Chapter 11- Death
She could hear them coming down the hall, their heavy footsteps echoing throughout every cell in the dungeon. Kimiko shivered and glanced over to Jack, who was sleeping peacefully against the wall. Kimiko rubbed her own arms to keep warm, and winced as pain struck her shoulder blades. Her whole body was stiff and covered in blood from the day before. Jack had done a good enough job in helping her and without him, Kimiko knew she probably wouldn't have lasted through the night. But her body was healing: already she could feel delicate scabs where the angry wounds had been the night before.
The warriors sent to get her were almost upon her cell, and Kimiko looked over to Jack. For a moment, she considered waking him, and then she sighed heavily. She heard a jingle of keys from outside the door, and she tried to prepare herself. She had long since learned that not fighting back when the warriors came meant less pain for the time being. She felt pitiful; Chase was already breaking her.
The door burst open, revealing two human warriors and a pack of jungle cats in the harsh light. Kimiko calmly raised her head and made no move to struggle as the human warriors forced her to her feet. As they led her, weakened and extremely unsteady, out the door, she glanced backwards at Jack. He had opened his eyes sleepily just in time to see her disappear from sight.
They were gone before he had a chance to even think. He scrambled to his feet after them, but the door was locked and immovable. Jack let out a string of curses and kicked the door as hard as he could, earning nothing for his efforts but an aching foot and a heavy conscious. He got onto his knees and peered out from the crack under the door, and miraculously, caught a glimpse of Kimiko turning a corner. She was being guarded tightly and was being dragged more than she was walking, but it looked like she was alright for the time being. With a heavy sigh, he slumped against the wall and put his hands to his head.
Kimiko…Please be alright.
It was hours later when the door opened again, flooding the dark cell with light. Jack, slumped in a corner, groggily lifted his head, unaware that he'd even fallen asleep.
But as soon as he saw what was going on, he scrambled to his feet, looking desperately for the standing figure of Kimiko somewhere in the mass of warriors. A cat snarled and swiped a paw at him, and Jack stumbled backwards with fresh claw marks on his stomach. Two warriors entered the cell and dumped a body on the ground, then swiftly turned and exited. Jack rushed to the lifeless body of Kimiko to find that this time she was already unconscious. He pulled her across his lap and felt her pulse, along with a shallow breath.
Jack pulled off her robes to see that his makeshift bandages were soaked through with blood. There was a nasty looking slash across her collarbone, but besides that, Kimiko hadn't been hurt too badly. He looked down at her, wondering what he would use for bandages this time, when a small package by the door caught his eye. Gently lowering Kimiko to the ground, he quickly walked over and grabbed the cloth bundle. Inside were a roll of bandages, and a small loaf of bread. A scrap of paper fluttered to the floor, and Jack turned it over to find a small paw print in ink.
He let out a sigh of relief, and quickly got to work. He began to remove the old bandages, then washed the old wounds with water. Her body remained limp and her eyes stayed closed. Jack began to pray that it was just exhaustion that had knocked her out.
It should have been me being tortured. Damn it, leave her alone. She doesn't deserve this...
He continued to slowly clean the wounds, trying to ignore her body's reactions to his touch. Jack was being as gentle as he could, but it still wasn't enough. As soon as they were clean, Jack unrolled the bandages and began to tightly wrap them around her torso, looping a few over her shoulder to help the gash below her neck. These bandages were thicker and helped stop the blood faster than the thin cotton of his shirt had.
As he finished wrapping the last tight loop into place, Jack suddenly became aware of Kimiko's weary eyes watching him. She looked exhausted and lifeless again, but she was awake. Jack gently propped her up against the wall and she curled her legs in towards her chest, trying to suppress the pain that threatened to overtake her. Watching her carefully, Jack grabbed the bread and water, brought it over to her and then sat down on one side of her.
He gently lifted her chin to see tear streaks through the grime on her face. Without a word, he held the water up and she drank as much as she could. Her strength was slowly returning, and by the time she had recovered from her effort of drinking, she was able to take the bread herself.
"Everything hurts Jack," she whispered desolately, closing her eyes for a moment. The bout of pain passed and she let out a long, ragged sigh. Jack found he could not meet her eyes and looked away, feeling incredibly guilty.
"What did they do to you?" he asked at last, glancing up at Kimiko. She looked down at the ground despairingly and managed to shake her head. Jack understood and patiently waited for her to calm down, guilt and anger tearing through him.
It was several more minutes before she moved. Kimiko sighed heavily and raised her head, looking towards the door.
"It was psychological this time…" she said softly. "U-Usually…they just beat me and hurt me until I can't fight back and I pass out…But that doesn't stop them from continuing. The first day was the worst…I had no idea what was going to happen, and suddenly I was tied up and the cats were there and-" Kimiko stopped suddenly and shook her head vigorously, as if she were trying to shake the images from her head. Jack leaned over slowly and took her hand in his, and she gave him a weak smile.
"You don't have to say anything, it's okay," he said calmly, reaching for the water to give to her. Kimiko shook her head again and pushed it away.
"Today…They went inside my mind. I don't know how they did it…When I first came here, and when I was first captured, Chase did the same thing to me…He read my memories, and I could see them too…They did the same thing to me again, but some warrior did it…I couldn't move, and they just tore into my mind…But this time-" Kimiko stopped suddenly again and shuddered, moving her body closer to Jack and holding his hand tightly. Jack blinked in surprise at the strength of her grip: he didn't think any strength was left in her.
"…They could modify what I saw…They made me watch my friends dying over and over…Raimundo and Clay…My parents…Omi…" Her voice dropped into a whisper as the scenes began to play over in her head. Kimiko's eyes closed as the worst of them all began, and her mind was dragged down into darkness.
Jack was being beaten to death, his eyes wide and desperate, screaming for her to help him in a high, sickly voice…And she stood and watched, unable to move even an inch towards him…His blood splattered the ground as he finally collapsed, his eyes lifeless and skin grey…
"Kimiko!" Jack shouted at her, shaking her body a bit as he tried to get her to come back to reality. Kimiko gasped in pain and realization, opening her eyes and looking around wildly for Jack before burying her face against his chest.
"Don't leave me Jack," she whispered desperately. "Please, don't leave me again. Don't make me go back there."
"Kimiko, I'm here, don't worry. You're safe now." Jack closed his eyes and pulled his arms around her, trying to get her to calm down. "Please…Just sleep. I'll watch out and I'll fight the warriors if they try to take you again.
"I know you would," she whispered back, relaxing slightly in his arms. "I'm sorry…I'm so weak. I'll get stronger…I'll fight back and get us out of here…"
"Sleep first, you need to rest," he told her gently. "We'll build your strength up tomorrow. I slept all day…I'll watch over you now. The warriors won't come back for hours."
Her shoulders drooped, and Jack gently laid her dwn to the floor. She gave him a weak smile before she curled her body into a ball, and closed her eyes. Within a few minutes her exhaustion had overcome her again, and she slipped into a light sleep.
Jack sighed and lay down next to her, pulling their bodies closer again for warmth. His mind was consumed with thoughts of escape, but he couldn't see any way out. Unless he had Shen Gong Wu or the guards were careless, he wasn't getting out any time soon…And he needed to get Kimiko out before they killed her.
I won't let her die…I'll fight Chase and kill him if it comes to that.
He lay awake for hours, listening to the soft breathing of Kimiko and the murmurs of the guards from outside their cell. Several times he thought he heard footsteps and got to his feet, prepared to fight off whatever guards had come to take her again. But no one disturbed them, and Kimiko slept through the night. Jack was beginning to feel weary himself, but he stayed awake and waited in the darkness.
Three days passed and the doors to their cells did not open, except to have their meager rations thrown in. Jack remained unsteady yet hopeful, anxious at the sudden peace but grateful for the lack of disturbances. Kimiko needed the rest badly, and it was a time for her to build up her strength again.
The first morning, Jack awoke to find their bodies pressed close together, warm even, despite the cold air. Jack had unknowingly fell asleep with his arm curled tight around her, as if he would never let Kimiko stray even an inch from his body. He blinked and sat up to find the source of the heat: a thin but durable blanket had been thrown over them. Jack immediately jumped to his feet, looking around for some sign of an intrusion into their cell, but there was nothing. He wrapped the blanket around Kimiko and moved over to the door to guard them.
As the day passed, Kimiko began to recover her strength rapidly, much like the day Jack had brought her home from the auction. She worked her way to standing, and when it was clear the warriors would not be coming for her, began to test her limits. Even in the direst of situations, Jack could see the fire behind her eyes.
At times, Kimiko would retreat to a corner to recover, pulling her legs up to her chest and remaining stiff and silent for almost an hour. She was angry and resentful of her weakness, of her need for Jack's help, and the fact that no matter what she did, her element would not surface. Kimiko had not used Fire since before she had been sold.
And now, it wouldn't come. She had already tried to bring her element to life, but the efforts left her with little energy and no results. Kimiko fell into small moods of depression of anger after her attempts and pushed Jack away whenever he came near.
They had both fallen into a surreal sense of time, where hours felt like days. Neither of them could tell how long it had been since the warriors had first taken Kimiko away. The days spent at Jack's house seemed far away and dreamlike: Kimiko was starting to wonder whether they had ever happened. And the rebellion...Kimiko decided that definitely had been a dream. If Raimundo and Clay were really still alive, they would be in this cell with her…Or they all would be free.
The second day brought more anxiety and more strength to them both. Kimiko's wounds were still sore and painful, but the bleeding had reduced drastically and they were healing slowly. Jack felt more confident at her recovery, but it was hard to tell whether her strength had actually resurfaced. Kimiko was talented at hiding her pain and pretending to stand strong, when in reality she was suffering. He often noticed her sink to the ground a little too quickly after moving for an extended period of time.
The second night came, and they both curled up under the blanket, conserving as much warmth as they could in the cold air. Kimiko and Jack took turns during the night watching the door while the other slept, although Jack made sure she was sleeping at least twice as much as he was. Kimiko needed her rest while she had the chance to do so. She had argued at first, but after her eyes had closed more than once during her watch due to her exhaustion, Jack took over and made her sleep.
Neither of them talked much during the days due to their fear of the guards overhearing them. They could hear the warriors laughing and conversing outside of the cell, but the two were afraid that if they made too much noise, the guards would investigate. So, they kept their voices low when they needed to speak, and spent most of the day remaining silent.
But during the night they would curl up next to each other and murmur in soft voices, often of how they would escape, or what they would do if they weren't locked in a cell. Kimiko couldn't help but think that if she wasn't here, she would be dead. She knew Jack was thinking the same thing, though he tried not to show it.
The hours passed slowly and anxiously on the third day as well. Kimiko was able to walk on her own by now, as well as deliver simple punches and kicks without overdoing her limits. Her back was still bloody and raw, but healing quickly and the pain was fading. She spent a good part of the day doing simple hand to hand combat with Jack, most of which left her feeling a bit breathless. But Kimiko pushed on, while Jack took every precaution he could not to hurt her.
Later that day, Kimiko tried again in vain to bring her element back. Jack had been feeling exhausted due to his double shifts the night before and rested for a bit while she tried to use fire. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep under the promise that Kimiko would wake him up in a few minutes.
But when he next opened his eyes, the cell was darker than usual: night had come. He winced and looked around, freezing when he saw the limp form of Kimiko unconscious in a corner of the cell. He scrambled to his feet and ran to her before flipping her body over to see her face. Her eyes flickered open after a few minutes and she sighed, oblivious to his panic.
"It won't come," she whispered, after Jack had made sure she wasn't hurt. For a couple of brief seconds, Jack thought the warriors had come back. But it was clear she had used too much energy trying to bring her element back. He sighed in exasperation and sat against the wall, bringing Kimiko back with him in his arms. She tensed for a moment before leaning against him and looking at her pale, trembling hands.
"I've tried so hard…And nothing works. I'm the Dragon of Fire, damn it! Why won't it come?"
"I don't know," Jack replied softly. "It'll come back, I promise…Just give it time."
"I don't have time!" she snapped, suddenly pulling away from Jack and suddenly becoming tense. She clutched her hands into fists on her bloody robes, glaring at them with all her might. "Jack, look at me! I'm weak, I'm defenseless, I can't light a candle to save my life, and I'm rotting away in this cell when I should be fighting Chase! The world is depending on me, and Chase has me reduced to nothing! I won't be able to fight back if I ever get near him! Chase is going to kill me soon, and if I don't have my element to fight back…I have nothing." Her voice dropped off into barely a whisper as Jack stared at her, stunned.
"Don't…say that. I haven't given up hope, and neither should you."
"I've already accepted my death, Jack. I knew I would die at the hands of Chase…I just didn't think it would because I was too weak to fight back."
"Damn it Kimiko, you're not weak. You're the strongest person I know, stop acting like this! Chase may want to kill you, but that doesn't mean you're just going to let him. I won't let him for one matter. We're going to get out of here alive, we're going to kill Chase, and we're going to save the world! But we're both going to die if we don't try something! So snap out of it!"
He left a stunned silence between them as his last angry words faded back into quiet. Kimiko stared straight ahead and refused to meet his eyes, her jaw clenched as she glared daggers at the cell door. There was a slight pang of guilt in her eyes as Jack suddenly realized she was angry at herself, not him.
"I'm sorry," he said more softly, reaching out and putting his hand overtop of hers. "I shouldn't have yelled. I was just nervous, and I don't want you to die. Hearing you talk that way…scares me. I don't want to loose you."
Kimiko slowly relaxed and moved back to Jack, before throwing her arms around him. He pulled her as close as he could, and she leaned her head back against his chest.
"It scares me too," she whispered. "I don't want to die...I don't want to fight him! I'm afraid of Chase…I'm scared of what he's going to do to me…For so long I thought I'd be prepared to die…But I want to live so badly. Jack, I'm so young! I should be going to school and hanging out with my friends, not being tortured in a dungeon and dying! I don't want to have to face him!"
Jack ran his fingers through her hair and let out a heavy sigh, resting his head on hers. "No one wants to die Kimiko…Don't be scared…I'm here for you, and I won't let Chase kill you. He'll have to kill me first." He felt Kimiko's weight sag slightly in his arms as silence overcame them.
"Come on, try to get some sleep. Everything will be better in the morning."
She scoffed at his words and shook her head, even as her eyes were closing from exhaustion. Kimiko curled up alongside him without another word, and he pulled the blanket over them both. Jack listened to the silence, a pang of guilt in his stomach. What if he was just getting her hopes up?
When morning came, Jack awoke to a kick in his stomach and a growling warrior standing overtop of him. Startled, he groaned and opened his eyes before jumping to his feet. Jack looked around wildly for Kimiko, but she was already gone. He tried to run to the door, but the warrior that had woken him pushed him forcefully back. He collided with the stone wall and collapsed to the floor, holding his head in one hand. The warrior threw a folded piece of parchment at him before storming out, slamming and locking the cell door behind.
"Kimiko…" he whispered numbly. She had been expecting him to protect her, and already she was back into the hands of the enemy. Jack, half risen, sank back to the floor and let out a low moan. "Please…"
His eyes fell on the piece of paper and he slowly unfolded it, seeing a messy note written hastily in ink. A small paw print was at the bottom, and Jack immediately narrowed his eyes. Omi?
Jack, the letter read. How strange it is to address you as a friend, rather than an enemy. I only have a few moments to write this before I am discovered, and I cannot risk this falling into the hands of Chase Young. Destroy this after you read it.
There has been another minor rebellion only a few days ago, and thankfully, I have convinced Chase to focus on crushing it rather than killing Kimiko. I know he has plans to torture her for all my friends have done to stop him, but I do not know when or how he will begin. Please, you must help her. Kimiko may be the last hope for this world.
I tell you this because Chase Young is growing impatient with me. He knows I would help her if I knew where she was, and so, I am being watched constantly. Many times he has threatened to do unspeakable acts to her, and I am afraid that he grows more convinced of himself every day. Although its hard to believe you are actually fond of her, after our history together, I hope you can do something to keep her safe. I am trying to delay Chase, but his mind has grown twisted with hatred for her, and I fear now for what he wants with her…It is much, much more than just simple torture.
Kimiko may as well be the last hope for any of us. We heard about sightings of Raimundo and Clay on that day when you were both captured, but so far, all of our leads have turned up empty. They have simply disappeared…or perhaps, they never existed in the first place. As much as I want to believe that they are still alive somewhere, it is most probable that they did indeed perish when Kimiko was captured the first time. My heart is heavy with grief, but there is nothing we can do except try to keep Kimiko alive. Chase is estatic at both their deaths and Kimiko's capture, and he plans to kill her soon. I beg of you-
The letter ended abruptly with a hasty paw print. Jack stared numbly at the parchment, feeling cold inside. If even Omi didn't think Raimundo and Clay were alive…he had no hope for the world.
Jack sighed heavily and tore the paper to shreds, which disappeared into the darkness grime of the floor. He put his head into his hands, feeling defeated and immensely guilty. Even Omi knew that Jack was her only hope…and right now, she was in the hands of the enemy.
As if to remind him, a sparse, high-pitched scream echoed through the empty dungeon. He felt sick, but he could only drop his head, and pray that she would return.
Kimiko gasped as she jerked back to consciousness, feeling a bout of pain shoot up her spine. Her wrists and ankles were shackled between two large posts, leaving her immobile and hanging several inches off the floor. She let her weight drop at the expense of the pain in her wrists, and a sob escaped from her body. There were tears in her eyes as she looked back up again, unsure of how long it had been since she passed out.
The warriors who had been torturing her were nowhere to be found. She was alone in the chamber, hanging defenselessly from her post. A light trickle of blood ran down her back and dropped to the floor, where she could see a small puddle forming.
Kimiko moaned and let her head drop forward. She had tried so hard to be brave and fight back, but now she was just back where she had started: broken and weak. Her tattered robes were sliced and hanging limply from her frame, totally cut through on one of her shoulders so that her bare skin and a bit of the bandages on her chest were visible. The bandages had somehow survived, and Kimiko was immensely grateful for the little bit of protection they provided.
She twitched her arms and legs, but when it was clear she would not be moving without help, let her body drop again. A door suddenly opened from behind her, and Kimiko snapped to attention as she tried to listen to the footsteps behind her. She heard the door slam shut, a key turn in the lock, and then an unusually light pair of footsteps began to tread towards her. Kimiko could not turn her head, but she suddenly felt cold and afraid at the person's presence. She winced as she heard an object be picked up and prepared herself for the next session of pain.
But it never came. Instead, there was a loud click and Kimiko dropped to the floor on all fours, free of the chains. She let out a cry of pain as she hit the hard ground, instantly holding her wrist against her chest. Kimiko squeezed her eyes shut and didn't move until she felt the same looming presence above her. A wave of nausea passed over her, and she looked over her shoulder with fear in her eyes at the dark figure standing inches behind her.
Chase Young.
Terror caught hold of her and she scrambled to her feet, too afraid to even think about fighting him. Her movements felt awkward and slow as she tried to stumble away, tripping backwards over a block of wood and falling back to the floor. The first thing that scared her was his style of dress: Kimiko had never seen him without his armor, and here he was, wearing a loose and unbuttoned black shirt and black pants. He advanced on her maliciously, a glint of evil and something deeper that Kimiko could not recognize. It was that emotion that scared her the most: it was a mixture of a deeper evil, desperation, and urgency, overcome by a slight expression that made her go cold.
Lust.
There was a crack of light, and Kimiko felt something slam into her head as she was pushed up against a wall. Her head was spinning and there were more tears in her eyes as she painfully gasped for breath. Chase Young was suddenly in front of her, one hand transformed into a dragon claw and holding her against the wall. Kimiko couldn't get up; she felt her strength fading as fear clutched her every move. Her brain was screaming at her to fight, to move, and do something, but her body wouldn't listen. Everything was going too fast for her to follow.
She suddenly found herself staring terrified as Chase's head lowered to her level, a glare and the slightest smile on his face at the same time. The same dark emotion swirled within his eyes, and Kimiko found that she was slightly whimpering, too afraid to move an inch. Her heart beat faster and faster as he said something but she couldn't hear. The claw tightened, hurting her more as he drew her closer to his body.
His lips crashed forcefully onto hers; overtaking what little strength she had left with one swoop. Kimiko cried out in surprise and tried to push away as his other hand made its way along her body, almost groping her as she cried again. Chase was rough and powerful as he tried to work his way in deeper, while Kimiko sobbed beneath him, doing everything she could to turn her head and keep him away.
She didn't remember making contact with one of her feeble attempts, but abruptly she was back on the floor after a strong slap across her face. Kimiko held her cheek in one hand and tried to move backwards again, but Chase had followed her again with the same demonic look in his eye. For a split second, Kimiko wondered with terror if the true beast within him had taken hold instead of Chase Young himself.
He grabbed the front of her robes and hoisted Kimiko back to her feet as she choked and gasped for breath. There was a sickening tear as the thin fabric gave way, and Kimiko fell roughly against a wooden table. Chase had totally destroyed the top of her robes so that only the bandages around her torso remained. His eyes fell upon her bare form and he tore the robes the rest of the way from Kimiko's body, dropping the scraps of cloth on the floor. Kimiko let out a terrified sob and clutched her arms around her body as she tried to run. Her threadbare pants and the bandages were all that was left covering her, and she had enough sense to know that if she didn't act, her last protection would join her robes as well.
Chase pushed her violently down on the table and was on her in a minute, his eyes wild with the eyes of a demon and a snarl in the back of his throat. Kimiko let out a high-pitched shriek of terror and tried to curl her body into a ball. Instead, he shoved his tongue back into her mouth, nearly choking her again as his hands closed on her body. It was too fast, too much, all at once, and she was defenseless. As his strong hands wandered lower and sent her into a panic, Kimiko bit his tongue as hard as she could. He grunted and brought his hands back up, finding one of her flailing arms and pinning it to the table before turning on her other limbs as he pulled his loose shirt off. Kimiko was blinded by her tears as she curled her legs to her chest into the tightest ball she could manage, straining to find her strength or at least her voice…
"STOP!" she shouted loudly at last, her voice echoing off every corner of the room. Kimiko's body shook as she held back a sob, putting her free hand up as if to stop Chase from advancing on her. "NO! PLEASE!"
Miraculously, he did. Chase Young stared at her as his eyes slowly returned to normal, looking down disgusted and full of hate at her. Kimiko shivered as he released her and stood up, leaving her to collapse into her sobs as she tried to pull herself together. She wrapped her arms protectively around her bandaged chest and tried to move away from him. A few minutes passed in silence between them, as Kimiko stared at him with frightened eyes.
Chase's eyes narrowed and he advanced on Kimiko once more, twisting his claw-like hands in her hair and yanking Kimiko to her feet. She cried out in pain and stumbled after him, trying to break free as he pulled her out the door.
Jack paced back and forth in the darkness of the cell, his hands behind his back as he stared nervously at the door. It had been almost eight hours since he last saw Kimiko, and now he feared the worst. He had listened to her screaming for almost two hours…And then, everything went silent. His hands were shaking as he ran a few fingers through his long, messy hair, praying that Kimiko was alright. Jack put his head in his hands, drawing a long breath to calm himself.
The door to their cell burst open, and Jack snapped to his feet, staring at horror at the tall figure in front of him. Chase Young stepped forward and glared at Jack before yanking his arm in front of him. There was a cry of pain from behind Chase, and Jack watched in horror as Kimiko stumbled into the cell, holding her hair just below where Chase had been dragging her. Chase looked them both up and down before throwing Kimiko at Jack. She fell sobbing into his arms as Chase turned around to leave.
"You BASTARD!" Jack screamed at him, holding Kimiko against his body. "What the fuck did you do to her? I'll kill you! Do you hear me, I'LL KILL YOU!"
The door to their cell slammed shut, leaving Kimiko and Jack alone in the darkness. His chest was heaving with anger as he let out a snarl of frustration. Kimiko was sobbing freely now, her body was trembling with fear, and Jack knew Chase had done something to her.
"Kimiko," he said urgently, his voice full of worry as he sat down against the wall with her. Jack tried to move her head up to face him, but she covered her face with her hands and cried harder. "Kimiko, please! What did he do to you? Tell me!"
She could not be comforted, and Jack saw for the first time that she was only wearing the bandages and a pair of thin pants. He hadn't expected the fabric of the robe to hold up for much longer anyways, but her missing garments intensified his worry.
Jack could do nothing besides hold her gently as he tried to comfort her. Kimiko was shaking, her heart was pounding, and she couldn't stop crying. Kimiko was usually able to hold in her emotions, but now she couldn't: everything was just tearing loose.
"Kimiko…Please, what happened?"
"He tried-" she whispered, her voice broken. Kimiko looked away from Jack and wrapped her arms around her body. She couldn't stand to tell him as she closed her eyes, trying to stop the rest of the tears from coming. "He tried…he tried to r-rape-"
He had heard enough. "I'll kill him," Jack interrupted her, his voice a snarl. His voice was suddenly low and more dangerous than Kimiko had ever heard him speak. Jack's grip on Kimiko tightened almost painfully as a murderous expression came over his face. "I swear, I will hurt that man until he wishes he was never born…I'LL KILL HIM!"
"Jack, NO!" Kimiko shouted at him, a cry breaking in her throat. "He'll kill you! Please!"
"I'm not going to let him get away with this!" he growled back at her. "He had no right to touch you at all! Damn it, if he even touched you one place where he shouldn't have…"
"Jack, I'm fine," she pleaded with him, looking back up at Jack with her eyes wide. "Please! He scared me half to death and he almost did it, but I'm fine!"
"Next time I see him, he's a dead man."
Kimiko escaped his arms and grabbed the newest pitcher of water before dragging it back to where Jack was sitting. She took a long sip before closing her eyes and passing it to Jack. She was a lot calmer than when she had arrived, but her mind was still full of images. She could still see Chase advancing on her with that look in his eyes, feeling her body forced beneath, feeling the weakness of her limbs and knowing that he would have continued…Kimiko shuddered against Jack, and he wrapped the blanket tighter around her.
"Get some sleep," he said softly to her, taking one of her hands in his. His body was still tense with anger, but he didn't want to upset her any longer. He lay down next to Kimiko and put an arm around her waist. She turned her body so that they were looking into each other's eyes, and Jack let out a terse sigh.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Jack, I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for getting you into all of this, and for being so difficult. I'm sorry for being so weak…And I'm sorry for what's going to happen." Kimiko closed her eyes as a last tear ran down her cheek. "I'm sorry for leaving you."
"Don't be," he whispered back. "I love you, and that's all that matters."
As the first lights of the red dawn came, Kimiko and Jack clung to each other, almost afraid to let go. Both of them had been crying, though they tried not to show it.
They both knew what was going to happen later in the day.
Kimiko was surprisingly calm, though her eyes were filled with tears that never quite spilled over. Her heart pounded at every sound they heard from outside. She was waiting for the warriors who were going to come take her away, although today she knew it would not be another session of torture. Somewhere in the night, they both realized what would happen after Chase had tried what he did. There was no way around it.
Jack felt numb and slow, his mouth dry as he listened to the guards outside. He was prepared to fight to the death to protect her, but he could feel his old cowardice slowly taking over his body. He knew he would not be able to stop it from happening. Jack clung closer to Kimiko, who had been dead silent since the night before.
And then, they could hear the warriors coming. Jack felt Kimiko stiffen besides him and he held her tighter. They looked into each other's eyes one last time. And then, the door to the cell swung open.
There were more warriors than usual waiting outside, and five of them entered the dark cell. Jack tilted her chin towards him and kissed her with every last emotion he had left in his body ,as Kimiko responded with the same passion. The kiss broke abruptly as three of the warriors grabbed Kimiko's arms and pulled her to her feet. The other two held onto Jack, restraining him from moving at all.
Kimiko's hands were bound behind her with shackles as she stood calmly, her head raised high. Jack could do nothing put watch, and he didn't make a sound as she was pushed out of the cell. He stared after her long after all the warriors had left, and he was alone in the cell, where Kimiko would never be returning.
Jack wept bitterly.
An hour later, the warriors came back for him. He was roughly bound in rope and dragged out of the cell by two warriors who obviously were in a hurry. Jack came with them almost obediently: his strength had left with Kimiko.
They led him through the stone dungeon and many corridors, where other jungle cats and human soldiers followed in the same direction. Jack kept his head down as he stared at the stone ground, avoiding the eyes of the watchful jungle cats. At last they reached a large, open door where all the other warriors were going through. His own keepers prodded Jack through as well, and Jack lifted his head to see where they were now.
It was a large open room, big enough to hold a few thousand people. Jack knew it was where Chase often sparred. There were steps leading down all around the room to a large, smooth marble pit in the center, almost like a coliseum. Many warriors, jungle cats, Heylin villains, and all others who supported Chase Young were beginning to congregate on these steps. Jack narrowed his eyes in confusion as his guards dragged him forwards and down. Jack caught a glance of Katnappe looking smug as she flirted with a few soldiers among the crowds. He rolled his eyes and stumbled forward.
The warriors stopped on the last set of stairs before the smooth expanse of the pit began. Jack looked around and narrowed his eyes at the sight of Chase, dressed in full armor, at the opposite end. Something big was about to happen, otherwise all these people wouldn't be here.
A great cheer of the crowd drowned out his thoughts, and Jack looked up to see Chase walking towards the center, his arms raised and the familiar smirk on his face. Jack leaned forward, only to have the warriors grab his arms and force him back.
"My fellow warriors, servants, and prisoners," Chase called, looking around the mass of people with an evil grin on his face. He laughed, and shivers ran up Jack's spine as Chase lowered his arms. "For three years I have conquered and triumphed over the world, and now, I am your lord and master! Darkness rules this planet, and shall for thousands of years!"
There was another large cheer as Jack looked on, disgusted. His hands clenched into fists, and the warriors tightened their grip on him.
"But," Chase continued, once the shouting had died down, "my empire has been threatened by three weak warriors, those who call themselves the Xiaolin Dragons. Three children, who thought they could defeat me! But I have triumphed at last over them, after years of searching and fighting against them! Two are dead, and only one remains."
Jack felt his heart go cold, and all the color drained from his face. Chase Young suddenly met his eye, and a sadistic smile crept over the warrior's face.
"And now, thanks to a traitor in our midst, the third Dragon has been captured. She is here, weakened and abandoned by her companions! With her death, the world shall belong entirely to darkness! No others possess the strength to defeat me! Now, I give you the Xiaolin Dragon of Fire!"
The people rose up in Cheer again as Jack looked around wildly, his heart beating faster. She's alive…Kimiko is still alive! He had been focusing so much on looking for her in the crowd, that he didn't notice a small figure kneeling in the center, her head pointed down. Jack's heart stopped as he saw her, too far away to touch or hear her.
"KIMIKO!" he screamed, fighting back against the roar of the warriors. "Kimiko! KIMIKO!" The warriors noticed his shouting as Jack tried to wrestle free and run across the floor. With a few shouts of their own, a few more warriors latched on to Jack as they pulled a strip of cloth between his teeth. Jack thrashed and tried to break free even more as his calls were muffled.
And in the center of the floor, Kimiko shivered as she looked up at the warriors surrounding her on all sides. Chase was just a few feet away as he picked up a sword, running his hand down the blade before laughing again. Kimiko looked away again and tried to stay calm. Chase was expecting to kill her, but she didn't want to go down without a fight.
In the minutes after she had been separated from Jack, the warriors led her to a bath chamber, where she had been allowed to wash and comb her hair for the first time in almost two weeks. They had given her a new pair of robes that she was wearing now, and that was it. She was led to the room that was to be her place of death.
Abruptly, she felt the presence of Chase Young closer than ever, and looked up to see him standing over her. Kimiko spat at him as he growled and pointed the sword directly at her.
"Get up," he snarled. "Now we fight." Kimiko hesitated for a second and then slowly rose, feeling her stiff body groan in protest. She was given no weapon, and Kimiko knew she had to use all of her wits to stay alive.
The crowd taunted and screamed, slightly numbing her hearing as she faced Chase. She could hear only silence around her and see only the man standing in front of her. Kimiko prayed for strength and went into a fighting stance. Chase laughed, and lunged straight towards her.
Kimiko dropped out of the way of the sword and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Chase was everywhere, his sword always just barely missing her. Kimiko stumbled and fell to the floor to miss one of his heavy swings. She rolled out of the way as the sword came down just where she had been and rolled back as the sword landed on her other side. Kimiko jumped to a squatting position and struck her leg out, hitting Chase in the back of the knees. He stumbled forward and away from her, and Kimiko collapsed for a second, gasping for breath.
Within a second he was back on her, and Kimiko was dodging everything she could. Her legs felt wobbly and weak as she missed the sharpened blade again. There was a sudden sting in her shoulder and she dropped to the ground, her hand full of blood as she clutched her limb. Chase narrowed his eyes and walked forwards towards her, circling Kimiko like his prey.
"You were originally the chosen one," he said suddenly, his voice low enough so that only she could hear it. Kimiko bit her lip from the pain, wondering if he had really said that or if she was hallucinating. "When I first returned…You were the first Dragon I had chosen to be by my side."
Kimiko tried to get to her feet and reluctantly removed her bloody hand from her shoulder. Her pace was pale and confused as she stared at him, her heart pounding faster.
"You were the strongest of all four of the Dragons...I knew fire would be the best element to fuel my quest and there you were…" Chase's face darkened dramatically and he swung the sword in front of him. "But you were too strong…It would have been too much of a challenge to bring you to the dark side. And there was Omi, leading in behind you, who was naïve and weak. So I took him instead."
Chase charged at her and Kimiko rolled out of the way, feeling much weaker than before.
Jack was screaming through his gag as loud as he could, jerking his body away from the warriors as he tried to get down and fight with her. Kimiko was weakening by the second: he could see it in the slowness of her dodges and lack of offense. She wouldn't last for much longer if he didn't help her: compared to Chase Young, Kimiko was no match.
He was suddenly above her, a wild look on his face as he brought the sword down. Kimiko didn't have time to move, and she hastily brought her hands over her head.
Miraculously, a dome of fire crackled to life above her, stopping his swing just enough to get out of the way. Kimiko didn't have time to even register that she had brought back her element before the sword caught her on the thigh. The sharp blade cut through her pants, making a shallow cut on her skin.
Chase laughed from behind her, remaining untouched and barely breathing hard while Kimiko struggled to move. Her breath was coming in ragged spurts as she shakily dodged again, leaving a splash of blood against the floor.
She tried to summon her element, but all that came forth was a weak flame that definitely would not protect her. The effort exhausted her even more, and so she extinguished her element. Kimiko could feel her body screaming in protest and knew her legs would give out soon. As she paused to catch her breath and watch Chase, Chase suddenly appeared behind her, when he had been steps away moments before.
"And now it's a shame I shall have to kill you," he said in the same low voice. Kimiko let out a cry and dodged behind him, sending a punch into his neck. Chase disappeared seconds before her punch would have made contact and she dropped hard to the floor on her hands and knees. Her body was shaking as Kimiko wearily looked up, seeing Chase advance on her from the front. "I cannot spare you as long as you pose a threat to my empire."
Kimiko closed her eyes as a kick came to her chest. She was sent flying backwards, rolling across the floor and banging her already bruised and bloody body until she collided with a stone wall. Kimiko did not stir as the crowd went wild, cheering and applauding her coming defeat.
And Jack watched in horror as Chase Young walked towards her, sword in hand. "No…" Jack whispered, pausing momentarily in his captor's grip. "NO! KIMIKO!" He was shouting louder than everyone around him, although his words were muffled by the gag. Jack tried to break free but he couldn't as he watched in terror. Kimiko moved slightly and then slowly raised her body into a kneeling position. He could see her eyes close as she whispered something to herself, making no effort to move again. Her body was shaking as Kimiko was on the verge of unconsciousness. It was already a miracle that she had lasted through the final kick, but Chase's attack left her broken and too weak again to move.
Chase stood over her and raised the sword above his head, his eyes shining with triumph. "It ends now!" he shouted, and with a sickening bout of laughter, brought the sword down as hard as he could on the crouching girl in front of him. Jack was screaming and crying louder than he ever had before, pain tearing his heart out as he saw Kimiko bow her head and wait for the blow.
And then with a great roar, the floor began to shake violently. Jack shouted as the warriors around him began to fall, and the room broke out into chaos. Stones were falling from the ceiling around the battleground, sending huge tremors through the stone steps and knocking over the gathered warriors. A piercing cry filled the room as wind the strength of a hurricane blinded his eyes, whirling so quickly around the spot where Kimiko was that Jack could only see a blur. He heard the shriek of Chase Young before the wind became so powerful that he could hear nothing besides it. The warriors holding onto him had fallen away as Jack covered his eyes, screaming for Kimiko as loudly as he could.
Abruptly, everything stopped. The wind stopped immediately as Jack reopened his eyes, looking around wildly. The room was totally destroyed: there were huge cracks in the stone floor and steps, along with massive chunks of stone that had fallen and cracked. Jack stumbled over the warriors and tripped down the steps as he broke free from his bewildered captors. He looked around, searching frantically for some sign of Kimiko.
And from the other side, Chase screamed a cry of frustration and anguish. Chase Young threw down the sword with a large clatter, snarling as he transformed into his Dragon side. Jack sank to his knees.
Kimiko was gone.