Jack lived out the rest of his miserable life at the temple, which, luckily form him, wasn't very long. Jack had come to fear the night. It was the night that brought him pain and suffering. She'd come to him, love him, then punish him. Jack never figured out what exactly was going on. He simply believed his lover. After all, there was little evidence against her. He was an animal who was madly in love with a beautiful young woman. Jack eventually reasoned that, as being an animal, he probably treated her like one too. He could remember very little from those nights for the pain of the next morning always made him forget any pleasure he once felt.

The other dragons felt helpless. They never much liked Jack, but seeing him with a perpetually lifeless smile, made them hurt. It was like his way of sharing the pain. He would go around smiling like nothing had ever happened. Like Kimiko ha never given him a black eye, or kicked him between the legs, or singed his arm with her fire techniques. Jack was always happy. They tried talking to Kimiko, but it was useless. She didn't have a clue as to what they were even talking about.

One day, Rai found him sitting on a stone bench in the garden, smiling stupidly at nothing.

"Hey, Jack," Raimundo called.

"Hm?" he turned to them, "Oh hi!" he smiled.

"Hey, how's everything?" Rai said as he sat beside Jack.

"Fine, why?"

Jack was smiling that stupid smile.

"Because you don't look so good," Rai pointed out, making sure to laugh at the end.

"Oh, really? Think Kimiko'll notice? I hope not…" for a minute he looked crestfallen then he looked to Rai once more, "I wonder what she's up to…"

"Well, um… Jack, did you know there was a gash in your arm?"

Jack looked down at the bloody slit in his shirt, "Oh yeah, look at that. Hm. Wonder where it came from… Probably did something stupid," he smiled.

"Come on," Rai pulled him to his feet, "We gotta fix it before it gets infected."

"With what?" Jack asked simply.

"I don't know, something…"

"A disease?"

"Yeah, Jack. Now, come on…"

"That's okay. I already have a disease."

"Huh?" Ria let go of his arm.

"Yeah," Jack sighed, "I'm an abuser…"

"Jack," Rai groaned, "No you're not…"

"Yes I am and you know it. I know it. The others know it. And yet you do nothing about it! Raimundo, she's such a good person," his eyes glazed over, "She makes me smile. She loves me. No matter how many times I betray her love for me, she still loves me. What do you think that says about her?"

"Um…"

"She's beautiful and she deserves better…"

"Jack, geeze, there's nothing wrong with you…"

"Come on Rai," Jack looked up to the Dragon of Wind, "You know as well as I do that I'm not even human."

"Jack…"

"How can an animal ever hope to make a girl, no, a woman, like Kimiko ever feel happy?"

"Well…"

"It can't. Therefore, I can't."

"Jack…" Rai sighed.

"I'll leave her, someday. I'll abandon her like the monster I am. But, it'll give her a chance to find the right person for her. Her true soul mate. Something I can never be…"

A tear rolled down Jack's cheek, but he was still smiling.

"Listen," Raimundo wrapped an arm around his shoulder, "Kimiko's… well, she's got a… problem…"

"How so?" Jack sniffed.

"Jack, don't you know what's really going on?"

"I abuse her."

"No, she abuses you!"

Jack stood up suddenly and laughed.

"Impossible! I'm the man in this relationship. Women don't take advantage of men! God, Rai, what kind of twisted logic is that? Besides! I can't even call myself a man! I'm a monkey. A very sentient monkey. But that's it."

"Is that all you think you are?"

"Rai, that's what I know I am. For the first time in my life, I know who I am, or rather, what I am. And that's an abusive ape," Jack laughed.

"Oh…" Rai sighed.

"Ah, I'm hungry," Jack thought aloud, "I think I'll go make her some lunch…"

And he walked off.

Jack was falling apart. It was obvious to everyone but Kimiko. Rai had always felt for the Japanese girl, but now he was sorry that he had ever had feelings for her. She was killing someone who she honestly thought she loved. And at some level, Rai was happy that it wasn't himself.