I feel the beginning of the end for this story. At least my update times are getting better.
A small shadow moved quickly through the dark. Every step he took brought him closer to his goal.
The night was cool to his skin, but the longer he ran, the warmer the climate got, signaling his approach to the Heylin territory.
For days, he had been biding his time, training with Raimundo and Clay, acting normal. After years together, the other monks had learned that, when he had idea in his head, he was bound to act upon it.
When he voiced his worries to the others about Kimiko's imprisonment, they had rejected him. In that moment, he knew that he had to take matters into his own hands. The others were suspicious, and watched him carefully, but after days of nothing, they finally eased up, giving him the perfect opportunity to slip away in the dark of the night.
Now here he was, almost to Chase's Palace. His plan was shaky at best; basically go in and demand to see the dragon of fire, but as the looming palace grew bigger, the young monk was questioning the intelligence of this move.
How many times has he come here, looking for Chase and been tricked or trapped? Walking into the literal dragon's lair was asking for trouble, and with Kimiko missing, the Xiaolins could not afford to be another dragon down.
Yet, he could not wait any longer. Omi trusted his instincts and every fiber of his being was telling him that his lost friend was with Chase, for an unknown reason. Finally, he reached the outer parts of the palace territory, and saw that he had company.
Sensing an intruder, several of Chase's feline warriors were prowling the area, searching for their prey. The Chinese monk quickly ducked behind a boulder, watching the animals pass.
Searching his options, he saw his opening in the form of a low ledge, leading to a narrow window. The dragon of water checked for any threats, spotting a large white lion leading a group of cats to his hiding place.
Thinking quickly, Omi grabbed a rock, flicking it towards the other side of the palace, drawing the cat's attention. With that distraction, he was free to move swiftly to the window.
Scaling the wall like it was second nature, the monk easily reached the opening and slide inside.
There, he was met with silence, the torches on the wall giving the empty chamber an eerie glow.
He appeared to have landed in old storage room, filled with dented, bloody armor, dull weapons and broken furniture. Making his way to the door, Omi slowly opened the door, checking for more guards.
Chase's lands were in a permanent state of darkness, so the palace was always dim. However, judging on the quiet atmosphere and how many of the torches were not lit, the yellow monk guessed that the occupants of the palace were sleeping, and that it was nighttime for them.
Omi closed the door, giving himself some safety in the hidden room, and time to form a plan.
On one hand, if the household was sleeping, he had a better chance of sneaking around and not getting caught.
On the other hand, Omi could not interrogate Chase if he was not awake.
Making a call, the monk slipped into the hall and began to wonder.
A few feline guards roamed the halls, but they were easy to avoid. Not really knowing where he is going, the young dragon looked around, stopping at an ordinate set of doors. They were much nicer than the plain wooden ones that filled most of the palace, so Omi decided to start there.
The doors opened to reveal a large wall, leaving just enough room to move into a small hall, a light shining at the end. Upon further examination, Omi realized he was staring at the back of chase's throne room, a secret back path. Murmurs echoed from the end of the path, originating from what Omi guessed was the main receiving room, one he had been in many time before.
Creeping forward, the monk crouched down, stopping his movement so as to concentrate on the voices.
In the dark palace.
Before. . . . .
Kimiko was not getting better. Everyday, Mao stayed by her side, giving her medication and monitoring her condition.
It had been a few days since her initial awakening, and since her first episode, she had been hard pressed to stay awake and focused. Her breathing was shallow and her body had difficulties regulating her temperature. Even worse, she had slowly been losing control of her appearance, shifting between human and dragon, shimmering blue scales covering her arms and stomach, sharp teeth filling her mouth.
On the rare occurrence that she opened her eyes, they were still mismatched between human and beast.
Chase was fairing no better, growing increasingly frustrated and aggressive as his mate's condition worsened.
By the second day of her bed-rest, he was livid, a nightmare to anyone he came across. His anger was taken out on his soldiers and subjects alike. Everyday that passed with no developments, the environment of the dark palace grew worse. Even General Stein chose to stay out of his way, letting Mao take the brunt of the emperor's displeasure.
" How is it possible that you have made no strides in healing the Empress?" he growled out, pacing back and fourth in the master bedroom, his gaze flickering between the miserable girl on the bed and his seated advisor. It was a conversation that they had many times over the past several days.
Mao, calm facade in place, sighed.
" This is not a common illness. Neither herbs nor medicine will cure what ails her. The power of the Shen Gong Wu is fighting to take over. Her body is fighting back, but it is an uphill battle. The only reason she is still alive is because she is a Xiaolin dragon."
Chase finally stopped pacing, striding over to the bed. Looking at the pale woman, he pushed away the sweat-matted hair and traced his hand from her fevered brow, down to the racing pulse at her neck.
The feline warrior stood, still as a statue, turned to allow his master a moment of tenderness with his mate.
The room filled with silence, tense and fragile. The noise that finally cut through was another racking cough from the female.
Mao moved to administer another dose of the sleeping drought, but Chase beat him to it, tipping Kimiko's head forward and coaxing her to swallow before gently pressing her back down.
Her struggled breathing even as she fell back into fitful slumber, and Mao could almost see the moment the fight left the dragon emperor.
" There is nothing else to be done, then?"
It wasn't truly a question, but the adviser shook his head anyway.
With every bit of strength that the ancient man had in him, he stood from the bed, regal and powerful.
" I need you to mix up some medicine for her. Enough to get her well enough to be conscious and moved from her bed." the emperor ordered, moving out of the room
" It will take a few hours, at most, sire. Will that give you enough time to make preparations?"
Chase Young stopped at his doors, hesitating to leave.
" There will never be enough time, but I shall manage."
Now. . . .
Chase sat on his golden throne, surveying the empty room. It was vast, gloomy and intimidating to make sure all who entered knew this was a place to be afraid and small. Chase had designed it himself, had ruled from this room for so long.
In all his years, he had never questioned himself or his life choices. A perk of the Lao Ming soup was that, when the person surrendered themselves to the darkness, to the Heylin power, they also surrendered the weaker spectrum of human emotions - doubt, fear, insecurity . . .
Love. . . .
Or at least, so he had thought. The time spent with Lan-Ying -with Kimiko- had shown him that a part of humanity had survived and thrived within him. It was knowledge he may never recover from.
Golden eyes flickered over to the crystal bottle that he had been toying with. A bright blue liquid sloshed within it. The medicine was almost finished, only needed one last ingredient.
Chase brought his hand forward, ungloved, and nicked his thumb with one of his sharp fangs.
Blood bubbled forth, a red so dark it was almost black.
Tipping the hand forward, the drop dance down his hand, landing perfectly into the vile, turning the beautiful clear color a dark purple.
A scoff escaped the emperor's throat, echoing throughout the room.
How appropriate. A drop of his blood sealed her fate, binding her to him the day she arrived.
Now a drop would give her the strength to leave.
A brief twitch of his wrist would send the bottle crashing to the ground and this foolish idea would disappear. It wasn't right, but Chase was selfish and evil. He took what he wanted; the thought ' If I can't have her . . . ' whispered in the back of his mind.
Knocking interrupted his musings, followed by the sight of a large white haired man entering the room, carrying the groggy Japanese girl.
The Heylin emperor waved his general forward, stepping forth to take possession of the woman.
Stein did not need to be told to leave, exiting as quickly as he arrived.
Chase sat back down, situating Kimiko upon his lap.
He let himself feel the comfort of her body warmth. If he let his desires rule this time, he might never feel this warmth again.
Before he could talk himself out of it, he opened her mouth and poured the liquid into her mouth. As Chase waited for it to take effect, he examined her closely. Because of her illness, her skin had grown impossibly pale and she lacked her usual glow. Still, she was radiant.
Kimiko was wrapped in one of her empress gowns, at his request. This one, a bright orange with gold embroidering, making her look like fire itself. She would be in her drab monk robes soon enough. For now, she was still royalty.
Suddenly, she stirred and groaned, blinking her eyes open to face the man holding her.
" Chase?" she questioned, her voice soft from disuse and fatigue.
" Hello little dragon."
When she tried to get up, he place a hand on her shoulder, keeping her still with little effort.
" Not wise. You are not well and any more exertion on your part may cause damage."
The stubborn dragon girl huffed, every bit the temperamental teen he could recall from years ago.
" What am I doing here, Chase?" she asked, already looking tired again.
Chase said nothing in return, instead leaning forward and capturing her lips, hand slid down and wrapping around her waist. He realized he was taking advantage of someone who did not have the strength to fight him, but he didn't particularly care. He would be without her very soon, so he wanted to savor her as much as he could.
Kimiko seemed surprised for a minute, but then pressed herself forward, moving her arms around his neck and digging her nails into the skin she found there.
The dragon emperor smirked at that. She may be Xiaolin again, but there was a mean streak in her that was all Heylin.
They pulled away from each other, but before the woman could speak, Chase grasped her chin, forcing her to look at him.
" Listen to me closely, dragon of fire. Soon, you will going back to the temple. The monks there will finally be useful and help cure you of this, " a noise that signaled her displeasure came from the sick girl, but Chase strengthen his grip to remind her that he was not finished.
" I am allowing this because if I do not, you will die, and no one, not even death, takes what is mine. Make no mistake though; I will come back for you. Because you. Are. Mine." he finished, punctuating each word with a nip to the side of her neck.
Kimiko struggled against him.
" What if I don't want to come back? I am no longer Lan-Ying. I am a Xiaolin warrior," she challenged, sitting tall and looking briefly like her old self once more.
Chase's chuckle filled the room, and the warrior in his lap trembled slightly.
" I suppose we shall see. This is a warning, though, not a suggestion. I will come for you. Be ready." he whispered the last part into her ear before finally pulling back and falling into the mask of Heylin emperor.
" Omi, did those monks never tell you it is rude to skulk in the shadows?" Chase said, voice booming.
Kimiko's eyes widened in shock as the dragon of water crept forward, her expression mirrored by him.
Omi had struggled to hear anything Chase was saying. He was defiantly talking to someone, though.
The Xiaolin started to move closer, but fell over when he heard the Heylin call him out.
Having no choice, Omi moved to face him, and almost yelled at the sight before him.
Kimiko, sweet fiery Kimiko, was situated on top of one of their worst enemies. And she looked positively . . . evil.
Throughout the years, the female monk's style had change radically and frequently, but she never looked like this. Despite her brightly colored dress, her dark hair fell around her like a shadowy halo. She had scales trailing up her neck, and the slight gleam of white fangs could be seen. But her eyes, so big and confused, one the same turquoise he had seen since they had first met, the other a glowing bright blue, with an slit-like iris.
A whimper fell from her lips.
" Omi."
That almost broke the boy. She may not look like a Xiaolin Monk, but seeing her so fragile and upset, especially after being starved of her presence for so long, Omi knew it was her and that she had missed him as much as he had missed her.
He had never moved so quick in his life, climbing the throne of the Heylin Emperor with no hesitation.
Chase moved his hands away allowing the woman the freedom to lift herself up and away from him.
However, she was still very weak and would have fallen to the floor if Omi had not been there to catch her.
As she leaned onto him for support, he hugged her close to him.
Over the years, he had grown, and while he was still slightly shorter, he could give her the leverage she needed to stand without making her uncomfortable.
The water dragon glared.
" What have you done to her?" he hissed, never feeling so wronged in his life.
Chase rolled his eyes.
" I have kept her alive. I have helped her when you and your kind failed her. And now I am telling you to save her, save her from the Dragon's Fang."
Omi wanted to stay. To fight and demand he confesses what has happened. However, he could feel Kimiko's energy draining. He had to get her back home, back to the masters to be fixed.
" This is not over, Chase Young." he said, already moving away, unhindered by any guards or warriors.
An ominous " No, this is not" followed him out, echoing in his head the whole journey back.
At the Xiaolin Temple.
A flickering candle lighted the young monk's journey down the empty hall.
Raimundo slowly made his way through the temple. It had started to rain earlier, and the dragon of the wind thought he could calm his mind by watching the storm roll in.
Yet, in his walk, he was forced to pass up the empty chambers of Kimiko.
Unable to stop himself, he slipped open the paper door, letting the small bit of light stream into the room.
Everything was untouched, from the very day she had disappeared. Raimundo moved forward, sitting upon her bed.
Everyday that she was gone, he felt himself grow a little number. They were not supposed to have emotional attachments, as monks and as Xiaolin warriors, but he couldn't help it. What had grown from tolerance and a mild crush had bloomed into love.
At least for him.
When they were together, he was happier. When they trained, he could feel a rush of emotions when they brushed together and when they were out fighting, he could not help but worry about her a little more than anyone else.
He had been working up the courage to talk to her about it. If she didn't feel the same, then fine. He would try to move on, pine but accept she was happy. Yet, if she felt the same, they could work. They could find away to be together, despite all the rules and obstacles against them.
If only she would come back.
Choosing to stop torturing himself, Raimundo quickly left the room and made his way back to his own space.
His quiet sulking way interrupted by the rush of two of the masters past him.
The Xiaolin dragon began to ask what was happening, until the distant echoing of shouts rang from the front gates.
It sounded like Omi.
Running as fast as his feet could carry him, Raimundo almost collided with the hulking mass of his fellow monk.
" Something is wrong." Clay said, looking wild, probably having been jolted from his sleep.
" Hurry, it's Omi."
The two monks rushed into the rain, where a group of the other monks had gathered.
" Help. Please, help us!" Omi was yelling, his voice weakening.
"Omi, calm down. What has happened?" Master Fung asked sounding urgent.
" Kimi is sick. Something to do with the Dragon's Fang. Please, she is fading." the voice of the youngest monk choked out, tired from the journey.
Pushing through the crowd, Rai saw Omi kneeling on the ground, a black-haired figure tucked into his side.
" Kimiko!" Raimundo yelled, reaching for the girl, only to have her body jerk away. Through the chatter and murmur of the small crowd, the Brazilian man heard her sob.
" Don't look."
His heart shattered a bit.
" Kimi, come here, let us help you" he tried again, moving close.
His efforts were rewarded with her kicking out against him while burrowing herself closer to Omi, suddenly going slack as she lost consciousness.
Rai and Clay were swiftly pushed back as the elders surrounded the comatose body of the female monk and they moved as one; bring her inside and out of sight.
Master Fung hung back, assisting Omi up the stairs and out of the rain.
Turning to his pupils, the teacher sighed.
" I understand you are confused and eager to help, but nothing can be done this night. Go to bed, Raimundo, Clay. I will help Omi."
The leader almost choked in his anger, but as always, the earth dragon acted in reason, holding his friend back and bowing to the master, before pulling him away.
" You can't be serious. We have to help." Raimundo finally said, already scanning the hall for a way to sneak into the healing section.
Clay said nothing, trying to figure out how to calm the other monk. Being as tall as he is, Clay was able to glimpse at the scene while Rai was lost in the fray. He saw the fire dragon, saw how bad off she looked.
He couldn't let the unstable leader see her like that. Instead, he did the only thing he could think of to make sure the wind dragon stayed out of the way.
With a swift blow, Clay brought his hand down, efficiently knocking out the other man.
" Sorry, Rai. But it's better this way." he apologized, moving the monk back into his room, before settling himself in for a long, sleepless night.
Back into temple life! And some unresolved romantic tension. Yay!
Up next, Chase makes plans and tries not to be moody, Kimiko has some decisions to make, and everyone decides that this is their business too! Also, Omi brags because he. was. right.
Read, Review and Enjoy!