Chapter 9

Kimiko seemed smothered in flames, she was glaring with such hot intensity she seemed to be radiating heat, not just from the dancing flames in her hands, but from her entire body. The light was reflected in her blue eyes, making it look like her eyes were glowing. It filled the cave with a shining light.

"You don't really expect to win, do you?" Wuya cackled, but her eyes seemed uncertain.

"You took the one I love away from me, what do you think?" said Kimiko evenly, not moving.

The red-haired sorceress jerked Rai's head up so Kimiko could see his injured face. She had to look away to avoid crying.

"Why don't you come and take him from me?" asked Wuya, a slit like smile spreading across her face.

Kimiko walked forward, leaving a trail of flames behind her.

"No where to run Wuya," said Kimiko, "Aren't you sick of running? Using others as your shields? Jack, Katnappé, Raimundo. You were always using others to do your dirty work, tricking them into doing what you wanted."

The flames encircled Wuya, creating a twister around her. She could hear Kimiko's voice through its walls, as she tried to move away from the intense heat.

"You tried everything to return him to you, But you won't take him! YOU WON'T TAKE HIM!"

Kimiko spat the last four words out and made her flaming twister implode. Wuya fell with it. Her clothes and hair were singed and her skin was red from the heat. Instant sunburn, Kimiko style. Wuya rose to her feet. Her eyes were flaring with such intense hatred that it rivaled Kimiko's. She wasn't going to stand for this. She was going to kill this little upstart if it was the last thing she did.

"You are going to pay for that." said Wuya.

She lunged so quickly, Kimiko didn't even see it coming. She was knocked backwards into her own wall of flame. Falling forward, her clothes were stained black. She got to her feet and Wuya lunged again; her nails like knives. Kimiko twisted her shoulder back. Wuya's nail carved a two inch long scratch in her cheek. Kimiko closed her eyes, and wiped the blood trickling down her cheek, away with the back of her hand.

When she opened her eyes again, Wuya was lunging at her face. Kimiko ducked, moved forward and slammed her elbow straight into Wuya's stomach. Wuya's mouth opened, spraying spittle onto the flame wall, making it splutter. Kimiko grabbed the front of Wuya's clothes and threw her head first into the flames. When Wuya stood up again, her hair was on fire. She ran a hand across it, making the flames vanish.

She hissed, pushing up her sleeves, "Alright, you want to play rough? I can play, with the best of them."

Omi and Clay ran along passages. Clay was following Omi, who was using his instincts to trace Kimiko's path. It wasn't easy and often they made a wrong turn and had to go back.

"I believe it is this way…perhaps…" said Omi, exhausted from running so fast.

"I think it's this way," said Clay, pointing down the opposite path.

"Why that way?" asked Omi.

"The flames at the end of the tunnel." Clay answered.

Omi looked down the tunnel, sure enough, there was a wall of flame at the entrance to the cave. This was either Kimiko's fire powers, or Wuya's magic. Either way, they were down there, and no doubt they were fighting. Clay looked down at Omi, he was staring at the flame, his brow was creased and he was concentrating hard.

"It is Kimiko's powers." Said Omi, "She is using them in anger, and it is dangerous to use them to such an extent, as she will not be able to control them."

"What?" asked Clay.

"And if she can't control them," said Omi, quietly, "Wuya will turn them against her."

Clay understood that Kimiko wanted to face Wuya alone, so she could feel that Raimundo had been given justice. But Wuya must have pushed Kimiko too far, to make her use her powers so much. But if she kept it up, she would run out of energy. Wuya was careful to conserve her own, and would strike when Kim was weak! They had to warn her!

"Kimiko! Kimiko!" They ran toward the fight yelling her name. She only slightly turned, before continuing on.

"Kimiko! You gotta listen! You're out of control! You're going to burn out your power!" Clay called out.

"Clay is right Kimiko! Save your energy, like Wuya is saving hers!"

Kim ignored them and instead ordered, "Go free Raimundo!"

The two sighed, and instead of arguing, went over to the chained up figure in the darkness.

They gasped when they saw him. Dojo crawled out of Clay's hat. "Oh…kid…What did she do to you?"

Raimundo only moaned through his swollen lips.

"CHANGING CHOPSTICKS! Omi called using the Shen Gong Wu, and shrinking to the size of a flea entered Rai's chain locks and set him free.

Kimiko had heard her friends' warning, but had ignored it in her anger. Her mind totally on revenge!

"I finally get him back and you take him away again," said Kimiko, grabbing the front of Wuya's clothes and throwing her across the cave. "And yet, even after all this. It's nothing compared to what you did to Raimundo. You haven't had everything that you are, stolen from you. You haven't felt the pain he's felt trying to remember. You haven't felt the pain I've felt watching him struggle and suffer."

Wuya landed face down on the stone floor. Her face was pressed against something cold and hard. She opened her eye. It was a hunter's knife. She slowly gripped the handle so Kimiko couldn't see. She had left it in the cave to stab Raimundo with whenever she started feeling blue, but stabbing Kimiko would be much more fun.

Rai could vaguely make out the fighting scene, but one thing he could see, was Kimiko's fighting figure dancing through the flames. How beautiful she was…

The other thing he could see was the glint of the knife in Wuya's hand!

He remembered that knife with horrific memories, and knew instantly what the sorceress was about to do!

As Omi and Clay released him, any doubts that Wuya had instilled in him were broken. He knew what he had to do…

Kimiko kept walking towards the evil hag; unaware of the danger she was putting herself in. She was filled with white hot flames, fuelled with her hatred for Wuya; who was getting up, her back still turned to Kimiko.

"Turn around and face me!" she commanded.

"If you insist," she hissed.

She turned, flinging the blade at Kimiko!

The Japanese warrior saw it at the last minute. Too late to move, she closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

The sound of the squelch of penetration and the thud of a body hitting the ground echoed through the cavern…

But she felt no pain! Relieved, Kimiko opened her eyes, only to be shocked by a scene more excruciating, than any knife's edge!

All flames vanished as she sank to her knees, "No…Please God, no! NOOOOO!"