Two/Papercut
"Dammit!"
Master Fung's eyes narrowed but he said nothing. Raimundo rounded on himself to stalk back to the other end of the hall.
"I told you to leave it be," the petite Japanese girl exclaimed, crossing her arms and leveling an icy stare at her leader. "But do you ever listen to me? Nooo."
The Brazilian whipped around, his fingers balling into fists. "Ugh. You're such a girl. Yelling at me isn't going to do anything now!"
"I think Kimiko's just sayin' that we need to get our priorities straightened out," Clay offered, not moving from his place on the sidelines of the small-scale battle.
"And how is being right being 'such a girl'?"
Raimundo ignored Clay's non-combative input to sneer at the Dragon of Fire. "It's completely typical of women not to offer any advice when it counts and to give men crap about it later!"
"I'm telling you now and I TOLD YOU THEN: just because you're the leader doesn't mean you get to strut around acting like you're the only one that matters!"
"It is not Kimiko's fault that she is the stereotypical nagging female," Omi said softly. The black-haired girl turned to glare at him, earning a smirk from the Brazilian across the room.
"There is nothing nagging about telling him to find a Band-Aid AFTER we find the Shen Gong Wu!"
"Kimiko has a point, fellas."
"You don't have to stick up for me. I can defend myself."
The Texan's face darkened in hurt as the girl turned back to shout at the Dragon of Wind.
"It's over, Kim, I screwed up. Whatever."
"Enough," Fung rasped, stepping from the doorway and under the dim lamplight.
"It's not whatever! How can you be so-"
"ENOUGH."
Four pairs of eyes flashed to their teacher, Kimiko standing straight and Raimundo unclenching his fists.
"The Pendant Linghui itself is not destructive enough to give Jack any power of immediate consequence. What is of consequence is your inability to overcome your own petty conflicts long enough to combat the Heylin side." Omi visibly wilted as Raimundo looked at his feet. "I am gravely disappointed in you. Particularly you, Raimundo. Surely such a minor injury doesn't outweigh the retrieval of a Shen Gong Wu."
"Hey, man, it was a papercut! Those things really hurt!"
The monk narrowed his piercing blue eyes at his student, and Raimundo shrank back immediately in embarrassment.
"Your fellow Dragons-in-training look up to you, Raimundo. Seeing you falter in your focus is disheartening, especially to Kimiko, it would seem." The Japanese girl looked away hastily to avoid the stares from the rest of the group, swallowing at the feeling of heat rising to her cheeks. "Until you reclaim your spirit of teamwork, all searching for the Shen Gong Wu is on hold." The man continued to talk over the small gasps of disbelief. "Only when you learn to put your quest ahead of trivialities will you be permitted to resume your duties as Xiaolin warriors."
The elder swept silently past the four and disappeared into the courtyard, leaving Raimundo and Kimiko facing each other and Clay and Omi against the wall, just out of the light's reach.
The slender Brazilian swallowed twice, opening his mouth and then hesitating. When he spoke his voice cracked.
"I'm sorry, guys. I was being really childish this morning. I acted like my stupid finger was more important than us getting the pendant thing and it wasn't."
"Apology accepted, pardner." Omi smiled weakly and nodded from beside the cowboy.
"Yelling at you isn't going to help anything," Kimiko murmured, not meeting her counterpart's dark-green gaze. "You knew it before I said anything. I'm really sorry, Rai."
The boy's expression softened, one big hand coming up to rub his bicep sheepishly. "It's okay, Kimiko. You were right."
"We must begin to strengthen our teamwork as soon as possible," Omi contributed, calling the three stares to his tiny form. "At dawn we should begin our training."
The monk's companions nodded in unison as a cloud covered the moon, turning the doorway to black and making the temple seem much smaller.
"Dojo said the Linghui Pendant allows the user to find their inner focus," Clay mused. "That'd do Jack a world of good if ya ask me."
"It'll even the stakes," Raimundo said with a smile, tucking his hands in his pockets. "We won't have to feel so bad about kicking his butt."
"Perhaps Spicer will realize the futility of his endeavors," Omi added cheerfully.
"Hopefully it doesn't show him how to be a better bad guy," Kimiko muttered as Raimundo came to stand beside her. The moon illuminated the doorway once more, blanketing the cobblestone path in iridescent blue. Omi followed her gaze, blinking at the dreamlike sway of the grass and the trees. Clay tipped the brim of his hat up and looked after the pair.
The leader of the four strode to stand in the doorway, bumping his shoulder against the doorframe and watching as the moon illuminated the frayed edges of the clouds that passed over it. "Huh. I guess we'll find out."