Chapter 12- Reunion

Wind, faster than anything she had ever known encompassed Kimiko, and she weakly looked up. She could feel tears running down her cheeks as her vision began to blacken. Kimiko fell forward against the stone as her strength left her, numbly staring ahead at the wind. It was if she was in the exact eye of the storm. Then, there was a bright flash of light, and Kimiko had a glance of a dark figure reaching towards her before the light overcame her vision.

And then, nothing. The white light surrounded her, and Kimiko realized she couldn't move. Her body was numb and paralyzed, yet she could still feel blood slowly leaking from her wounds. Her body felt strangely light and disconnected, and Kimiko knew what had happened.

So…this is death.

She closed her eyes again, and waited. Her heart felt heavy, not because she had died, but because she had failed. Her pitiful body had collapsed, and she didn't even get a chance to fight back.

Will she be all right?

I can't say for sure...She should have been dead…All we can do now is wait.

Damn it, I knew we should have gone after her earlier! She might…she might have been-

Raimundo, it's okay. She's here now…don't worry. She's stronger than you think…I'm sure she'll pull through.

I'll kill them…I'll kill whoever did this…

Kimiko lifted her head wearily as she heard the familiar voices around her, but could do nothing to look for them. Kimiko blinked and tried to sit up, but her body was still paralyzed.

"Raimundo?" she called frantically, her eyes darting from side to side. "Clay?"

And then, the light began to fade, and Kimiko was falling back into the darkness.

Kimiko shifted uncomfortably as pain greater than anything she had ever imagined began to fill her body. Her limbs were stiff and unmovable, and she grimaced. She could feel nothing but pain, especially in her head, where she could barely think. Her mouth was dry, and her lips were cracked. Kimiko tried to move them, but her voice did not come. Instead, a weak gasp filled her ragged breath, and Kimiko found it hurt even to breathe.

"Kimiko?" a sudden voice asked urgently over her. She saw shadows move beyond her closed eyes, and suddenly there were rough hands on her shoulders. Kimiko let out another short gasp of pain, and the weight was immediately lifted.

"Easy, partner. You're going to hurt her. Kimiko? Lil' lady, can you hear us?"

"Kimiko!" the first person shouted again, his voice cracking slightly. "Please! Wake up!"

Kimiko felt a tear trickle from the corners of her eyes, and suddenly she knew she was crying. Her eyes opened slowly to see two blurred figures kneeling over her.

"Raimundo…" she whispered weakly, the tears harder now. "C-Clay…" She weakly lifted her arm, trying to ignore the intense pain, and shakily reached towards them.

"Oh, god Kim," Raimundo answered softly, gently reaching for her hand and placing it against his cheek. Kimiko felt something wet, and knew he was crying as well. "God Kim, we thought we lost you!" She slowly shifted her gaze to Clay, who was wiping his eyes with his hand, and smiled weakly.

Kimiko struggled to sit up after a bout of pain and reached for both of them, drawing the two males into a weak embrace. "They told me you were dead!" she sobbed, holding them as close as she dared. Clay and Raimundo's arms wrapped around her and held her close. Kimiko was almost afraid to let them go.

Yet, the boys helped her lay back down after a minute, and Kimiko grimaced from the pain in her body. Every move she took filled her with sharp, shooting pains. Kimiko had never felt so weak, yet so grateful for pain, in her life.

"We've had a few narrow escapes, but we're alive and kickin'," Clay said, wiping his eyes again. He gently pulled something soft under her head and sat back as Raimundo reached for some objects off to the side of Kimiko. Within moments, a cup of water was pressed against her lips. He helped her take a few short sips before Kimiko fell back into her bed, weakened from the effort.

Stifling a moan, she realized for the first time that almost all of her body was wrapped in bandages, and she was lying on a soft but musty futon. Kimiko blinked and peered around at her surroundings. It was a room that looked vaguely familiar, but it was so run down that she knew it could be anywhere.

Clay looked at her and smiled before pulling the brim of his hat lower over his face. "Kimiko, do you know where we are?"

It took a bit of effort as she looked around the blurry room. Then, after a few moments, the room registered in her mind and her eyes widened.

"The Xiaolin Temple? H-how? I thought Chase totally destroyed it!"

"Most of the buildings are in ruins, but the Temple hasn't been touched since the night Chase Young came…and no one's been here at all for the past few months. We've been living here for a month now, and we haven't seen a single warrior. It's totally abandoned."

"Oh…" She went silent for a moment and continued to look around, noticing that Raimundo kept his anxious eyes on her the entire time.

"Kim, we're so sorry," Raimundo burst out, reaching to grab her hand. He looked slightly guilty, and Kimiko winced at his expression. "We should have protected you better…it's all our fault that that this happened…we just couldn't stop the warriors…and I thought you might be able to handle them, and-"

"Stop," she whispered firmly, though she felt faint again. Kimiko closed her eyes for a moment, and Raimundo's grip tightened on her hand. "We were all weak…it's…no one's fault. Just tell me…what happened…Y-You're supposed to be dead…I-I'm supposed to be dead! Chase…He…he was going to kill me!"

"Ever since we got separated, me an' Raimundo have been tryin' to track down any information we could on you," Clay said gently. "Once we heard Chase got you, well, we did everything we could to get to you, lil' lady," Clay said softly. He sat back and stared off at the window of the room, where a pale reddish light was illuminating his face. "It was hard, an' we almost got caught a whole bunch…But everythin' we did was all in hopes of gettin' back to you."

"And, we managed to score pretty good, too." Raimundo smiled sheepishly, and within a second, an array of odd objects was sitting by her head. Kimiko's eyes widened, and she reached out for a small, black ring.

"How did you…" she whispered softly, unable to finish as she turned it over in her palms

"Me an' Raimundo had a little fun," Clay said, shrugging. "When we finally tracked you down, we invaded Chase's place, stole what Wu we could, and grabbed you in the nick of time."

"Chase keeps all of the Shen Gong Wu in different places…the more important ones are more heavily guarded, so we couldn't get to them," Raimundo said, waving his hand over the pile. "But, we still managed to get the Ring of the Nine Dragons, Wings of Tenabi, Mantis Flip Coin and the Fist of Tebigong…It was hard though. Even in disguise, we got spotted almost immediately, and almost got captured more than once. Chase's warriors were tougher than we thought."

She put down the ring and picked up the Wings of Tenabi, wordlessly taking in their beauty. Never, in her wildest dreams, did she ever think she would have a Shen Gong Wu in her hands again. A tremor of pain ran down her arms, and she gently placed the Wu back down with a wince.

"Chase had already started fighting with you when we finally learned what was going on," Raimundo said softly. "We were so scared that we wouldn't make it in time, and it was hell trying to get through all the warriors after they had spotted us…I wish we could have gotten there sooner…Otherwise…you wouldn't be like this. Kim-"

"You saved my life," she whispered. "I don't care…that's all that matters." She was struggling to stay awake now, but Kimiko refused to fall asleep until she had heard everything that had happened during their separation. She winced and looked up at their concerned expressions, and sighed. "Tell me…what…happened…after we got…separated?"

Clay grabbed his hat, which Kimiko noticed, looked a bit more beaten up than she remembered, and crouched down next to her. "Well, the warriors that got you came to us first and knocked us around a bit…They thought we were dead, so they left us alone, n' went after you…But we hightailed outta there faster than a cat in a swimmin' pool, and tried to look for you…But they'd already gotten to ya first."

Raimundo looked away, a grim look on his face and crossed his arms. "So we hiked back into the nearest town, went into disguise, and tried to get some information on what had happened, since Chase wouldn't waste anytime in announcing your capture. Well, we found tons of wanted posters of you, and eventually found out that…well, you'd been sold." His voice dropped to a whisper at the end, and Kimiko closed her eyes with a sigh of defeat. Through her aching mind, she could still remember that day clearly.

"Kimiko…"

"Don't…say anything," she interrupted wearily, feeling slightly ashamed. Kimiko could feel her cheeks grow hot, and she closed her eyes. Her head felt heavy again and she tried to listen the best she could. "I don't want to hear it. Just keep going."

Clay and Raimundo exchanged glances before Clay picked up again. "It took us a few weeks to track down any information on where you went…but we got there in the end. Raimundo n' I didn't know where you were exactly though, so we traveled here and there, and formed a few alliances with the rebellious groups and such. And once we found out where you were lil' lady, well, we started a rebellion."

Raimundo looked away again, this time with a stormy expression on his face. "I can't believe it was Jack Spicer of people who bought you…That bastard…I swear, if I ever see him again, he's gonna get it…I can't believe that coward even had the guts to buy you…If he touched you at all…" He trailed off as he curled his hand into a fist, glaring daggers at the wall across from him.

"Mmm," Kimiko murmured, flickering her eyes as she struggled to open them. The figures of Raimundo and Clay were blurring above her, and she closed her eyes again to keep herself from getting dizzy.

Rai shook his head and propped his chin on his hand. "But…the rebellion was pretty wicked though. I never knew there were so many people left who were willing to fight Chase. Kim, you should have been there…it was awesome. We had it spread almost all across China, and Chase's warriors had no idea what to do, there were so many people fighting, and we were at the center of it all…it was going so well! But then we were spotted when we were trying to get to you, and well, it all went down hill from there."

He sighed and looked back at her with the same guilty look in his eyes. By now, Kimiko was only half listening as she struggled through the pain and the heaviness in her head. "We found Jack's house, and tore it apart looking for you, but we couldn't get to you. I knew you were there, I swore I heard you! But we didn't have enough time; the warriors almost caught us, and we had to leave without you..."

"I remember," Kimiko whispered, struggling to make words. "I was there! God, I was trying to get to you, but he was holding me back…and you couldn't get through, and-"

"I'm…Sorry."

"You bastard," she muttered darkly. Kimiko regained hold of herself as she got to her feet. Her body was now shaking with rage, eyes narrowed and full of anger. "You BASTARD!"

The pain in her head was worse than ever, and Kimiko jerked back to consciousness, gasping for breath. She had only passed out for a moment, but now her heart was pounding in her chest. Kimiko could hardly think now, and she fell back against the futon with her eyes open and scared.

"Jack!" she whispered frantically, twisting on the futon as she struggled to sit up. "JACK!" Kimiko looked around wildly, tears in her eyes. Clay and Raimundo had both jumped forward at her sudden outburst, and she tried to fight them off of her as they pushed her back down to the futon.

How could I have forgotten him? Oh, god! He might be dead by now! Chase could have killed him!

"Kimiko!" Raimundo shouted at her, trying not to hurt her as she tried to sit back up again. He pressed his hands down on her shoulders as her hands curled around his wrists, trying to force him off of her.

"Where's Jack?" she cried frantically, kicking Clay in the stomach.

"That git?" Raimundo almost snarled, his voice cold and unpitying. "He's rotting in hell by Chase's side, probably crying about how he lost his precious slave."

"No..." she whispered, the tears falling freely now. Kimiko looked up at him in anguish. "You don't understand! Jack, h-he's good now! He-"

"He handed you over to Chase, Kimiko," Clay interrupted. He was staring at her incredulously, a slight expression of disgust in his eyes. "You almost died because of him! He's a damn no good vermin, and-"

"He saved my life." She stared at them in agony, knowing she could never explain to the guys what had happened between them. "Please! I- I need him! I can't just leave him there! Jack protected me…I'd be d-dead without him! Chase is going to kill him if we don't do anything."

Clay and Raimundo stared at her in confusion, then at each other, unsure of what to say. Kimiko looked pleadingly up at them, struggling to sit up as Raimundo finally let her go.

"Kimiko…" Rai finally said rather darkly, still staring at her. "You want us to go back to the place where we nearly got ourselves killed and rescue the guy who has been our enemy for years, enslaved you, and handed you over to Chase Young to be killed?"

"Yes," she said firmly, struggling to find the right words. "Please, Raimundo, please! You don't understand! Jack isn't loyal to Chase anymore, and he'll kill him if we don't get him first. He…He might already be dead."

"There's no way in hell," Raimundo responded coldly.

"Rai-"

"Kimiko, listen to yourself! You're talking about Jack Spicer! He's been one of our worst enemies since we joined the Temple, and he worships Chase! You're telling us to go rescue him, after he did god knows what to you and kept you as a slave! Think about that! Why should we go and risk our lives to bring him back? And if Chase really wants to kill him, I say let him. He deserves to die."

Kimiko stared up at him, her eyes suddenly cold and unmoving from his. Silence filled out between them, and none of the three moved as Raimundo's words took effect.

"Kimiko…" Clay began hesitantly, trying to ease the sudden strife.

"I'll go myself then," she interrupted, shifting her eyes from Raimundo to the pile of Shen Gong Wu. Kimiko grabbed the Wings of Tenabi, feeling more alone than she ever had before. Before either of the two could react, she snapped them open and looked towards the door. Her body hurt more than ever, and Kimiko thought she was about to pass out, but it didn't matter any more. She struggled to get onto her knees, but before she could activate the wings, Raimundo tore them out of her hands.

"Kim, wait!" he said urgently, Kimiko couldn't fight back, and she fell against the futon with a defeated look in her eyes.

"Please," she whispered, unable to say anymore. "Please!"

"You're too weak to do anything," Clay said from behind Raimundo, scratching his head. "There's no way you'll be able to move, let alone get Spicer outta there. But…it's a deathtrap for all of us. Goin' back to Chase's is…well…"

"Suicidal," Raimundo finished darkly.

"You've done it before," Kimiko whispered, still pleading. "Please, I know you can do it again."

"Kim, I just got you back! I don't want to loose you again!" Raimundo shouted at her suddenly. The room hushed as he ran his fingers through his hair angrily, and looked back down at her. "You're weak, you can't move, and you have serious injuries! It'll take a few days to even get near the place undiscovered, and we'll have to leave you all alone. What if warriors suddenly come here, and we're not around to protect you? What happens then, when you need help, or you get really sick? You're not in a condition for us to be leaving you!"

She fell silent and looked away, unable to respond. Kimiko couldn't speak, and her efforts had left her without energy. There was no way she could explain to Raimundo what Jack meant to her, let alone convince Rai to go back for him.

"Please," she whispered a final time. Her body slacked against the futon, and she looked desperately up at them. Raimundo and Clay glanced at each other, and Kimiko knew her pleas were working.

"We'll leave tomorrow morning," Raimundo said quietly. He looked towards Clay again, and the two nodded before Clay got up to walk outside. He disappeared, and Kimiko and Raimundo were left alone in the room.

"Thank you," she whispered, trying to reach for his hand. Kimiko was suddenly aware of him leaning overtop of her, brushing her limp hair back out of her eyes. Raimundo smiled down at her, leaning even closer. Kimiko suddenly felt intimidated, and a bit unsettled.

"I'm only doing this for you…I just want you to be happy," he murmured. Before she knew what was happening, he pressed his lips down on hers, and Kimiko's eyes widened. She broke off the kiss abruptly and felt color rushing to her cheeks. Raimundo's touch felt more urgent and forceful, and she looked up at him timidly.

Before she had been captured, she and Raimundo had been so close to each other…they loved each other.

So, why did she feel so uncertain now?

Before the silence could take hold, a sudden flurry of green scales bounced painfully onto her chest, and Kimiko gasped. She jerked upright and backwards in surprise, her eyes widening as Clay rejoined them.

"We have a little surprise…" he chuckled, grinning at her obvious astonishment. It took a few seconds for her blurry vision to focus, and Kimiko found herself staring down into the widened eyes of a mythical creature she thought she'd never see again.

"It's about time you woke up!" the dragon complained, crossing his arms and slithering off of her. "You had me worried sick! I'm never letting you three leave my sight again!"

"D-Dojo?" she whispered, still staring at him. "B-But…you disappeared! H-how-"

"He froze me!" he complained loudly, shaking his head. "Omi froze me! The night the Temple was raided, he cornered me before I could get out to you! The cueball froze me solid and shoved me under a statue in the garden! And if it wasn't for these two coming back, I'd probably still be freezing my a-"

"We're pretty sure Omi did it to protect you from Chase, Dojo," Rai sighed, pulling him off the futon. Kimiko watched them with tired, expressionless eyes, though a slight smile was on her face.

"Come on, partner," Clay said softly from behind him. "Kim's about to pass out…Let's let her sleep for a while…we can plan out our breakin' in for the moment."

Kimiko sighed in slight gratitude and watched them get to their feet. "Thank you…" she murmured. Her body was aching worse than ever.

"We'll be right here Kimi...We'll watch over you. Just sleep…and we'll help you when you have some energy back."

Kimiko closed her eyes, looking forward to rest. She could hear the soft whispers of Clay, Raimundo, and Dojo behind her, and Kimiko felt her tears threaten to overtake her again.

She was alive, healing, and back with her best friends. Kimiko had never felt more grateful in her life.

But Jack was all alone now, and Kimiko couldn't help but feel his pain tearing at her heart. Chase would waste no time in going after him, and Kimiko desperately prayed that he was all right. She had no sense of time: it might have been days since she had last seen Jack.

He could be dead by now.

Shuddering, Kimiko used the darkness pulling her down to escape her deepest fears. Within moments, she was in a deep, uneasy sleep.

Jack screamed as the whip cut into his flesh, sending a splattering of blood to the floor. His body was already soaked with sweat and blood, and Jack leaned forward as the blow connected with his back. He had been enduring this for hours now, and already he was ready to give in.

His hands were chained and outstretched as he hanged limply between two posts, his body stretched out like an x. Jack stifled his next scream, and instead attempted to get his wet and sweaty hair out of his eyes.

But, the next blow came too soon, and Jack couldn't help but cry out as the cold, leather whip carved into his bare back. He was wearing only the ripped and ragged pants he had arrived in, and they were already soaked towards the top in blood from his own back.

"I don't know!" he managed to gasp desperately, almost out of breath. "Please! I don't-"

Jack's words were cut out as he screamed again, tears forming in his eyes. The tall, dark haired man in armor behind him angrily stepped forward, and Jack felt himself involuntarily shrink from his presence.

"Lies!" Chase hissed, throwing down the whip and striding towards him. Within seconds, his hand was around Jack's neck. "You know damn well where she is! I'll ask you one more time Spicer…Where is the Dragon of Fire?"

"I…don't…know!" Jack gasped frantically. "Chase, I swear-" His face paled as he tried to breathe; there was no way to defend himself. And if Chase didn't let go in a few seconds…

Miraculously, Chase released Jack and spat on him. "You know where she is," he growled in a low voice, wiping his mouth. Jack went limp for a few seconds as he struggled to catch his breath, letting his weight fall on his wrists and the chains.

"I swear," he pleaded, looking desperately up at him. "I-I don't know!" Chase rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. Instantly, the chains on Jack's wrists unlocked, and Jack collapsed to the hard ground. He could barely move he was in so much pain, and Jack wondered how Kimiko had ever endured this. She had been tortured for days…and already he was willing to give in after only one.

Before he could get a hold of himself, two of the guards latched onto his arms and jerked him upright. Jack hissed in pain and tried to stand as Chase faced him once more.

" Take him away, we're not going to get anything out of him," Chase spat, glaring him down. Jack shuddered as the guards began to drag him back to his cell and out of the hateful stare of Chase Young.

Every step he took was filled with pain, and soon, Jack was dragged more than he walked. The journey back to the cold, dark cell became a blur, and Jack suddenly realized he had been thrown on the hard floor of his cell.

He groaned and tried to move, but found that the wounds in his back were more painful than ever. Jack collapsed again and closed his eyes.

Immediately, he found himself thinking of Kimiko. After all, Chase was only torturing him because she disappeared. Chase had been past furious then, and was willing to take his aggression out on anyone present…and that included Jack. He considered himself lucky to be alive after what Chase had did to some of his warriors.

He groaned and eventually forced himself into a sitting position, then poured some of the water left for him down his back. Jack shuddered as the water splashed his open wounds. He didn't have anything to wrap them with, but at least they'd be somewhat clean: Jack had no other choice. He lay back down on the cold floor, wincing as he slowly lowered himself to the stones.

The cell was quieter than he had imagined it would become. With Kimiko gone, Jack felt depleted of energy and any drive to fight back. She had been the one to comfort him, even in her darkest hour together. And now, Jack had never felt so alone in his life.

He had no idea what had happened to her: one moment, Kimiko had been waiting for her death and the next, she was gone. Jack knew she had been near death with her injuries, and he desperately prayed that some miracle had helped her out. For a while after the incident, he had thought Raimundo and Clay had rescued her…But that was impossible. After all, they were both dead, and it was near impossible to sneak into Chase's palace undetected. Jack sighed forlornly, hoping she had made it out alive. And if not…Well, Jack was sure he was going to join her soon. Chase was convinced that he had somehow helped Kimiko escape, and wasn't going to stop torturing him until he got what he wanted.

"Kimiko…" he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut tighter. "Please…be safe…"

It was hours later when Jack awoke. The air around him seemed unusually still and quiet. Usually, he could hear the guards talking outside, but this time the halls were strangely silent. Jack sat up, straining his eyes in the darkness. Jack felt strangely warm and feverish to the touch, yet he shivered in the cool air.

His back was stiff and crusted over with blood, and Jack grimaced in pain. He tenderly ran a hand along his lower back, and quickly drew his fingers away. The guards would be arriving soon, and Jack didn't want to be bleeding before they started torturing him again.

Then, the sound of fast footsteps met his ears, and Jack snapped his head up. He could hear a few urgent voices outside now, along with several fast paces of people. Jack listened as one of the guards barked an order. The voice was met with more footsteps, and Jack narrowed his eyes. Something was definitely going on outside.

Abruptly, the voices and the footsteps stopped. The halls fell silent again, and Jack relaxed slightly. As his vision blurred slightly from his current state of drowsiness, he leaned back against the stone walls. The cold stone felt almost soothing on his burning back, and he sighed in relief. The air grew even stiller than before, and Jack's eyes flew open.

Without warning, there was a shout outside his door and a giant crash. Then, with a deafening boom, the door flew off its hinges as splinters of wood rained down in his cell. Jack yelled and scrambled backwards, shielding his eyes as he backed into the farthest corner of his cell.

Smoke blurred his vision as dust rained down from the ceiling. Jack could barely see the outline of two men behind the clouds of dust, and he shrank back against the walls, his heart pounding loudly in his chest.

The smoke cleared slightly, and Jack stared in disbelief as two men stepped forward. The shorter and leaner of the two crossed his arms, glaring at Jack with a ferocity that rivaled Chase's. Jack lowered his hand from his eyes and slowly got to his feet, placing his hand against the wall for support.

"Raimundo…" Jack started softly, still staring at them in disbelief.

"We're only here because of Kimiko," he snarled, glaring back at him. "If I had my way, I'd leave you here to die."

"Rai, we don't have much time, don't be startin' anything now," Clay said from behind him, his voice slightly urgent. Raimundo glared at Jack one last time before turning on his heels and walking sharply back out of the cell. Clay followed him, leaving Jack to stare at them in confusion: he still couldn't believe that the two Xiaolin Dragons were there in front of him. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Jack took two shaky steps forward, and collapsed to the floor.

Kimiko closed her eyes and laid back on her futon, staring up into the dusty and broken rafters of the Xiaolin Temple. It had been four days now since Raimundo and Clay left her, and she had hardly left the building. It was still incredibly painful to try and even walk, but she was getting better every day.

Raimundo and Clay hadn't wanted to leave her alone in her condition, but she had survived so far on her own, and Kimiko was desperate. She didn't want to be left alone, either, but with Jack's life on the line, she was willing to do anything.

But now, she was beginning to worry. After all, she had sent them on a mission that could be deadly if they were captured. To stop her fears from overwhelming her, Kimiko got to her feet and began to slowly move outside. Although Raimundo would have had a fit if he saw her moving so much, she was eager to get back to training.

Her element hadn't resurfaced yet, but Kimiko assumed that it was because she had such little energy. Still, she kept draining herself time after time, in an attempt to draw even the tiniest of flame. Today was no different: after blocking out the mere pain from standing up, Kimiko closed her eyes and began to concentrate, desperately trying to draw something.

The silence around her abruptly ended as Kimiko heard the wind pick up from outside, and her eyes flew open. She scrambled over to a crude walking stick Clay had left for her and hobbled towards the door, her heart pounding in her chest. Then, her eyes widened.

A giant green dragon was slowly coming to a halt in the courtyard, and her heart leapt. Two figures easily sprang off its back, and Kimiko felt her body freeze. But then, the two turned and bent over Dojo's back. In a few moments, they had a body between them, who managed to stand somewhat upright. His arms were curved around their necks for support, and the three began to move forward slowly, almost dragging the man in between. Kimiko's heart stopped, and the stick dropped from her hands.

And then, she was running towards them as fast as her injuries would allow her.

Kimiko's heart was pounding as she ran faster. Pain stabbed into her legs with every step, but she didn't care. Within moments, she was only a few feet away from them. Jack dropped his arms from around the guy's shoulders and shakily stepped forward towards her.

Her arms wrapped around his bare and bleeding torso, and he gently wrapped his around hers. Kimiko buried her head into his shoulder as Jack closed his eyes, a heavy sigh of relief escaping his throat, unaware that Raimundo was watching him with a murderous expression. Rai stepped forward to separate them, but Clay pushed him back.

Kimiko felt warmth fill her veins, and she suddenly stepped back. Staring in concentration at her hands, she snapped her fingers, and a weak flame appeared in her palm. Her face lit up as she looked up at Jack, and then flew back into her arms.

Kimiko had never felt so alive.

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