Here is my first Xiaolin Showdown fanfic! It's pretty much everyone's thoughts after Raimundo's betrayal. I hope you all enjoy!
Guilt of the Heylin Warrior
Awkward. The one word that described everything. Raimundo knew he would not be welcomed back with opened arms. Some of the monks glanced at him, whispering things. He didn't have to guess to figure out what they were whispering about. He had made one of the biggest mistakes of his life. He betrayed his friends for glory and power. That, alone, stated everything. Now that he was back, no one trusted him. Well, some people, like the other three xiaolin dragons and Master Fung, barely trusted him. For that, he considered himself lucky. No, he considered it a miracle that they actually barely trusted him and welcomed him back.
"So, Raimundo," Kimiko smiled, "what's it like being back?"
Normally, Raimundo would have replied with something like "I miss my old bed" or "I miss my video games", but he knew better than that. In fact, he almost broke into tears when he saw his old room. Instead, he just sighed and mumbled a great. That left questioning for the other three monks. Did he miss being with Wuya? Was he thinking of ways to somehow bring her back? What was going on in his head? In truth, all he wanted to do was forget everything that happened. That would be the weak thing to do. He was running instead of facing his problems. He didn't mind though; he was going to run until he finally collapsed from exhaustion.
After two days of being back, no Shen Gong Wu revealed themselves. Raimundo was a little glad about that, but he wanted to go away from the temple, from the stares, and from the whispering. They acted as if he wasn't sorry for his actions. Was he though? Raimundo never actually said he was sorry, but he assumed they all thought he was.
"What am I supposed to say?" Raimundo mumbled. "Sorry I doomed the world? Sorry I got you all locked up? Sorry I almost allowed you guys to be crushed to death in front of me?"
No, he would need to apologize, no matter how ridiculous it would sound. He had to apologize for his past actions otherwise they would never know how much he regretted joining Wuya. That's why at dinner, he openly announced he was sorry. At first, the three monks appeared confused at his sudden apology.
"Why?" Clay asked. "You didn't do anything wrong."
"No," Raimundo mumbled, "I did everything wrong."
With that, he left the table, unable to face the other three and unable to finish his dinner. They never understood. He apologized for joining Wuya. That was wrong. He apologized for every horrible thing he said to them. That was wrong. He even apologized for even considering having them killed… in front of him! That was even worse than wrong. It was downright sick. The people who he had cherished, the people whom he called his friends, the people who he ate with, slept with, and did almost everything with… he nearly sacrificed them all. And for what? To play every video game in the whole world while Wuya offered her body to him? He shuddered at the last part, not even wanting to be reminded of that. He remembered how she said she would give him everything, everything he wanted.
"Isn't this what all teenage boys want? The chance to make love to someone? I'm giving you the chance, Raimundo. Take it."
He would never tell anyone. He would never tell anyone how he gave in to her seduction. He would never tell how for a brief second, he actually thought he might have loved her. He, however, was afraid that Wuya would tell. He knew she would make her way into his life eventually. She would make him suffer for his betrayal.
"Funny," Raimundo mumbled. "I managed to betray both my friends and the Heylin side."
Where did he truly belong? He betrayed both sides because the grass seemed greener. Now, he just didn't know what to think.
"Something is wrong with Raimundo," Omi mumbled. Kimiko nodded as Clay just sighed. Nothing had been the same since Raimundo came back to their side. They thought everything would be the same again. They thought that he would immediately make jokes again, tease them, and use his sarcasm to no limit. Instead, he was quiet, spent his time alone, and he rarely ever came out of his room. When he did, he would just sit in a tree, staring at the sky with thoughtful eyes.
"What do you expect?" Kimiko mumbled. "We never really talked about… about what happened."
Kimiko always trusted Raimundo. She found him funny from the moment he pulled down Omi's pants. She found him amusing, funny, and unfocused. She loved him for that though. When he stared at her with such dark eyes the night he confessed he was on the Heylin side, her heart froze. His eyes were serious, dark, and that smirk wasn't his usual smirk. It wasn't fitted with a joke or with a comment about something. Nothing funny happened to make him smirk. It was out of pure darkness. The moment he returned though, he smiled. It was a sad smile, but it was still a smile. Now, she just missed even his blank, unfocused face as he stared off into the distance. Now, he just thought. His face held seriousness she's rarely seen. She hated that. She didn't care that he betrayed them; everyone made mistakes. She had been through many betrayals.
Her mother, for example, was just a gold digger. Her friends wanted her money. When Raimundo betrayed them, it had hurt the most. She was just happy he was back and that he was no longer Heylin. That's all that mattered to her. That, and having him return to his old self again.
"Does he want to talk about what happened though?" Omi asked. "He hasn't brought it up."
Omi never had a friend before Raimundo, Clay, and Kimiko. He never felt the betrayal of a friend. He never experienced that type of pain. So when he did, he naturally did what most would do. He fell into denial. Nothing could make him doubt that Raimundo was truly good… until he stole the Shen Gong Wu. At that moment, his heart was truly crushed.
Anger was his first emotion. Anger that Raimundo dared betray the light, anger that he would leave them all behind, and anger that he would turn to Wuya of all people just for glory. And for what? Because he didn't get a level up? That's when pure hatred for his friend showed up. He had never hated anyone, and he only hated Raimundo for a second. For a moment though, he truly hated his friend for the betrayal. He wanted to hunt Raimundo, to hurt him so badly like how he hurt them. It only lasted for a second though. Then the guilt hit in. He always treated Raimundo like a dog that needed training. He always compared himself to Raimundo, which must have angered him.
Omi never realized he was pushing away his friend. Naturally, sadness came last, but the guilt never left. In fact, he still had the guilt.
"He said he was sorry," Clay mentioned. "I think it was for that. I think he wants to talk about it."
Clay and Omi were always Raimundo's favorite ones to prank. Clay, of course, would be angry, but he would never actually hurt Raimundo. He knew that Raimundo just liked to joke around. That's what he thought at first when Raimundo betrayed them. He thought Raimundo was just joking until he left with the Shen Gong Wu. Omi had claimed he was still good, and Clay had hoped he could believe that. Clay had never blamed himself; he just thought he should have spent more time with Raimundo. They weren't the closest in the group, and Clay always felt a bit more distant from the others, but he never thought that it was Raimundo that felt the most distant. He always smiled, played pranks, and joked around. He felt distant like Clay had, and Clay hated himself for not noticing.
"Maybe… we should find him," Kimiko stood up, staring at them. They all nodded and began to walk when they stopped after they heard someone speak his name.
"Raimundo," a monk whispered to another, "why do they let him back? Many people have died because of Wuya. It's his fault that so many are dead; that so many are in pain! He betrayed us, and he has no right to be here! He is a traitor to us. How can Master Fung just accept that he's here? I can't."
"HEY!" Kimiko screamed. "I know he betrayed us! I know that he has caused death! He is sorry though! Can't you see that? Can't you see that look in his eye? The way he stares off into space? He feels guilty and sorry! Everyone makes mistakes. Maybe not that big of a mistake, but it was still a mistake! He deserved happiness… He deserves to be here. He's the dragon of the wind, after all!"
Tears flowed down her cheeks as Omi and Clay stared at her. They have only seen her cry once before this incident, but it wasn't as bad as this. Tears continued to flow down her cheeks as she sobbed into her hands.
"I don't." A voice rang out. Everyone turned to see Raimundo standing there, staring at all of them. "I did betray you. I did cause death, and I am sorry. Sorry doesn't cut it though… I made a huge mistake… one that no selfish person would make. I don't deserve anything of what you said. After this, I'm shocked you can still call me the dragon of the wind."
"Rai…" she whispered. With that, Raimundo turned around, about to walk away when a sudden scream broke his thoughts.
"I FORGIVE YOU!" Omi screamed. "I was angry… I was upset… but it was my fault! I was pushing you away. I kept saying you weren't good enough and that you needed to try harder. It's me who is at fault. I pushed you to the dark side. I pushed you to Wuya. I am sorry! You don't have to apologize because it was my fault."
"I should have realized… you felt so distant from us," Clay mumbled. "I should have realized you didn't trust us anymore. It was my fault as well, Raimundo."
"I just stood around. I didn't bother helping you, and I didn't bother listening to your feelings. I just sat around. When I saw you were sad, I just thought you would be a man and get over it. When I saw you were angry, I just let you sulk around. Wuya must have listened to you. She must have offered you help, and that's why you turned to her," Kimiko whispered. "It's my fault too."
"Don't blame yourselves for something I did," Raimundo mumbled, tears coming to his eyes. "Omi, you only made me do my best. I wanted to prove you wrong. In a way, you helped me. Clay, I never felt distant. I never stopped trusting you. I was just angry… and greedy. Kimiko, even if you tried, I wouldn't have spilled out my feelings. I'm used to keep them bottled inside and releasing my anger later. It's none of your faults. I'm to blame."
"Does it matter?" Master Fung walked up to them from behind Raimundo. "As long as you see what you have done wrong, you cannot repeat your mistake. You are strong, Raimundo, and you blame yourself for doing what you wanted to do. You are not weak, and you are not selfish or greedy. You just fell into the hands of evil, just as so many have. You are different though. You pulled yourself out. That is something that no brave warrior can do. You are strong, Raimundo. I know it."
"Master Fung…" Raimundo whispered. "You guys… I didn't know… I never thought… I've done awful things, you guys. I've done stuff you don't know about. I've committed many crimes. How can you still accept me?"
"Because," Kimiko smiled with tears in her eyes, "you're our friend, and you're sorry for everything you've done."
For the first time in a while, Raimundo lifted up his lips into a smile. It was small, but it was good enough for the three monks to run to him, wrapping their arms around him. Now Raimundo realized it. For every bad deed he committed, for every crime, he would do something for the world. He would destroy all evil, and he would try his best from now on. For the first time ever since he arrived back at the temple, he slept with no nightmares of being with Wuya.
I hoped you all liked it! I just thought that they would not immediately trust him again, and that they would have to talk about it. Please tell me what you think! Should I make this a story or keep it as a one-shot?
