The Calm Before The Storm

By SpaceWonder368

Here is my first fanfic to this lovely show... And yes, Raimundo is my favorite character. I have been watching some episodes like In The Flesh and some other Raimundo centric episodes to it gave me an idea to write a lil' oneshot about it. Plus, why not start a oneshot with some action, huh?

It's been months since the great brawl that forged between the Xiaolin Dragons and the Heylin warriors. It's been months since there's been an attack from the Heylin side. It's been months since Raimundo became a Shoku warrior and a leader to the monks.

The Brazilian teenager has his mind rattled with second thoughts… Second doubts about his newest rank. He never expected it to come so quick anyway. He's been deceived and tricked into the Heylin side so it never occurred to him that he's been transferred to be this rank.

Sure. Shoku warrior. Skoku warrior. That sounds quite nice. It sounds incredible to get to such a high rank in martial arts anyway. However, was it… Worth it in the end?

Of course, it was! You got the rank you wanted! What's the dilly?

The dilly….

The dilly was just about what his mind has been processing lately. Is he worthy of being Shoku? His mind exclaims excitedly yes but his heart has strong, crushing doubts to say no. The position is what he deserved, though… He earned it!

Ugh, all these doubts messing with my head sucks. Imma just gonna catch some Zs.

He rests on his side, verdant eyes ready to close for the day.

What about Omi?

What about Chromedome?

That's right. The little guy has been planning to get to this rank since Raimundo met him. Every now and then he heard a spat from the lil' dude about how he would boast and brag and practically rub it in his face with his slang. The slang he had to correct every single day. Yup. He's become Omi's translator for now on.

That aside, he knew that the Xiaolin Dragon of Water has been wanting this rank. He can't say he blame him. All of them may have been hoping to get this goal, but in the end, it led to this.

The bald boy never looked so upset at that point, but he didn't expect to be bowed by him. So it goes.

The lazy slacker and cocky leader of the team wakes up to Omi's frantic shouting. What is it now? Why is he so scared? There hasn't been an attack in so long, so long! His ears are ringing to something… But what? His lungs are crying out to breath, so... What could be the problem? Adorning his Shoku robes, he rushes quickly to where he could spot the smallest monk within the temple.

"Omi!"

He can barely make sense of what is going on at this rate due to exhaustion and the stress growing on his shoulders (and eventually his whole body). What he can make sure of is that the temple is steaming with patches of smoke. His worst assumption had to be that an explosion occurred. Ignoring on how on Earth did he slept through an explosion, he scampers throughout the area to find Omi, Kimiko, Clay, and even the others.

For such a hidden, quiet place… It sure does get invaded a lot.

Raimundo surveys the layout of the temple. Pebbles of debris are scattered across the training ground, along with the obstacle course being in nothing more but ruins. Bursting winds to avoid the blinding smoke, he hastily runs around to find them.

Damn. He could have sworn he heard the egotistical monk from earlier. What was it he was shouting about? Man, he was zoned out that he couldn't register on what he said.

Then…

He heard him again.

"Raimundo!"

It wasn't a yell of worry. It was a yell of pure horror and pleading as if calling for help. It could have been that the other three were in the middle of the fight and had apparently been in peril.

"Don't worry lil' dude!"

I'm coming!

He couldn't tell if it had been the panic squeezing his chest or the smoke putting pressure on his lungs. Using his wind to further enhance his speed, he can eventually see a yellow head not that far from here. The small body lays in a heap, and in turn, increases the leader's anxiety.

He skids to a stop on his knees, holding the boy in his arms. A scratch could be seen on the top of his head, along with patches of soot and dirt on his robes and pants. Once he stares into the other's coal black eyes, his eyebrows scrunch in concern.

"Ohhhhh that was most hurting…" Omi mumbles drowsily. His small hand reaches to his head, rubbing it in hopes to soothe the pain that stabs him sharp in the head. "...Raimundo?"

Raimundo gives him a sympathetic smile, though bleak. Curiosity sinks into him and latches on like an anchor. He holds the younger monk close before zipping off to a safe side of the temple. Eventually, he sets him down in the garden. He can't tend to his wounds right now, but… He does feel a prick of anger ebbing into his body… A need to whoop whoever attacked his comrades.

"We only made it by the bare side of our teeth!"

"You mean by the skin of our teeth…"

"That too."

They only made it by the skin of their teeth…. That can't be good. If someone were to create such a nasty plan to attack… It couldn't have been Spicer. After all, the goofball couldn't think of an insane way to infiltrate the temple unless he had a good pair of Jackbots with him.

"Omi… What happened?"

The tone of his voice only resembles his major unsettledness. It's been months since the Heylin strike back. What could have caused this sudden change? No. No. It could have been Wuya. She always knew when the right time to attack, but… The last time they'd seen her was with…

He peers to the where the trails of smoke vanish, seeing a figure from afar. His eyebrows twitch in fury. He scuffles to his feet and with open arms, release a gust of wind.

"Typhoon Boom, Wind!"

The current of air topples a few pots over, shattering them in the process. The figure was gone. Raimundo can feel the adrenaline flowing through his veins, just begging to fight.

The temple has become eerily silent. The leader is even surprised that Omi isn't talking anymore (maybe he fell unconscious). He holds out his fists, gritting his teeth so hard that they might as well break.

"Hello, Raimundo…"

That voice.

That's all he needed to hear.

His nostrils flare as he distanced himself away from the other a bit, but enough to protect him from any threat in the long run. Man, he wished he had the Sword of the Storms at this point… or his trusty Blade of the Nebula.

The echoing of fire can be heard from the distance. With a small, frail body, Raimundo can already tell the features of who this person is. He lets out a hiss through his teeth with his fists shaking.

"Kim!"

Kimiko collapses on her knees, huffing and puffing to try to breathe and also to contain her fury. Yeah, she isn't doing a very good job with controlling her temper, and Raimundo isn't either.

She screams out of rage, bursting a flame from her one fist. She holds her Star Hanabi in her other hand, preparing to set on fire on the foe. Her pigtails are disheveled and her robe is tearing apart at the sleeves and skirt. Blood is tracking on one of her cheeks, but she could care less.

"Where is she!? I swear when I find her, I'm going to rip her apart!"

A flash of memory flashes right before Raimundo's emerald green eyes.

As he was asleep, he recalled being shaken violently by Omi. His ears were vibrating by how loud the boy had been shouting.

"Raimundo, wake up! Wake up! The temple is under attack! Our Shen Gong Wu is being stolen!"

The one person he could have thought to create such a plan, and as described as she, would have to be…

"What's with the explosion, huh? Couldn't you bring along Lizard Lips and Bean Breath? Runnin' out of rock monsters?"

A cruel laughter reverberates among the temple… Making both Kimiko and Raimundo tremble in indignation. Just as expected, the Heylin witch comes out of the darkness, having her long hair flow in the breeze.

"Chase may be useful in his ways, but he wouldn't satisfy a girl who just wants to tear through anything. Besides, anything is better than having my powers restricted by him anyway…"

Virescent flames flash from her hands, thrusting them at the Shoku warrior.

"Look how much you've grown… It's a shame that you turn your back on me… After all I gave you what you truly desired…"

Raimundo can recall that so clearly. After being manipulated by Wuya and capitulated to do her biddings, he did know he did enjoyed what had been given to him, but after Wuya ruled the world, he didn't find any fun in his little paradise. It wasn't as fun as spending time with the other monks.

"You gave me what I desired, not what I needed…"

Another flurry of flames blasts at him, to which he blocks easily by his winds. The smoke from earlier combines with the gale force winds, making the air dense and hard to breathe. Heck, Raimundo couldn't see Wuya anymore.

"Star Hanabi!"

Kim….

It's only a matter of time before Wuya can launch another assault onto the fiery girl. Pockets of flames come from the Shen Gong Wu, and he yelps in pain the moment one of them hit his shoulder.

Jade luminescence shines through the area, and Raimundo can only make sense that it's a sign of the Heylin witch.

"Partner…"

Clay…

He approaches the cowboy in a hurry, finding him under a big pile of rubble. Blasting it off with the wind, he helps the Dragon of Earth by grabbing onto his arm and guiding him to safety… That is if he could.

"You alright?"

"It takes more than bleedin' to get rid of me…"

The brunette exhales in relief. Still, even through all the damage and finding his friends, the job still isn't done yet. He still has to teach that witch a lesson. Resting Clay near Kimiko and Omi, he ventures off to find Wuya once again.

This little game of hiding and seek is going to be over very soon.

Now, where could she have gone?

Our Shen Gong Wu is being stolen! Omi's voice ring in his head.

If that's true, then Wuya must be at the vault. Charging towards the place, he finds the witch with her arms filled with various Shen Gong Wu. Of course, she might have plans to create Mala Mala Jong… Or maybe it's for a completely different purpose.

Whatever the case is, she isn't getting away with this.

"Drop the Wu, you ugly hag!"

A cruel smirk plays on Wuya's face. Oh, she has her plans full set and in motion.

"Why not you fight for them, hmm? It'll just be like old times…"

The cocky warrior didn't respond this time. He isn't sure if by "Them," she meant his pals or the Wu… Or maybe both.

With a leap, he punts his foot into her face, dropping to his hands and sweeping her off of her feet by a swing of his legs. Slipping right into one of his hands is the Golden Tiger Claws.

Just staring at the Wu reminds him of when he crossed to the Heylin side and of when he betrayed the others for desires. He shakes his head to get those sudden thoughts and doubts out of his mind. There's no time to get a mental crisis here.

"Third Arm Sash!"

The blue sash forms a fist that knocks the wind out of him, sending his body flying and crashing into the wall. He falls to his front, baring his teeth and holding out his Wu. If she's going to play dirty, then why not take her to the battlefield?

"Golden Tiger Claws!"

He tears through thin air, jumping into a purple portal. In seconds, he finds himself at the ruins of the training grounds. Good. At least at this rate, they're far away from the other monks.

"Running away, I see? You didn't seem to care about running away when you ran from them using that Wu, and what was the reason? Oh yes, the lack of appreciation."

With a cry of outrage, he throws punch after punch at her and kicks after a kick. He's sick of her having to mess with his head. It was bad enough when she went inside his mind twice. Now she's just toying with him.

His viridescent green eyes flare with aggravation as the vexation in himself starts to blossom. The winds start to pick up around him, almost like a twister. He's been holding this in and it's time to let all of anger out.

His body forms into a black silhouette outlined in light blue with his eyes beaming blue as well as his mouth.

"Shoku Astro, Wind!"

A funnel of air swarms from his palms, and no longer could he see the Witch anymore as he's swallowed up by his own element. Dirt and debris is collected within the storm, creating a dangerous cyclone that could simply destroy the surrounding area.

"Raimundo!"

He could barely hear an urgent voice at this rate because of his own tornado. He could barely hear because of the anger corrupting him and taking him over.

"Rai!"

"Partner!"

No, wait. They were calling him. What for? To stop? How could he stop if this hag stole the Wu? The tremendous whirlwind begins to decrease the more and more he uses his energy. His Orion form vanishes as he becomes weak.

He breathes out a small chuckle of relief. Maybe he blew Wuya away. Good riddance. Before he knew it, he falls into someone's arms and everything went black.

Distorted voices filled with consternation is being centered around him. A boy with terrible slang, another with Western Idioms, and a female with a hot attitude.

Boy.

He felt like he did when he against the Heylin gang in that alternate timeline for a battle royale. He flutters his eyes, eyeing the other monks with an arched eyebrow.

"Hey, guys…"

A pair of arms wraps around him… Well… Several anyway.

"What happened?"

"You've been cocked cold!"

Classic Omi.

"It's knocked out cold, Chromedome…"

He sighs in relief. At least they are safe. Wuya may have escaped with some Wu, but at least he saved them from her. He may have thrashed the temple, but… At least he sends the threat away.

Protecting them is what a Shoku warrior does, and what a leader will do for his teammates.

Shoku warrior.

It has a nice ring to it.