Me: *bows deeply* GOMENASAI!!!!!!! i am soo sorry i havent updated in two weeks, i was supposed to update last weekend but stuff happened and i was unable to. but im back, and thank you for those awesome reviews for last chapter!! especially to xxFireWarriorxx, Des thank you soo much for pretty much always being the first to review, they seriously make my day. And to •AlexandriaTheGreat• , your review made me laugh when i really needed it, thank you soo much!
Cari: Since when have you been sentimental?
Me: Since.....well just now. Here's chapter 7!
Kimiko awoke the next morning nestled in the arms of her husband. She turned her head slightly to see Rai, still sound asleep. She smiled at how peaceful he looked while asleep, like there wasn't a single worry in his head. Suddenly, the memories of last night filled her mind and she blushed slightly. It had hurt the first time, that was true, but she had expected that. Kimiko wasn't exactly naiive, and Lilia and Emeline had coached her through the things she hadn't known about.
As the sun rose into the sky, its rays bouncing off the clear blue water, Kimiko felt an urge to go out onto the balcony and meditate, just as she did every morning back at the temple. She slowly disentangled herself from Rai's arms and sat up. Ignoring the soreness spreading throughout her lower body, she found the small leather pouch with all their suitcases, as well as the Changing Chopsticks.
"Changing Chopsticks." Kimiko whispered, taking care to not wake Rai. She opened her suitcase and rummaged through it before throwing on a black bikini swimsuit underneath a blue shawl. Pulling her hair into a quick ponytail, Kimiko walked out and breathed in the crisp salty air before assuming the lotus position. About 10 minutes after she had cleared her mind, Kimiko felt him sit next to her. She opened one eye to see Rai also in the lotus position.
"You know you've been a Xiaolin Monk for way too long when you can't resist meditating even while on vacation." Rai remarked, eyes shut.
"It's very relaxing, not that we aren't super relaxed right now." Kimiko said, her meditation over.
"Well, yeah. Sleep well?" Rai asked lightly, a small smirk gracing his lips.
"Very well, actually. And you?" Kimiko played along.
"Like a baby." Rai replied. After, the two sat in a comfortable silence, Kimiko splayed out on the balcony, Rai meditating beside her.
"Hey Kimi?" Kim opened her eyes to face Rai.
"Yeah?"
"Did you have anything specific you wanted to do today?"
"Well..." Kimiko gave Rai a knowing look.
"Other than that." Rai laughed.
"Ahh, no. Not that I can think of. Why?" she inquired, tilting her head slightly.
"Because our very best friends were kind enough to add to our luggage two important things."
"Which are...?"
"Surfboards!" Rai produced the two surfboards, blue for Rai, pink for Kimiko. Kimiko had to laugh at the glee on Rai's face.
"Well, honey, you are forgetting one thing." she said.
"What's that?"
"I have no idea how to surf." she stated matter-of-factly.
"Well isn't it just lucky that you happened to marry someone who not only can control the element of Wind, has killer good looks, but can also surf like a pro." Rai gave her a cocky smirk.
"Don't forget your modesty." Kimiko rolled her eyes playfully. Rai laughed as he helped her to her feet.
"Come on! The earlier we start, the faster you learn!" Rai surprised Kim by slinging her onto his back, sending Kimiko erupting into giggles. Together they ran across the beach and into the water, splashing each other madly, not knowing that their time spent on the island would be their last happy moments for a long time.
Meanwhile, back at the temple, Lilia gave herself a pat on the back for a job well done. She and the others had taken it upon themselves to bid the guests farewell on behalf of the bride and groom, and to take down the decorations adorning the temple grounds. Lilia had sent Clay and Emeline to go put away Raimundo and Kimiko's gifts into their new bedroom that Master Fung had prepared for them, seeing as how they were now married, they would be able to share a bedroom. Omi was currently storing the leftover food in the kitchen. Lilia was carrying a glass vase filled with red and white roses and was headed to the meditation chamber when suddenly she felt an extreme burning sensation in her left arm. The vase she was carrying slipped out of her grasp and shattered on the stone path, shards of glass as well as the water and roses flying everywhere. The glass was cutting into her legs, but she barely felt that as she grabbed her arm and sank to her knees in pain.
Omi had just turned the corner and saw his beloved on her knees, crying out in pain.
"Lilia!" Omi cried out, rushing to her side. She looked up and Omi felt a deep pain in his heart to see tears welling in her brilliant green eyes.
"It hurts..." Lilia whispered, conveying through her eyes the pain and desperation she felt.
"We must get you to Master Fung, right away!" Omi helped her up, careful to not touch her arm. He slipped an arm around her waist and led her to the Shen Gong Wu vault, where he knew Master Fung was. As they were nearing the vault, Clay and Emeline showed up.
"Hey Lil, we finished..." Clay's voice trailed off as he took in the scene before him.
"What's wrong?" Emeline's eyes widened in shock as she saw the tears coarsing down Lilia's cheeks. Ever since that one time when Jack Spicer had tried to kiss her, Lilia had made it a point to never cry again. Seeing her cry so freely made Emeline's heart go into triple overdrive.
"Something is wrong with her arm. I don't know what's wrong exactly." Omi gritted his teeth and entered the vault, where Master Fung and the other elder monks were meditating. All it took was one look at all of them for him to know something was wrong.
"What happened?" Master Fung gently lifted Lilia's head so that he could see her face.
"I-I don't know. I was t-taking th-the vase inside when it started to feel like my arm was on fire." Lilia stammered out, the pain still radiating strongly.
"Look!" Clay pointed to Lilia's arm. Omi and Emeline gave a collective gasp while Master Fung started to feel the first stirrings of dread and dispair in his heart. Lilia was not noticing any of this, however, because the already unbearable pain in her arm got even stronger. Lilia screamed in agony as Omi, Clay, Emeline, and Master Fung could only watch as a black Chinese dragon appeared, starting at her wrist and working its way up, twisting itself around her arm.
As the dragon finished forming itself, Lilia gave one last shriek before becoming silent, falling to all fours on the ground. Trying to catch her breath, Lilia examined the dragon on her arm, repulsed and yet intrigued by it at the same time.
"What does this mean?" she asked, managing to stand on her feet with some help from Omi.
"I am not sure. That dragon was not supposed to show itself on any of you for some time. And its not supposed to be black, its supposed to be yellow. When all of you, including Raimundo and Kimiko, are promoted to Grand Master Dragons, a Chinese dragon appears on your left arm. Its color represents your element. The dragon represents your status as full-fledged Xiaolin Warriors. But Lilia, you are nowhere near being promoted, not even Raimundo is close to being promoted. But I feel a very ominous aura surrounding us. With your Shoku warrior away temporarily, you four must take extra precautions with protecting yourselves from the Heylin forces. I will research the ancient scrolls and see if I can come up with an answer for what has happened." Master Fung said solemnly.
As his precious students filed out of the vault, Omi and Lilia clinging to each other tightly, Master Fung waited until he was sure they wouldn't see before letting the true extent of his worry show on his face.
"What are you thinking?" Dojo asked as he slithered onto Master Fung's shoulder.
"I think there is more to this than meets the eye. And I think that we haven't even begun to imagine the worst that could happen. We will need to keep close attention to Lilia, as well as keep an eye out for trouble stirring from the Heylin."
"I just hope the kids will come out alright." Dojo looked fondly where the others had walked off to. And so began the first of their troubles.
Me: Wow this chapter is really short compared to my last one. So the plot finally continues!! I was getting kinda tired of just writing fluff, and i figured my fans were long overdue for some plot bunnies, so i put in that last part way before i was supposed to. honestly, the dragon on her arm wasn't supposed to appear until chapter 10, but i just couldn't wait that long. read and review peeps!!!
