Okay, I know I'm kinda making this story longer than I wanted to, but that's not totally my fault. Okay, this is the LAST chapter of the Showdown. The certain shortened part is pretty cheesy, but whatever.

Chapter Five

Kimiko's Point of View

Level eight was a very strange room indeed. There were two sliding doors, each with a Bunraku theatre mask on – one of a kept and serene lady, the other of which a samurai would wear to intimidate foes.

The lady door said, "You are given two choices on this floor since you are the first to pass story eight." "Each of us," explained the soldier door, "Leads to a different level of the pagoda. I, the twelfth floor…" "And I, the ninth floor."

"If you choose the ninth floor, you may skip the twelfth floor."

"If you choose the twelfth floor, you many skip the ninth, tenth and eleventh. But beware, for there are many dangers lurking about for you if you choose me."

Both doors slide open to reveal an orange portal for the lady, and a green portal for the soldier. 'Heck,' I thought. 'I'm in no situation to go slow and steady. I couldn't care less about dangers lurking about.' Without much thought, I jumped into the green portal without much thought.

Where I ended up was a perfectly straight hallway with slowly sliding doors. I could see the portal about thirty yards away, and the doors didn't look very scary. 'Wow, is this gonna be easy.' I walked along, and as soon as I came to the first sliding door, they started to move faster.

I easily dodged every one, and as soon as I got about ten yards, they stopped, unsheathed daggers from their bamboo spreads, and slid even faster.

I dodged about three or four – I was in such a hurry, I didn't care for much counting – when I sidestepped a little too late and got cut on my left arm. With this pain, I couldn't really go on, but I needed to.

And then I still had my need to impress Rai.

I started to hop from wall to wall, which was a good skill of mine, and kept on going. I got a graze on the right arm and my back, but it didn't matter – I needed to get the roof. I jumped into the portal and, finally, I was on top of the pagoda.

I looked over the roof and saw my friends cheering for me. I smiled, and felt a spark going past my eyes, Omi's and Clay's. But the ones I saw most were Raimundo's, and that spark in his was just amazing.

I reached to grab the Doll of Domachi, and I felt someone behind me punch me on my shoulder. Before I collapsed on the ground and slid off the roof, I saw Wuya with a spiritual samurai. She cackled, and I knew I lost the showdown. I was falling into nothing as I closed my eyes.

"Kim."

"Kimiko."

"You awake?"

I opened my eyes to see Raimundo looking down on me. We were on Dojo, and seemingly heading back to the temple.

Raimundo's Point of View

I was pretty hard on whoever would lose a Shen Gong Wu, but seeing that Kimiko went through so many levels of the pagoda, and noticing all of her cuts and that one bruise made by that spirit samurai – we tried to tell her, but she was looking at us. I was sorta crying at the time; I could tell – I comforted her instead.

"Kim, you lost that Shen Gong Wu," I stated quietly.

Kimiko tried to slap her head, but she moaned in pain. "I know. I am such an idiot. I should have known you were warning me."

I got a little startled. "No, no. That's not it. You did fine, and I wanted to congratulate you on your job well done."

She smiled. "Really?"

"Really. And that explosion you made on level five? That was the bomb." Then I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around her.

Kimiko's Point of View

After Raimundo gave me an "A" for effort, I felt two muscular arms slide around me, and I noticed that Raimundo was smiling. I simpered for a moment, and then I rested my head on his brawny but soft – very soft – chest, and fell asleep.

Me: How was that?

Kim: Spark in my eyes? Cheesy.

Me: RAIMUNDO!

Rai: Sorry.

Kim: (Sighs) R&R.