Chapter Six: Dates and Intervention

A/N: WAH! I am so sorry for the HUGE delay! My computer was dead and then I was dead and then there was Christmas and then I had to re-read everything and….why didn't anyone TELL me how many plot-holes I was creating? Wow! I'm so sorry. . .dunno how y'all put up with it. I'm trying to tie in as many as I can so it'll seem a little less hole-y but it's still looking pretty patchworky. Anyway, I'm back for now at least. Again, many apologies!

Story:

Kimiko drove up to Jack's house just before six. She hopped out of her car and walked to the door. She hesitated before knocking, taking a deep breath. Dinner with Spicer. What had possessed her? She masked her nervousness and knocked.

"Hey!" she said brightly as Jack opened the door.

"Yeah, let's get this over with." Jack said, looking at her carefully. He was trying to decide if she had read his notebook. With a rush of relief, he realized that she hadn't for if she had there was no way she would have come. Feeling slightly more optimistic, he reached in his pocket, then frowned.

"Oh, hang on, let me grab my keys." he said, turning to go back into the house. Kimiko grinned.

"I, uh, was kind of planning on taking my car." she said, indicating the car she had parked in his driveway. He turned and looked at the rather expensive looking silver car, which made his old used car look rather grungy in comparison.

"Um, okay." He said, feeling rather sheepish. Kimiko bit back a grin. She knew very well that boys hated being shown up by girls when it came to cars. The fact that she had some sort of knowledge about cars and which ones were coolest had always been one of her favorite ways to bug her guy friends. She walked over and hopped cheerfully into the driver's side of the car, as a much less cheerful Jack got into the passenger side.

"So where are we going?" Jack wanted to know as they headed off. Kimiko just smiled at him.

"Oh, you know, somewhere with food." She said, thoroughly enjoying the look of annoyance that crossed the redheaded boy's face.

"Okay, fine. New question. Where'd this car come from?" He asked. He hated being so talkative but it was better than awkward silence, which he'd had quite enough of during their past few visits.

"Oh, my dad got it for me." Kimiko replied.

"Your dad just went out and got this for you? Wow!" Jack shook his head in disbelief. Kimiko gave him a strange look.

"Come on, you can't be that surprised. I mean, you grew up about like I did, right?" She said, remembering the giant house in which Jack had once had his evil lair. Jack snorted.

"Not really." he replied.

"Uh, Jack, your house was ginormous! And I've seen your parents at stuff my dad let me go to, so I know they're way upper class. You're a spoiled rich kid just like me!" Kimiko reminded him. Jack sighed, staring out the window.

"Not just like you. I mean, for a while I guess I was spoiled. When I was really little. But when they realized I couldn't be the perfect little heir they always wanted. . .well it all sort of ended there." he said. "The only reason I've got what I have now is because it got me out of their house." Kimiko frowned as she pulled onto the highway.

"So how did you get all your robot parts and stuff for your lair and everything then?" she wanted to know. His lab had been filled with all sorts of expensive equipment, not to mention the robots themselves. Kimiko knew that robot parts did not come cheap.

"Well, for a while I used my own allowance. But when they figured out what I was doing with it, they cut it off, so I had to come up with my own way of getting parts." Jack said.

"How'd you do that?" Kimiko asked. Jack smiled to himself, apparently enjoying some sort of inside joke.

"Oh, I had my ways." He replied. Kimiko gave him a suspicious look.

"You stole them." She accused. Jack smirked.

"Nope. You're wrong. Sorry, sweet pea. How I built my robots is my little secret." He said teasingly. Kimiko pulled off the highway and into a strip of restaurants a few minutes later. Jack looked up and realized in horror where they were headed.

"Sushi?" He asked skeptically. Kimiko giggled.

"Yeah, isn't it the best?" She asked sweetly. Jack made a face, causing Kimiko to laugh harder as she drove behind the sushi place and parked at a bar and grill. Jack breathed a sigh of relief.

"You had me worried there." He admitted.

"You're way too easy to freak out." Kimiko replied. Jack made a face at her as they walked into the restaurant. Soon, they were seated. They sat in their booth, talking and laughing as though they were old friends. It was strange how easily conversation came to them. They argued about movies and music and which gaming system was the best. They traded parts of their meal and had a brief ice-cube war. To anyone who observed them, Jack and Kimiko were a pair of good friends, or even a couple out on a date and having a blast together. No one would have guessed they were once enemies.

And to one observer watching intently through a window, it was too much. Clay walked inside the restaurant, fighting to keep calm. The hostess smiled at him.

"How many are in your party?" she asked him cheerfully. Clay ignored her completely and walked past her into the restaurant. She called after him, surprised. Clay walked over to where Jack and Kimiko sat and stood over them silently, arms crossed over his broad chest. The two of them were so busy arguing, they were entirely oblivious to his presence. Still, he remained silent.

"Are you kidding me? Goo Zombies are so old! Can we get a new series now, please? I mean come on! Goo Zombies 12? It's getting ridiculous." Jack was saying, as he munched lazily on a fry.

"Would you stop bashing my favorite game? Goo Zombies have always rocked and they always will! I love them!" Kimiko argued.

"Well, just because you're lame doesn't mean the rest of the world is!" Jack teased. Kimiko threw and ice-cube at him. It bounced off the once-evil genius' forehead and out into the aisle, hitting one rather angry looking cowboy on the arm. Both Jack and Kimiko started, their laughter fading into uncomfortable silence as they noticed Clay's presence for the first time. Jack looked up at Clay in something akin to horror, then he looked at Kimiko accusingly. Kimiko just stared at Clay. His blue eyes were aflame and his jaw was set. Something had him very angry. And when the laid back Texan was angry, bad things tended to happen.

"Um, hey, Clay." Kimiko said somewhere nervously. "What are you doing here?"

"So you're the only one who stayed, huh?" Jack asked her, feeling rather betrayed. Kimiko winced, mentally shushing him. Clay gave her a look, then turned to Jack. He grabbed the much smaller boy by the collar of his t-shirt and pulled him up with one strong arm.

"Just what're you tryin' to pull, Spicer." Clay growled. Jack's red eyed widened.

"Me? I'd ask you the same question, Brokeback!" He shot back, sarcasm lacing his voice. Kimiko shook her head at Jack, knowing that he couldn't see her. Clay was in no mood to be toyed with, and Jack's smart-mouthing would only get him beat. She wondered what had set her large comrade off. He could ruin everything just by being there. It would be hard to explain to Jack why Clay was there without admitting to him outright that they thought she needed to be protected from him.

"I know what you're doin'. And I ain't gonna sit here and let it happen!" Clay said. "You're gonna leave our Kimiko alone." Kimiko leaped to her feet.

"Clay!" She cried. "What are you talking about? Put him down!" Jack looked at her questioningly. Clay's harsh blue eyes flicked to her.

Stay outta this, Kimiko." He said darkly. Kimiko grabbed his arm, unafraid.

"I don't know what you're doing, but it's not cool. I thought I said I didn't want you to interfere!" she cried, her own temper rising.

"You don't know what's goin' on! I'll explain later, just go outside and lemee take care of this." Clay jerked his head toward Jack, who still dangled in his grip looking very confused and none too pleased.

"No!" Kimiko cried. Clay sighed, then turned and walked out the door, Jack in tow. The people in the restaurant stared after them, then at Kimiko. Kimiko sighed, heat rising in her cheeks. She pulled out her credit card and walked to the register.

"Um, take an extra hundred out." she mumbled. The hostess, eyes wide, nodded mutely.

Outside, Clay threw Jack against the wall. Jack winced as his head bounced off the bricks.

"Ow! Okay big guy, what did I do to you?" Jack demanded. His vision exploded into a thousand fireworks as Clay's fist connected with his face. He gritted his teeth as he felt the flesh begin to throb and swell under his left eye. Clay's face swam into focus, the normally calm blue eyes glaring bullets at him.

"I ain't gonna let you have her, Spicer." the cowboy growled through clenched teeth. "I ain't gonna let you hurt her. And you would. I didn't forget what you did to her before, even if she did." Jack's good eye widened as he realized what was happening. Clay knew! Jack felt his cheeks redden.

"That was a long time ago. I'm not. . .I don't. . .I don't feel that way anymore." He said, stumbling over his own words.

"Then let her go home. Stop tryin' to keep her here." Clay replied.

"I'm not! You think I've been keeping her here? She's the one who won't leave me alone! If you can convince her to go then do it! I don't want anything to do with any of you!" Jack cried. Another blow to the face, given by Clay and received by Jack. This time, Jack tasted blood.

"I don't like liars, Spicer." Clay said bluntly.

"I'm not lying!" Jack insisted desperately. A few more blows given and received. For several long moments, the once-evil genius couldn't breathe. Clay pulled his head up and leaned in.

"You stay away from her, Spicer. Just stay away." Clay growled, dropping the gasping Jack to the ground. He stepped back, arms crossed once more. Kimiko walked outside at that moment. She looked at Clay, then Jack, and her eyes widened. She dashed to Jack's side and knelt down beside him.

"Jack! Are you-." Clay grabbed her arm, interrupting her.

"We're going home." he said firmly. Kimiko pulled away from him.

"No!" she cried. "You go home! I'm staying!" Grimly, Clay pulled out the Golden Tiger Claws. He ripped a portal in the air. Without saying a word, he took hold of Kimiko once more and pulled her through the portal with him.

Jack leaned against the wall of the restaurant for what felt like a long time. Finally, he pulled himself to his feet and walked over to Kimiko's car. He sighed , then broke into the car and hot-wired it quickly and easily. What a great way to prove his reformation. Steal Kimiko's car. But he had no other way of getting home, and he wanted nothing more than to be there at the moment. He drove slowly, however, thinking about what had just taken place.

Kimiko had lied. She'd said that she was the only one who'd stayed. But Clay was there, probably to watch out for Kimiko in case he tried something. So apparently Kimiko didn't trust him either. But. . .she was angry with Clay for hurting him, and it seemed like she wasn't happy with him being at the restaurant at all. Why was that?

However, Clay had read the notebook. Clay knew all about how Jack had once felt about Kimiko. He seemed like he was basing his "punishment" of Jack purely off of that. And Jack knew he was being a little crazy because she was actually being nice to him, but he knew, on some level at least, that it was never going to happen. As he stopped at a stoplight, Jack inspected himself in the mirror. A large purple bruise was forming under one eye and his lip was swollen already. He could feel the bruises on his abdomen, as well as the scratches on his back where the rough bricks had scraped through his thin t-shirt while he was being held against the wall. Jack sighed. Nothing had changed at all. They still didn't accept him. They never would.

Jack finally arrived at his house. He left the car in the driveway, not knowing what else to do with it, and went inside. He walked into the bathroom, peeling off his t-shirt. As he expected, a large black bruise decorated his stomach. He ran gentle fingers over it, feeling for any serious damage. Though there was none, his throat constricted as his fingers touched several scars on their way across his abdomen. He remembered how he'd gotten them. Showdowns, failed attempts at evil plans, failed attempts at trying to get people on his side for once, his own experiments and creation exploding in his face. . .so many different scenarios. But all with the same ending: One Jack Spicer returning beaten and bloodied to the safety and solitude of wherever he was calling home at the time.

He inspected the scars in the mirror, watching them turn purple from the chilled air. He looked at his arms, remember how those particular scars got there. His heart beat a fraction quicker as he touched the rows of scars. All of a sudden, there was a knock at the door. Jack whirled around, panicked. He slipped into his bedroom and threw on a clean t-shirt, then tried to calm down as he headed for the door. He opened it hesitantly. To his surprise, Kimiko was standing there. She looked up at him, sorrow written all over her face.

"Can I. . ." she trailed off, her voice quiet. Jack stepped aside, letting her enter, then shutting the door behind her. Kimiko looked up at him.

"Oh, Jack. I'm so sorry about what Clay did. I sent him home." She said, reaching upa nd touching his eye gently. Jack felt his cheeks grow warm. He hung his head, letting his shaggy hair fall forward to cover his eyes completely.

"It's. . .whatever. I knew you guys didn't want me around." Jack replied coldly. Kimiko lowered her eyes.

"Well, Clay doesn't, I guess. I do. Jack, you're important!" She said. Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Are you still trying to sell me this crap? Do you really think I'm gonna be welcome at your temple, Kimiko? Just stop lying to me, okay? Clay's right. You should go, and we'll all just forget about this whole thing, okay?" Jack turned away. Kimiko shook her head, putting a hand on Jack's shoulder.

"Look, Master Fung just contacted me. It's even bigger than we thought. The Fifth Dragon is the most important one of all. There's never been one before because there's never had to be. There's going to be a big battle and it'll all depend on you, Jack. You're going to either have to save the world by fighting on the side of the Xiaolin or you'll throw it into chaos by giving it to the Heylin." She explained. Jack turned and looked at her.

"What if I refuse to fight?" he asked quietly. "I don't want to be on either side. I just want you all to leave me alone!" Kimiko frowned.

"Then the world will be destroyed completely, I guess." She said. "This is the big one that'll decide the fate of the world forever." Jack shrugged.

"Not my problem." he said. "If I go with you, all I'm gonna get is a repeat of what happened today. I had enough of that crap back when we were kids. You really think I wanna fight for someone who does this to me?" He pushed back his hair and pointed at his eye. Kimiko sighed, looking worried.

"Jack, just please, think about it. I don't' want you to go to the Heylin again just because stupid Clay is jealous." She said. "I'm sorry for what he did. I really am. I didn't ever want him to do that to you." Jack looked at her quizzically. Kimiko bit her lip and turned to leave.

"Just think about what I said, okay?" She said softly, before walking out the door. Jack stared at the door for a while before walking into the kitchenette and slumping into a chair. He let his head fall forward into his hands.

"What am I supposed to do?" he whispered.

Kimiko skipped down the drive and started off down the street, laughing to herself. The laugh grew deeper and more diabolical. Kimiko's face distorted and morphed into the visage of Hannibal Roy Bean. As the transformation completed, the Ying-Ying bird swooped down from the sky, catching its master on its back. Hannibal grinned.

"Everything is working out perfectly. That cowboy did half my work for me. The bruises will remind young Mr. Spicer what side he truly belongs on. All I have to do is give him one more little nudge in the right direction." he said to his bird. "Soon, the world will be mine."

As soon as Kimiko felt solid ground beneath her feet, she pushed Clay away from her.

"I can't believe you! What the hell was that?" she cried. Clay whirled around, eyes flashing.

"He was leadin' you on, Kimiko! I told you I wasn't gonna let anything happen to you!" He replied.

"I can take care of myself, Clay! You're being stupid. You have this big grudge going because oh no! It's Spicer!" Kimiko spat. "I am sick of you guys treating me like I'm weak or stupid! He's not a bad guy, okay? And he's a Dragon! We can't just ignore that because of what he did in the past!"

"I'm telling you, he was leadin' you on! All he ever wanted was you, Kimiko! Why do you think he was bein' so nice to you? You said it yourself, Kimiko. We put Spicer through a lot of butt-kickin' when he was Heylin. D'ya really think he'd just turn around and forgive us for it?" Clay asked, his voice losing its fire part way through and dropping to its usual even softness.

"How can you know that for sure? You don't even know him!" Kimiko replied. Clay simply handed her a familiar looking notebook.

"The last entry." he directed her. Kimiko looked at him for a moment, then opened the notebook to the end. She started to read.

This is the best plan I've ever come up with! I took all the safeties off the bots, so now they're set to do some real damage. Sure, they've done damage in the past, but they weren't working at full capacity. Now they will. I'll show them. I'll show her. And then maybe I'll be worth something to her, and she'll finally be mine. With her by my side, I'll conquer the world so I can give it to her for her birthday. . .May Seventh. And she'll be my queen, my beautiful Kimiko.

Kimiko sank to the ground. It was the last entry in the notebook. . .the night before the last Showdown they'd fought against each other. And everything Clay had said was true. Jack had feelings for her. No wonder he'd been willing to listen to her. . .it wasn't about saving the world or turning good. It had been about her all along. Pleasing her.

"Clay. . ."Kimiko whispered. "I'm so sorry I didn't believe you." She felt a large hand on her shoulder. She looked up into the face of her friend. His blue eyes were soft once again. He smiled at her.

"it's all right, Kimiko. We're home now." he said.

"Kimiko! Kimiko!" The voices of Raimundo and Omi carried from the doorway as they scrambled to get outside to the courtyard of the temple, where Kimiko sat and Clay knelt. Kimiko's eyes widened in horror as she realized what Clay had done.

"Home. . ." she whispered.

End chapter Six.

A/N: Woo! Finally! I hate to say it, but I don't know when the next chapter will be up. School starts next week and things promise to be hectic, so who knows what will happen then. There's dreaded college algebra. hides I'm so awful at math!

Meanwhile, it's been so long, I forgot who I replied to again, so yay for everyone who reviewed! I love you all and you make me wanna write more! And better, for that matter. I've got a good bunch of reviewers now! XD

Clicky yonder buttony and I'll do what I can about next chapter!

AJ