Chapter 20: Rivers of Tears and Just Causes
Er...yeah, this chapter's pretty short. To be honest, I was really rushing to get this done and posted so you guys could read it. Important stuff happens, so you should definitely read it anyway. And next chapter things really start coming together, especially with Wuya.
So, yeah, sorry about that.
"Where have you two been?!" Kimiko yelled at them. She pointed an accusing finger at Raimundo. "And why do you have the Sword of the Storm?"
Raimundo tossed the Sword back into the wooden trunk. "I was going out for a stroll."
"You lie!" Omi protested angrily, pointing another finger at the boy. "You were going to go back to the Temple against Master Fung's orders!"
Raimundo shrugged. "Someone convinced me not to." He glanced over at Valerie, who hadn't spoken a word since they returned to the cave. And then she sneezed.
"Great Ghost of Dashi, you kids are soaked to the bone!" Dojo said in a motherly tone. "What you two need are blankets and smores." He held up a tray of the steaming treats.
"We had marshmallows and chocolate?" Valerie asked confused. "But I went over our supplies. They never showed up."
"I know a few tricks," he said as Clay handed the two damp monks blankets. Both quickly covered themselves and sat by the fire. Dojo offered the tray and Valerie immediately took one, since it gave her something else to focus on. She quickly glanced over at Raimundo. He caught her eye and she immediately looked away.
She could still feel it, the hot tears cascading down her face, the fear that was spilling out with each anguished cry. She hated how it made her feel, like a sad little girl who couldn't handle being alone. And she hated how Raimundo of all people saw that side of her. He was going to tease her relentlessly for sure. Valerie was simply waiting for a signal.
…Except Raimundo showed no sign of his usual prankster self. He was calmer, more in control of his temper. It was such a startling contrast from his usual hotheaded self. It made Valerie wonder if she influenced him that much.
She quickly stuffed her face with smores to stop thinking about it.
"So what's the plan, exactly?" Raimundo asked once he was properly situated in front of the fire.
"There isn't one yet," Clay said honestly. "Mala Mala Jong has all those Shen Gong Wu. We can't figure out how to take out the Heart of Jong without getting our butts handed to us."
"Wouldn't the Serpent's Tail work?" Valerie pointed out. She quickly licked off the gooey marshmallow off her fingers.
"It wouldn't work against the Eye of Dashi," Kimiko said.
Valerie furrowed her brow. "But the Serpent's Tail would turn us intangible. How would the lightning affect us if it goes through us?"
"Dashi had that same idea," Dojo said. "Let's just say it didn't work."
"How would it not-!" The reptile shoved another smore into her mouth. Valerie painfully swallowed it before coughing rapidly. Raimundo quickly hit her back as she rubbed her poor throat.
"So in other words, we have to wait until Mala Mala Jong comes after us," Rai said bitterly, clenching his fists. Valerie could see it, the tension in his shoulders, the frustration and helplessness rolling off of him in waves. And then his eyes darted towards her and he unclenched his fingers.
What…?
"Dojo, can you track old Shen Gong Wu?" Kimiko asked suddenly. Her eyes were lit up with worry.
The reptile thought a moment. "It's pretty hard, but it's not impossible. Why?"
"Can't Wuya track Shen Gong Wu like you can?"
Valerie eyes widened when she realized where Kimiko's train of thought was going. "He'll find us," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"And we'll be ready for him," Clay said determined. He slammed a fist into his open palm for emphasis.
"Yes, we can lie in wait for him." Omi glared at Raimundo. "Meaning no running off in the middle of the night." Everyone else looked at him coolly.
Raimundo gave a sheepish grin and held up his arms in surrender. "I won't. Scout's honor."
-Crackling thunder bright lightning illuminating the bleak sky a howl reaching the heavens-
Raimundo jerked awake, the sounds of the rain pelting against the mountain. The storm was still going strong, though it had lessened somewhat. Idly he wondered how the weather was by the Temple.
Feelings of anger rushed through him instantly. He clenched his teeth and curled a hand into a fist. He should be over there fighting alongside the other monks to defend the Temple. He wasn't afraid of Mala Mala Jong. He could help god damn it!
He spied the hilt of the Sword of the Storm jutting out of the chest across the cave. Clay and Omi were sleeping next to it, probably to try and stop him from taking it again. It would take some maneuvering, but Raimundo was sure he could get the Sword out without disturbing anyone.
A quiet snore erupted from close beside him. He peered over at Kimiko and Valerie, huddled close together for warmth. Kimiko had her mouth wide open-she was obviously the snorer-while her brunette opposite was breathing heavily beside her.
I can't lose another person! Her dark blue eyes were dripping tears, her voice crying out with such loneliness. She had been crying for him, begging him to stay so he wouldn't get hurt. It was a contrast to her now, sleeping peacefully-or as peacefully as one could sleep with a demonic warrior after them.
Raimundo hated to admit it, but even though Valerie had been crying, he probably would have gone anyway. He would have gone into the cave with her and escaped once everyone was asleep. But then he hesitated. In Valerie's terrified eyes he saw the faces of his little brothers and sisters, their red faces as they carved rivers of tears into their cheeks. If he died suddenly, would they weep for him, was what he thought.
Well, Val certainly would. She proved that last night. Raimundo was a lot of things, but he wasn't heartless. So he let her cry it all out and let her feelings be lost in the storm before heading back in. He couldn't handle seeing a girl cry-angry, yes, but not sad.
Valerie mumbled something under her breath; it sounded vaguely like a curse word. Her brow was furrowed and her mouth set at a grimace. It was such a funny look that Raimundo had to crack a smile. He took a peek at the Sword, its hilt glinting slightly in the afterglow of the fire. It didn't seem so tempting now.
A horrible, demonic roar echoed through the cave. Everyone jolted awake, blankets fluttering to the ground. They all looked to the mouth of the cave to see the evil blue fire of Mala Mala Jong just at the bottom of the mountain.
"Everybody know what to do?" Clay asked as they looked away from the monster.
"You're plan better work Omi, because here comes Mala Mala Jong!" Kimiko said fearfully as the yellow monk ran to the trunk.
Clay held up the Tongue of Saiping. Raimundo jumped over to the trunk and quickly took the Sword of the Storm. Omi held up the Serpent's Tail.
"You're the only chance we got Omi," Valerie said. "No pressure."
"Serpent's Tail!" Omi shouted before becoming intangible. He immediately dived into the ground.
Dojo jumped off the lid of the trunk and jerked a thumb backwards. "So I'll just hang back here then? Kind of a support role?" He added a fearful, "Ok," before hiding.
Mala Mala Jong was quickly climbing up the cave. He was a lot scarier up close: the hellfire gleaming in its hollow eyes, the needle sharp teeth, the vicious roar that erupted from his unhinged mouth. And he was steadily coming closer and closer.
"Tongue of Saiping!" Clay cried, putting the bronze block to his mouth. The tongue waggled. Valerie turned back to snag some Shen Gong Wu to fight. She was searching through their meager weapons, looking for anything-
"Look, Kimiko, Rai! The animals understood me!" Clay shouted happily.
"You already knew that, Clay!" Valerie snapped exasperatedly as she grabbed the cerulean Orb of Tornami.
"The Shroud of Shadows!" Kimiko suddenly cried. "How'd he get that?"
Valerie walked to the mouth of the cave and said, "It must have been the Wu stolen from us."
"Thanks to that we can't see him," Clay realized.
"Rai, help me out," Valerie ordered. "Orb of Tornami!" A huge, gushing river of water erupted from the Orb, flowing away from her body and down the mountain side.
Raimundo jumped out of the cave. He quickly clung to the side of the mountain not overtaken by the river. With one hand he pointed his Wu at the water and shouted, "Sword of the Storm!" The wind picked up, and the river spread out to form a tidal wave. It collided with the forest near the foot of the mountain-they could see a figure forming in the dark blue liquid.
"We can see him!" Clay shouted happily, throwing his fists in the air triumphantly. And indeed they could. The tidal wave had washed away the Shroud of Shadows, so Mala Mala Jong could no longer hide behind the artifact.
"Guys, a little help!" Raimundo shouted as he dangled from the mountain side. Clay quickly made over to help him, but then Raimundo disappeared from view.
"Raimundo!" Valerie shouted fearfully as the lightning flashed. And then she saw-they all saw Mala Mala Jong appear in the cave, Raimundo trapped in one of its fist. He threw the boy inside and brought the Sword of the Storm over his head.
Valerie held out the Orb in a defensive pose. She was about to shout out the incantation, but then the Fist of Tebigong punched her in the stomach. She was sent flying back into the cave, skidding on the floor as she landed. She coughed as she tried to sit up. She could chewing sounds-she watched as Mala Mala Jong ate the Orb of Tornami.
And then Kimiko shouted, "Star Hanabi!" Lightning flashed inside the cave as the talisman activated. The energy hit the stalactites attached to the ceiling and a large one fell right on top of the demon warrior, piercing him to the ground. Shen Gong Wu flew everywhere, the Helmet of Jong clattering near Kimiko's feet.
Valerie blinked, not believing. "It can't have been that easy."
Kimiko threw her fists in the air and cried out, "YES! We beat Mala Mala Jong!"
On Clay's shoulder, Dojo began to bite his nails. Raimundo's jaw dropped. Clay pointed past Kimiko's shoulder. Valerie stood up and looked on in horror as the Third-Arm Sash stretched by itself out from under the stalactite.
"Oh no…" Kimiko said as all the Wu that made up the demon warrior collided to create Mala Mala Jong again. Blue hellfire spilled into the cave as the demon roared. With both of his hands he pinned the good guys to the ground. They struggled but Mala Mala Jong roared once more, scaring them still.
And then they heard the cackling of Wuya filter through the cave. She was hovering over the shoulder of Mala Mala Jong, grinning gleefully at the fallen monks.
"End of the road, Xiaolin warriors!" The Heylin witch cried. "You put up an impressive fight to be sure, but you've lost all the same!" She hovered closer to them. "Still, I'm in a merciful mood. Pledge your allegiance to me, and I will spare your miserable lives."
"Never gonna happen," said Kimiko.
"Not in a million years!" Clay announced.
"Go fuck yourself!" Valerie swore.
Raimundo spat in Wuya's face.
The ghost recoiled in disgust and shouted at Mala Mala Jong, "CRUSH THEM!" The demon warrior roared again-Valerie's voice caught in her throat-she was going to die she was never going to see Eric again she was going to die WHERE WAS OMI-
Suddenly Mala Mala Jong's grasp loosened. His jaw was dropping and out of his mouth came a slight squeaking noise.
"Don't just stand there!" Wuya snarled at him. "Finish them!" The demon warrior immediately let them go and started clutching at his chest. "What could possibly be wrong?"
Everyone watched in amazement as a rip in reality opened up and Omi popped out with a battle cry. With a blinding flash Mala Mala Jong burst, the Shen Gong Wu making up its body falling to the floor.
Wuya stared at Omi in horror. "How did you-!"
"Golden Tiger Claws." Omi gave her a cat-like grin.
"They transport you wherever you're fixin' to go," Clay explained.
"Even into a rampaging monster's chest," Kimiko piped up.
"We figured you'd eventually find us, so we made a backup plan," Raimundo added with a smirk.
"You really should have taken the Serpent's Tail when you last raided the Temple," Valerie added salt to the wound.
"Sorry to break your heart, Wuya," Dojo joked.
With a final, "NOOOOOOO!" Wuya flew out of the cave to the laughter of the Xiaolin monks. As they were laughing Valerie realized something.
"We did it." She turned to the Helmet of Jong, wisps of smoke curling out of the eye sockets. "We beat a monster from the depths of hell."
"We did it," Raimundo said disbelieving.
"We did it," everyone said together. "WE DID IT!" they shouted euphorically, jumping up and down in victory. And then they grabbed Omi, the real hero, and hoisted him over their shoulders. With a mighty push they threw him in the air, waiting for him to fall back into their arms.
…except that he clung to a stalactite on the ceiling. "You almost killed me!" he shrieked, trembling.
"Sorry," they all said sheepishly.
After collecting all the Shen Gong Wu (it took a while to find the Shroud of Shadows; it had washed pretty far away from the mountain), they all quickly made their way to the Temple.
It had obviously been under attack: streaks of soot marked the road leading up to the main Temple. The wooden stronghold guarding the village was still up. And the inside of the Great Hall was trashed with wooden beams on the floor, plants and dirt scattered everywhere, and even a small, black ravine destroying the middle of the ground. But the monks were quickly setting the place up again and by the time the dragons-in-training arrived to Master Fung it was already starting to look better.
As for Master Fung, he looked a little worse for wear, but he was standing on both feet. He was smiling when they arrived and his arms were outstretched for hugs. And that was what his pupils did when they saw him; tackle him with a giant group hug until he was gasping for breath.
And now they were sitting around the giant gold incense pot on top of the Shen Gong Wu vault. Master Fung was standing and being flanked by the other elder monks. The Master was holding ornate sashes in his arms.
"Congratulations, young ones," he said. "In defeating Mala Mala Jong, you have shown considerable bravery, skill, and cunning. You have proven yourselves ready for the next level: Xiaolin apprentice." He all gave them the sashes, lovely red and black things with a single gold line running across the center.
Omi was the first to start cheering. Everyone quickly followed suit, jumping up and down as they were rewarded for saving the world. Only Raimundo was sitting, quietly thumbing his sash.
"What is wrong, Raimundo?" Master Fung took notice. Everyone stopped their cheering and watched. "You followed my instructions and helped save the world. Why are you not celebrating?"
"Because I almost didn't," Raimundo said quietly, looking up at him. "I almost went back to the Temple even though you told me not to."
"But you didn't," Master Fung pointed out. "Thinking past your anger in a moment's crisis is the mark of a warrior ready to move on. You have learned to think ahead to see the consequences of your actions and acted justly. I believe you deserve your apprentice status."
Raimundo looked at him and smiled.
An hour later
Valerie was sitting under a tree in the grasslands near the Temple. She was holding a book under the shade-Rose under Fire by Elizabeth Wein. The grass was still damp thanks to last night's storm, but the sun was beating down rather heavily so it was nice to be in the shade. She could faintly hear the sounds of Clay teaching Omi trick roping and she could see out of the corner of her eye Kimiko lying in the grass, videogame in hand.
Just as Valerie was getting to the part where Rose Justice found out she was stuck at Ravensbruck during WWII, she saw a shadow cross over the page. Annoyed, she looked up to see Raimundo standing over her, a soccer ball under his arm.
"What?"
"Who did you lose before?"
"What?" Valerie repeated, this time confused. And then she remembered what she said last night. She grimaced, prepared for some type of teasing to occur, but Raimundo was instead looking at her curiously, a soft look on his face. It made Valerie feel bad, that she was assuming that he only had the worst intentions. He owned up to Master Fung, admitting his mistakes, so why wouldn't Rai be kind now?
"No one died, if that's what you're thinking," Valerie finally said.
"Then what happened?" Raimundo asked, bending his legs into a squat so he was face to face with her.
"I…" Did she want to tell him the truth? That she hadn't seen her family in years? That they didn't want to see her? She didn't want his pity, but it didn't seem fair to leave him hanging.
"My parents don't have time to see me," Valerie half-lied. "They don't call often either, so I sometimes feel abandoned by them."
Raimundo gave her a small smile. "I'm sure they don't mean to." He suddenly stood up. "Wanna play soccer?"
Valerie eyed the ball and then the book in her lap. She quickly closed it and said, "You're on."
Hazel and Theo had finally, finally replaced the windows in their home when Wuya dropped in.
"God damn it!" Theo swore loudly, slapping the book he was reading back onto the table. "We just got this place clean!"
"So I'm guessing Jack's going to rip the place apart for his grand entrance," Hazel said in a monotone.
"Oh, no, no, no, my dears," Wuya said unctuously, rubbing her ghostly hands together. "I came alone."
"So that whole evil warrior thing didn't pan out, huh?" Theo asked rhetorically. The witch cringed, but then her masked face morphed back into its usual smirk.
"No it didn't," she admitted. "Also I figured you were much better company than Jack."
"Oh, so you found out about the Shen Gong Wu detecto-bot," Hazel stated.
Wuya stared in shock. "How did you-"
The twins held up their phones. "He's got a Facebook page," they said in unison.
"And you're out of luck," Theo added, twisting the knife. Wuya sputtered, trying to come up with something to get them to join her side. Hazel did that for her.
With a Cheshire cat grin, she announced, "But don't worry. I have a proposition for you, Wuya."
Thoughts, anyone?