Chapter 06: The Pedrosas
Shrouded by the shadows casted by the night sky, a figure kept silently out of the Shen Gong Wu Vault, the 'Voice of Tao Tsueng' and 'Golden Tiger Claws' tucked under his arm. He crept through the night, careful not to trigger any of the temple's security alarms hidden among the statues and shrubs. Unknown to him, however, another stalker of the night had followed his progress in and out of the Vault, careful to blend herself into the background.
"Golden Tiger Claws!" Raimundo said in a hushed, yet audible tone.
Through the portal he went, oblivious of Kimiko, who left the haven of the shadows to continue to pursue the boy.
Although this was her first time following him, it wasn't the first time Kimiko had noticed Rai leaving the temple in the dead of the night. She had remained behind at the Xiaolin Temple during these voyages, but the fact he brought the 'Voice of Tao Tsueng' with him made her even more curious as to where he was heading. So now she became one with Raimundo's shadow, mimicking his every movement as he continued on his journey.
Tumbling down the tiger's hole, Raimundo fell out into a grim keep of forgotten souls. He heard a soft "Oof!" behind him, but when he turned around, he found no one.
As quickly as she had left the night's cover, Kimiko had just as quickly returned back under it. She moved into the scenery before Raimundo could catch her; Suspicion wouldn't be a problem had she not landed on her stomach after being spat out by the Golden Tiger Claws' dimensional rip.
She looked around at the setting, only to be overcome with the same fear she felt when the 'Voice of Tao Tsueng' revealed itself. Raimundo had taken them both to a graveyard, littered with plots and monuments to citizens of Rio who have passed away. Even though occasional graves appeared to have been disturbed, she saw Raimundo in the middle of the cemetery, completely unphased by his current environment. No way could he have transported both of them, or at least himself, to this place on purpose.
Kimiko peeled her eyes from the ghastly surroundings and watched Raimundo, the only breathing Brazilian in the area, using the' Voice'.
As a pair of spirits manifested themselves before the two Wudai warriors, Kimiko unconsciously let out a soft gasp. Raimundo looked over his should, but the Japanese girl was able to hide behind a tombstone before he could see her.
Raimundo turned his head back to the pair of ghosts, a man and woman lightly tanned with emerald eyes, both in their mid-40s and their hands interlocked, even though neither could physically feel the other. Despite the fact Raimundo had demanded their presence from out of the blue, they looked at him with such compassion that Rai mistook them for being alive.
Raimundo shook off the thought with difficulty and spoke, "The reason I asked you guys to come here is…"
He struggled to find the words. There was no way he could say what he wanted to.
"Yes, dear?" asked the female specter.
"…I-I wanted to…" Rai stuttered, "…to tell you…that you can…can go…on…" He was in tears by the time he left.
Both ghosts looked appalled for a brief moment, but smiles returned to their faces.
"Are you sure, Raimundo?" asked the translucent man.
"You know we don't want to leave until you're strong enough to take care of yourself." his companion stated.
"We did leave when you were at a vulnerable age. We just want to make sure you'll be ok."
"I'll be fine." Raimundo said through his tears, "I'll be ok."
Though salty tears still rolled down his face, he smiled.
"Cause now I have someone to protect. Someone who I treasure with all my heart and I want to be strong enough to take care of, not just myself. And I'll become strong enough to. I promise you that. And that's why it's ok for you to leave…"
The grins on both spirits grew wider and they embraced the Brazilian boy or at least to the best of their ability. Still, the 'hug' gave Raimundo a comfort he had forgotten two years ago.
"You are strong, Raimundo. In many different ways." said the spectral man.
"And even though we'll be going on to the afterlife, we'll always be with you. Remember that." said the ghost's lover.
And with a soft "Good-bye" and "I love you" from both parties, the ghosts faded away, passing on to the afterlife for all eternity. Still smiling, Raimundo wiped his face clean with his tears and called out into the darkness.
"Kimiko, you can come out now!"
Sheepishly and embarrassed more than Omi with his pants down, Kimiko crept out from behind the tombstone and into the open.
"Sorry," she said as she walked toward her friend.
"Don't worry about it." was his reply, his smile never faltering for a moment.
"Rai, who were those people?"
And the smile broke, collapsing not into a frown or tears, but into a struggle to say the words.
"My parents…"
In response to Kimiko's mortified gasp, Raimundo continued with the explanation, "About 2 years ago, before any of us except Omi came to the temple, I used to live with my family back in Rio. Huge family. Good times. But then there was an… accident and my parents were taken from my siblings and me. So I came to the temple because I had nowhere else to go."
"I thought you had 8 brothers and sisters? And a whole bunch of aunts and uncles? None of them could take care of you?"
Raimundo looked as if he had been slapped by her words, so she quickly said, "I mean, I don't mean I wish you'd stayed in Brazil. I'm glad you came to the temple. If you hadn't come, I'd…"
But the sentence never finished. Kimiko was now asking herself where all these feelings for Raimundo were coming from.
"It's ok." Rai said, now smirking back at her, "It's not that they couldn't take care of me, it was more like I couldn't take care of myself. I was the only one not strong enough to come to grips with them leaving. So I came to the temple and have been visiting them every now and them. Never actually thought they stayed behind though…"
He looked on the verge of tears, under the impression it was his fault his parents were denied eternal rest. But in a swift motion, Kimiko, not Raimundo this time, took him in her arms into a warm embrace. A stronger comfort than closure overtook him and he returned the hug.
A "Thank you" brushed Kimiko's ear, and her face turned a shade of red that matched their temple robes. But being there in each other's arms felt right for her. Perhaps Rai meant more to her than she had thought…
While they were the only living beings still in the cemetery, they found some peace together there, oblivious to the camera-eyed crow setting off into the background.