Disclaimer for all chapters: I do not own Xiaolin Showdown
Hello potential reviewers. My name was once Blitzkrieg 414. This id has been banished, in place of kamikazeclipse. I hope to take off with this story, and advance through the hallowed halls of fandom once more. Ignoring the fact that I used to hate romance, this is a RaiKim thing.
FYI: This is set ignoring the events of Time After Time. Raimundo is basically the main character, and does become a Shoku Warrior.
Chapter 1
"RAIMUNDO! WAKE UP!" The girl outside the bamboo door was getting seriously peeved. A grunt came from inside the room. She sighed. Finally, he was waking up… Nope. More snores. She sighed again.
"Wake up, now, or I'll burn your door down!" She whispered coldly, fireballs forming round her hands. She was reminding herself irresistibly of the big bad wolf…. Now a response. After about five seconds, the door opened to a tall guy with brown hair, wearing olive pants and a white and orange t-shirt. (Was I right?) Raimundo ignored the smirk on Kimiko's face as he trudged towards the kitchen. Then he paused and turned around.
"Are you coming?" The voice was actually kind of soft, a feat when coming from him, but it didn't matter spectacularly. Kimiko jumped a couple feet into the air. Then she whipped around to face his smirking grin.
"Yes…" She followed him into the kitchen. Hopefully, things would get better by breakfast…
The red figure gripped the feathers of his bird tightly as it landed on Wuya's shoulder. Feathers camoflauged the strange talking bean on its back, its eyes sparkling with a mischievous intelligence. The ancient witch groaned as she collapsed against the grass, each blade parting to form a great pillow of green. As the wind blew over her face, each red and purple hair waved briefly.
"Hannibal, it still has not been activated…" She tossed her red hair into the wind. The red bean gestured impatiently.
"When it does, Young will be powerless, and your allies will rise…"
"Yes, I know. Also, Raimundo's medallion?"
"What about it?"
"It looks like a certain token belonging to a certain evil persona..."
"Ah yes…Don't worry. That'll play a crucial part in my plan…" Wuya suddenly stood stark upright, a familiar feeling going through her spine. She withdrew a metallic object from her hem.
"Spicer's Wu Detector is going off. Two new Wu have been revealed…"
"Really?" The bean gave a wicked smile. "Then why don't we give a greeting to the Xiaolin Monks?"
Master Fung led the monks out the kitchen and into the training grounds. The obstacle course had been removed, replaced with a wall of stone circling an area of about 1600 feet. Raimundo looked quizzically at Master Fung.
"Uh, Master Fung? Is there a reason this place is-"
"As bare as a cow's backside?" interrupted Clay. Omi and Kimiko just stared at the ring.
"Yes, young ones. You will be initiating Xiaolin Showdowns within the ring, sparring using only your elements and martial arts skills. First up, Clay and Kimiko!" The two entered the ring without a word, and both screamed,
"LET'S GO! XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN!" Their cries echoed across the temple grounds as the chunk of earth rocketed into space.
"Wudai Mars Fire!"
A ring of fire shot from Kimiko's fingers, surrounding Clay in a
cocoon of flames. Tongues of heat licked the grass, spreading the
element across the landscape. As the grass was incinerated, the air
became to hot to breathe in. The haziness made Clay's head spin,
but he just bit his tongue.
The cowboy's arms stretched out in
front of him as he assumed a yoga position. Then: "Wudai Crater
Earth!" Huge ripples of rock ripped out of the ground, quelling the
flames. Each mountain of rock pushed outwards from Clay, heading
straight for Kimiko. The ground beneath Kimiko's feet began to
rumble as the wall of dirt came nearer. She closed her eyes, the
vibrations forming a picture of her surroundings inside her mind's
eye. She leapt into the air, ribbons of flame pirouetting out from
her fingertips, and then landed gracefully on the first mountain. She
snapped her eyes open. Now was the time to finish this…
"Wudai Fire Shield!" An orange bubble surrounded the girl, her black pigtails bobbing within. All traces of heat began focusing as a small orb of light at the side of the dome. As the air grew colder, small icicles began forming on the edges of Clay's hat. He gritted his teeth, then jumped on a moving mass of earth, solemnly surfing the sand to Kimiko. He got ready to wallop her, drawing his fist back to his side, exhaling briefly then pushing forward…WHAM! The sickening crunch of flesh on metal resounded within the battlefield as Clay's hand was reflected off the orange shield. The four spectators drew their breath simultaneously.
"Ouch…" said Raimundo, cringing slightly. "That has got to hurt." Clay withdrew his fist, clutching it tightly as pain throbbed through his body. Omi suddenly jumped in the air, pointing wildly at Kimiko, whose shield had disappeared, replaced by a small orb of flame.
"Look! Kimiko has formed a fire orb!" Master Fung nodded solemnly. Kimiko had almost mastered her powers…
The orb shot out as a massive flamethrower, spiraling out of control. Each streak of orange, red, and yellow fused together in a fiery missile heading straight for Clay. The cowboy did not have a chance. He was thrown back into the stone wall, knocked unconscious. Kimiko rushed up to him, smiling as if there was no tomorrow. She placed two fingers at his throat.
"I win." Immediately their surroundings returned to normal. As Clay slowly came to, he placed his hat on his chest, stood up groggily, saluted Kimiko, and then slumped onto the ground once more.
"Raimundo, Omi. Please transport Clay to the medical ward, then come back for your practice." Kimiko pumped the air with her fist, her bright blue eyes sparkling with victory. A smirk slowly wound its way onto her lips, then presented itself. She walked off the battlefield to the spectator's area, just in time to see Raimundo walk in with Omi. They caught each other's eyes, Raimundo giving her that cocky grin. She blushed slightly, a small shiver running down her spine. That had been happening more and more lately…
Raimundo and Omi bowed to each other, than assumed opposite sides of the battlefield.
"GONG YE TENPAI!" The battlefield remained the same, with both warriors clad in their blue armor. Omi opened his mouth, took a deep breath, and began to speak.
"Now Raimundo, since I became an Apprentice before you, and will soon become the Shoku Warrior and leader, I will go easy on you." Kimiko and Master Fung rolled their eyes, while Dojo slapped a green claw to his forehead's scales. Raimundo's face remained impassive, though the green eyes swirled with fury. His hands clenched into fists, as he gritted his teeth together. Omi, apparently not noticing these signs, or just ignoring them, rambled on.
"Also, I will choose not to use my Wudai techniques, as they will easily overpower your futile-AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Raimundo had charged forward, using his wind element to give him extra speed. As a blue blur, he grabbed Omi, who was still talking, by the head like a soccer ball, then unceremoniously drop kicked him into the sky. He followed Omi into the air, randomly kicking or punching him while using his wind element to drain the area of all the moisture. Finally Omi regained his senses and began to fight back.
"Wudai Neptune! Water!" The only moisture remained in the ground. A small geyser shot out of the earth, cushioning Omi's fall.
"Oh no you don't…" Raimundo voice was barely a whisper. He dived for the ground, spiraling into freefall as he shot past Omi. He grew closer and closer to the jet of water until…
"Wudai Star Wind!" A perfectly controlled tornado spun into the column of water, whipping it into oblivion. Omi was headed straight for the center, dodging the swirling walls of wind and debris. A hand reached out for his neck, and he found himself straining to get free. He was bodily lifted, and gently swooped to the ground, pinned underneath a heavy rock. Raimundo landed next to him, the green orbs of his pupils a raging storm.
"I win." Omi chopped the rock in half, and then bowed to Raimundo.
"Yes. You have." He slumped back to the sidelines, finally collapsing into the gap between two tree roots. Omi pressed his hands to the earth, a tiny jet of water breaking through the dirt into his mouth. Raimundo wiped his hand over his face, distorting his features. Slowly, he got onto the bench, silently cursing the world.
"He doesn't mean it, you know." Kimiko looked at Raimundo's eyes, slightly mystified by the deep green orbs. Raimundo merely sighed heavily, then looked away, not meeting her piercing gaze.
"Yeah? Well how do you think I feel?" Raimundo swallowed. "How do you think it feels to be reminded about how you turned Heylin, how you betrayed the only friends you have, how you are basically inferior to everyone else, to know that you would do anything for the people the only place you truly call home, when those same people ridicule you about everything? And when you truly do something good, those people call it a fluke and move on?
"No. Never mind. You wouldn't know how I feel. I've had to actually work for this life, most of the time lifting lids off garbage cans to find food, being beat up at night by gangs in alleys, having no friends, while you've had everything handed to you on a silver platter. Just be quiet, and do not ever talk to me like that about this subject."
Raimundo swore under his breath, and walked off, ignoring the mixed anger, annoyance, and pity on Kimiko's face. Kimiko's feelings were mixed however. How dare he insinuate that she had everything handed to her. She rolled her eyes. Typical moody Raimundo. Yet she couldn't help but wonder what his entire problem was….
"SHEN GON WU ALERT!" Dojo shot about 10 feet into the air, twitching uncontrollably as he extended into his 40-foot form. Raimundo, Clay, Omi, and Kimiko all grabbed their Wudai Weapons and Elemental Shen Gon Wu. Master Fung handed Kimiko the scroll, and they flew off into the distance. Dojo was rapidly becoming covered in red rashes the size of beavers, while everybody shifted uncontrollably to get on the limited green scales. Much to Dojo's pleasure, Clay took out the Fist of Tebigong and began to rub on the red scales with it. As Dojo crooned and stretched in mid-air, Kimiko withdrew the ancient scroll from her sash.
"The first revealed Wu is the Rod of the Rainmaker," said Kimiko, looking at the scroll. The picture showed the black figure holding up a staff in the shape of a thunderbolt, then shaking it. The sun moved away, replaced by rain and snow. "Apparently it allows the user to control the weather."
"Dangerous one, that is," interrupted Dojo. "The weather can be as destructive as a tornado, or as calm as a sunny day."
"God, gecko," said Raimundo, rolling his eyes. Dojo snarled at the choice of words. "No need to be so pessimistic!"
"I reckon Raimundo's right, Dojo," Clay exclaimed in his Texan accent. "Ya don't need to be so darn creepy about the Shen Gon Wu."
"Yeah, yeah… So which one of you is getting the Wu?" Omi and Clay jumped off Dojo, and waved briefly. Then they turned towards the dark forest ahead of them to look for the Rod.
"The next one is the Gorgon's Gaze." Raimundo grabbed the scroll from a peeved Kimiko and began to read it. The black figure this time was holding a stone eye with snakes coming out of it. A red beam shot out, turning his enemy into a statue. "It allows the user to turn anything into solid granite." Dojo made no comment, only landing near an island in Greece. Ruins of a temple were strewn around the ground, ivy and moss slowly creeping around the fragments of history. Dojo nodded briefly to them, then took off to meet Clay and Omi, his green form becoming smaller and smaller as he flew away. Kimiko turned around to face Raimundo.
"Great, where do you think this Wu is?" Raimundo grunted, his eyes scanning the area. "Rai?" Kimiko rolled her eyes, waving her hand in front of his face. Finally, he responded.
"Probably in that dark, dank grotto with the words 'Tunnel of Medusa' carved above them."
"You can read Greek!" Kimiko shrieked, staring at Raimundo.
"No. It says in English at the top of the tunnel."
"Oh…." As they slowly made their way into the tunnel, Raimundo could not help but notice how good Kimiko looked in that outfit… Wait! What was he thinking? She was just a friend, nothing more… The darkness of the grotto enveloped them, snuffing out all light. He looked at Kimiko, or at least where he thought her face was, and asked,
"How about some light?"
"Oh, yeah.." Kimiko withdrew her PDA from her pocket, and turned it on. A bright flash of white light bounced around the area, shedding light on the many gruesome embellishments strewn around the tunnel's square walls. A couple skeletons hung from leather straps on the ceiling, while unbelievably carved statues of people in strange positions decorated the floor and walls. Then it hit Raimundo: Those were people, frozen in time by the power of the Shen Gon Wu.
"Hey, Rai, you coming?" The sweet voice shook Raimundo from his thoughts. She stepped onto a crack on the stone floor, the noise echoing within the room. A small glint of steel flashed above her..
"KIMIKO!" Raimundo lunged forward, grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her back, his arms wrapped protectively around her. A massive axe swung through the point where her head was a few moments before. Kimiko looked up at Raimundo, their eyes meeting for a brief instant. They both blushed deep red as they realized the closeness of the situation. Raimundo let go, and they proceeded down the tunnel together. Kimiko stopped suddenly, and gasped.
"Oh, we are so dumb…"
"What?" Raimundo looked at her, concerned.
"Traps… We don't know where they are. They could get us at any time, anywhere…" They both grimaced, wondering what could be done. Then, Raimundo snapped his fingers.
"Quick, make a fire on the walls!"
"What?" Kimiko began to roll her eyes when realization hit her. "Oh, I see what you mean." Kimiko raised her hands as high as possible. A ring of fire slowly moved away from them, illuminating their faces with an orange glow.
"Wudai Mars Fire!" The ring flared outwards quickly, the circle conforming to the square shape of the dungeon. Slowly, it moved forward along the cracks. A wooden axe fell victim to the flames, the metal blade it was attached to curving through the air to lodge within the stone floor. Two metal swords fell from the walls, clattering noisily against the ground. Kimiko took a deep breath.
"Well, the traps are gone." The noise of their feet clattered loudly against the granite floor, each step bringing them closer to their prize. The Wu was stuck fast to the end wall, each end indented within the stone and cobwebs. Suddenly, it began to glow. Raimundo, who was currently pulling against it with his feet against the stone let go, falling flat on his back. A familiar red bean glared at him, its yellow eyes glowing briefly.
"Raimundo, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown!" Raimundo grunted. Hannibal Roy Bean without the Moby Morpher. What a surprise…
"Fine. Name your game."
"The game," Hannibal put a tendril to his chin, thinking. The other five waved in the air slowly. "The game will be a maze. First one to get to the center of the maze and the Gorgon's Gaze wins. My Rio Reverso against you Sword of the Storm." They both yelled "Let's go, XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN!" their cries echoing around the cavern. Raimundo had one last look at Kimiko's face, before the environment began to change. Slowly, the rock tunnel split and squared, cracked and iced. Slowly, a maze came into shape, with the Gorgon's Gaze taking place in the square center.
"Gong Ye Tenpai!" The competitors ran into the maze, one grabbing a sword and flying, the other converting the stone walls into magma with a bone bow. Hannibal, after converting about 8 walls, jumped onto the Reverso, and shot the arrow into space, the tension propelling him forward as he surfed on the lava. Raimundo, on the other hand, was flying over the scene, zooming straight for the Shen-Gon-Wu. Slowly, the scene came into focus. A wave of lava, with Hannibal at the crest, was heading straight for the Gaze. Raimundo swooped down, and his hand brushed the Gorgon's Gaze. Then, as soon as it had begun, the Showdown ended, with Raimundo carrying the Shen Gon Wu, Kimiko suddenly hugging him. As he bent down to embrace her, he couldn't help but smell the flowery scent of her black hair…
"Ah, isn't that so cute…" Hannibal made a face as he jumped on his bird. As it flew away, he shouted, "Too bad it won't last!" The stone in the tunnel slowly began to crack and move and a bunch of boulders slowly rolled forward, trapping them in the small space. They withdrew from the embrace, looking at their prison. The only route of escape was a small hole for air in a corner. It was too small for either of them, but if Dojo, Omi, and Clay made it, then maybe they would be saved, but for now…
"G'night Rai."
"G'night Kimiko."