Author's Notes: Sorry it's been so long. School started taking a major priority as projects started to build up, and then there were finals. However, that is all over now and I'm here with a new chapter. I realize it is on the long side. I wanted to make up for my extended absence. But the truer reason is because I've wanted to write this chapter for a long time and I'm really excited about it so it's more involved than the others. More AN are at the end of the chapter regarding it.

Xiaolin Showdown © Christy Hui; Simple Man (cover) © Shinedown

-X-

In the two weeks Omi and I had been reconciled I'd been to the temple at least eight times. Jack was really lenient about me going, which was an obvious surprise. Maybe it was because I came back every time and he was learning he wouldn't lose me. Maybe it was because Jack had been busier than usual lately and decided he could spare my absence. Whatever it was, I was grateful for it.

The past few times I've come I helped Clay with the rebuilding. Sometimes I helped Kimiko clean inside. Today was a leisurely sort of day though. There weren't any pilgrims that needed tending to, and Clay's arthritis was acting up so hard labor was out of the question. He said he developed it in his hands about a year and a half ago. It was crippling, and honestly it got him down. I suppose manipulating solid rock for six years would inevitably cause problems.

With his hands in their custom braces Clay strummed away at his guitar and sang softly.

"Well, Momma told me
When I was young
Said sit beside me, my only son
And listen closely to what I say
And if you do this, it'll help you some sunny day."

Kimiko was kneeling beside a small table and pouring tea.

"Oh, take your time
Don't live too fast
Troubles will come
And they will pass
You'll find a woman
And you'll find love
And don't forget that there is someone up above."

Omi and I were sitting across from each other and I was 'wowing' him with my magic coin tricks.

"And be a simple kind of man
Oh, be something you love and understand
Baby, be a simple kind of man
Oh, won't you do this for me son, if you can?"

My deft and quick moving hands always managed to trick his awe filled eyes and it made me smile. "It is impossible!" he exclaims with wide eyes. "That silver coin cannot possible turn into the smaller copper one. Show me again."

"Forget your lust
For rich man's gold
All that you need now
Is in your soul
And you can do this, oh baby, if you try
All that I want from you my son, is to be satisfied."

"I'd like to Omi, but I lost the quarter." I showed him my empty hands.

"You what?! Well find it Raimundo!"

"And be a simple kind of man
Be something you love and understand
Baby, be a simple kind of man
Won't you do this for me son, if you can?"

I laughed. "Okay Omi, okay. Wait… hold still." I reached behind his ear and pulled out the silver colored coin.

His almond eyes got even bigger and he let out an "Ooooh!" Omi's little fingers snatched the coin from mine and he turned it over examining it.

"Oh, don't you worry
You'll find yourself
Follow your heart
And nothing else
And you can do this, oh baby, if you try
All that I want from you my son, is to be satisfied."

I laughed again. "Maybe I'll teach you how to do that one."

An awkward chord was suddenly struck and Clay hissed loudly. I turned to see him rubbing his left hand and scowling. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, mah dang wrist just spiked is all."

"Here, let me see." Kimiko took his hand in both of hers and massaged the joint. "I told you to take it easy. You know you shouldn't use your hands when they get like this."

"I know, but I can't just sit here and do nuthin'. I get all fidgety."

"I know about that all too well," she said with a smirk.

I heard Omi cough and I side glanced him to see a slight blush creep across his custard colored cheeks. Seeing as how I'm not a total idiot, a sly grin curled on my lips. "Well, I know what you two do on rainy days."

"Raimundo!" Kimiko gasped though she couldn't help the smile and the blush burning on her face.

I gestured to her stomach. "Is that how junior happened?" At first I glanced at Clay but he had his face turned down to be hidden by the brim of his hat, and he was suddenly too involved in tuning his guitar to talk.

"As a matter of fact no," she admitted. "It was sometime in winter, February I suppose. If my math is right that is. Yeah, five months. So anyway, Clay had been working out at the front gate getting the first part of the wall up, despite how awfully cold it was. He was out there for hours. He must have gone out at six in the morning and it wasn't until about four in the afternoon that he came back in." Kimiko started running her fingers through the large mass of black silken strands that was her ponytail. "I was in the grand hall doing some cleaning when he came in. Clay was complaining about being hot, so I told him to take some of his coats off. He must have been wearing, like, five layers."

"It was really cold out," the cowboy randomly mentioned.

"He just stood there staring at me. He was breathing a bit hard too, I though he might have been sick or something. When I walked up to check him he grabs me, just all of the sudden, and hoists me over his shoulder!"

"He did not!"

"Oh, he so did Raimundo. But to honest I'd never been so flattered to be carried barbarian style before. Before I even know what's happening he drops me on the bed and literally rips his clothes off!"

"That's hot."

She flashed her teeth at me and the fire sparked in her eye. "It. Was. Amazing."

"I remember that day. They made quite a bit of noise," Omi said in an accusing tone.

"I couldn't help it! He was a beast! God, it blew my mind. He was just so powerful and gentle, but it was fast and hot and -"

"Kimiko!" I blurted through laughter. "Slow down there wild cat." I looked over at Clay who was absolutely mortified to say the least. The giant looked as if he wanted to crawl under a rock and die. "Clay, man, it sounds like you make your old lady really happy. Good job, bro." A bright red blush burned on his cheeks and even on his ears.

"How are thing with you and Jack?" she asked.

"Good… good. He's been watching me lately though. He's always looking at me in the intense way, like he's really concentrating on something."

"Maybe he's hot for you," she said with a smirk.

"Diga outra vez?!" I squawked unceremoniously.

"I'm almost sure you and Jack have had relations."

I immediately fell silent at her question. I knew I should have expected it. Kimiko had always been very forward, very direct. But when I heard it, I almost couldn't believe she had asked at all. "I… I don't think Clay and Omi want to hear about that," I said warily.

"Oh forget them Raimundo." With her elbows on her knees she leaned forward a bit. "I want to know all about it."

I was silent for a little bit. I'd never thought about how I would say it. I wasn't good at speaking the way I felt, something I often felt was a curse. Finally I took a deep breath and as I spoke I stared at my lap. "I… I don't want to call it relations."

That was the first thing I said.

"The first time Jack and I made love…" I glanced up at Kimiko. Her face had completely softened and I could tell she was listening with genuine interest. "The first time we made love, was two years ago. We had already been living together for a year. Our unspoken declaration of love was at least seven months ago at that point. We were watching…" I trailed off and then shook my head. "No, it's stupid. Forget it."

"Please Raimundo, I want to know." Kimiko insisted. "I only have one image of Jack in my mind. I… I want to know him the way you do. Tell me how he makes you happy. Tell me why you love him, because if you do, he must not be a bad person."

"We were watching Garden State," I finally started again. "I remember thinking it was the best movie I had ever seen. Which is really random, I guess. But, it was one of the first times I'd ever watched television, so it was really cool. I remember the part when they're screaming into the abyss. I got chills. I thought about all the times I wanted to do that, just scream into the void. Scream at life and tell it I wasn't going to take its shit.

"And then, at the end of the movie when Zach Braff comes back and he kisses Natalie Portman, he says 'What do we do now?' And… and I couldn't even count the number of times I had asked myself that same question. What do we do now? I felt connected to the film in this weird way. Jack noticed, I suppose, because he asked me how I was feeling. I told him… I said I wished my life could be like that movie. Because even though the guy's life was pretty fucked up, mine was pretty fucked up too, but… But the guy lived a really simple life too. Even if it wasn't exactly what he wanted, he knew what to expect out of it. In the end, he found this person who was just as fucked up as he was, and he loved her.

"I explained to Jack, though I suppose he already understood it, that the two characters fell in love because they found in each other the thing they had been missing all their lives. They found life in each other. They found life and pain and joy and love and safety."

I stopped for a minute. I tried to swallow my heart as it pounded up into my throat and I blinked back tears. Wait… I'm crying? Why the hell am I crying? "Shit…"

"Raimundo?"

"For a brief moment, Jack looked like he was going to cry. I had managed to make him feel something so powerfully that he almost expressed it physically. He forced it away though and I think I almost felt disappointed. But then, all of the sudden, he was holding me really tight. He held me for a long time, like he didn't want me to disappear or something. Then, for the first time ever, Jack said 'I love you.' What we did next… it was awkward and it was slow, but it was really nice."

Kimiko stared at me with shimmering blue eyes and a soft blush colored her milky cheeks. "That was beautiful Raimundo."

"Nah," I rubbed the back of my neck and laughed nervously. "It was really corny, I know. I bet Jack would freak if he knew I told. Being intimate isn't something he likes to be in public, not romantically anyway. He calls me his husband… but nothing much beyond that."

"Does that mean he's the wife?" Clay asked half joking and half mocking. Kimiko hit him.

"No," I chuckled. "We're just husbands. Jack would rather die than be called the wife, he'd lose his dominancy. Besides… no kids for us right? Thank God."

"Speaking of which, Kimi, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine Clay. You shouldn't worry so much."

Clay rested his hand on her childing middle. "Kimiko, I can't not worry. This is our baby, and you're mah wife. Dang it… if I were ta lose ya -"

"Shh, Clay it's okay. Calm down koishii." Kimiko stroked his cheek and cooed softly to him. "Nothing's going to happen, all right? Everything is going to be just fine. I'll have the baby and he'll grow up to be just as strong and handsome as you."

"What if it's a girl? She'll have her momma's pretty face, and her little china doll hands."

I watched as Kimiko's touch and delicate smile calmed Clay's shaken nerves. I had recently come to find that Kimiko was having trouble with her pregnancy. A few weeks ago she was experiencing both stomach and back pains. She even bled a little bit at one point. They called a physician up from one of the surrounding villages. He said the baby was okay, but Kimiko had to stay as least active as possible. The doctor said that any stress could cause further damage. No one was ever sure exactly why Kimiko was running into problems. At first she suspected that maybe she was too young and her body wasn't ready yet. Another prospect was that she was too tiny to have children. Omi had a theory that involved her element, but he's the only one who really believes it.

"Maybe you should go take a rest, just for a little while," Clay insisted.

"But Clay, I can't just leave Raimundo. He rarely gets to visit and it would be rude to just leave in the middle of one."

"Hey, no sweat menina. I should be going anyway, it's getting late." I thumbed over my shoulder. "I'm sure Jack will have dinner waiting for me and he'll be super pissed if I'm late."

"He cooks?" Clay questioned in a surprised tone.

"Well… no. He actually has the Chef-Bots do that, but he programmed them to know how. The recipes are all his own, he just can't ever get them to come out right… so, I don't know if that counts or not."

"No way, partner. A man ain't a real chef unless he's willin' to burn a steak or two on an open flame."

"He makes the best fillets," Kimiko said. "They will blow your mind."

I laughed. "Maybe you'll have to fry me up one next time I visit."

"Sure thing Raimundo." She flicked her hand in the direction of the door. "Go on now, get home to your hubby."

I gave Kimiko a kiss on the cheek and shook Clay's hand before going outside. Just as I was about to launch myself, I felt a hand grab my side. An inexplicable pain exploded beneath the bandage on my right side, something that happened every time Omi and I came in contact, and so I knew it was him. I gritted my teeth against the wave that was settling over my nerves and I turned to face him. "What's up, little dude?"

Omi folded his hands into his sleeves. It was a habit of his ever since he was a child, something he did when he was thinking hard about one thing or another. "Raimundo, I wanted to tell you… Even though I do not approve of your relationship with Jack Spicer, I am still glad you found somebody who makes you so obviously happy."

"Thanks Omi, that means a lot to me man. And hey, you've grown into a real stud. I bet you'll meet a girl who'll fall head over heals for you. You know," I smirked, "Chicks really dig the Fu Manchu."

"Who is this man named Fu? And what do his shoes have to do with anything?"

I stared at him blankly for a minute. I opened my mouth to explain it to him, but then I decided it didn't really matter. "Forget it Omi." I smiled and patted the top of his head. "Just, take care of your beard okay?"

He nodded and I took off into the air.

I dreamt of home. It was 40 days before Easter, the beginning of Lent. Because my village was Roman Catholic, we followed the rule of abstaining from bodily pleasures during Lent. Of course, more importantly (to me and my siblings anyway), it was time for Carnaval. Carnaval was the festival in which we bid farewell to all the pleasures we would have to give up for the next month. It was hot out. I was so excited because papai had chosen me to perform with him in the parade. The two of us, along with some other men from the village, would dance Copoeira while the women beat their drums and tambourines.

I stood in front of a broken and dirty mirror that was propped up against a fish shack. I beamed proudly at the reflection. Mamã and my sister Raquel had made my costume. It was turquoise blue with gold fringes. The low cut skirt hung down to my knees with three big peacock plumes anchored by mock sapphires hanging in the front. Then there were the wrist cuffs. Next was the v-sash at my neck that hung around my pectorals, a single smaller peacock feather hung from it. Finally there was the 15-feathered headdress that sat like a crown on my head. To complete the ensemble, my body was lightly coated with gold glitter.

I heard my papai call my name. I turned and grinned excitedly at the scene that filled the streets of Rio de Janeiro. Why was it so hot? I ran into the crowded line and took my place next to my papai. A man bellowed from the front line, the music started, and we were off. Our group immediately launched into the routine papai had choreographed for us. There were many cheers and applause coming from the spectator sidelines. People threw rice, kids threw confetti, and lots of girls threw beads. Why is it so damn hot?

As I was back flipping into a Macaco Aú, I glanced up into the sky. I wanted to see of maybe there were any clouds that would grace us with some shade. Instead though, the sunlight caught my gaze. It seemed too bright, like a white flash exploding in my retinas. God, it's so hot. I lost my balance and landed flat on my back.

"O Raimundo, filho levantam-se!" I heard my mamã shout, but all I could do was stare at the purple and neon green spots clouding my vision.

Hot.

"O Raimundo, encantador levanta-se."

So fucking hot.

My mamã leaned over me. "O Raimundo, você necessitam acordar-se agora." Wait, since when did mamã wear black? And since when did she have red hair?

"Rai, wake up sleepy head." Oh, that's why.

"You lazy bag of bones, get up already."

Opening my eyes was harder than it should have been, but I managed. "Jack? Hmm… what time is it?"

"Almost noon. You don't look so good Rai. You look kinda sweaty."

"Jack, I don't… I don't feel good. I'm really, really, muito hot."

He cocked his head to the side. "Hot? Here, let me see." Jack pulled his sleeve up and put his palm to my forehead. "Oh my God! Rai, you're burning up!"

My head was swimming under the influence of heat and a general feeling of not well. Jack tore the covers off the bed and found the bed sheet was soaked with sweat. "I need Med-Bots in here now!" he shouted into the air. "Protocol R-F102!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out some random rubber band and tied his hair back with it. I couldn't help but smile a little. I like it when he wears his hair back. "Jesus, Raimundo, you were fine last night. What happened?"

I shook my head in silence, unable to find my voice.

A Med-Bot came into the room and it hovered to the side of the bed next to Jack. Its chassis opened and presented a tray with medical supplies. The first thing Jack did was give me aspirin, which I had a hard time swallowing. He plunged a cloth into the bucket of ice water and set it to my face. God it felt so good. "You're too hot…" I saw Jack remove his coat and toss it to the floor. I just stared at the garment lying on the carpet. Jack never let his coat touch the ground. I was in shock and Jack could tell. "Forget about it Rai. It'll just get in the way."

Jack hauled me up and braced me against one arm while the other pulled my shirt off. Once he laid me back down he wet the cloth again and wiped my body with it. My eyes fell closed as I gave a sigh of relief. The ice cold liquid felt incredible. "I don't understand what happened," Jack mused to himself. "I knew there was something wrong, but what is it?" His red eyes fell to my waist where he noticed a discoloration on the bandage there.

My eyes shot open when I felt the bandage being peeled away, and panic immediately set it. "Não!" I screamed. I grabbed his hands and forced them away. "Não o toca!"

"Rai, let go. If it's infected I have to treat it, or you might get worse." He tried to fight back, but I wasn't about to let him.

"Nenhum Jack, você não entendem! Eu não o posso deixar olhá-lo! Licença por favor, justa ele só!" I grappled with him for a while. He would rip his hands from my grip and go for the bandage again, but I would just snatch his wrists back up and jerk them away. I was hysterical to say the least. "Por favor Jack, por favor não faz! Eu não o quero ver! Você o odiará! Posso cuidar dele sozinho! Você não pode! Por favor, eu imploro-o! Por favor!"

"Raimundo, stop it!" Jack lunged forward and he pinned my arms against the bed. "So help me God, I will sedate you if I have to! I don't want to, but if you keep this up…"

I fell silent at the obvious physical power Jack had over me. Physical prowess was the one thing I had claim to in our relationship. My lover had the intimacy prowess, the intelligence, the money, the fame, the power, the world in his palm. Strength was supposed to be mine, yet here I was: panting, nauseous and pinned crucifix style beneath him. Then the worst thing that could ever happen, happened.

I started crying.

I swore to myself I would never let Jack see me cry, not like this. This was the type of crying I was most ashamed of. I wept like a child who'd skinned his knees or dropped his ice cream. It was the kind of crying where you sniffle and whimper like a puppy, and you scrub your eyes with the back of your hand. The tears just ran down my cheeks and over my ears. I shut my eyes and tried to force them back, but it was a useless effort. I just cried and cried and cried.

Jack wiped the tears away with his thumb. "Oh, baby, don't cry."

There it was again, that tender motherly air of his, and it just made things worse. I choked on a sob and a pathetic moan escaped me. I screamed at myself to stop this embarrassing display, but I just fucking couldn't. Jack cooed softly in my ear and gently stroked my cheek. He sat on the edge of the bed and picked up my hand. His black painted lips kissed my palm.

"I've never seen you so afraid of anything before Raimundo."

"I… I d-d-don't want yuh-you t-to see it," I stuttered out.

"Raimundo, in the four years you've been living with me, you've never once let me look at that thing. Even when I picked you up from that wasteland of mud and rock you wouldn't let me near it. I've respected your wish for a long time Rai, but I think it's become obvious that whatever this thing is… it has to be taken care of. You can't take care of it anymore. I think it's about time you reveal the secret under that bandage."

"I du-don't want y-you to be s-scu-scared -"

"Scared?"

"Well yuh-yeah…" I took a deep breath to get myself under control. "Cause its g-gross looking. I don't want you t-to be disgusted buh-by me."

"Rai…"

"No, listen to me. You're always t-telling me how handsome I am. When we mu-make love you murmur things, but I c-c-can hear you. I hear all the things you say about me, all these good things, and that's what I have to buh-be. You like nice things. You like things to be perfect, and clean, and flawless." A sob broke through but I took another breath. "I'm not very smuh-smart, and I'm not very poised, and I'm not good with words, but I can be the prize everyone else is jealous of. But… if-f-f you take off that bandage, and yuh-you see what's there… suddenly I w-won't be your prized possession anymore."

Jack stared at me like he couldn't believe I had just said any of that. I suppose he never realized how much I lacked confidence, and how much value I placed in his opinion of me. He just sat there slack-jawed and his eyes widened a bit. Jack licked his lips and made a sound like he would say something, but I don't think he knew what to say, because he didn't say anything.

"All my life Jack, I had to bust my ass to be good enough. If I had to live in the favelas, than I was gonna make damn sure I would be somebody in that jungle ghetto. If I was going to be a Dragon, then I was gonna be the best, but I wasn't. I was at this huge disadvantage, and I fell behind. If I was going to be Shoku, then I was gonna be the best at that too, but I fucked it up. Jack, if I'm going to be your husband… I have got to be everything you want me to be. I have to be exactly what you want, because if I'm not… then… then you aren't going to want me anymore."

"Rai, when have I ever said that?"

"Never, but that's how things work, isn't it? I mean, nobody wants something that isn't good enough."

"Rai… you aren't a toy that I'm going to get bored with and throw away. I love you!"

He said it so sincerely.

"You are a person, Raimundo. You're a person whom I hold in very high regards, you need to know that. I had no idea you tried so hard to impress me. I mean, hell, I've always been impressed by you. I remember when we were fourteen, and all you had to do was stand with this smug affect on your face, even if you had lost to somebody, and I thought: Damn, he's so cool." Jack brushed away some hairs that were sticking to my feverishly wet skin. "Don't worry about being good enough for me. I bet if you asked anybody else, they would say you were too good for me. Now… I'm going to take the bandage off, and I don't want you to fight me. Understand?"

I took a deep breath and nodded. I felt the tape being peeled away. I closed my eyes. Ah, the gauze the coming off! Think about something else. If you think about something else you won't notice. What is there to think about? Crap… crap! Is that his hand? Is he holding me down? Did I fidget? I don't remember fidgeting. Oh God, can he feel my heart beating? It hurts its beating so fast. Ow, stop it, slow down! Will I have heart attack? No, the aspirin is supposed to prevent that. What is it, like, one out of every three heart attacks? What if I have more than one? Sure it will prevent the first one, but what about the second one? Can that happen? Consecutive heart attacks? No. Maybe. What's the statistics on that? I'll ask Jack later, he's good at math. My foot itches. That was random, why am I thinking about my foot?

"Will it hurt?" His question breaks my train of obscure thought.

"What?"

"If I touch it, will it hurt?"

Is he serious? Jack won't even touch dirty dishes. He wants to touch it? "Um… no, I don't think it will. Maybe kinda sore…" I feel his fingers on me. I gasp, but not because it hurts. His touch is so gentle, so much more than I thought he was capable of. I start to cry again.

What must he think?

The wound is old. It never heals. Four years have passed and everyday I clean and dress the spot on my side. I've kept it hidden for so long. I thought it would be a secret I carried to the grave, but not anymore. It's kind of big, the size of my palm. It is exposed tissue and soft flesh. The ring of unmarred skin around the wound is bruised in shades of purple and black. His fingertip touches it ever so slightly and it oozes pus of contact. I expect him to grimace and pull back. Instead he tenderly tries to wipe the substance away, but there is just more. I wince as the wound becomes irritated, and then it starts to bleed. It stings.

"Dashi had a hard time getting in, huh?" I can't manage to move, my nerves constricted by pain. He sees the answer in my eyes though. He understands. "I noticed something was wrong. Something about you has been different lately. The way you walked and the way your hands moved looked like your body was having a hard time doing it the right way. The wound is reacting to something… a stimulus that wasn't there before."

Jack's red eyes stare powerfully into mine. He won't tell me, because he wants me to figure it out. He's looking at me as if I should already know the answer. And I do.

"Omi," I say in a strained voice.

He nods. "You're in contact with him more often now. Dashi's spirit is reacting to its original host. It can't go back, but it wants to." He cradles my face in his hands. "And you're having to pay for it." Jack's voice is slightly bitter, almost angry. He is angry. One of the Xiaolin monks he's despised for so long, despised the most, is causing me pain. Indirectly of course, but that doesn't matter to my lover.

I expect him to rant and to lecture. I expect him to tell me he was right and that I can't go to the temple anymore because it won't end well for me, but he says nothing. Jack takes another long look at the wound. His hand returns to my chest which he rubs gently, tenderly, lovingly.

"Don't worry Rai," he tells me. "I'll take care of it."

-X-

Author's Notes: Sorry if some found some parts tedious and unnecessary. Like maybe the song, but I've been waiting to use it since I started writing this story. I've always loved the song and I really wanted to use it in one of my works for a long time, and this just seemed like a good time.

Another one may have been the Carnaval sequence. This festival is one of my passions. I can't even begin to describe how in love with it I am. I'll admit right here and now that I'm one of those authors who will write in scenes for their own enjoyment. This is one of them. There's a whole system behind Carnaval. Costume, song, and dance are unique and symbolic for each village and samba school that enters the parade. I would have gone deeper, but I knew that would just be too much for you guys. Don't get too worked up. Long-ass chapters like this one aren't something you need to fear from me. They are very rare and only happen when I get super passionate about the theme.