AN: This is my first attempt at Xiaolin Shodown fanfiction. I haven't seen every single episode, only a few here and there, but I'm trying to keep them in character as much as possible, with the exception of Keiko. I don't think Keiko has an actual last name in the series, but I thought of using her so she's probably not how she will be in the series as we haven't actually seen her in the series. Everything I describe about Keiko and her connections to Kimiko are from my mind only, I doubt that the show will ever let Keiko have an appearance, but I figured why not try and give her a personality? I apologize for the inconsistencies in my story as well as grammar errors, but other than that I hope it's fun for everyone. I'm going to try and focus on friendship rather than romance and hopefully Keiko doesn't turn out to be a mary sue, I mean, Keiko-sue? Anyway, comments and constructive criticsm appreciated, but not necessary. Try not to flame, ok?

Summary: The Xiaolin dragons seem to overlook Jack Spicer as a threat and think of him more of a joke as there are greater forces of evil to be concerned about. Jack Spicer is not one to give up and continues with his plans for world domination, with or without Wuya or any Shen Gong Wu. As everything seems to settle down, the Xiaolin warriors begin to feel a little homesick and decide that a quick visit back to their homes wouldn't hurt, but it seems Kimiko's going to have her share of problems as Keiko is thrown into the mix and their time of peace turns to chaos. Can a Xiaolin warrior really have a 'normal' friend?

EDIT: I finally have free time to look at this again. I really do want to finish it. I'm enjoying this story immensely, although I'm sure not many others share the same sentiment :x I decided to edit while I re-read the chapters so I could get back into the groove. There will probably be remaining errors, but I am trying :) I hope everyone continues to enjoy this piece as much as I do writing it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown.

Missing Pieces

Prologue

Kimiko growled audible for the others to hear as they rose higher into the air. Her phone displayed a jumble of numbers and colors before emitting a series of high pitched screeches. She winced as she tried pressing a few buttons to stop the noise.

"Yo girl, shut it off! That thing is fried!" Raimundo shouted with his hands over his ears, keeping one eye tightly shut while the other narrowed in a glare.

"I have to agree with Raimundo here, Kimiko." Clay hollered as he pulled down on the rim of his hat to cover his ears, his blonde hair covering his tightly shut eyes.

"Perhaps you should hit it? I have seen Raimundo do that many times to something that had not been functioning properly." Omi piped in helpfully as he plugged his ears with his index fingers.

"Good idea." Kimiko muttered through clenched teeth before she reeled her arm back as if getting ready to throw a pitch and nailed Raimundo on the back of his head. The Brazilian boy yelped in pain as he immediately released his ears to rub at the large bump beginning to form. Omi and Clay watched as the cell phone bounced down onto Dojo's back and towards the ground thousands of feet below, the shrilling fading into nothing.

Kimiko watched her phone disappear out of sight before turning a hateful glare at Raimundo. "You idiot!"

Raimundo looked over his shoulder at her. His hands were still clutching his aching head and tears forming at the corners of his eyes, still glazed over with pain. He took a quick glance at the ground far below them and then back at Kimiko incredulously.

"You can't be serious! You're the one who threw the stupid phone at me!"

"I do not think the phone is working any better at this point." Omi added as he continued to look down. "At least the sound is gone."

"It's best if you keep quiet for now, lil' partner." Clay mumbled as he readjusted his hat. Omi looked up at him innocently, but Kimiko and Raimundo were oblivious to the small exchange.

"For good reason, you jerk!" Kimiko screamed as she fisted her hands and slammed them against Dojo's back.

"Hey, hey! Settle down back there!" Dojo glanced at the four out of the corner of his eyes before quickly turning back to the endless sky ahead of them. He tensed up as the aura of two of the dragons began to build. "Do you want me to throw you guys off?"

"Sorry." Kimiko barely managed to ground out.

"You should be, that really hurt." Raimundo snapped as he continued to rub his head.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Kimiko snapped back.

"What are you so mad about--"

"What? You're actually asking me?" Kimiko gasped, wide-eyed.

"Who do you think I'm asking? Is there another girl PMSing up here? If there is you should point her out so the two of you can get together and go crazy!" Raimundo answered back, keeping a wary eye on her in case she decided to throw one of her many hair accessories at him.

Kimiko was speechless.

"What is PMSing?" Omi asked as he tugged at Raimundo's shirt. Raimundo glanced down at him as Clay had to hold Kimiko back from clawing at the brown haired boy.

"It's what Kimiko's doing right now. You better watch out Omi, if Kim bites you then you're as good as dead since it's real contagious and you start going crazy, but they have shots for that."

"They do? Thank goodness..." Omi sighed in relief. He glanced over at Kimiko who was struggling and hissing like a wild cat in Clay's hold. "Then we will be able to cure Kimiko!"

"Not likely." Raimundo told Omi with a grim look, "Girls won't die from it, but for us guys it's a killer. Better not let her get you Omi, I doubt Master Fung's going to have the shots at the temple to save you."

Omi's eyes widened in fear as he clung to Raimundo's waist, looking over at Kimiko in horror. "Clay, do not let her bite you!"

"Bite me? Omi--" Clay winced as Kimiko elbowed him in the face, nearly causing him to bite his tongue in mid-sentence. "Omi, what in tarnation are you on about now?"

"I'll show you PMS Pedrosa!"

"Rai..." Clay sighed as he managed to pin Kimiko's arms to her sides. "Look Rai, I think you owe Kim here an apology--"

"Apology?" Raimundo frowned. "What did I do?"

"You stupid jerk-faced--" Kimiko broke off into angry Japanese as she struggled with renewed strength.

"The only reason here I ain't letting Kimiko get a piece of you is because you'd both probably end up flatten yourselves like flap jacks on a plate if you two go at it on Dojo here--"

"Hey, no fighting on Dojo. I'm just recovering from my rash!" Dojo whined as he tensed further.

"It wasn't my fault!" Raimundo shouted angrily, "Who has their cell phone out during a battle anyway?"

"It slipped out of my pocket! I was about to pick it up when you sent your trash straight at me!" Kimiko screamed back, referring to the robots that Raimundo had thrown over at her cell phone, cracking it and nearly shattering it to pieces. "Then you even knocked it into the river! And it wasn't just my cell phone you jerk!"

"Oh yeah, never mind the fact that I was almost turned into mincemeat by Spicer's robots!"

"You fight them almost every day, it should be a breeze for you mister I'm-better-than-anyone!"

"The same goes for you miss I-can-do-anything! How many battles have you been in and how hard is it to keep your stupid cell phone at home?"

Dojo sighed as the shouting match continued, closing his eyes momentarily as the onset of a headache began. "Just a couple of hours, a couple more hours! You can do this, you can do this..."

"Ow, ow, ow..." Jack Spicer whimpered in the comfort of his lair, or more precisely his basement. He nursed a black eye that he was sporting, but it was barely noticeable with the amount of eyeliner he was wearing. He glanced over at a piece of metal to check on his reflection and joked half-heartedly, "This could be a good look for me."

It seemed that ever since Wuya had gained back her physical form and left him for good that things have been increasingly sloping downhill for his career in evil and world domination. He was at his ends rope as he stared at the scraps of metal he managed to salvage from the battle. It was actually more of another chance for the Xiaolin warriors to kick him around than it was a battle.

"Stupid Xiaolin losers." Jack muttered under his breath as he pounded his hand against the metal table, yelping in pain as he raised his hand up and blew on it, shaking it lightly as tears were forming at the corners of his eyes. He continued to hiss in pain as he recalled injuring it during the 'battle,' and total defeat on trying to retrieve another Shen Gong Wu. It was at this point that Jack had to wonder briefly who the real loser was.

"No!" Jack jumped to his feet with a shout, "I'm going to be the person who rules this world and there's no way I'm going to let anyone stand in my way. I don't need Wuya or anyone else, I was going to take over this world even before I found out about the stupid Shen Gong Wu--but that would have been helpful..." Jack broke off as he looked wistful.

"Ah it doesn't matter!" Jack shook his head, stopping quickly as the room began to spin and the throbbing in his head intensified, "First, some ice and aspirin, then world domination!"

With that Jack Spicer stumbled against the table, knocking a few items out of place and towards the stairs, never noticing the pink wallet that fell open on the floor.

"... And that is the story master." Omi finished as he glanced over at Kimiko and Raimundo who stood with their backs turned to one another, arms crossed and noses high in the air.

"I see," Master Fung glanced at the two briefly before nodding to Omi and Clay. "Give us a moment, you two."

Omi and Clay nodded as they gave a brief nod and bow to Master Fung, giving one last glance at the two simmering teenagers before quietly exiting the temple. Once the door closed behind them, they both glanced at one another before pressing their ears against it, listening intently.

"Well, my young dragons-in-training, it seems we have quite a dilemma here."

"It's all his/her fault!" Kimiko and Raimundo had spun around simultaneously and pointed at one another. Master Fung sighed as sat down and motioned for them to follow suit.

"But Master Fung--" Kimiko began.

"Please sit, Kimiko. Raimundo." Master Fung closed his eyes as he sat with his legs crossed.

Kimiko and Raimundo reluctantly got down and mimicked Master Fung's position, both keeping a fair enough distance from the other and kept their eyes focused on their instructor.

"Master--" Both teenagers spoke at once after a long period of silence which prompted them to glare at one another.

After another moment of silence, they tried again with the same result, "Master--"

Kimiko glared at Raimundo, "I--"

"Look--"

Raimundo and Kimiko immediately broke off, sharing another glare.

"If you're going to say something, then say it and quit wasting my time!" Kimiko hissed, clenching her hands into her skirt.

"Wasting your time? Girl, you must be tripping because the only one wasting anyone's time here is you."

"Before we continue this any further, I would like you both to calm down so we may discuss this calmly and reasonably." Master Fung spoke up firmly before Kimiko could retort back. They both opened their mouths in protest but Master Fung merely raised his hand for silence. Their mouths shut automatically, but the tension in the room remained.

A good five minutes had passed before Master Fung felt that they were at their breaking point and let out a sigh, "Would you like my opinion on the matter?"

"Yes!" Both of them shouted. They looked at him, eagerly awaiting his judgement.

"It seems that you are both at fault," His voice rose as he continued over their indignant protests, "You did want my opinion, did you not?"

"Yes, Master Fung." They replied sullenly.

"As I was saying, you both had contributed to this, ah, tragedy." Master Fung opened his eyes as he found the two glaring at each other resentfully. "Raimundo, you had let your guard during your battles as you have familiarized yourself so well with your enemy, but this led to your carelessness."

Raimundo flinched as Kimiko sneered and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Kimiko," She immediately straightened up in response, "You should have known better to bring such devices with you in the first place. If it was absolutely necessary to bring them, then you should have taken better care to keep them safe. You knew the risk in bringing it."

Raimundo pulled down bottom lid of one of his eyes and stuck out his own tongue as he laughed at her silently. Kimiko bit her lip, looking down in her lap as she clenched her fists tightly into the material of her skirt.

"You're right, Master Fung, but it's not the phone that I'm upset about."

"It's not?" Raimundo stopped his antics as Master Fung looked at her calmly.

"I... I can always get a new phone, I knew that, but it was..." Kimiko looked up at them and for the first time Raimundo actually felt a bit of guilt as he realized how near to tears she seemed to be. "My omamori."

Raimundo looked at her in confusion, "You're Omi-whatta?"

"Omamori, you idiot!" Kimiko snapped, her anger overpowering her sadness. "My protection! My good luck charm! I lost that charm and my wallet that had my pictures too! They're probably fish food by now!"

"Geez Kim," Raimundo looked remorseful as he drew imaginary circles on the temple's floor, "I'm, um, ya'know, sorry 'bout that. I had no idea..."

Kimiko stayed silent as she continued to clench her hands into her skirt, shaking in the slightest.

"Do not despair, young one." Master Fung told her quietly as he reached over to place his hand on her shoulder. Her shaking stopped, but her hands did not release their hold on her skirt. "You will be able to make new memories to capture on film and your charm was merely a small trinket that you kept for your own peace of mind. These things would have eventually been lost in time, but you will always be able to replace them as long as you have the support of the ones who had made those memories with you."

"I guess." Kimiko frowned, "But Master Fung, those pictures--"

"I know," Master Fung told her comfortingly, "But you must be glad that you still have those who are important to you. They are happy and safe and that's all that should matter in the end."

Kimiko let his words sink in, slowly releasing her grip on her skirt. She looked over at Raimundo who was waiting for her gaze. He offered her a weak smile. Kimiko felt the corners of her mouth turning upwards briefly, but the remorse of having lost her items was not something she could easily let go of. However, Master Fung was right, it wasn't the end of the world.

"How can we not have ice?" Jack asked to no one in particular as he descended down the steps to his basement, one hand clutching a raw steak to his injured eye while the other held a glass of water. He was grateful that his parents weren't home which meant he wouldn't have to answer their awkward questions about his black eye and the other minor scratches he had received. It was bad enough that they forced their smiles around him and dubbed his ideas of world domination as a 'phase,' or being 'eccentric.'

"I'll show them when I rule the world." He mumbled as he downed the glass, unaware of the items he had carelessly scattered on the floor earlier. His foot caught onto something and he nearly choked as he was sent flying upwards, landing hard on his already aching back. A howl of pain echoed throughout his basement, his head now throbbing ten times worse as he slammed onto the cold concrete floor.

A string of curses made its way from his lips as he sat up, rubbing his head, tears streaming down his face and running his eye liner. He grabbed what he could reach and hurled it across the room in his anger.

He stopped when he felt something that didn't feel like cold, hard metal. Momentarily forgetting the pain he brought the object up to the light to inspect it. His vision finally cleared of stars as he realized that he was holding something very pink. Wondering if he had damaged the cones in his retinas, Jack used one hand to rub his eyes before focusing on the object again.

It was still very pink. Upon closer inspection he realized it was actually a wallet. Carefully he opened it and blinked in surprise when he found a familiar face within the plastic holders of the wallet.

Kimiko, albeit a younger version, starred back at him with a smile as she held up her hand, two fingers shaped into a 'v' out in front of her. She sat next to a girl who was giving a small smile to the camera, her hands clasped in front of her as she and Kimiko leaned against one another on a bench. They were wearing identical outfits that consisted of a dark blue pleated skirt and a white button down dress shirt with dark blue ties that had matching emblems near the bottom of, what he figured was, their schools symbol. Both of them had loosened their shirts from their skirts waist band and unbuttoned a couple of buttons as well as loosened their ties with their jackets folded in their laps. Jack was surprised to see Kimiko's hair looking somewhat normal for once, hanging straight down passed her shoulders with the exception of a few pins holding her bangs back. Her friend had her dark hair braided that hung down her back and out of sight.

"Looks like she dropped her wallet." Jack said as he flipped through the pictures, his face occasionally wrinkling in disgust as he found an few pictures of the other Xiaolin warriors, but besides them and what he figured to be Kimiko's parents, the girl from the first photo reappeared several times after that, along with a few others who were dressed in the same uniform. Jack guess that it was a close friend as he finished flipping through the photos and began to check how much cash she was carrying. He sighed as he closed the wallet realizing it was foreign money. He was about to toss it aside when an idea hit him.

Jack looked through the photos again and picked out the one he had first seen, studying the background as a grin began to form on his lips. Kimiko's father was the head of a major video game company and had the latest and most advanced technology not yet on the market. He was strapped for cash and supplies at the moment, why not do a little 'shopping' while taking a little trip to Tokyo? After all, Kimiko probably wanted her wallet back and instead of dropping it off at the temple where he would most likely get another beating, he'd just leave it with Kimiko's father. It was an equal trade, wasn't it? Doing a good deed by returning the wallet and taking his reward.

Jack's grin widened as he stood up, clutching the wallet in his hand as he turned around sharply to ready himself for the trip. He had forgotten about the steak he had dropped on the ground as he stepped on it with a sickening squishing sound. He was once again staring at the ceiling before he was flat on his back, his entire body stiffening at the pain ringing throughout every bone and muscle.

Once his ears stopped ringing, maybe he'd be able to get up and prepare for the trip. That is, if he hadn't already given himself a concussion.

Omi and Clay nearly fell into the temple as the door was yanked open by a frustrated Kimiko, followed by a wary Raimundo as they both stepped over the two boys.

"Kim, I... I didn't mean... Well, you know, it was your fault too--"

"Shut it, Rai." Kimiko snapped as she rubbed her temples, plopping herself in the shade beneath the tree.

"Sorry." He stopped a few feet short from her place as he shove his hands into his pockets.

Omi's legs were kicking up frantically as Clay took his time sitting up, slowly releasing the smaller boy as he dusted off his hat. Omi was gasping for breath and fuming as he pointed at Clay, jumping up and down and red in the face while Clay tried to placate him.

"Look, Rai, I didn't mean to blow up at you like that." Kimiko let out a long sigh as she looked up at him with a grimace, "I'm... just really upset."

"It was only a few pictures and some money. I mean, you have those pictures saved somewhere on your laptop or something right?" Raimundo said thoughtfully, but Kimiko shook her head.

"No, those pictures were special. I could make new copies, but the ones in my wallet had a message on it written by her. She'll be pretty upset if she realizes I lost them and the gift she gave me." Kimiko moaned as she dragged her hands over her face.

"Then don't tell her." He told her simply as Omi and Clay cautiously made their way over, taking it as a good sign that they were not having another shouting match.

"She's going to find out. I've had that wallet for a while and she's going to notice it's missing when I don't use it back home."

"Then just buy a replacement one and print new pictures, forge her message and bam! She won't know the difference!"

"I can't forge her handwriting!" Kimiko's frown deepened. "And I don't want to anyway."

"Then I'll do it, just show me some sample writing!" Raimundo snapped, becoming impatient as Kimiko continued to shoot down his ideas. "When were you such a goody-goody?"

"I'm not a goody-goody and I don't have any sample of her writing! The only piece of writing I had from her was on those pictures. The rest of her messages are by phone or email."

"That doesn't sound like a good idea, Rai." Clay added as he adjusted his hat. "I doubt you could replicate a girl's handwriting anyway."

"What? Is that a challenge?"

"I would think that it is a good thing that you are unable to write like a girl, Raimundo. Would it not be strange if you do write femininely?" Omi questioned as he tilted his head to the side. "Perhaps you will be telling us you know how to be made up as well?"

"It's putting on make-up Omi." Kimiko corrected him.

"Yes, that too."

"I wouldn't be surprised with Jack Spicer and all." Clay commented. He continued on thoughtfully, "Don't circus' have clowns? They put on make-up too, don't they?"

Raimundo felt a tick starting at his right eye, forcing out a smile as he retorted to Clay, "The sure do, Clay. I bet you know a lot of about that too with your rodeo clowns, had a lot of practice doing that, didn't you?"

"What're you trying to say?" Clay frowned.

"What do you think I'm trying to say?" Raimundo retorted.

"Hey, if you guys are going to fight, go over there and fight. I'm getting a headache." Kimiko moaned as she shut her eyes tightly.

"If Raimundo is to replicate the writing of a girl we should use Kimiko's scrolls as a reference." Omi told them excitedly and he rushed out of the courtyard.

"Scrolls? What are you talking about--" Raimundo and Clay blinked, then a grin formed on their lips as they headed off after Omi.

"What? My scrolls? I don't have any--" Kimiko broke off as her eyes widened, "My diary!"

Master Fung watched as Kimiko tore off after them, Dojo curling about his shoulders as he let out a sigh.

"They're good kids, er, fundamentally. They're pretty good kids."

"Indeed." Master Fung agreed as he let a smile work its way on his face as Omi and the others reappeared. Their shouts and laughter echoed as they danced around the courtyard.

It seemed that, for even a short while, they were nothing more than simple teenagers having fun rather than the four chosen warriors with the fate of the world resting on their shoulders.

Keiko Nagatsuka was dragging her feet as she shivered in the cold of the late afternoon breeze in Tokyo, Japan. Her eyes darted to the pocket of her skirt as she fingered the accessory sticking out just beneath the edge of her coat. Autumn was fast changing to winter as the winds were getting colder, making her teeth chatter and her arms tighten around herself.

Keiko was caught between two choices. She could either walk faster to get home and increase the chill on her already frozen skin, or keep at an even pace but lengthen her time in the cold. Either way it seemed the results would be the same and she was already dead on her feet from cram school and two transfers at the train stations.

She decided to take a rest as she spotted a stone wall. She took out her cell phone as she seated herself, fixing her skirt as she flipped open her phone. The time was illuminated boldly on the LCD screen.

18:37.

If she was lucky, she'd get home by seven (nineteen hundred hours) in time to make dinner, finish her homework, take a shower, into bed and ready for another day of school. She wasn't in a hurry, but the sun was going down fast and she was a lone school girl on her own in a big city. It didn't sit well with her to linger by herself on the streets with only the street lights to guide her way back home.

With a sigh she pushed herself off the wall and looked at her phone one last time. She slowly began to make her way down the street as she checked her phone for any new messages or missed calls.

There was nothing.

Keiko tried to stop herself from frowning as she licked her dry lips, dialing the numbers she knew by heart and raising it to her ear. Instead of the voice she was hoping to hear, an automated message answered her call in Japanese.

"We apologize for the inconvenience, but the number you have dialed is no longer in service--"

Keiko snapped her phone in frustration as she started on her way home with renewed energy, shoving the cell phone into her skirt pocket.

She never heard the soft whirling of blades, similar to that of a helicopter, nor did she see the silhouette of a figure that flew overhead with hair that matched the colors that painted the sky as the sun continued to sink down.

The moment Keiko chose to glance back, all she could see was the last rays of the sun hitting the tall skyscrapers that cluttered around the streets and she could only hear the roar of the cars rushing by as well as the clanking of the trains running along the tracks as the street lights shuddered and flickered high above.

Tsuzuku (To Be Continued... )