Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown. It belongs to Christy Hui.
Author's Note: Here's another chapter! I wish I could tell you what's going to happen in it, but I would blow up the surprise. Well, it's not really a surprise, but what I mean is that you will hate me for life if I revealed anything right now. So just keep reading and enjoy!
United as One
Chapter 9: The Day
Omi stared blankly at the courtyard, sighing with boredom. Sitting on a stone bench all day was truly a pain for him. Since the discovery of his disease, the young monk was forced to stay still until Jack could find a cure. It had already been three days, and the yellow-skinned boy wished he could train like his friends. With Raimundo fully restored, Omi had no choice but to spend his time alone.
The young monk was envious of Rai's quick recovery. The Brazilian could finally move around freely, even though he still had to be careful because of his recovering ribs. He was currently finishing up his chores in the kitchen, cleaning the dirty dishes while Kimiko and Raimundo were taking care of one of the many living rooms. Omi could hear from the near doorway the tinkling sounds of the spoons, forks and knives as they were put away inside a specific drawer. The Dragon of Water wished he could participate in the usual routine of his training days, but it was impossible. Master Fung would immediately be warned, and Omi knew it was a very bad thing.
Sighing heavily, he looked up at the sky and stared at the clouds. They were so white that they could be easily mistaken for large patches of snow. Omi smiled as he remembered the day his friends and him were forced to face Raksha, the gigantic snowman. It had been a long and exhausting journey, but the Xiaolin warriors had finally won the battle. The yellow-skinned monk had defeated Raksha in a hockey game, which was quite impressive as Omi had never played that sport before.
The young boy closed his eyes and pictured himself during this particular showdown, facing the hideous snowman that roared and growled. The events that had occurred that day played inside Omi's mind as if he was watching a movie, the fighting scenes embellished by special effects that the boy added to make it more interesting.
He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice Clay coming towards him, a wooden cane held tight in his left hand. "Hey there, lil' buddy!" The Texan said happily. "I was lookin' for ya."
Omi shook his head and gazed at the blond boy with a surprised look. "What is it, Clay?"
The tall Dragon handed him the cane, a little smile crossing his face. "I was cleanin' tha living room and I found 'tis near a dresser. I guess ya forgot it there."
Omi stared at the cane sadly, his mind filling itself up with painful memories. His battle against Chase was far now, but it still haunted him deep down inside his troubled soul. With a sigh, the young monk took the cane from Clay's hand and said with a wan smile, "Thank you, my friend."
The Dragon of Earth, obviously noticing that something was wrong, knelt down beside Omi and put gently his hand on one of the boy's shoulder. "Is everythin' okay, partner?"
"Yes, everything is fine," the short boy replied. "I am just... confused about all that has happened."
Standing up and taking place beside Omi on the stone bench, Clay took his hat off of his blond scalp and sighed heavily. "Yer not the only one," he said calmly. "Me, Rai and Kimmy are as confused as a rattlesnake forced t'be used as a maracas." Omi chuckled at Clay's metaphor, a soft laugh that hadn't been heard for days. The Texan smiled, happy to see that he managed to cheer up his yellow-skinned friend.
"I must thank you, Clay," Omi said. "Even though we are facing dark times, you are always here to brighten up the day."
"That's wha' I do best," the blond monk replied, doing a thumbs up.
Omi smiled. "I do not know what lies ahead, but I am certain that we will go through anything that Chase can come up with. As Wudai warriors, we will stop the forces of evil, no matter what happens."
"Ya got that right," Clay agreed. "But remember to avoid pushin' yerself too hard. Master Fung wouldn't forgive you if ya were goin' t'fight in yer condition."
The Dragon of water stared at his feet, a glum expression taking over suddenly. "I am aware of Master Fung's warnings," he said sadly. "But I cannot stay here and do nothing. If my friends are in need, I will fight!"
Clay sighed and said teasingly, "Good old Omi! Yer still as stubborn as a pig!"
Omi raised an eyebrow. "Is this a compliment?"
"Of course it is."
"Then I thank you," the young monk said with a smile.
Clay laughed softly, amused by his friend's behavior. "Ya still have a lot t'learn 'bout the world, lil' Omi." He stood and placed his hat back on his head. "Sorry to leave ya here, but I'm not quite done with my chores. I'll come see ya later, all right, partner?"
Omi nodded and watched as the Texan walked away, disappearing inside the Temple. Left alone once more, the young monk decided to take a walk. Using his cane for support, the Dragon of Water walked slowly across the courtyard with no precise destination. He wandered around, sometimes standing still while listening to the soothing chant of the birds. It was the first time Omi took the time to listen to what was around him. He thought it was truly beautiful, and wondered why he hadn't done this before.
The yellow-skinned boy closed his eyes and listened closely. He heard the leaves rustling gently with a passing breeze and the squirrels squealing joyfully as they gnawed on their hazelnuts. But, among all of the sweet sounds of nature, there was something else. Something that didn't belong there.
Omi suddenly leaped to his right as green flames were fired towards him at incredible speed. The young monk, because of his hurry to move away, stumbled and fell hard on his stomach against the cold stone of the courtyard, pain immediately running through his whole body. Glancing at the protective wall which he was standing right next to a few seconds ago, Omi gasped and stared as Chase appeared right in front of him, an evil grin on his face.
"Hello, Omi," the teenager greeted with no hint of sympathy. "I hope I'm not barging in."
The young monk glared at the former Xiaolin warrior while painfully standing back up, his cane held tight in his two hands. "Chase Young," he hissed. "I knew you were going to come sooner or later."
"And as you can see, I chose sooner." Chase sneered and lifted his arms up in front of him. "Prepare to face your doom, mighty Dragon of Water!"
He sent two more orbs of green flames that had instantly appeared in the palm of his hands towards Omi. The young monk immediately swirled his cane in front of him in defense, creating a shield that kept the flames at a safe distance from him. As soon as the flames vanished, the boy took a battle stance, ready to fight. "You will not defeat me!"
"Sorry, but that's not the plan," Chase said evily. He sent another sphere of green fire twice the size of the two previous ones. Omi's eyes widened as the gigantic orb was thrown towards him, unable to move out of the way.
"WATCH OUT!" Raimundo came running towards the young monk and crashed into him so they both would fall out of the teenager's aim.
After the fireball had passed them to crash on the ground, Omi rested on his elbows and stared at Chase, dumbstruck. "How is it possible?" he muttered. "Chase alone cannot have enough power to create such a powerful attack. He must be using Wuya's powers!"
"Very good, Omi," Chase said teasingly. "I see you have been doing your homework."
"Stop blabbing and tell us what you want!" Raimundo spat, quickly standing back up.
"Isn't it obvious?" the former Xiaolin warrior asked. "I am here to annihilate the Dragons for good."
"Dream on!" a voice stepped in. "Silk Spitter!"
With Chase being caught under a spider web-like net that restricted his movements, Kimiko took the opportunity to come beside Omi and Raimundo, quickly followed by Clay. She had brought a few Shen Gon Wu that she started to hand over to the Dragons of Wind and Earth.
As the young japanese girl gave Raimundo the Sword of the Storm, the boy asked a bit bitterly, "What took you guys so long?"
"Hey, if we're going to fight one of the most evil person in the whole world, we ought to come prepared." Kimiko replied. While Clay attached the Third-Arm Sash around his waist, the Dragon of Fire glanced towards Omi and said gently, "Omi, you better run and take cover. We'll take care of Chase."
"But..."
A sudden war cry filled the air and covered the rest of the young boy's sentence. Glancing back towards Chase, the four Xiaolin warriors saw the teenager building up his power, the silk surrounding him melting with the rising heat. Glaring at the four Dragons standing in front of him, he looked like he was about to erupt like a volcano. "You annoying fools!" he raged. "Some mere silk won't stop me!"
"I hate to admit it, but he's right Kimiko," Rai said.
Despite her hatred towards the Brazilian's comment, Kimiko managed to stay calm and take a battle stance. "It's no time to argue, we have to stop Chase before he destroys the Temple again!" Without turning her head, she said to her yellow-skinned friend, "Omi, you must go!"
"But I cannot!" the young boy said stubbornly. "I must fight with you!"
"Didn't you hear the lady?" Clay asked, he too starting to get impatient. "Ya got t'get out of here, now!"
"No! I will not leave!"
Raimundo grunted. "You're really not making this easy," he said in annoyance.
Before Omi could react, the Dragon of Wind grabbed the young monk by his waist and started running away from the battlefield. Chase, who was forming more spheres of green flames in his hands, flipped up onto the wall surrounding the Temple and fired. Kimiko and Clay managed to duck the attack in time, but it went straight for Raimundo and Omi.
"Rai! Watch out!"
Hearing Clay's cry, the Brazilian turned back and saw the two orbs coming towards him like a stampede of wild cows. Stopping abruptly in his tracks and taking a battle stance, he cried, "Sword of the Storm, Wind!" A tornado like no other appeared in front of the two boys, its violent wind slashing the air in anger. The flames collided with the whirlwind with a loud rumble and were immediately destroyed. Rai grinned in satisfaction. "Is that all you've got, Chase?"
"No," the teenager replied simply, a sneer on his face. "This was just the appetizer!" Stretching his arms up in the air, the former Xiaolin warrior cried, "It is time for you to DIE!"
The four Dragons gasped when a green orb almost as big as the entire Temple formed over Chase's head. They all closed their eyes tightly, waiting for the final blow to be struck. They waited a few seconds like this, taking back their breath anxiously, but nothing happened.
Shyly glancing towards Chase, Clay's eyes widened. "What in tarnation?"
Chase was now kneeling on the cold floor of the courtyard, one of his cheeks slightly covered of mud. Not so far beside him was Jack Spicer in Xiaolin robes, glaring at the fallen teenager menacingly. "Pick up on the Dragons once more, and I'll kick somewhere more painful next time!" he said in anger, pointing to his right foot that he lifted up from the ground.
Chase glared at him, his eyes starting to fill up with hatred. "You dare defy me?" he hissed. "You must be as crazy as the Dragon of Water!"
"Maybe I am," Jack said calmly, "but if it's what it takes to take you down, then I don't mind!" He charged towards Chase, ready for another kick. The former Xiaolin warrior stood quickly and prepared to take on the blow.
As the two teenagers exchanged hits, Kimiko stared at them at a safe distance, her eyes wide. "Who knew Jack could be so brave?" she asked, dumbstruck.
"Not me," Clay replied, standing up slowly and helping the Japanese to do the same.
Not so far behind them, Raimundo sat harshly on the ground, gasping loudly, the Sword of the Storm still held in his hand. Omi, who was finally free of the Brazilian's grasp, knelt down beside him. "Are you okay, Raimundo?" he asked worriedly.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Rai replied calmly between two large breaths. "I guess the Sword of the Storm drained a bit of my energy."
"We must get you to safety, then," the young monk concluded. "You are in no condition to fight."
"And so are you," the Dragon of Wind added.
"But I do not care about me! The ones most important of all are you, Kimiko and Clay! I cannot let you risk your lives for me!" Omi's eyes filled up with tears as he spoke those words. "I wish for all of you to be safe, to keep away from Chase... I already lost you once, and it will not happen twice!"
Raimundo, surprised by his friend's outburst, stared at him for a while before smiling comfortingly. "You know what, dude? I totally agree with you, but it's somewhat the other way around. For me, all that matters is your safety as well as Kimiko's and Clay's. I'm the leader now, you're all under my responsibility. So you better follow me outta here, or Kimmy won't go easy on you when we're done with Chase." Standing up slowly, the Brazilian slipped his Shen Gon Wu between his sash and Xiaolin robe, making sure it wouldn't fall while he escaped with Omi. Then, turning to the young monk, he asked, "Ready?"
Glancing back at the two other Dragons now fighting alongside Jack, the young monk hesitated, but finally said with a sigh, "Yes."
And with that, the two boys ran in direction of the gate, hoping this will all be over soon. Unfortunately for them, it was already over right at that moment, when Chase saw them running away from the corner of his eyes.
---------------------------
Author's Note: This is getting interesting, don't you think? There's more to come, so be ready for the next chapter! (I'm starting to feel like a TV show announcer...)
