NOT Harry Potter at all, but I thought this one should get a vote in too.

shen-gong-wu

Characters:

Omi – bald boy – wind

Raimundo – brown haired menace – water

Clay – cowboy – earth

Kimiko – little Miss Kick-Butt – fire

Jack Spicer – "bad guy"

Wuya – psycho ghost/woman

Chase – Dragon-shifter with a need to rape the unwilling

Shen Gong Wu

Raimundo rubbed a hand down his face. This place was driving him nuts. The others had already reported to have gotten out, but he was looking for something else, something that had bothered him since the last time Jack Spicer had fought them for the enchanted Xaolin artifacts called shen-gong-wu. The red-eyed boy had gone through the motions of fighting, of trying to defeat them and doing his usual monologue about how he was the best . . . but it hadn't rang true. Even Omi, little ball of innocent naivety, caught on.

Rai, buddy, ain't it 'bout time ya done got out?

Raimundo turned the radio down but responded with a whisper. "Something isn't right, Clay. I'll be there when I can, but this is wrong . . ."

You felt that, too?

Rai felt his face heat up. He might not be the most thoughtful or caring person, but he didn't do most of it deliberately. He knew when something was wrong, thank you very much. "I'm not that bad, guys. Just a little like Omi at times: unaware."

Ya can say that again.

Uh, huh.

What was it about Omi? This Omi do not know.

Ignoring the others, he turned the radio all but off, the tiny voices being lost to the silence of the tunnel he was scrapping through. What he wouldn't give for the Orb right about now to wash out the stench of blood . . . Blood? The hell?

Rai was around the corner and looking down into a well lit pit the would make any within blind to anyone at the top but afforded him an unblocked view below. Bile curdled at the back of his throat and his mind blanked in horror.

Jack was bared to the world, his head hung low and his hair sticky with his own blood. The white make-up was gone, but he was still incredibly pale, not one tan line to break the porcelain cream skin. His chest rested on a dull gray slab of stone that matched the room, making it nearly invisible if one hadn't really looked. Over him stood an equally naked, but far from alluring Chase. He was transformed, his scales gleaming in the lights and his limp organ glossy with spent seed. Though Raimundo couldn't see, exactly, from where he stood, he was sure that Jack had been . . . had been—His mind refused to finish that sentence, as if by thinking it would make it more real. He couldn't handle more real than what he was seeing.

"Ah, my pet, with the Geisha Sword and Shield, you shall bear me heirs of great power. And with the Geisha Seed, more than one this time," Chase purred arrogantly to all and sundry. He patted a flinching Jack on the head as one would a dog and left smirking as he let his human form reveal itself. "Do not worry, I only want a few. After that, you shall be released from my service, if a little more permanently that you might wish."

The bone chilling cackle that followed had Rai shivering in disgust. He had seen what he might have called beasts and monsters, but Chase Young was far too much a monster in his own right to allow Raimundo to call any enemy such now. Chase grabbed up a robe and sauntered out the door, a metallic echo signaling the lock being turned into place. The lights were dropped down and Rai was half glad he was unable to see anything but worried about how he was going to find Jack. His silent inquiry was answered minutes later by a stray beam of light that filtered in from the cavern ceiling and down into Jack's holding cell where he was still crouched forwards over the stone slab.

Rai couldn't figure out why until the chains clanked, the same dull gray of the rock, and Jack finally moved to crawl away from the stone. His breathing was becoming ragged and harsh as he let out muffled sobs that made Rai's heart ache at the sound. Not even a great enemy should be treated like this, much less an ally to your own side.

With silent sure steps, Raimundo was down inside the pit and making his way through the shadows to Jack. "Jack," he whispered almost in the pale boy's ear. The red-haired genius jumped like a scalded cat and whimpered softly. Rai stepped from the deepest shadow and held out his hands. "Come on, Spice-buddy, it's me, Raimundo. Let's get you out of here, 'kay?"

Jack sobbed hard and nodded his head. "Please . . . please, Rai. I want to leave," he rasped in an over-used voice as he swallowed convulsively. Rai had to swallow too to keep from crying out at the injustice of it all. Jack Spicer might be a brat and an annoyance but this was far too low for him to fall.

"Yeah, buddy, you're gonna come with me," Rai said quietly. He slipped out of his Gi and draped the too big top around Jack's shoulders. With his tongue to the side, Rai managed to pick the locks on the shackles with the pen in his pocket and a hairpin Kimiko had forced on him earlier in her rush. When it came time for Jack to stand, Rai knew he wouldn't be able to. As soon as the red-haired boy got farther than his knees, he shook with the effort of balancing upright and trying to walk.

Raimundo sighed and scooped the smaller boy up. He had been surprised that he, Rai, had been so much bigger than Spicer. But then again, Jack was from a very short to average family while Rai had very tall relatives that towered over six feet. And Jack was so delicate . . . His shoulders and hips were of a similar width making him much more feminine than Raimundo had thought possible. But, it wasn't only that. The black around his eyes, which should have been running like ink blots down his cheeks, enhanced his femininely beautiful face.

Rai ignored the puzzle of the no-run makeup and covered as much of the other boy up as he was currently capable with the Gi before tying it into place one-handed. Loose but it would do. It was past time to leave this hell-spawned dungeon. Shifting the light bundle to the side as he cradled the limp form of Jack, Rai managed to crawl back up the steep incline with the one hand and great use of his other elbow. Blood ran down his arm and he knew Chase would be able to scent him through that, but right now didn't seem to be the time to mop up the mess. Pushing Jack over the lip of the ledge, Raimundo shuffled up into the tiny balcony-like precipice he had previously been watching from.

"Come on, buddy, we're almost out of here now. The hard part is over," Rai murmured to the shivering form that looked way too small to be his enemy of not even half an hour ago. He held Jack to his chest, hand under his upper back, other under his thighs, grimacing when his arm slipped into what he suspected to be blood. They both were so going to be bathing when Dojo got them back to the shrine.

Twenty minutes later he was walking into the light of late day, early evening. Kimiko called out to him before a gasp was heard, and then another from the ever spastic Omi. Clay's face had paled to a shade or so darker than Jack's own complexion before hard color rose in his cheeks.

"Dojo, get us to that temple," the tall Texan boy ordered.

"Who are you to—to . . . Oh, mah gosh!" Dojo spun quickly into his larger form, the dragon stretched out and ready to go in seconds. "Hop on and hold tight. We're moving at high speed, kids."

Kimiko and Omi were on first, then Raimundo with Jack still cradled to his body, Clay pushing him up onto the dragon when he couldn't seem to get Jack to let go. Clay was behind them all and close to Rai just in case as Dojo took off at speeds previously thought impossible to the dragon.

"Sensei isn't here!" Kimiko cried out as they came to a stop. "He's off visiting the monks at the Tonbo Monastery."

Clay slid off Dojo and watched as Raimundo did the same with Jack in his arms. "Yeah, but he's supposed to be back within the week. I think we can handle that for now. We need to get to work on our spirit animals anyway." Clay stretched up and seemingly ignored the furious screech of the only girl. Omi only nodded and followed.

"Yes, yes, the ancient Native American Indians were quite well versed in finding their spiritual guides. Sensei would be pleased if we were to achieve a greater understanding of who and what we are through our newest exercise."

Rai gave Clay a nod of thanks as he slipped into the bathing house without a word. Checking for towels and sensitive soaps, Raimundo tried to set a thoroughly embarrassed red-headed boy on the in-ground tub's edge. While being mostly asleep, Jack refused to be without his security blanket – namely one Raimundo.

"Jack," Rai said softly since his voice seemed to startle the drowsing boy. "Jack, we've got to get you clean, buddy. Come on, let me run the water and then it'll be you getting a good wash to get all that dirt and stuff off, 'kay?"

Jack gave a bleary glare that fell flat as his eyes drooped. "No . . . leave."

"You want me to leave?" Rai questioned bemused. Jack shook his head in what Rai assumed was a negative gesture so he pondered the words. "Do you want me to stay?"

The instant bobbing in affirmative had Rai stifling a chuckle. Even beaten, hurt, and barely able to stay awake, Jack was still making demands. "Alright, I'll stay. And then, when you're clean, how about a long nap?" Jack just kind of lolled about in Rai's arms causing he brown haired boy to grin softly. "Okay, I'm putting you down now, so don't worry. I'm not leaving."

The next ten minutes it took to fill the giant whirlpool style tub, gather soaps, towels and a change of clothes each, and getting Jack to finally release the Gi top, Rai was exhausted. He could probably do with a good nap, most likely with Jack cuddling up with him in his room since the boy genius seemed attached to him now. Not that he would complain . . . it was just weird if he stopped to think about it.

Rai stripped to his boxers and inched into the warm-almost-hot water with a sigh. Turning back, he noticed that Jack had finally heralded the call to sleep and was out cold. Trying not to startle the other youth into wakefulness, the brunet gently lowered the abused body into the waters with him, cradling the dead weight in his lap. The first thing he was going to do was wash out that hair and restore it to its crimson color. So thinking, he grabbed a bottle of baby shampoo that Kimiko used and squirted a large dollop onto Jack's sagging locks.

"Ew, I'm not sure what you went through, but that is one nasty bump, Spice-buddy," Rai commented as he ran his fingers through the dried blood and caked hair until it softened with the water and soap. Rinsing said hair was harder than he had thought since getting water in his face might make him panic and he had no cup to scoop out water. Raimundo was this close to smacking himself in the face for forgetting something like that. "Now what do I do?"

"Use the rag, Rai," Clay helped, the taller Texan boy standing right inside the door but no closer. Raimundo gave a glare worthy of the deepest and hottest fires but the blond ignored it. "I have no intention of doin' anythin', just makin' sure you didn't need help. Medical supplies are in yer room, along with a few filched clothes closer to his size. If I didn't know any better, though, I would say that Jack there has become a lot smaller since we last fought. It ain't right, and somethin' is wrong about the entire thang." Clay sighed and pushed his cowboy hat up. "Be careful, a'ight? And see if yer spirit animal can help. Mine's a chatterbox of the worst kind but very bright and worried about somethin' concernin' Jack."

Raimundo hadn't known that Clay had gotten to his spirit animal . . . But then again, while he and the Texan were close friends, they didn't tell each other everything as it happened. Usually. Sometimes. Hell, Clay must have just gotten his own spirit animal if he was talking about the dang thing.

"Fine, I will. And," Rai said as the other boy was leaving, "thanks. I was wondering how I was going to fix that."

"No problem, bud. Just get him healed up, a'ight?"

Rai just waved his free hand and picked up one of the rags by the edge. When the screen was closed with soft snap, Raimundo had the hair of his once enemy cleaned out and rinsed. The resulting blood stained water was sucked up by the handy little vacuum the sensei of the shrine had installed back when they had first came home really hurt. It saved the amount of water they had to use instead of having to refill the entire tub again. Ingenious, really.

"Now to wash the rest of you, right?" Raimundo asked no one in particular. He set the used rag in one of the bins and grabbed a second larger towel and the medicinal bar of soap. While having Jack awake right now would be helpful, having the other boy unconscious would be best. The pain of having an abused and raped body cleansed, while a good thing to finally be clean, might bring on flashbacks of the worst kind and Rai just might not be emotionally strong enough to help the crimson haired boy. The jagged feeling of gently dragging the rag across the scratches along his stomach and lower back had the brunet wincing in sympathy. The muffled whimpers brought him to his metaphorical knees as his vision blurred for some odd reason.

Rubbing the soap again on the towel, he dabbed at the wounds on the feet and calves, the lower thighs and finally the groin and . . . the bruising was beyond anything Raimundo had ever seen. All up the back and tops of the thighs, the buttocks patchy black and blue and purple with claw and finger prints dark in the skin. A sound of keening filled his ears and he couldn't find where it was coming from. Not until he pulled his hand up to wipe the streaming wetness from his face and eyes, barely acknowledging he was the one crying, did it occur to him that he was the one making such a sound of utter despair. Rai clutched Jack to him as he gasped and sobbed soundlessly.

"Please . . . please, if anyone is listening, make the hurt go away," he babbled so softly as if to whisper in prayer. He wasn't sure if he was asking on the behalf of Jack or of himself, but at this point he didn't care as his very heart clenched in pain. If felt as if forever had passed, but he was sure it couldn't have been ten minutes before Rai pulled himself back together and finished washing the crimson haired teen and wrapped him in two of the large towels usually reserved for Sensei. With a quick dry down and redressing, Rai had Jack to his room in record time, Kimiko still smoldering over Clay and Omi outside and the little yellow cue-ball being as dense and naïve as ever enraging the girl further.

In Rai's room, Clay sat meditating, his pose relaxed even as he invaded the surfer's refuge. Rai felt a small bit of comfort unfurling in his chest even as anger blossomed hotly. He had wanted to be alone, to take time and figure out what was wrong, how his views had become so skewed so quickly. He didn't snap—no, he held his temper under tight reign. It was not Clay's fault, or Spicer's or anyone he personally knew. No, it was Chase's fault and taking his anger out on the draconic male was tempting but a currently foolish endeavor.

"Help me?" he wondered aloud, Clay peeking an eye open in response to the quiet inquiry.

"Sure, buddy," the nodded his head.

Jack was laid out, his highly abused body exhausted and tarnished with dark splotches. Clay held Jack as Rai slid on the too large t-shirt that fell all the way to Jack's knees, the shorts a little too short to peek from under the overly large shirt. Nothing could be done for the bruising until the healing salve was finished at the end of the month – still nineteen days away – but they did wake him long enough to force feed him some pain numbing herbs Sensei had taught them about.

"What do I do now?"

Clay looked over at the bewildered dark-haired teen, his light blue eyes softening. "Now, ya wait and just take a deep breath, hopin' that when they wake up, ya can control yer anger at the one that hurt 'em. No sudden movements, touches, or harsh words. Let 'im know that you're in the room with 'im. Don't sneak around and talk to him softly. It will change, but that's what you're gonna need to do for right now."

Rai sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he crossed his legs Lotus-style. "Oh, gods, Clay. What I saw . . . What Chase did to him! How can anyone do that to someone?" He buried his face in his knees, arms around his head. "I just . . . I can barely believe it and I saw it, damn it!"

Clay rubbed his hand over Rai's shoulders. "I can't explain why someone would do that, Rai, but I can tell ya that we won't let it happen again. S'not right nor is it goin' ta be tolerated a'tall. We'll get Chase, believe me, but that's gonna take some time to build up tah. We ain't strong enough yet." Sitting back in his previous pose, he poked Rai lightly. "Now, tah help ya get yerself tagether, you're gonna meditate and try an' find yer spirit guide. An' no back talk, ya need this."

Rai felt too drained to really persist in being difficult, his head bouncing in a nod. "Fine. Whatever." He was internally laughing as Clay's accent became stronger, more pronounced as he got more emotional about the events. It always made him feel better that Clay was not as level headed all the time as he seemed. It gave him a release to feel just as strongly without feeling as if he was violating some unspoken rule. The warm almost-smile Clay gave was worth it, too.

"A'ight, Rai. Ya put yerself somewhere calming. How 'bout a beach?"

Rai shook his head as his eyes closed. No, a beach was a place of enjoyment and adrenaline, waves and adoration. Not peace.

"Fine. Listen tah me, Rai, and let me help ya on this one," Clay instructed. While water was a generally stable element, it was a deep one, hard to see the depths of all the nooks and crannies. Rai was the same way and he was going to have to wing it without picking a place randomly and hoping for a hit home. "Blank yer mind, think of nothing but blue. It surrounds ya, holdin' yer weight and taken ya up higher and higher to the lighter edges, the streak of solid light makin' the world around ya glow. Up you go, taking a deep breath when ya reach the surface . . ."

Shen Gong Wu

Jack felt the warmth and snuggled tightly into the comfort, his nerves barely aching and his body feeling deliciously clean.

. . .

Wait. Clean?

He cracked an eye, his gaze widening when Rai's soft sleeping face breathed against his collar as the larger teen held him like a Teddy. He would have stiffened if it weren't for the fact that he was dressed and warm and . . . and cared for. He moved back a little, another body laying there deeply asleep. He turned his head to see Clay, sans Cowboy hat, not caging but holding him and Rai in a protective embrace. He had to admit, they made a handsome pair of book ends, one all dark and lithe, the other lighter and built like a charging bull.

While Rai was larger than Jack, Clay towered and dwarfed them both since the blond was at the very least a head taller than Rai and more so for himself. And so broad! He was so wide in the shoulders, the thick musculature almost daunting for the sheer size. Rai was thin and fast, his body so wonderfully muscled in such a way as to be sculpted without the overzealous body-builder style. He sighed and snuggled into Clay, Rai scooting closer in sleep to keep the warmth of Jack's body tight to his own.

With a contented sigh, he drifted back off with a small smile. He was safe, warm, cared for and tended, and – enemy or not – these two seemed to care for him. Now if only they could help him further . . .