This is my second fanfiction, 'From the Heart'. Yup, I do update a lot. I finished 2 chapters in one day… this is mostly Rai/Kim.

Disclaimer- I do not own Xiaolin Showdown, as much as I wish I did. Aki isn't a real character, more will be revealed later.

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Kimiko Tohomiko stared out the window of the Xiaolin Temple, gazing at the endless sky and the brilliant, wispy clouds… She suddenly felt a hand on her arm.

"What do you want, Raimundo?" She said loudly, turning to look at the person. Raimundo again. Raimundo was so annoying sometimes.

"Hey, Kim, wanna come hang out with me and Clay? Omi's busy studying and all that… I wish he'd realize how to have some fun and stuff. He's worried about Jack and Wuya, of course, and especially Chase." Raimundo's light green eyes stared into her own deep cerulean ones, and she felt a weird feeling of lightness. She got up. "Sure, Rai." They walked out the door, thinking their own thoughts.

Raimundo's actually kind of sweet. He's not all tough and big-shot even if he is arrogant and has a sort of rebellious character, Kimiko thought.

I hope Kimiko's not annoyed with me for asking. She was kind of in an 'alone' time when I asked her. But it'd be boring with just Clay and me. Raimundo walked over to a part of the forest surrounding the temple.

"Hey Clay, Kimiko agreed to come," Raimundo said airily. "Kimiko, we're gonna just walk around and explore some of the forest. And hopefully there won't be any new Shen Gong Wu today…"

"Shen Gong Wu alert!" Dojo, the green gecko-like dragon, said happily. He had flown from above, carrying Omi. "It's called the Halberd of Aki, legendary Xiaolin warrior…"

"Man, the timing couldn't have been less perfect," groaned Raimundo.

"Whatever. Anyways, this Shen Gong Wu is one of the most powerful ones in existence. If the user is strong of will and spirit, it will unleash some kind of 'true power'…" Dojo continued. "Let's go!"

The four dragons-in-training mounted Dojo as he turned to his normal size, a towering dragon. They carried their usual Shen Gong Wu that helped them use their element better: the Star of Hanamie for Kimiko, the Sword of the Storm for Raimundo, the Fist of Tebigong for Clay, and the Orb of Tornami for Omi. From a great height, they looked down at the mountains and valleys of China. They traveled for a short while, then Dojo began descending as they approached a strange-looking tree that reached above them. Dojo landed gracefully, and the warriors stepped off.

"Whoa, kids… it's the Tree of Aki!" Dojo cried, as if this piece of information was a very significant fact to their mission.

"The tree of what?" Clay asked.

"Never mind the tree, get the Wu!" Dojo yelled in an urgent voice.

Omi, Kimiko, Raimundo, and Clay turned around and saw why he was yelling in such a tome: Jack Spicer, in all his 'great genius' was coming towards them and the tree. They could see it clearly: Jack, with his horribly red hair and dark eyes, a strange symbol on his left cheek, large goggles they had never actually seen him wear, mechanical wings, and an air of stupidity. He gave an evil laugh, and raced forward to the top of the tree. Kimiko saw first, and used a spare Wu- the Mantis Flip Coin- to get to the top of the tree. They touched it at the same time, and Kimiko yelled 'Xiaolin Showdown!' before Jack could get a chance to.

"All right, all right, what're the conditions?" Jack said, in an annoyingly bored voice, even though he was just about to partake in one of the most exciting events anyone had ever before done.

Kimiko thought for a moment, then said, "Whoever climbs to the top of this tree first wins!" The Xiaolin Showdown began as usual: everything moved around, the tree grew taller and its branches stretched far. And the Halberd of Aki zoomed to the very top of it, spinning in golden light.

"I wager my Changing Chopsticks for your Star of Hanamie. And I call a Shen Yi Bu Dare. My Third Arm Sash against your Mantis Flip Coin. That thing is kind of getting old, don't you think? Oh well, you've got no style, you're one of the elite losers. The greatest losers of all. The Xiaolin losers! Muahahahaha!" Jack laughed evilly.

"Jack, just get on with it already, OK?"

"Fine. Gong Yi Ten Pai!" Jack shouted at the same time as Kimiko.

Kimiko raced across the branches. This was a strange Xiaolin Showdown, it was too dark to really see much. But there was one direction that she knew she needed to be heading, and that direction was up. She used the Mantis Flip Coin to flip up over the branches. It was too dark…what if she got hurt? She had no clue which branches were where. Then an idea struck her: she could use her element, fire, to light up the area. Why hadn't she thought of it earlier? She was so stupid…

"Judo Lee Flip-Fire!" Kimiko called, using the Mantis Flip Coin to help her. Her hands had fire on them, and she could see the pathway very clearly now. Somewhere far above her, she heard strange rustling sounds. What was causing it? Perhaps Jack? But if she heard him making movement sounds, she'd obviously be hearing the babble of stupidity that always came out of Jack's arrogant mouth. She heard her friends, far down, cheering for her. And with their shouts, she knew she had to keep going, no matter how scared she was of whatever was up ahead.

She felt someone grab her from behind… "Jack Spicer!" she yelled. Darn… she had been thinking so much about what lay ahead that she had forgotten what lay behind- Jack Spicer, Evil Boy Genius. Or so he said.

"Yeah, hey Kimiko. I thought I'd kind of speed this whole process up by eliminating you. Jack Bots, attack!"

"No!" Kimiko yelled as the Jack Bots surrounded her. She kicked and fought them as Jack got ahead. "If you're gonna do it like this, then…Star of Hanamie- FIRE!" She destroyed all the Jack Bots, and hurried up the tree. That was when she heard them. Jack Spicer's agonized screams. She couldn't even make out what he was saying, just… kind of wild screaming. Her knees suddenly began buckling. What could make a person scream like that? She was very, very afraid now.

But she knew she had to get the Shen Gong Wu. Kimiko paced up the branches, reaching the point where Jack had been. He looked like he was knocked out cold. Then she heard it. The same rustling sound she had heard before. Something was coming towards her! In panic, Kimiko looked around with her eyes wide. What could it be?

She saw it. A huge, cloaked black thing was coming. Slowly it glided over to her, and she heard laughing. Not Jack's usual pathetic laughing. Something that sent shivers down her spine. Kimiko was terrified. "W-what are you?"

The thing did not say anything, but instead merely glanced at the girl huddled on the floor. It reached its arms, which suddenly stretched to her, and she saw the Halberd in its hand. She realized that this was probably the top of the tree, as she suddenly saw the clouds that covered the area. The monster smiled- or at least, the closest thing to a smile it could have possible given anyone…

"You made it to the top without being too intimidated by me… this is now yours."

"WHAT?" This was not at all what Kimiko expected. She had expected it to try to kill her, to do something horrible… "So you mean Jack was knocked out just by fright?"

"Yes. The Showdown is over."

Everything returned to normal. Kimiko held the Halberd, and Jack was still sprawled across the floor, unconscious. Kimiko realized that she had not named fighting a fearful creature a part of the challenge, but it was one of the many unexpected twists in a Xiaolin Showdown. And now she could torment Jack for his patheticness- falling unconscious just because he had seen something scary?

"You did a great job, Kimiko. You have most honorably won the Xiaolin Showdown!" Omi commented cheerfully.

"Yea, partner', that was some Spicer butt-kickin'!" Clay said.

Raimundo blushed a little and said, "Kimiko, great job! You got us a powerful Shen Gong Wu, and you totally kicked butt!"

Kimiko noted the strange nervousness and Raimundo's blushing cheeks. Weird, she thought, What does Rai have to be nervous about around me? Oh, it's probably just some guy thing, whatever.

And the Xiaolin Apprentices walked back to the temple, making jokes and talking in accents and laughing and having great fun, unaware that they were being watched by an evil force greater than any they had ever known. Chase Young.