A/N: This story revolves around the Chase/Omi pairing and the Wuya/Raimundo pairing in the chapters to come. Therefore, this story contains underage characters in implied adult situations. This story will also revolve around themes of abuse, coercion, and non-consensual sexual situations. It also contains child marriages and uncomfortable themes of the same cloth. Proceed knowing you've been warned.

A/N2: I am so very sorry for the delay.


Chapter 4: Terms

Omi couldn't stay still.

He had paced the room lengthwise a couple times already, feet probably making an impression on the soft bamboo mats.

It had only been a little over an hour after he had finally read Chase's Declaration of Intent. Master Fung had allowed him to decide whether or not he would tell his friends.

Well, it wasn't so much whether he would tell them, but rather when he would. His friends would find out one way or another.

Sighing, Omi finally slumped against the wall closest to him, sliding down until he could hug his knees. He brought his hands up to rub at the tense lines of his face sighing once more.

He didn't know what to do.

His mind was scattered and his emotions varied so much that he had no idea what he was even feeling. He didn't even know what he was supposed to feel.

All his life he was raised by the monks, he was taught their peaceful self-renouncing ways. There weren't many kids allowed to interact with him that were his age. After he had been realised to be a prodigy-a potential Dragon Warrior-he had been sent to train with Masters that challenged him.

He didn't complain much but he was isolated from his peers after that. Having Kimiko, Clay and Raimundo come along when they did was a blessing. But even then it was hard to learn about emotional cues usually presented by those who have yet to reach full monkhood and take their vows.

All Omi could do was hold his head in his hands and shake it from side to side.

He didn't want to let the chaotic emotions take over. Even though he was not bound by the same vows as his Masters, he wanted to follow them all the same. But every attempt he made at meditation didn't get any results whatsoever.

He wondered what advice his friends would give him now. Probably how he should let the emotions run their course. He was still in his formative years, he was allowed the chaotic emotions he often showed.

But this was different. Chase Young was asking—no, demanding--his hand in marriage.

He was trapped and that brought on an onslaught of jumbled feelings.

He has an idea that if he let these chaotic feelings run their course, it would be most impossible for him to bottle them up again. He doubts that he would be able to reign them in if he does let go.

Omi jumped when he felt something land on his head. He reached up to grasp hold of the bird that had perched there. He held it tenderly in his hands, smoothing down its ruffled feathers. For the moment, he welcomed the distraction.

He could admit that he liked the phoenix, even though it had been a gift from Chase Young. He was reluctant to accept it now because, aside from being a symbol of peace, the phoenix often also symbolised love as well.

If Omi remembers his education right, in a marriage the bride was often depicted as a phoenix to compliment the groom's dragon. The Yin to the groom's Yang.

He was the Phoenix to Chase Young's Dragon.

The thought does not comfort him at all. He was going to have to go through the ceremony since Chase Young had started the ball rolling with a traditional declaration. He would have to be fitted for his gowns and have a headdress picked out for him. Did he even have a choice when it came to the guests at the wedding dinner?

Omi shakes his head slowly in an attempt to alleviate the throbbing in his temples. He had long accepted that he would never be involved in a marriage ceremony. He still remembers taking his vows of chastity. Chase Young had been a Xiaolin monk once, surely he knew how many vows he's forcing Omi to break with just this one declaration of his.

It was then that Omi remembered the new set of vows he had to take.

He knows very little of the words, but he does know the significance they hold. And with the binding clause that had been stated in the terms, it would most likely be reinforced with a Heylin spell.

He looked down at the phoenix in his hands. Like the bird, their bond would reform itself should it be broken.

He rubbed at his eyes, doing his best to ignore that his hand came away wet.

He… didn't want to go through with this.

It already felt like he'd only just lost one of his closest friends. Now Chase wants him and he's going to lose everything.

Omi let himself slump lower down the wall as he pulled his legs closer. He let his mind finally go blank as he watched the phoenix try to balance on his knees.

He closes his eyes and tries to picture what his life would be like from this day on. He wants more than anything to turn back time and undo the past few hours. The phoenix distracts him by nuzzling into his forehead. He sucks in a deep breath and gets up, limbs feeling heavy and clumsy.

He decides that this weight would lighten after he told his friends. He didn't feel like prolonging the inevitable.

Omi brings the phoenix along. He is grateful for its company, even though he still doesn't want to accept it as a gift.

But really, how can he refuse?

...

Omi stands a distance from his friends when he tells them.

Kimiko and Clay had been seated in an open common room that looked out at a small koi pond. The sound of water running from the miniscule waterfall fixture filled the stunned silence that had befallen the Dragons in training.

His voice was steady but small, reciting the little script he wrote for himself in his head. He relayed all they needed to know in a few short sentences.

Once he was done, the silence returned. The steady flow of water once again the only sound in their ears.

Clay, ever stoic, just pulled the brim of his hat lower until it covered his eyes. It wasn't very noticeable but if one knew to look, the boy's sturdy frame was shaking.

Omi knew where to look.

His eyes fell on Kimiko next. Unlike Clay, Kimiko was unnaturally still. But when their eyes met, Omi could see that her eyes were wet.

Unable to hold their eyes anymore, Omi moved his attention to the phoenix resting heavy in his arms.

He knew when Kimiko walked up to him, but didn't look up until he was ready.

Kimiko said nothing. She stood still as a statue in front of the smaller boy, her shoes in his line of sight. After a brief moment, Omi finally looked up at her. He didn't manage to catch a glimpse of her expression because as soon as he looked up, she threw her arms around his tiny shoulders and drew him close. She was careful to not crush the phoenix between them, but her grip on him was firm and he finds his face buried in her shoulder.

They were silent as their bodies trembled. They didn't mention the twin trails of wetness that flowed like rivers down their faces, nor did they mention the wetness that made the cloth of their robes cling to their shoulders. Clay stood apart from them, brim of his hat hiding the wetness in his own eyes.

All three stayed that way until they had no more tears to shed.


A/N: The subject of The Symbol of Peace and Declaration of Intent are works of the writer's imagination. If the names and functions of said items resemble rituals still practiced or still held in memory, it is only mere coincidence.

If you find anything in this story offensive and if it's in my power to correct it, kindly tell me. Thank you for your time.