Chase moved around uncomfortably as he tried to keep his broken leg steady. He wasn't a stranger to pain but if possible he did try to avoid it. He sighed heavily as he stared across the cave at the Spicer boy. It was cold so he was sleeping in a very tight ball on the ground. He was a bundle of black with spiky red hair sticking out from under the arms in which his face was buried. Puffs of breath seeped through his sleeves from time to time and Chase realized it must have been colder than he had realized. He reached out and picked up the yellow goggles that had fallen from his head earlier. He held them up to the small light Spicer's flashlight was giving off and stared at them silently for a moment. How had he managed to get himself into this situation?
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jack grimaced
as he pulled himself up to the edge of a cliff and rested. Those
stupid Xiaolin Losers had broken his helibot again and he was stuck
climbing which was definently not his forte. He looked up to find the
last flat surface nearly in reach and grinned as he continued upward.
He laughed as he placed a hand over the top, ripped glove nearly
causing him to slip. He managed to keep his hold however and pulled
himself the rest of the way up. The grin on his face vanished as he
found that he had yet another opponet awaiting him. Chase Young
turned to look at him, Wu in one hand and Dojo in the other. That
would explain why the Xiaolin Warrior's hadn't been able to follow
him. The evil legend smirked as he tossed the latter possession over
the mountain and took a step towards him. He scrambled to atleast put
himself on a stable surface before he ended up following Dojo down
the hard way.
"Spicer." he hissed.
"H-hi...Chase."
he stuttered, immediately cowering under him. "How's it goin'?"
"You didn't come for this by chance, did you?" he
asked, holding the Wu up.
"Well...I-I was thinking it might
be usef-"
"Would you like to fight me for it?" he
teased, holding it out to him. "A Xiaolin Showdown perhaps? Or
will you cower like the miserable excuse for a villian you are?"
Jack's face fell and he displayed a number of emotions Chase had
not felt in a very long time. Shame, embarressment, and - if he
wasn't mistake - pain. A very distinctive look covered his face at
that moment that resembled that of a wounded animal. It only made him
grin wider but he was surprised when he shot a hand out and took hold
of the Wu. His hurt had been replaced with determination and anger.
"Chase Young, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown!"
"Well, that was surprisingly brave of you." he remarked
calmly. "However I have nothing to wager."
"Then
why'd you even suggest it?" he demanded angrily.
"I
didn't think you'd actually try it." he replied with a sneer.
Chase could see the resentment as it built up inside Spicer. He
was clenching his fists and shaking violently as he held his head
down, teeth clenched. He didn't know what to expect of him now. The
anger could die down and leave him as unwilling to face him as ever
before but he had challenged him to a Showdown. He could work up the
courage to attack him directly for all he knew. He would have been
better off if he had only left him there with his rage but instead he
waited. Damn his curiousity. Jack Spicer looked up to the sky as he
released all his frustrations in a scream that could shatter glass.
Chase was so surprised the emotion actually showed on his face and he
nearly dropped the Wu.
When he looked up he found Jack sitting on
the ground with his face in his hands. It was a most unbecoming
action for someone claiming to be on the side of evil. He didn't get
the chance to respond to his outburst before he felt the ground
beneath his feet shaking. Jack looked up at the sound of rumbling,
eyeliner running from the tears on his face. They both looked up to
the peak of the mountain and were shocked to find the snow slowly
slipping. He turned towards Spicer and took a few steps in his
direction, fist raised as though he would strike him.
"You
imbecile!" he shouted, snatching him up by his jacket instead.
"Look what you've done!"
Jack opened his mouth and held
a finger up but he didn't let him respond. He tossed him down to the
next cliff and jumped after him as the snow came crashing down. Jack
was trying to stand in order to run but he would never make it in
time. Chase cursed as he grabbed the back of his jacket and drug him
along behind him. He bounced from ledge to ledge as Spicer grabbed
onto his waist and screamed. He didn't know why he was bothering with
him in the first place but even if he tried to drop him now he
wouldn't have been able to. The snow was gaining on them fast and he
knew he wouldn't be able to beat it to the bottom. Not even he was
that fast. He searched the face of the mountain for an opening of
some kind and was relieved to find a cave a few feet below them and
to the right.
Jack's grip tightened as he switched direction and
sped towards the mouth of the cave but the snow was already nipping
at his heels. He felt it pile around one foot just as he landed and
he tripped. Jack rolled into the opening of the cave and the Wu flew
from his fingers, falling over the edge. He just barely dragged
himself inside when the full weight of the avalanche fell upon him.
Jack screamed as darkness enveloped him but he was surprised to hear
a cry of pain to accompany it. He fumbled with his emergency
flashlight and it's beam landed on Chase shakily. He had managed to
get all but his right leg inside. The snow crushed the bone and he
felt it snap in two. Jack hurried over to him and started digging.
"Hold on Chase." he whispered frantically. "I got
it. I got it."
"Get away from me!" he shouted,
jerking his leg inside with a grunt at the excruciating pain the
action caused.
Jack pulled his hands away as the small hole
filled in quickly and piles of snow fell around them from the
disruption in the walls construction. He pointed his flashlight back
at Chase who was pulling himself to his feet, leaning against the
wall to relieve his right leg of pressure. He couldn't believe he'd
just broken his leg to save Jack Spicer of all people. He looked over
as the beam widened and found him approaching him cautiously with a
look of worry spread over his pale face. He had his free hand out as
though he wanted to touch him.
"Chase...you alright?"
Chase didn't respond to him and his touch was recieved with a
stiff shoulder. He began to walk away, nearly dragging his bum leg
behind him as he went. Jack watched as he disappeared into the
darkness and lowered his hand with a pained expression again. Chase
huddled in the darkest area he could find and crossed his arms as he
sat down. He sighed and put a hand to his face after a moment,
contemplating the situation. If he tried to break out through the
walls the snow would only come flowing in to crush them and he
couldn't call his warriors from this distance. He could have used the
Wu but Jack had managed to ruin that option as well. If he hadn't
been dragging so much dead weight behind him then he might have made
it inside in time.
He looked up to see Jack's light in the
distance. It was wavering and shaking as he moved around but the
erratic behavior of the beam made it impossible to know what he was
doing. Until he saw it growing closer once again and he sighed in
exasperation. He couldn't even let him have five minutes alone. He
was probably scared to stay alone in the dark. Certain enough he
appeared out of the darkness with a nervous expression. He was
looking over his shoulder every few seconds and he smiled at Chase
when he saw him.
"Pretty dark in here." he stated.
"Yes. It's soothing." he replied with a smirk as he sat
down across from him.
"Soothing...right. Totally." he
agreed, setting his flashlight down upright to illuminate a larger
area. "Chase..."
"What is it?" he demanded
irriatably.
"Why'd you save me?"
"Reflex."
he snapped, eyes narrowed.
"I didn't know you made a habit
of saving people."
"Hundreds of years ago I was on the
side of good." he retorted sharply. "Sometimes habits die
hard. You got lucky."
"Still..." he muttered, a
light blush on his cheeks. "Thanks."
Once again Chase
chose not to respond. He didn't like the way Spicer was looking at
him or the way his cheeks had reddened. The boy was far too
infatauted with him for it to be normal hero worship. He'd realized
this not long after meeting him. He worked too hard to prove himself
to him and when he had captured him the things he had said made him
sound like a rejected lover. "I wasn't good enough to work
with you." The words were full of victory at the time but
the undertones spoke of bitterness. He was shocked to find him
crawling across the ground towards him. He should have been paying
more attention. He was already nearly at his side. He kneeled beside
him for a moment with that blush on his cheeks and just stared.
"What?"
"Chase..." he whispered, hand
reaching for his knee. "I don't know if I should say this
but..."
"Get back on your side Spicer!" he
growled, putting a hand on his chest and pushing him roughly.
Jack
hit the stone floor and his goggles fell from his hair. The pain in
his head distracted him from realizing this however and he sat up
with tears in his eyes. He put a hand to his forehead to find that he
was bleeding slightly. It was only a small cut but it wasn't the cut
that caused the tears in his eyes to spill out over his cheeks. He
only remained sad for a few moments before the anger consumed him
again. He returned to the other side of the small cave and sat with
his knees pulled up to his chin, glaring at him.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chase
stared at his blurry image through the yellow lens. They had been in
here for two days already but he still hadn't said a word to him.
Maybe he had been to harsh with his rejection. He couldn't believe he
was even thinking that and for a moment it disgusted him. He was
starting to feel a little remorseful for his actions. What was it
about Jack Spicer that cried out to be pitied? Everything about him
emminated the feeling of a kicked dog. Had he really that much to be
upset about? He was rich and a natural born mechanical genuis which
did make up somewhat for his lack of intelligence in general. Yet he
was still so unsatisfied with life. Why else would he have turned to
the side of evil at such an early age?
He sighed and stood
slowly, his leg heavy with the splint Spicer had reluctantly put
together for him despite his anger. He stared at the goggles then
back at the tightly curled ball that was Jack. Why after all these
years was his concious returning now? There was something about that
Spicer boy that made him feel different sometimes. Something about
the way he looked at him and clung to him when he got the chance. He
was sill shaking so violently that Chase was growing concerned for
his well being. And again it disgusted him.
He looked down at the
ground to see the flashlight flickering slightly. The light would go
out soon and then he would be cold, hungry and scared. He didn't
think he could deal with that screaming for long. He'd probably kill
him just to stop it. He slipped his armor off and let it fall to the
ground with a loud, echoing clatter. Jack sat up and looked around
frantically. He was surprised to see Chase standing over him, looming
even. He wondered if he was going to kill and eat him now but
couldn't seem to make his frozen limbs move. He barely convinced his
mouth to work after two days of silence.
"Chase...?"
he whispered hoarsely, sad eyes staring up at him in fear.
"Shut
up Spicer." he commanded as he sat down next to him.
Jack
looked utterly confused as he was pulled towards his chest but didn't
resist. How could he? Even if it was a plot to stab him in the back
he wouldn't have resisted. He wanted to have his arms around him for
far too long. He buried his face in his soft shirt and sighed, a
cloud of breath rising around his eyes. It made the world look hazy
and that caused the embrace to be a surreal experience. Chase didn't
say anything else. He just held him in his arms, providing him with
body warmth he needed to survive until they could find some way to
escape.
He didn't find it to be that bad an experience. He also
felt a warmth surround him though it wasn't so much a physical one.
He hadn't felt this way in a long time if ever and it made him angry.
It was a fierce anger that burned his insides but at the same time he
felt somewhat relieved that he could still feel such a thing. He had
thought all emotions of the positive nature had left him when he'd
turned to the dark side but obviously something of who he had once
been still remained even now. He didn't know why this relieved him
but at the moment he could ignore it. Just for this moment.
They
would spend another day in this way before the Xiaolin Warriors - out
of the goodness of their innocent hearts - found and rescued them.
After not hearing from either of them and the story Dojo had
recollected of the mountain top they began to search for them. Chase
limped away from them and turned to stare at Jack who was standing in
the middle of their enemies. He smiled slightly but his eyes were
sad. He knew that they would never end up in that position again and
there was no way he'd get back in those arms. But Chase was still
without his armor and Jack would have to return it to him. He knew
that was why he smiled. He decided to allow him this pleasure and
turned from them all, disappearing below the cliff. He would explore
these feelings he had experienced as he awaited Spicer's visit.
Perhaps he would have them sorted out by then.