Ah I'm so sorry I haven't updated! I've just been having about fifty million things going on all the time this week. I'll try to make up for the long wait with this chapter. Hope you all enjoy!
Disclaimer: Me no owny anything Xiaolin Showdown.
Just Shadows
chapter 4: Nightmare in the Dark...
All was quiet and still throughout the dimmed out halls of the Xiaolin Temple. Well, everywhere except the section of the hall where four rooms were lined up, all occupied by their peacefully sleeping owners.
It was a wonder Clay's snoring didn't wake everyone up every night. In the room next to Clay's, Omi was sleeping in his meditating posture comfortably with a pair of ear plugs stuck in his ears to drown out the cowboy's loud sleeping noises. Dojo was curled up on his own small bedding on the floor of Omi's room .On the opposite side of Clay's room was Raimundo's, where the Brazilian slept soundly cuddled up to his Ninja Fred teddy bear. The occupant of the room next to his didn't seem as asleep as the four of them though.
The dull shine of the moon's light from the window reflected into her eyes as she slowly opened them. Kimiko sat up and rubbed her eyes sleepily. She looked up from her small "bed" to the window, where she saw how dark it still was outside.
"I wonder what time it is..." she said quietly and rubbed a sleeve against her tired eyes again. Kimiko slid the blanket off and stood up to make her way for the curtain door of her room. She was feeling like she needed something to drink now that she was partially awake, and a little water from the kitchen would be just fine.
She moved the curtain aside and stepped onto the cold wooden floor of the hall. Kimiko glanced along the three other rooms and began tiptoing down the hall so she wouldn't make enough noise to wake them.
She only got two steps and then jumped a bit when Clay snorted in his sleep and then began snoring again. She rolled her eyes but had to smile a little.
"You'd think he'd even wake himself up with that snoring..." she whispered and continued walking down the hall.
Clay's snoring faded out and soon all that could be heard was the soft patting of her bare feet against the floor. Kimiko was still feeling very drowsy from having just woken up, and was a bit unaware of much around her as she made her way to the kitchen. Not like she needed to pay attention to anything right now in the empty hallway.
Kimiko was about to round the corner and go down another hall to the kitchen when she faltered for a second. She had a strange feeling for just a moment in her head between her eyes. Sort of like the beginning of a head ache, but not as painful. But the feeling went away right after it happened, so she kept going and didn't think much of it.
Kimiko was about half way down the hall and could see the kitchen entrance now. Suddenly she stopped and looked back down the hall behind her. Her blue eyes were focused and alert, her hands ready at her sides.
She sensed someone's presence... But she saw nothing there, and there wasn't a shadow against the wall to prove that somebody was around the corner. Everything was completely silent.
Kimiko lowered her hands and stared a bit more before slowly turning back around and going into the kitchen. What was that? Was there anyone there at all?
She wrapped her fingers around the refrigerator handle and paused. She was sure she'd felt a presence in the hall, but she didn't see anything. She thought about it, just looking down at her hand on the handle for a minute. Soon she shrugged and pulled the door open and took the water carton out.
"I must still be tired and just thought I heard something, I guess." she reasoned and poured the water into a paper cup from the counter. Kimiko then returned the carton of water to the refrigerator and sat down at the table with her cup. She took another sip and placed it down. She sat in silence for a while, just staring at the table top, thinking.
She had that dream again tonight... The one she never forgot a second of after she woke up from it.
A gentle smile formed on her lips as she gazed out of the kitchen window at the pale moon and white stars. It was always the same dream... Just like she remembered it...
"I really like these pretty earrings that we got at the festival today Mommy!"
"Yes Kimiko, they certainly look beautiful on you." the woman smiled warmly.
"Mommy, I'm very tired..." the young pigtailed girl yawned.
"It has been a long day. Would you like me to sing you a lullaby?"
"Yes please! I love when you sing the lullabies to me."
Kimiko smiled and got up from the table with her water. She loved having those kind of dreams to remind her of the good times. It was nice to be able to think about the whole thing in a positive way some of the time.
Although, it was always hard to smile while thinking about it...
Kimiko was brought out of her thoughts when she felt that faint twinge in her head again. It didn't last long at all, just like the last one hadn't. She was about to keep walking when she looked up, but then stopped in her tracks.
She saw a shadow on the wall at the end of the hall getting bigger, meaning someone was coming around the corner. She didn't think anything of it though. Probably one of the guys coming to the kitchen for a snack or something, she thought.
Her eyes dilated and her heart froze in her chest. What walked around the corner and was now facing her from down the hall definitely wasn't Omi, Rai or Clay...
The water cup fell out of her hands and hit the floor with a light thud. Kimiko just stared in terror. Into the menacing red yellow eyes.
"No... Ak... Akumu..." she managed to whisper.
What was staring back at her was a creature she'd been told about when she was younger in Japan. It was a story many children in Japan had been warned of, just so they could be persuaded to go to sleep at night. For if they stayed up to late, the Akumu would haunt their dreams as punishment.
Kimiko had always greatly feared the beast as a child. But even more so now... It was a made up story... It couldn't really be there, no...
A dark growl came from the depths of it's throat as it peered into Kimiko's frightened eyes. The Akumu had the body shape like a large, thin dog. It was as black as the night and looked very rugged. It had long front legs that it kept tucked up above it's shoulder blades so it could crouch low to the ground, staring daggers at the girl across the hall.
Kimiko took a few steps back but never took her eyes off of the Akumu. She kept thinking to herself 'This isn't happening, this cant be happening...'
She took a few more steps back and then bolted through the kitchen. The creature was on her heals in no time as she ran through a few rooms and hallways. She tried not to scream, but every time the Akumu appeared behind her again and roared, baring it's deathly razor fangs, it was hard not to.
She ran down another hall and knocked a vase off a table as she passed. She heard it shatter and then looked over her shoulder as she ran. The Akumu was bounding off the walls so close behind her that she could feel it's hot breath on her neck.
Kimiko shrieked in pure terror and rounded another corner, only to run into someone or something. She kept her eyes shut tight and thrashed around in the arms of whoever it was she'd run into.
"Kim! Kimiko, calm down! What's the matter?"
She stopped struggling slightly and looked up to find that she was being held in Raimundo's arms and he was looking down at her with a worried expression. Her heart thumped in fear as she whirled her head around expecting to see the Akumu, but the hall was clear behind her and everything was quiet.
Kimiko was panting both from running as fast as possible and from sheer fright. Raimundo's eyes showed concern as he gently grasped her shoulders and looked down at her.
"Kimiko, all you alright? I heard you screaming." Kimiko paused for a minute while she tried to catch her breath.
"Yeah, I think I'm okay..." she turned around again to look down the hall as she said this.
"Was someone here?" Raimundo asked. Kimiko's eyes stretched down the hallway but saw no sign of the dreaded Akumu. But... how could that be? It was right there running behind her, and then the next second it was like it had vanished. Unless it was never really there at all... No that couldn't be right either.
She honestly didn't know how to answer Raimundo's question.
"I'm not sure... I think I might have been sleep walking." It was the most reasonable thing she could think of right now.
"Sleep walking?"
"I don't know, I'm not completely sure what happened to tell the truth."
"Well, I heard screaming and woke up to find out what was going on. But are you okay?" he asked as they approached their rooms. Kimiko was surprised at how much he seemed to care about if she was alright after all this. Well, they were friends after all, but it was Raimundo. She'd always known him to be different about stuff like this.
She pushed the thought aside and looked up into his waiting face. The thought of the creature flashed through her mind and she tensed up. Kimiko looked down at the ground with slightly pink cheeks and then back up at him.
"Could I maybe... stay with you tonight? I don't want to start sleepwalking again and get myself scared..." she asked timidly.
Raimundo was surprised she'd asked that and considered it for a second. It wasn't such a good idea, that was for sure. No doubt they'd be in a load of trouble tomorrow if Master Fung found out. But then he looked down at the scared look in her eyes and felt that he needed to be the one to comfort her. He was curious of what could scare his friend so much in the first place.
In any case, the point was that he was going to make sure she was okay.
"Yeah you can stay with me tonight. And as much as it's gonna kill me..." he smiled a bit, "we should wake up early tomorrow so no one walks in to get me out of bed."
Kimiko smiled at his humor and was grateful he couldn't see her faint blush in the dark. They walked through the curtain to his room and both yawned. Raimundo settled himself comfortably under the blankets, followed by Kim who laid on her back facing the ceiling.
There were a few moments of awkward silence between the two. Neither of them could think straight right then while being there together. Kimiko tilted her head towards him a bit and broke the silence.
"Hey Rai?"
"Yeah?" he asked with his back turned to her.
"Thanks." she smiled. He also smiled to himself and closed his eyes.
"No prob Kim. 'Night."
"Goodnight."
The pair smiled and rolled their eyes at the loud snore that broke the silence once again.
"Goodnight Clay." they sighed together and began to drift off to sleep.
Whew now that thats done... bed time! I think I'm starting to see pink elephants I'm so tired, so that might be why the ending of this chapter is a little crumby. Ah, well it is in my opinion anyway. Oh, and btw, Akumu means nightmare in Japanese. I was just looking through my dictionary and thought it'd be cool to name it that.
Heh, anyway I hope everyone liked this chapter! I'll try to update again as soon as I can! That is, if I can get some R&R's? Please?
Peace out!
-Ash
