Jack returns! You know you missed him. ;)

Chapter IV - Circles

Soundtrack / Inspiration:

6 Underground - Sneaker Pimps
Into the Void - Nine Inch Nails
Circles - Soul Coughing

Calm me down, bring it round
Too way high off your street
I can see like nothing else
In me you're better than I wannabe
Don't think cos I understand I care,
don't think cos I'm talking we're friends,
Overground, watch this space,
I'm open to falling from grace

6 Underground - Sneaker Pimps

It was easy enough to track him down again.

Kimiko had ways (some more devious then others) of finding out what she wanted and/or needed to know. And her accomplished hacking skills, combined with all the latest technology at her fingertips (thanks to her Papa), there was very little that escaped her reach.

But she wasn't following Jack Spicer.

No, really.

She was. . .just keeping in time with him. With his movements and whereabouts.

At every second.

Of every day.

Ok, so technically, she was following him. But she told herself it was for good reason. And that was the truth.

Only. . .

The Xiaolin Dragon of Fire couldn't deny any longer that it was Jack's strange behavior that intrigued her more than anything else. He was acting very. . .un-Jack-Spicer-like, for lack of a better way to put it.

Then again, maybe he'd just finally matured. It was possible.

Either way, no one else had to know she was keeping tabs on him. She would make sure it stayed that way, too, 'til a time came for action to be taken.

. . .which could very well be a while. Two weeks had gone by, and so far, he'd done nothing, except hop around the world like a buzzing fly on garbage. It really had been by sheer, unadulterated coincidence when they ran into each other; he'd only been passing through Tokyo. Sometimes he lingered in one place, then bolted in and out of the next. There was always someone he ended up talking to, and it didn't take Kimiko long to figure out that Jack was heading up info.

He had to be looking for the Shen Gong Wu.

There was just no other explanation.

And for some reason, it was killing her not to say anything to him. That confused her. Greatly.

It was supposed to be amusing for her to watch. Jack had been a thorn in the Xiaolin side ever since the first day her and her fellow dragons encountered him. All he cared about was the Shen Gong Wu, because without them, he was of little threat, much less getting anywhere with his plans for world domination. His tech knowledge and engineering talents were formidable, but without that he had nothing.

He was a weakling, and he knew it. That's why he'd given up on the Xiaolin way that time he'd come to stay at the temple. Omi had given Jack his trust, and in time, the rest of them would have done the same. If the Heylin sympathizer had just stuck with it. . .

But no. Jack chose to betray Omi's confidence and went crawling back to Chase & Wuya, like the pathetic worm he was.

Oh, she remembered what Omi had said when he told them about the Xiaolin Showdown between himself and Jack that night he broke into the evil genius's lair with Katnappe. It had been a game of Truth or Lie, and Jack had clumsily revealed his true intentions. He had tried to be good, but gave in to the first sign of temptation from a petty fear of failing his new expectations.

He was a rotten, no-good cheater and liar who wanted the world handed to him on a silver platter. She owed him nothing, and nothing was exactly what he deserved.

Even with that empowering knowledge at her back, the guilt refused to go away. It wallowed in the pit of her stomach, lurching sometimes and making her feel sick. And no matter what she told herself, it refused to go away.

Was her intuition trying to tell her something?

Or was she trying to see something that wasn't really there?

Well. . .she'd never find out this way. Clearly, if she wanted any answers, she'd have to confront him, face to face.

So one evening, she made herself known to the wayward Heylin boy.

Crud.

Another dead end.

Jack kicked the ground, spraying up dirt, and muttered curses under his breath. At this rate, he'd be Master Fung's age before he made any leeway in his search. Why'd his detect-o bot have to go and crap out on him? Why?

Shoving his hands into his pockets, the evil boy genius sulked as he walked down a path in some deserted park he didn't know the name of, yet had been to many times. It was always a good place to be alone; he came there often to clear his head or just to rest after a long day. And today had been very, very long indeed.

Twilight settled over the sky, and the street lamps were just now starting to light. He liked this time of day best. It made him feel. . .content. If only for an hour or two.

Jack never was never one to stay satisfied for too long, anyway.

This night, however, he found his solitude. . .interrupted, so to speak. By none other than the Xiaolin Dragon of Fire herself.

What a pleasant surprise.

Not.

He saw her in the distance, her silhouette pristine and ethereal against the dim illumination of early nightfall. Even from far away, he knew who it was.

And he knew that this time, their ineluctable encounter was not by accident.

That meant she'd been following him.

How cute.

He slowed to a halt and watched her gaze dreamily at the stars for a minute. He could turn and walk the other way, but knowing her, she'd just trail after him. Best course of action: play it cool and see what she wanted. He had nothing better to do (not that she needed to know that).

Without saying a word, he strolled up to the park bench she sat on and took a seat next to her. She didn't give him any sort of greeting as he did, and for a while, nothing was said at all. On the outside, they appeared as two strangers looking for a short rest.

Of course, that was hardly the case.

"You don't give up, do you?"

Kimiko's grin was lazy when she tilted her head to gaze upon him at last.

"Nope. Don't know how, I'm afraid."

He looked so. . .comfortably distant. Hands stuffed in his pockets. Slouching so far down, his head fell back against the wooden backing. At ease, yet tense at the same time, a contradicting mix that he pulled off quite well.

She allowed her vision to linger on him a moment longer before returning it to the sky. The last thing she wanted was to be caught staring.

That didn't mean she couldn't do it out of the corner of her eye.

"You're goggles."

His eyebrows knitted together, making him appear troubled. She'd unintentionally touched a nerve. Whoops.

"What about 'em?"

Might as well keep going.

"Why aren't you wearing them? I don't think I've ever seen you without them on."

He shrugged, feigning indifference.

"I just decided I didn't like them anymore."

Kimiko wasn't fooled for a second.

"Why?"

"Why does it matter?"

"I guess it doesn't. I'm just curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat, Kimiko, remember?"

"I'm not a cat. I'm a dragon."

He looked like he sincerely wanted to laugh.

She surprised herself by actually feeling disappointed when he didn't.

"Yeah, guess you are. . ."

Ok.

Enough beating around the bush.

"You're looking for the Shen Gong Wu, aren't you?"

The guileless smirk forming on his lips instantly faded. Some distant part of her was sad to see it go.

"Whatever gave you that idea?"

"I'm only going to warn you once, Spicer: don't. lie. to me."

She barely caught his sneer of defeat.

". . .what do you think, monk?" he answered with a question. The sarcasm dripping from his voice confirmed her speculations.

Instead of feeling better, she felt even worse than before. Because now she knew for certain what he was looking for.

And she knew exactly why he couldn't find it.

Why did that bother her so much?

Kimiko wanted to scream, and ended up settling for an internal groan instead. It was times like these she wished her emotions came with an off switch.

Too bad life wasn't that simple.

She could sit here and battle with herself all day. Nothing would change, and she was so sick of fighting how she felt. If she felt guilty, than she felt guilty. She'd just have to deal with it.

Easier said than done.

Beside her, blissfully unaware of her inner turmoil, the boy genius let out a bored yawn. She was rudely reminded that he wouldn't wait around for her thoughts to sort themselves out forever.

In sudden haste, Kimiko made a decision.

"Say Jack. . .? You. . . do you wanna. . .go get some ice cream?"

He stared incredulously at her.

Was she playing at something here. . .?

"Now?"

"Yes, now."

His expression was blank, but she knew he felt suspicious by her proposition. She didn't blame him, either.

". . .I'm not telling you anything."

Kimiko rolled her slanted hues.

Ass.

"I know," she assured him in the most neutral tone she could muster. "Actually, as it just so happens, I'm the one who needs to tell you something."

He raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Kimiko was glad for that. She only hoped she was making the right choice. . .

Then he shrugged again.

"Sure, why not?" he airily agreed.

That was faster than expected, and fairly painless too. Thank god.

They both stood up at the same time.

"You're treating, by the way."

Jack made a violated sound as she started walking ahead, leaving him to catch up to her.

"It wasn't even my idea to get ice cream in the first place!"

Good to see he still knew how to whine.

"Sure it was!" she playfully countered. "Don't you remember? You offered just after the first time we defeated Wu-"

"Oh yeah. Now I remember. Slipped my mind."

Kimiko cast him a sideways glance, questions burning behind her eyes. He stubbornly refused to meet her gaze, and somehow, she managed to stay her tongue.

She'd keep her thoughts to herself.

For now.