CHAPTER NINE: CONNECTIONS

Raimundo sighed. He had looked all over the Xiaolin Temple, along with the other monks for Kimiko, but there was no sign of her. After searching every nook and cranny in the Temple, the only solution, which seemed remotely possible, was kidnap. Kimiko never ran away from anything. The monks had hardly spoken to one another; all three of them were exhausted after looking all night.

"You guys, I don't think she's here anymore." Raimundo said to the other monks, after they all collapsed onto the Xiaolin Temple's chairs. Clay leant back against the chair.

"I reckon you're right about that, partner." He grumbled sleepily, and closed his eyes to rest.

"So, you think Jack's got her?" Raimundo asked, trying to sound casual. If Jack was stupid enough to build a robotic army and send it to the Xiaolin Temple, maybe he was stupid enough to kidnap Kimiko. Raimundo did not want to think about what Jack could do to her with so much power over her. She was only small for her age after all, but, as Raimundo knew well, size is no guarantee of power. Kimiko was no exception.

"Rai, didn't you see the robot's chest plates?" Dojo had appeared from Clay's hat.

"No, why?"

"They had 'C.Y.' on them." Clay said.

"Oh. Right. So you think he's got her?" Raimundo asked, trying to hide his anger. If Kimiko turned evil, there was no way Raimundo could take her down. Not even if he wanted to. He could never kill a friend, especially since she was a girl.

"It is possible." Omi said. He had been surprisingly quiet. Perhaps he was afraid for Kimiko. After all, Omi had experienced the worries of being trapped by Chase himself. He knew how it felt.

"What do we do?" Raimundo asked. No one seemed to be able to answer him. The long and extremely uncomfortable pause seemed to last forever.

"I believe we should split up and search for Kimiko in different places." Omi said at last. "I will take Dojo and fly to Kimiko's home, perhaps she has returned. Clay, you could stay here in case she returns. Raimundo, you could search in the surrounding areas."

Raimundo and Clay nodded; nothing else seemed to make much sense to them. It was worth a shot, at least.

Kimiko opened her sore eyes. She had not realised she had fallen asleep. She was lying on a cold and flat surface that definitely was not her bed at the Xiaolin Temple. With a shudder, she realised she had fallen asleep on the mountainside; her body was stiff from sleeping on the hard rock. Kimiko opened her eyes, which were tender and sore from the tears the night before, and saw that it was daylight.

She did not stir for a long time. Her body was sore and she knew she would have to move some time soon, but she had no energy. It was like all that had once motivated her had left her. Kimiko managed to pull herself up onto her feet. She staggered around dizzily, blinking so she could adjust her eyes to the harsh light, which was beaming down upon her. Kimiko looked over the edge of the mountainside; it was a long way down. The height alone made her feel dizzy. She was not usually afraid of heights.

Kimiko stood on the mountainside, close to the edge. She wondered, if she were to jump, would her impossible decision be resolved? If Kimiko took her own life, would everything be as it should be? As Kimiko wondered if she should take the plunge and jump, a wave of cold swept over her.

"Kimiko….." Chase's voice whispered in her head. "Do not think jumping will resolve this."

"I have to." She spoke aloud, wondering if she could actually hear his voice, or it was just her own mind. I'm going crazy. I've cracked. I'm going to end up in a mental hospital. Her mind was racing with different thoughts and she took a single step closer to the edge. It's not long now. I just have to take a few more steps. Kimiko was only inches from the edge of the cliff. If she fell, she would certainly fall to her death.

"Then go ahead, but remember Kimiko, if you jump, you are giving up. I was under the impression that you were strong, I never thought you were weak. Not once." The sly voice of Chase Young echoed through her head. Kimiko blinked and a tear rolled down her face.

"I'm not weak…" She whispered, mostly to herself.

"Then prove it." He hissed into her ears over and over again, until the noise of his icy voice filled her head and drowned out her thoughts. Kimiko wanted it all to end. She purposely raised her leg and fell forwards, straight off the edge of the cliff.

"Foolish monk." She heard his voice again as the ground hurtled towards her. She closed her eyes tightly. You've done it. The wind whistled loudly in her ears, as she waited for her small body to crash with the floor, killing her instantly. The floor was fast approaching and she felt a final tear leak from her eye. At least it's painless. No one gets hurt.

"KIMIKO!" She heard someone shouting to her and then she hit something. It was not painful, just uncomfortable. Then….

Nothing…

Someone was carrying her in his or her arms, lifting her easily. She felt the person begin to move slightly.

"I must admit, I thought you would step down." Chase Young whispered into her ear. He wasn't inside her head this time; he was actually speaking to her. Kimiko thrust her eyes open. She was lying in Chase Young's arms and he was looking down at her with a look of minor disgust on his face. He dropped his left arm and lowered her feet to the floor. Chase had appeared from nowhere and caught her as she had fallen. She looked upwards and saw she was directly underneath the cliff, next to the edge of the forest. To think, if she had hit the floor, her broken body would be lying where she stood. Chase pushed her back up to help her steady herself, then turned to walk away.

Kimiko wiped a tear away.

"Why did you do that?" She sniffed.

"If you die, I have no Chosen One." Chase said simply. "The offer still stands. I'll be waiting for you Kimiko. You have until midnight." With a snap of his fingers, he disappeared into a cloud of green smoke.

Again, Kimiko felt her knee's go weak. Footsteps approached her, as she crumbled onto the floor. She pulled her knees up to her chest. How can I make this decision? She asked herself over and over again, until someone appeared from the thick trees.

"Oh god!" Raimundo gasped and rushed to her on the floor. He pushed her onto her back to see her eyes streaming with tears and her body stiff and rigid.

"You're alive!"

Kim turned her blurry vision to him and more tears leaked from the corners of her eyes.

"Kim, I saw you jump! You're alright, aren't you?" He scanned her body with his eyes to check for any broken bones. He was surprised she was still alive, let alone unscathed. It was a miracle.

With a tiny nod, she sniffed and wiped her tears.

"How do I choose, Rai?" She mumbled at him.

"Kim, did you hit your head?" He asked and tenderly lifted her up. If she had any broken bones, she could not stay there. She would have to be moved. After gently scooping her up, he carried her through the forest.

"Rai…." She whispered.

"Kim, I think you should stop talking until I get you back to the temple. You don't know what you hit." Raimundo told her rather firmly, and continued to carry her through the forest. He tripped once or twice on protruding tree roots, but luckily managed to steady his footing before dropping the tiny girl in his arms.

"Rai… I'm fine…" Kimiko said after a long time.

"No, you're not. You just jumped off a cliff."

"But he saved me, I didn't hit the floor at all." Kimiko said softly and Raimundo stopped.

"You mean, Chase?" Raimundo almost dropped her.

"You can put me down now." Kimiko said. Her thoughts were elsewhere. She wasn't thinking of the fact that she had just attempted suicide and failed, but rather what the hell she was going to do. Chase wanted her to say yes, but if she did, it could be the end to everything and everyone Kimiko had ever known, including her friends.

Raimundo put her down gently. He held her hand to stop her tripping; she was very shaky and unsteady on her feet. Not surprised after that, Raimundo thought. Kimiko said nothing and focused on what she was going to tell her fellow dragons at the Temple. Should she lie? Should she tell them everything? What would their reactions be?

After a long silence, the tree's started the get thinner. Raimundo could tell he was near the edge of the forest

"Why did you do it?" Raimundo asked as more light began to shine through the canopy of trees.

"Chase…" Kimiko began, but then faltered, "G-got inside my head. I thought if I jumped, you would all be protected from me." She lied. Raimundo stopped and looked into her eyes. Kimiko hoped she looked genuine. She rarely told lies, especially to her friends.

All the fight in Kimiko had left her. If she had faced this challenge a week ago, she would have stormed over to Chase's palace and, most likely attacked. But everything seemed to have left, including her motivation. She was surprised with Raimundo's level of patience, as she moved slowly through the undergrowth of the forest. As they reached the end, the walls of the Xiaolin Temple became clear and Kimiko braced herself to enter the place she knew she could die in.

Raimundo half-guided, half-pulled Kimiko through the courtyard, which held piles of stacked up metal pieces, which had made up the robots. Master Fung was waiting, along with Clay and Omi by the doorway. Kimiko tried to look dignified and hide her blotchy face. She had only ever cried once in front of her friends. She didn't care if Raimundo saw her cry; they were closer than the other dragons.

"Kimiko!" Omi cried and ran towards her as he spotted her. He leapt into the air and attacked her with a flying hug. Not expecting his hug, Kimiko fell backwards as he collided with her.

"It is good to see you are safe and quiet!" Omi beamed.

"Safe and sound." Clay corrected from the doorway.

"Ah, that too." Omi climbed off from on top of Kimiko and pulled her up. "I am most sorry."

With a small intake of breath, Kimiko nodded wearily. She wondered if she should tell them everything, but the thought of sharing the tremendous guilt she felt with all of them put her off. If they knew she had chose the world over them, they would be hurt, but if she chose them over the world, they would thinks she was stupid. Kimiko could not win either way.

"Kimiko, are you well?" Master Fung eyed her blotchy face and her stiff posture.

"Hmph. You've got Chase to thank for that." Raimundo muttered, turning his head disapprovingly.

"What do you mean?" Master Fung looked at Raimundo, who was turning his head away. He bit his lip, wondering if he should explain.

"I… saw Kim jump from that cliff," Raimundo pointed at the mountainside pathway, which protruded from the side of the mountain, "so I went there to get her, but she was already fine. Turns out Chase Young saved her in mid-air."

Kimiko nodded to back up his story, but said nothing, and made eye contact with none of them. She had noticed a few minor cuts and bruises on them. If she looked at them any more, she would only feel more guilt.

"Come, Kimiko." Master Fung held his hand out to her, and she took it slowly. He patiently waited for her to make her way steadily into the temple with him. Master Fung escorted her into her bedroom.

"I have made you some tea. Drink it, and go to sleep young monk. No doubt you should need to clear your thoughts." He pulled her over to the bed and pushed her shoulders down gently, so she was forced to lie back in it. Next to her bed sat a cup of tea on her bedside table.

She shook her head and tried to sit upright.

"I'm fine." She mumbled.

"Very well, just drink your tea and return once you are done." Master Fung turned and left the bedroom. Kimiko took the tea gratefully and tipped the teacup up so that the warm brown liquid tipped down her throat. After five swallows, the tea was gone. Kimiko sat on her bed for a moment, then decided she would come clean. The tea was making her drowsy, but if she slept now, Kimiko thought she would oversleep her deadline. If Chase thought the answer was the same, he would surely attack. The tea was making her dizzy and tired, but despite this, Kimiko stood up. She wobbled unsteadily on her feet, and then collapsed onto the bed. Her eyes slid shut gently and she was asleep before she hit the pillow.

"Xiaolin Dragons!" Master Fung called out to the other warriors, who were tidying up the rubble from the attack last night in the courtyard. Omi dropped the piece of armour he was carrying, which clattered onto the floor noisily.

"Yes, Master Fung?" Omi asked, looking curiously at the old monk.

"Chase Young plans to attack again tonight." Master Fung said seriously. Raimundo and Clay's jaws dropped. Omi was not surprised at all. He had been expecting it since he learned of Chases' involvement.

"How do you know this, Master Fung?" Raimundo asked curiously.

"Chase would not save her life if he was just going to give up. I believe he will have given her two options, which will seem like an impossible choice for her. If he attacks tonight, she will most likely agree to his terms, feeling she has no other options. We must not allow this to happen, which is why I have drugged her to sleep until tomorrow morning." Master Fung had sounded stern up until the last sentence, when sudden shifted his tone to guilty.

"Woah, you drugged her?" Dojo slithered out from underneath a metal chunk and looked at the old man in disbelief.

"She cannot agree to his terms if she cannot wake up." Master Fung said rather smartly. With that, Master Fung turned on his heel and left the courtyard, leaving the three monks astounded.

Chase Young sat in his solitary throne. It was almost midnight, which is the deadline he had given Kimiko. He had been monitoring her process through their connection, which he had established a few nights ago. After touching her forehead, he was able to see exactly what she saw and heard. She seemed to have decided it was a nightmare, which suited Chase just fine. The less she remembered – the better. Chase concentrated for a moment, and linked his mind with hers. She was dreaming at the moment. She had been asleep for well over twelve hours. Chase had originally thought she was declining his offer, but he could hear the noise from the other monks in the Temple, which should have woken her immediately, but still she snoozed on. This was when Chase realised the old monk had obviously tampered with her. Chase had positioned his jungle cats outside the Temple, and had instructed them to attack at midnight, only stopping if he told them to.

Chase sighed. The old monk was making this much more difficult for him. With much focus, Chase pushed out his own thoughts and implanted them in Kimiko's head. It was like a small walkie-talkie inside his head. Everything she thought or said, he could hear when he made the connection. In time, she would be able to learn to do the same. The thoughts of an evil Kimiko made him lose track, and he had to force himself to make the connection stable.

"Kimiko!" He shouted inside her head.

"Chase? What are you doing here?" He heard her voice call back distantly, like she was at the opposite end of a football pitch to him, and they were shouting messages to each other.

"The offer still stands. Do you accept?" Chase teased her.

"Leave me alone. I've got hours left before I decide." Her voice called.

"Actually, the old monk drugged you, you have only ten minutes." Chase told her knowledgeably.

"WHAT?" She screeched loudly.

Chase briefly explained to her that Master Fung had drugged her so that Chase could not communicate with her. Chase pushed out an image of one of his tiger warriors shaking Omi's dead body, covered in blood. He had just imagined it, but the thoughts alone were enough to shake her slightly.

Chase felt Kimiko cringe.

"I can't do it, Chase!" Her voice cracked slightly.

"You want this to happen?" Chase called icily, and showed her images of her father dead, along with her friends back home. She saw the dead bodies of Omi, Clay, Master Fung, Dojo and Raimundo stacked onto a pile.

"NO!" Kimiko shouted back.

"Then agree, Kimiko!" Chase shouted, but something interfered with the connection. Kimiko was waking up from the sleep, and soon enough, Chase knew why. Somebody was shaking her. The jungle warriors had begun to attack the temple already.

Chase smirked. This was going to be like taking candy from a baby.