A/N: This story revolves around the Chase/Omi pairing and the Wuya/Raimundo pairing. Therefore, this story contains underage characters in 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: Sorry for making you wait.


Chapter 7: Preparations

The steaming water stung his skin as he submerged himself. His descent was slow as he let himself get used to the heat before settling himself in the tub.

The wooden tubs available at the temple were small, only able to snugly fit one full grown adult. However, because of his small build, the tub appeared very large to Omi. Settled in the tub, the sides towered over his head. The tub was less than half filled yet the heated water sloshed against his shoulders. Most days, he wouldn't even use the tub; just soap, a rag, and a bucket would do.

Today was not "most days".

The water was scented with oils that were among the treasures gifted by Chase Young. The sweet scent of the oils stung the back of his throat as he remembered moving the gifts from the caravan.

Most of the gifts he was forced to receive, he has only touched once. That one time was when he was ferrying the gifts from the caravan to the courtyard. The monks had still not been allowed into the caravan, so the gifts had to be carried out by him with the help of the two jungle cats. The other jungle cat had been the Black Knight, and even weighed down with armour, the Knight had managed to carry a fair amount of the gifts.

After all the gifts had been transported to the courtyard, the Zulu Warrior and Black Knight turned back into their cat forms, hooked back onto the caravan, and left.

Omi hugged his legs to himself, chin resting on his submerged knees.

The wardrobe had been the hardest to handle. Not because of the weight and size of it, but because of what it contained. It now sat fat and heavy, settled against the wall in his bedspace. He was still small in stature and didn't need that much room for himself, but still the wardrobe was imposing.

After its installation, he found himself unable to sleep. The nights were frequent where he would try and will himself to sleep, only for his eyes to wander to the wardrobe.

The haunting feeling that the image of that phoenix invoked would not leave him.

The things contained within the wardrobe haunted his mind. He knew that was what he was going to be forced to wear. His mind pictured him in those garments without his willing thought. He was going to be paraded around covered in bright red silk, unable to do anything to avoid being the centre of attention.

Omi could already see his small body swaddled richly in red and gold, weighted down with heavy jewellery as he was carried around place to place, crowds of people around him all pointing and staring.

What a sight he would make.

Amongst the treasures gifted to him, there had been a chest containing Sheng Gong Wu. Omi knew the man had no love for these magical items, but he knew Chase Young understood the importance of Sheng Gong Wu in this battle between the Xiaolin and the Heylin.

As a Heylin warrior, willingly gifting these items to the Xiaolin was either the sign of great trust or one of great desire.

Omi can guess which one was Chase's intent, and he feared what it would mean for him.

He covered his face with his hands. His eyes stung and he felt the forming of a lump in his throat. It wasn't from the oils in the water.

The month had come and gone all too fast.

The invitations had come and were given to all the monks in the temple. Omi had seen the cards himself. They were ugly and too elaborate, embossed everywhere and felted with gold. They reeked of excess money and power, and Omi felt sick.

Chase spared no expense in funding the wedding and if the invitations were any indication, Omi can guess just how ostentatious the actual ceremony was going to be.

Omi had spent the days of the month free of Chase's presence sleepless and on edge. He desired nothing more than to be free of this miserable business but his fate had already been decided.

Omi watched the ripples forming in the water. He let his mind focus on them and cleared it of all the thoughts that plagued him.

He had tried to run once.

It had been close to the end of the month. It was very late into the night and the other two Dragon Warriors in training were sound asleep. The urge grasped him while he was trying to meditate. He had failed to ignore the wardrobe and had given up on sleep. Failing in his meditation as well, he ended up staring long and hard at the wardrobe.

The urge to flee came to him in waves. The idea presented itself as an afterthought then the seed of it was planted in his mind and gradually it grew until it blossomed into a full blown plan.

He could run right then, disappear into the night and none would be the wiser.

He would be away from these sleepless nights and stagnant days, never looking back at the life he knew he would lead, stuck in a gilded cage like a prize won.

Omi played out his plans in his head like a dark fantasy. He cycled through every possible thing that could happen that night and he always managed to get away in his little daydreams.

He kept playing it all out in his head in a loop.

Omi got up.

The temple was silent, all its residents sound asleep. Omi took care not to alert the slumbering monks of his presence.

His escape was silent and swift. The plan in his head had been flawless and he managed to glide through the temple undetected.

He made it as far as the temple gates.

Omi had stopped there, facing the gates but not moving to step over that threshold.

He stared at the invisible barrier holding him back. He could walk out now. Walk away from that wardrobe that haunts him. Walk away from his impending marriage. Walk away from his duty.

He would be free from all these responsibilities, but still he couldn't bring himself to step over the threshold.

Soft downy feathers brushed against his scalp before a weight settled on his head.

Omi had pulled the phoenix off of his head and cradled it in his arms. Its weight reminded him of his duty. Omi stroked his hand over its feathers, resigned.

He returned to his bedspace with the phoenix in his arms.

Omi leant back in the water, lifting his leg until his toes breached the surface, creating ripples in the once smooth surface.

He looked back on that night and wondered what had held him back. It didn't really matter now, but still he wondered.

There was a knock on the bathroom door. His time was up.

Omi climbed out of the large tub, dripping water all over the floor. He grabbed his towel and wiped the moisture off.

Putting on his underwear, he caught a whiff of his own skin and cringed. He smelled strongly of the oils he had soaked in.

His underwear had come along with the other garments; two pieces of cloth, one to wrap around his waist to cover him, and the other an apron like piece tied at the back of his neck and his lower back. The apron piece—the dudou—was made of fine silk and was beautifully embroidered. It was long enough to just barely cover his privates.

Draping a towel over his bare shoulders, he stepped out of the bathroom. Kimiko was waiting for him in the changing rooms where the many pieces of the garment were all laid out.

They exchanged glances but neither of them said a word.

First, Kimiko made sure the dudou was securely tied at his neck and at his lower back, then she helped him put on the many pieces he was required to wear. The embroidered silk was heavy and the assistance was very much needed.

The red cloth fit him so well that it made him uncomfortable. The two piece outfit was practically tailored to his exact measurements and he didn't really know what to do about that information.

Briefly, he imagined Chase Young sneaking into the Temple while everyone was asleep to take his measurements, but instead of the humour he expected to garner from that image, he felt his skin crawl. The image of the dragon sneaking into his bedspace in the dead of night, hovering over his prone defenceless form as he slept was not a comforting one. He didn't like that idea one bit and he chose to banish the thought from his mind.

Once the dress was properly fitted on him, the accessories came next. He eyed the bangles from the corner of his eye. He didn't like the thought of putting them on.

Kimiko must have noticed his reluctance, because she reached for the gold and turquoise headpiece.

She carefully placed the headpiece on Omi's head, careful to balance it on his ears.

Like the gown, the headpiece had been made to fit him perfectly and it had been made with his shaven head taken into consideration. The heavy gold crown did not slide around, it was tight enough to prevent that but not too tight so Omi would not have to worry suffering a headpiece induced headache.

The bangles came next. Kimiko warily eyed the elaborately wrought bangles. She picked up the small golden rings and placed them in her hand. Omi noticed that she stared at them a second too long and wondered if she was noting the fact that the gold jewellery was much smaller than her palm.

Kimiko slid the bangles onto his wrists, fingers pulling away from the gold immediately after her task was done.

It was clear to Omi that she too had likened them to shackles.

Omi stepped into his old black slippers. He stared down at them and flexed his toes. He never knew that there would come a time when he would miss them.

Kimiko touched his shoulder to get his attention, and for the first time in a long while, their eyes met straight on. Kimiko's eyes were filled with emotion, but her brow was set in a determined frown. She reached into her red robes and pulled out an object that Omi was very familiar with.

Kimiko placed the Orb of Tornami in the young monk's hands. Omi stared at his signature Sheng Gong Wu before once again looking into Kimiko's eyes for an answer. Kimiko's eyes were strong and determined amongst the emotion swimming in them. She squeezed Omi's shoulder one more time before turning away.

Omi tucked the orb away into his dress. He was thankful to Kimiko for giving it to him.

Kimiko walked up to the door, showing no indication of the exchange that had happened only a moment before, and slid it open. She stepped aside to let Omi go through first.

Omi hesitated when he reached the threshold. He didn't want to go out dressed like this. But what choice did he have? Gathering his courage from the Orb under his clothes, Omi stepped out.

They walked to the temple gates unobstructed through the empty corridors. Omi kept his head bowed the whole time, focused on his shoes and how they disappeared and reappeared from the hemline of his red red dress. He refused to think of why he was dressed this way, doing his best to distract himself.

He reaches the gates all too soon.

At the gates, a great parade was gathered. Chase Young's jungle cats had brought along the grandness of the procession in the form of instruments, dancers, and red banners with gold letting that declared fortune and unity. The other monks in the temple were in the procession, faces blank. Everyone was dressed in auspicious red.

Directly in front of the temple gates, a bright red shoulder carriage awaited Omi. Chase Young's jungle cat warriors stood attention on all four sides of the carried vehicle. The door to the carriage was open, revealing a pink cushioned seat and the red curtains that covered the windows on all four sides.

Master Fung and Clay were standing just in front of it. Omi realised that they were waiting to see him off.

Omi bowed to Master Fung before moving to board the carriage. He sat down just inside the carriage so he could remove his old black slippers. He stared down at them one more time before slowly slipping them off.

His bright red embroidered slippers awaited him in the carriage. He looked down at them with hesitation as he slipped them on.

They were a perfect fit like the rest of his outfit, but they felt foreign on his feet.

The door of the carriage closed on him and he felt the vehicle shift as it was picked up by the jungle cat warriors. Omi pushed aside the curtain so he could face his self-made family one more time. Clay handed him a red fan through the window. The fan matched his entire ensemble and he recognised it as one of the presents Chase Young had gifted him. The bones of the fan were flat and thin gold sticks studded at the ends with jewels. The fan itself was made from a light embroidered silk. It was an object that represented the opulence of the wedding.

Clay moved to picked up Omi's old black slippers. Omi's eyes lingered on each remaining member of his self-made family in one last goodbye.

As his carriage began to move away, Omi looked one last time at his old shoes. Something small inside him shattered.

Those shoes were the last thing he was allowed to wear that belonged to his life at the temple.


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.

A/N2: Traditional Chinese Marriage was used as reference for the marriage rituals depicted. Depicted in the story is a bastardised version of marriage rituals and for that I am sorry.

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.

Terribly sorry for the delay. My exams took up a lot of my time and I couldn't write anything for a while. Thank you for being patient with me.