A/N: It's really hard to come up with unique Omi- and Clay-isms at 3:45 in the morning so just deal with it. Subject to minor changes upon further consciousness. I just wanted to get it up.
"I can't believe that dirty snake used sleeping gas on us! I mean, we were already asleep!"
"How should I know?" Raimundo yawned, "Double knock-out?"
"Why bother even thinking about it? It was Jack," Kimiko scoffed.
"Yes, but even with us completely unconscious, he still only managed to get away with a few Shen Gong Wu."
"That's true, little partner, but the fact is, he got some."
"What is that smell?"
"Whatcha mean, Dojo?" Clay asked as he leaned over the dragon's side.
"Smells like something's burning. Or… is burned…"
"That's nice. Jack probably used the Star Hanabi to light a bon fire and cook marshmallows…" Kimiko speculated.
"Yeah," Rai laughed, "And then he caught the whole forest on fire!"
"And the best part is," Clay snickered, "He didn't even steal the Orb of Tornami to put the fire out with!"
The young warriors doubled over with laughter.
"Uh, guys?"
"What's wrong, Dojo?" Clay laughed.
"Yeah, come on, we were only having some fun…" Rai snickered.
"At Jack Spicer's expense," Kimiko added and the laughter broke out again.
"No really," Dojo's voice seemed hard and cold.
"Okay," Clay said as he got his laughter under control.
"Yes, Dojo, we are all eyes," Omi smiled.
"Ears," Rai corrected.
"Whatever!"
"Look dead ahead," was all the dragon said.
In the not too far off distance was a dark patch in the ground where Jack's house should've been. It smelled of burning wood and plastics.
"Dang," Rai chuckled as he waved his hand before his nose, "Looks like he burned his whole house down."
"I don't know," Dojo mumbled, "Let's check it out."
The dragon soared to the ground and touched down just inside the wall that surrounded the charred remains.
"My God," Clay drawled as he waved his hat before his face, "Smells worse'n the pig pen on a hot Saturday afternoon!"
"Ugh, my nose hurts," Rai complained.
"Let's just find Spicer and get our Wu back," Kimiko said as she walked towards the house.
The other monks followed Kimiko up to the burnt foundation. Inside, lying on a pile of ash was a dark form.
"Jack," Kimiko barked, "What did you do!"
The form only shook slightly.
"I have found the Shen Gong Wu," Omi announced as he held a brown sack in his hand.
"There's nothing left," Rai said in awe.
"This place is as barren as my Great Aunt Sally."
There was a long pause.
"Yeah," Kimiko said slowly, "Hey Jack," she said as she approached the huddled form, "You alive?"
"I…" the form whimpered
"Well?"
"Tired…" he sighed.
"Yeah, you should be. Do you realize your entire house is gone!"
"They're gone too…"
There was an awkward pause.
"All gone," he sighed.
A strange sense of anxiety and fear filled the monk's minds.
"Well," Kimiko paused, "What happened?"
"It burned. They burned. Everything burned."
"We gathered that," Raimundo barked, "But who's 'they'?"
The body slowly straightened out. Jack Spicer sat up and looked at the charred door that laid on the floor beside him.
"My parents."
They froze. Everyone froze.
Jack stood up and turned to them. Soot covered his face, except for a few streaks where tears had fallen. His red eyes were dead in their sockets.
"There's more Wu," he sighed, "In the basement; if you can find them."
"Jack… Your parents are dead and you're thinking about Shen Gong Wu?" Kimiko screeched.
Jack shrugged, "That's all you want. Just take 'em and leave."
"What about you?" A bit of sentimentality crept into Kimiko's voice.
Jack shrugged, "I'll figure something out. As an evil genius, I can adapt to anything." He snapped his fingers.
"Dude, look, I'd be wigging out if… if I found out that… my parents… were dead…" Raimundo said.
Omi cleared his throat, "We must fist get the Shen Gong Wu and then deal with Jack Spicer's problems."
"Why don't you go get all the Wu, Omi?" Clay asked.
"Uh, okay," Omi chirped.
"It is okay," Omi said as he walked by Jack, "We are all subject to loss at one point or another."
Jack snarled, "You don't understand."
"Of course I do. It is not your fault…"
"Omi!" Kimiko cut him off, "Jack's parents are dead, he didn't lose a Showdown."
"Yes but…"
"No, that's not the same kind of loss. You should know that."
Omi was silent for a moment.
"I am most sorry," Omi said as he wandered off to the basement.
Jack tried to wipe the ashes from his black coat, but they only smudged and engrained themselves deeper into the material.
"Jack," Kimiko reached out to him.
"No," he pulled his arm away, "Just… Just leave me alone!"
Jack stamped a foot on the floor. His legs went weak and he collapsed back to the ground.
"You can stay with us for a while," Clay offered.
"You guys don't want me around…"
"True," Rai mumbled.
Kimiko gave Raimundo a vicious glare.
"Boy, this is an awkward situation," Rai said as he scratched the back of his head.
Jack picked some of the ashes up and let them run through his fingers.
"It's all gone…" he said flatly with a small laugh, "My home, my lair," he scoffed, "Everything. What's an evil genius to do without his lair? Or an army of robots to rebuild it?" He laughed. "Guess this means that Mom never made any cookies… You know I found her, right here, under that door. She was dead," he said flatly, "I never wanted to get anyone hurt… or killed…"
"Jack," Kimiko reached for his arm again, "How did this happen?"
He shrugged and sniffed, "Just did. I came home to flames and ran away when I found my parents dead," he scoffed again, "Seems like all I can do is run away."
"I believe that I have retrieved the remaining Shen Gong Wu," a sooty Omi announced as he emerged from the basement.
"Great, now you can get lost and leave me alone," Jack barked.
Everyone shrugged in futility as they turned to leave Jack behind.
"You gonna be okay, partner?" Clay asked over his shoulder.
"I'll be just peachy. Now go away!"
Heat welled up in Clay's face as he followed the rest of the monks onto Dojo's back. In solemn silence, Dojo and the monks took of into the air.
"Please," Jack whimpered even after they were gone, "Just leave me alone…"