Not long before Omi came back to the dungeons, Ashley and Jermaine were making their escape attempt. Ashley did not appreciate being attacked while she was trying to escape. She found it annoying and a complete waste of time considering none of the soldiers were in her league, never mind Jermaine who's training obviously surpassed her own. They didn't pass another cell while running and this made Jermaine worried. He wanted to help more people out, but asking Ashley to stop was a bad idea since she was obviously not in a good mood and since she was the one leading him out, it would be a bad idea to piss her off.

She stopped abruptly and pulled him against the wall. She was holding one of the guns she had taken off one of the soldiers she had either killed or knocked unconscious. She had also picked one up and handed it to Jermaine, but he didn't want to use it. Chase Young had trained him well and he preferred to use his own skills rather than a gun. Even if Chase Young was evil, there was no denying the fact that he was a good fighter.

Ashley listened carefully. Jermaine saw a bead of sweat run down her face. She edged closer to the corner and looked around. She came back quickly and let out a long breath.

"Four of them." She said, "I've only got two shots left and I'd rather not waste them now," She looked up at him, "looks like we're doing this the old fashioned way."

"You sound like we're in a movie," Said Jermaine, grinning.

"Fighting bad guys, escaping a dungeon, trying to make it to our allies," She raised an eyebrow.

"I get your point." Jermaine said, nodding, "Lets do this."

Ashley grinned and they jumped around the corner …

Kimiko was sat at her desk, typing up several reports she had just received from patrollers on the surface. She wasn't going to be bothered by the fact that she had turned up to hear that Yuuji had gone on patrol through the city. It didn't matter. She didn't have to be with him. It wasn't important.

She suddenly slammed her hands on the keyboard and pushed away from the desk. She ran a hand through her hair and fingered the band of her eye-patch. She hated this thing, it made her look like a pirate, but it was better than the blind milky white eye beneath. She remembered how she had gotten that scar.

She closed her eyes and placed a hand on her forehead, leaning back in her chair. She could see it as clear as day. Most people thought it had been during one of the many battles with common soldiers, but no. The person who had given her this scar made it hurt more than just the physical pain involved.

It had been during the final battle they had fought before retreating underground. She had been leading almost an entire army to attack Chase Young. She had been told that Omi had gone to fight Clay, but they had been wrong. Omi was very much there. She was only seventeen at the time. Omi was sixteen. He had never fought dirty in his life, but under Chase Young's control …

She met him dead in the centre of the battle. Either side of them their soldiers were fighting to the death. There was a trail of corpses leading from where Omi had started fighting to where he met her. She tried to reason with him. She didn't want to fight him, but she made a mistake in trying this optimistic approach. She had him trapped. At that point she was still slightly taller than him. She had held him from behind almost like a bear hug and was trapping his arms. It took everything she had to hold on to him and try to talk to him.

"Omi!" She spoke into his ear, "Omi, please! It's me, Kimiko. You know me! We've been best friends for years! We still are friends, please … listen!"

While trying to win him over, she didn't notice that he was slipping a dagger out of his sash. He jerked so suddenly and hard that Kimiko let go. With that he turned around and slashed down with the blade. He was aiming straight for her forehead. It would've killed her if she hadn't been able to slide back enough to make it miss her forehead and slash down across her right eye. She fell back as blood poured down her face. She instantly knew what had happened. She couldn't see, but she was alive.

"Omi!" She shouted desperately.

At the same moment, another voice also called:

"Omi, return!"

At that moment, Omi shrank back down into his cat form and bounded back to his master. Kimiko stood up, preparing to run after him and take on Chase herself, but someone was pulling her away. She couldn't lose like this!

"OMI!" She screamed and suddenly she fell forward.

She opened her eyes. There was cold sweat on her brow and it took her a moment to realise that she was in her office still. She must've dozed off. Someone suddenly barged in. It was Clay.

"Kim? Are you okay?" He asked, crouching down in front of her.

"Yes … I … I was just dreaming." She said.

"You screamed 'Omi'," Said Clay, "doesn't sound like a dream to me."

"Nightmare then," said Kimiko, "the last battle we had while still based on the surface … when I got this."

She tapped the eye-patch. She suddenly started crying.

"How can Omi do this to us?" She said, "He was our friend!"

Clay hugged her.

"It's not him," He whispered, "It's Chase. It's not him."

Yuuji suddenly walked in, looking concerned.

"Nihon?" He asked.

Kimiko stopped hugging Clay and turned to him. Yuuji pulled her in and held her close. Clay looked down. This was the way it had to be. He had been hoping that Kimiko would find someone who loved her as much as Raimundo had and she had. It had taken her so long to get over Raimundo. She never stopped hoping that he would be spat out, but after he didn't come back she met Yuuji and even now that Raimundo had finally caught up, Kimiko was still happy with who she had.

"I think we should go home," Said Yuuji.

Kimiko sighed and nodded. She turned and smiled at Clay.

"Thanks Clay." She said quietly.

"What are friends for?" He said, "Apart from turning evil in our case and then turning good again and helping us all learn a valuable lesson."

Kimiko smiled.

"You think there's still hope then?" Said Yuuji, smiling softly.

"Omi was the best of us. If any of us can fight Chase Young it's him. I bet one day he'll snap back to his senses and come here trying to remember how the hell he grew so tall." Said Clay.

"Him and Raimundo can form a club," Said Kimiko, before turning to Yuuji, "Lets go home now, okay?"

They left and Clay sighed. He sat in the chair and noticed a draw slightly open. Inside was a picture of the four dragons, back when they were only teenagers. The best of friends. Inseparable. Master Fung and Dojo had always said so. If there was a lesson there was to learn, they learnt it together. If there was a battle to fight, they fought it together and if there was one member in trouble, they helped them out together, but this was becoming more and more difficult wit the longer that Omi remained in Chase's grasp.

The place where Omi had been pacing up and down in the cells was now empty. He had moved on and was now trying to consider what he should do. How do you capture two people who made it out of the most highly guarded facility on earth? However, for some reason this didn't surprise him as much as he thought it should. Somehow he knew that the two people who had escaped were perfectly capable of it, but he didn't remember ever seeing them fight or fighting them himself. This was confusing. Why was he suddenly thinking a lot more than he used to anyway? It just didn't make sense.

Chase Young tapped his desk and frowned.

"She lied to you?" He asked.

"Yes, it was an empty storage room." Said Wuya.

"I thought you had tortured her to the same extent as Jack Spicer." Said Chase.

"We tortured the same amount and the same way right up until he escaped, but we continued to torture her. I don't see how she could've resisted like this." Said Wuya, sitting on the desk.

"Have you been back to question her again yet?" Asked Chase.

"No, Omi went down to the dungeons a while ago. He should be back soon." Said Wuya.

No sooner than she had said this, the door swung open and the tall form of Omi stood in the doorway.

"Omi, my young apprentice, please tell me you have good news." Said Chase, growing impatient with the same excuses every day.

"Two prisoners have escaped." Said Omi, looking at Wuya, "One of them was the girl."

"Who was the other?" asked Chase.

"The boy in the cell opposite." Said Omi.

"Jermaine …" Said Chase to himself and leant back in his chair, "It would make sense that he'd get out, but I really would've expected an attempt sooner than this."

"Shall I search for them?" Asked Omi.

Chase Young looked up at Omi. His eyes were still glowing, but there was something strange inside of them. They weren't quite as lifeless and harsh as they had once been.

"Tell me Omi," Said Chase, interested, "Do the names Jermaine and Katnappe mean anything to you?"

Omi frowned and thought for a moment.

"They sound like something you've heard while passing someone in a conversation. I probably heard one of the guards mentioning them before and that's why I recognise the names," Said Omi.

"I suppose that's it," Said Chase young, his eyes still focused on Omi's eyes, "Collect a search party and check all the abandoned enemy bases, they're probably heading there for clues as to the next location."

Omi nodded and left. Chase Young stood up suddenly. Wuya watched him, surprised.

"What is it?" She asked.

"I do believe that Omi is beginning to resist my control. He doesn't know it yet, but his mind is growing accustomed to my control is fighting back more strongly." He frowned, "I think it may not be long before he takes back control and remains immune to my control."

"Can't you do anything?" asked Wuya.

"That's what I'm going to find out." Said Chase, "Either way, he will probably not leave. He is such a fool that he believe he had sworn loyalty to me."

"But he did," said Wuya.

"True, but he wasn't his whole self. Therefore, he doesn't have to remain loyal all his life does he?" Said Chase.

Chase headed for the door and Wuya hung back.

"You're in charge until I return," Said Chase Young before leaving and shutting the door.

Wuya frowned and looked out the window down at the swarming army below. They were like ants, scurrying desperately in every direction.

"You're all going to be sent to your deaths in the name of evil," She said, slow grin spreading across her pale face, "and you don't have a clue."

Perhaps it was the fact that she was being told what to do by someone she could've crushed in a second if she'd had her full power, or maybe it was the fact that she'd never won a war in her life, but she suddenly felt the urge to just leave and take over the world on her own. And maybe she could, but it wouldn't be yet. She would have to find out who was loyal to her first. She could probably get away with half his army f she worked hard enough, but first she'd have to lay patiently and wait for Chase Young to make the first error and then, she could strike.

(A/N) I just thought I'd fill you in with a bit of the Ashley-Jermaine escape. It took place before Omi pacing in the dungeons in the previous chapter. Anyway, now we see that Omi is finally living up to his potential and fighting back a bit. I hope you're enjoying this. By the way I re-did my bio page for a change.

Tell me what you think. (Of the fic not the bio page). Lots of love, Becky.