Disclaimer: I do not own Xiaolin Showdown and Chronicles or any of the characters from the show (Except the OC mentioned here).
Note: Oh boy this chapter is sad... Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading it ^^ Since a lot has been going on in my life I'm not sure if I'll be able to upload the next chapter with the same usual speed. :( Oh well, keep reading and, if you'd like, review it ^^
Chapter 7 – A Mourning Time
Since the discussion he had with Raimundo, Omi hadn't returned to the Xiaolin Temple. From his point of view he was the strongest monk alive besides Master Fung; being defeated is not an option for him. Being defeated by Dojo is nothing but pure shame. Stating the fact he had Vow'Eed's powers is nothing but a poor excuse. His wishes were to become stronger and strongest, mastering every technique that is there to be learnt. Indeed once he tried to control all the elements and failed miserably but there must be a way besides that to become a true walking xiaolin dreadnought.
He had been living in a small village "near" the temple, completely devoid of any form of civilization or modernization. Most people were even unaware of the existence of electricity. While the monks were praised for other similar orders, in that place Omi was completely anonymous. While his pride would be hurt to know someone in the planet isn't aware of how awesome his existence is, now it was exactly what he needed.
He had in mind to spend a while venting his frustrations training in the woods all alone until he could see himself worthy the other monks' company. Many tall bamboos already lay everywhere broken with precision by the nimble kicks and fists the young Chinese monk could deal. However, he always felt he required more. An entire forest, perhaps? No, it wouldn't suffice. Not even all the green areas in the globe being destroyed by razor palms would be enough for him. He was defeated, with his honor lost and his pride hurt. He sat in a lotus position when the skies darkened. It started raining. He opened his mouth in a round shape and closed his eyes, deeply pronouncing a resolute "ohm". Instantly the rain drops drew a curve around him, as if he was inside an invisible umbrella. Now his mind was all clear inside his meditations.
He saw Paris. The whole Parisian capital was black and white and he couldn't see the long distances. It was as if anything far away was distorted by an omnipresent fisheye. The image moved slowly, giving the feeling of being underwater. He could see every detail, every café with their tables turned by the havoc caused by the dragon and him. Of course, the dragon. Omi looked up and there he saw, flying in 8 shapes the serpentine body Ao Baihuai had above. Its deep red eyes were seeing him from every angle possible, its light covered the area around him, making all the black and white world a deep tone of crimson. He was now back to the Chinese bamboo woods. With a voice mighty as the thunder the massive creature chuckled, shaking the earth below.
-YOU LOST! YOU ARE TOO WEAK, XIAOLIN MONK… YOU COULDN'T DEFEAT ME! YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME AND YOU WON'T EVER DEFEAT!
The ground started to shake ever more, fissures opened around Omi as his meditation was disturbed. He looked to the skies and saw the grey clouds gathering in a swirl formation. Slowly at first they started to spin but it didn't take very much longer for a hurricane to form. The bamboo rattled as whips to the wind's will. Inside the eye of the storm a light started to fill the place. Omi realized he wasn't meditating anymore, the visions were real and a portal had been opened in the skies.
-YOU ARE PRETTY NULL, XIAOLIN FOOL. BUT IT IS NOT YOU WHO I WANT…
Omi muttered an "Oh no". Ao Bauhai decided to act.
Raimundo was working out in the Main Training Hall. The winds were blowing with all its strength and, even thought it was his element, it wasn't very pleasing to train in weather like that outdoors. The wooden devices swing with his blows as he tried to vent his feelings away. He had screwed everything up. If only he would use his head instead of his heart, even tolerate Wuya's abuses, all this wouldn't be happening. Now the world was going to end and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He felt shallow inside. The vision of what would become our world, the destruction everywhere passed through his eyes multiple times. It was as if he had that movie set in a permanent replay inside his brain. Whenever he saw it, he couldn't help it but call himself stupid. It angered him but it also worked as a mean of self-punishment. However, with time a low and nearly silent voice started to answer his insults. "You are null" the voice said. At first he ignored it but eventually as it spoke louder and louder he couldn't pretend it wasn't there.
-Who are you?
-You are null and void.
-What do you mean?
-You are entirely empty and shallow. I have seen your insides and there's nothing. You are naught.
-That's not true!
-You filled your life with fun and excitement to avoid the boredom of your existence. You barely could stand the fact you were there. You were ignored… Oh yes, you were. Hated, perhaps. You do remember, don't you, Raimundo? How all the rich people from Copacabana beach came to the circus where you worked and laughed as you fell in large piles of shit. "Look, my son, that's what those filthy slum dwellers, those 'favelados' deserve. That's why you don't want to be like them or even stay near them! They roll in crap!"
-Stop it…
-You were rejected by all, even your family! With all those brothers and sisters to feed do you think I don't know how your parents saw you? How you were nothing but a burden too heavy for their aged backs!
-This is a lie!
-And your brothers and sisters… How pitiful it might be for them to have you as their brother… So sad…
-I am my family's hero! They always fill me with gifts and cards! What do you think of it!?
-Guilt. Guilt is what I think… Poor little foolish child, you are… They feel so sad for having no other option but to send gifts and pretend it is all ok. They barely can afford to eat but they need to send their spoils to the "hero" who abandoned their family for some "Xiaolin adventure", am I wrong?
-No… That's not…
-But they are used to see you leaving, aren't they? You were always running away in the middle of the night for some of those "funk parties" where you would have some fun with the girls out there… Sometimes even 3 or 4 of those in a single night, aren't you a "stud"? He he he…
-I…
-And you felt proud of your "conquest". You were handsome, athletic, "hot", right? These are nothing but the spoils of your victory. Or so you pretended…
-Leave my mind…
-Cause you felt empty inside! Oh yes, you did. Doesn't matter how many, how much you did, how much you rebelled for the sake of rebelling: something still was off. And you had no idea how to fill it…
-Get out of my head!
-And then Master Fung came, claiming you were the "Dragon of Wind"! A brazilian boy living on top of a hill in the middle of a favela; the Dragon of Wind! This is your chance! Now your heart wouldn't feel like hole! Or was it?
-Get out!
-You messed up because the emptiness wouldn't leave you! The hole only grew and grew inside and being ignored by the girl you wanted and humiliated by some kid you met wasn't helping. And then you had the ultimate humiliation and did what you do the best: running away!
-I CAME BACK!
-Because you felt guilty. Was it really guilt or the fear of being alone having no other chance to fill yourself for good? And then the ultimate chance to become whole: being the Xiaolin leader! But it didn't suffice, did it? You are like a black hole, empty inside and eternally siphoning anything on sight. You cannot help it but devour everything your hands can touch until all your surroundings are as empty as you are.
-N… NO!
-And that's just what you did! You destroyed the world, only to feel better about yourself!
-LIES! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!?
And for the first time he heard the voice not inside his mind, but behind him.
-I WANT YOU.
A blast somewhere in the temple alerted the Tohomiko sisters. Could it be Chase Young, perhaps? There was a long time since they saw him for the last time and those troubled times would be a good moment for an assault. They grabbed their Wu and parted to the center of the explosion. The skies were dark with a twister above their heads. What was going on? Cracks were appearing everywhere on the temple as the storm winds punished its ancient walls.
They charged as fast as they could until they finally reached the Main Training Hall. Inside they found Raimundo staring mesmerized the deep shining eyes a large black dragon had. Judging by the description Kimiko had, she deduced it would be Ao Baihuai.
The Dragon was whispering to Raimundo, but his voice was so powerful they could hear it clearly.
-RAIMUNDO! –Shouted Kimiko to her friend. She tried to run to him but Tomoko held her.
The Brazilian boy merely looked to her. Raimundo always had been a very expressive person. Both when lying or not his green eyes would always show emotions. It was a trait she found cute about him. But not now, his eyes were blank. They had their iries and all but it was as if they were a pair of glass eyes.
-RAIMUNDO, STAY AWAY FROM HIM, HE IS DANGEROUS!
-I…
-RAIMUNDO! – Kimiko finally broke free from Tomoko and ran into Raimundo. Her despair was too great to care about the reptilian monstrosity watching them. She shook Raimundo, still yelling his name.
-I…
-YOU WHAT!?
-I… am… nothing.
Then she understood. She pushed him away from her, scared. He merely fell sitting in the floor and kept staring to nowhere, muttering the same phrase over and over again. Tears running her face she looked to the Dragon. Her anger dominating her so much Tomoko thought her expression was much scarier than the Asuras living in Naraka could ever dream to have.
-I'LL ASK YOU ONCE AND ONLY ONCE AND IF YOU DO NOT GIVE ME THE ANSWER I WANT I WILL NOT CARE WHETHER THIS BODY IS DOJO'S OR NOT. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM!?
The Dragon laughed, enjoying every moment.
-I DID NOTHING. AT LEAST NOTHING THAT WOULDN'T HAPPEN NATURALLY, ANYWAY. THIS BOY WAS ROTTEN INSIDE. I MERELY GAVE THE PUSH HE NEEDED TO BECOME WHAT HE TRULY IS; AN EMPTY SHELL.
-YOU MONSTER!
Kimiko released the fire powers she had gained inside the Naraka. She shouted a "Deva Xing! Fire!" and flames surrounded her. Her hair became embers and her skin turned into pure red energy. Her eyes bright yellow, it was if the magma had gained sentience and the form of a girl. Fire manifested as blasts from her hands and she attacked Ao Baihuai. But the Dragon is undeterred. His scales absorbed the fire as if they were nothing. With his claws he punched Kimiko, throwing her on the wall, leaving her unconscious. Tomoko wanted to react but seeing how her sister's ultimate power was useless against him, her fear froze her legs.
Ao Baihuai floated on Raimundo's direction. The black form his scales detached from Dojo's body in the form of a dark fog, floating slowly around the puppet-like Brazilian youth. The gas that composed the creature was about to be breathed when a red flash filled the room.
The Hanabi Star inside Kimiko's pocket floated and the flames inside manifested in the form of a large bird. With its fire the fog was consumed. A large scream of pain could be heard from anywhere in the temple. Vow'Eed was too wounded to re-posses Dojo so it left through a window. The flames around the bird dissipated but it didn't disappear.
Kimiko woke up a few minutes later, just to find Raimundo lying on the ground, half-conscious. She hugged him, crying. The crimson bird watched the two feeling pity. Kimiko's tears soaked Raimundo's shirt in that mourning time.