Title: Beauty is a Word
Fandom: Xiaolin Showdow
Characters: Rai, Kim, the vendor(my oc), the vendor's wife(my oc)
Prompt: 048:Diamond
Word Count: 1,083
Rating: G
Summary: He wants to get her something to let her know how he feels but finds something more.
Author's Notes: This is so sweet, you are going to love it!

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A diamond is a rock that is made from tiny little triangles. Light reflecting from each triangle to the octagonal shape that resided on the top. But if one triangle is damaged, then the diamond would lose its drawing gleam. But it's like one Chinese proverb says, better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without one.

But a certain monk didn't grasp this concept. He wanted it to be perfect. As perfect as her frame surrounding her face. He was searching the market for a jewelry stand and managed to find one. His eyes glazed over a diamond necklace that look absolutely beautiful around her neck. He had his eye on that necklace for months. It was exactly what he needed to tell her how he felt.

But as beautiful as it was, it was still out of his reach. He tried saving up for it, but ended up spending on something meaningless. He let out a sigh at how his stupidity can undertake him.

"Back again?" the vendor that ran the stand asked.

"Yup," he responded simply.

"Staring at it won't make you any closer to it."

"I know."

"So, who's the girl?" A questioning look raised over the Dragon of the Wind as he turn to the vendor.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't be like that, I know that look."

"What look?" he asked acting dumb.

"The look that you have when you like someone but isn't sure how they feel." Shock came next that glazed over him.

"How did you-"

"When you have been in business as long as I have, you see that look very often. So, who is she?" Raimundo considered on how he should answer it. Then he debated whether he should tell this old vendor about her.

"You can tell me."

"Huh?"

"I've heard every story, he's in love with her and wants an engagement ring, she wishes her crush would get her this bracelet, and my favorite is that he likes her and wants something that fitted her in every possible way. Which one are you?"

"Uh..." he stammered as he was stunned by what this man was saying. "That last one" he answered.

"Of course. What's she like?"

"Well... she's kinda like a fire cracker waiting to blow." The vendor raised an eyebrow. "What I mean is she can be angry one second, and then the next she's everybody's best friend. It's part of that quality that makes her nice. She also has these nice set of blue eyes which is kinda unusual considering she's Japanese and all. A guy can literally get lost in them. And the way she laughs... man I love to hear her laugh. It's got this sweet softness that really goes along with her voice. Don't get me wrong though, she does have the tendency to not shut up, but that's what makes her unique."

The vendor smiled down at him with a knowing gleam.

"How old are you?"

"Fourteen, why?"

"Huh, it's really rare to hear someone of your age talk about a girl that he likes this much."

"That's because no other girl is like her. I mean, sure I flirt with other girls every once in awhile, but that's just to see the reaction on her face. Man, she can get really jealous."

"I thought you said she was like a fire cracker waiting to blow?"

"Well, yeah she is, but it's this thing we have, I pull a prank and she hits me. It's like the natural order of things."

"I see, and does she mind that you pull these said pranks?"

"Sometimes, like the other day I told our friend, Omi, that girls like it when you read their diary, and when he commented on some stupid thing she wrote, she hit me and said that she knew I put him up to it."

"Did she forgive you?"

"Eventually, yeah."

"Like always?"

"Like always." The vendor looked him over again and his all knowing face resided again.

"She sounds like a great girl."

"Trust me, she is."

"And what makes you like her so much?"

"Well, it's basically her attitude, I mean she's like yay big." Raimundo lifted his hand below his chin to where her height meets him. "But she can throw fire as big as Mt. Hong." The vendor raised his eyebrow again. "Uh, figurative speaking of course," he added sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Of course."

"Like this one time when Omi made this sexist comment around her, she practically blew the roof off!"

"And you like girls like that?"

"Only when it comes to her. If it was another girl, forget it. She wouldn't even come close to what Kimiko is."

"Is that her?"

"Who?"

"Kimiko, is that her name?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Just curious. Well, she sounds very nice and I would take your word for it."

Then, the vendor walked over to where the necklace hung and traced his fingers along the line of diamonds. Raimundo looked at him with a puzzling look.

"If she is as you describe her as, then she doesn't need something to know how special she is."

"What do you mean?"

"A necklace is a necklace, it's value is exquisite and it's beauty draws forth everyone, but nothing replaces the value from words that is said from the heart." Raimundo blinked a couple of times before he finally got the meaning.

"So, what you're saying is I don't need the necklace to tell her how I feel?"

The old man nodded. Raimundo looked down and considered it. The necklace would definitely look beautiful on her, but what's beautiful is how the words should be told. He looked up at the vendor and gave him a solemn smile.

"Thanks," Raimundo said as he started off towards the temple. The vendor stood there looking as the young man walked off into the haze of the crowd. Then a woman came out to join him. She wrapped her hands around his arm.

"The same boy?" she asked him.

"Yes," he replied.

"Did he buy anything this time?"

"Didn't need to. How old were we when we first met?"

"Fourteen, why?"

"Just trying to remember. I love you," he added as he kissed his wife on the forehead.

"I love you too," she replied with a smile.