The Sacrifice

A Xiaolin Showdown Fan Fiction.

Raimundo's sister Sabrine sacrifices herself to the Heylin side in order to protect her family. When she starts manifesting a gift of clairvoyance and helps Chase Young gather Shen Gong Wu, Raimundo's faith is shaken to the core. Omi's heritage is finally revealed and the Dragons become just that…

Prologue

Hong Kong, 4 months before the events of Time after Time.

"I recon that was just about the easiest recovery of a Shen Gong Wu yet," Clay commented, adjusting his hat.

"I'll say! Evil just decided not to show up this time."

"My friends, we should not look at the teeth of mule present!" Omi beamed.

"Huh?" Kimiko and Raimundo looked at each other.

"I got this one," Clay sighed, "I recon he meant 'gift horse in the mouth.'"

"Uh huh. Well now that we got the Wu we may as well head back to the temple." Kimiko motioned for Dojo, "You ready to go?"

Clay and Raimundo exchanged a meaningful glance, "Well," Clay drawled, "I'm mighty hungry and since we finished so early I was thinking about gettin' a snack." He looked at Dojo and Omi. "So what do ya say, partners? My treat?"

Dojo's eyes lit up, "Well if you're buying…"

Clay let off a sharp laugh and started to walk off into the direction of a noodle stand. "You comin' Omi?"

"Certainly my friend." He looked back to Raimundo and Kimiko. "Are the two of you also coming?"

Raimundo casually put his arm around Kimiko, his hand on her shoulder, "We'll be along in a minute." Kimiko cocked a brow, removing Raimundo's hand as she looked up at him with suspicion in her eyes. Omi had already turned away.

"Okay my friends, I will see you later!" As Omi scurried off, Kimiko turned to Raimundo.

"Okay Rai… What do you want?"

"What makes you think I want something?" He grinned for a minute before it broke under her disbelieving stare. Unable to hold up the front, Raimundo rubbed the back of his neck nervously and turned absently kicked out at pebble with his foot. "I need some help."

Kimiko's eyebrow raised, "Spill it Rai."

Raimundo sighed and looked up, "My older sister is graduating from high school in a month."

"Yeah, so."

"Sooo… I wanted to get her something nice and I needed someone to help me pick something out. You know… a second opinion." Raimundo gave her a nervous smile.

Inside Kimiko was smiling but she kept her face stern, "So why not tap Clay for the job?"

"Heh… funny that. I did."

"Huh?" Kimiko gave Rai a questioning look, "So why isn't he out here?"

"Cause I gave him a couple of bucks to distract Omi and Dojo while we went shopping," He grinned for a moment before he sobered up, "I needed a girl's opinion, okay. I'll make it up to you. Please Kimiko." He batted his eyes in a comical puppy-dog way.

Kimiko tried to hold a stern face, but she couldn't help herself. "Okay Rai, you got me." She rolled her eyes, "You didn't have to go though so much to get my help. Come on… You're asking me to come shopping with you."

Raimundo's hand went to the back of his head again as he chuckled. "I guess it was a stupid question."

"So did you have any idea what you wanted to get her?" Kimiko asked as the two made their way down the crowded street.

"I was thinking jewelry. Maybe a bracelet." Raimundo stopped at a window display of a little shop for a moment before moving on. "I was thinking Jade. You know, something exotic that'll match her eyes."

Kimiko stopped, forcing Rai to stop too, "That's actually really thoughtful Raimundo."

Raimundo half turned and gave her a cheeky smile over his shoulder, "I have my moments."

The two spent an hour making their way through tiny shops and jewelry stands, looking at the wares of jewelry makers. Kimiko found herself having fun, not just because she was shopping, but because she was doing it with Rai. He'd always been funny and quick-witted, but he was good for a decent conversation when he took things semi-seriously. The two were just about to move along to their twentieth stand when something caught Kimiko's eye. It wasn't the fanciest bracelet she had seen, it actually was quite simple; jade beads strung parallel to each other on a thick jade colored string. The only thing that really made it unique was the tiny jade dragon that dangled from the catch, but it caught the light prettily and it was elegant in it simplicity. Kimiko reached into the opened gift box where it lay with a pair matching earrings. The bracelet fascinated her, the jade practically glows with a light of its own, she thought.

"That's beautiful Kim! May I see it?" Raimundo's voice broke into her thoughts, startling her.

"Uh yeah, sure Raimundo." Kimiko reluctantly handed over the bracelet, but bent down to look closer at the earrings. Raimundo examined it, as well as the earrings that went with it. He turned to the proprietor, a little old lady with long white hair and squinty eyes. "How much for this bracelet?"

It took a moment for the lady to answer in broken English, "No just bracelet, must buy both. 303 Yuan. (see 1)"

Raimundo settled into bargaining mode, he knew the old woman was over charging him. Kimiko nudged him and whispered in his ear motioning discretely at the earrings in the box. Her warm breath on his neck sent a shiver down his spine. "It's not a matched set, the Jade of the bracelet is darker."

Raimundo took a closer look at the earrings and found that Kimiko was right, It wouldn't be obvious when worn because of the distance of the items when on the body, but laying next to each other in a box and it was obvious. Giving Kimiko a confident smile he turned back to the woman. "They don't match. Look…" He indicated the color as her held the bracelet and the earrings together. Not only was the color of the Jade was different, but also the quality and cut of the dragons. "I'll give you…" He paused, "151.5 Yuan for the set." (see 2)

Again Kimiko whispered in his ear, "But you only wanted the bracelet." He smiled back at her and said nothing.

The woman gave him a shocked look, "No, no, no. Bracelet is good quality, I give earrings away…"

The two haggled for a few minutes before settling on a price of 227 Yuan. (see 3) As Raimundo finished the deal with the old woman Kimiko drifted a short distance away, looking at other jewelry. She was giggling to herself over a tacky Buddha charm when Raimundo snuck up behind her and stuck a jewelry box under her nose. Startled she jumped back and into Raimundo's solid form. She looked up at him.

They were close, her face mere inches from his and she watched as his cheeks started to turn pink. She felt her blood heat her own face. She stepped away as she turned around. Raimundo reached for her hand and placed a small white box in it. Kimiko blinked at the box and looked up at Raimundo in confusion. "What's this?"

Raimundo's face turned a brighter shade of red, "It's a thank you. You were right about the set, they really didn't belong together, but the old woman wouldn't let the bracelet go without them." Kimiko opened the box, inside lay the earrings. They really were quiet pretty and unique. "Sebrine only wears a pair of gold hoops so… Thank you. For your help today. It was a lot easier thanks to you."

Kimiko's smile was radiant as she accepted the box. She lead Raimundo to a bench were she sat down. She took the earrings out of the box one at a time and put them in. She then reached into her bag and pulled out a mirror so she could see them. "You know… They kinda remind me of little Dojos."

Raimundo laughed, "You know… You're right! That's funny."

"Thank you Raimundo. I love them."

By the time they got back to the stand where the others were waiting Omi was fit to be tied. He lectured Raimundo for keeping the three waiting, or would have, had Clay not covered his mouth with one of his large hands. Clay merely gave Rai a questioning look, who nodded and gave the other boy a thumbs up for a mission accomplished.

The ride home was slow… Dojo had eaten too much, but Kimiko didn't mind. Her hand came up to her ears. It had been a nice day.

Rio de Janeiro 2 months after the events of Time after Time.

It was another beautiful day in Rio. The sky was a crystal blue and the air was warm. Surrounded by high peaks of green with the city cradled in the valley, Rio was a site to behold. White sandy beaches and resorts, scantily clad natives, Rio was paradise to the tourists from all around the world. The natives however knew that even paradise had a darker side, just as every city did.

Heavy breathing… the clicking of small feet as they ran down a back alley. Wide, frightened brown eyes and twin braids. A little girl ran, clutching her doll, she turned a corner and didn't look back. She ran into what looked like a dead end, but the girl knew better. This was her home after all. She got down on her hands and knees. She found the hole in the bottom of the wire fence that blocked off the alley and crawled beneath it. She sobbed as the hair of one of her braids snagged on the fence. Her knees were rubbed raw and her hair came loose on one side. Tears combined with dirt, streaked down her face. She stood as soon as she was through and kept running. She turned a corner and ran right into a figure clothed entirely in black.

She was knocked to the ground by the impact but she didn't let it stop her. She tucked herself up and rolled, passing the figure. Her momentum carried her back up to her feet and she dashed for the busy street not ten feet ahead of her.

"Silk Spinner!" The girl made the mistake of looking back. A thick glob of white webbing shot out towards her and she had no way of escaping it.

One minute all she could see was white, the next was the terra cotta of the ground. She had been thrown aside at the last minute and was now only 3 feet from the street. Her side hurt and her knees were bleeding, but freedom was inches away.

"Norali! Get up! Run! Run home now!!!" Hearing her sister's voice screaming at her she looked up. Her older sister was pinned to the alley wall with the glob of webbing that had been meant for her. She froze in fear. "Get up and run stupid! Run home now!"

The figure in black was still coming. Hands reached out from behind her and yanked her to her feet. She was picked up and carried into the street. Norali looked up at the boy who carried her. It was her older brother. She rapped her legs around him and passed out.

Meanwhile the figure in black slowly approached the struggling girl pinned to the wall of the alley. His white face caught the sun as he stepped from the shadows… the only color on him was a shock of red hair…

1 - 303 Yuan roughly translates to $40.00 American.

2 - $20.00 American

3 - $30.00 American and sold!

FYI: You might be interested to know that a nice, big bowl of piping hot ramen noodles costs about $.25 to $.50 depending on where you go in China. So even a couple of dollars would be enough to feed even Clay and company.

Next Time - Lost and Found: What happens when you mess with a Dragon's Sister? The fallout is not going to be pretty…