Chapter 4
A/N:
Okay, very long a/n needed here. In response to the anonymous reviews, and just the general population of readers, it has been brought to my attention that people are confused about why Rai didn't just fly away and save himself. I had thought of that, and I came up with several simple explanations.
The most obvious is that he doesn't have very advanced wind powers yet – this is only like, mid second season. He's not very far into his apprentice stage yet. I did the research. This story takes place somewhere after "The Year of the Green Monkey." (That marks the time that Wuya abandoned Jack to work with Chase and in the next episode he builds a Wuyabot.) But, keep in mind as you read this that he did have some wind power.
But, that's not the reason I was thinking hardest about. There's a reason I had him get beat up by squirrels, and it wasn't just because it's really funny (although it is hilarious). He was too weak to use his powers, or even cling onto the rock. He broke his leg, which means he couldn't really climb back up. (BTW, he used his good leg to jump the robot. Sure, it hurt like hell, but he saved Kim anyway.)
The final reason that I was focusing on is that, sometimes, in really fast situations, you don't think of these things. For example, I once shut my whole hand in the car door. I panicked and tried to pull it out. Instead, it got really bruised. If I had been thinking logically, I would've instantly known to just open the door, and my hand would've been fine. But, it wasn't until after the damage had been done that I thought of it.
Also, I originally said that there would be slight RaiKim. About that, when I was writing the whole death scene… his words sort of just… slipped. Then, when I wrote them, I couldn't unwrite them! I mean, it was there! And it fit! It added so much more suspense and drama to it. Plus, I just love the two of them.
As for the SPOILER deal. I know that it's been out of commission for years, but that was more for my real-world best friend. She's new to the whole Xiaolin Showdown deal, and has been watching them on youtube. She hasn't seen the last episode yet. Surprisingly, no one in my entire grade level has ever heard of XS. What is wrong with these people?!? But, she isn't quite thirteen yet (I'm almost a year older than her) and she doesn't want to tell a little white lie to get an account, so she won't be reviewing any time soon.
Also, I think I can understand why Omi is being such a… well, excuse my language, an ass. Check my profile for the Omi to my Rai Psychoanalysis to hear the story…
Dreams/memories are like this. Thoughts are like this.
Anyway, the A/N has become longer than the story, so I think I'll just stop now. Except for the refresher, which just sums up what has happened so far in the story.
Refresher: Dojo and the Xiaolin monks go looking for a new Wu. They get swarmed by Jackbots. Raimundo is injured. He jumps a Jackbot and falls over a cliff. He clings onto the cliff's edge for a few more seconds before he plummets to certain doom. The remaining friends are in a state of shock as they recoil from the unexpected loss.
And here we are…
His smile, his laugh, his voice…
Kimiko let a tear slip down her cheek as she looked at the picture of her friends from the Xiaolin Temple. She had taken a small break to spend some time away from the temple and with her dad, but she was still plagued by his memory. No matter how far away she went, she'd never be able to take a vacation from him.
She shook her head, trying to rid herself of him, but she couldn't. Especially not after the last words he said to her, the last words he said at all.
His eyes met hers, and he yelled, "Since the moment I first saw you, I-"
He didn't finish his sentence there, but when he did, her heart positively screamed. They were only five small words, but they held more meaning to each of them than the whole world.
No, no, no! she yelled in her mind as she felt the tears start to well up in her eyes. No! I can't think of this right now. I can't handle it.
Still, all she saw was his arm reaching out towards them, towards her, as he slipped under the water. All she heard were his words, "I'm sorry guys." I'm sorry Rai, I should've saved you.
She had the Tangle-Web Comb. She could've saved him. She just didn't try hard enough.
"Kim, you okay?" her best friend, Keiko asked, walking in. Keiko looked from the picture in her hand, to the tear that crept its way steadily down her cheek and came to a simple conclusion.
"Thinking about that Brazilian boy again?" she inquired. Kimiko looked at his face in the picture, a sardonic smile set upon his face, and burst into tears. "I knew it," Keiko sighed, hugging her friend.
"It's all my fault," she breathed, tears cascading from her eyes. "I- I could've stopped him. But I didn't. He's dead because of me."
"Of course not!" Keiko soothed. "You couldn't have done anything. It was just meant to happen. You weren't supposed to save him, or else you would've."
"But I was! He jumped in front of it to save me! And then, what he told me just before he fell. I just- I can't handle this!" she cried, breaking off the hug and crawling into the corner of her bed, cuddling Rai's precious Ninja Fred close.
"I'm sorry guys," he whispered.
I'm so sorry Raimundo. So, so sorry.
Omi sat in his room at the Xiaolin Temple, curled in a little ball. He still couldn't really believe what had happened. It couldn't quite register in his mind. Rai's sudden death had come as a bit of a slap in the face to young Omi, who had never really lost anyone before. He kept expecting Raimundo to just walk through the doors like it was any other day, and nothing had happened.
But it had.
Omi knew that he had been hard on him, but he had a good excuse. Rai had betrayed them all when he went with Wuya, and it hurt. It had hurt him really bad. So, Omi tried to hurt him back. Whenever possible, he brought up his lack of experience. He always put Rai down because Rai had put him down harder.
Now, he regretted it more than anything. Instead of being a good friend to the end, their last words had been a diss.
"Well, Raimundo," he commented. "It isn't that embarrassing."
Rai raised his eyebrow. "Really? You're the last person I'd expect to hear that from!"
"Oh, no!" Omi laughed. "You misinterpreted my meaning! I merely meant that it is not as embarrassing because it is to be expected of one who reached apprentice level so late. For someone such as myself to do it – that would be most embarrassing. But, as we all know, I am better than those amateur mistakes," he boasted, head growing with each word.
"You're just lucky my leg's hurt," Rai muttered darkly.
Truth be told, Omi had already done worse. Instead of angering just squirrels, he had found a way to piss off the entire animal kingdom! Fortunately, Master Fung had saved him before any damage had been dealt, but, occasionally, he still caught the odd rabbit glaring at him.
Omi sighed as he thought about the way Raimundo had died. His element had caused his friend's demise. He felt so bitter about that fact. "I could've stopped it," he said sadly. "I could've used the Orb of Tornami or done something."
"Young monk," Master Fung said, interrupting Omi's soliloquy. "If we were meant to fly, God would've given us wings."
Omi's eyes started to well up. "Master Fung, I mean no disrespect, but wouldn't Raimundo have been able to fly if he'd reached Wudai level?"
The wiser man sighed, and sat down next to the young monk. "Omi, what I mean is that, if you were meant to save him, you would have. You have no reason to blame yourself."
"May I confide in you, sir," Omi asked nervously. He needed to talk to someone about his troubles, and Master Fung had always been like a father figure to him.
"Of course, Omi," he replied.
Omi sighed, and admitted, "I should have been a better friend to him. I always gave him so much hardship… I feel as if I could have focused harder on helping him than making him feel bad for his actions."
Surprisingly, Master Fung smiled.
"What is it, sir?" Omi asked curiously.
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder," he replied softly, mostly to himself. Omi raised his eyebrow, but Master Fung didn't elaborate. "Good night, young monk," he said finally, walking out.
"It's all your fault, Clay!" Kimiko screamed. "You shouldn't have let him jump after the Jackbot!"
"Yes," Omi agreed angrily. "You are most disappointing!"
"Clay, I am sorry to say that I was mistaken when I said you were to be Dragon of Earth. It is clear that you will never amount to anything," Master Fung admitted. "Pack your bags. You can go be a farmhand at your father's ranch again."
"What?" Clay exclaimed. "What are you sayin'?"
"You did this to me, man," a garbled voice said. A soaked, mangled, ghostly version of Raimundo limped over towards him. "I trusted you, and this is how you repay me."
"I- I didn't-" he started.
"You didn't help me. You could've prevented this. It's your fault!" Rai yelled shrilly.
"NO! NO!NO!" he screamed, sitting bolt upright in his bed.
Clay was a wreck. He'd been having the same nightmare for three days now. He couldn't let his father see him like this, so, when offered the chance to go home, he turned it down. He felt wholly responsible for what happened, and, no matter how much the others assured him it was not his fault, he still shouldered the blame.
He had suggested they go look for Rai's body, but as their search came closer and closer he started to regret it. He didn't really want to know what they were going to find.
He managed to fall back asleep, but it wasn't long before the morning came. Neither of the two boys looked happy about what was coming, and Dojo looked downright depressed.
"Young monks," Master Fung offered somberly, "You do not have to do this if you don't wish to. I will not force you to."
Omi shook his head. "Sir, we wish to find him. We should at least look for any remnant of him."
Clay nodded his agreement.
"Very well. Here are the Gills of Hamachi and the Falcon's Eye to help with your search," Fung said, handing them the shen gong wu. "Just to forewarn you, if you find anything at all, you may not like what you find."
"We know," Clay assured solemnly, and they both climbed on Dojo and flew away.
To be continued...
