A/N:I was kinda out of it when I wrote this so if it seems way too fragmented, let me know. I'll fix it up and repost it. Thanks again for reading!

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Behind a dumpster sat a sunken form. Lying pathetically on its side, clutching furiously at its chest, moaning in pain as the sweat broke over its brow, it cried:

"What's happening to me?"

A tiny voice responded:

"Withdrawal. You weren't ready to let go of the staff…"

"Am… Am I still human?"

The tiny bot looked at the sweat and tear-stained face of its master. Aside from some pretty thick side burns, Jack was still human.

"Yeah…"

"I need help," he gasped as he tightened into a tiny ball, "It hurts…"

The bot looked around helplessly. It only knew one number to call.

In the office of Tohomiko Labs, the phone rang.

"Mushi, mushi?"

"Unit 2564368."

"Oh, the custom bot I made for one of Kimiko's friends. To what do I owe this call? Need a new battery? A checkup perhaps?"

"No, no, can you call Kimiko?"

Mr. Tohomiko paused, "Why?"

"It's… Jack…"

"Jack? That red-haired boy? She wouldn't tell me who she was giving the bot to, I understand why now."

"He needs help…"

"Why not call 911? They could do more good than my daughter…"

He was about to hang up the phone when the tiny voice turned desperate.

"No wait! This is something only the Xiaolin people can help him with…"

Mr. Tohomiko paused a moment before bringing the phone to his ear again.

"Fine," he sighed, "I'll call her."

"Thank you so much… Here's our location."

There was a beep on Tohomiko's computer.

"I knew giving you that learning chip was a mistake."

"Thank you, Master Tohomiko!"

Kimiko's father hung up the phone. He hadn't really intended on calling his daughter, but after he sat a while staring at the resting phone, he picked it up again.

Within an hour, a forlorn Kimiko was at Jack's side. Crying and whimpering over his crumpled state.

"What happened?" she wept, "Oh, Jack, what happened?"

Jack opened his mouth to speak, but an internal shutter only let strange growls come through.

When Kimiko saw his teeth, she immediately looked for and found the Monkey Staff.

"Jack…" she whispered.

Handing the staff to Raimundo, she took Jack up in her arms.

"It'll be okay," she wept into his bright red hair, "I promise."

A small frightened moan that was mistaken for pain slipped from Jack's lips. His red eyes were large in his skull.

"Don't cry, Jackie, everything's gonna be alright…"

"Hey guys," Raimundo murmured to the others, "You think something's wrong with Kimiko?"

"That's saying it lightly. She's called us twice saying that Jack took advantage of her and now she's crying all over him," Clay thought aloud.

"True. It too find Kimiko's recent behavior very odd," Omi mumbled.

"Jack," she sighed, "It'll be okay…"

Jack's eyes widened in terror. A terrible scream came from his body as it went rigid and then rested lifelessly in Kimiko's arms.

"JACK!" she screamed, "NO!"

Raimundo moved over to her. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he felt for Jack's pulse.

"It's okay," he murmured, "He's still alive, but barely. We need to get him back to the temple…"

Raimundo reached down to take Jack's body from her.

"NO!" she screamed as she held the body tighter.

"Kimiko," Rai sighed, "It's for the best. Let me take him."

Kimiko looked down at Jack's face. His eyes were partially closed; she could still see a bit of his crimson eyes. They weren't shining. They were dull. All his muscles were relaxed leaving his mouth parted slightly. Kimiko gently touched his lips with her fingers. After kissing him on is forehead, she turned Jack over to Raimundo. With a slight grunt, Rai took Jack into his arms.

"Be careful," she whispered.

As soon as they were back on Dojo's back, they were off to the Xiaolin Temple.