A/N: So! This one was a tad harder to write. It was going one way, didn't like it so I started all over lol Hopefully ya'll enjoy this one!
Chapter Five
Weakness
The tense silence cut through the air as Dojo flew on, cutting through the clouds like butter. Glancing over his shoulder the dragon could see his kids still huddled together. It broke his heart to see them downtrodden and hurting. It had been hours since they left the Heylin groupies in the dust so he made a split second decision to bring everyone out of the depressing fog.
"Okay, team. Enough moping around. We're landing and getting some food into each of you." Without any protest, Dojo made his descent into a small town nestled in a small valley.
The group hopped off the changing dragon and looked around the area.
Omi was the first to speak up, "Where are we?" He asked.
Scratching behind his ear, Dojo shrugged, "My guess? Looks like Mongolia." He looked up at the still downtrodden Kimiko. He patted her calf, "C'mon kiddo. Can't defeat an evil on an empty stomach!" Seeing her lack of response he added, "Don't worry. We'll get back on the road once we're done. Okay?"
With a shrug Kimiko responded, "Yeah. Alright." And proceeded to follow Clay, Omi, and Dojo further into town.
Raimundo lagged behind the group. His thoughts swirling a million miles a minute. What was he supposed to do? This was his team. His friend. His… Kimiko. How in Dashi's sake was he supposed to help her with any of it? Absent-mindedly, Raimundo reached behind and pulled out the Chalice of Qin.
Glaring down at the Wu like it offended his mother, the leader of the Dragons muttered, "What did Chase Young show her? What did you do?" He asked. The Chalice did not respond which Raimundo expected but it still pissed him off.
He decided to find out.
"Chalice of Qin." He whispered into the wind.
Green eyes watched intently as the golden cup filled with water. The ghastly form of a man materialized in the liquid. Raimundo frowned. He remembered the defeated look on Kimiko's face as she had looked down at the cup. Was this spirit the reason why?
"Who are you?" He asked.
The dark eyes of the man lit up. Raimundo was stricken with fear and curiosity as the eyes looked directly at him instead of through him.
The figure opened his mouth, "H… Hu… Hua-" Hua-whoever-he-was burst into flames.
Raimundo nearly dropped the chalice in shock. His eyes widened as the flames in the water morphed into… into… Was that a face?
"Yaoguai!" The figure hissed.
Raimundo gasped.
"Hey, Rai! You comin'? You're laggin' behind, buddy!" Came Clay's distant voice.
Stuffing the Chalice back behind him, Raimundo focused his sight on the other Dragons and dragon that waved at him from down the street. He called back, "Right! Coming!"
"Who was that?" He thought as he ran to catch up.
Unbeknownst to him, a black and red bird high in the air watched the curious display. The sentient bean on his back scratched at his chin in thought.
"Hmm, looks like our friends know about Yaoguai. What do you think, Yin-Yang? Should we join forces with Chase this one time?" He asked with a malicious grin showing his gnarly teeth.
Knowing this question was of the rhetorical variety, the bird glanced behind and nodded, taking off to find the other villains.
….+++++ +++++...
Back at his lair watching the monks perform mundane tasks from his eye-ball, Chase Young could feel Hannibal Roy Bean's presence even before he was a mile away. He frowned up at the open sky, "What could he possibly want?" He growled.
Wuya looked up from checking her reflection in the pool of water, "Who?" She asked. Not receiving a response from the man, the woman frowned at him and rolled her eyes, "Fine. Don't tell me." She mocked looking back at her reflection.
Jack, trying to get his coat out of one of the tiger's mouths, shouted, "Hey! Do you think maybe you could help me out here?" He asked, casting his frustration to Wuya.
The witch watched on with indifference and shrugged.
Jack frowned, "What do I have to do to get any respect around here?" The tiger tugged on his coat.
"Silence, worm." Chase ordered, waving his hand. The tiger obeyed the gesture and released the coat.
Unfortunately for the teenager, he was tugging hard as the tiger let go. Jack lost his balance and fell into the pool. He spit out water as he sat up, "Nice." He sighed dejectedly at his now soaking attire. The sound of wings fluttering in the air made him look up.
Chase folded his arms, looking up at the unwanted visitor, "Hannibal." He sneered.
"Hannibal!" Wuya sat up straighter with too much enthusiasm for Chase's liking. She shrunk back when he cast a glare at her.
"What do you want?" Chase glowered at the offending bean.
Hannibal smiled, "Now, now, Chase. Is that any way to greet a frenemy with a potential proposition?"
The warrior's frown deepened, "Hardly a frenemy. And what proposition would that be, exactly?"
"What if I told you that while your obvious plan to distress the Dragon of Fire is commendable at best, you're not cutting deep enough?" Hannibal raised an eyeridge at Chase who mimicked his move.
"Explain." Chase commanded.
Ignoring the rude tone, Hannibal explained, "You see, I was once inside Raimundo's head. I saw a lot of things in there including the implications of his obvious affections." His grin widened, "You dig deeper into Kimiko and you have exploited the leader's weakness. It will make him brash, uncontrollable. Weak."
Thinking for only a moment, the pieces all came together for Chase as he grinned, "Cut deep enough to take out even the Dragon of Wind. With either out of the picture then the other will perish. Two birds with one stone."
Hannibal winked, "Take away the air and the flame gets extinguished."
Jack, who had gotten out of the fountain and began wringing out his coat, perked up, "Wait, Raimundo has a thing for Kimiko?!"
Wuya groaned at the boy's naivety, "Oh please, like it's even a secret. Even I knew when Raimundo was working for me that he liked her."
An evil grin worked its way onto Jack's face, "Then what are we waiting for?! Let's finish them off already!" He moved to pass Chase but was stopped when he bumped into the man's outstretched hand.
"Not so fast, Spicer." Chase frowned, "Your usefulness has ended here. Leave."
"WHAT?!" Jack cried.
Wuya flipped her hair over her shoulder, "That's right, Jacky. Time for the grownups to play while the child is away."
The 'child' turned on her, "No one asked you!"
Chase stepped between them, "Enough! Leave, Spicer. Or I'll have you be a chew toy for my cats." To emphasize his point, the cats growled at the stunned teenager.
Jack huffed, "Fine. I know when I'm not wanted." Turning on his heel, the boy pouted his way out of the lair.
Nuisance taken care of, Chase turned his attention back to Hannibal, "I suppose you know where to begin?"
Hannibal nodded, "Indeed I do." He laughed evilly to which the other two joined in.
From outside the volcanic entrance, Jack continued pouting like a child, "Stupid Wuya… It would be an absolute shame if someone were to foil their plans to help their beloved Dragon of Fire." He mocked Wuya's earlier comment when they had started this whole thing. He smiled to himself as a lightbulb went off in his mind, "And it would be a shame if someone were to foil your plans." With an evil laugh, Jack pressed a button on his wrist and took off to the skies.
….+++++ +++++...
Back in the middle of bum-tuck nowhere Mongolia, the Xiaolin monks left the small cafe they had eaten at and decided to keep flying. This time in the Silver Manta Ray (totally not because Dojo had eaten more than his weight in food and therefore deemed himself 'grounded').
Up in the air, Raimundo checked over the controls as the rest of his team struck up conversation. The image of the fire spirit clouded his mind. He wondered if Kimiko had been seeing this beast, too.
"If we're going up against this Yaoguai spirit, then we need all the information." He took a deep breath, "Kimi?"
"Hm? Yes, Rai?"
"What did Chase show you?"
When she did not answer right away, Raimundo took his eyes off the sky and looked at her. Kimiko was looking down at her bandaged palms.
Always the perceptive friend to another's feelings, Clay reached out from the back seat and placed a tender hand on her shoulder, "Kimiko?" He ventured.
The girl looked at her boys, "He… Showed me a previous dragon with the Chalice of Qin." She gulped, "Hua Shin."
Dojo hissed from the back, "Ooooh yeah. I was hoping he wouldn't be brought up."
The four shot the dragon a glare, "You knew something that could help!?" Omi shrilled with a pout on his face.
Dojo held up his claws in defense, "Hey, hey! After what happened last time, Master Fung and I thought it would be best not to mention it. We didn't want it to upset you." His eyes fixed on Kimiko, "I was just trying to protect you."
Kimiko furrowed her brows, "So, it's true? Hua Shin was… Consumed by the Yoaguai?"
The dragon gulped and nodded, "It happened twelve hundred years ago. Dashi had started training a new generation of dragons. At first everything was going great! They all got along and were powerful as a team and as individuals. But… One day, Hua Shin came back to the temple… changed."
From the corner of his eye, Raimundo could see Kimiko clench her fists.
Dojo continued, "Even before he died, Dashi had no idea what happened to Hua Shin. He tried to help him balance his chi but eventually something just took over. Every time he'd use his powers, Hua Shin would get burned and lose control. By the time Dashi realized what was happening and what was responsible… It was too late. The Yaoguai took over and destroyed what was left of Hua Shin."
"But what about the Phoenix? Why didn't she help?" Clay asked.
The dragon shook his head, "Your guess was as good as ours. Without Shin telling anybody what was happening, we couldn't help. The feud between the Yaoguai and the Phoenix has been known for centuries but no one knew until Hua Shin that the demon would try and-"
He cast a wary glance at the current Dragon of Fire, "... Possess a Xiaolin warrior. It wasn't until after the incident did the Phoenix appear to Dashi and tell him she tried communicating with Shin. Since then, the Phoenix has only awakened maybe once or twice. Hua Shin was the only one to be consumed by the demon." He avoided Kimiko's gaze, "We didn't want to worry you."
Looking behind his seat, Raimundo said, "Well, no matter what happens we'll make sure this demon doesn't get his hands on Kimiko. Or die tryi-"
"RAIMUNDO!" Kimiko shouted.
Panicked screams filled the air as Jack Spicer ungracefully landed on the front window with a loud THUNK. Confused at the sudden intrusion, Raimundo hit the brakes on the Silver Manta Ray causing the whole crew to lurch forward.
"AAAHHH- OOF!"
They stared in disbelief as Jack removed his squished face from the window. He waved, "Hey guys!"
Omi was the first to recover, "What on the world, Jack Spicer?!"
Jack frowned, "That's 'what in the world', cueball!" He shifted his glance to a visibly shaken Raimundo, "And why don't you watch where you're driving, huh? Oh, fearless leader?" He mocked.
Raimundo frowned, "Hey! I'm not the one flying in occupied air space!" He huffed, "What are you doing here, anyway? Where's Chase and Wuya?" He asked suspiciously.
The teen rolled his eyes, "You mean where are Chase, Wuya, and Hannibal. Those losers teamed up and kicked me to the curb!"
Upon hearing this, the monks gasped. Clay shook his head, "Now Hannibal's involved?"
"Why would you tell us this?" Raimundo asked.
"Because I want my Wu back! That Chalice of Qin is mine! I won it fair and square!" Jack whined.
Kimiko rolled her eyes, "Oh please! You only won because I was having an off day."
Checking his cuticles, Jack began to play it cool, "Speaking of your 'off day', I do have some juicy intel that you might want to hear."
"What intel?" Omi pipped up.
Jack waved his finger back and forth, "Ah, ah, ah! First you give me the Chalice. Then we'll talk."
Raimundo had a bad feeling about this. Then again, the whole quest gave him a bad feeling. As a Shoku Warrior it was his job to lead his team. To make sure tasks were delegated appropriately, that everyone was on the same page, and above all to protect his team. Yet as he turned his attention to Kimiko, he felt his anger subside as she chewed at her bottom lip.
This quest was about her. Not himself, not Omi, not Clay, and definitely not Jack Spicer.
"This is your quest, Kimiko." He said gently as she turned to look at him, "You make the call."
Air heavy with anticipation, the girl nodded, "Alright. Let's hear him out."
On the ground, the monks waited impatiently as Jack descended from the sky. The weather around them was a stark contrast to the chill of Northern China as they had continued further to the northwest reaching the Mediterranean coast. Nice and warm.
Jack finally touched the ground dusting himself off, "I know you guys are like, what? Fifteen or whatever but dang, learn how to fly."
Raimundo crossed his arms, "Whatever, Jack. Now what's this about Hannibal working with Chase?"
Red eyes scanned the group, "You sure you want me to tell you what they said?" He asked, pointedly looking at Raimundo.
"Uh, yeah. That's why we're not kicking your butt right now." The Shoku retorted.
Jack shrugged, "Alright well before you're so sure you want everyone to know, it has to do with what Hannibal saw inside your brain, Raimundo."
"What he saw in my brain? What're you-?" The boy's blood rushed to his face. He knew exactly what Jack was talking about. And judging by the look the teen was giving him, he knew that he figured it out.
"What is he talking about, Raimundo?" Omi asked, looking up at the red-faced leader, "What did Hannibal see inside your brain?"
The leader recovered, "Nothing! Nothing." Clay nudged his shoulder and Raimundo shot him a glare.
Jack looked at Kimiko, "It also has to do with your feelings, too."
The girl frowned, "Explain, Jack."
Jack held out his hand expectantly.
Kimiko rolled her eyes and groaned, "Give him the chalice, Rai."
Following her order, Raimundo tossed over the Chalice. Jack cackled as he caught the ancient Wu.
"You have what you want, now tell us what you know!" Omi demanded.
Jack stuffed the Wu inside his jacket, "A deal's a deal. Hannibal and Chase want to use Kimiko's situation to get inside your head, Raimundo." He pointed to the boy, "Kill two birds with one stone. Apparently Hannibal still isn't over when you defeated him inside your head. Chase wanted to just get to Kim out-"
"Don't call me Kim."
"Tsk, fine. Chase wanted to just get Kimiko out of the picture and watch you guys crumble. But Hannibal convinced him to cut you out, too." He lifted an eyebrow. A sly grin donned his features, "You know, because she means so much to you-"
Raimundo moved towards him, "Alright! We get it!" He snapped, "Taking out half the team is greater than leaving three."
Jack shut his mouth but nodded.
Kimiko looked between the two boys staring each other down. Her heart hammered in her chest at Jack's implications. "Does Rai-? Does he-?" She shook her head. Now was not the time. Not in front of everyone. However, her brain began racing as she glanced at Clay who looked on without so much as a shocked expression. Even Dojo simply rolled his eyes at Raimundo's flustered display. Omi just stared on in blissful ignorance.
"Do they know something I don't?!"
Clay reached out a hand to separate Jack and Raimundo, "Alright, you two. How's about we get a move on?"
Dojo hopped onto his shoulder, "Yeah! There's no time like the present and who knows how much further we have to go." He looked at the girl, "Kimi? Has the Phoenix told you where to go next?"
Snapping from her thoughts, Kimiko nodded, "Uh, northwest still."
Clay smiled, "Great!" He placed a sturdy hand on Raimundo's shoulder, "C'mon, leader. Lead us there." He said in a tone that he has obviously used to calm down a rogue horse.
Raimundo nodded, "Right. But Jack-" The teen backed away to leave but stopped when the other called him, "You're coming with us."
"WHAT?" They all shrieked.
"I don't trust you not to go blabbing back to Chase." He stated.
Jack shifted on the balls of his feet, "Uh, right. Sure, I'll come. Just let me-" He pressed the button on his watch and began flying away. He stuck out his tongue, "So long Xiaolin loser- WOAH!" A strong gust of wind slammed into him. Falling back to the ground he let out an undignified screech.
The Xiaolin 'losers' stood over him.
Raimundo gave him an unimpressed look, "You do remember that my element is wind, right?" Omi and Dojo giggled amongst themselves while Kimiko and Clay exchanged satisfied looks. Jack groaned in defeat.
….+++++ +++++...
"K… Kim… Iko…"
That was not the Phoenix.
"Hello?" Kimiko asked into the dark wasteland. Her voice echoed around her. She was surprised by the chill in the air. Wrapping her arms around herself, she began walking into the void.
"Hello?" She called again, "Is someone there?"
A gentle breeze whooshed around her. Gasping, Kimiko turned around only to find she was alone. Wary of what could be out there in the dark, the girl raised her hand to call upon a flame. She stopped. No. No, she couldn't.
"K… Kim… Iko…"
Finally, a figure began forming in front of her eyes. A child went up her spine, "Please, who are you? What do you want?" As the figure began to be more defined, she let out a gasp, "Hua Shin?"
The ghost raised his hand toward her. His eyes wide with fear.
Kimiko reached out to touch him.
"Help." He whispered.
Her eyes widened as Hua Shin exploded into fire, seering her outstretched hand.
Feeling like her soul had left her body, Kimiko lurched forward with a gasp. The darkness surrounding her caused a surge of panic. She lifted her hand to draw up a flame but a hand reached out from beside her and grasped her hand gently.
"Don't." Raimundo's whisper cut through the dark.
As her eyes adjusted, Kimiko's brain caught up to the fact that she was not in the void like in her dream but was in fact in the Silver Manta Ray. Flying through the night sky while the sliver of the moon casted a small glow around them.
Kimiko's terrified blue eyes found Raimundo's unwavering green ones. He led her hand towards the middle console where he settled both their hands down without letting go. The gesture calmed her racing mind.
"Another nightmare?" He asked, turning back to the sky. The other hand still firmly on the wheel.
The girl gulped, "Yeah." She whispered. Using his thumb, Raimundo rubbed her knuckles. She was grateful for the dark as her face began heating up. Gentle snores from the back told her that the others were fast asleep. Did Raimundo get any sleep? She voiced this concern to which he shrugged.
"I'll sleep when all this is over." He said simply.
She frowned, "Rai, you need sleep too."
Raimundo chuckled, "I'll be fine. Are we still going the right way?" He quickly changed the subject.
"Always so stubborn." Kimiko huffed. Focusing on what her heart was telling her she concluded that yes. They were still going the right way.
"Good." Raimundo said.
They fell into a nice silence filled with snores and the whir of the engine. As she stared at the stars dotting the sky, Kimiko thought about what Jack had said earlier. The implications if you will. Her face burned even more. Despite not wanting to get into anything that would become awkward, the girl also knew that things would go south… Could, not would. Could. And if that were the case she wanted everything out in the open.
"Hey, Rai?"
"Hm?"
Kimiko cleared her throat, "Do you… Uh, do you think what Jack said is true? That Chase and Hannibal will use me to get to you?" She felt Raimundo squeeze her hand ever so slightly.
He finally spoke, "I… Think they would."
A few seconds passed where neither looked at each other. Kimiko was still staring at the stars while Raimundo focused on driving… Flying.
Kimiko ventured further, "Is there… I mean, Jack said you knew why they would… Do you want to tell me why?" She asked with uncertainty.
The girl knew that there had always been a certain chemistry between them. All the monks were close but over the years she and Raimundo had grown stronger together. And since his promotion to Shoku Warrior he was… kinder. More aware of her in a way that the others weren't. Granted, he took it as his responsibility to build stronger relationships with each of them but she saw the way he acted with Clay and Omi. The way he interacted with her was different. Had been different for a long time.
Giving him a signal that it was okay to share whatever was on his mind, Kimiko squeezed his hand.
Meanwhile, Raimundo was internally freaking out. He knew what she was doing and it was so tempting to just spill his guts all over the Silver Manta Ray. All thoughts of leading his team vanished as the teenager inside of him began scrambling to think of what to say. How to say it.
"Just tell her already!" A part of him shouted, "Dude, she's literally giving you a chance to tell her how you feel! TAKE IT!"
Man, the Ray was getting hot.
Calming the storm in his mind and ignoring the pounding in his heart, Raimundo squeezed Kimiko's hand.
"Now or never."
The swelling in Raimundo's chest was too much to bear. Clearing his throat, the boy pressed a button to put the Wu into autopilot and turned awkwardly in his seat so he was facing Kimiko. Reaching out, he gently took Kimiko's other hand in his. She looked up at him in surprise.
He inhaled, "Kimiko, we've known each other for a long time. And…" He gulped, "And I want to do this right. I want-"
"You to be safe." The thought brought his mind to a stop.
His confidence faltered, "I promise you that no matter what we'll fix this. Together. As a team. I won't let anything happen to you. I swear."
Kimiko frowned, "Oh. I know, Rai." Waving away her disappointment, she added, "You're my friend. I trust you."
Frustration clawed at Raimundo's heart. Why was this so hard? He shook his head, "No- I mean, yes we're friends but…" As he stared into her waiting eyes, the boy realized that no matter his fears or weakness, he wanted her to know the truth. He sighed, "Kim. I want to be more than friends with you."
Even in the pale moonlight Raimundo could see her eyes light up. He continued, "But Hannibal knows. And until we find the Phoenix and stop this-" He held up her bandaged hands. She frowned at them. Raimundo reached out and cupped her cheek, "Until we finish this, I can't start anything until I know you're out of harm's way."
The corner of her lip twitched, "Rai, we're Xiaolin warriors. We're never safe."
He rolled his eyes, "You know what I mean."
Kimiko giggled, "Yeah. I do. And while that's frustrating to hear, I understand." She leaned into his touch, grasping his hand, "I trust you, Raimundo." She whispered as she looked up at him with hopeful eyes.
The boy rubbed her cheek with his thumb. Elation was not even close to what his heart was doing. Fear tugged at him but mostly he was over the moon about what this meant. Kimiko felt the same way.
"Wow. This is sickening to watch." Jack voiced from the back.
The two monks practically flew out of each other's reach. They looked behind their seats to see Jack- situated behind Kimiko's seat with his arms folded and a frown on his face. Omi in the middle and Clay behind Raimundo still fast asleep with Dojo sprawled out on top of them.
Raimundo cleared his throat, "How much of that did you hear?"
"Enough to realize that Wuya was right. You have so been smitten with Kimiko since the beginning."
A deep blush appeared on both monks' faces. Just as Raimundo was about to rebuttal, a loud KRA-BOOM sounded from the front of them. A wave of fire knocked the Silver Manta Ray backwards.
A/N: Dun dun dun! What will happen next? Stay tuned for more!