CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: Mirrors srorriM
The magic that Kimiko had dearly missed swirled around her, plunging her into darkness. All went black and she heard the sound of music, saluting her back to the wonder of the Xiaolin Showdown. The scene swirled in her eyes, and before she knew it, she was back.
She allowed herself a quick glance at her surroundings. She couldn't see anything except herself. She was in a room full of mirrors, each reflecting her image off one another. She was confused at first, but then she heard Chase's voice. She could hear his voice ring through the air, yet she had no idea where he, or she herself, was.
"The game is simple; reach the centre of the maze first." Chase's voice echoed; it seemed to bounce off the mirrors continuously.
Kimiko took a glance around at the mirrors; all she could see was thousands of her, reflecting off another mirror – she couldn't even see an opening to get through. She would have to rely solely on her sense of touch to tell where the mirrors were and weren't. Even as she looked up and down, she saw mirrors below and above her.
Biting her lip, Kimiko panicked. She rarely got nervous at Xiaolin Showdowns, but it had been so long since she had taken part in one, she felt rusty. The choice of showdown would be a major disadvantage to her. Chase was clever; he would use tricks and deceit to work his way through the maze.
"Okay…" Kimiko looked around, hoping to spot an opening of some sort.
"Gong Ye Tampai!" She and Chase yelled in unison, and it had begun. Kimiko's heart was pumping furiously in her ears; she was too nervous. This showdown depended on everything; if she lost, the world would surely fall into disrepair.
Kimiko threw her hands against the mirrors, sliding her fingers along, feeling for an opening. When she felt none, she ran along the wall, feeling for a gap. When she reached an opening, she slotted herself through it, and repeated the cycle. She had no idea what was happening. What else could she do? She had no way of knowing where any openings were. For all she knew; there weren't any.
She ran along the wall, feeling for a gap. Her breath echoed, making her feel too claustrophobic. Trapped. Doomed. Failing.
Then a brain wave struck her. With a yell, she pushed out a small amount of the pain and anger that she had been forced to contain for so long. She barely felt the fire rush to her surface before it exploded from her. The room of mirrors was filled with fire. She loved how her own fire didn't burn her – it gave her the ultimate advantage; the fire rushed through one gap in the mirrors, and Kimiko followed it.
The fire would show her the way; it slotted through the gaps that she couldn't see, leaving a trail of destruction in its' wake, making an easy pathway for Kimiko.
Ironically, the old superstition she remembered from childhood sprang to mind: 'You get seven years bad luck if you break a mirror.' Kimiko had just broken a whole room full of mirrors; the glass on the floor was evidence of that.
Still, she thought, I've had enough bad luck for a lifetime.
She continued onwards, deciding that bad luck was the least of her concerns. She had no idea of her whereabouts.
After seemingly hours, Kimiko's fire had vanished through an opening again. She pushed out her anger; which had become an unlimited supply. She only had to think of Chase's smirking face and she seemed to be able to produce it with ease, but the constant use of her element was exhausting her. She knew if she didn't find the centre of the maze soon; all hope was lost.
She had heard nothing of Chase, and had no idea of his whereabouts. The fire burst from her fingertips, and spread around the room, before being sucked through a crevice, like a vacuum. Kimiko hurriedly followed her fire through.
"Falcon's Eye!" Omi took the Shen Gong Wu from Clay and looked at the solid block of stone. He and the others had been transported to a cloud, overlooking a seemingly suspended, large block of stone, surrounded by nothing but the sky and the clouds. They had been stumped as to what was happening, until Dojo pointed out that Omi was carrying the Falcon's Eye. Raimundo still hadn't stirred, but Clay had sacrificed his water for him, handing it to Jimmy to tip down his throat and rinse the whip wounds on his back, which left pinkish patches on the cloud from his blood.
Jimmy hadn't the faintest idea what was happening, but he didn't want to ask. This adventure had been one too many. While it had been nice, feeling like a hero, he missed his old, simple life of growing crops and tending to the animals. He tipped a small amount of the water into Raimundo's mouth and shook him slightly in an attempt to wake him. He mumbled a little, but his eyes didn't open. He'd been resting for hours now. This didn't seem to worry the other monks though, when Jimmy had pointed this out, they merely commented: 'Typical Raimundo to sleep for hours when he's supposed to be awake.' Jimmy supposed that their main priority was to take down Chase, or at least be prepared to challenge him if Kimiko failed.
Kimiko had been behind for a while, but the use of her fire was helping her along.
"How's she doing?" Dojo asked, slithering onto Clay's shoulder, looking at Omi's face for hints. Dojo had been helping Jimmy tend to Raimundo's wounds; it was remarkable how protective Dojo felt of the monks, even Jimmy had grown on him now. Dojo was like a mollycoddling mother, fussing over her children.
"They are both at the same level now, but Chase seems to be moving more quickly." Omi said, "I believe I can see the centre now. If Kimiko hurries, she may be able to beat him there."
"I still don't understand how that snake knows where he's goin'." Clay grumbled.
"It's Chase Young! He relies completely on his instincts. He's probably using the breeze or something." Dojo threw his arms up, as if it were obvious.
Raimundo's whole body was in pain. Every inch of him was aching, but his back was stinging more than the rest, as though he was being stabbed continuously by hundreds of tiny needles. He heard the familiar Texan accent say something, but he sounded too distant for Raimundo to distinguish what was being said. Someone's hand touched his forehead, a tiny ice-cold hand.
"Dojo?" He murmured, forcing his sticky eyes open. His voice was croaky and his throat was sore and dry. He had burned it out from the countless screams of pain earlier. He winced at the thought of it.
"Guys," Jimmy called, "he's coming round."
Four faces were peering over him, like shadows against the bright surroundings.
"Dude, what the hell happened?" Raimundo asked, looking around as he pushed himself upright. His back stung and he winced, almost swearing.
"We were hopin' you could tell us that…" Clay said, "Glad to have you back though, partner."
Raimundo rubbed his forehead, groaning into his hand. He felt cold, until he realised that he wasn't wearing his favourite hoodie anymore. The images of the jungle cats slashing at his body flashed into his mind. He felt annoyed at the fact that they had wrecked it, but it wasn't the time to be upset over the loss of clothing. He had barely given any consideration to where they were, and it wasn't until Clay turned around to peer through the Falcon's Eye at something that Raimundo thought to ask.
"Wait… Where am I?" His face dropped. He was on top of a cloud, only seeing the blue sky and more clouds.
Is this heaven?
"Where's Kimiko?" He asked, a scowl forming on his aching face.
"In the middle of a Xiaolin Showdown with Chase Young." Dojo said in a matter of fact tone.
"What?" Raimundo scrambled to his feet, looking at the stone block suspended, mid-air. All sense of pain and drowsiness was gone.
"I really think you should rest. You aren't looking too good." Jimmy said quietly, looking at Raimundo's red and swollen back. He was covered in slashes, but his back was the worst, the front of his torso was also wounded, but he didn't seem to notice.
Raimundo waved his hand dismissively, as if he could swat the matter away like a fly.
"I'm fine…" He snatched the Falcon's Eye from Clay, and peeked through it, cursing loudly.
"What's going on?" He asked, following Kimiko's figure, which scrambled through a small gap, gasping for breath, before conjuring more fire. He flicked his line of view towards Chase, who was hopping around, never touching the floor. He was moving agilely, gliding through the passages with ease. He didn't know how Kimiko was managing to keep up with him, but she was. They were practically neck and neck.
"I don't know anymore. This is confusing. It looks like Kimiko isn't on Chase's side after all." Dojo said, scurrying onto Raimundo's shoulder. They all stood and looked at the rock, just as Raimundo thrust the Shen Gong Wu into Omi's hands.
"That can't be right. It goes against everything she's done. I was out of it for the start, but she was the one who did this to me." Raimundo flicked his head back, gesturing to the wounds on his back.
"She did?" Jimmy asked, his eyes growing wide. He was begining to doubt Kimiko's word now. She'd sworn loyalty, yet from what Jimmy could make of the odd situation, she was having some sort of battle with him. Did her word mean that little to her?
"Maybe Chase was forcing her?" Clay suggested, taking the Falcon's Eye again.
"Didn't look like it to me." Raimundo grumbled, sitting down again.
"Well, you know, you never can tell what's been going on behind those closed doors." Dojo said knowledgably.
They all fell silent as Clay spoke again.
"Guys, save story time for later… Kim and Chase just reached the centre of the maze."
Kimiko followed her fire, which pushed itself into another opening, disappearing through it. She climbed through the crawl space, dropping out onto the other side. That's when she spotted Chase doing exactly the same thing, opposite her. They were obviously in some sort of large room of mirrors, which lined the walls. A white panel defined the centre of the maze; all Kimiko had to do was touch it, and it would all be over. No more pain, no more suffering; Kimiko would be free.
Chase and Kimiko's eyes met, and both froze. If either made a dash for the circle, the other would move in unison, for both wanted to win.
"Chase." Kimiko spat, hate filled her again, making her feel more volatile than ever. She felt her fire igniting within her again, and she really had to concentrate to contain it.
"Kimiko. I predicted that this day would come; yet I did not expect that you would match my efforts. It seems I have taught you well." Chase mused, smiling slightly.
"You taught me nothing. I found the strength and motivation to match you, Master Fung and my friends taught me everything I know." She took a step to the right, crouching slightly, as if she were a cat, waiting to pounce. Chase mirrored her exactly, stepping in unison with her.
"Did I pass nothing on to you?" Chase asked.
His question made Kimiko think for a moment.
"You did teach me something actually. You taught me that no matter what you do to me, I could never be evil. You taught me that everything I stand for is good. Those things that you did to me, they just filled me with hate and pain, but I never wanted to hurt anyone else or make them pay…"
"I do not believe that you have released all that pain and hate, so where is it now, Kimiko?"
"Biding its' time until the time is right."
They were circling now, Chase's expression showed amusement, whilst Kimiko's showed hatred.
"How inspiring. You amaze me, young monk. The sheer motivation you seemed to have developed is remarkable." Chase smirked.
"Yes, it's amazing how an epiphany can alter how a person thinks." Kimiko snarled.
"Yet you seem to think that you can best me?" Chase asked, raising his eyebrow.
"I don't think it, I know it."
"You seem certain." Chase stated, watching her closelyl
"I am."
On that note, Kimiko screamed. Loudly. Everything burst from her. Her hate, her rage, her pain, her determination, it all burst from her body; like every emotion she had was all pushed into the pit of her stomach, then released in one go. It exploded, the burst of the energy formed as Kimiko's element, producing a huge wave of fire; impossible for him to dodge; too quick to block. It had happened in a split second.
The fire hit him, sending him flying backward into the mirrors, which smashed as he collided with them. The fire took him completely by surprise.
The burst of energy had drained Kimiko completely, and she fell onto her hands and knees, unable to stand. She groaned with the effort of moving. Chase was rising again.
It was now, or never…
Summoning the last dregs of her strength, Kimiko pushed herself forwards. She reached out her hand, aiming to land on the white tile on the floor.
They both were close to the finish line.
A fingertip touched the square.
The scene resolved again, swirling into darkness. The magic of the Xiaolin Showdown was gone, and the all too familiar scene of Chase's throne room appeared again. The former spectators dropped back into the corner of the room.
The Xiaolin Showdown was over…
The victor stood triumphant.