XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN - "The Choices We Make"

by Stephen R. Sobotka Jr. / 2006

DISCLAIMER : Xiaolin Showdown is the creation of Christi Hui / Warner Bros. Animation; all characters of this story -- with the exception of any original characters that I created -- are the property of said licenses, and WB Television Animation, and are used here without knowledge or permission of same. This story was produced to entertain fans of the original show, and is in no way, shape or form intended to be published for monetary gain. Please do not sue.

This story is an original prose based on situations and themes from the original "Xiaolin Showdown" animated series. This story is the rightful property of the author; all original characters and the plot depicted within are protected by copyright law.

AUTHOR'S NOTES : I wrote this because it irks me that, out of all the XS fanfics out there, the general focus is on Rai/Kimiko 'shippers. So, don't hate me if I feel that the little fiery gal from Japan would be better off with a certain big boy from Texas.

Comments are most welcome, so please DO comment!

Enjoy the story! - SRS Jr

CHOICES

Chapter 4

"Jack Spicer, a Xiaolin Dragon? Please tell me this is a joke!"

Kimiko let the rest of the Xiaolin warriors pick her up from the ground, giving her space when she stood on her own two feet as she continued to glare at Jack Spicer; the biggest surprise so far on her return to the Temple.

Smiling weakly, the former supporter of the Heylin forces shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Heh-eh, it ain't no joke, Kimiko... believe me, sometimes I can hardly believe it myself!" He looped his arms behind his back, before looking down at the ground in an embarrassed tone. "Hey, it's not like I originally planned to be here, you know!"

"That, I can believe!" Scowling, Kimiko turned to the others and asked, "Just how did he get to be here -- and a Dragon-in-Training -- in the first place?"

Standing with the other Xiaolin Dragons, Master Monk Omi said, "Believe me when I tell you, my friend, it was a most unexpected thing to have happened." Folding his arms into his sleeves, the former Water warrior sighed. "For six years after you departed from the temple, Raimundo and I were the only two members of our original team to continue looking for the Shen Gong Wu."

From where he stood between Mizumi and Jessie, Rai continued speaking, saying as he indicated them in turn, "We first asked 'Zumi, then Jessie to join us after two years went by. They both tested well, and showed their mad skills for the elements of Water and Earth... but, we needed someone else to wield the Fire element, to make the team complete."

Omi picked up again as he moved towards Jack. "It was during one such mission to recover a new Shen Gong Wu, that we found Jack, who was also seeking to find it." Giving Jack an arched look. "During the Showdown that followed, we learned that Jack was simply collecting the Wu, because he had nothing else to do with himself." Shaking his head slowly, Omi said, "His life, without either Wuya or the Haylin forces to back him up, had no greater purpose."

Kimiko, listening to every word, arched one eyebrow as she stared at Jack. "And, then you took him in as a new Dragon-in-Training?"

"Not at first!" Jack said, holding out his hands in a placating gesture. "I mean, I still didn't think that bein' a hero was what I wanted back then! After all, I was the "Evil Boy-Genius", but... ah, heck!" Jack drew a deep breath and let it out. "Let's face it, I really blew it as a criminal mastermind! I mean, what more could I do?"

Rai spoke up then. "So, we gave him a short time to prove himself... then, when we didn't have any new attacks by any of the remaining Heylin forces still kickin' around, we let him join up." Crossing his arms, Rai added with a chuckle, "But, Jack's still a little rough around the edges with his skills though!"

Jessie chuckled. "Rougher than a ten-mile stretch of asphalt between Lubbock and Wolfforth, that's fer certain!"

Jack shot Jessie an scowl. "Hey, I'm still learning the moves here! Cut a guy some slack, willya?"

"Sure, Jackie-boy... when ya can pluck this Wu from my lil' hand!" Jessie chuckled, holding up what appeared to be the Star Hanabi in one hand, before waving it like a choice piece of rawhide in front of Jack's face.

"All right, that is enough!" Omi said sternly. "You are Xiaolin warriors, not simple school children!" When both Jessie and Jack nodded and calmed down, Omi turned to Kimiko and bowed once more. "Now then, before any more mischief can happen, we shall do some chores around the temple grounds to improve your focus, Jack Spicer!"

Jack moaned. "Aw, do I have to?"

"In the mean time, Raimundo, take Mizuko to the training grounds and work with her on improving her new technique, please."

Kimiko looked at the new Water Dragon girl. "Doesn't she know your Tornado Strike, already? I would have thought that-?"

With a giggle, the dark-skinned Hawaiian girl said, "Master Omi was kind to show me one of his older techniques, but I've adapted my own... twist to it!" A sly look slipped over her lovely face, as she mimed a corkscrew twist with her hands. "I call it, the 'Tsunami Smash'!"

Kimiko smiled. "That sounds impressive!"

Rai chuckled. "Yeah, but she's still improving it! C'mon, Mizuko. What Master Omi says, goes!" He reached out and gave Kimiko a quick hug. "We'll catch up on more stuff later, Kimmy. See you after practice!"

"I look forwards to seeing you soon, Kimiko-san!" With that, the two Dragons moved off towards the practice grounds.

Smiling proudly, Omi paused before he glanced at Jessie, before telling Kimiko, "In the meantime, we must see to your comforts, my friend. Jessie will help you bring your baggage inside."

Jessie cocked her head at Omi and muttered, "What am I, some butler now?"

"Jessie, you will extend every courtesy towards my friend, and make her feel most welcome here!"

From the way Omi was facing the short Texan, Kimiko could see that his expression had turned stony and cold; a far cry from the smiling, open face that Kimiko remembered. Why would he do that to one of his own Apprentices? she wondered.

After a moment of staring eye-to-eye, Jessie finally nodded and bowed to Omi. "Yes, Master Omi." She turned and fixed Kimiko with an equally rocky glare. "Well, come on, girlfriend... best get your gear stowed." She marched over to where Dojo had finally extracted himself from Kimiko's luggage and -- with a rather indifferent handling -- she quickly plucked up five of the bigger suitcases and piled them up on one of her sturdy shoulders. "Where should we quarter this here... filly, Master Omi?"

"You make take her to the dormitory, for I am certain she would be most comfortable there," Omi said. "We kept it for you, in the hopes of your future return to us." Smiling, he added, "I am most happy to see that hope was not in vain."

Kimiko blushed a bit. "Ah, geez, Omi!"

With another bow, Omi said, "I will go see how Raimundo is progressing with Mizuko. I will expect to see the two of you at our evening meal." With that, he turned and walked towards the practice grounds with a calm, measured pace.

Kimiko smiled as she watched him walk past. He's grown... so much, from that little, eager monk I first met! she told herself.

It took the harsh sound of Jessie clearing her throat to get her attention. "So... Kimmy, ya wanna pick up the rest of yer gear? We're just burnin' daylight standin' around like this!"

With a wan smile, Kimiko turned and moved to pick up the remaining pieces of her luggage. "Lead the way, cowgirl... I'm right behind you!"

ooooOOOOoooo

Following Jessie, Kimiko couldn't stop her eyes from drifting this way and that. Entering the building where the old dormitory had once been was something of an eerie-yet-not-so-eerie experience for Kimiko. For the most part, inside her mind's eye, she was going back through the hallway from the main temple, like she had hundreds of times before...

But, the reality was a bit of a shock; the old dorm' had been expanded to house more than the simple score of monks and the original four Dragons-in-Training. Now there were larger rooms with ample space, and a few common rooms to allow for a more communal atmosphere.

Jessie eventually came to a stop in front of one of the rooms on the near-side of the building. "We'll, it's sort of off the original floor plan by about a few rooms," she said, motioning with her head for Kimiko to enter. "But, yer gonna find things pretty much how you left 'em."

Kimiko nodded, and slipped around the corner. Taking in the Spartan layout for a second -- with the single bed, end table, changing screen and a low shelf along one wall -- she quickly moved to set down the bags she carried. "Looks like I never left it, to be honest." She quickly raised the one garment bag, and, unfolding some side flaps, she turned it into a free-standing mini-closet.

Jessie ambled into the room, moving to drop the armload of luggage near the foot of the bed. "Any particular place you want the rest of these, girl?"

"You can leave them there, Jessie," Kimiko said. "Thanks for the hand with them."

"I'm happy to do anything... for a friend," Jessie said, the edge of her voice cool as steel.

Kimiko turned from where she was fishing the second garment bag out of the luggage pile, and stared at her for a moment. "Aren't we all friends here?" she asked.

Jessie's expression didn't soften. "Mostly. I've gotten to know Raimundo, Omi and Master Fung and the rest of the monks here pretty well... heck, even Jackie-boy's startin' to grow on me a bit," she admitted. "But, then there's you, and to be dirt-honest... I really don't know you, one bit at all!"

Placing the other garment bag on top of the narrow bed in the corner, Kimiko turned to face the shorter woman, frowning, "I don't understand... just what are you trying to say, Jessie?"

Stepping closer to Kimiko, her boots thumping hard on the floor, Jessie said firmly, "You're playin' some sorta game with my big brother heart... an' it's a game I don't particularly like seein' Clay get tangled up in!"

Kimiko blinked. "Game? What in-"

"You heard me, sister!" Jessie crossed her arms and scowled. "Why else would ya be comin' back here all Bang!-outta-the-blue, like this?"

"Are you saying that I'm here to give your brother more grief?" Kimiko asked. "After all that he... we've been through, nearly ten years ago!"

"If it walks like a duck, and quacks up like a duck..." Jessie stared hard into Kimiko's eyes. "An' let me tell you this much, sister! If you did come here to give Clay any more troubles than he can handle right now then, well, you an' me are gonna go 'round 'n 'round, and Kimmy... you won't be comin' out of it so purty-like. Savvy?"

Frowning, Kimiko decided it was time to take off the kid gloves. "Look, let's get it straight here between us girls! I only came back to the temple partially because Raimundo asked me to."

"Sounds like a pretty lame excuse, t'me." Jessie snorted. "Fess up, Kimmy! Just why are you here?"

Even in the face of Jessie's emotional thunder, Kimiko stood firm. With out pause, she answered the young girl from Texas, saying, "I'm here because... because, I felt it was time..."

Jessie blinked, falling back a step from the quiet steel in Kimiko's tone. "Time for, what?"

"To face up to the facts," Kimiko said softly, hugging herself. "I should have stayed and faced up to the consequences of what I could've, and what I didn't do in that last battle against Wuya." She closed her eyes and bowed her head, while the short blond woman watched her with wide eyes. "I also have to face the facts about what happened to Clay... it may not have been my fault, but, I can't help but feel guilty about it! He was... is still my friend, and I was supposed to stand up and protect him!" Her voice dropped down low as she admitted, "But, I didn't... I couldn't! Not in the face of Wuya's-!"

Her words were cut off by Jessie who, much to Kimiko's surprise, gently laid a hand on the taller woman's shoulder. "Hey, hey now! Don'cha go skippin' down that road of bad memories, Kimmy," she said, clearly distressed by the sudden change in Kimiko's emotional state.

"Some days, it's hard not to remember," Kimiko said with a shuddering sigh.

Jessie nodded, her next words laced with sympathy: "Look, I... I don't mean to be ridin' ya hard an' heavy like I did. It's just that, well, Clay may be a big, stubborn-headed son of a Texas mule... but, he's my only brother. Even though we've fought like a pair of prairie dogs over a potato at times... well, ya gotta know that, I'd do anything to keep him from sufferin' any further than he's already done."

Raising her head, Kimiko nodded. "Believe me, Jessie. I don't want to hurt Clay, either!" She shivered. "It's just... doing this has been the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

"But, yer willin' to give it a go, right?" Jessie asked. When Kimiko simply nodded, she said, "Then, why put it off any longer? C'mon, girlfriend." With that, she dropped her hand and took hold of Kimiko's nearest hand.

Surprised, Kimiko asked, "Wha-wait? Where are you-?"

"Where do you think?" Jessie gave her a smile meant to give her courage. "To see my mule-headed brother! 'Bout this time of the day, he should be in Master Fung's garden," she said.

ooooOOOOoooo

Apart from the main nexus of the Temple-proper, Jessie led Kimiko back to a smaller part of the grounds; where the walls were apparently much, much older, literally overgrown with moss and creeping vines. Behind these, trees and other flora stretched lazily towards the open skies above, spreading into a natural canopy over the hidden grounds beyond these walls.

Walking next to this virtual grotto, Kimiko could feel waves of radiating calm flowing over her. The quiet air was heavy with it, and no sound -- no bird or even a cricket -- dispelled this serene aura. I can't imagine any other part of this place being called Master Fung's! Kimiko told herself. It's like being home!

Jessie and Kimiko soon came to a halt near a tall, stone archway. Looking back at her, Jessie said softly, "Ever since big brother was healthy enough to get out of bed, Master Fung's been bringin' Clay here." She motioned towards the opening with her chin. "They got into some pretty heavy Tai-Chi techniques, an' the trainin' went a long way in helpin' Clay heal inside."

Kimiko swallowed thickly. "Oh dear... I knew he was hurt bad, but-." Kimiko's words were cut off by Jessie's gentle hand, squeezing hers.

"Hey, you don't think about that right now," Jessie said. "Right now, you need to focus... remember?" Grinning a bit at that obvious tease, Jessie carefully glanced around the edge of the entrance, then pulled back with a wider smile. "Good! Master Fung's left Clay to practice alone!" She shifted and, holding Kimiko by both arms, she guided her over to the doorway. "Now, you get in there an' let him know you're here."

Kimiko stared at her, her face turning pale as white silk. "What? Now? B-but what do I... I mean-?"

Jessie gave her a fortifying smile. "Just tell him what you need to say, girl... then, just let him do some talkin'. I got a feelin', big brother's got some things he needs to say to you, too... but, don't be afraid, okay?" She gave Kimiko's arm a soft punch. "After all... that's Clay in there, hm?" Turning away, Jessie started walking back down the path they'd just walked along. "See you back at th' Temple, Kimmy."

As Jessie faded back under the shadows of the overhanging branches, Kimiko started to call her back... but, then she let the words die on her lips as she sighed deeply. "Great... I'm here do to the one thing that I've got to do, and I'm more scared now than I was when I faced Wuya!"

Wrapping her arms about her body in a hug, Kimiko closed her eyes and shook herself. Stop it, Kimiko! Sure, you're afraid... but, Jessie's right! It's only Clay. You can do this! With another breath, she turned and let her arms drop, before she gathered her courage and took one step forwards... and, standing in the frame of the doorway, she turned and took another step into the garden beyond.

Inside now, she saw that the vista of plant-life was more than just simple greenery. Mixed among the trees and shrubbery and plants were several stone statues of oriental style, as well as many large pots that served doubly as lighting sconces. There were also several wide, open spaces that were meant for people to move through, or sit and relax among the natural beauty around them.

It was in the largest of these, that Kimiko found Clay.

At first glance, he didn't seem to be changed all that much. He was still tall, burly and blond, and -- much to Kimiko's private delight -- he still wore that habitual, tan cowboy hat. However, his hair was now longer and tied back into a low tail at the base of his skull. He also wore the blue on red-and-white robes of a Shoku warrior, and was clearly in his element, as he moved with a serene grace, from one Tai-chi movement to the next.

It was when he turned around, that Kimiko could see the harsh changes in the young man... changes that made her heart constrict with renewed pain! His face was, for the better part of the word, older... older by far, than he should have been. A short, blond beard lined his heavy jaw, which was broken at one point by a line of scar tissue. Down on his left arm, more ribbons of scars traveled down along that limb, ending at the hand that was still formed well and mobile.

Oh no! Clay! Kimiko tried to keep silent, but the pained gasp that burst from her lips carried the length of the clearing like a gunshot! Too late, Kimiko slapped both hands over her mouth, and -- hoping to avoid a scene -- she ducked down behind one of the pots to hide, just as Clay was turning around to face the source of the sound.

"Wha...?" His voice was deeper than she remembered, but it still held that familiar twang. "Who's there?" Moving off towards a low stone bench between some bushes, Clay reached for the cast-off top robe he'd left there. "Jessie? Rai? Is somebody there?"

Feeling ice forming into a knot in her middle, Kimiko tried to get herself together. Come on, Kimiko Tohomiko! What are you doing? Get a grip, or you're going to look like an idiot!

"Guys? C'mon! It's too close to dinner time for shenanigans!"

Seizing her last shred of nerve, Kimiko took a deep breath and slowly rose up from behind the pot. Well, here goes everything! Turning to face him, she called out and said, "No games around here, Clay... um, Hi, ah... it's just me!"

For a moment, neither one said a word as they both stared at each other across the space before them. To Kimiko, it was as if Clay had been hit by a blast from the Eye of Dashi; so thunderstruck, he dropped the robe from his numb fingers and just stood there like a rock.

"Clay?" Kimiko asked, her nerves starting to shatter under his silent gaze.

Finally, he whispered one word: "Kimiko?" Reaching up, Clay swept the hat off of his head and blinked, as if unable to believe she was real.

Then, much to her surprise, his face went from surprised shock to a mask of untouchable iron in seconds. With a ghost of a frown, he plunked his hat back onto his head and said, "Kimiko Tohomiko... what in all of name of Texas are you doin' here?"

TO BE CONTINUED...