Series:
Xiaolin ShowdownAuthor: Li
Fic-Type: Multi-chaptered, in progess
Pairing: Jack/Raimundo (seme/uke; dom./sub., just in case…)
Genre: Angst, Romance, Drama
Rating: R (aka M) Honestly, changing the rating labels was very unnecessary…
Summary:
Raimundo rediscovers the darkness of his childhood past when old horrors once again bare their fangs and threaten to consume him. As a consequence, abilities that would have otherwise remained dormant awaken and his life is constantly threatened. A series of events eventually leads him to Jack and emotions stir in the midst of chaos.
Warning:
Yaoi, slash, homosexuality; whatever you want to call it. Hurt/comfort theme and Raimundo-angst. Severe depression and violence ahead, coupled w/ mild sexual hints (perhaps lime). Other warnings later as necessity dictates. Oh, and I am also a bad writer.
Author's Note:
2) Sickened by the amt. of Rai/Kimiko shippers. (no offense)
3) Have not watched all XS episodes; circumstantial inaccuracies and spelling errors will be abundant.
4) Constructive criticism/suggestions welcome and cherished, flames will be laughed at.
Chapter One: Breaking the Locks
Wednesday night in the Xiaolin Temple found all of its occupants in deep sleep. A white dove fluttered through the darkness, its gentle wingbeats blending seamlessly with the sounds of the rustling Autumn leaves. Bright black eyes scanned the looming shadows of the temple complex before finding its destination. The small dove landed silently on the round window looking into the Xiaolin Apprentices' room, and cooed softly as it peered through the bars.
The room that was shared by all Xiaolin Dragons-in-Training was divided into four smaller compartments, each of which belonged to its designated Dragon. Omi, Kimiko and Clay slept peacefully, but Raimundo moaned softly in his sleep, and the dove cocked its head. Brows creased and sweat collecting on his temples, the Brazilian boy rolled onto his side, gripping his blanket with clenched fists. With a startled yelp he woke suddenly, throwing back his covers and breathing heavily. He did not notice the dove's sudden retreat into the darkness.
"Somethin' wrong, Rai?" Kimiko's head peered groggily at Raimundo around the wall that separated his space from hers, a fist rubbing one eye.
Raimundo raised a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes, feeling lost. He couldn't remember what his dream had been about, but his heart still pounded maddeningly in his chest, knotted in fear. "No, I'm okay… It was just a bad dream, I guess…" He looked at her and smiled weakly.
"A bad dream can be a most ominous omen." Omi yawned, and his head appeared next to Kimiko's around the wall. Still half-asleep, he grinned and babbled, "They can be interpreted many ways and if you - …"
"Omi, you're awake too?" Raimundo cut in, somewhat surprised. His heartbeat having returned to normal, he suddenly realized that he was still tired and that it was the middle of the night.
"Of course! A dragon with tiger instincts, such as myself, have keen abilities of hearing, even asleep. I was worried when I heard you shout, but you are okay afterall!" Omi grinned, before falling sideways to the floor, snoring softly.
Kimiko rolled her eyes and asked Raimundo if he wanted to talk about it. The response she received was an irritated Raimundo shooing them back to bed so that they could all get back to sleep.
Morning went by rather uneventfully, with the small exception that it had taken longer than usual for Raimundo to get out of bed. After chores, Master Fung assigned each dragon a set of training exercises and left them to practice, this time without the advantage of using shen gong wu.
Noon came and went. Omi was quickly able to master the difficult pattern of martial arts formations. Kimiko, who had been told to practice aiming flaming projectiles at marked targets, made several misses but otherwise was doing well. Clay was also improving, gaining strength by smashing through rock and brick. Raimundo, however, found himself struggling to complete his task and quickly grew frustrated.
He was kneeling about 10 meters away from his target; a walnut hanging suspended from an iron bar. Using only his element and from that distance, Raimundo was expected to break the walnut in half. He had originally begun with a lot of confidence, but as the hour went by, discovered that whatever wind he summoned either missed the walnut, or wasn't strong enough. The walnut merely swayed erratically in the gusts of wind, no closer to breaking than it had been from the start, while he sat there drenched in sweat. Not even his strongest attack, the Typhoon Boom, succeeded, except for leaving a large crater in the immediate vicinity.
"I give up! That walnut is never gonna break!" He hit the ground furiously once with his fist before leaping to his feet and stomping away, tears of frustration streaking down his face. The others watched him retreat to a far corner of the training grounds, where he sat beneath the drooping branches of a large tree.
"Is Raimundo going to be okay?" Omi wondered, eyes wide at the uncharacteristic display. "At his level, I think he should be proud of himself."
"Perhaps we should go talk to him." Kimiko sighed worriedly.
"That won't be necessary." The three spun to meet Master Fung. "I'll talk to him. You three are done practicing for now. You may take the rest of the day off." He smiled reassuringly, and after some hesitation, they stole away, stealing a last few worried glances at their frustrated friend.
"What is the matter, Raimundo?"
The brunette sitting dejectedly in the shade looked up at the tall figure of Master Fung. He sighed and stood up, bowing in apology.
"I'm sorry, Master Fung. I just couldn't do what you asked me to. I don't even know what I'm doing wrong. In battle, I was always able to use my element to advantage… Perhaps I'm just not good enough." He looked away, ashamed.
"Ah, Raimundo never underestimate yourself. You are very strong already." Raimundo's face held a look of disbelief. "In battle, you succeeded in destroying your opponents because they were large, heavy and most importantly, in opposition to your element. This however, is a different situation." The wise monk gestured to the walnut, swaying in the breeze. "As you have already figured out, the walnut is small and light and…"
Raimundo's eyes followed the walnut as it swung like a pendulum. "Its movement follows the currents of the wind!"
Master Fung smiled. "Exactly, Raimundo. By following the wind, it survives your attacks. Power and force will not work to your advantage here, even if you summoned a hurricane."
Raimundo's expression became downcast. "So how can I break it then?"
"That is for you to figure out. Think carefully, young monk. In time, you will discover the answer." Master Fung laid a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder. "Do not worry. This lesson I will allow you to solve whenever you are ready. For now, let's take a break. Your friends are worried about you."
Seeing as how he didn't have much of a choice, the dragon of wind shrugged and followed the older monk back into the temple, mouth bearing the faintest traces of a frown.
Plate. Soap. Scrub. Scrub. Pass to Clay. In the early evening, Raimundo did this daily chore ritual in a kind of trance, too accustomed to the work that he didn't need to focus on what he was doing. He stared at the suds and the foam, wondering, not for the first time, why he couldn't seem to do anything right.
Have I always been the weakest dragon here? …Well, yeah. Duh. It's only logical. It took forever for me to become an Apprentice, and even then… Master Fung probably granted it to me so that the others wouldn't have to lag in their studies… Strength, ha, what strength… I should never have left Brazil, left the circus; at least I belonged there… It seems so long ago but I can remember… Circus life, and before that… That… That was…
Raimundo's thoughts were cut short as a surge of pain welled in his head, and his vision blacked out. A very small girl sat on her heels in the distance; a necklace hanging from her neck glimmered in the light from an invisible source. She tried to stand but stumbled and fell, and blood began to drip from her mouth as she looked up. Raimundo desperately reached out…
"Raimundo? Raimundo!"
The brunette seemed to wake from a nightmare, mind numb with pain. In his blurry vision, he noticed that his hands were red, and for a second believed that it was the girl's blood. Then he realized that the dish he had been cleaning at the time had completely shattered in his hands, and several cuts caused by the shards bled freely. The soap stung but his mind was still on the vision he had seen.
"Oh my god, Rai, you're bleeding!" It was Kimiko's high shriek that fully brought him back to his senses.
"Oh, shit…" Deciding to ignore the confusion and the ball of fear that had grown in his heart, Raimundo hastily dropped whatever fragments he still held, and took gratefully the dry dish towel Clay offered him. He winced as he dabbed at the blood.
"You gave us quite a scare there, partner. Looked as if you'd seen a ghost, or something." Said Clay.
"Are you going to be okay?" Kimiko hovered solicitously next to Raimundo, unsure of what to do.
"I had better go get Master Fung." Omi stated, eyes wide and looking slightly green. It seemed that sheltered Omi had not been exposed to much blood in his life. He hurried off.
Raimundo stared at the ceiling from his prone position on his bed. Both of his palms were heavily bandaged and they stung like Hell, but he had too much on his mind to complain about the pain. Master Fung, after examining the wounds, had told him to rest for the night, assuring him that the dishes would be taken care of. He was as confused as the rest of them were, and the vision tugged persistently at his thoughts, leaving a dull ache in his skull. He felt exhausted suddenly, and his eyelids fluttered closed, just as a white dove landed at the window.
In the kitchen his friends were being questioned and Master Fung listened to their replies with a solemn face.
"-and for a moment it was as if Rai wasn't really there." Kimiko pointed to her head for emphasis.
"And the plate just shattered?"
"True, Master Fung." Omi nodded enthusiastically. "Perhaps he had squeezed it too hard, because it quite suddenly just broke, like this." He made exaggerated hand gestures to illustrate his view.
"I hope nothing's wrong with him, sir." Clay added with concern. "Do you think it was perhaps because of today's training?"
Master Fung smiled slightly. "I believe that may very well be the case. Raimundo must have been very stressed this afternoon, and I am sure he was probably reflecting on that during the dishes." He stood up from the table and gestured for the three of them to head to bed. "In any case, I am confident he'll recover. The cuts weren't severe. And as it is getting late, perhaps you should all get some sleep as well. At any moment a shen gong wu might awaken. Best be prepared at all times."
They nodded and left, confident in the older monk's judgment. However, they whispered amongst themselves as to how they might help Raimundo feel better about his earlier setback in training, even as they tiptoed into their room, where Raimundo's quiet breathing was just barely audible.
Eh… Abnormally short word count for a chapter, but I wanted to get this posted. Jack will probably make his appearance in the next chapter, but it'll be a little longer before we get to some actual lovin'. –wink- Please forgive any errors, it is 3:30 am and I rushed writing this. I had a Hell of a time, trying to keep them in character. Don't worry, the OC(s) will only serve as plot devices.
I'm not sure how long it will take me to update, but hang in there. I'm too disappointed w/ the utter lack of Jack/Rai fics to let this go to waste. Ah, one warning... I'm an utter sucker for the angsty and waffy hurt/comfort theme, despite how cliché it is.
Questions, comments? I beg you to speak freely, as it encourages me to know that my work is not wasted on non-existent readers.
Also, many thanks to one talented Captain Peeps Inferior and her fic, "Why Not?" since I owe it to her for inspiration for this fic. In fact, I blame that fic of hers for causing this weird sudden attachment to Rai and Jack of XS, when I had originally little interest for this series at all. Oh well. Until next time…