CHAPTER TWENTY TWO: TWO WAY TORTURE

Something hot collided with Raimundo's stomach, winding him. He fell to the floor. Dojo yelped – he'd been hiding in the pocket of Raimundo's hoodie, but was crushed as Raimundo fell forward. Then, Dojo was whimpering and trying desperately to get out of his pocket, but poor Raimundo was winded, and laid on his side, trying to catch his breath on the dusty ground.

Raimundo groaned, holding his stinging stomach with his hands. Kimiko's fireball had his him squarely on his stomach. His hoodie had then caught fire when her fireball had hit him, which he had to pat out. When he looked, the fire left a large, angry, red patch on his stomach, which stung him painfully. His hand was also stinging from the sheer heat of the flames.

"Kim…" He looked up just in time to see her face disappear from the crack of the closing doors to Chase's home.

His stomach wasn't the only thing hurting anymore – his heart, that silly little muscle that pumped furiously whenever he saw Kimiko, was urging Raimundo forward. Every instinct he had told him to get up and run to her, to take her in his arms, to hold her tightly, to whisper in her ear that he loved her, and that it was his entire fault that she was there; if Chase hadn't caught him, Kim never would've agreed. He'd never thought of it that way before, but it was too late for shifting the blame now, because it was simply too late to fix it. She was just like Chase, the Kimiko that Raimundo knew and loved was long gone – or so he thought.

The soft thudding of paws sounded behind him. Raimundo tried to clamber onto his feet, but something sharp caught him across his back, knocking him forwards again.

"Dojo…" Raimundo choked, and the small green dragon fled from his burnt pocket, along the craggy rocks and out into the forest, avoiding the eyes of the jungle cats, who obviously mistook him for a simple lizard.

Without warning, more cats surrounds. They all had anger in their eyes, yet a desire was also visible within their eyes; revenge. Helplessly, the considerably weakened boy suffered the claws of the jungle cats, before three of them transformed into the strange-looking warriors and two hoisted Raimundo to his feet. Then, the other warrior thrust the handle of his sword against Raimundo's skull, which knocked him cleanly unconscious. They half carried; half dragged him towards the doors, taking him inside the one place that no one should ever enter alone – Chase's home.

Kimiko brushed away the tears from her eyes, trying to steady her thumping heart, which was stabbing away at her chest. She leant against the door, catching her breath, before pushing herself unsteadily to her feet. She began making her way to Chase's throne room; forcing her stiff legs to comply to her mental orders, but for some reason, her legs were like jelly. She kept stumbling when her numb body wouldn't move properly. It seemed to take her years to do the simplest task. Her heart was pounding painfully against her chest and her ears were ringing too loudly for her to hear properly.

How could she have left him there? She had just wounded him for goodness sake! She had just burnt one of her old friends, and left him to be discovered by whoever would find him first. She only hoped that Clay and Omi knew where Raimundo was, and found him before Chase did.

When she eventually reached Chase's throne room, he was pacing in front of the thrones with his arms behind his back, staring at the floor with a furious expression, which was emphasised by the light of the flames against the paleness of his face.

"Why did you run?" He asked, glaring at her accusingly, "You could have easily beaten him."

"I was afraid that he would have back up, I didn't want to start a fight I couldn't finish." Kimiko lied instantly. "You know how the Dragons work. They have extra strength in numbers." Kimiko hated talking about the Xiaolin Monks. Her mentality was still set that she was one of them, so it was difficult for her to describe herself in third person.

"Liar." Chase spat, sensing her pain, "Tell me the real reason, Kimiko. There was one dragon against you, plus my jungle cats. Do not lie to me and assume that I would be foolish enough to believe you. Need I remind you that you have given my your word as a Xiaolin dragon that you were to remain loyal to me, or do you need a reminder of that?"

Kimiko started to tremble, but said nothing. She had no idea what to say. Her mind was weighing up the possibilities, but it was not looking good. It was going to be difficult to worm her way out of this one without lying to Chase. She had, after all sworn loyalty. Whether she was loyal or not, she had to at least pretend to be.

Chase suddenly changed his stance and expression. He returned to his expressionless face and stepped towards her. Kimiko did not dare to move. Like her legs had been glued to the floor, they would not move at all, no matter how much she tried.

He leant towards her. His face came close enough to hers that she could feel his breath against her cheek. He leaned a little more and whispered into her ear.

"What can I do, Kimiko, to make you understand that you swore your loyalty to me?" He breathed in her ear softly.

"I do understand…" She replied shakily. He chuckled.

"Not from what I can see. You regard yourself as one of them, even after all this time. Do you believe that they will, as you would say, "come to your rescue"?" He snorted, backing away from her. "I desire the proof that you really mean what you say."

"H-how?" She stammered. Her eyes never left his face. She was still trying to regain the feeling in her legs.

"You will prove you loyalty to me, or else I shall have little use for you or your mind. Now I have been lenient so far. I have not brainwashed you, so to speak. If I chose to, I could control your mind completely. Who could speculate as to what you might do if your mind was not your own?" He smirked nastily, and the image of his face appeared in Kimiko's mind.

Damn, she thought. She thought she had learned to block him out of controlling her mind. Maybe she was just out of practise. Kimiko's legs were still like huge heavy blocks of ice, weighing her feet to the floor, but her knee's were knocking together. She was scared. What humiliating task would Chase have her doing?

"If you cry, it will last longer." Chase's face cracked into the most malicious grin she had ever seen anyone pull as he diverted his eyes behind her. The doors behind her creaked open, so she turned around, not fully expecting what she saw.

Suddenly her legs weren't glued to the floor, they could have run for miles and miles. She didn't know whether to feel nauseous, scared, upset or angry, but she knew she definitely felt faint. Tears rushed to her eyes, but recalling Chase's warning, she swallowed as she watched the pitiful sight.

Her heart was thumping painfully hard again, rattling around inside her chest.

Two warriors were dragging something along the floor; it flopped and stayed limp. They threw it harshly to the floor, and left it on the floor in a tangled heap.

He didn't move.

"Bind him, and remove the clothing upon his torso." Chase's voice commanded inside her mind in a tone filled with authority. It didn't cause her pain when Chase invaded her mind anymore. She wondered if Chase had been invading her mind for a long time without her noticing. In his gloved hands, he held some rope and a dark brown, leather whip, which he was curling through his fingers. Kimiko hesitated.

"Do as I say. Do not defy me." Chase snarled inside her head. It was obvious now what Chase expected her to do.

"You malicious bastard…" She whispered in a shaking voice.

Chase chuckled and stepped back, folding his arms expectantly and leaning against the wall.

Wobbling unsteadily on her feet, Kimiko moved more slowly than she would have liked and knelt next to the bundle on the floor. His clothes were in tatters, hanging limply off his body where the jungle cats had slashed him. There would countless cuts and wounds upon his body.

"I can't do it…" She whispered, "I won't… I can't… I'm sorry…"

"Kimiko, if I have to force you to do it, I will…"

If I don't do this, he'll do it ten times worse, she thought.

The sickening sight made Kimiko's whole body tremble and ache. His eyes wheeled in their sockets, clearly blurred. With a large tug, she tore the material on his hoodie, ripping the remaining tatters away, leaving him bare-chested. He muttered something incomprehensively, which she pretended not to hear and Chase threw her some ropes lazily. She bound his hands together with shaking fingers. He didn't resist. She grabbed his shoulders and heaved the deadweight up. Despite her size and reluctance to complete her heartbreaking task, she carried him with ease. He was barely conscious, unable to focus his vision or talk properly.

Kimiko's eyes stung again.

No, Kim. Be strong… She told herself, but it just made her eyes sting even more.

The bundle groaned.

"Over there." Chase commanded, pointing at a large metal hook hanging from the tall ceiling.

Kimiko pulled him over, using her remaining strength to lift up his arms and loop them over the hook. She lowered his feet gently to the floor. Chase snapped the hook around, forming a loop so that the ropes could not come loose.

"I'm sorry, Rai…" She whispered in his ear and kissed his lips softly. A tear dropped from her eye before she could stop it. The pain was too much already. It was unbearable. There was a small but distinct chuckle from the wall where Chase was leaning so casually.

His arms were held up high by the hook, leaving him vulnerable and defenceless.

Chase threw a whip at Kimiko, which she caught with one hand. Her whole body burned with unreleased anger and energy.

"I can't…" She whispered, but she knew she would have to.

"Either you do it, or I will." Chase said harshly, with no trace of sympathy in his voice.

Kimiko glared at Chase, her expression was filled with hatred for what he was blackmailing her to do.

She moved behind him, and raised the whip with her right arm. Focusing every little ounce of hatred she had into not crying, she brought down the whip against Raimundo's back.

He didn't scream at first.

It wasn't until the fourth strike that he let out a loud groan of agony.

Then after that, he screamed with each blow. Each strike seemed to cause exactly the same pain to Kimiko. Each scream resonated within her head.

Her heart seemed to split just that tiny bit more as Chase urged her to continue.

Kimiko was glad she couldn't see Raimundo's face, as she knew if she could, she wouldn't be able to compose herself. It was taking all her energy to stop herself from crumbling into a sobbing heap upon the stone floor.

Chase's eyes flickered between Raimundo and Kimiko's faces. His smirk never left his face.

Clay and Jimmy were having little luck. It was almost nightfall, yet there was no sign of Dojo or Raimundo. They had given up using the Shen Gong Wu, as it was too big to fit between the trees of the forest; where they'd been searching for the last hour.

"DOJO!" Jimmy yelled, using his hands to cup around his mouth to make his voice louder.

"RAI!" Clay called in his strong Texan accent.

Jimmy rested for a moment, taking a swig of water from his bottle. They were close to the outskirts of the forest now, and were able to see a thin strip of grass between the mountain where Chase lived and the tree's of the forest. Clay assumed that Chase must use this pathway a lot, so they had been following it, looking for signs of Kimiko, Raimundo or Dojo – but they'd found nothing so far.

"This is hopeless," He said, glancing around the tree's one last time, "We're never going to find Raimundo or Dojo."

"But, if they ain't out here, then they're in there." Clay panted as he raised a hand towards the large mountain above, where Chase resided.

"That's Chase Young's home?" Jimmy asked, staring at it in disbelief, his jaw open slightly.

"Yup. And going in there ain't nothing good. But, you're right. We should turn in for the night. If Rai ain't back by then, then we'll know he ain't coming back and we'll head in there." Clay gestured with his thumb to the large mountain. Jimmy nodded in agreement, but he was curious. After all, his parent's were in there - just a few hundred feet above him.

The sudden urge to run to them was overpowering. Within seconds, Jimmy had hatched a plan. He feigned needing to go to the bathroom, and asked Clay to head back down the grassy pathway, assuring him that he would catch up as soon as he was done. Clay agreed, and started strolling back down the pathway, whistling. After Clay was out of sight, he ran.

And kept running,

And running…

And running…

Jimmy didn't even stop when he reached the exterior of Chase's dwelling.

Kimiko dropped the whip, shaking uncontrollably. Her whole body pulsed with hatred for Chase. She had thought once or twice about turning the whip on him, but he was in her thoughts now – she would struggle to best him without this advantage.

"Now you have proved yourself." Chase smiled at her, "You shall be rewarded. I know you yearn for your friends. Yet you were able to do this. I will let you return Raimundo to the monks custody, so you will feel at ease that he is safe."

Kimiko turned towards Chase and her heart seemed to inflate slightly. It was a chance to see her friend's again, even if for a few seconds.

"If you had been loyal all along, poor Raimundo would never have had to suffer." Chase said quietly, taking the bloody whip from Kimiko's hands.

The short feeling of inflation diminished instantly. Chase was right, it was all Kimiko's fault. If she'd just acted that tiny bit more loyal to Chase, this wouldn't have happened. Maybe Kimiko was going to stay here forever. Maybe Chase would have her doing this daily to toughen her up. Maybe this was going to be normal from now on. If she was capable of doing it to her friend, then she was certainly capable of doing it to someone else.

"There is to be no talking to them. I shall be watching you. Simply take him back, and learn your place now Kimiko. You must learn that you are not one of them." Chase said sternly, closing the door behind him as he left Kimiko with Raimundo, who hung from his wrists loosely.

Raimundo wasn't awake anymore. Whether it was from exhaustion, the unbearable pain, or the blood loss; his eyes were no longer open. Great, bloody, gashes were scattered across his back where Kimiko had been whipping. They were oozing with blood freely. It had even started dripping to the floor, leaving a little puddle at his dirty feet.

His head lolled on his shoulder. When Kimiko finally worked up the courage to shuffle around and look at his face; her legs turned to jelly and she collapsed onto the floor, sobbing hysterically.

Raimundo's face was twisted with pain, swollen and red, as if he'd been crying a lot. His whole face shone with sweat, which was still dripping from his jaw.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Rai. Please forgive me, I'm so sorry." Kimiko whispers, cupping his face with her hands, but then she recoiled when she realised her hands were bloodstained. She trembled, but she couldn't describe why. As all the tears escaped her, she kissed his lips softly, untying his hands from the hook.

His body flopped on top of hers, and she had to work to support his body with her own, sobbing, shaking body. It was a miracle she could stand, let alone carry a boy, who was much bigger than her.

Jimmy ran through the corridors of Chase's home, feeling like he was in a cage of crocodiles – the jungle cats had already encountered him once. He'd somehow managed to execute a move Omi had taught him back at the cave, and the jungle cats were left on the floor as Jimmy flew past them.

He heard a groan of effort, echoing through the maze. He ran, hoping to avoid the mysterious entity. He turned a corner, glancing nervously over his shoulder. He didn't notice anyone was there until he crashed into him or her.

"Jimmy!" Kimiko cried, as both Raimundo and Jimmy tumbled on top of her. Her initial reaction was happiness, but then she remembered Chase's warning – he was watching her.

"What are you doing here? Get out!" She yelled, pulling Raimundo off the floor.

Jimmy's face fell to an expression of fright.

"Is that… Raimundo?"

"Take him and leave." Kimiko pulled Raimundo to his feet and was about to hand him over, when Jimmy shook his head.

"Not yet. I'm here for my parents." Jimmy glanced around nervously, clutching his aching side and panting for breath.

"Jimmy, either leave, or I'll have to make you leave." Kimiko threatened, narrowing her eyes in a threatening way.

"What? No, you said you'd help me!" Jimmy stammered. Kimiko's face fell. It was all over. Chase was watching. Now he'd know all about the plan to help Jimmy's parents. The very fact that Jimmy was here would prove that Kimiko hadn't killed him when she was supposed to have.

Abandoning all hope of her future, Kimiko handed over Raimundo to Jimmy, who was clearly startled by her apparent change of heart.

"Take him, I'll come back with your parents. I promise." Kimiko nodded, gesturing for him to use one of the corridors.

"Take that right, then two lefts. Then through the third door on the right and you're out. Good luck." Kimiko was gone before her sentence was finished.

Jimmy didn't need telling twice. He started heaving Raimundo's weight through the labyrinth of corridors. He was in a bad way – Jimmy had to hurry if he wanted to ensure Raimundo was going to be okay.

Kimiko skidded to a halt outside Chase's room of Shen Gong Wu and thrust herself inside. She ran for the black cabinet on the farthest wall, dived inside and fished out a small, grey key. Kimiko didn't know how she knew what she was doing, but she did.

"I'm sharing his mind…" Kimiko said out loud, then, cracking a smile, she ran from the room and headed towards the dungeons.