Sorry this took so long, peeps. I dropped my computer off of my sister's bed (regular moron, as you know) and I didn't have the... the devotion to write, but now I'm back, baby. Enjoy the chapter!
Kimiko's Dilemma Chapter 4
Raimundo and his comrades watched in horror as the Japanese girl kissed their nemesis. Raimundo's heart snapped in two and he felt like he was going to be sick. How did it become like this? How could this happen? How could Raimundo let this happen?
Finally, after what seemed like forever, the two finally separated....promptly after which Jack Spicer fainted.
Kimiko looked down at her unconscious partner and said, "Well, I expected as much." She then wiped her mouth gently with her fingers and licked the tips sexily, glancing in Rai's direction. He tried to look angry, or at the very least apathetic about it, but he was at a loss. He couldn't twist his expression into anything other than a look of tremendous hurt.
"Kimiko... what the hell?!" Clay shouted, while looking sympathetically at Raimundo. But Raimundo had cast down his eyes, his emeralds hooded by the shadow of his dark hair.
"Come on, cowboy, get real. I've been hanging around you dips for three-four years now and none of you have given me any action," she said snidely, standing akimbo. Clay and Omi were taken aback. Was this really their Kimiko?
"Kimiko, cease this nonsense immediately" Omi shouted, pointing at the girl. "We are your friends."
"Stupid, little boy," Kimiko scoffed, pushing a strand of hair out of her pale face. "What makes you think I care about you guys?"
"But Kimiko-" Omi and Clay's face became shrouded in disbelief and horror. But suddenly, Clay seemed to change his mind.
"Now, hol' on there, li'l missy!" He pointed a chubby finger towards the girl, who was now leaning against the gate, smirking. "We know better now than to think you're the real deal"
Omi realized what Clay was getting at and he looked overjoyed as he agreed with his Texan friend. "Yes! Jack Spicer has pulled this kind of thing before! We know that the real Kimiko would never be this awful to us."
"I wouldn't be so sure, Baldy," Kimiko laughed, her burgundy eyes narrowing as she look at the Xiaolin warriors. "But believe what you want. I only have one question though."
There was a pause as she stood up straight off of the wall and looked at her friends. Then, she put her hands delicately on her hips and hissed, "Would you be willing to hurt me if you weren't so sure?"
The boys looked at her in confusion, only Raimundo's vision was still aimed at the ground.
"Last time this happened, the real Kimiko burst in and saved the day," Kimiko said. "Regardless of whether I'm legitimate or not, I can assure there's not gonna be another Kimiko popping in."
Raimundo clenched his fists, he knew the truth about this girl. She was the real, honest-to-God Kimiko, he was almost positive. There was one thing he could do that would seal the deal, but the thought of hurting Kimiko made him feel nauseous. And that made what he was about to do even harder
.
Raimundo's eyes snapped up and he glared venomously at the girl, then without another second's hesitation, charged toward her with a yell.
He dropped to the ground, lashing out his leg in an attempt to trip her, but as he expected, she wasn't going to have it. She hopped quickly in the air, kicking towards him with all her force. He blocked her blow with his forearm, then used his other hand to grab her leg and swing her towards the ground. But, ever flexible and durable, Kimiko placed her hands on the ground and spun in a circle, managing to kick Raimundo's jaw, good and hard. Raimundo recoiled, rubbing his throbbing face. Clay and Omi watched stiffly, waiting for what was going to happen next. They, as well as Kimiko, flinched when Raimundo stood up straight and looked at the ground again.
It was her. Her fighting style was exactly the same as Kimiko's was when they constantly sparred. Of course, they'd always been sparring, never anything that could injure each other, but this time obviously wasn't just training. She was playing for keeps.
"Clay, Omi..." Raimundo said, not bothering to look back at his teammates. His voice was trembling and his fists were clenched so tight that the tan skin was turning white. "She's not lying. She's the real Kimiko."
Clay and Omi gasped and they stared straight at their opponent.
Kimiko giggled mockingly and said, "Guilty as charged."
"Nevertheless, I want you to go at her with everything you've got. Don't hold back just because she was our friend," Raimundo said quietly, almost so that they didn't hear him.
"What do you mean 'was'?" Omi whimpered. "Isn't she still our friend, Raimundo? Our comrade?"
"Does she look like our comrade right now, Omi?" Raimundo spat. "Does she look like our friend?"
"Rai..." Clay started. He sounded calm and sympathetic, but then he became mad. "Rai, how can you say that? How can you expect us to willingly hurt our teammate?"
"The only thing I expect is for you to do as I say, willingly or not!" Rai said.
"Why do I have to listen to you!?" Clay shouted at the Brazilian.
"I'm the leader, that's why!" Raimundo exploded, finally turning back to look at his friends. His green orbs were swelling with tears, but at the same time, were hooded by a shadow that gave Raimundo a murderous look, dangerous and ruthless. "That's means you do what I say and I say to fight her!"
"Yawn," Kimiko said, bored. "Are we actually going to fight or are you just going to hand all of the Shen Gong Wu over now?"
"Fight her!" Raimundo said, running towards her again.
"Again with this?" Kimiko scoffed, leaping into the air again. She placed her hands on Raimundo's shoulders, the bended forward so her feet connected with the small of his back. He was thrust forward into the cement wall of the temple. "Look, boy, just because I work with Spicey over there now doesn't mean I've forgotten anything about you guys. I still know all of your weaknesses. I can win against all of you guys."
"We'll see about that!" Omi shouted at her, finally springing into action. The dots on his forehead lit up as he called upon his element and attacked her. "Tornado Strike: Water!" He spun around in the air, trying to hit her from all angles, but to no avail. She was able to block every punch, every kick, every blow.
Suddenly, the ground started to split underneath them, two sections spreading more and more apart from each other. Kimiko lost her balance and fell, and Raimundo and Omi found the time to strike. Clay hadn't moved an inch from where he'd been standing when he and Raimundo had been arguing, but his stance was that of his Seismic Kick and he looked furious.
"Kimiko, even though you are fighting against us, I must know, why?" Omi asked. "Why are you on the Heylin side now? Its obviously not where you belong!"
"Pfft, can it, chrome dome, I know this speech already. Remember, when I tried to get Rai to stop being a traitor?" Kimiko scoffed. "Only difference is that it won't work on me. I'm not a sap."
Raimundo swung at her and she ducked, but he grabbed her wrist and tried to kick her, yet she avoided it again.
"But for what reason are you on the Heylin? I must know!" Omi yelled, still trying to strike her.
"I just needed a change of pace," Kimiko said. "Plus, working for Jacky pays pretty well, in more ways than one."
"Huh?" Omi said, utterly confused, so much so that he stood still for a second, which was all Kimiko needed to knock the wind out of him.
"Well, money, of course, but also," her lips curled into a malicious, mocking sneer and she said, "I get to work with such a cutie all the time."
"Ah!" Clay finally spoke. "That's it! He's definitely done something to her head!"
"Of course! Kimiko's always found Jack Spicer to be repulsive and overall creepy!" Omi agreed. "Plus, he's the only one arrogant enough to make her say that!"
"You guys are jerks!" Jack said defensively, as it seemed he'd finally woken up. "I'm not a creep! And Kimiko certainly doesn't think that now! Isn't that right, Kimi?"
"Kimi?" Clay and Omi groaned at the same time, disgusted.
"Of course not! You're so sexy, Jacky!" Kimiko giggled, blowing him a kiss. Omi pretended to gag.
"Cut the crap, Spicer!" Raimundo yelled. "What did you do to her?"
"Wouldn't you like to know!" Jack said, cackling maniacally. Then he made a face and said, "Well, I'm not gonna tell you, so nyeah!"
"Aw, you're so cute when you're grossly immature!" Kimiko cooed.
"Good thing that's what he's best at," Clay said. Omi snickered, but their celebration didn't last long. Kimiko was already back on the offensive, her cheeks pink with anger. Her voice shook with every punch she threw their way.
"Don't-make-fun-of-my-Jacky!" she yelled, her screams only interrupted by her angry strikes.
She continued to fight her way through the monks' line of defense, but only because the boys were having trouble bringing themselves to fight back against the petite girl. Even as she fought them with all her strength, she seemed so fragile and delicate. Clay was her current target and he wasn't doing well.
She threw punches and kicks at him continuously, but all he could do was block her strikes with his large hands.
"Come on, you big tub of lard!" Kimiko growled, annoyed with his hesitance. "Fight back!"
"Now I don't know how much of our old Kimiko is still in there, but you should still damn well know that I cannot, do not, and will not hit and/or fight a girl!" Clay said.
Kimiko sighed. "You stupid boys and your misogynist ideas! Trying to be the big hero or whatever. I don't know if you've noticed, but none of us have even broken a sweat yet! You're not trying, so I'm not trying! Don't go easy on me because I'm a girl!" Kimiko said irritably, then she took her stance again and waited for the boys.
"What?!" Jack said, his face twisted into a look of pure shock and a touch of disappointment.
"You're holding back!? No! Its okay! I approve of you using all of your strength against these losers! You will definitely show your strength as a able-bodied woman if you fight the hell harder!"
"Don't tell me what to do!" Kimiko snapped, starting to fight again. "I won't kick their asses until they actually put up a fight!"
"Yes!" Omi cried happily. "See? Our Kimiko still dwells within that shell! I knew we could still trust her!"
"I don't know about trusting her, but you're definitely right about our li'l dame still being inside of that there body," Clay said, lifting the rim of his hat out of his eyes. "She's just as much of a feminist as ever."
"Blade of the Nebula!" Raimundo yelled, calling upon the power of his own Wudai weapon. A tremendous gust bowled itself into both the Xiaolin and Heylin warriors. Debris flew in all directions and Kimiko was swept backwards onto her back, grunting. Jack Spicer tried to stand his ground, but, as most things in his life, proved unsuccessful and he was thrown back, having to use a nearby tree as a bolster. When the winds finally settled down, Raimundo was standing in the clearing, his brow furrowed. In one hand was his Wudai weapon, the glass-like blade was now transformed into a pair of nunchaku. In his other hand were his two teammates Wudai weapons, Clay's Big Bang Meteorang and Omi's Shimo Staff.
Without a word he tossed the weapons to his teammates. Then he said, "She wants a legitimate fight, then let's give her one."
"But Raimundo, we can't possibly use our Wudai weapons against Kimiko!" Omi protested, waving the small chunk of ice around. "Its not fair!"
"Then what do you suggest we do? Let her work under Jack Spicer for the rest of her life?" Raimundo said venomously. Omi flinched, then dropped his head and shook it, ashamed. Raimundo's eyes softened, although the expression on his face was still hard and cold.
Omi still looked unsure, but Clay consoled him. "It'll be alright, li'l buddy, we're not using our Elemental Shen Gong Wu, so it won't be so bad!" Omi looked up at his Texan friend, who smiled. Omi smiled back, then turned to the Japanese girl.
"Oh, God, just stop with the ABC Family crap, will ya?" Jack scoffed, finally standing up from where he'd originally been cowering on the ground. "Just fight, Kimiko!"
"Got it," Kimiko growled. She charged at her friends, although Omi and Clay didn't seem to be her main targets. She jumped stealthily and easily over them, it was as if she'd grown wings and flown over them. When she got to Raimundo, she finally started fighting again.
"You know, its not very nice to exclude others," Raimundo sneered, blocking her, and trying to hit her with his nunchaku.
"I don't know, for some reason I feel like you deserve special attention," Kimiko smirked as she dodged his attack. Clay and Omi were coming at her from behind now, trying to distract her. When Raimundo was finally able to push her off of him, all three of them wound back to strike her all at once. But she jumped in the air, landing lightly on both Clay and Raimundo's shoulders (she wasn't able to reach Omi, poor kid.) She flipped backward off of them and said, "You know, you might as well just face it."
The three stood, waiting for her next move. But instead, she lowered her arms and chuckled mockingly.
"Face the fact that I'm never going to come back to your side," she said. "I've changed and you've lost."
"Like hell we have!" Clay shouted at the girl, throwing the boomerang-like weapon at her and Jack. Kimiko ducked, but Jack didn't and the boomerang slammed right into his stomach.
"J-Jack-bots, annihilate the losers," Jack groaned hoarsely.
The robots came at them, lasers sticking out of their metal chests, buzzing with energy. They descended at them from all directions, surrounding the monks and closing in. Kimiko stayed back, watching smugly as the robots closed in on her former teammates. But her rest didn't last long, because she heard a faint humming coming from behind her, then a terrible pain in the small of her back.
Kimiko's screams pierced the night, drawing everyone's attention to where she was now collapsed on the ground, writhing in pain.
"What the hell?!" Raimundo glared at the Jack-bot that was floating where Kimiko had been standing seconds before, a taser sticking out of his metallic chest, the mini-stun gun growling viciously.
"O-oops," Jack said, blushing innocently as he examined a tiny screen that he'd pulled from his pocket. "I forgot to program them not to attack Kimiko anymore."
"What the hell, Jack?!" Clay shouted angrily, quickly chorused thereafter by Wuya's hissing of, "You bumbling buffoon! What is wrong with you?!"
"I forgot!" Jack said defensively. "It could've happened to anyone!"
"No!" Clay said. "Normal people don't make their friends betray their friends and then forget to program their killer robots not to attack said traitor."
"I cannot think of anyone who does that besides Jack Spicer," Omi agreed.
"Wait!" Wuya yelled, her ghostly eyes conveying the courtyard. "Where is the girl and the Mexican boy?!"
Raimundo fought back the urge to yell, "I'm freakin' Brazilian, bitch hag!" and held the Japanese girl close to him as they waited in silence behind a shadowy wall. His hand was over the lower half of her face, just in case she woke up and started to run her mouth.
"Quickly, you fool, before he gets away!" Wuya hissed at her goth partner, who was also searching frantically around the courtyard. "He must've taken her somewhere! Search this entire temple!"
Clay, who had now caught on, turned to his short, bald comrade. "Omi! Rai must've taken Kimiko somewhere safe while we were still fighting. We have to do everything we can to keep her from finding both of them," he whispered urgently to the Water monk.
"My sentiments, exactly, friend Clay,"Omi agreed, nodding eagerly. "Let's get rid of Jack Spicer and then we can help Kimiko."
Clay smirked smugly and said, "Easy as pie." He cracked his knuckles and sprinted towards the nervous-looking Heylin.
Nice, Clay! Raimundo thought gratefully. But the question now is where to go with her. He looked back down at the frail-looking-but-not-at-all-frail girl and sighed. This is way more difficult than it needs to be. He stood up and cradled the Fire guardian gently in his arms and scanned around. Then, he ran off silently.
"Jack! Find that girl and the idiot boy! Forget the other monks, just go!"Wuya growled.
"Hey, its not like I'm just sitting on my ass here, clown head!" Jack whined, calling on more of his Jack-bots to attack the monks. "Its not like you can't do anything to help!"
"Actually, I can't, you incompetent boob!" Wuya sighed. "I am a ghost! I have no hands!"
"Be that as it may, you could still try and find where Kimiko and Raimundo are," Jack said.
"Ugh, very well," Wuya groaned, then flew off to find her prey.
Raimundo was still within earshot of the group behind him and he quickened his pace. If Wuya found him, she and Jack would be on them in a matter of seconds. Unfortunately, with Kimiko's added weight, he was at a loss and having trouble going fast enough to outrun the specter woman.
How long do I have before she finds me?! Rai thought frantically. How far away will I be able to get her?
"W-What the hell?!" Kimiko stirred, then groaned back to life and looked around, dazed. "Where am I?"
Apparently, not very far, Rai thought, exasperated and starting to develop a sweat on his brow.
"Uh, Kimiko?" Raimundo moaned. "I need you to, um, be kinda quiet, 'kay?"
"Wait, what?!" Kimiko looked around worriedly for a second, then she started to squirm and flail. "Let me go!"
"No!" Rai said firmly. "And besides, you shouldn't move so much. You've been shocked in your back three times."
Kimiko hadn't seemed to notice the pain in her back until Raimundo mentioned and it all rushed to her in one painful jolt. She flinched and then groaned in pain and collapsed back against Rai's arm.
"Stupid girl," Raimundo sighed, looking down at her. "Never listens to what anyone tells you."
"Shut up!" Kimiko sprang back up, then felt the pain and recoiled again. "I don't have to listen to you! You're the one who screwed everything up and now you're fighting against me."
"Yeah, I noticed," Raimundo said, suddenly pissed. "And I really want to know why that is."
"Do you really want me to recap?" Kimiko said, her voice hoarse with pain. "You kissed me, then chased me around the temple, then bet me in a Xiaolin Showdown, then lost. Satisfied?"
"Its getting really hard to tell whether you're the regular Kimiko or not," Raimundo said, a hint of a smirk creeping onto his tan face.
Kimiko looked at him with a sarcastic smile on her face, then screamed. Raimundo looked around, panicked, praying to the God of Gods that she wouldn't be heard. Without any other alternative, he covered her mouth with his hand, leaving her muffled.
"Mmmph!" Kimiko tried to shriek through Raimundo's hand, but to no avail, although she continued to squirm.
"Do you ever shut up?" Raimundo snapped.
Kimiko let out a series of complicated muffled grunts and glared up at him angrily.
"I'll take that as a no," Raimundo said.
Kimiko grabbed at his hand and tried to remove it from her face, but his grip was tight on her.
"Okay, time to stop," Rai moaned. "Just cut it out, I'm trying to help you here."
Kimiko was finally able to pry Raimundo's hand away and said, "I'm not asking for your help, Raimundo. I'm asking to be let go!"
"Not gonna happen," Raimundo growled.
"I'll scream again, I'm not kidding, you creep!" Kimiko growled. "And then they'll come and get me."
"You sound like a child," Raimundo scoffed. "What exactly did Jack do to you?" he said to himself.
Kimiko growled, then started shouting, "That's it! Jack! Wuya! Help! I'm behind the main building! Help me! Help me please!"
"Hey, that's enough, shut up!" Raimundo said, starting to get angry. Then he looked around and then sighed. Then without another word, he pressed his lips fiercely against the girl's.
Kimiko's eyes widened, then she started pounding on his back angrily. She groaned against his mouth, trying to talk, but she was yet again muffled.
Raimundo released her from his kiss and looked down at her, his thick eyebrows narrowed angrily.
"What the hell did you do that for?" Kimiko screamed at him, her face red and she was wiping her lips off. "You big pervert! What was that supposed to do?"
"
It shut you up, didn't it?" Rai said, his eyes narrowed scornfully down at her.
"No, not really," Kimiko sneered, then she started to suck in her breath like she was about to scream again.
"No need, my little cherub,:" Jack said, floating inches above the roof of the building that Raimundo'd been hiding behind. "I'm already here."
Raimundo expected an excited, girl squeak from Kimiko, but received nothing. She was being uncharacteristically quiet and still.
"Give me back my prize, Pedrosa!" Jack said, pointing a pale finger at Raimundo.
"Like hell I will! She's not 'your's' Spicer! And she definitely is not a prize!" Raimundo snapped back.
"Whatever. Jack-bots!" another tiny army of the metal monsters had now emerged from behind them and they were preparing another attack. Then, the robots started firing lasers at Raimundo, who was still holding Kimiko.
"Are you nuts?!" Raimundo yelled up at Jack while dodging, although having much difficulty with the added weight. "You'll hit both of us!"
"Exactly!" Jack said, his lip curled up in a mocking sneer. "And the quicker you give her back, the less danger she's in."
"Your history says opposite, asshole!" Raimundo said, stumbling over his feet as he tried to swing both of their bodies clear of another beam.
"Jack, you fool, you'll hurt the girl!" Wuya snapped. "She's an important asset to have for our plan."
"Please, Casper," Jack said, turning away from his partner and watching the show down below. "I know what I'm doing."
"Since when do you have any rational idea what the hell you're doing?" Wuya said, astounded that he'd even said that.
"Just shut up and watch," Jack said.
"Ugh, this is ridiculous!" Wuya said, folding her intangible arms over her intangible chest. "You have absolutely no idea what you're doing."
"Hey! I resent that!" Jack said.
"Of course you do," Wuya said.
Meanwhile, Raimundo was still trying desperately to dodge the rays, but he was started to feel light-headed and the beams were showing no signs of stopping. Kimiko was still motionless in his grasp, she might as well have been unconscious. Why isn't she moving?! We're both gonna get killed if one of us doesn't do something soon. He yelped helplessly as a stray beam grazed by his shoulder, ripping the entire left side of his shirt clean off.
"I made some upgrades to the lasers on my bots," Jack said matter-of-factly. "You like?"
"Not really," Rai said, trying not the think about the pain emanating from the burn on his shoulder.
"Big Bang Meteorang!" the large boomerang-like weapon twirled through the front like of attacking robots. He caught the weapon as it flew back to him, then he regarded the Dragon of Wind. "Rai, you alright?"
"Peachy," Raimundo growled.
"Ugh, great, it's the bean sprout and the bumpkin," Jack muttered to himself. "Come to help Greencard, have you?"
"Bean sprout?" Omi cried.
"Bumpkin?!" Clay yelled.
"GREENCARD?!"Raimundo exploded.
"Jack Spicer, I strongly advise you to position your posterior strictly outside of the vicinity forthwith!" Omi said, pointing his yellow finger at the levitating goth.
"Translation?" Jack said irritably.
"Get your slimy li'l ass out of our temple before we kick it!" Clay said. He threw his Meteorang at Jack, but the flying "genius" swung his body out of the way of the Meteorang and called on more robots.
At this point in time, Kimiko finally seemed to remember that she was the center of this whole ordeal and she started to try to squirm her way out of Raimundo's grip. Raimundo looked down at her as she squirmed and grunted (but still said nothing) and watched her with a quiet intensity. He was reluctant to let her down, almost as if he didn't want to let her go (he didn't). He wanted to keep her close to him, forever, so that nothing like this ever happened to her again. But he knew he had to, so he loosened his grip and she pushed away from him.
The second Kimiko's feet hit the ground, there was a standstill in the fighting. All eyes were on her, their breath held in waiting, all focus on her every move. So, naturally, every flinched when she turned on her heel and darted off away from the fight.
For a second, Raimundo actually contemplated going after her, but then he considered his history with that sort of thing and decided to stay put. Jack, on the other hand, had other ideas. He steered his heli-bot after her, getting ready to strike.
"Hey, come back here!" Clay yelled. "Omi, he's going for Kim! Stop him!"
"Working on it!" Omi said, fighting off another pack of oncoming robots.
"Big Bang Meteorang!" Clay said, throwing his Wudai weapon at Jack.
Jack called on yet another line of robots, smiling darkly. "This time, when I find her, she's going straight back to the lab. It appears that there are a few bugs we need to work out."
Meanwhile, Kimiko ran as fast as she could for the second time that night, trying to get as far away as she could from Raimundo Pedrosa. He'd kissed her. AGAIN!!! And for some reason, Kimiko couldn't handle it. Her face was red and her forehead was dotted with sweat, her breath was coming in short bursts.
She felt embarrassed and excited at the same time, a combination of emotions that was unknown to this Kimiko. Her thoughts were beginning to cloud and she didn't know what she was supposed to think, let alone do. But all she knew was that she'd never, ever felt anything like that when she kissed Jack Spicer.
As she continued to run, all she saw and could see was his face. Raimundo, Raimundo, Raimundo! No matter where she looked, no matter where her mind wandered, it always went right back to Raimundo. She saw his smiling face when she blinked, his own emerald eyes full of joy, his tan skin glowing with ecstasy.
Kimiko then found herself wanting to be the cause of that happiness, that glee. She wanted to be with Raimundo, making him laugh, making him smile. So.... why was she fighting him? Why was she being forced to hurt him?
She finally couldn't run anymore and she stopped, grasping her heaving chest as she sank to her knees. 'That's it... I want it to end. I can't do this anymore,' She thought to herself as she panted. 'I don't want to hurt my friend anymore. I don't want to hurt anyone. I just want-'
Kimiko finally couldn't take it anymore and, mind control or not, broke down into hysterical sobs.
"What is it that you want, child?" a raspy, greedy voice sounded inside of her head. Kimiko eyes snapped up. She looked around for any sign of the she-specter, but found nothing. She decided that it must've been her imagination.
"No, child, its me," Wuya cackled. Then, Kimiko realized with horror that Wuya was inside her head. But that's impossible! Kimiko had seen Wuya back at the fight right before she'd taken off. How...?
"Its Jack's device, deary," Wuya said. "I am now in control. Now you take orders from me."
"No..." Kimiko said, her head pounding.
"Yes," Wuya sneered, giggling evilly. "Now, you will tell me what is bothering you." Kimiko could vaguely tell that Wuya was trying to make her voice sound curious, almost understanding and failing miserably at it.
"No!" Kimiko tried to direct her mind away from him, to try to think of anything but the man who was painted all over her mind and on the inside of her eyelids.
Kimiko shivered as she realized that Wuya was reaching into her subconscious, probing for the source of the problem.
"Oh, my," Wuya seemed to chuckle mockingly. "Well, isn't this interesting."
"Wha-?" Kimiko was slowly realizing what was happening. "Don't-" She tried to keep Wuya from saying it, thinking that somehow that would make it so that she didn't know.
"You're in love with the Pedrosa boy," Wuya started cackling.
"No!" Kimiko sobbed, mortified. Why? Why did it have to be this way? Why couldn't she just have gone on living as she had?
"Oh, how adorable!" Wuya mocked, thoroughly enjoying Kimiko's anguish. "Well, now we will test just how much he means to you."
"What are you t-talking about?" Kimiko stuttered.
"I have yet another proposition for you," Wuya said. "I will tell Jack to call off the attack and we will leave you alone for the time being. Your friends will be safe, Raimundo will be safe, you will be safe. But--" Kimiko could see the evil glint that appeared in Wuya's eyes as she started to grin like a small child. "You will have to forget all of your feelings for your friend."
"What?!" Kimiko was dumbfounded.
"Oh, don't worry, dear. You won't feel a thing. You won't remember anything after the day before yesterday," Wuya said.
The day before yesterday? That would take her back to before this whole ordeal had started. But to forget about her feelings for Raimundo? Before she'd even had a chance to tell him? No, it would hurt too much. Even worse, it would hurt her and she wouldn't know why.
But on the other hand, if she forgot, her feelings would never get in the way of them again. They'd be best friends again, everything would be back to normal.
But it really wouldn't be. Raimundo would still remember the kiss. And what about the second time? What had that meant? Was he just messing with her again? If she lost her memory, she would have no way of knowing, ever.
"No deal, hag," Kimiko said, suddenly realizing the pounding that was taking place in between her ears. "I... can't do that."
"Oh, how daring of the young girl to put her love first," Wuya almost sounded approving. "Not very chivalrous."
"I don't do chivalry," Kimiko groaned, rubbing her temples.
"Very well then," Wuya shrugged indifferently, then said, "I will just wipe all of your memory then."
"You can do that?" Kimiko said, then immediately realized how clueless she sounded.
"Yes, child," Wuya said. "With that device of Jack's, your mind has been placed into a state of vulnerability. Its as easy to manipulate as putty. And with your mind in that state, I can control it at my will."
"You mean, control my body?" Kimiko asked, astonished.
"Precisely, darling," Wuya said.
"What could you want with my body?"
"Not much," Wuya said, but her eyes were narrowed into mischievous slits. "I would probably just use it to destroy your friends."
"What?" Kimiko said, angrily. "What makes you think you'll be able to control me anyway? If my mind is as vulnerable as you say it is, then why am I still able to function so well?"
"That is a mystery even to me, my dear," Wuya said, shaking her head. "I have no idea what happens with Jack's inventions, but all I know is that this conversation is over. Say goodbye to all of your memories, child."
Then, without another word, the old specter phased through her head and entered her mind.
And just as the last inch of her ghostly tail entered her head, Kimiko blacked out. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed onto the ground.
Before she'd even been taken over, Kimiko had realized that she was at a hard place. She had been stuck between her old self, and the self that Jack had programmed for her. She knew what was going on what wrong, but she didn't do anything about it. She wanted to stop it, but she just didn't. She admired Jack, but loved Raimundo.
Kimiko suddenly woke up; or at least it felt like it. She felt awake, but she wasn't in her body. But if not there, then where was she?
Wherever she was, Kimiko was surrounded by darkness. There wasn't a speck of light to be seen, but for some reason, she could see, although there really was nothing to see. Wherever she was was entirely empty except for her. But even as she stood, alone and confused in her subconscious, Kimiko felt a lingering sense of danger.
Then, without warning, her head started to pound like a drum. She gasped in pain and grabbed her head as the pain brought her to her knees. But even through her sudden, splitting headache, she heard a voice loud and clear.
"I must go back and finish what I started."
Who was saying that? The voice sounded familiar, very familiar, but no matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn't place who the voice belonged to.
"Yes, I must go back and help Jack defeat those Xiaolins," the voice hissed.
Kimiko's mind reeled. Who was this voice? It wasn't Wuya's, so whose was it?
"No, no, I don't want to!" Kimiko yelled back at the voice, unsure of whether it made a difference if she responded or not. However, it became clear that it did when the voice started to talk again.
"But why not? Were you not humiliated by them? Or rather, were you not humiliated by Raimundo?" the voice sounded as if it was smiling, realizing that it had struck a nerve with Kimiko.
"I don't care what happened with him," Kimiko said. "I-I don't know why but I don't want to hurt him!"
"And why not?" the voice said. "That would be payment for what he did to you, wouldn't it?"
"But he didn't do anything wrong! He didn't mean to..." Kimiko trailed off, not sure what he didn't mean to do. What did he do that was so wrong again? She couldn't remember.
"What?" the other voice said. "Mess with your head when he kissed you? Chase you all around the temple while you were naked? Bet you in a Xiaolin Showdown and lose?"
Kimiko thought about this. He did do all of those things and he did humiliate her... She should have her own little revenge, shouldn't she? Wait, no! Her mind was tricking her!
"No, he didn't do anything wrong!" Kimiko said.
"I think we should do this, Kimiko. I think we should have our revenge," the voice said.
"What do you have to do with any of this?" Kimiko yelled.
"Me? I have everything to do with this!" the voice chuckled.
"How? Who are you?"
"I'm you."