Roni: Well...here is the last chapter.
Raimundo: Yup...then what?
Roni: Well, dl has a few projects - including two XS oneshots, a XS comedy involving an old foe of yours - and family, the sequel to this, oh, and Jack getting a new ally-
Raimundo: That's not much.
Roni: -and about 6 other stories.
Raimundo: ...oh...well...at least we'll still be in work.
Roni: Yup. Disclaimer?
Raimundo: We don't own XS. Now, here's the end. Thank you to everyone who reviewed...
Roni: And see ya on the flip side.
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It was a short ride to the West Temple, where the Xiaolin monks were staying. Jack fiddled with his broken communicator while Omi and Clay talked. Kimiko and Raimundo were silent, wishing the trip would be over. It was nerve-wracking – yes, Wulong and Shixuede were gone, but still…
Dojo landed on the ground, amidst Omi's exclamations of wonder, Jack's retching, and Clay's shouting. The group jumped off the green dragon, Jack himself looking a little green. One of the monks from the West Temple noticed the group, and bowed.
"Welcome to our humble temple," he said as the Xiaolin Dragons returned the bow. He looked past them. "My, what is this strange being?"
Kimiko took a second to look at the bound, still form of Roni. The monk had obviously noticed her. "We need to talk to Master Fung about her," she answered, looking back at the monk. The monk nodded.
"He would be in the meditation hall. That would mean you are the Dragons-in-training, correct?" Omi nodded in reply as Raimundo cleared his throat.
"We are; not the albino guy," the brazilian clarified, ignoring Jack's shout of protest. "Keep an eye on him."
"I shall. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me." With that, the monk wandered off, leaving the group alone. The short silence was broken by a groan from Roni as she stirred. Raimundo looked at her.
"You guys can take care of her, right?" he asked, a touch of concern in his voice. Not that he really worried, but, well… he wouldn't be surprised if Omi wanted revenge for that one fight.
"Don't, worry, Rai, we'll handle it," Clay said, Omi nodding to affirm.
"That's what I'm afraid of," the Dragon of the Wind mumbled as he entered the temple building, followed by Kimiko. They walked in silence, footsteps echoing loudly. After a few wrong turns and 10 minutes, they stumbled into the Meditation Hall. There, Master Fung sat, appearing to be in meditation.
"I see Raimundo has returned," he said suddenly, opening his eyes. The two Dragons jumped in surprise – they hadn't expected that. In confusion, they both started speaking at once.
"Sorry Master Fung, but-"
"Please don't punish-"
"You see, there was-"
"He didn't have any choice-"
"Enough." Kimiko and Raimundo both silenced. The elder monk got to his feet, his piercing eyes staring at them. "Raimundo, if you please explain." The brazilian gulped nervously. How could anyone explain that they were forced to help an insane vampire? Where could even start to explain it?
"It started back when we were looking for the Spirit Lamp," Kimiko started, surprising Raimundo, "Dojo got hit by this black beam, and it got us separated." She gave him a significant look, prompting Raimundo to pick up where she left off.
"When I woke up, well, I was on this mountain I hadn't been on before. I kinda heard something above me…" Slowly, Raimundo told the entire tale, occasionally letting Kimiko cut in to fill in any blanks. It took a good 15 minutes to tell the entire tale (and a few embellishment the brazilian had added). When the two were done, Master Fung nodded thoughtfully.
"So, then, Raimundo, what would you recommend for you and your comrades?" he directed his gaze to the brazilian who once more gulped nervously. He tried to think quickly, not expecting the question.
"Well…for starters. I don't want Kimiko punished. At all. Nada. Ditto with Omi and Clay." He paused. "And Jack? Let him leave without a fight." He thought for another moment. "Roni…well, only a Master can remove the curse, and she's been stuck here for way too long. I was thinking…maybe you could help her?"
Master Fung raised an eyebrow at Raimundo's insightfulness. He thought over the young Dragon's request, and asked one question: "And for you?"
Raimundo thought again. "I'd really love not to be kicked out. I mean it. Honestly." The elder monk nodded.
'I see. If you two would follow me, then?" With that, Master Fung left the Meditation Hall. Kimiko and Raimundo exchanged glances, then ran after him.
(---)
In the 25 minutes they had been gone, several interesting things happened. For one, the evil boy genius had already left – and the Shroud of Shadows had disappeared. For another, Clay and Omi's idea of "handling it" was made clear. Clay had created a cage of earth around the creature, and Omi had discovered that, by touching the Sword of the Storm to a bar, it became charged with shen-gong-wu energy, making it impossible for Roni to touch without suffering. Unable to escape and on temple grounds made Roni pissed, naturally. She had cut her bonds and now paced the cage, looking daggers at anyone happening to look her way.
Kimiko and Raimundo hung back as Master Fung approached the cage. Roni growled unnaturally loud at the elder monk and snarled, "Vut, ye come te stare a' de freak, too?"
Master Fung seemed unfazed by her temper, replying, "No, Nahkti, I've come to tell the Dragon of Light that she is free." Roni paused, trying to comprehend what he meant.
"Vut?"
"Nahkti, by the powers vested in me, I declare you free. You may leave if you wish to."
Roni stared in disbelief, her expression quickly changing to that of ecstasy. Suddenly, a black smoke surrounded them all. There were several odd flashes of light, followed by strange triumphant-sounding laughter. The smoke cleared quickly, revealing the cage to be empty…
(---)
The next day, the elder Xiaolin monks and the four Dragons returned to the Xiaolin Temple, thanks to Dojo. Excluding a few broken walls and the putrid stench of death, the temple was perfectly fine. Still, Raimundo gagged on the odor, unable to forget how close he was to its cause.
The four Dragons had been given the day off, in which they chose to catch up and play a few games, like Tag and Hide-n'-Seek. During one round of the hiding game, Clay had stumbled across the Monkey Staff, the Fist of Tebigong, the Orb of Tornami, and the Amethyst of the Third Eye. It was a unanimous decision that it meant Roni was gone for good. As if to confirm this, the brazilian had found a black feather with odd beads – one of Roni's possessions – on his windowsill. The former Dragon of Light was truly gone.
It was after dinner when Master Fung called the young monks to the Grand Hall. He appeared quite solemn as they entered.
"Master Fung – what is wrong? Does it have to do with Raimundo?" Omi inquired cautiously, completely oblivious of the glaring brazilian. Already, back to same old, same old…
"As a matter of fact, yes." Raimundo looked up at the master monk, shocked. Was he joking? He heard both Kimiko and Clay muffle their gasps of surprise, and even Omi looked concerned now. Master Fung continued, his blue eyes focused on Raimundo. "Raimundo, within the past month, you have betrayed and resurrected two demons, nearly ending life as we know it."
The brazilian gulped. That didn't sound promising. 'But it's not like I couldn't have stopped it…right? Oh, God, he's gonna kick me out! Then what? What about me and Kimiko? Our relationship? And where am I gonna go?' He braced himself as Master Fung stepped closer…wait, what was he holding behind his back?
The elder monk pulled out from behind his back a blue sash and held it out towards Raimundo. "You have proved yourself worthy to be a Dragon Apprentice, Raimundo. Congratulations." The other three monks cheered as Raimundo took the sash, a large grin spreading across his face. "For courage and selflessness in the face of danger," Master Fung added quietly.
"Thank you, Master Fung," Raimundo said with a small bow.
(---)
At that moment, a warm breeze blew into the new Apprentice's room, whisking away the black feather. It headed west: towards the setting sun, the Land of the Dead, towards the great deserts, to the immense oceans…
…and new beginnings.
The End