Wow I am terrible at updating in a timely fashion. I am sorry for that, but rest assured that this story has NOT been abandoned. I just take a long time to write these days.

Away, here is a long awaited chapter. Please enjoy :)

Dim candles lite the large chamber that the monk elders had gathered in.

Close together in a tight circle, the men sat in silence, observing the scene in the middle.

The youngest monk kneed close to his friend, clutching her hand and wiping her forehead down with a cool rag, trying to not look as worried as he obviously was. On her other side, a small green dragon looked her over, lifting her hand, her legs, prying open her eyes so he could see the full extent of her situation. The examination seemed to drag on for eons, but finally, the dragon brushed her cheek fondly, before shifting away to address the elders.

" She had been scratched by the Dragon's Fang unknowingly, when they first found it. Its powers must have transferred quicker than usual, because of her Xiaolin Dragon status." Dojo began, unusually solemn, making the grim atmosphere even heavier.

The older monks nodded for him to continue.

" That night, months ago, when we thought Wuya had planted a dragon spy in the temple was actually Kimiko's transformed form. She was probably disoriented, and all the chaos most likely shocked her system. I can't know where she has been or what has happened since then, but her body has gone through some extreme circumstances, which cause the fangs magic to feed off her." the Xiaolin dragon finished, letting the information set in.

It was Master Fung that finally asked the question that had been on the tips of everyone's tongue.

" Can you heal her?"

Dojo looked back over to the girl, shaking and sweating on the cold stone floor. Slithering over to the man, he saw that the master monk held out his hand in offering, a glimmering fang outstretched.

The small dragon hesitantly took the Wu from him, studying it carefully.

" I . . . think so. She had been bonded with the Wu for an extremely long time. I will do all I can. But it is best that I have privacy." He said, looking all around.

" Of course." Master Fung said, rising from his stance, gesturing for the others to follow his lead.

As the masters filed from the room, the leader looked back, watching as Omi clutched her hand tighter, looking at her like she would disappear at any moment.

Fung opened his mouth to call the young monk away, but Dojo shook his head.

" Let him stay. The poor kid looks like he might break, and I could use the help."

The older man gave a slight nod, before leaving the room, the door echoing loudly as they closed.

The Xiaolin dragon moved back to the female's side, glancing momentarily at the dragon of water.

" Omi. This will not be pleasant. I have to separate Kimiko's essence from the Wu. Despite what I said, you might wanna-"

" I'll stay." Omi said mechanically, his gaze never leaving her face.

Dojo nodded.

" Alright. Then if you stay, you hold on tightly. "

Together, they worked long into the night, until the coming sunrise announced the end of their labor.

When the masters re-entered the chamber, they were met with the sight of the pale Asian girl sleeping peacefully, the dragon of water curled into her side while the small green dragon draped himself across her feet.

Raimundo woke late into the afternoon, groggy and with a large headache. The Brazilian boy groaned, clutching at a sore spot at the base of his skull, before noticing another body in his room.

" Morning, partner." Clay said, sipping on his morning tea before pointing to a steaming cup next to the boy's bed.

" For your headache. Sorry about that, by the way."

Rai glared at the giant Texan, but drank the tea anyway, slowly stewing over the pervious night's events.

As much as he wanted to jump to his feet and chase after Kimi, he knew already that they would be blocked from entering the medical chambers. They needed a different plan if they were going to see the fire dragon any time soon.

" I know that look, Rai. You need to stop. The elders will let us know when we can see her." Clay told him, calmly.

The Xiaolin leader clinked his tongue in annoyance.

" And you will just accept that? We haven't seen her in months, Clay. Then, Omi pops up with her, on death's door? They are keeping us in the dark and I won't allow it!" Rai shouted, pounding his fists on the floor. He scrambled to get up, but was held down by the larger man.

" Raimundo, I'm saying this as your friend and hers. Neither of you should see each other right now. Kimiko will let you know when she is ready, but any bullheaded move on your part may do more harm than good."

The green eyes dragon knew that he was right, but patience was never his strong suit. Still, he took a calming breath, relaxing in the earth dragon's hold.

" Fine. Can I at least get up for breakfast?" Raimundo sighed, watching as the Texan released him.

The two made their way to the kitchen, where the sound of sizzling food and dishes clanking together arose.

As they peered in through the doorway, they saw the youngest dragon member standing like a statue over the oven, stirring what seemed to be rice porridge absent-mindedly.

" Omi?" Clay voiced from behind, weary of approaching the zoned-out monk.

Raimundo, however, had not such qualms.

" Omi, you better start talking, and quickly, before I shove those chopsticks up your nose" The Brazilian growled, stalking towards the shorter boy.

Omi looked up in a daze, blinking slowly, as if suddenly remember where he was.

"Oh. Raimundo. Good morning," the monk turned toward the window, " Or is it afternoon?"

" What it is, is time to explain how you and Kimiko ending up at the temple in the middle of the night and what the hell happened to her" The wind dragon yelled, shoving the dazed boy into a chair, while he and Clay took the other two.

" Language." Omi murmured, not looking at either of his teammates.

They looked at each other, before Clay took over.

" Come on, little man. We need to know what happened. She's our friend too," he said gently.

Finally, the round-headed monk snapped out of his haze.

" I went to Chase Young. Like I told you," he began, drawing circles into the table before him, " She was there. Chase had her."

Clay sucked in a breath, while Raimundo clenched his fists.

" I'll kill him."

Omi shook is head sadly.

" I don't think he planned for any of this to happen. I caught . . . a bit of their conversation before he gave her over to me."

" Wait-" Clay cut in, " He just handed her over to you after all this time of keeping her prisoner?"

At this point, the Brazilian dragon was on his feet, pacing to relieve his anger.

" He knew she was sick and needed our help, so he sent her home with me."

" Just like that?" Rai bit out, still pacing and glaring at everything his eyes landed on.

Omi rubbed his eyes, and Clay noticed how tired the monk looked.

He leaned over, gently lifting the boy from his seat.

" Hey, buddy. Maybe you should get some sleep. You look like someone hog tied you and ran you down the fields."

Omi just nodded, yawning into his hand.

" Dojo and I were watching over Kimiko all night, to make sure the Wu's powers were retracted."

This finally caught the leader's attention, who rounded on them with his legendary speed.

" And?" he asked, eagerly.

Omi's gaze shifted from Rai, to Clay, then to the floor.

" The Fang no longer is feed off her."

" But . . . " Clay prodded, finally showing his anxiousness for news.

Omi sighed, rubbing head.

" She was bonded with the Wu longer than was ever intended. There were some . . . side effects, some of which we may not see until she awakened. Now, if you will let me go," Omi moved the taller boys aside, headed to his own room.

The dragons watched their friend walk down the hall, sliding open his door and not even bothering to close it before they heard the tale-tell THUMP of his body hitting his mat.

The two boys stood in silence, absorbing the information, before making their way outside, breathing in the fresh air to clear their clouded heads.

It wasn't long before footfalls sounded from behind them, alerting them to their master's presence.

" Young dragons. Good of you to awaken today." Master Fung said with good humor.

They bowed respectfully to their elder, but said nothing in reply.

" Go on, my pupils. Ask your questions"

Raimundo and Clay exchanged looks, before the bigger man stepped up.

" Will Kimiko be okay?"

Master Fung looked out into the hills, considering his words carefully.

"That is up to Kimiko. Dojo did all he could, and the elders are watching over her recovery, but only she can truly heal herself. We must be there for her as much as possible. There are grey clouds ahead in her future, young dragons." He said mystically, before nodded to them.

" She will call for you when she is ready. Till then, I believe there are chores to be done. "

The Xiaolin dragons sighed at their cryptic master before heading to the shed to gather their tools for the day.

It had been a long while since every muscle in her body had hurt like this. Probably since her first morning after she had arrived at the temple, all those years ago.

As it stood, she could barely open her eyes for fear that they would hurt.

Letting out a low groan, she braced herself for the onslaught of pain, steadying her hands onto the ground and thrusting her body upward.

A whimper escaped from her lips as she dragged her body into a sitting position. Luckily, someone had the forethought to move her sleeping mat close to a wall, so she was able to maneuver her body to lean against it, breathing a straggled sigh as she was granted temporary relief.

The cool stonewall eased her mind enough that she finally brought herself to look around, recognizing the tapestry on the wall and the warming candles around the room.

She was home at last.

Kimiko let out a dull chuckle, delirious from either the pain or all the events that had transpired since the last time she was in these halls. She lifted her hand to brush away her loose, sweaty strains of hair, but felt a rough texture against her skin.

Raising her hand, she was able to see the candlelight reflect of a few shiny, dark blue scales along the side of her hand.

Quickly, she pulled down her sleeves, looking over her skin, finding paths of small scales ranging from her arms, to her stomach to her legs and feet.

A golden mirror was suddenly shoved in front of her, and she jerked back, looked over to see a familiar face.

" Here. If you, you know, wanna see."

She looked down, before taking the mirror gently, with one hand, wrapping the other around the slim, scaly body next to hers.

" Dojo" she said, voice filled with unshed tears. Tiny-clawed paws patted her on the back in comfort.

" There there, Kimi. It's not so bad. Good ol' Dojo came through and fixed you right up. I'm sure the scales will fade soon."

She turned towards the hand mirror, finally taking a look.

Besides a few scales here and there, she looked back to her old self. No more mismatched reptile eyes. She parted her lips, moving to make sure that her mouth was fang- free, before examining her hands and her human-sized fingernails.

" Don't worry, my dear. Soon, this will all be a bad dream and you will forget all about it." The dragon said, before moving to exit the room.

Kimiko chose to not mention her hesitance to forget everything, or how she felt, for some reason, so lonely.

It wasn't until late into the day, just as the sunset, that the elders and Dojo gave her the all clear, meaning her body was officially in recovery. They said she could have the other monks visit her whenever.

She hesitant to call for them, though.

For one thing, she wasn't too fond of sitting around, while others treated her like an invalid.

For another . . .

She picked up the mirror for the third time that hour, looking at her face with a frown.

She could vividly remember a time where her whole body was covered in those scales, strutting around proud and bold. Now, a few spots across her cheeks, barely visible in the dim light, was taking all her courage and making her feel like an ache-filled preteen, hiding from the world.

This wasn't her. She did not run and hide. She stood and fought.

" Dojo? Can you tell the guys I want to see them?" she called out, knowing the tiny dragon was posed like a watch hound outside her door.

" You got it, Girl!" he yelled back, and she heard him scamper off down the hall.

It took only a few moments before rushed footsteps echoed loudly, stopping suddenly outside the medical chambers.

She listened with a smile as she could hear them squabble about who would knock.

" Just get in here!" she called with a laugh.

The door creaked open, before three faces popped around the corner.

It took barely a second for two of the boys to rush forward, cocooning her in hugs and exclamations. Only one lingered behind, staring at her with a grave expression.

She giggled as Clay and Omi finally relinquished their hold on her, turn to gesture their leader to approach.

" Well, Rai? Don't I at least get a ' you have missed months of chores, so you owe me' smack on the head?" she asked, her voice still weak from exhaustion.

That finally made him crack, collapsing next to her, gathering her in his arms.

" I missed you" his whispered, clutching her tight.

She held him close.

" I missed you too. "

When he finally pulled back, he framed her face, finally taking her in.

Though he said nothing, the black haired girl could see his disturbance at her new appearance. But true to form, he swallowed his emotions, giving her a small smile and pulling away, starting to inform her on all she had missed.

They talked long into the night, before Master Fung call them away, saying it was time for her to rest.

Omi and Clay said their goodbyes, promising to come back as soon as the sun was up, before leaving.

The tanned boy lingered, however, kneeling down and grasping her pale hands.

" I am glad you are back Kimi," he said again, pressing a kiss to her palms, " I feel like weight has finally ben lifted from my heart."

She smiled weakly, before pulling away.

" I'll see you tomorrow, Rai," she replied, sending him off, then bowing her head to Master Fung before being left in her solitude.

Once the room fell into silence, she laid her body down, feeling tired from the day's events. It wasn't long before her eyelids fell heavy and she drifted off to sleep . . . .

. . . . and woke on a large, red silk bed.

The room was hazy, nothing really taking shape but the bed and a few black candles littered across the space.

As she lifted herself from the bed, she looked down, finding herself wrapped in an elegant, black silk kimono, golden dragons weaving themselves around her.

Turquoise scanned the darkness, watching as the smoking shadows shifted and moved around her.

" Come out, come out" she sang dryly, already feeling a familiar sense of heat around her.

A hand glided across her neck as she felt warm breath tickle her nape.

" Hello, my little dragon" a voice drawled form behind.

Kimiko sucked in a breath, wanting to both move away and lean into his touch. She laughed, not turning around.

" My my, Chase Young. Only a few days and you already miss me?" she teased. This showed to be unwise, as abruptly, she found herself forced on her back, pinned beneath a large growling man.

She took in Chase's attire, wearing only his training pants, and how his glowing golden eyes, narrowed at her as he bared his fangs.

" I see you are feeling well enough to run that smart mouth of yours."

She struggled against his hold briefly.

" I'm much better, no thanks to you." she hissed out, only to be silence by a harsh grip on her throat.

Chase's hand glided, from its place on her neck, down slowly, over her breasts and down her stomach.

" It's all thanks to me. I could have kept you with me. Mao surely could have kept you half alive for centuries." he purred, hand still moving down, down ,down to her bottom. " Instead, I allowed to you to return to your precious temple, because I was feeling gracious."

Kimiko squirmed, before rolling her eyes.

" What do you want, Chase?" she asked, tired of the pretense.

His answer came in two parts; the first was to crush his mouth to hers, biting and sucking in his rough, delicious way. She knew she shouldn't want to respond, but she couldn't help it. Muscle memory took over and she pressed back against him, letting out a quiet, breathy moan.

He heard it anyway, smirking into their kiss, before moving his mouth to her neck and biting harshly, to her protest, before he licked and soothed the wound.

Kimiko panted, losing the fight against her animal instincts.

After he was satisfied by his mark, he pulled away from her, leaning against her ear.

" I just wanted to remind you to whom you belong."

The fire dragon awoke from her stupor at this, kicking out until she was free.

Chase back away, still across from her on his knees, looking bemused as she panted, her long, dark hair falling across her face.

" I belong to no one."

A dark chuckled escape from the dragon emperor's lips.

" Whatever you say, little dragon. Now, it is time to rest. The faster you heal, the faster you can come back to me, my apprentice," he leaned close again, " my empress," he hissed against her skin.

Kimiko thrusted him away, and suddenly she was falling back into her sleeping mat.

Stunned, the Asian woman laid on her back, panting heavily as her heartbeat tried to calm down.

Her mind raced, so many thoughts and problems. However, the most prevalent one was:

" Stupid Chase. Now my sleeping mat is cold and uncomfortable. Asshole"

Awww Omi didn't get a chance to brag. It's probably because being so right is exhausting. Hopefully, I will be more timely with the next chapter, especially because it is the finally countdown, people!

Please review and enjoy.