Sequel to 1. Heylin Future (2023848), 2. Helpless (2287113), and 3. Reconciliation (2436000).

This story-arc may contain themes of homosexuality, betrayal, indecisiveness, OT3 and that particular brand of homophobia that seems to be possessed by teenage boys everywhere. To use the old cliché: Don't like, don't read.

The title of this arc (Xiaolin Past) refers back to the first - as a sort of bookending, if you will. It also has a reference to the end, but lets not worry about that yet.

&o&o&

Raimundo listened to the others, almost certain that they were asleep. He was aware that some of the Shen Gong Wu that he had accidentally brought from the future were still in the vault, and he intended to remove them before they were found and difficult questions were asked, but doing that in the daytime would seem suspicious at best.

They sounded asleep, but he peeked around the curtains to make sure. They looked asleep, too. He tiptoed toward the vault, endeavouring to be as quiet as possible so that they stayed asleep.

He started to list the Shen Gong Wu in his head, but found that he couldn't remember. It seemed so long ago... Sword of the Storm, he knew that he'd had that one... The Tangled Web Comb? He stopped, and listened. Katnappé had taken most of them, but he realised that he didn't actually know which, if any, Jack had lost in Showdowns against the monks. And he felt a bit foolish sneaking around the temple with no plan.

Just as he was about to turn around and go back to bed, he heard a noise coming from the direction of the vault. A break in? He started toward it, running noisily until he got close and then tiptoeing again to conceal his presence. He stopped at the perpetually open door, hiding most of his body behind it as he peeked into the large room.

An all-too-familiar head of hair was waving about at ground level - Jack Spicer's. Raimundo walked over normally now that he knew that there was no threat. He rested his hands on his thighs and looked down to where Spicer was pawing through their Shen Gong Wu. There was no sign of the Trember Trident, fortunately.

"What'cha doing?" he asked, grinning.

Jack jumped, looked up, and started a squeak. Raimundo jumped down and clapped a hand over his mouth. "Shh!" he said urgently, as Jack's arms began to flail at him. "Look! Ow- Hey! I was coming to steal from the vault too, okay?" he hissed, hoping that no-one had woken up in the scuffle.

Jack grabbed Raimundo's hand and pulled it down to his chin so that he could talk. "Get your hands offa me!" he exclaimed, even as Raimundo shushed him.

"Raimundo?" called a voice from outside.

Darn it, someone had woken up. Raimundo grabbed Jack around the middle and dragged him down to the bottom of the stairs, beyond where those above could see. "Stay quiet, or else!" Raimundo hissed into Jack's ear as he pushed him into the corner and pressed into the small space next to him.

Omi wandered into the room, rubbing his eyes. "I thought I heard..." he started, but then blinked and trailed off. Louder, more solid footfalls could be heard outside, coming steadily closer. They were foreign - no-one at the temple had shoes that made that flavour of noise... Almost instinctively, Raimundo pressed himself closer to Jack, who made a short whimper of protest before falling silent again.

"I've been watching you, Omi." The voice sent a shiver down Raimundo's spine. Seeing Jack's face, he could tell that the other boy had felt the same thing - at least, before the face abruptly changed to one of awe.

"I've seen you," came the voice from above. "Who are you?"

"Chase Young," Jack breathed.

"Who?" Raimundo whispered back.

"I am your future," the cold voice said.

"My future?" Omi sounded confused, as anyone would be in his place.

"The greatest evil overlord that the world has ever seen." Jack was gazing over Raimundo's shoulder, as if in a dreamland. "I have to see him..."

"You and I are part of a grand scheme, the likes of which this world has never known." There was a pause. "When we join forces, we shall rule the world!"

There was another pause before Omi spoke. "Which side are you-"

When Jack moved to push Raimundo aside, the Brazilian realised that he was serious. "Don't!" he hissed, far too loudly. The voices stopped.

"Who is down there!" Omi cried. "You! You sought to distract me while your friends took our Shen Gong Wu!"

The latter was clearly aimed at the Chase Young character, but Raimundo rested his head against Jack's chest. He was so going to get found out, have to leave the temple, go home as a failure... Worst-cast scenarios played out in his head, but he didn't realise that his cheeks were wet until Jack moved, trying to shift away from him.

"Well that explains why you keep trying to cuddle up to me," the boy muttered.

"I have no interest in Shen Gong Wu," Chase Young said, but Raimundo didn't hear. He was staring at Jack Spicer.

"What do you mean?" he and Omi could have said the words in unison.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Boys don't cry," he explained, before mumbling something else.

"My only interest is in you, Omi."

Unison again: "What did you say?"

"I said: 'Not the straight ones, anyway'"

"Everybody cries." Raimundo grinned. "And besides, you're a walking stereotype!" Jack rolled his eyes again, unable to do much else in this position, but Raimundo continued. "No, really! You wear make-up, you scream like a girl, and just look as those- You're blushing now!" All of this was said in hurried whispers, and Jack had indeed turned quite red. "Wait a minute," Raimundo said more slowly, "does this mean that you really are..."

"Stereotypes gotta come from somewhere," Jack mumbled.

Raimundo blushed, too. "Er..." he started awkwardly, "If you were expecting me to get away from you and uh, call you names or something, um... We're still hiding for a bit, so..."

"Raimundo?" Omi was suddenly on the stairs; they had been too engrossed with their conversation to notice. "What are you doing in the vault? With Jack Spicer?" Omi's eyes shone more at every word, until Raimundo wondered if he was going to cry. They'd say that he'd let them all down, let them down again, no less. "You haven't... haven't b-betr-"

Raimundo licked his suddenly dry lips. "I-"

A shadow loomed against the wall. Omi turned to it, shaking his head. Jack grabbed Raimundo and tried to use him as a shield, and the shadow solidified into a large humanoid lizard. "Come with me," the lizard said, advancing on Omi. "I am not patient."

Omi tried to fight, but having no Shen Gong Wu put him at a disadvantage to the stronger and faster monster. "Raimundo!" he yelled when the lizard had grabbed him, but Raimundo was frozen with fear, one arm still shielding Jack Spicer.

When the lizard had ascended the stairs, Omi struggling out of fear and disbelief, the boys sank to the ground, shaking. "I couldn't- I couldn't do-" Raimundo stuttered, almost hyperventilating.

"He'd have ripped you limb from limb if you'd tried," Jack agreed, leaving himself out of the sentence in an unconscious acknowledgement that he wouldn't have helped anyway, and still holding tightly Raimundo's arm. His next words, however, weren't nearly as 'comforting'. "I'd heard about him, and read about him, but in person... Wow." Jack grinned. "Terrifyingly wow." And then, to Raimundo's shock, he giggled.

Other voices could be heard now, outside. Kimiko calling Omi's name, Dojo shouting and a bell ringing. Raimundo seemed to rouse himself after a moment, and stood up quickly when footsteps inside the room could be heard. "Get out of here," he whispered, opening a drawer and chucking the Changing Chopsticks at Jack. He paused before going up the stairs. "I'll come over tomorrow night," he said without turning back. "There's something that I think we need to talk about."

Jack nodded mutely before whispering the name of the Shen Gong Wu and flying away. Raimundo lay down on the stars and groaned as loudly as he could.

"I was fighting this giant lizard," he said to Clay when he was found. "It was after Omi, but I couldn't beat it..."

"It's okay," Kimiko said. "You aren't at our level yet, you couldn't expect to beat the new boss on your first try..."

&o&o&

"This is a most troubling turn of events," Master Fung said solemnly as he faced the remaining three dragons-in-training. "If Chase Young succeeds in turning Omi to the Heylin side, there is a possibility that..." He paused, waiting for Raimundo to cut in. The boy remained silent, so Master Fung sighed and continued: "There is a possibility that these events could trigger one thousand years of darkness."

"Why only one thousand?" asked Clay.

"The lizard guy hasn't been on the Heylin side as long as Wuya has," Dojo explained."It's like an evil Loyalty Points system – the longer you're a member, the more years of darkness you can start."

"But we've got a plan to rescue Omi," Kimiko said, and sat up straight, ready to tell it.

"We do?" Raimundo asked.

"Yes, we do," she affirmed, giving him a look. "You're going to pretend to be evil again..."

"What?" he cried, shocked.

"...get into Chase's lair thing, find out where Omi is, and get him out. Got it?"

"No way! I won't!"

"Oh yes you-"

Master Fung cleared his throat, interrupting them. "It is a dangerous plan," he said, "and not one that should be undertaken without great forethought. Raimundo?"

"Yes, Master Fung?"

"It is your decision. Decide carefully." The elder monk rose from his seated position without unfolding his arms, and left them to think about it.

&o&o&

"You've got to do it. Raimundo..." Kimiko sighed, watching as he made a show of concentrating on the football he bounced on his knee. "What are you so scared of, anyway!" she said in frustration. "What's the worst that could happen? At least we'll have tried!"

Raimundo missed the ball; it rolled away slowly. "We might have different ideas on what 'the worst' is, Kimiko." He didn't go after the ball. "What if I decide to stay on the Heylin side? What if it ends up with me and Omi and Wuya and Jack and Katnappé and this Chase Young guy against you and Clay, huh? Or what if..." He trailed off. That excuse was a selfish one – there was no way that she'd take it. "And why me, anyway?" he asked, as though the answer wasn't obvious. If she couldn't say that it was because of his recent past on the Heylin side...

Kimiko's smile had frozen. "You won't," she said through clenched teeth. "You won't leave us again!"

He scowled down at her. "How do you know?" he asked, his voice harsh.

She tried to laugh. "Stop... Stop kidding around, Rai." She paused, waiting for him to laugh too. He didn't; she let the smile fall from her lips. "You're Good, I know you are. That was just a one-time thing, that's what you said... Right? Right, Raimundo?"

He glared for a moment more before dropping his gaze and turning away. "Sure," he said. "Sure, whatever."

Dojo came from around the corner and slammed into the tension as though it were a brick wall, Clay in slow pursuit. "Okay, we've come up with another pl-"

"Don't bother," Raimundo said. "I'll do it."

&o&o&

AN: As always, concrit is the best thing ever. If I have mucked up royally somewhere (like most of my leaps of logic), please tell me. Likewise if something particular stands out - whether it be a positive or negative thing.