Chapter 16- Allies

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Kimiko awoke to the sun shining softly on her face, a gentle breeze washing over her, and the pleasant drone of human voices all around her.

Yet, as she let her eyes wander around the unfamiliar room, Kimiko felt no fear. Yes, she had absolutely no idea where she was, but this no longer bothered her. After all, if she were in trouble, she would have woken up chained in a damp cell somewhere, and not in a soft bed. Her body felt heavy in exhaustion and confusion, and as the previous day's events washed over her, Kimiko felt deep shivers run down her spine. She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her body into a painful ball, trying to stop the memories and emotion from breaking free. Yet, images of Raimundo's hurt-filled eyes, Jack's broken body, and Clay's concern filled her thoughts and wore her down, until her mind was too exhausted to focus on it any longer. It was only then that she allowed herself to comprehend her surroundings, and let her current predicament take hold in her mind.

It appeared she was lying in some sort of hospital cot, in an area sectioned off by thick, white curtains. With a frown, she threw off the thin sheet covering her to find her body washed, professionally bandaged, and only covered in a loose cotton gown. Her face paled slightly as memories of waking up in a similar fashion a month ago overwhelmed her, and Kimiko pushed those thoughts away. She didn't want to think what had happened to her while she was unconscious, or even how she had gotten here.

As she swung her legs to the stone floor, Kimiko held her head in her hands and took one deep breath. Outside her curtained area, she could hear gentle human voices and sounds of content. The sharp smell in the air of blood, ointment, and disinfectant made her believe that she was in some sort of medical ward, but where? It was obvious that she was somewhere safe and not captured by warriors, but Kimiko hadn't had contact with other humans in a year. Bracing herself, Kimiko lifted her head and got to her feet, only to see a chair by her bedside. A fresh set of Xiaolin robes was waiting for her. With a sigh of relief, she pulled off her gown and put them on. A simple pair of wooden sandals rested beneath the chair, and Kimiko wasted no time in preparing herself to leave.

Cautiously, she pulled one of the heavy curtains aside to see that she was indeed in some sort of infirmary. Beds just like hers lined the walls with curtains surrounding them, and she could see bandaged men lying in most of them. A group of nurses, mostly women wearing the same white robes, scuttled from bed to bed. Kimiko shrank back against the curtains and stared for a moment, trying to take in the large stone room. It looked vaguely familiar, and Kimiko was sure she had been here before. The design looked like the inside of the larger rooms in the Xiaolin Temple, but it was impossible that they were still there.

"Ah, Miss Tohomiko, you're awake!" Kimiko jumped and whirled around on her feet, her eyes narrowed as a harried looking woman scurried towards her. Kimiko made no attempt to move any farther as the woman dropped into a low bow before her, anxiety clear on the stranger's face. "If you would please return to your bed, Miss Tohomiko, we weren't expecting you to rise so early, and I've been given strict orders to-"

"Where am I?" Kimiko interrupted, her voice sharp as she looked around the room again. The woman looked both confused and uncomfortable, and Kimiko could tell that this stranger wanted nothing more than for her to quietly get back into the cot.

"Miss, please, in case you do something rash, I've been given orders not to- Miss Tohomiko, please! Come back, you still need your rest!"

Kimiko turned her back on the woman, and swiftly began to make her way towards the nearest door. The nurse kept continuing to call after her, but Kimiko paid her no attention. As she walked, she tried to ignore the others in the hospital bay around her, but she soon found that their eyes were all fixated on her. She picked up small snippets of their conversations as she passed, and Kimiko grew even more unnerved.

"-bought by the Heylin warriors-"

"-they say Chase tortured her for weeks-"

"-the Xiaolin Dragon of Fire, do you think she's our only-"

"-she should be dead by now-"

"-that girl's the only hope we have-"

Kimiko's face grew pale, and she sprinted the last few steps out of the hospital. The humans behind her continued to stare, and she felt their eyes burning holes through her bandages.

What the hell was going on?

Clay had to have brought her to a safe place, but where was she? Kimiko knew she wasn't in any town or city, as they all had Chase's warriors governing them, but there had to be a lot of humans here. And how did they know who she was? Few humans-let alone free ones- knew of the Xiaolin Warriors' existence and of their power. Most of the population had never even believed in magic- at least, until Chase turned the sky red and toppled half the civilization on this planet into the dust. Their comments unnerved her, but perhaps it was just because she was used to hiding and having her identity unknown.

The stone hallway she had entered after the infirmary ended in a set of wooden doors, carved with the symbols of the four elements. For a moment Kimiko went cold, before she reached out and traced her fingertips over the symbol for air. Something caught in her throat, and Kimiko hastily had to step away. As she admired them one last time, she realized that she had seen these before in the Xiaolin Temple. The frown deepened on her face, and Kimiko reached out a hand again to push them open.

Yet, before she had even touched the handle, the door swung open and Kimiko stumbled backwards as a large figure stood in the way. Light poured in all around him, and Kimiko had to squint for a moment before she recognized who it was. Clay.

Within seconds he had engulfed her in a bear hug, holding her as tightly as he could without hurting her back. Kimiko wrapped her arms around him in turn, and for a few silent minutes, the two did nothing but hold onto each other. Kimiko could feel something rising in her throat again, but before she could say anything, Clay began to speak.

"Kim…you don't know how sorry I am," he whispered, his hold on her growing tighter. "I should 'ave talked to Rai more…I could have stopped him from doin' all this. I thought it would be best if he figured things out on his own and let 'em be, I-"

"Clay, it wasn't your fault," she murmured back. Kimiko released him for a moment so that she could meet his gaze, though her own expression remained emotionless. "Raimundo chose his own path. There was nothing we could have done to stop him. What's done is done…and it'll be up to him if he ever decides to come back."

Clay still looked downcast, but before he had another chance to speak, Kimiko interrupted him again. "Clay, where's Jack?"

At this, the young man sighed heavily, and reached out to take her hand. "He's…fine. Rai did a pretty nasty number on him, and he won't be movin' or fightin' any time soon, but he'll live. It's just gonna take some time to get him back to where he was. Jack's been through a hell of a lot more than we have since we got 'em outta Chase's."

Kimiko felt the color draining out of her face as she stared at him, and she tried to jerk her hand out of his grasp. "I need to see him," she said hollowly. "He could be-"

"He's in good hands Kim. Don't worry. Besides, he's still out cold, I just went to check on 'im."

While Kimiko anxiously looked back towards the infirmary, Clay put his hand behind her back and gently prodded her forward. "Come on. There's something I want to show you." She hesitantly nodded and followed him forward, just as Clay pushed open the doors to the outside.

An entirely new world greeted her just beyond the entranceway, assaulting all of her senses at once. As she tried to adjust to the light and the overwhelming scene in front of her, Kimiko felt her knees go weak. It appeared that she had just stepped into an army's headquarters. She stood frozen in shock as her gaze wandered over thousands of humans spread out before her, all moving and talking at once. Humans dressed in uniforms bearing a crest that looked much like the four elements strode past her, children ran chasing each other while their mothers scolded, men carrying packs of supplies and weapons hurried away, and what appeared to be soldiers trained with swords just a short distance away.

In the three years since Chase had taken over the world, she had never seen so many humans who weren't trying to kill her together at once. A weak smile crossed her lips, but it quickly extinguished once she realized that the humans were starting to take notice of her and Clay. She quickly turned back to him, a mild expression of shock on her face.

"Where are we?" she managed to ask him. Clay chuckled, and squeezed her hand.

"Master Monk Guan's Temple. It's the last one standing…and the last safe place on earth. Rai and I found out about it when we were out lookin' for you, but it was too much of a distance to make without Dojo. Humans from all over the world have been gatherin' here…They're buildin' an army to take down Chase."

Stunned, Kimiko could only stare out at the mass of people, many of who were now eyeing the two with curiosity and whispering among themselves. Clay noticed the crowd's reaction, and a slight smile crossed his lips.

"They've been waitin' for us, Kim," he said gently. "They know we're the Xiaolin Dragons…and they know that we're the only ones that can bring Chase down."

Kimiko frowned and turned back to face him, confusion written across her face. "How?" she murmured, furrowing her eyebrows. Clay merely smiled, and began to tug her along besides him.

"My sister."

Jesse looked the same as when Kimiko had last seen her, though perhaps her face was a little more hardened from the wars. Her blonde hair was pulled back from around her face, and although she looked tired, her expression was pleasant. When Clay led her into his sister's room, Kimiko stayed hesitantly behind, although Jesse immediately got to her feet. She was wearing the same strange uniform with the four elements on it, and Kimiko stared at it curiously until Jesse extended her hand.

"Ah, Kimiko. Clay's jus' been tellin' me all you've been through. Glad to see you're okay."

Kimiko took her hand and shook it uncertainly, while her eyes wandered up to Clay. He was beaming, though perhaps it was only because he was seeing his sister for the first time in three years. Kimiko couldn't blame him; if she had any family left after all of this, she would be ecstatic too.

"Jesse…I can't believe you're here. We thought the worst after we lost contact in the beginning,"

"Eh, Chase tried to do me in a few times, but it's gonna take a lot more than a few cats to bring me down." Jesse shrugged and caught Clay's eye, who was now leaning up against the door. His grin widened, and he reached out to rumple his sister's hair.

"Jesse's the one who organized all of this," he told Kimiko, while Jesse swatted his hands away. "She knew that we were the only ones who had a shot at Chase, so she got her girls together an' set off gatherin' supporters. She's spent the last few years lookin' for us and buildin' up a resistance…most of the rebellions in the last few months have happened thanks to my sister."

"I knew y'all were still out there somewhere, it was jus' a matter of time till I found ya," Jesse said smugly. "An' low and behold, Clay dropped into the middle of my camp last night…though I wasn't expectin' y'all to be so beat up."

The corners of Kimiko's lips twitched into a smile, though her eyes were hollow. Clay noticed and immediately put his hand back onto her shoulder.

"Jesse's already sent out a few of her warriors to look for Rai," he said gently. "We're gonna find him and bring him back. But for now, it's time to get back on our feet. Jesse has her best healers workin' on you and Jack, and we'll be back to trainin' in no time. We might actually have a chance to take down Chase if we stick here for a while."

Kimiko looked up at him slowly, her expression unreadable. "Chase won't find us here?" she asked softly, her eyes wandering between the two siblings. Jesse nodded, and the proud grin on her face broadened.

"Chase abandoned this Temple right after he destroyed it…like your Xiaolin one. Plus, it's the most difficult one gettin' into. We've been here for a year and he hasn't even tried to invade us! I don't even think he knows we exist."

Kimiko finally let a small smile grace her lips, though she still looked shaken. "I can't believe this," she murmured at last, brushing her hair behind her ears. "All this time…we've been on the run and in constant danger…And there's been a safe haven just waiting for us. We could have taken Chase down years ago."

"Kim…there was no way we could have known," Clay said slowly. "Jesse only got here a year ago, and we couldn't have made it here undetected if we didn't have Dojo. It's a long journey...There was nothin' we could have done."

Kimiko broke away from him, and looked towards Jesse, who looked mildly uncomfortable.

"All that matters is that you're here now, Kim," she said gently. "We have the means to take on Chase's army…And y'all have the strength to defeat Chase. We can still save the world. Like Clay said, there was nothin' we could have done before. But we need you now."

Kimiko took a deep breath and pursed her lips into a straight line. With her eyes narrowed, she looked up to Clay, and nodded.

"I'm personally going to kill Chase."

By the time Kimiko was able to escape from meeting the rebels, shaking hands, attending strategy meetings and taking a tour of the Temple, she was thoroughly exhausted. Yet, instead of returning to the room Jesse had appointed for her to live in, Kimiko found herself heading towards the infirmary, although her companions had told her that it was no good. Ignoring the protests of the gentle nurses and the murmured rumors that followed her, Kimiko walked through the silent hospital ward until she reached a closed-off section at the end.

With a deep breath, she tugged door open, and stepped into the slightly darkened room. Then, her breath caught in her throat.

Jack, pale and bloodless, awaited her on the hospital bed. As she slowly shut the door behind her, Kimiko could not help but let her eyes go wide. His bare chest was covered with bandages from his neck to his waist, and one of his arms lay across his chest in a sling. Deep, bloody welts lined what she could see of his arms and legs, and there was a large purple bruise across his shoulder. A blackened eye and more bruises across his cheeks obscured his white face, while a cut extended on the side of his lip. As Kimiko approached the bed, she noticed an IV with blood and another clear liquid dripping into his veins.

With her body trembling, Kimiko sat down in a chair by his side silently, unable to stop the memories of the fight from returning to her. Jack remained unmoving, and she slowly reached up to take his hand in hers. His skin was ice cold, though the beeping of machines around him reassured her that his heart was steady. Her lips trembled as her eyes fell across his mottled face, and she felt tears welling in her eyes, forcing her to look away.

I did this to you.

"Kim…iko?"

She jerked her head up at the sound of her name, to see Jack weakly peering at her. Kimiko's eyes widened in shock, and she quickly scooted closer in her chair. "Jack," she whispered, clutching his hand tightly. "Jack, it's okay, we're safe now. No one's going to hurt you, I'm here now, just-"

"I was…worried about you."

Kimiko looked at him uncertainly, before a weak smile crept across her face. "About me? You run straight into battle with a Xiaolin warrior when you can barely even walk, almost die, and you were worried about me?" Jack attempted to nod, and Kimiko had to choke back a bitter laugh.

"You're…more important…than I am."

She tensed and looked away at his comment, her expression growing sterner. For a moment, the only sound in the room was the beeping of the machine behind her, and she sighed. Turning back to Jack, she shook her head and leaned down closer to him. She could see the pain in his eyes.

"Jack…why did you do this? You knew Raimundo was stronger than you are! Why couldn't you have just left each other alone, and let things get better in time? I can't believe that you were willing enough to imprison me, and go fight Rai over me…and don't try to tell me that I'm more important, because that's not true. You almost died, what the hell is wrong with you?"

Kimiko could feel tears burning at the corners of her eyes, and she angrily wiped them away. She wanted to slap him, or do something to knock some sense into him, but Jack was already shaking his head forlornly. He reached up with his good hand to intertwine their fingers, while his weary red eyes met blue.

"You don't understand, Kim," he whispered, struggling to speak against his exhaustion. "It wasn't just about…you. It was pride, it was jealousy, it was…love. We both couldn't accept each other…we were from different worlds. No amount of talking…would have changed that. I needed to show Rai that I wasn't going anywhere…I thought that if we fought and I won, he would accept me."

"You're an idiot."

"I…know."

"Rai would have listened to me eventually. You wouldn't be hurt, and Raimundo wouldn't be missing if you had just taken time."

"Perhaps, but we would never have been…allies. Rai would never…trust me. He can't…forgive me for buying you."

She sighed in exasperation, knowing that no matter what she said, Jack would argue with her. "I don't know what to think anymore," she said softly. "You're hurt and in so much pain, and Raimundo is missing. Clay feels guilty for letting everything happen, and no one knows what to do now."

Jack squeezed her hand in reassurance, and then reached up to lay his palm against her face. "Kim," he said gently, "I'm going to make things right. Everything. Chase, the world….Rai." His voice began to slide into obscurity, and Kimiko knew he was trying to fight his exhaustion. With a tiny smile, she took his hand from her cheek and laid it back down against the blankets.

"Shh…I'll forgive you in the morning. Now, just get some rest, I'm sure you're going to have an exciting day with doctors tomorrow. You'll be up and running in no time."

His eyes slowly slid shut in defeat, but a smirk remained upon his face. "You don't believe me."

"I do, but you're trying to steal my job. I'm the Xiaolin Warrior who can set balance in the world again, right? You're just a kid who likes to play with robots."

Jack managed to smile one last time

"A kid who saved your ass more than once."

Kimiko chuckled, and leaned down to kiss his forehead. "And now I'm returning the favor."

The throne room was silent, cold, and held the sense of impending danger. Omi waited uncertainly beside his master's chair, while a full court of warriors, servants, and villains stood below. Katnappe stood on Omi's other side, though this time she was completely silent. Her face was pale and appearance unkempt, and her hands kept shaking. Omi almost felt sorry for her, but considering what she had done to his friends, he could feel no sympathy.

Chase Young himself stood towering over the gathered crowd, his face icy cold and expressionless. Omi could not allow himself to look at him; it was worse than when Chase was angry. At times like these, Omi had no idea what Chase was about to do, and that was more frightening than his dragon form. Yet, before Omi had a chance to figure out why Chase had called them all here, the warrior began to speak.

"Three years have passed," he called out, his voice matching the empty expression on his face, "since I defeated the Dragon of Water, and took my rightful place on this throne. Three years since I crushed the world, and enslaved the masses to do my bidding. Three years since I created an army unmatched by any in the world."

Omi felt his body go cold, and he quickly looked down at his paws. One young warrior in the back row was visibly trembling now, and Omi could feel Katnappe anxiously doing the same. His gaze lingered on the warrior for a minute, whose head was down. With the helmet on that Chase required his warriors to wear, he could barely see the soldier's face. Yet, as he watched, Omi was surprised to see a pair of defiant green eyes glinting underneath the metal. He craned his neck forward, but as Chase began to speak again, he quickly fell back.

"And yet," Chase continued on, his eyes glinting in malice. "Why is it that in three years, simple children have been able to evade me and pose a threat to my empire? KATNAPPE!"

The young blonde woman besides Omi jumped a little, and she instantly crashed to the stone floor on her knees. "Y-yes, your highness," she stammered, bowing as low as she could. Omi could see the fear in her eyes. Chase turned on her, and began to stalk towards her. Omi returned his gaze to the young warrior in the back, but he could no longer see his eyes.

"You were in charge of catching the last of the Xiaolin warriors, were you not? A simple task…to catch three teenagers who didn't stand a chance against the warriors and resources I gave you. Is this true?"

Katnappe squeezed her eyes shut, and tried not to let her fear show in her voice. "Yes, your highness."

"Get up."

Reluctantly, the woman got to her feet and stood before him, unable to meet his eyes. Omi saw the look on Chase's face, and turned away before it was too late.

Crack. With a powerful blow, he reached out and struck Katnappe as hard as he could. She let out a cry and crumpled to the floor, holding her flaming cheek in her hand. Yet, Chase continued to advance on her as the woman frantically tried to scramble away.

"You have failed me," he snarled. "Get out of my sight!"

Omi tried to look away as the woman fled the room, and the warriors looked on with indifference. He curled his tail between his legs as Chase stalked back to his throne, and sat down.

In the last few months, something had begun to change within Chase. When Omi had first fallen to him, Chase had been strict and demanding, but he had been a leader. He knew how to use his powers to rule the world, and as much as Omi despised him, he had never been afraid. Yet, now it appeared Chase was beginning to snap. He had become cruel and tyrannical, punishing and hurting anything and anyone that disobeyed him. Omi had felt his wrath more than once, and now he could think of nothing else than how to escape him.

"Omi."

The young cat winced and dropped into a bow on his front paws, while cold rushed through his veins. "Yes, my lord."

"Your cowardly friends seemed to have slipped through my fingers again. I had all three of them in my castle, and yet they managed to disappear right out from me. And now, word has reached me that Jack Spicer has escaped as well. Why is it that they keep managing to narrowly evade me?"

Omi uncomfortably looked down at his paws, and tried not to squirm. "I…don't know."

Chase's lips curled into an evil smirk, and Omi felt shivers run down his spine. "Then we soon shall find out." The warrior looked out at the crowded room, his eyes still glinting with malice. Dread settled in the pit of Omi's stomach, and he could only hopelessly sit by Chase's side as he began to speak once again.

"My fellow warriors," he called, raising his face into the light. "For three years, I have conquered the earth and faced no opposition! Darkness will rule the land for all time to come, and I shall lead those worthy to serve me into my domain! Yet, my empire still faces one last threat, one that I have not been able to extinguish. Three children who believe they can defeat me still walk the earth, no matter how many times I have tried to kill them.

Omi's gaze helplessly searched over the crowd of expressionless faces, until he found the one warrior again. Although he was keeping his composure steady, Omi could see anger in his green eyes. Their gaze seemed to connect for a moment, and Omi was unnerved to find that the young warrior did not immediately look away like the others did. Then, slowly and unmistakably, he winked.

No. It can't be.

"…Now is the time for their demise! No longer will I sit by and let these fools challenge my rule! We will scour the earth for them, leaving no village, no mountain, no earth untouched! We will destroy every rebel, anyone who attempts to stand against me! I will purge this earth of all the scum unfit to walk among my allies…and I will succeed. The Xiaolin Warriors will die by my hands!"

The crowd erupted into cheers as Chase got to his feet and a smirk etched across his face. While his haunting laugh filled the air, Omi desperately looked again for the warrior, his heart pounding. He felt sick inside as he frantically looked around the room, but it was too late. The warrior was gone. Defeated, Omi shrunk back against the throne, and tried to stop his growing fear.

For the first time in weeks, fire blazed from Kimiko's fingertips. Her expression was unreadable as she carefully circled around the training area, never taking her eyes off of her opponent. From across the yard, Clay watched her, a smug grin on his face. Kimiko paused, and seconds later, charged towards him.

With a crash, a boulder shot up from the earth in front of her, blocking the meager blast of fire Kimiko had shot at him. But, instead of swerving out of the rock's way, Kimiko leapt up onto it, and threw another wave of fire at Clay. He managed to just barely pull another rock from the earth before she bounded onto that one, and jumped over his head. As Clay whirled around to retaliate, Kimiko was already in a fighting stance behind him, a grin on her face.

"Jeez Clay, you're getting rusty!"

He scowled at her, and the earth under her feet began to shake violently. She looked down in surprise as another boulder shot up underneath her, and just barely managed to jump off before it threw her. She crashed down onto the hard ground and rolled to her feet, sending another wave of fire at him. This time, Clay could not escape, and Kimiko grinned in satisfaction as he ducked behind one of his rocks. The tip of his hat was singed.

She had never felt so alive, even though the weight of Jack's injuries and Raimundo's disappearance weighed heavily on her mind. Two weeks had passed since Clay had brought them to Master Monk Guan's Temple, and the three were living in comfort and silence. For the first time in weeks, Kimiko, Clay, and Jack were treated to nourishing meals, soft beds, and the luxury of training like they used to. They were safe…and thriving.

The rebels, who had skilled nurses and healers, treated both Kimiko and Jack for the injuries they had acquired over the past month. While Kimiko knew she would live with the scars on the back for the rest of her life, her wounds were not infected, and she could move again with little pain. After the first few days, she refused to return to the infirmary, much to the agitation of the nurse Clay had asked to keep a watch over her.

Jack, on the other hand, had a much harder time. Raimundo had left him with an assortment of injuries that left him in constant pain, and made it difficult to move. Although he had improved drastically over the last few days, he was in no way able to train or fight like Kimiko and Clay. Every few hours, he had to return to the infirmary to get his bandages changed, and to have his fractured arm checked on. It took him a week and a half to be able to walk again and to be able to sleep with Kimiko outside of the infirmary, but his body was still weak. Kimiko herself knew he was still suffering…and there was nothing she could do about it.

Day after day, the three spent their time training or talking with Jesse and the other rebels. The two Xiaolin Warriors began to perfect their techniques once again while Jack watched on. At first, it was unnerving for Kimiko to use her element in such large quantities, but soon she was fighting against Clay with almost unmatched strength. Their training sessions kept attracting crowds of humans to watch, and within a week, the two had become something of a legend.

Today was no exception. As Clay grudgingly admitted defeat, the rebels watching from a distance began to disperse. Kimiko paid no attention to them, and instead went to put out the small fires she had caused. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jesse walking towards them, but thought nothing of it until she stopped in front of Clay. Kimiko heard them conversing in low voices, and she immediately turned around.

"Jesse…is something wrong?"

The two looked over to her, and as Kimiko saw the strained expression on Clay's face, she knew something was amiss. Quickly, she abandoned the flames she had been putting out and walked over to them, her anxiety growing with each step. Jesse and Clay looked at each other, and sighed.

"We need to speak in private, lil' lady," Clay said slowly. "Come on, Jesse…may have some news."

Confused, she nodded and began to follow the two back towards the temple. Jack, who had been watching the battle from farther back, quickly moved to catch up with them. Although pain shot up in his body with every step he took, Jack reached the trio in just a few moments. He reached out to grab Kimiko's hand, and squeezed it tightly. Unsure of what was going on, Kimiko smiled weakly, and squeezed back.

Inside Jesse's room, Jack and Kimiko sat together, while Clay paced anxiously back and forth behind them. Jesse, sitting at a large desk, pulled a large envelope out and placed it before them.

"As y'all may or may not know," she said slowly. "I've managed to get a few of my warriors on th' inside of Chase's castle. They've been there actin' like his soldiers for about a month, but they haven't been able to get a lot of information to us. Chase keeps to himself mostly, and only deals with his lead generals for fightin' and controllin' the world, and such."

Behind Kimiko, Clay had stopped pacing and was looking at Jesse intently. A moment of silence passed between the two, and Jesse sighed.

"Now, we haven't been able to get much out of 'em, but I just got a report this mornin'. Apparently a guard not connected to my boys was caught tryin' to smuggle out a Shen Gong Wu…Soldiers here and there try to take 'em all the time, and they're just given a nasty punishment and sent back to the ranks. News hardly ever gets to Chase either, he's too important to deal with a lil' attempted break in. Now normally, this isn't anythin' special…but my warriors managed to get a picture of th' guy, and I think y'all need to see it."

She slid the envelope up on the desk, though no one moved to take it. Finally, Clay walked around Kimiko and grabbed it while the two sat on in silence. With shaking hands, he ripped open the top and pulled out a single photograph.

Immediately, his body went rigid, and the picture fluttered to the floor. Alarmed at his reaction, Kimiko quickly stooped to pick it up, with Jack right behind her. Dreading what she might find, she turned it over in her hands, and a gasp escaped her throat.

Raimundo, a wide slash across his face and dripping with blood, stared back at her.

The night was silent as Jack pried his arms away from the warm body of Kimiko sleeping next to him, and tucked the blanket closer around her. In the light of the red moon, he quickly changed into a durable set of clothes and grabbed his pack. Earlier in the day, once the shock of seeing Raimundo was over, he had snuck into the weaponry and grabbed a few daggers, as well as a few of his own inventions. It seemed that these rebels had liberated quite a few shipments of his goods in the past few months, and Jack easily helped himself to the capsules that had bound him only a few days ago. These, along with a few rolls of bandages, some food and water, and another set of clothes, waited for him in the pack.

Once he was ready to go, he kissed Kimiko gently on the forehead, and left without looking back. It was better that she didn't know where he was going; after all, with injuries like his, Jack shouldn't have been travelling anywhere, nevertheless into the lair of his greatest enemy. He swiftly made his way down the darkened hallways and into the courtyard, where the night guards remained on watch. Silently, he snuck across the yard until he reached another part of the temple. A door, with the carving of a dragon upon it, waited just before him. He quickly looked both ways before pushing it open, and stepping inside.

As the door creaked shut behind him, the occupant of the room shot up from the elaborate cushions he had been sleeping on, and hastily looked around.

"W-what's going on?" the dragon said sleepily, rubbing his eyes. At the sight of Jack standing before him, the dragon scooted backwards and stared at him in confusion. "Jack? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

With a grim smile and pleading eyes, Jack stepped forward into the light.

"Dojo…I need your help."

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