Chase vs. Kimiko

Chapter 6: Day 5

The sky was a blood-red and the land was blanketed in ash. Trees, or what of it was left standing, were burnt black with their miserable branches straining to stay up. Pterodactyls swooped overhead and volcanoes spewed dense smoke and fire. Chase Young inhaled the toxic air deeply; it could have seized anyone and send them into a coughing fit, but he enjoyed it.

It was exactly like what the world looked like when he had conquered it. For those few days his greatest evil dreams had came true. He strolled under the scorched forest, admiring the catastrophic destruction that lay before him. He could think of nothing so horrible but it pleased him to know that he did not know it all, for he loved to learn new devastating scenes – they enlighten his dark and scheming mind. Half a mile of sightseeing later he noticed quite a number of unthinkable horrors that peered lifelessly at him.

The trees had bodies hanging out of them; all looked as though they had been killed by a slow painful death or suicide. Ropes, arrows, knives and sharp burnt-black rocks were sticking out from many. The others had maggoty open wounds, poison-caused colored skin, scars, burns, blood caked skin, and hairless heads. He spotted chunks of hair, a number with bloodied scalps still attached, lying under the victims of unnatural baldness. Despite the buffet of rotting flesh however, the Heylin wizard realized there was not a single fly.

"I guess I got rid of them." he muttered.

Just then a hand shot out from one of the bodies and grabbed at his shoulder. The body attached to it emerged its scarred and bruised head – a young man no more than nineteen years of age. Chase at first greatly wanted to just vaporize the dying wretch, but something about the teenager that triggered a familiarity. As he looked closer he noticed the boy was wearing a black robe with a red sash and yellow-cuff sleeves – it was the leader of the Wudai dragons, Raimondo!

The Heylin's eyes widened. He did not pull away, as much as his conscious was against it. Instead he asked, "Are you Xiaolin, monk?"

The young monk did not reply. But his eyes burned with pain and anxiety. Chase asked a different question, "Where are the other Xiaolins?"

Still no reply. Chase Young exhaled while thinking how he could get an answer. Then an idea got him – trigger the teenager's emotions. "Where is Kimiko?"

The result was instantaneous. The Dragon of Wind wailed in agony, as if he was being eaten alive from the inside. In a short matter of time he transformed into a lady. She was nearing complete womanhood and had a silky black hair. Her body was tiny but strong. When she looked up, her eyes were sky blue. As eyes are called the doorway to the soul, Chase could see hers was dying. Horrified he grasped her into his arms. She was either too weak to hug him back or too petrified to do anything because she shook violently in him. He pulled her closer so he could comfort her back into sanity but nothing he did helped. She stared blankly at him.

Suddenly a flash lighted the sky. An ear-piercing wail, not a roar, of thunder sounded around them. Chase turned his attention skywards only to see a bean-shape cloud hovering. A woman shaped one joined him, by means of shaking her hips to and fro before leaning against the bean cloud. It was obviously Hannibal Roy Bean and that flirty witch Wuya. The annoyances grinned evilly at him and frozen Kimiko with greedy eyes. Then they began cackling at him victoriously. Chase made a disgusted face before turning his attention at Kimiko. To his ultimate shock his beloved had disappeared, and in her place he hugged Jack Spicer. With a yell he let go. The wannabe Goth boy trembled in fear and shame, squeaking words, "… wasn't my fault, Chase … really sir … they barged in … demanded … it was so weird and I spilled … so sorry sir! … Don't let them … help me! … Help us!"

"Who is 'us'?" Chase growled hoarsely, a tone between disgust and confusion.

Another arm shot out to grab him. Chase was on the alert by then and leaped away. He landed closer to the trees. Again the arm flew in his direction. His experience taught him to dodge the grab then slice the attack from behind. To his surprise, he felt his hand cut through a rough and hard material when he expected human skin. A broken branch lay on the blackened earth. The rest of the tree slithered back into the darkness like a serpent. The forest was alive!

More trees attacked him as soon as his first attacker disappeared. They were very angry with the wizard for harming their kin and gave him no mercy. Chase was fast to understand their game. He leaped meters into the air, jumped from one attacking branch to another and slashed those branches that came too close. He did not stop for one moment. In his mind he pictured a way out of the moving maze of wood. At every gap he made all effort to squeeze through. Suddenly he grew tired.

The forest must have sensed his weariness for out of the blue, they fired thousands of minute thorns. Chase was preoccupied with a group of abnormally large branches. A tingle in his spine warned him something was coming close. But he decided to be rid of the branches first then bother with whatever that comes next. Bad choice.

The fat wood was a decoy. As soon as the thorns were inches from Young they retracted themselves. A yell of pain escaped his lips as the sharp points pierced his flesh. His armor was a gift – it protected the truly vulnerable parts of him. But the thorns were poisonous. Chase felt his limbs go numb. His neck began to fall loose and hung backwards. His vision was a blur. Knees bucked and breathing became difficult. Finally he dropped in the ashes. He could make out a decaying Kimiko next to him. A victorious, evil cackle was the last he knew before complete blackout.

Chase Young sprung from sleep panting. The mattress was soaked in sweat and his hair was plastered to his face. The blanket, more of a long rag, was twisted and wrapped around his body. It was only a nightmare. "Accursed magic!" he wheezed crossly at himself, "Sometimes being evil is plenty tormenting!"

The moon was still up. From his learning he could tell it was 2a.m., very early in the morning. Regardless he took his bathing needs and a set of clothes. A baggy pair of three-quarters and moth-eaten sleeveless shirt, both made of canvas. The temple marble floor was still cold from the cool night. Yet Chase took no notice of those differences.

In the shower the water was freezing. It flowed over his warm skin, refreshing the natural senses. As he did his thing, the nightmare he pictured again. This time he was looking for the meaning of the vision. He took things that trigger fear in him very seriously. In a flash he recalled the characters in it – Himself, Kimiko, Raimondo, Hannibal Bean, Jack Spicer, Wuya and dead people. Kimiko was dead and so was Raimondo. Raimondo had Kimiko in his inside; perhaps he had been trying to protect her?

Kimiko changed into Jack. It must mean Jack knows something about his relationship with the young lady. Together with Spicer's stammering of forgiveness, it must be real. But the boy also mentioned "Help me! Help us!". Hannibal and Wuya were up in the clouds victoriously laughing; they must be up to something, and it must be about what Jack could have told them. But what DID Jack tell them? What does he know…?

Then a more pressing question came to his lips, "What are Hannibal and Wuya planning? And when will the master plan take place?" The two were up in the sky, overlooking everything that happens in the world. With an unnatural sky, so many deaths and mutilated trees they must have taken over the world! Chase gritted his teeth. In his dream he was obviously nowhere near people for he seemed the only one who could walk without dying halfway.

Or was he already dead?

Shaking the rash theory from his head he slipped on his clothes. The moon was still out as were the stars. They glittered and danced with the black velvet sky. He walked about the ground for a while to piece the story together. He paused, glanced at the sky. A sound had caught his ears. It whirred and buzzed like a helicopter. Must be the insect, Chase thought. For once he's in the right place at the right time. Chase nodded in appreciation. Sure enough Jack Spicer flew into view. The boy was wearing pyjammies (not pajamas) with his idol's picture patterned all over it.

Chase spared no glance at the bed clothes. Instead he listened to Jack explain himself. Hannibal and Wuya were told, by Jack, all that Jack saw when he had invaded the temple. When Chase asked what he saw, Jack immediately shuffled his feet nervously. "Well, Chase. I, err, saw you and Kimiko being kinda familiar with each other after my Jack-bots were smashed. And, heh heh, I assumed… You know?" he grinned weakly.

"Out with it, Spicer." Chase hissed back, "I don't have all night."

"I told Hannibal what I assumed!" he blurted out a little too loudly. "I told him about you and Kimiko being together or something like that. He looked kind of pleased."

"Elaborate on the last one. And soften your volume."

"He laughed evilly. Quite a good one." Chase glared. "For a bean I mean!" excused Jack, "And then he thanked me and went off with Wuya. I couldn't hear everything they said but I did hear them say your name. So I wanted to tell you just in case."

"I see." Chase replied. "I would thank you but being evil I must ask, what are you wanting in return?"

"Nothing much." Suddenly Jack sounded bolder, "Maybe just some of the scoop?"

Chase did not even take a second to ponder the request. He made an instant uppercut strike to the teen's chin. The boy did not stumble backwards. He dodged the blow and met Chase's face with a kick. Chase was better than that. He grabbed the bunny-slipper foot before flinging him to the temple wall. 'Jack' crashed on a nearby plant pot. But the artefact was far from the part of the wall Chase intended for him to hit. An evil smile greeted the shocked warrior when 'Jack' rose his head.

"You've always been a quick one Chase." The grey skin turned into a rough-looking maroon surface. The arms and legs disappeared and 'Jack' shrunk into a midget with two roots at its sides.

"Hannibal Roy Bean." grunted Chase. "I thought as much."

"Of course you did." The bean mocked back, "Tell me, what gave me away?"

"You're horrible acting."

"Well then." The intruder smirked, "Thank you for telling me so. I shall work on it next time but for now, I think you'll be needing some time to cover my tracks!" With a resounding cackling he jumped up to a bird hovering over the temple roofs. Chase jumped as well, but missed catching the bean for the bird had swooped down and picked up its master before he could do so. He had a notion to fly after him but remembered his vow to stay on the temple grounds. Giving one last angry glace at the sky, Chase turned his heel.

Kimiko was woken up by multiple kisses on her cheek and neck. The sun had barely risen. Her curtains were not drawn and her room was quite dark. Still she could make out a shape of a handsome man kneeling on one by her mattress-side. She could also see that he was in an urgent mood.

"I'm glad you're awake Kimiko." He said stroking her arm. "There is something I need to talk to you about."

"What is it Chase?" Kimiko said between yawns.

The reply was both unexpected and expected. He locked his lips with hers. She opened her mouth, giving him easy access. They wrapped each other in their arms. She felt his hair and massaged his head, breathing his fresh morning scent. He pulled her closer with his hands around her back and waist. He crawled his fingers over her spine, to under her neck. His tongue had entered her daringly. He stroked her tongue. She stroked his back passionately. They intertwined neatly, lapping endlessly and moaning faithfully. The urge she felt towards him now was strong and she curled her legs around his waist. He let himself be pulled down on top of her. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves while groaning against each other.

When at last they broke apart, Chase continued his saying.

"It concerns us." He stated it flatly, but her heart beat ferociously hard at the statement.

He remained lying over her and could sense her uneasiness. He moved his lips right by her ear and whispered in hot breaths, "I had a nightmare last night, and it was not ordinary. It has been very long and I have almost forgotten that I had this power of visions."

"What did you see, Chase?" she whispered back, "What's gonna happen?"

"To describe it would frighten you. But I will tell you the meaning, and what happened when I arose from sleep." He licked her earlobe, sending a surging warmth through her body. "Hannibal and Wuya are up to something very large in result. Possibly the end of the world and it would be done through us. They would somehow use our little romance to trigger a heavy assault on anything that poses a threat to them. Later when I awoke, Hannibal had disguised himself as Spicer and came to me. He shared what that fool was naïve enough to tell him, as well as acting as though he was really Spicer." Kimiko's eyes widened. " The information he gave is as expected – they know, or at least depending on Spicer's theory, that we are in love and are together planning. I am not sure when, but it would be soon."

He waited for her to digest this information then gave a warning. "Be on the lookout, my dear." He looked into her eyes, "Especially for anything wondering about the grounds." He rolled beside her.

"We should tell Master Fung and Master Monk Guan!" she suggested.

"They will then ask how I came about this information." he shook his head, "The evidence is too solid and it all points to me. How can we possibly receive help if our story is told?"

"I don't know." Her eyes travelled past his head. Suddenly she said, "But, how does this even happen?"

"What?" Chase thought he heard doubt in her voice.

"How can Spicer," she replied looking at him, "the wannabe who never figures anything out unless it's useless, actually figure THIS out?"

Chase arched his eyebrow. He took a moment to form his message. "You don't believe me, do you Kimiko?" he finally stated quietly.

"It's really weird." She confessed, "And like, almost unreal." She saw his eyes look elsewhere, way past her. "That's what I think." She quickly added.

His heart sank. The one person he thought he could get cooperation from did not even believe his testimony. How could she…?

"I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." He ended their time together. Just as he got up, however, he turned to her again, "But even if you think it's unbelievable, would you still be by my side?" he asked smoothly.

"Of course I would!" she said comfortingly, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"At least that's covered. Good morning Kimiko." He nodded and walked out of her room.

Everyone woke up to a breakfast of pure-brewed Chinese tea and porridge. Along with the soft rice were some vegetables and meat. Nobody knew about the episode earlier that night or of Chase's heavily concerned mood. But the Masters were very inquisitive about the missing pot and its plant rooted in just soil, otherwise the morning went uneventful – much to Chase's mental discomfort.

The afternoon sun was as bad as every other afternoon that passed. The four young monks were lolling around and enjoying the breeze Raimondo was thoughtful enough to conjure up. Master Fung was reading up some scrolls with gibbering Dojo on his shoulder. On the other hand, Master Monk Guan was keeping an eye for his long-lost friend. There was nothing to fear from him because of the oath he had taken during the Xiaolin Showdown that so fatefully brought him back here. Nonetheless, the naturally immortal Master was suspicious of Chase Young. So far nothing in Kimiko has shown that she could defeat this ex-invincible warrior. Once again, he was on the lookout for anything.

Chase was behind the temple wall with the laundry and was noticeably weary. He could hold Raimondo's dirtiest underwear without twitching his nose. Every piece of fabric he scrubbed unaware of what piece they were. His eyes were directed at them, but his mind was on last night and that morning. His powers and Hannibal was the hardest proof that something big and bad was coming, BUT she won't believe him?

"How might I convince her…" he muttered to himself. Guan strained to hear the next sentence, and that one move gave him away.

Chase did not fly at him, but he did suddenly drift into acting normal – unconcerned. The Master frowned and left. It was not just the unsuccessful spying that drove him off, the heat was becoming unbearable. Sure enough even Chase could not stand it. After everything was washed he walked a few meters upstream and dived straight in. He figured he could spare a few minutes cooling down since nobody was going to lecture him in this weather. Fortunately he was wrong.

Kimiko was getting bored with the boys as all they did was slacking their heads off – literally! They had dozed off and drool was dripping on the shiny tiles. She had tried snoozing off herself but their constant snores buzzed in her ears. In the end she decided to find Chase at the river. As she neared the water she saw wet clothes laid out to dry, a bottle of detergent and a scrub. No lover here.

Not wanting to attract attention she did not call for him. But the sparkling water was too tempting to resist. Stripped of cover except for her underclothes, she waddled upstream to find him.

Chase submerged his whole body into the refreshing water. He had learned over time to swim open eyed but he wasn't intending to see underwater, he wanted to meditate instead. He shifted his legs cross-legged on the soft sand below and faded from the silent underwater world to an even more silenced dimension of his mind.

Kimiko carried her Xiaolin clothes in one hand and waved away at the water with the other. She had struggled for fifteen minutes but has not seen anything but water, sand, a few big rocks and some flowing black water plant. "Wait, since when are plants black?!" she smacked herself in realization, "Damn!" She paddled her way back downstream to the spot where the 'black plant' was 'planted'.

Chase sensed unnatural water movements as he sat without breathing. Here she comes again, he thought with a smirk tugging at his sealed lips. More vibrations had stirred, and they were more vigorous than the last ones. How might I surprise her? He suddenly felt like scheming. Ah…I know. He exhaled, sending bubbles to the water surface. He stood up and stretched.

She had no idea what to expect when she sees him. His shirt would be off, plus more than that. Would be an interesting sight though, she giggled. Then she saw him. Her lips separated in disbelief at the sight. She had seen him soaked and bare-chested before but nothing compared to this – he wore nothing except white underwear. Her eyes trailed down his glistening body. His neck, chest, arms, and six-pacts were totally eye-catching. He must have known she was coming because he right there he teased her. Stretching about he was flexing all he's got, the only thing he didn't show off was what lay beneath the only clothing he wore." Why doesn't he just show that?" She murmured.

As if he read her thoughts, he leaned back to crack his spine. He went all the way down backwards nice and slow. He balanced his upper body underwater, giving center stage to his underwear. Then flipped his legs onto the riverbank and stood up straight with his hands propped on his waist, showing off his pride. He dramatically stayed in that position and dived in without a splash. She watched the ripples of the water roll towards her, a dark shape following closely behind. Out of intuitiveness she tried jumping out of the water. Firm hands clutched at her ankles and a head appeared just inches before her front ass.

"Why hello there, my dear." His words sent warm air over her belows, "What might have brought you here? "

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I – I was doing nothing an – and nobody was watching so I thought…"

"Do tell me what you think, especially right now." He neared her thighs, lips carved smugly.

"I wanted to see what you're doin'" she explained herself, blushing. "I - What I think?"

He didn't bother to answer. He opened his mouth and inhaled her precious little's scent. Trailing his lips over the clothing he caressed his hands up her smooth legs. She trembled at his teasing. As soon as his hands felt the edges of her ass, she crumbled in weakness into his muscular arms. He laughed at her innocent eyes as they searched his. Her eyes moved elsewhere, onto his chest. Although water was up to their necks, the ripples could not block the sexy sight from her eyes.

She put one hand on each side of his chest. Without his permission she travelled over it in mischievous circles. He hissed at her hot touch, urging her on. She moved her nails against his nipples then stroked them with tips of her fingers. His hisses launched into a deep groan and he pried her legs open.

She played his game. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she could feel his bump pressing hard against her. She arched her back and her chest was propped right by his face. He smiled at the roundness then sneaked to kiss her neck. He nipped the skin gently. She moaned with a smile. He slowly made moves down to her shoulders and above her chest. Her moans grew louder and she pulled him closer to her. When she felt she could spill out, he stopped.

Her eyelids flipped open and stared at him disappointed. He smiled back at her, his dark eyes searching something in her soul. She wanted him to nurse her back into that high pleasure, he could see, but was she willing to give it all up?

We'll see after this. With that he dived back into pleasing her, starting with her protruding chest. He trailed any skin available with kisses while satisfying his roaming hands over her ass. She gasped at the sudden pleasure surge charging in her being. He felt her tighten her grip around him and grinned between kisses.

When her grip was so tight that he could only breathe her in, he slipped a hand into her panties. He let his hand feel the softness. She screamed and gasped at the same time making a rather seductive combination. Seizing his high cheekbones in her desperate hands, she pulled him in with an aggressive kiss. He closed his eyes and let himself be reeled in. He never stopped touching her.

Finally he pulled her clothing down. Her kisses halted to a mere attachment between them and her eyes opened to his closed ones. He parted his lips from hers, savoring whatever he had left. they looked into each other for awkward moments in end, different perspectives running through their heads.

Kimiko was stunned by how far Chase could go in minutes. He – He just pulled it off, she breathed heavily. Should I – Should I let him have me that way? So soon? It's only been five days…

Chase closed his mouth and searched her eyes questioningly. She isn't ready, he sighed. Alright then – another time, we'll try this again. He smiled at her and stroked her cheek with his finger.

Kimiko closed her eyes and leaned on his touch. He understands that I am not ready, she smiled. That is so sweet! "Thanks Chase." She mumbled.

"Not a problem." He stroked down her forearm, "All the same, you still don't believe that Hannibal and Wuya are up to something nastily big?"

Kimiko whined, "You're still thinking about that? C'mon Chase, relax! What could happen?"

"That was exactly what you said last night!" Chase snapped his fingers, "Do you not see the obvious? Have you not known the Heylin side long enough to know that we do the last thing you Xiaolin would expect?"

"What are you trying to say Chase?" Kimiko felt defensive.

"I am simply saying you should believe my words," he answered, "and prepare for the worst. At least you could live past this."

"What?!" she jumped in shock, "You mean that everyone else is gonna go? Like go bad?" She animated her statement with a head-slice action.

"That is what my vision says." He replied ruefully, "Then again, isn't that what happens when the world is taken over by evil?"

The young Xiaolin sat on her lover's lap in thought. Her heart was split between two opinions; Xiaolin were trained to frown on any 'ideas' from Heylin, but at the same time she wanted to believe the man who loves her. Moments of thought later, her reply was still a disappointment to him "I'm sorry Chase, but I just can't get what you're sayin'!"

He looked down. For a while the two remained in the water without speaking.

When at last the silence broke, it was by a yell of hunger.

"WHERE'S THAT EX-HEYLIN SLACK?!" Raimondo's voice could be heard for a half-kilometer radius, "I'M TOTALLY STARVIN'! AND ANYBODY SEEN Kimiko?"

"Uh oh." Kimiko climbed off his legs, "I gotta go Chase! But I'll be around." She picked up her clothes, gave him a peck on the cheek and jogged to the temple gate. He watched her leave a trail of water on the dry grass. As soon as she was out of sight, he directed his telekinesis to the water. Transparent blobs floated and dropped into the river, as he flew out. He focused on the water on his body and sent them to the river as well. Wearing his clothes, he sped towards the temple gates to prepare lunch.

Raimondo called out to Kimiko as she jogged past him, by then she had slipped on her clothes. "Hey Kim! Where've you been? You disappeared when we were sleeping, girl!"

"Yeah!" she called back, "I was just chillin' out in the river!"

Raimondo acknowledged her with a whistle. Kimiko ignored the boy and headed for her room. Again she found herself in a state of daydream as she flopped on her bed. She remained still in her fantasy and reality recollections, until she heard a hollering from Clay. "Hey there Kimiko! Lunch is up for pickings!"

She replied with a yell of "OK!" and strolled to the dining room. Bowls of steaming rice were lay out neatly upon the table. Vegetables stir-fried in thin Chinese gravy, simple fried chicken cutlets in sauce and pao for extras. Pao is a favourite Chinese snack that has been around ever since Chinese have been around. It is a steamed white bun with a filling and shaped into either a round bun or a bun with protruding lines at the top. In this case, the fillings Chase made were char siew (a pork and sauce mixture), chicken, red bean and lotus paste. Kimiko quickly stole a seat, a bowl of rice and every ounce of side dish she could. The pao was delicious, but Raimondo grumbled that it was too warm, and on a hot day like this it sucked.

Chase Young was scrubbing toilets, again, with his mind elsewhere, again. Worry, concern, evil, love, and fate were stuck in his mind like the grime between the bathroom tiles. He could not stop thinking of the bad things about to happen any moment. That was how he spent the rest of the day and evening, until Kimiko walked into his room and tried talking him to sleep. He was flustered and paranoid by then, and looked pale.

"Chase!" Kimiko gasped and cupped his face, "How did you end up so white?"

"Hannibal can appear any moment Kimiko." He whispered stressed, "Yet I'm stuck here like a sitting duck!" He clenched his fist to his head.

Right then, the girl just wanted to slap some sense into her stubborn man! But she had learned patience and took a deep breath. Then she crawled behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Relax Chase." She said softly while caressing his tensed shoulders.

"Absolutely not. Zhen Jìng Bìng!" He motioned to get up, instantly to be pulled back by Kimiko's small but firm grip. He gave an unappreciative grunt.

(That's insane!)

"Relax." She said firmly. She hugged him around his chest, feeling his quick, impatient breathing. Stroking her hands across him and around his forehead, she murmured into his ear, "Take a deep breath Chase, that always helps me." Chase protested a bit, but her coaxing voice made his heart laugh, and he submitted to her. He inhaled deeply. He exhaled slowly. True enough, despite that he knew it for centuries, his frustration lessened. "There you go. Come on, again."

He repeated the controlled breathing. With his good mood back, he leaned against her. She chuckled and massaged him; head, temples and shoulders.

The moon was full and shone brightly. Even so, the little stars could still give a display of shiny dots against the black emptiness of space. The scene changes – a big-haired lady in a black, outlined dark purple, stood over a table with the world map spread out on it. Beside her was a boy in black and boots. But they weren't the schemers over the world, but a dark red bean was motioning to different areas all over the globe. He marked six blood-red crosses on some specific parts; Brazil, Texas, Japan, China and New York. Then, with an evil hoot, he made a bold circle on an empty spot and labeled it the Land of Nowhere.

"The poor Heylin forced-Xiaolin's only place of hope!" Spine-tingling laughter roared out from the mouths of the three.