Author's Notes: Ahh! I know, it's been forever since I did anything with this story. I'm sorry. Please don't hate me. I had a lot of deviantArt stuff to take care of, then I got caught up in the Code Lyoko project, and I finally got a job working at Toys R Us so my free time has been stretched really thin. Good glory I hope this chapter doesn't suck. I read it and edited it about 3 times so hopefully it turned out good. Feedback is always welcome. Good or bad. Good reviews make me happy, bad reviews help me improve which is most important. Um, I'm gonna try really hard to get the next chapter up sooner, but I'm not going to make any promises because college starts again in a week, so... yeah. Enjoy.

-X-

I sat in the parlor among all the Persian rugs and pillows that were strewn across the floor. Five orange glowing lanterns hung from the ceiling, and an old phonograph sat proudly on a table against a wall. I was playing with the tassels on one of the pillows. Loud music vibrated through the entire house. I could hear the words clearly. It was a Stabbing Westward song called So Wrong.

"A candle burns here in your honor

My soul, a shrine I've built for you

I've got nothing left inside me

There's nothing left inside but you"

Jack liked to listen to the heavy alternative and metal while he worked, or during his "Jack Time." Right now it was "Jack Time." When we went out driving or if we went to clubs he always insisted on Trance and Euro-Techno. He's partial to t.A.T.u. Me, I'm still stuck in my Brazilian roots. Sergio Mendes, CPM 22, Raimundos, Elza Soares, and Chico Science, these were the artists I listened to.

"It's so wrong that I need you

It's so wrong that I need abuse

It's so wrong that I need you

So wrong that I'm scared I'll die alone"

Suddenly the music turned off. It was another minute or two before Jack actually made it downstairs to the parlor. "Raaaii…" he called out. My body went forward as he leaned against my back. "Rai," he whined, "I feel needy." His body reeked of a familiar stench as chemicals festered beneath his skin.

I sighed. "Jack, not again. You've been clean for three months. I thought you were going to quit this time."

"I was communicating with God."

"God? With crystal meth? And since when do you believe in God?"

"I've always believed in God. Just in case He really does exist. I'll be damned if I'll be damned to Hell because I didn't give Him the time of day."

I stared at my green sweatpants. "You don't practice very much."

"I do enough to stay on His good side." Jack fingered the fabric of my black tank. "You believe in God don't you Rai? I mean, practically your whole country is Catholic."

"Sure, I guess I do. It just gets hard sometimes."

"I'm tired of this. Come on Rai. I feel needy."

"Quit it Jack."

"Rai…" he whined again.

"Put your dick back on Jack. You sound like a woman."

He pulled back. "Well at least I'm not the one acting like a bitch!"

I turned around and looked at him. Jack was as pale as ever. He didn't wear his goggles much anymore. I know Jack just doesn't seem like Jack without his goggles, but now that his hair was longer, they didn't really fit. Yeah, Jack grew his hair out. It hangs down to his waist and his bangs are just long enough to match the length of his face. His right eye glared at me as the left side of his face was hidden by bangs. Jack still wore eyeliner; the stripe was just on the other eye now. And his upper lip was inked with black lipstick.

I was used to Jack scowling at me. It was the same expression he had at every showdown. I was silent for a minute. I knew Jack was waiting for an apology. "I'm sorry," I finally said. "I'm just not in the mood today."

"You have been sour all day."

"Jack, you know what today is."

"Oh Rai! When will you learn to let it go?"

"It's been four years Jack, and I still remember it like yesterday. There's no chance I'll just 'let it go.'"

I glanced down at the floor. "I want to go see them."

"I want a kitten."

My gaze shot back at him. I was completely dumbfounded by his statement. "What?"

"You heard me. I want a kitten."

"Jack, that doesn't even make sense."

"Exactly."

"That's not fair, Jack. They're my friends. I miss them."

"How do you know they miss you?" he asked jealously.

I didn't have an answer to that.

"You don't need them Rai. You have me, and I love you."

I looked down at the floor again. "Why do you love me?" I asked as I gave him a quick glance.

Jack smiled like a demented overbearing mother does when her tormented son asks her why she loves him. "We're star crossed lovers, Raimundo." He reached out and pulled me close. My cheek pressed against his shirt which was an unrealistic blend of black leather and cotton. To this day I don't know how he manufactured it. "Just as Wuya and Dashi were destined to be together, so are we."

"Is that the only reason you love me? Because their spi –"

"Rai, don't ask stupid questions."

I nodded. I lifted my hands, one rested on his bare shoulder, and the other touched the turtleneck of his shirt. "I love you too."

"I know Rai, I know. Hey, I know what'll cheer you up!" Jack stood and walked to the far wall. His coat flew out behind him slightly as he walked. It was a heavily woven cotton thing, patterned with thick alternating black and red stripes. The sleeves, which extended the length of knees, swayed back and forth as he moved his arms. One of his black nail polished hands emerged from the depths of its sleeve and turned the crank on the phonograph. Seconds later, Johan Strauss's famous Blue Danube Waltz started to play out of the antique music machine.

He moved in small steps across the floor, his black pants making a small shuffling noise. Jack wore black pants with brown shoes. I guess he's just that evil. He then turned to look in my direction.

"Come dance with me Rai."

I stood up and joined him. We took the appropriate position and began to waltz around the room somehow avoiding all the pillows in our path. I had learned a lot about Jack in the past four years, one being that he actually did enjoy the finer classier things in life. He liked romantic period art. He liked poetry, particularly the work of one American poet Jack Spicer, whom he was named after. He liked classical music like Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven, and Strauss. He also enjoyed opera, especially Carmen.

Jack didn't mind being rich. It got him the things he wanted. Money bought him the Victorian furniture that decorated his house. Money bought him the ivory lion footed bathtub we liked to take baths in. Money bought him the black oak wood four post bed we slept in. Money bought him the parts he needed to build his machines. Money made him well known in the community… or at least what's left of it.

But despite all the things he fancied, and how money could get him those things, he told me time and time again: All he really needed was me.

I looked down at my hand on his hip. I wasn't really thinking about anything. I just danced with him, turning and stepping across the floor. My hand moved and the tips of my fingers stroked his exposed belly. His black painted lips pulled into a smile. My thumbnail absently tapped at his black line titanium curved naval ring. I heard Jack inhale briefly through his mouth, like he was going to say something, but he didn't. I felt my neck grow hot and my cheeks got sore. I leaned my head on his shoulder and I started to cry.

Jack stroked my hair. "Okay Rai. We'll go."

-x-

At the Xiaolin temple, bitter smelling incense burned on a cracked altar. A familiar small yellow body sat on a straw mat chanting quietly. Omi had taken up meditation and it was something he did frequently. Of course, with the world out of balance and society in shambles, there wasn't much else for a monk to do except meditate. A long shadow cast over the floor.

A young, slender woman stood at the threshold. She bowed and then entered the room, her black shoes stepping deftly across the floor. "Omi," she said standing behind the small monk, "Omi, it's such a beautiful day out. Clay and I were going to trim the tallow trees and weed out the Trumpet flower garden. Why don't you join us?"

"Today is not a good day," he replied.

"Omi, I hate seeing you this way. Please, come outside with us. We worry about you when you're alone," she begged.

"You know what today is, fūren Bailey, and so you know today is not a good day." He didn't even lift his head to speak to her. "Four years ago today I lost my friend, I lost my Master, and I lost my destiny."

"He was our friend too Omi, and our Master!"

"Were you betrayed!" he snapped. "Did you have the one thing that was most important to you snatched away? Were you taken advantage of when you were weak?"

"He didn't betray you Omi. He never meant to hurt you. He would never want to hurt you, but fate just didn't go the way we all hoped. Can't you understand that Omi?"

"Cuò, fūren Bailey, I am afraid it is you who does not understand."

"Omi, onegaishi masu, call me Kimiko… like you used to," she pleaded with a weak smile.

"I cannot. You were a bride. You are now the lady of the Bailey house, and I must address you as such. It is only proper."

"But Omi, we're so much closer than that. You're allowed to -"

"Someone is here."

She was silent for a moment, looking down at the monk. Finally she spoke. "I'll go greet them." She bowed and left the meditation room.

I walked along the stone laid path and I stopped at the gate. The temple gates were old and damaged, one of them hanging off its hinges. The temple looked so aged and broken, more than it should have been. However, that was to be expected. My heart sank at the sight of my once home. I felt guilty for leaving, but it wasn't entirely my fault. But still, I felt like I should have been here. I should have been here to help rebuild, to restore the temple to its former glory and beauty. "Aposto odeiam-me. Fui longe demais longo." I ran my hand along the plastered walls.

Then I heard a noise.

It was the faint sound of a bell jingling. I stopped to listen and noticed that the sound was becoming louder, the source obviously getting closer. I looked up the path to see who was coming. Then I saw her.

"Hello, and welcome to the Xiaolin Temple. Have you come for prayer or sanctuary?" She came out wearing a dark pink, almost red cheongsam with matching gloves. Her raven hair was long now, even pulled up in the high ponytail it was waist length and curled at the end. Her bangs were long and side-parted over the left side of her face, the tip all the way down at her collarbone with a curl. It reminded me of something French women did with their hair in movies. She wore hanging pendant earrings in both ears; the right was pierced twice at the top, and her face was painted with the same color as her dress.

"You're even more beautiful than I remember, Kimiko," I said with a smile.

Her blue eyes brightened at the sound of my voice. She looked up at me, her face stoned over in disbelief. "Raimundo!" She ran to me and leapt into my arms. I caught her and hugged her tight. When she ran I noticed the tiny bell that was tied around her thigh, the source of the little jingle I heard. "Oh my God! Is it really you?"

"Well sure it's me."

"Look at you. You don't look a day older."

"Yeah I do, and so do you. I still remember you as the little thirteen year old ball of fire putting us all in our place. Now look at you, you're a full figured woman." I put her down on the ground, but I still held on. "Suddenly I remember why I had a crush on you, why we ALL had a crush on you. You were something fancy to look at; even Omi was taken by your Eastern beauty." Little tears started forming in the corners of her eyes. "Kimiko, what's wrong?"

"Why did you leave? Where did you go?"

"I don't know Kimiko. Things got hard. In that instant, everything just changed. I abandoned by duties as Shoku, I know… but I didn't know what else to do. I- I won't ask you to understand. I don't expect you to forgive me…"

"No one holds it against you Raimundo. We're all just so happy you're back. Well… I'm sure the others will be once they see you. Hey, where did you get this?" She rubbed the black tattoo around my upper right arm.

"Just something I got to remind myself of Brazil."

"Is that where you've been?"

"So what's new around here?" I asked. I knew it was obvious I was avoiding the subject, but she let it slide.

"We've altered the temple a bit, we serve the public now. People can come and go as they please. Some come to pray and leave offerings, and some are travelers who come to stay the night. We give sanctuary to anybody who needs it. People need comfort these days with the way things are, you know." I merely nodded. "Omi is the head monk now. He meditates a lot and offers guidance to visitors."

"How's Clay doing?" I asked.

Since fate likes to play the coincidence game, Clay appeared just as I mentioned him. Sometimes fate is funny that way I guess. "Kimi, Omi said you were helping a visitor, anything I can -" The cowboy stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me.

"Clay, Clay look who's back!"

I actually grew a little startled as he got closer. Clay had grown in the last four years, and I mean a lot. The guy must have been seven feet tall or pretty damn close, and he was broadly shaped with massive shoulders and bulking arms and legs. I guess they really do grow them big in Texas. He had traded out his blue shirt for a green one and abandoned the red bandana, but everything else was the same. His hair was little longer in the back, but not by much, and his cheek bones were a lot more defined. "Hey there, Clay, what's up?"

"Well, ain't you a sight for sore eyes Raimundo," he said with a grin and lifted the brim of his hat up so he could see me better. "At least now we know yer not dead."

"Oh, Clay, stop." Kimiko hit him lightly. "He's only kidding Raimundo. We always knew you would come back one day." She gasped. "Great news, Clay and I are married now!" she exclaimed with a big smile.

Now it was my turn to stand and stare in awe. I never expected any of us to ever actually rope Kimiko in, and who would have thought Clay of all people would have been the one to do it.

"Congratulations," I finally managed to say. "When did it happen?"

"About a year ago," Kimiko answered. "He proposed under the willow. You know the one, on the western side of the temple. Omi married us in the grand hall the next day."

"I couldn't give her a ring. So I gave her that there little bell instead. That way, I always know where she is." Clay pulled Kimiko close. It was a sight seeing the large man next to his tiny wife. He had to lift her up off the ground to give her a kiss. "I didn't wanna risk losin' my bride. We'd lost too many people we cared about already."

He looked at me with hard, sad eyes. I just nodded. "Well, I know Clay's twenty-two now, but Kimiko you're only nineteen. Girls your age don't get married anymore." I laughed. "When did you become an old woman? Next you'll be telling me you have kids."

She patted her front with a smile. "Three months."

The cheerful expression vanished from my face and became a blank stare. At first I thought I didn't hear her right. I thought maybe she was joking, but looking at her, I saw she was telling the truth. I could see the slight swelling of her belly beneath her dress. I looked at her with such sad eyes, I'm sure I almost pitied her, though, I don't know why. "But… Kimiko, you're still so young…"

She continued to smile and shook her head. "I'm so happy Raimundo. I'm married now, and I'm proud to be carrying Clay's baby. Yes, were young, but you can't wait on these things. Not anymore Raimundo. We haven't seen or heard from our families. We don't even know if they're alive. We don't know what's left of the population, everything is so messed up. Clay, Omi, and I have been doing everything we can to help the people in the present, but… I think it's also time to start thinking about the future too." Both her hands rested on her belly. "Our baby could be the start of a new a better future."

I grinned slightly. Damn, when did she become so wise? "That's something I would expect Master Feng to say." I shrugged. "But hey, you guys are my friends. If you're happy, then I am too."

"Thanks Raimundo, that means a lot partner."

"So Raimundo, do you have someone special you want to tell us about?" Kimiko asked me with a feline grin on her face.

Remember when I said how fate likes to play the coincidence game?

"Raaaiii…!"

I winced. My stomach turned in knots. I hoped they wouldn't recognize his voice, but I was kidding myself. How could they not know the voice of our sworn enemy, Jack Spicer? They had heard his voice a thousand times. Countless verbal bashings and threats during showdowns, pitiful pleas and begging whines when he showed up at the temple seeking companionship, of course they would remember his voice.

Jack came stumbling through the brush. He grunted every now and then as he pushed a branch out of the way. "Rai, how long were you going to leave me out there? I can only wait so long before I get bored."

"Jack, I told you I would come and get you when I was ready."

"Well you're taking too long! It's not like we're strangers. Your friends know who I am."

"Raimundo?" Clay looked at me with one eyebrow raised.

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Look, I was gonna tell you. I just didn't know how." The more nervous I got, the thicker my Brazilian accent became and I knew I was hard to understand. "There's so much history, y'know? I didn't want you guys flying off the handle or something." Clay and Kimiko just stared at me, waiting for me to say it. Jack wasn't helping just standing there and grinning his 'evil boy genius' smile. I started to lose it. "Contei-me eu ia ser diretamente com você rapazes. Tinha nunca um ano ter medo de algo. Por que começa agora correto? As coisas estão diferentes agora, direito? Nós não somos crianças mais. Acabo de ser capaz de dizê-lo. Mas... mas eu justo- eu não posso parecer a- siento-me doente..."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Oh, for the love of…" He grabbed the back of my head and pulled me into a kiss. It wasn't one of those everyday kisses either; it was the kind of kiss you use to make your ex jealous. Obviously Jack was making a statement, and I didn't appreciate it.

I heard Kimiko make a little shocked sound, and Clay mumbled something in the same fashion. When Jack did finally let me go, he looked at my friends, grinned, and draped his arms over my shoulders.

"So… I guess that's it then," I said.

"Wow, Raimundo, partner -"

Before Clay could really even start his sentence, a third and final familiar voice cut in. "So, you are a traitor then."

He came through the gates. His black eyes were glaring coldly at me. He hadn't changed a bit, albeit the fine black beard which framed his lips. "Omi, no… let me explain."

"You are a backjabber," he said in his harshest tone and pointed a finger at me.

Under any other circumstances I would have laughed at his misuse of slang. I would have found a nostalgic joy in his words and corrected him with a friendly pat on the back. But not today, because even though the word he used wasn't real, his feelings were very real.

"You mean backstabber," Jack said snidely.

"Shut up, Jack," I hissed. "Omi, you're my best friend. Melhor amigo, remember? I didn't come here to start any fights. I came because I missed you guys. I wanted to come home."

"This is no longer your home, Raimundo. We are no longer your family. You betrayed us. You betrayed me! You took what was mine!"

I touched my right side. "That wasn't my decision Omi. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. How many times do I have to apologize before you tell me you don't hate me anymore? Siento muito. Siento muito. Minha culpa... você não entende como culpado siento-me. Siento muito. Estou tão pesaroso!"

"You should have been here, Raimundo, instead of running and hiding with that no-good Jack Spicer. I would not have run. I would have been a man. I would have proven myself a worthy Shoku and -"

" 'I I I I I.' Jeez, you're just as full of yourself as ever aren't you, Opi?" Jack said with an annoyed scowl.

It grew silent. Omi's gaze shifted from me to Jack. I saw something change in his face, but I couldn't quite tell what it was. Suddenly, Jack cried out in pain. My eyes snapped back at him as he slid to the ground. He wrapped his arms around himself, clutching desperately to his body. He continued to yelp and cry.

"Jack! Jack what's wrong!"

"Omi!" Clay bellowed. "Omi stop it!"

I looked back and forth from Jack to Omi. I didn't understand what was happening.

"What the hell are you doing to me you little runt!" Jack said through clenched teeth.

"The human body is made of 80 percent water. Many of our problems started with you, Jack Spicer. In fact, none of this would have happened if you had never let the Heylin witch Wuya out of her puzzle box. I'm stronger now. I could rip the water right out from under your flesh, Jack Spicer."

"Omi, no!" Kimiko cried, almost to the point of tears. Clay grunted with his fists clenched. They both wanted to help, but when it came to physical human attacks, there was little they could do.

"I'm stronger too, Omi." I waved my hand and then Omi gasped. "I can create a vacuum around you. I could suffocate you, but I don't want to. You're my melhor amigo Omi, but I really do love Jack. I can't let you hurt him. I won't let you kill him."

Clay and Kimiko didn't say anything. They didn't try to stop me like they did Omi. I guess they knew my real plan. That actually made me feel better. It proved they still knew me. I never really planned to kill Omi. I would just minimize the oxygen supply until he was too tired to use his powers anymore. It worked. Omi sighed heavily and held his head.

The next second Jack stood up and grabbed my hand. "C'mon Rai, we're getting the hell out of here."

"Jack, stop, I want to stay."

"Forget it Rai, they're crazy. I told you it was a bad idea to come."

"But Jack, we haven't even been here that long. We just need time. Give them another chance. If I leave now, how can I expect one from them?"

"Don't you get it Raimundo?" Jack rarely ever used my full first name. He only said it when he was angry at me, or when he was being really serious about something. "They attacked us! I know you said you missed them, and I agreed to let you come so that maybe you would be happy again, but it's like I said: They didn't miss you."

"You don't know that Jack! You weren't here when Kimik -"

"Who cares Raimundo? There's no point. The world is fucked anyway. There's nothing the 'Xiaolin Dragons' can do for humanity anymore! I know it. You know. They know it. Now we're going home!" Jack pulled on me as he started walking back into the brush where one of his flying vehicles was parked. I tried to fight him, but I couldn't because part of me knew he was right.

I looked back at the gates. I could see faint crystal tears falling over Kimiko's face. I saw the desperateness in Clay's eyes from under the brim of his hat. I even saw the hint of regret that made up the dark circles under Omi's eyes. I watched their figures grow smaller until they were consumed by the sight of green brush and thorny vines.

-X-

Yeah, this website sucks. I just spent the last... I dunno... hour trying to get these links to work. But I keep coming up with jack shit. Even saving this document as an html file doesn't work. So... if you're still interested, you can at least follow the deviantArt link from my profile and seek the art out that way. They're the ones that look like little squares and say "FULL VIEW PLEASE" on them.