Obvious title, no? Jack says the 'F' word. There's a little blood, too. And man, it's been a long time since I listened to these bands. . .brings back memories. . .

Chapter V - Angst

Soundtrack / Inspiration:

Blue Monday - Orgy
Make Me Bad - Korn
Break Stuff - Limp Bizkit

I thought it would be fun and games (would be fun and games)
Instead it's all the same (it's all the same)
I want something to do
Need to feel the sickness in you

Make Me Bad - Korn

"How long?"

Kimiko worried her bottom lip between her teeth and fiddled with her empty ice cream container, her nerves jumbled up in one big tangled mess. This wasn't at all how she imagined it would turn out. Maybe it was a bad idea telling him about the Shen Gong Wu. . .and their outing had started off on such a good note, too. . .

She'd convinced him to accompany her back to Japan, because she knew of a great little spot she'd been going to since childhood that served the best sundae's she'd ever had. He reluctantly agreed (not that she gave him much choice) and before she could protest, they were in his air car.

Oh, what the guys would say if they could only see her now.

It wasn't until they were actually inside the cozy shop that he cheekily mentioned his absence of Japanese currency. To which Kimiko replied in a sugary sweet tone that he'd just have to pay her back. . .and he would pay her back. Jack had gulped and nodded, making Kimiko grin smugly. They proceeded to order then sat down in a nearby booth, and for a while, all else was forgotten as they chatted up about nothing in particular. He even laughed a few times, brightening Kimiko's mood more then she cared to admit. This went on until their ice cream arrived, and all talk ceased.

Kimiko finished before him, and resorted to watching him as he munched on his chocolate chip cookie dough dish. He wore a goofy kind of expression, and even made happy little noises when he found chunks of cookie dough, and for the first time since their reunion, he'd been acting like his old, quirky self.

She had to go and ruin that by picking that exact moment to blurt out the bad news.

"TheShenGongWuhaveallbeendeactivatedthat'swhyyoucan'tfindtheWuyou'relookingfor."

The spoonful of flavored ice Jack had been raising to his lips stopped dead.

All of it was in one, long breath. She didn't know how he understood any of what just splurged out of her mouth, but he obviously understood enough. She hadn't been shouting, but she did manage to startle nearby patrons in neighboring booths to look in their direction. Kimiko was too preoccupied to feel humiliated; all her attention rested on Jack now as she calculated his reaction.

It was a long while before he moved again. She was taken aback to see him calmly resume his actions, silent and stony faced, the polar opposite of his up-beat attitude only a second before.

No more silly grin.

No more happy little noises.

And for some reason she couldn't fathom, their absence made her want to cry.

Once he'd finished his dessert, he set the empty dish off to the side, than laced his fingers together and rested them against his chin thoughtful. The whole scenario strangely reminded her of Chase Young, and she wondered if maybe the villain had rubbed off on Jack more than anyone realized.

"How long?"

Kimiko desperately wanted to ask 'How long what?', but thought better of it. Instead, she took the question as it was and ran with it.

"I think it's been a few weeks now, maybe a month or two. Rai did say that he, Omi, and Dojo are all in the middle of finding new hiding places to stash the-"

"No. I mean how long will it be until they reactivate?"

Please. Ask me anything but that.

Ha. As if he were about to make it easy.

He stared at her expectantly, and Kimiko couldn't prevent herself from lightly shuddering.

Those eyes of his. . .red. . .the color of blood.

And when they were as intensely serious as they were now, she couldn't deny they held a certain charm that she'd never bothered to notice before. It played a big part in throwing her off, at any rate, but. . .

No one she knew ever had eyes like that.

"Uh. . .well, I um. . .don't know for certain. . . er, you see I (cough) wasn't actually there when Master Fung performed the ceremony with (ahem) the other monks, so-"

" Kimiko."

A warning. If she hadn't known the evil boy genius quite so well, she may have been intimidated.

"How long?"

The Xiaolin Dragon of Fire winced, than sighed in defeat.

Oh well. I knew it would come to this, anyway.

"They'll reactivate in another 1,500 years."

His total lack of reaction only made her stomach sink further into itself.

Pout!, she screamed inside her head. Throw a tantrum! Be mad! I don't care what you do. . .just don't leave me in the dark like this.

Yet he did none of those things. The minutes ticked by, and still he remained unreadable. When Kimiko felt she could take no more, she found the will to speak.

" Jack, I-"

"Come on. I'll take you home."

The dead vibe in his usually animated tone of voice did not comfort her one bit. Silently, without eye contact, she assented to his offer and slid out of the booth.

It was well past 10:00 PM when they exited the ice cream parlor.

There was a painful lack of conversation as they walked side by side down the street. Kimiko wanted to say something, anything, that would ease this new kind of tension between them, but could think of nothing. His silent demeanor put her on edge; it reminded her of the calm before the storm. That really, really didn't bode well. Especially when it was coming from Jack Spicer, of all people. Whatever was bothering him, clearly had to do with more than just the fact that the Shen Gong Wu were no longer active. . .

Luckily, she knew her way around this side of town like the back of her hand. And since he didn't seem to care where they were going, she lead him around in circles for a little while, hoping the bad energy would expel some of itself from his body. Alas, it only seemed to grow stronger, and as they approached a crosswalk for the third time, she knew she'd have to think of a different tactic, and soon.

Only, when she glanced to her left, she saw he was no longer beside her.

Kimiko stopped in her foot steps, and she pivoted to a sharper left. He was still there, a few paces behind, standing stark still with a bowed head, as if he were in the middle of a silent prayer.

One look at the slight tremble in his tightly clenched fists told the Xiaolin Dragon otherwise.

And it was the only warning she would receive for what came next.

"FUCK!"

Funny.

Even as he turned to punch the nearby wall, all she could think was how she'd never heard him curse before.

The calm before the storm.

Yeah.

He didn't quite there, either. He spat the same word for every successful hit his fist made against the same spot on the wall.

Over.

And over.

And over.

Until Kimiko decided it was time she intervened. No emotional pain, however strong, was worth self mutilation. Not even for Jack Spicer.

" Jack!"

Darting forward, she seized his arm with both hands, halting him in mid strike.

"Stop!"

Jack was in no mood to listen to anyone, much less heed their words of wisdom--the only sound he heard was the beating of his own pulse as it roared in his ears. He snarled and tried to shake her off, but Kimiko's resolve combined with her superior strength made his attempts futile.

He fought her until he couldn't fight anymore. Broken, defeated, and at his limit, Jack slouched heavily against the wall. Exhausted of spirit, he slid down to the ground, almost taking Kimiko with him in the process. She stumbled, but managed to maintain her standing balance. By chance, she happened to look up, and gasped.

Blood stained the concrete around the general area Jack had been pummeling.

Had he really been punching that hard? Without even realizing it. . .?

" Jack, you're bleeding!"

He grumbled something under his breath. Kimiko felt her motherly side take over as she released his arm and knelt down beside him.

"Here, let me see. . ."

He didn't try to stop her when she gently, but stiffly, removed his glove so she would be allowed a better look. Her nimble fingers curled around his wrist as she examined his cripple hand. His knuckles were badly bleeding, but nothing appeared broken or fractured. Still. . .

"You'll have to get this looked at very soon. The longer you wait, the greater the risk of infection will set in."

As expected, he did not respond. He did, however, look down at the hand she gingerly held in both her palms. He seemed abruptly mesmorized--by the sight of his own blood, or by the fact she was actually touching him, she would never know. She had more urgent matters to attend to, anyway.

It was clear that Jack was not going to mobilize into action any time soon. And if she wanted a clear conscious, it would be up to her to take care of this dilemma.

Kimiko exhaled slowly as she rocked back into her heels and began weighing out her options.

Taking him back to her dorm was an instant red light--not only would Jack's appearance raise speculation, it would also raise questions that neither of them were prepared to answer. She didn't have to be psychic to know that at the moment, privacy was a keen issue, and they would receive none of that at her sorority.

The nearest hospital was several miles away; much too far to walk. Sure, she could easily call a cab, but the general process seemed like more trouble than it was worth.

Her dad, on the other hand, happened to live much closer. She knew for a fact he wouldn't be home. It was a weekday, so no one expect the hired help would be around. And in the Tohomiko mansion, there was bound to be a spare first aid kit lying around somewhere. It would still be a decent walk, but nothing that wasn't manageable.

The former Xiaolin Dragon of Fire steeled herself, and without breaking her firm grip on his bloody fingers, she stood up and tugged on his arm.

"Come on. Papa doesn't live far from here. I'll take you to his place and clean you up."

He gaped up at her, and though his open mouth remained wordless, his eyes were screaming of internal conflicts.

Oh, don't look at me like that, she silently pleaded. This isn't easy for me either, you know.

Thankfully, he must've reached a compromise, because after a moment longer, he used the support their laced fingers gave to rise to his feet. When he returned eye contact, he nodded.

With that double-edged sign of assent, Kimiko nodded back, than turned to begin the trek towards the Tohomiko estate.

Neither of them even thought to let go of the other's hand as they resumed their walk.