can you not
know what happened? The Temple was burning, and Chase Young obviously
was there because you even said so!" Raimundo argued, losing his
patience with the calmness of Omi.
"I do not remember Raimundo, and sorry if I could not be of service." This was going in a never ending circle.
If
Omi could stay and watch, then Raimundo could go back and get Kimiko
from the charred ruins of the Temple. So many memories gone in a snap.
Raimundo stood up, and didn't answer any of Omi's questions.
"Stay here and watch he other, I have some business to attend."
And he was gone. Raimundo knew he could trust Omi to stay there, but would anyone else wake up while he was gone? Maybe.
"Hi Raimundo." Odd. Raimundo looked up, to see Kimiko.
"What happened to the Temple?" asked Raimundo, feeling something strange radiating from Kimiko.
"Nothing. It was alright!" Way too cheery... "Raimundo, you're super hunky."
DEFINITELY NOT KIMIKO!
"WIND!" It was blown off the ground. Most likely the Chameleon bot. Kimiko would never speak like that... Raimundo walked over to the pile of scrap metal, this was the work of Jack. If he was on the bad side... That meant... Kimiko was in grave danger!
Raimundo darted away, making sure he moved in the shadows. Someone might have been watching, for you are never alone, and someone is always watching. He was running like he was running from fear, and everything that haunted him from behind... From his past...
Even though it was morning, fog
hung around in curtains in the air, making barely anything visible. It
looked exactly how everyone on the side of good felt... The Temple
loomed in the mist, or in the darkness.
A sense of emptiness filled
Raimundo's heart. Where was Kimiko? She surely would have turned back
and she would have bumped into Raimundo along the way.
Could he try mind reading her?
("Kimiko?" "..." )
Why
didn't she respond? Nothing worked anymore, that's why. Nothing was
going right, nothing was going to happen, and nothing was everything.
And soon, maybe the Xiaolin Monks would be nothing. Chase Young wasn't
even done with his first attack. When you take away Kimiko, Raimundo
goes mad.
And when you don't have four chosens, then the world ends.
The Throne Room of Chase Young...
Chase
sat down on his throne, content with his progress. He didn't know why
Kimiko was so fussy over her dumb little child, after all; it couldn't
do anything, and it certainly didn't know anything either. Ever since
Chase captured Elinor, she hadn't made the slightest sound. When he
caught Kimiko, she threw a huge tantrum. It involved... Where the FUCK
is my CHILD, SHUT UP, ELINOR, YOU'LL REGRET THIS, CHASE, and so
forth.
Nope. Chase wasn't satisfied yet. The world would soon be
his, even if the annoying twerp Jack would be roaming around. Nothing
and Everything would matter in the end, and there would be a very nice
ending for the Xiaolin Monks. He sighed. There was barely anything to
do now. Just sit back and wait for Raimundo to fall into the trap set
for him.
"Cats. Make sure Omi is well watched. Don't make any moves yet. Wake Master Fung first, we want to make them feel safe."
Smirking, Chase took a sip of his soup while a wild cat bowed at his feet. It was such a shame when he lost Omi as a cat. He could have slit his yellow throat right there and then... But he didn't. Why? It was fun watching him suffer. This time, there would be no wait.
So... That meant Kimiko would die soon. And that would effect Raimundo greatly.
"Be sure to take any evidence that Kimiko was actually at the Temple." ordered Chase, yawning.
How
come this was boring when you were about to rule the world? But things
take time. Kimiko, on the other hand wouldn't. She was disabled of her
mind reading powers, and her elemental powers. The plan was perfect.
Power
couldn't penetrate it. Weapons couldn't either, and especially not
Love... Love couldn't do a single thing. Love was not strong. Love
can't get you out of this... Or can it?