Long time no see! Unfortunately, I'm only dumping here all the chapters that I have finished so far. The story will never be complete, I've completely lost interest in any Xiaolin Showdown stories I have, so sorry to say that I'm moving on to other fandoms.

This series made my creativity flow in a direction I've never expected and it gave me the courage to share my ideas with the world. So Xiaolin Showdown will forever be in my heart for that.

It's sad that many stories won't see this light or an ending but it was a great journey while it lasted. The decision to put whatever rest of the story I have left was spontaneous but I hated how I would read fics that stopped and remained like that and at least this way, you can see what I wrote, however rough it may be.

Enjoy!

Waking up didn't feel good. His head seemed ten times heavier and he could have sworn his eyelids have been glued together sometime during his unconsciousness. Not to mention, his mind didn't appear to want to cooperate with him. Every memory was blurry and his thoughts were zooming away before he could understand them properly.

Yeah…Raimundo didn't want to wake up. Then again, his instinct told him he absolutely had to see what was going on. So, with an effort that felt ridiculous for such a simple task, he opened his eyes and then closed them right away. The light was killing his retinas. He repeated the action a few times until he got used to the brightness of his surroundings and then stared in blank puzzlement at the ceiling.

It was a classy, high ceiling painted a beautiful dark red in the middle with an eggshell hue on the sides giving it a royal aspect. On his right stood two magnificent windows, both adorned with deep red curtains tied sideways as to let the natural light illuminate the grand chamber. The furniture was elegant, the wood polished and reflecting the sunlight on its dark surface the same way as the chocolate colored marble on the floor.

Raimundo was momentarily stunned. He then abruptly stood up, wincing slightly when his vision fogged, and got up from the sofa. It was starting to come back to him: Spain, the trip, the beach, Ashley…Did she planned everything? Who was she? And the question that came to the forefront of his mind in that moment: where was he? It sure didn't look like a hotel room.

He took several calming breaths and carefully stepped around the mahogany table and to the windows, hoping against hope that it would give him a clue to his location. It didn't. It showed instead a huge garden with a huge, bush labyrinth that went further than he could see. Also, there were no balconies and he was on the second floor of a really big house if his eyes didn't deceive him.

"Where am I?" The whisper carried every bit of confusion and apprehension Raimundo felt in that moment.

He sighed loudly trying once again to keep his cool and then headed to the door. As he expected, it was locked, but the brunet didn't let that shake his resolve. He looked out the windows for any signs of people and he smirked when he spotted no one. With a furtive glance at the door, Rai pried one of the windows opened and climbed on the ledge.

There were a few ridges beneath that he could grasp and lower himself down, and that was what he did. The act needed meticulous handling, but Raimundo has been doing that for a very long time. It took less than five minutes to get to the first level, right beside the window and he peeked inside. The room was pretty much the same as the one he had woken up into, only it was in shades of blue. He pondered for a second whether he should go in and work his way out from there, or continue in the garden.

Nevertheless, the decision was taken from him.

From below, a soft whistle drifted through the air. Raimundo felt his breath stop in his throat and his whole body froze. The source wasn't visible yet, but he couldn't risk hanging on the side of the house any longer. He fumbled with his fingers at the bottom of the window sill to get it to open, praying to the heavens that it wasn't latched. To his relief, it wasn't, and the window slid open easily allowing the thief to jump right in and close it behind him. Looking down outside he saw a patrol guard rounding the corner and walking just beneath where he had been mere seconds ago.

He let himself smirk at the accomplishment and ran to the door. He listened for anybody on the other side before cracking it open. When he made sure it was all clear, Rai took off down the corridor. He didn't bother stare at the magnificent arcades and simply moved with silent steps to where he hoped to be the exit. More than a few times he witnessed armed men walking around, however, the echoes of their footsteps announced Raimundo of their presence long before and that gave the thief a chance to get out of sight.

When he finally reached a staircase, it must have passed about an hour since he had woken up. Also, it was high time for his luck to run out too. The stairs were at a conjunction of three hallways which didn't offer any kind of cover, so it was relatively easy for the two guards to spot him.

Raimundo cursed and immediately leaped to the closest one. A quick jab in the neck and the man was choking at his feet. Before the other could reach for his gun, the brunet kicked him in the abdomen and then in the head. Finally, he turned to the first one and punched him in the temple knocking him out cold.

With that, he threw caution to the wind and flew down the stairs. Before he could have finished him, Raimundo caught a glimpse of the first guard pressing some sort of button. He could only assume that was the alarm and he had to get somewhere safe before the place was swarmed with the security.

Thundering steps was, again, his salvation as it announced him of the approaching men. The thief ducked in the nearest room, which happened to be a living with another door on the other side. He went for it, but before he could twist the handle somebody else did it and he suddenly found himself face to face with a mountain of a man.

The massive blonde wearing a pink dress shirt and somewhat worn black pants blinked at the stunned young man looking up at him. Then, his gray eyes lit up and he frowned rearing his fist back. Raimundo saw it in time and cart wheeled out of range.

"How did you get out?" He barked, his words veiled in a heavy Russian accent.

"Anyone with a brain could have come up with an idea. The fact that you left out possible getaways helped too." Was Raimundo's quick comeback.

The Russian fumed and launched himself at his smaller adversary. Raimundo stepped out the way with a sneer but failed to consider the blonde's speed. The man was fast to spin on his heels and backhanded the thief harshly. A bit surprised, Rai stumbled back but recovered in time to avoid a big fist that would have crushed his jaw. He dropped down and kicked at his leg but had to roll away when the Russian tried to punch him again. The hit didn't do much but with his momentum, the bigger man fell on his side and Rai took advantage of that to knock him out.

The blonde grabbed his fist, though, and pulled him forward. Raimundo barely had time to gasp in surprise before pain blossomed on the left side of his face. Without thinking, he kicked out again and a sharp cry told him it connected just as he fell back with a thud. He gathered himself up, ignoring the throbbing in his face and the blood in his mouth, and attempted to make a run for it. However, the Russian wouldn't have any of that.

With an almighty growl, he latched onto Raimundo's ankle and pulled hard bringing both of them down again. The fall knocked the wind out of him and for a second he was left gasping for breath, his head still spinning from the punch. As the large hand seizing his leg started dragging him back, Rai felt desperation grow inside of him. He rolled into his back and lashed out with his foot at the same time. The strike collided with the man's shoulder distracting him sufficiently for the thief to free his limb and wobble back on his feet.

But as soon as he turned to the door, another blonde appeared in his path. Ashley bolted right at him with a speed that caught him unaware and before he could even raise his tired arms for a flimsy defense, she thrust her finger in his neck and he knew no more.

-.-

The woman sighed, glancing at the limp body at her feet. Cold, dark eyes went then to the panting man a few feet away and a sliver of annoyance clouded her mind immediately.

"Are you going to tell me what that was?" She demanded sternly.

The Russian looked at her like she was mad. "What is it to tell? He was trying to escape. I was doing your men's job." He began wiping the blood from his mouth, seemingly done with the conversation.

"Vlad…" She started visibly struggling not to throttle the man. "The boss needs him in top shape. If he cannot perform I'll dump the blame on you."

The blonde man stiffened at her words for a second and then switched to anger. "Blame me? Why the hell should I be dragged into this when his men weren't doing the very thing they were hired for? He should thank me for not letting him go instead. Besides, is not like a few bruises would hinder anyone."

Ashley huffed and crossed her arms. She just couldn't make the big buffoon understand the importance of the assignment. No, he didn't even know exactly what kind of information he was delivering to them. That thought made the woman feel better to an extent.

"Whatever! Just grab him and let's go. Apparently, this cannot wait any longer."

Vlad scowled at being told what to do but complied nevertheless. He lifted Raimundo's body and slung him over his broad shoulder before following Ashley.

-.-

Jack didn't feel very confident about his surviving chances. He was currently locked in a dark room that may have been a wine cellar a long time ago. It lacked any particular furniture – they were just four walls and the stone flight of stairs – and it was very cold. He was rubbing his hands down his arms to warm himself up and never stopped to sit down for too long. Shorts and t-shirts wasn't a good choice for the almost frigid feeling of the basement. He didn't know how long he had been there but he was almost sure that if nobody were to come soon, he would turn into a living popsicle before he knew it.

That was why the rattling of the door lock made the red head smile in relief. The sudden beam of light had him covering his eyes with a cringe and he missed the people entering. However, he definitely heard a familiar voice growling and cursing as the group descended.

A yelp followed by the sound of a body hitting stone pushed Jack to hurry forward and kneel by the crouching figure. The others turned back and secured the door behind them, leaving the two in darkness again.

"Kimiko, are you okay?"

"I'd feel better if those guys would come back and let me hit them somewhere." The girl hissed, struggling to stand with Jack supporting her on his uninjured shoulder. "Besides that, just scratched my legs when they threw me down. No big deal. You?"

Jack shrugged but since it was dark and he could barely see the outline of her face he simply said. "Just cold."

"It is, right?" Kimiko shivered having finally noticed the low temperature. Jack awkwardly wrapped an arm around her shoulders and the woman leaned in his embrace instinctively. "Think Rai is okay?"

"I haven't seen him. I just woke up here." Jack answered quietly. He began stroking Kimiko's arm as a means to take his mind from his friend. If he wasn't with them, did it mean he was being held somewhere else and if so, for what reason?

"God…" He heard the young woman muttered darkly. "This is so frustrating! What the hell is going on here?"

-.-

Raimundo stared at the woman sitting casually in front of him and reading a small book, completely ignoring his burning glare. The left side of his face already colored a lovely shade of red and it hurt just if he put his finger near it. He almost wished the giant Russian was still around only to distract him from the way too relaxed blonde.

She had been there ever since he woke up the second time. Still reading. And she ignored him then as well. He thought she was doing it intentionally, to get a rise out of him. And he was not pleased to find out it was working.

"Are you gonna tell me what is going on this century?" He finally snapped warningly.

She shrugged indifferently. "Not my place to do so." She smirked at his irritated face. She was having too much fun to be legal.

Quite a few more beats of silence followed. Rai didn't give her the satisfaction to see him riled up – even though he was – so he chose to wait for whoever was supposed to come. He didn't wait much longer. Barely half an hour later, the doors opened and a middle aged man walked in, the clank of his walking stick resounding in the quietness between them.

The moment his eyes landed on him, Raimundo's jaw dropped. "Y-You? But you're…"

"Ah know very well who ah am, Mr. Pedrosa." The man said in a deep voice that hardly hid his amusement. "But more importantly, ah know who ya are. And how ya can make up for it."