So this is a story that partially came to me the other day. Other than that, I am making it up as I go, using the basic plot as a base plan, almost like building a house, a house called Raimundo's Dilemma. This will most likely be a short, 2-3 chapter, story. This will appeal more to certain people and less to others, so Your Mileage May Vary by the end of this first chapter, but enough talk.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Xiaolin Showdown or the characters.
Italics indicate flashbacks.
Enjoy!
It was a warm, sunny, all around average day at the Xiaolin Temple, a place where even the weirdest things seemed normal to those who lived there. The monks were currently busy doing their own thing, Omi was training, Clay was preparing a sandwich, Kimiko was playing Goo Zombies 12 and Raimundo, the leader, was relaxing in the shade outside. Shen Gong Wu had been relatively inactive; evil had been rather quiet and the monks were completely chore free. Master Fung had talked to the other elder monks had they all agreed that the dragons in training deserved some well deserved rest and some time to relax.
"Young monks, I am sure you have noticed that evil has been inactive lately." Master Fung told the four teens who sat in front of him, listening intently.
"We have not been able to determine why, but it has been agreed on that we shall not take this break for granted. You have all been working very hard since you all came here, and you have not received a vacation of decent length. Now I am not going to tell you that you will not be required to act if evil begins again, but as long as the fate of the world does not seem to be in danger, then you will be allowed to do as you please unless instructed otherwise."
Evil had been rather discreet the past two weeks, and the monks had never felt more relaxed. Raimundo stretched and repositioned himself in the shade beneath a large tree in the temple courtyard. Kimiko brought her handheld gaming device outside and was sitting on the edge of one of the fountains by the temple entrance, Omi was also in the same area as the two, practicing his kung fu, but Clay was still inside. Raimundo let out a sigh as the gentle breeze shook the tree lightly, leaves dancing in the wind. Kimiko paused her game to fix her hair after the wind blew a few strands from their place and into her vision. She patted the section of hair lightly and then returned her attention to the device which blipped and blooped cheerfully. The sounds of zombies screaming also accompanied the digital noises, and every so often Kimiko would cheer softly, trying not to disturb the peace but still wanting to celebrate her progress. Soon a repetitive beeping noise began to emit from the device. Kimiko saved her game instinctively before getting up from her seat and entering the temple. She walked past the kitchen, where Clay had just finished his sandwich, and to her room, where she plugged the electronic into the wall so that it could charge, turning it off to aid in the process.
Omi inhaled deeply, having finished his training for a while. He looked around him, noticing Raimundo under the tree. Not sure whether to go over or not, he decided that he would and casually made his way over to his friend.
"Hello Raimundo." The young monk chirped.
"What's up, Omi?"
Looking up, the monk searched the sky skeptically.
"Omi, we've been over this, 'what's up' doesn't literally mean what's up, it means how's it going or what are you up to."
"Oh yes, how foolish of me to forget. To answer your question, I am currently talking to you, having just finished my training for today."
"Omi, dude, we're on vacation, you shouldn't be spending your time training, you should relax."
"Typical Raimundo, do you not realize that if I am not constantly practicing then my fighting abilities will not remain in top shape?"
"That's fine and good, but training all the time can hurt you. You should know that the body needs periodic rest so that it doesn't become worn. You're gonna injure yourself training all the time."
"I had not thought of that, perhaps you are right."
"Hey, I might not look it, but I got plenty of brains."
"Do not fool yourself, my friend."
"Hey what did you just say?"
"Now Raimundo, you mustn't overwork yourself."
Raimundo was about to say something, but his small yellow friend beat him to it by walking away from him and into the temple. Raimundo sighed and reclined against the tree like he had been doing before Omi showed up.
Clay had left the kitchen and was now in search of something to do. Truth be told he kind of missed the everyday interactions with evil, they gave him something interesting to do as opposed to sitting around much like he had been doing for the past few days. He paused in one of the temple's various hallways and sighed, scratching the back of his head in thought. He wondered what his friends were up to, and decided to check with Kimiko first. When he finally found her, she was in her room typing on her laptop, searching the internet for something interesting to do or buy, no doubt. She noticed him and looked up from one of her various electronic devices.
"Hey Clay, what are you up to?"
"Not much, Kim, I'm afraid I can't find nothin' of interest to do lately."
"I hear that, I mean sure Jack and Wuya are annoying, but at least they're interesting in an annoying sort of way."
"Plus there hasn't been an active Shen Gong Wu since I don't know when."
"Maybe we're going through a metaphorical Shen Gong Wu drought, but instead of not getting rain, we aren't getting any magical artifacts."
"So what have you been up to, little lady?"
"Not much, played all the video games I own at least twice over the course of the past two weeks or so, so now I'm looking for some online games to play. None of them are really peaking my interest though, so I guess I'm out of luck for now."
"Well if you find somethin' you be sure to let me know."
"Will do."
Clay tipped his hat and left his Japanese friend, who returned to her quest to find a new game to play.
Raimundo made a mental note that he had not seen Clay all day. He pouted, wondering where his large friend was. He got up off the ground and stretched again, enjoying the last bit of cool air before stepping into the sun. He instantly warmed up, noting that while not humid and not uncomfortable, the sun was definitely much hotter than it was yesterday. He made his way into the temple and poked his head into Kimiko's room.
"Hey Kim, how's it going?"
"Rai, I never knew that someone could be this bored surrounded by this much freedom. I have the entire internet in front of me, and I can't figure out a single thing to do."
"Have you tried downloading a new online game?"
"One? Try seven. And those are just the ones you download and install, I must have played at least 60 or so flash games and they were all either horrible or too short."
Sitting next to Kimiko on the floor, Raimundo typed in a website and clicked go.
"What's this?"
"This is the website I go to whenever I'm bored, they have tons of great games, and even if you play them ten times a piece they never get old."
"Thanks Rai, I'll play some and see what I think."
"Let me know, because I love to hear that I was right."
"Don't get too cocky, I'm very difficult to please when it comes to games."
"Haha, we'll see about that Kimi."
With a chuckle, Raimundo stood up and left Kimiko's room.
The four monks had met up in the temple garden to hang all, all agreeing that they were incredibly bored without having evil to fight or Shen Gong Wu to retrieve.
"Guys, we gotta think of something to do." Raimundo tried to begin a group brainstorm.
"We could play chess, I like chess." Omi suggested.
"No, the last time we played Shen Gong Wu chess you let it get to your head." Kimiko reminded him, causing him to shrink in humility.
"We could go somewhere, I mean it isn't like we'd have to bother Dojo, we could take the Silver Manta Ray, and Master Fung could call my cell phone if he needs us." Kimiko added.
"But where, shopping isn't going to do anything for the three of us." Raimundo told her.
"I suppose. What do you think, Clay?"
"Well I'd like to go visit my family in Texas."
"Remember the last time we went to Texas?" Raimundo said to him.
"Well if we're lucky they locked Clay's sister and her friends up by now." Kimiko joked.
"That is most funny, because Kimiko is implying that Clay's sister is a ne'er-do-well." Omi laughed.
"Omi, I was kinda being serious." Kimiko told him.
"Oh."
"Guys, guys, guys, focus."
"Well let's see you some up with something, Rai." Kimiko said to him.
"Well, call me old fashioned, but how 'bout the beach?"
"Actually, a beach vacation day does sound pretty fun." Kimiko replied.
"I guess the beach could be mighty nice."
"Ooh, the beach, can we build sand castles while we are there?"
"Sure buddy, 'course we can." Clay told his enthusiastic friend, who let out a loud 'Yes' in response.
So it was settled, tomorrow the monks would head to the beach to soak up the sun, play in the ocean, and, much to Omi's excitement, build sand castles.
Kimiko was sitting on her bed, laptop on, still searching for something, anything, that could entertain her. Clay and Omi were busy discussing sand castle building techniques, and Raimundo was sitting outside. He sighed, staring up at the moon. It was almost full, but looked like it was full to anyone who didn't know when the full moon was. He looked at the moon's surface, admiring the visible details on it. The craters were the most noticeable thing. The moon, something often associated with love, was the perfect symbol for Raimundo's emotions right now. Everything about Raimundo's actions gave off the feel of someone in love. He was constantly thinking of that person, the one who captured his heart. He sighed, that lovestruck sigh that gave off the indication of love. But the only problem was he was afraid, afraid that the person that he loved did not love him. The worst part was that he didn't know how to find out; he couldn't bring himself to ask that person. He needed help, and he knew just who to ask.
"Raimundo, what are you doing, it's three in the morning." Kimiko said groggily.
"Kim, I didn't mean to wake you up, but I need to talk to you."
"Can't it wait until morning?"
"No, it really can't."
"Ugh, fine, let me just wake myself up enough to hold a conversation."
Kimiko rubbed her eyes and stretched in her bed. She yawned delicately and fixed her hair. She then motioned for Raimundo to sit on the floor next to the bed, which he did.
"Now what is it that you need?"
"I need," He began. He thought of the right words to express his feelings, "I need love advice, Kim."
"Rai, love advice? I never thought I would see the day that Raimundo Pedrosa asked me for love advice."
"Ha ha ha, very funny, but this is serious Kim. I think I'm in love, but I have no idea what to say."
"First you need to tell me who it is. I must say I'm sure you'll be surprising everyone, because if you're coming to me for love advice, I can't be the one you're in love with."
"Sorry to disappoint, Kim."
"Nah, it's cool. So if it's not me, who is it? It isn't Wuya or Katnappe, is it, because if it is I will beat some sense into you."
"No, no, god no. Can you keep a secret?"
"Depends, what's it worth to you?"
"KIM!"
"I'm kidding, Rai, of course I can. Now tell me."
Raimundo leaned close enough to Kimiko to whisper the name into her ear. Kimiko moved away from him, the look on her face showing shock, surprise, but also understanding and a genuine will to help.
"Rai, why didn't you just tell me before you like Clay?"
"Shh, don't say it so loud."
"Relax, everyone is asleep besides the two of us, no one is going to find out. First of all, the initial surprise has just worn off, and the more I think about it, the more I realize how many hints you've dropped."
"Exactly, and he hasn't noticed any of them."
"Or maybe he has, and he's just as afraid to come out and say it as you are."
"Or maybe he has and he's absolutely disgusted by me now."
"But if that were the case then he wouldn't even talk to you. You guys are usually inseparable."
"But we're only hanging as friends."
"But what if you both have the same hidden feelings?"
"But what if…"
"Look, Rai, you came to me asking for advice, and I'm going to give you advice. You like Clay, and you will never know if he likes you back unless you tell him how you feel. The worst thing that happens is that he isn't interested in being anything more than friends, and you end it at that. Clay isn't the kind of guy to stop being friends with you because of that, trust me."
"Thanks, Kim, you're a great friend."
"No problem."
The two shared a friendly hug before Raimundo left, needing to rest, and Kimiko yawned, glad she could finally go back to sleep.
So I told you that it was different. Some of you may stick around to find out if they get together, but some of you might not, hell, some people probably didn't make it this far down. I don't want to spoil it in case there are people who scroll down to the bottom to see if they can figure out a pairing and then read.