Okay I'm gonna give this a shot. I've been given some good ideas from the readers of my story, and I'm gonna try to work with one a little to see what I can make of it. Thanks Missy Twinkle for your idea! And also, thanks to Shoku Warrior, Ultimate Xiaolin Dragon, and MaurderEmpress83 for your suggestions. I appreciate the help! Oh, and I think this'll be the longest chapter, so get some popcorn.
Disclaimer: I dont own Xiaolin Showdown! I'v told you already! Dont make me get Raimundo back in here!
I'v Been Meaning to Tell You
chapter 6: More Mishaps... and Run Away Boats
" So whata ya'll reckon we should do today?" Clay asked while sat at the picnic table with the others around him. Everyone rested thier heads in thier hands and leant on the table as they tried to think of something to do for the day. Well, Raimundo knew exactly what he wanted to do today. Tell Kimiko he loved her, but as of now that was going to have to wait. Then Omi perked up.
" I know! We can practice throwing the flying disk and-"
" NO! Not again! " Raimundo quickly stood up and shouted, reciving some questioning looks from his friends.
" Uh, Rai? Are you okay? " Kimiko asked as she placed a hand on Rai's shoulder. He looked at her, then glanced at her hand on his shoulder and he instantly knew he was blushing.
" Uh... um, yeah sorry. I just have'nt been getting along with frisbees so great for a while." He said sitting down and trying to shrug the whole situationoff.
" But Raimundo, how can you not be getting along with a frisbee? Is it not an inanimate object? " Omi asked. Raimundo gave him a disgruntled look for asking such a dumb question. He of all people should know why he was having a frisbee phobia.
" Hey I know, did anyone ever look in the shed to the house when we got here? " Dojo asked changing the subject.
" You think there would be something in there for us to use?" Kimiko asked.
" I doubt it, but lets check anyway. Worth a shot." the dragon responded as the group got up from the table and started for the shed. Once they were standing at the sliding doors, Clay opened them one at a time and everyone gasped.
" Whoo Wee! "
" No way!"
" Oh my gosh!"
" My eyes decive me! "
" Wow!"
There in the middle of the darkened shed surrounded by some ply-wood, a few broken surf boards, and some used scuba equipment with missing parts, was a nicely crafted motor boat. It looked like it was in fine condition, still very useable, unlike the other junk in the shed. It was a good size and looked like it could carry all of them out on the water at once without to much of a problem. And it's design was'nt to bad either; white on top and inside with a smooth slanted glass screen, and blue on the bottom with wave designs all around the bottom half.
" Think this was one of the perks Master Fung set up for our vacation?" Raimundo asked, still stareing at the boat and taking in all it's features.
" Do you think we're allowed to use it?" Kimiko asked to anyone who was willing to answer.
" Who cares if we're allowed! I mean, we ARE the only ones on this side of the beach, and the house has been rented to us, right? Check the gas Clay." Raimundo said, earning him another light punch on the arm from Kimiko about the " who cares if we're allowed" part. He just snickered a little and smiled at her, and she smiled back. He wanted to tell her right here and now so desprately bad, but he knew that could'nt be done right now with Omi, Clay and Dojo here.
" Well the tank is a little bellow full, but theres an extra tank here under the bench in the boat. Any one know how'da drive a motor boat?" Clay asked. Raimundo stepped forward.
" I've driven one here a few timeswhen I was younger. I'm sure this'll be no problemo." he stated as he took a look at the controls on the steering wheel. Suddenly they all turned as they saw Omi emerge from under a pile of ply-wood with a small board of some sortin his hands.
" Ooo what is this most interesting object? A shield? " he asked curiously, holding it up in front of him to prove his theory.
" No Omi thats called a knee board. You use it to ride on top of the water while the boat pulls you." Kimiko explained.
" Oh what a wonderous device! Although, I can already propel myself through the water using my Water element. Anything that has a similar power to my greatness must be very respected and appreciated." Omi bragged on and on and finished with a big smile. Everyone else just rolled thier eyes at the little monk's arrogence.
" Hey I found the tow cord for it in here! Anyone up for a little body boarding?" Dojo announced as he poked his head out of the boat with the thick cord in his hand. Everyone quickly agreed and began moving the boat out to the water. Training at the Temple realy builds your strength, so they did'nt have much trouble lifting the boat up. Once the boat was in the air and being brought to the water, Raimundo noticed Kimiko was across from him under the boat. He looked at her and she caught his gaze.
" Hi." he said smirking.
" Hi." she said back and then giggled just a bit.
' Okay good start Raimundo, keep it up. Mabey this'll be the day.' he thought to himself as they reached the water and brought the boat out far enough from the sand. Omi and Raimundo were already in thier swim trunks, so Rai stayed with the boat while Clay and Kimiko went to change and Omi went back to the shed to find life jackets. When the three returned they were ready to go. Omi had only found three life jackets, but he offered to go without one, saying he could handle himself in the water.
" Hey you com'in little pardner?" Claycalled toDojo who was still waiting on the beach.
" Nah on second thought go without me. I'm gonna wait here and work on my tan." the dragon called back as he made himself comfy on the sand. The warriors took that as thier signal to start up the boat and get going. Raimundo reviewed the boats controls to Clay so they could switch off every now and then to take turns relaxing. Rai started up the boat first and it began running and in a few seconds they were speeding through the water towards the ocean.
After they'd gotten farther out, Clay offered to take the wheel and Raimundo went to the back of the boat with Kimiko. Omi was hopping to every side of the boat to admire each view, but was having dificulty to stay standing when he switched spots and kept falling. Raimundo sat on the opposite side of the bench in the back with Kimiko and kept glancing at her every few seconds. He smiled at her cheerful yells of joy from the rushing speed of the boat and from watching her black hair blow fiercly in it's ponytail. Then he noticed that this could be a good time. Clay and Omi probably would'nt hear over the sound of the motor, so just mabey...
" Hey Kim?"
" Yeah?" she answered a little loud but with a smile. They were right in front of the motor so they needed to speak loudly.
" I'v been wanting to tell you something for a while now, so here goes... Kim, I realy like you alot an-"
" What? Rai I cant hear you over the motor! Say that again please!" she said trying to be loud enough for him to hear.
" I said-"
" Okay pardners lets stop here and start the board'in!" Clay yelled and interupted Raimundo as the boat started slowing down and the motor became quieter. Raimundo looked away from Kimiko and sighed just a bit for onlyhim to hear. Kimiko slid closer to him and tryed to look around at him.
" So what did you want to say Rai?" she asked as he turned backaround to face her. She lent back a little and waited for an answer with a calm look on her face, even though being in the boat next to Raimundo like this was making her stomach do backflips. She thought she saw disapointment in his emerald eyes, although it was'nt evident on his face, but she was'nt completely sure. Then he smiled.
" Nothing, I'll tell ya later." he said, trying to hide his disapointment and strong urge to strangle Clay right then. " So what's the plan Clay?" he turned to him and asked.
" You wanna go first?" his cowboy friend asked.
" Me? On the board? Yeah sure no prob! I'v done this hundreds of times! Ya know, I used to be well known around here for knee boarding." he said in a suave tone, trying to get Kimiko's attention with it. Even though he was totaly lying... He'd never been on a knee board in his life! But he thought it could'nt possibly be to different from paddling out on a surf board, right?
" Okay great, I'll hook up the cord." Kimiko said as she retrieved the cord from under the bench and proceeded to attach it to the back of the boat. Omi handed him the board and confidence was taking over. He was'ntthe least bitworried about this. Kimiko tossed the hand bar into the water and let it drift off, and Raimundo began climbing into the water and onto the board. The unfamiliar feeling of the small board made it difficult to balance at first, but he over came it and swam out to the bar.
" Are you ready my friend?" Omi cupped his hands around his mouth and called out to Raimundo. Rai got a hold of the handle bar and steadied himself on the board. He gave a thumbs up and saw that Omi had told Clay to start the boat again.
Suddenly all his confidence vanished and he began to feel very nervous. He tried to keep on a determined face. The boat was starting to move and there was no stopping now. The rope was straightening out faster and faster until the front of the board lifted up and started moving realy fast, carrying him with it. He started out by yelling from the sudden speed and thepulling on his arms from holding onto the rope. The small waves made the board lift out of the water and come down hard each time they went under him. It was a wonder he did'nt get pulled ahead while the board got left behind each time he got jumped in the air. Up in the boat Kimiko and Omi were cheering him on.
" Yeah go Rai! Whew Hoo!" Kim yelled in his direction. " Is'nt he good at this Omi?"
" Yes he appears to be most skilled at riding atop the water board! But why is he yelling so much?" Omi stopped and watched as Raimundo continued to yell more and more as the waves kept making him bounce in the air.
" He must just be having so much fun." She shrugged and went back to cheering.
Back with Raimundo things were getting a little easier. He was starting to get the hang of how the waves came and lifted him and how he needed to move his legs on the board to keep himself on it. He was actualy begining to enjoy himself. Until he saw something coming his way right at the wrong moment... A bigger and faster wave going right towards where he was headed.
" Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no!" he blabbered as he desperately tried to get the board to move to the side so he would miss it but it was no use. His run of luck was about to come to an end... again...
" I knew it was to good to be true..." he sighed as he braced for impact, with a face that said " why me?" Seconds later the board flew right off the wave, higher than all the other waves had taken him, and the board fell out from under him. He held onto the rope for dear life and crashed into the water as he was dragged under by the rope.
Kimiko and Omi gasped and yelled for Clay to stop the boat, but he could'nt hear them over the motor.
" What? I cant hear you!"
" Stop the boat!" they repeated together, Clay still did'nt catch it clearly.
" WHAT?" Omi then zipped over to the controls to tell Clay, but lost his balance from the moving boat againand hit a lever that put it into overdrive. Kimiko was nearly thrown backwards from the force, and Omi went flying but she grabbed him right before he was out of her reach.
" ClaySTOP THE BOAT!" she yelled much louder than before.
" I cant! The lever is stuck!" he yelled back as he tried to pull the broken lever back the other way with no luck. Kimiko looked behind her, praying that Raimundo was'nt still under the water. She still could'nt see him, until something happened that made her mouth drop. Raimundo came bursting up out of the water still holding onto the rope and gasping for air.
" Raimundo!" she called.
Rai was dazed and dizzy when he hit the surface, but he held on for all he was worth. The sudden jolt pulled him out of the water and he was now being pulled through the air at top speed. The wind was whipping his face hard, but he tryed to pull the handle bar to his chest with all his remaining strength. His body began to lean back and in a second he was snapped into a water skiing position!
" Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" he screamed as he was towed through the water. Each time a wave came to his feet he had to hop from foot to foot to keep his position. One of his hands slipped too, and he was stuck on one foot with one hand until he could fight the wind speed to get his hand back to the bar.
" Woooooowwwweeeeyyyyyyyyaaaaaa!"
" Raimundo hold on!" Omi yelled from the boat. Kimiko watched from Raimundo to Clay with a very worried expression. She did'nt want Rai to get hurt out there, or worse.
" Clay come on! Keep it up!" she encouraged him to keep trying to direct them back to the beach.
" I'm try'in!"
Raimundo was still flailing from hand to hand and leg to leg trying to dodge waves when he saw the beach come into view. At this speed, they were getting closer very quickly, and he did'nt exactly have the control over his limbs to let go of the handle bar.
" Brace yourselves! We're gonna crash!" Clay turned and yelled to the passengers in the back. Kimiko and Omi's eyes grew five times bigger when they were seconds from impact.
" Oh boy..."
And with that, the boat rocketed onto the sand, just after Kimiko, Omi and Clay dived out into the shallow water. Dojo heard a big rumbling noise from his comfortable spot on the sand and opened his eyes, just to see the tip of the boat skid to a stopwith a light tapto the tip of his nose. Hebriefly looked at the warriors in the water, then back at the boat in his face, then fainted.The otherslooked behind them and... Raimundo was still going the same speed heading right for the boat!
Raimundo felt a wierd tugg on the rope and looked straight ahead.
" What the? Oh NO! Ahhhhhhhh!" he said right as he was launched into the air from the speed he'd created. He soared right over the crashed boat and kept on going, heading for none other then the open shed door. Before his date with intimate pain, he looked up to the sky with a dull look on his face.
" Bring it on..."
The other three watched him fly over the boat, but they winced and looked away when they heard the loud crash of metal and wood and then silence.
" Raimundo!" they all shouted and ran into the shed. They heard the sound of one more piece of wood hit the floor where there was a pile of the junk they had seen before, only now more items were added to a big pile. A shakey looking hand could be seen reaching out of the debrie, and a faint moan could be heard too. They quickly dropped to thier knees to unbury thier friend. When they uncovered him, he was making woozy noises and had green swirls for eyes. Kimiko put his arm around her neck and supported him to stand up.
" Ha ha, sorry mommy but the monkey stole the coconut from the cookie jar, ha ha ha." he said.
" Uh, right. I think it's time for Rai to be getting to bed." Clay suggested.
" Good idea. He'll be fine tomarrow after a little rest." Kimiko said as she tried to help him walk by supporting him. She tried not to let the others see her smile. True, she was worried about Raimundo and if he'd be okay, but she was just happy to be the one supporting him to stand up like that. ( If ya get what I mean here...) So they took him to his room and layed him down to rest after putting a little bandage on his head for a small wound. Clay and Omi soon left, but Kimiko stayed for a bit longer, just watching over him. She smiled and leant down to kiss him on the cheek before standing up.
" Feel better Rai. See you tomarrow." and with that she left the Dragon of the Wind to rest peacefully.
When Kimiko was back outside she saw Clay, Omi and the still fainted Dojo just stareing at the boat. Well, except Dojo. She walked beside them and also looked at the damage.
" So he'll be fine by tomarrow then?" Clay asked.
" Yeah most likely he'll be okay." She replied, not taking her gaze off the beached boat.
" So... does this mean we will no longer be going out on the boat?" Kimiko and Clay shot Omi a look and he got the message right away.
" Right. No more boat."
Okay well thatwas my random, non-planned chapter. It was a little messed up in some places, but I tried my best without it prewritten out. Hope you liked! Oh, and I do have the end already planned, so tell me if you'd like another chapter before the end chapter to get things going a bit to lead up to the end. Did that make sense? I think so... Well if anyone has any suggestions let me know! Please R&R!
-Ash-mei