Kimiko narrowed her eyes, glaring at the two small bottles in front of her as if they had just insulted her weight.
One was bright red. Ruby red. Fire red.
The other, bright orange. Orange as…well, oranges. Cripes, how much more specific can you get?
Her outfit still hung on the cubicle's wall—a gray hoodie with black jeans. Kimiko already knew the hairstyle she was going with, too. Curls would look great—if only she could pick the color.
She had gotten into the habit of getting into her outfit at the start of every day. Lately, time had to be cut somehow whenever Wu was activated, and the boys had this suggestion first-hand. Even remembering this made Kimiko's eyes roll—it wasn't like the boys didn't have their time delayers. Raimundo's hair took nearly twenty minutes, and Omi even took a fair chunk of time to adore himself in the mirror.
"Yeah, Keiko," Kimiko muttered, recalling past visits and conversations from her Japanese friend in her head. "Living with three boys. Such a blast." Every time Keiko came to the temple—which was surprisingly often—she giggled and guffawed at Kimiko for having no other girls around.
This brought up boyfriend questions from Keiko, and the dreaded, "So, who do you think is the hottest here?" question which earned usually a forehead-slap as a response.
"Friends, boys, teachers, saving the world…" Kimiko thought to herself, and added in a Sesame-Street sing-song sarcastic voice: "One of those things just doesn't belong here!"
Drumming her fingers on her pajama bottoms, she sighed and closed her eyes. Why did mornings have to be so predictable and tedious? Training and Wu hunting was much more fun than this.
"Ally-oop!" A voice cried out, surprising Kimiko and interrupting her internal bemoans. She jumped up, taking a fighting stance all the while, but let her arms drop to her sides when she saw it was Rai jumping through her window.
For a moment, Kimiko was relieved, and then anger washed over her because of the question of why on Earth Rai was jumping in her cubicle-room-thing from the window. He could've stayed inside and knock. On the non-existent door.
"Rai!" Kimiko barked angrily, her hands placed defiantly on her hips. Rai, still in free-fall, glanced up for a curious moment, but then he stumbled and stepped on the red bottle of dye, which smashed from the weight. The dye accumulated on the floor, and Raimundo groaned as his once-white sneakers were white no more.
"Well," Kimiko remarked, swiping up the orange and still intact bottle of dye. "That answers that question."
"Aw man!" Rai complained, sprawled out on the floor. "Since when do you keep your dye in your room?"
"Cubicle," Kimiko correct instantaneously. "As for the dye—Clay's in the bathroom, and I'm still deciding which one to use." She shrugged absentmindedly.
"Huh," mumbled Rai, standing up and straightening himself out. He appraised Kimiko's cubicle with a raised eyebrow. "We really do have small rooms. Three walls, a curtain for a door, no tables or desks or anything…"
"Just noticing? You're a little slow on the draw," Kimiko drawled. She turned away from Rai and grabbed her outfit off of the wall. "What are you doing here, anyways?"
"Can't a guy stop in for a friendly visit?" Raimundo asked innocently.
"When it's you? No," Kimiko replied bluntly. "And, I'm guessing by the really weird attempt at small talk—you need something."
Raimundo grinned sheepishly, and he nodded once. He opened his mouth to speak—but Kimiko cut him off.
"You're flat broke."
She knew him too well. Rai was surprised to see Kimiko guess so quickly, but he recovered in a moment's time.
"But you're not!" Rai pointed out pleasantly. "Just twenty? Actually, probably about…forty?" Kimiko threw her head back and groaned. If she gave him the money, she'd be short on cash, and if she didn't…well…
"Pleeeease?" Rai begged, pouting and widening his eyes till they rivaled Bambi's. "C'mon Kim, have a heart!"
"Such a sweet-talker," Kimiko chuckled, sarcastic but smirking. She elbowed Rai out of the way, walked past him, and picked up a pair of jeans lying on the floor. She stuck her hand down the pocket, took out her tiny leather wallet, and fished around for two twenties.
"You better pay me back," Kim threatened, as she handed Rai the money.
"Scout's honor!" promised Rai, placing a hand on his heart. He spun around on his heel, and began walking out of Kim's cubicle. Before he could completely get out though, Clay smashed into him.
The two boys toppled over, and Rai ended up back where he started, along with Clay.
Kim peered down at the two boys.
"Okay," she said slowly. "Anyone else want to get in here—or is this uncomfortable enough already?" Of course, Omi poked in his bald yellow head and frantically jumped in the cubicle/room/thing.
"I heard crashing!" the monk yelped. "Is everyone okay?"
"Swell," said Kimiko, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Clay, was there something you wanted?"
"Err…yeah, partner," Clay remarked. He stood upright and adjusted his trademark cowboy hat. "A new Wu has just activated. I was just gonna tell y'all to get dressed and ready."
Kimiko, Raimundo, and Omi smiled broadly.
"Alright!" Omi boasted, hopping upwards. "Let's get this celebration to the beginning point!"
"Close enough!" Clay agreed, as he ushered Omi out to the hallway. Rai winked at Kimiko and did a mock salute, before following the boys and shutting the curtain behind him. Kimiko started to change, but stopped when she saw the remnants of the puddle of red dye. Aggravated, she poked her head out and shouted—
"I AM NOT CLEANING THIS UP!"
"Fine by me!" Raimundo shouted back, knowing exactly what she was talking about. "Besides, it matches the carpet!"
"Argh!" Kimiko groaned, ducking back into her room. She was now especially psyched to kick or burn something.
She just hoped she got to the villains first before Rai annoyed her…again.
"Like that would ever happen," Kimiko chuckled to herself. "That's about as likely as…as…" she frowned, and tapped her chin.
And once again, she poked her head outside the doorway and shouted—
"Hey Clay!" She hollered. "What's a good saying for something that's really unlikely?"
"How about: that's about as likely as a hogtied snake passin' up his last rodent meal?" Clay offered.
"Sure! Thanks!" Kimiko grinned. She turned towards an unseen audience and nodded. "It's about as likely as that, folks."
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Dojo was already outside when the four students were ready. He was full-sized, and had one claw tapping at the open scroll in front of him.
"Dashi's Dice," he announced, seeming a little nervous. "Dashi's Dice. A Wu with results left entirely up to chance."
"Well that's helpful," Rai remarked. "Are they good results or bad?"
"Excellent question," Dojo replied.
A moment of silence.
"Any more specifics?" Rai asked irritably, as he slid onto Dojo's green scales.
"Not really, no," admitted the dragon. "There's no telling what the Wu will do."
"Mysterious," commented Kimiko, hopping onto Dojo's back. "Well, let's go, guys!"
"Err…okay…" Clay said nervously, tugging at his collar all the while. Omi did the same, although the little monk's expression was much more confident. And, after a few short seconds, Dojo shot off into the gray palette of a sky, the red bushy end of his tail whipping behind him like a miniature trailblazing firework.
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As Dojo flew forwards, the clouds disappeared until peaks of blue poked themselves through, and broken sunlight leaked in. In the distance, the four teenagers could see a rainbow, its faded colors barely visible.
It was there that Dojo corkscrewed straight down, slamming to a stop at a hair's breadth from the ground. Despite trying, the most that Kim, Rai, Omi, and Clay could manage landing-wise was to all fall off and land on top of each other.
"Was that really necessary?!" Omi groaned, wiggling himself free from the unintentional dog pile. Woozily and wordlessly, the other three got themselves free and glared at the dragon.
"Sorry," Dojo apologized, shrinking and zipping forwards to relax on Rai's shoulder. Irritated, Rai pushed him off. "But the Wu is close. Very close."
"Trust me, we figured that on our own," Kimiko assured him, cracking her neck and crossing her arms.
"Hey," Clay mused. "Where are we?"
The Xiaolin warriors glanced around. They were in a garden, standing on a path that wound its way like a snake all the way to a large looming castle ahead. The castle was a large, seemingly lifeless block. A partial ruin. Parts of its roof were missing and it had square holes for windows. It was as gray as the skies back in China, save for the smaller towers besides and in front of it, which were mostly overgrown with thick green moss.
Mismatched evergreens occasionally came up near the paths that wove around the castle—along with some low shrubbery and flowers. A few feet away from where they were standing, a glassy river groggily pulled by.
"The Blarney Castle!" Rai exclaimed. "That's where we are!"
"Correctamundo, Raimundo!" Dojo congratulated—his bad joke all the while earning him a few blank stares and cricket chirps from some not-so amused insects.
"Anyways…" Clay continued, hopeful to change the subject. "Would I be right to say that the Wu was near the Blarney Stone, then?" He frowned. "Wouldn't tourists see it?"
"Dashi must've hidden it somewhere," Dojo guessed. "Only way to find out is to look."
"Sounds good to me," Kimiko agreed. "Rest assured, we're breaking all bounds of logic with the factor of Ireland history compared to our history and whatnot…but, whatever."
"Second fourth wall break," Dojo warned. "Watch yourself." Unfazed, Kimiko just grinned, and started running towards Blarney Castle.
"Let's go!" Omi exclaimed. "We cannot be beaten there by a girl!"
"Oh man," Rai groaned. "Omi, you're lucky Kim didn't hear you."
"I did hear him!" Kim contradicted Rai, her orange hair the only main thing seeable from her distance. Her voice was gradually diminishing. "I'm just too far ahead to care!" Rai turned to Omi.
"Dude, you have to do a little thing before you speak. It's called thinking. Or using your common sense."
With a smirk, Rai chased after Kimiko. Clay and Omi weren't far behind.
The four teens (plus Dojo, who had now taken residence in Clay's hat), stole their way up to the top of the Blarney Castle. In one corridor, Kimiko stopped Clay, Rai, and Omi in their tracks.
"Hey," she gasped, her voice wild with exhilaration. "Tourists guys, tourists. This is gonna seem so out of the ordinary for anyone to see us searching and taking dice from the Blarney Stone. If that's where they really are."
"Dang it Kim, you just had to ruin this with your common sense…" Rai sighed. He ran a hand through his brown hair, and paused, thinking.
"Hey Kim, you're still all important with your dad, aren't ya?" Clay questioned. Kim quirked an eyebrow, but nodded. Clay smiled. "So, I'm sure he could arrange a private tour, couldn't he?"
"But how long would that take?" Dojo objected, his little green head visible from underneath Clay's hat. "He's all the way in Japan!"
"It's the best shot we have right now," Kimiko admitted, nodding at Clay. She whipped out her cell phone. "Here goes nothing." Clicking a number on speed dial, she turned away from the boys, pacing the halls of the castle. The boys could only hear bits and pieces of the conversation; Kimiko spoke too fast for human ears.
"We're in!" Kimiko shouted triumphantly, snapping her phone shut after five minutes of conversation. "Daddy has us booked for thirty minutes of uninterrupted Blarney Stone touring—we don't even have to have a tour guide with us."
"That is most exciting news!" Omi cheered, hopping up and down.
"Your old man sure can pull some strings," Rai commended. "So, when is the 'private tour'?"
Kimiko didn't need to answer, because at the particular moment, a herd of tourists stomped past the four teens. None of them were noble enough to pass up giving Kimiko the evil eye.
"Ah," said Rai, his tone sounding amused.
"So, they're not worried we're pulling some sort of scheme here?" Dojo asked Kimiko. "Well, technically we are, but you get my point."
"We're four kids," Kim replied. Her expression wasn't far from smug. "At face value, we don't look like we could do much harm." Once again, she took a running start, and the boys followed her.
Eventually they made it to the roof, where they stood on a narrow path fenced on each side by a railing and the ancient pillars of the roof itself. Not too far off was the Blarney Stone, separated from the kids by a small gap.
"You're supposed to lie on your back, and then they sort of push you towards it," Rai recalled. "But I guess that's not too necessary here."
"It's such a long fall though!" Omi whimpered, looking down from the Blarney Stone gap all the way to the gardens where they were just a tad earlier.
"Well, we're not here to go kissin' stones partner, so I don't think ya need to worry," Clay told Omi, squatting down besides him.
"They kiss it?" Omi echoed, his tone and expression making his disgust clear. "But isn't that unsanitary?"
"Doesn't matter," Kim remarked. She was looking in every gap, crack, nook, and cranny that the roof had. For once, the phrase 'close—but no dice' actually fit here. Lucky Omi. "If you kiss the stone, you supposedly get the gift of eloquence."
"El—o—quence?" repeated Omi, scratching his head in the classic caveman show of confusion.
"It means you can lie and be persuasive," Rai informed. For a second, the Brazilian frowned, looking as if he regretted saying so. A moment passed, and Rai breathed a sigh of relief. "I really thought Spicer would be using an entrance line right there. I guess he's running late, eh?" Confidence returning, Raimundo scaled the pillars, searching them for any sign of dice.
A whole twenty minutes passed, but there was no sight of the Wu.
"Dice?" Kimiko hissed to herself. "Really, dice? Did you have to make something so dang small, Dashi?" Dojo was still sniffing all along the path, hopeful for some stronger sign.
"Are you sure it's even here?" Clay asked, waving his hat in an attempt to fan himself from the beating sun.
"Yes, I'm sure!" Dojo growled.
"Ooh…" Omi groaned, swaggering uncertainly. "I'm starting to get tired."
"What color to yellow people get if they get sun burnt…?" Rai wondered aloud, glancing at Omi. Shrugging to himself, he turned to Dojo as well. "Seriously though, I don't know how long we can keep this up."
"Well, allow me to take over for you!" A new voice cackled. Who else could it be besides…?
"Jack Spicer…" The four teens greeted lazily, a bit too tired for any taunts or particular irritated cries of 'Jack Spicer!' or 'Jack Spicah!' in Omi's case.
"Could've been worse," Rai remarked, referring to Jack's entrance line. He squinted up at the sun, where Jack was still zooming upwards. "Watch out for the flying monkey, ladies and gentlemen."
Jack landed on the pillar in front of the Xiaolin warriors, trying to look threatening and failing.
"So, uh," he said awkwardly. "Chase and Wuya not here yet?"
"Nope," the four teens answered in unison.
"And…you've been here a while?"
"Pretty much."
"And…you haven't found it yet?"
"Nope."
"Well…I guess I'll…help you look for it. And then we'll fight for it."
It was an awkward truce, but a truce nonetheless.
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"Hey," Jack said suddenly. "Did anyone look under the sign here?" In the gap that separated the path of the roof from the Blarney Stone was in fact a small black sign that had the words 'KISSING THE BLARNEY STONE' on it.
"I don't think so," Clay replied. "How would the dice stay down there, though?"
"If it's attached there by duct tape I'm going to slap the author," Kim announced. Dojo shot another warning glance at her, but Kim just rolled her eyes. Meanwhile, Jack was scooting down on the metal rods that were connected to the sign.
Hanging by his legs, the red-headed albino swung down and glanced at the underside of the sign. A small crevice was there in a corner of the sign, and put precariously into the crevice were two bright red dice!
"Found 'em!" Jack announced, happily swiping up the dice. "Later losers!" he added, revving up his helicopter backpack.
"Yeah right, Spicer!" Rai shouted, determined to take the dice back. He jumped down onto the metal rods, and grabbed hold of Jack's backpack with vice-like grip. Jack yelped, and swerved uncontrollably. In his surprise, he accidentally dropped the dice...
"No!" Dojo barked, growing to his larger size and flying to the top of the roof. "Don't let the dice hit the ground! If they roll, there's no telling what could happen!"
Rai and Jack gave each other the glares of the century, and dive-bombed down to try and grab the dice.
"What'd we miss?" Wuya questioned Kimiko, Clay, and Omi, as she and Chase stepped onto the Blarney Castle roof from a Golden-Tiger-Claws induced portal.
"The usual," Kim sighed. "Possible world end, same old rivalry, Dojo freaking out over nothing…"
"I heard that!" Dojo cried indignantly.
"This is pathetic," Chase hissed. "Why are we even here?"
"Because…" Wuya whined. "This is possibly the most powerful Wu there is!"
"Not exactly…" Omi contradicted. "If I'm correct—which I usually am," this earned him a few eye rolls, "then the results of the dice could range from total world end…"
"Pretty powerful result," Clay remarked.
"From producing a corn muffin," Omi finished.
"I like corn muffins," Clay mused pleasantly. Wuya, ignoring this, clambered up to the pillar, debating whether or not to dive down there as well. Back in mid-air, Jack had just caught the dice…in his mouth.
The red-head began zooming away, but Rai blew him back all the way to the Blarney Castle roof with a burst of wind. Face-first, Jack slammed into the Blarney Castle, spitting out the dice in the process. The red dice shimmered in the Ireland sun for a brief second—high in the air—and landed on the roof of the castle.
"I'm not touching those," Kim announced dully.
And then all hell broke loose.
Dojo zipped over to Rai—so fast that Rai just barely had time to land on the dragon's back. Back on the roof, the dice threw themselves high in the air, and the wind that used to be just a slight breeze began whipping around so violently that it knocked Chase, Wuya, Kimiko, Clay, and Omi on their backs. Jack managed to get onto the roof, only to be knocked to on his back as well.
Gray clouds overcame the blue sky like splattered paint, and the wind began churning and twisting violently into a tornado. Oddly enough, none of the castle was being damaged by the tornado. Unfortunately, the Xiaolin and Heylin warriors were—including Rai, who was hanging onto Dojo's back for dear life. All of them were lifted into the air and were being whipped around in a circle like a pile of rag dolls.
"Kim! Clay! Omi! Take hold of…" Rai's desperate command was lost in the roar of the wind. He and Dojo continued to be thrown around in the mess of wind—and somewhere in there, the two bright red dice landed in Rai's free hand.
Wuya caught sight of this, unfortunately.
"I'll get you!" she shrieked, pointing a clawed finger at the Brazilian. "And you're little dragon, too!" Dojo and Rai exchanged glances, a little confused by the allusion.
A full minute lurched by painfully, and those in the tornado were having trouble keeping consciousness. Black overcame Rai's vision, and the last thing he remembered was being whipped far and away from Blarney Castle, still on Dojo, as they went farther and farther, lower and lower...
And they sunk into a merciful unconsciousness…
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Thump.
That was the first thing Rai remembered hearing when he woke up. Just…thump.
"What the heck?"
The sunlight pierced at his now-open eyes, making them water. He surveyed himself. Torn clothing. Tired to the point of deliria. That might explain the almost-cartoonish thump.
His sight returned to him gradually, and he was vaguely aware of a small dragon coiled around his neck.
"What was his name again? Zoro? Mojo? Toto? Dojo? Dojo…that was it."
He poked Dojo upside the head, but the dragon did nothing but mumble something in his sleep. Aggravated, Rai poked him a few more times, till eventually the dragon opened his eyes as well.
For a few seconds, all Dojo did was babble in incomprehensible confusion.
"Rai!" exclaimed Dojo, seeming relieved to see something he recognized. "Okay, you're here! Where's everyone else?"
"I don't know…" Rai muttered, grimacing. "But Dojo, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." The Brazilian surveyed his surroundings. It was a busy city—all tall buildings, some flashing with neon signs or advertisements. A large column of smoke obscured part of the cotton-candy pink and valentine red sky. Cars went by in a flash—as did all the people, who didn't spare him a second glance.
Well…most of them, anyways.
A crescent of curious teens surrounded Rai, heads tilted and eyebrows raised. Some were actually applauding.
"Can I help you?" Rai asked after sometime, his irritation obvious. One little blonde girl—around seven or eight—pointed downwards.
And, in the most anticlimactic move ever, Rai looked down.
He was sitting on the back of a black-suited blonde, with faux cat claws and ears visible.
"Oh, wow," Dojo said slowly. It was Katnappe—with a handful of mall-bought things in her arms—receipts not included. In agreement, one teenage boy let out an admiring whistle.
"Ding-dong," said the teen. "The psycho's gone." He waggled a cell-phone at Rai and Dojo. "Already called the police. Congratulations you two, you just caught a thief. Where'd you guys come from, anyway?"
"That's what we were wondering!" cried Rai, his hands thrown up in the air. Sense came back to him, and he calmed himself down. "Are we anywhere near Ireland, by any chance?"
"Ireland?" a different girl echoed, seeming surprised and amused that the name was even mentioned. "Uh, come over here and look at this."
Confused, Rai followed her instructions. He walked over to where the girl was standing, and looked where she was pointing. There was a huge labeling sign above the mall Katnappe stole from, labeled, quite plainly—'Manhattan Mall'.
"Oh crap…" Rai groaned. "Crap! Where are Kim, Clay, and Omi?!"
As the group of kids gave him a 'who?' look, Dojo just shook his head.
"Long gone," Dojo replied. "Probably scattered all over the globe. And…looks like they have no means of transportation. Well, Jack, Wuya, and Chase are probably better off…but Omi, Clay, and Kim are gonna have some trouble finding a means of transportation. Unlike us."
"Unlike us…" Rai repeated. "Well, we've got to find them! Kim could be hurt, and…"
"And Omi and Clay could be hurt too," Dojo reminded him. Rai's cheeks turned crimson, and he nodded.
"Are you guys okay?" the first teen boy questioned.
"Not really," Rai muttered.
"Need a place to stay for the night? The sun's setting," the boy offered him. Rai's first instinct was to deny it—but he had to rest before finding the others. Dojo did too, to fly. Gratefully, Rai nodded and smiled at the boy, who introduced himself as Cole.
Dojo and Rai followed Cole home to a one-bedroom apartment, on the top floor of a particularly large and intimidating building. There, a twin-sized bed was propped up against a window that gave a lovely view of a concrete wall. Not too far off was a mud-brown couch, a surprisingly sturdy chair with three legs, and a desk with books and a laptop piled on.
"You don't seem to be surprised I'm carrying a dragon with me," Rai commented dryly as Cole flung a blanket on the couch.
"You see a lot of weird things in Manhattan," assured Cole. "A lot."
"I'll take your word for it," Rai said awkwardly.
After that, the two boys just talked, while Cole clicked away on his laptop. Rai gave him his condensed back-story. Cole occasionally commented, but didn't say a whole lot.
"So, in short, you're just trying to find your way home?" Cole concluded, after some time.
"And my friends," Rai told him. "But possibly my way home too."
"Definitely our way home," Dojo grumbled. "I'm not used to flying like this, kid. Usually it's finding the Wu with my nose, and going straight back. I'm not a built-in GPS."
"Got it," Cole said, nodding. Suddenly, he spun around on his chair, facing Rai with a grin. "Hey, I've got an idea. There's this guy I know. An old friend of mine, he used to live here. He's a total nerdy tech-wiz. I bet he could make something to help pinpoint your friends and help you get home. Besides, he owes me a favor."
This appealed to Rai, and he leaned up from his position on the couch.
"I'm listening," he said. "What's this guy's name?"
"Jack Spicer."
Heh…so I'm guessing you guys know what this whole thing is an allusion to?
Jack, the wizard who will help Rai/Kim/Clay/Omi find their way home…
Rai, the one who really needs to find his way home…
Kim, the one who supposedly needs a heart…
Omi, the one who supposedly needs some brains…
Clay, the one who supposedly needs some courage…
Wuya, the really psycho witch…
And Chase, who's just kind of there.
Trust me though, this is gonna be much different from the actual Wizard of Oz. There's gonna be a lot of changes.
So, Jack Spicer is the key to helping Rai find the others. If he can find Jack. Still, Jack is a pretty big attention getter. Hm…
Please, review and tell me what you think!
