Dedicated to these AWSOME people: Nikana, SaphireStars, Soraetowaru, xSwtLilAngel666x, Negitive Zero, Flapdoodle-Rhadamante, and Amoral Butterfly
Chapter 8
"HAHA! YES! We were victorious! In your head, Jack Spicer!" shouted Omi.
"I think you mean 'in your face'." corrected Raimundo.
"That too!"
Kimiko gasped and pointed at Clay's ankle.
"Oh my gawd Clay! You're bleeding!"
Rai completely forgot! WHAT AN IDIOT! He ran toward Clay and helped him up, swinging Clay's arm around Rai's shoulders so he could lean on him.
"Omi! Go ask Master Fung for some bandages." commanded Rai. Omi obeyed, his face pale.
"Kimiko, can you go get some water, a towel and some basil?"
Kimiko nodded and was back in a matter of seconds with the needed materials. Omi and Master Fung followed her, with bandages. Master Fung asked Clay to take off his boot and roll up his pant leg to his knee.
Clay did as he was told and followed his master's instructions. Master Fung inspected the wound and got up a few moments later.
"You'll be fine. Just wash the wound out, apply to it with herbs and bandage it well. Raimundo?"
"Yes sir."
Raimundo wet the towel in the lukewarm water and dabbed it to Clay's wound as gently as possible. Rai heard a silent hiss come from the Dragon of Earth.
"I-I'm sorry!" stammered Rai. He looked at Clay, who for once was revealing both eyes…beautiful, affectionate eyes…
"You don't need to apologize. I'll do it myself." said Clay reaching for the towel.
He started to soak up the blood; the wash cloth was dyed red in a mere matter of seconds. The deep cut was then applied with basil and bandaged tightly.
Rai clenched his fists and growled. The wound was so deep…so dark with so much blood… those bastards would pay for what they did to Clay!
Clay noticed Rai and placed a huge, gentle hand on Rai's shoulder and smiled.
"It's ok. I'm fine." he said in a reassuring voice, sprinkled with ginger.
"Come, Clay. I think you should sleep. The rest of you have the day off." said Master Fung. Clay limped toward Master Fung obediently and took a final glance at Rai before heading to his room.
The rest of the day came and went. Kimiko happily returned to her room, playing some Goo Zombies 3. And Omi on the other hand, was doing what he usually did on days off: extra training.
Raimundo however, was on the roof watching the sunset. Hugging his knees close to his chest, he was lost in thought.
"Was Evil Clay right? Am I just weighing Clay down with all of my emotions?"
He was waiting for the stars to twinkle in the sky, because he was certain that's when Clay would wake.
Rai glanced in Clay's circle-shaped window and looked at Clay's sleeping figure…
Funny, Rai had never seen Clay asleep before. Of course, he saw him taking an occasional nap under the tree in the courtyard, but that was different. Clay was on his mat, sound asleep with absolutely no disturbances.
It made Rai's pride come back to be watching Clay as he slept, and not the other way around as it usually was.
Rai's eyes did not move from that spot for hours…until the stars started to appear in the sky. As the sky darkened and the first little rays of light started to appear, Rai put his hands in the back of his head and lay down on the roof…he wasn't keeping track of the time, or the fact that Clay had left his bed when Venus was clear in the sky.
"Hey, partner! Watcha' doin' up there?" called Clay, tipping his hat back again.
Rai's senses shot upward and he smiled warmly at Clay, jumping down from the roof and gave him a hug, careful not to knock him off his feet because of his injury. Clay placed his arms around Rai's shoulders.
"How're you feeling?"
"Fine actually! Turns out that sleep's the cure for all illness. What about you?"
"Hey, I wasn't the one heavily bleeding back there!"
But in truth, there WAS something bothering Rai. He winced as he replayed Evil Clay's words in his head.
"Do you honestly believe crying like a baby is gonna help you win this fight…or make your mommy come back?"
"Your parents got what they deserved. You'll never have love. NEVER."
Rai felt a churning of self hatred stir in his chest, and as if Clay had a sixth sense, he released Rai and looked into his emerald eyes, full of hidden angst.
"What's wrong, Rai?"
Raimundo just hung his head, ashamed to answer. Instead, he headed the conversation in a different direction.
"D-Did the evil me say anything to you?"
Clay was surprised, but then he raised a cheek bone in discomfort looking away and remembering the hurtful words of the fake Dragon of Wind.
"Well…he said that …um…er…"
Suddenly, Clay's cheeks began to burn.
"I can't tell Rai! That's suicide!"
Rai raised an eyebrow and gave a puzzled stare at his flustered friend.
"What's wrong, Clay?"
"No…can't tell Rai…got to make something up…no…I can't lie to him…but…he's gonna hate me! Well…maybe not…I don't know! Sigh…may as well tell him while you've got a chance you sissy…"
Clay was pushing his two index fingers against each other, his heart acting like a rabid, wild animal in a cage as he blushed an even deeper crimson.
"O-Ok…but you promise not to hate me? Or tell Kimiko?"
"Clay, why in the name of nacho cheese would I do that!"
"Cause…I don't think it's gonna be what you expect…so…be prepared…"
"Sure!" Rai replied cheerfully.
"I promise I won't tell anyone, or hate you."
"Ok…well…the evil you was just taunting me about my…er…crush on you! I have a crush on you, Rai! I love you!" he blurted out, stammering in every syllable and squeezing his eyes shut and holding his breath.
Rai had to have a couple of moments to take in the words.
He…he doesn't hate me? He…LOVES me!
Raimundo smiled gleefully and placed a small kiss on Clay's cheek. Clay's eyes shot open, his usually emotionless face was a rainbow of several: shock, confusion, happiness bashfulness and love. He moved his hand slowly toward the spot where Rai kissed him.
"R…R…Rai?" he whispered, while Rai merely smiled cutely and put his hands behind his back.
"That's great to know…cause…I like you too! You know the weird thought I had the day before yesterday?" asked Rai, who was the new bearer of the torch of index finger fiddling and blushing.
"Well…I thought…that you were sexy!"
Clay could not believe his ears. His eyebrows reached the sky while his mouth touched the ground.
"Me? Sexy? If this is a dream…don't wake me up…"
Clay NOW felt like running around in circles, jumping up and down and shouting for joy, but he wasn't stupid enough to spoil a romantic moment…his FIRST romantic moment…
"So…you have feelings for me too?" Clay asked in astonishment.
"Yeah. Ever since the…you know…the cookie dough incident…then it was kinda like a snowball effect."
"Wow…I can't believe neither of us had the courage to tell each other." said Clay.
"Heh, yeah! I guess that makes us both wimps." laughed Rai, scratching the back of his neck. Clay laughed with him, and when they stopped, all they could do is gaze into each other's eyes.
Clay was about to bend down and kiss Rai, but Rai put his fingers on his lips, stopping him. Rai was in his saddened mode again.
"Wait…"
Clay moved back, wondering why Rai didn't let him kiss him.
"What's the matter, Rai?"
Rai looked down in shame and hunched his shoulders while putting his hands in his pocket.
"I…I need to ask you something…" whispered Rai solemnly, sitting down on the stone slab that acted like a park bench under the tree in the courtyard.
"Yeah?" Clay asked, sitting down next to his lover.
"…promise to tell the truth no matter what?"
"I promise." said Clay in a strong, confirming voice.
Rai took a deep breath before continuing.
"…was the evil you right about what he said? Was he telling the truth?"
Clay gasped a little and looked down at Rai in sympathy. He had forgotten what exactly the evil him said, but he knew it was bad.
"Telling the truth about what, Rai? What did he say?"
Rai felt a huge lump in his throat grow and grow by the second, as the memorized words came out of his mouth.
"H-He said that crying like a baby wouldn't help me win the fight…or bring my mother back…he also said that my parents got what they deserved."
Clay was stricken by Raimundo's words. Clay kept a sympathetic look while hiding anger that was thrashing around inside and screaming ways of how to kill his evil half.
He could see Rai wincing as he tried to continue…but he couldn't choke out the words from the ball in his throat that was painfully suffocating him.
"Raimundo…I-"
"There's more." said Rai darkly, overcoming his emotions. But his pitiful whimpering voice soon returned when he continued.
"He said that I don't deserve love. Is he right? Am I too weak?"
Rai was practically on his hands and knees, crying his eyes out and desperate for an answer.
That's when clay broke down. Tears were streaming down his face when one side of him wanted to strangle Rai and punch him countless times until he could realize the truth and the other part was telling him to…
"Rai…oh, Rai!"
Clay got down to his knees and moved so close to Rai's lips that he felt Rai's choppy breathing against his chin. Moving his neck down to aim for his destination, Rai already knew what he wanted. Putting his hand in the back of Clay's head, Rai gingerly pulled him closer so their lips would meet. Both of them were still shedding tears, but these were of joy. Their blissful kiss was the most wonderful thing that has happened to either of them. Clay slowly moved the tip of his tongue into Rai's to make sure that Rai wanted to, but the Dragon of Wind didn't protest, allowing Clay to enter. When Clay slid the rest of his tongue in Rai's mouth, he heard a small whimper followed by Rai's tongue in HIS mouth. He could feel Rai exploring the bottom of his jaw line. Both dragons couldn't believe how sweet each other's mouths were. They were like gateways of pleasure that the two boys did not believe existed.
It was as if both of them found heaven…
Finally, they broke off gasping for air. Clay looked at Rai and lovingly kissed away his final tear. The purpose of Rai's tear was saying thank you to his lover; Clay was being so gentle with him…almost treating him as if he was a priceless, thin glass vase.
"…that was my first kiss you know…I'm really happy it was with you…"
"Yeah. Me too, Clay."
Rai hugged him again as Clay held Rai's head to his chest, gently stroking his hair and whispering in his ear.
"Don't worry Rai. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again…"