40th Chapter! Thank you everyone who has R&R my story so far! Here we go with the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Xiaolin Showdown

Xiaolin Showdown: The Legend of the Thunder Child

40: Love on Opposing Sides

Suddenly something surged through her body, making her whole body freeze. She broke out into a cold sweat as she felt his hand move from her face, down her arm and to her hand where he held it.

"You…Still love…Me?" gasped Kimiko; she felt tears in her eyes as she felt Ryan hold her other hand. She was slowly regaining feeling in her body again as she felt Ryan grip her hands softly. She could feel a soothing warmth move from his hands into her hands and up her arms.

"You still love me…Don't you?" said Ryan as he gazed back at her, his eyes filled with anxiety. What if she no longer loved him? If she had lost all faith in him then he would be lost to the Heylin side forever, and he will no doubt have to kill her. Kimiko looked down at her feet; she released one of her hands from Ryan's hand and wiped her tears away from her face. She looked back up at Ryan's face; she knew by the look on his face that Ryan wasn't lying to her, he really did love her. A small smile grew across her face; her skin sparkled in the moonlight as tears began to fall down her face.

"Ryan…I love you too" cried Kimiko.

Ryan's hands let go of hers and moved around her back, his arms wrapped themselves around her body, pulling her into a hug. Her arms went round his back, squeezing him tightly. She rested her head on his chest, she felt slightly light headed as she fell into Ryan's warm embrace. Kimiko couldn't stop the tears of happiness flowing from her eyes. She thought that she would never feel the warmth of Ryan ever again. But there she was, in the arms of the man she loved and who loved her back.

"Ryan…" said Kimiko as she dried her tears, "I'd thought you would never return to me…"

Ryan gave a sort of uneasy grunt, he let go of Kimiko and looked up at the moon.

"Kimiko…" sighed Ryan "The truth is…I still haven't returned to you"

The feeling of happiness started to drain from her as each word floated through her mind.

"But…You're here now…" said Kimiko as she held his hand with both hands, trying to block out all the possible reasons why Ryan can't stay with her, "Why can't we just stay together?"

"I'm sorry Kimiko…" sighed Ryan "But I'm still swore my loyalty to my father…"

Kimiko's smile disappeared from her face, she felt like all her happiness had been sucked from her like when her chi was sucked from her by the Chi monster.

"Even if I didn't swear loyalty…" said Ryan as he looked back at Kimiko, "He has mind control over me with the Shadow of Fear"

Each time Ryan gave Kimiko a reason why he couldn't return felt like a rusty dagger moving through her insides. Ryan fell to his knees; his breathing was deep and heavy. Kimiko knelt beside him and put her arms around him in an attempt to comfort him.

"The Shadow of Fear weakens just before midnight, but I'm still fighting my dark side, even as I'm speaking to you" said Ryan weakly, "It's like having another person inside of me, fighting for control"

Kimiko stood up and put her arms around Ryan, pulling him to his feet.

"Don't worry" said Kimiko, still trying to comfort him, "You said there was still a chance, I will do anything to help you"

Ryan smiled as he closed his eyes; a single tear fell from his eye.

"Thank you, Kimiko…" said Ryan as Kimiko put her arms around him again, hugging him tightly. He looked at her, her black hair swayed slightly in the breeze; her blue eyes that looked up at him sparkled in the moon light. He gave her a soft smile as he thought about how he first fell in love with her; the sweet Japanese girl with sleek black hair, fiery personality and gorgeous sapphire eyes. They stared at each other for a moment; everything seemed to go quiet as they held each other in their arms. In that moment in time, their lives were complete.

Ryan managed to get a quick peek at his watch, 11:53. He looked back at Kimiko; she was smiling as she rested her head on his chest again. He had never seen her so happy, he could sense her fire was build up inside of her. He managed to move himself from Kimiko's tight grasp and hold her away from him at arms length.

"Kimiko, I don't have much time left…" said Ryan "I need you to listen"

Kimiko looked up at him; her tear soaked face was beaming at him.

"The only way I can return to the Xiaolin side, is if you can get the Shadow of Fear…"

"Yes…"

Ryan went on talking, with Kimiko hanging on to every word. She tried to remember every detail, but her mind wandered off to think about how gorgeous Ryan was. Even with his spiky black with red streaks, she couldn't help gazing over him. His hair gave of a faint shine in the moonlight, his eyes were clear, showing no resemblance of his dad, Chase Young. Her eyes moved further down his body, her body began to heat up and her pulse began to race as her eyes caught the faint outlines of his chest on his black uniform.

"Err…Kimiko?" said Ryan clicking his fingers in her face, "You okay?"

Kimiko suddenly came back to her senses.

"Oh! Yes, sorry…" she mumbled as she tried to take her mind off Ryan's physique. Ryan sighed as he went back to his plan.

"Okay Kimiko, there is one more thing that you have to do" said Ryan.

"Yes" said Kimiko as the anticipation began to build up, "I'll do anything!"

"You will need to challenge Chase for my freedom"

Kimiko went over the plan in her head. Step one: get the Shadow of Fear, Step two: Win Ryan from Chase, in other words she had to do the impossible, which was nothing that they haven't done before.

"Well…" sighed Ryan as he turned away, "If that is all, I must get back before I lose…"

He cut his sentence short because Kimiko grabbed his hand from behind; he turned to look at her, her puppy-dog eyes were staring at him.

"I'm sorry…I have to go" said Ryan "It's for your own safety"

Ryan knew that each word was cutting through her heart like a rusty knife. He moved closer to her, wrapping his arms around her and pulled her close.

"We will be together again" said Ryan "Or we will die trying"

He felt Kimiko flinch slightly in his arms as he said that. He mentally kicked himself for saying that and looked down at her; her eyes were filled with tears again.

"Sorry…That…came out wrong…" said Ryan

She looked up at him; her face was starting to become waterlogged because of all her tears.

"What I meant to say was…We…Err…" stuttered Ryan as he looked into her depressed eyes.

"Crap! Just keep your damn mouth shut!" thought Ryan as he mentally kicked himself again.

"I can't really think how to say it…" sighed Ryan as Kimiko raised her arms around Ryan's neck. She knew what he was trying to say, she tried to put on a brave face as her teary blue eyes gazed at him.

"There is a chance that we may never be together again…" she said as she gently pulled his head down towards hers, "Let me share one last moment with you…"

Their lips connected, she passionately kissed him as she felt his lips move softly over hers. Her body turned to jelly as she felt Ryan's hands move from her back and down her body. She felt her mind go giddy as a tingling feeling flowed down her spine. As she fell deeper into the passion, she felt her body began to lose control. Her desire for him was too overpowering. She felt a hand move around her body and towards her chest. In that moment in time, she wanted to be with him for all eternity, not giving a care in the world whether he was evil or not.

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