A/N: It's 4:45 in the morning and I've been trying to write the third chapter of The Academy for the last four hours. No such luck, so I took a break and made this instead. I have no clue where the idea came from, but whatever. Best way to get rid of writers block is to let it all out, right? Anyway, I'll probably have the next chapter posted tomorrow or Saturday, but since I already wrote this I might as well let you all read it. Ignore the badness. It was written by a sleep deprived authoress way too early in the morning.

Disclaimer: Only in my dreams.

My name is Raimundo Pedrosa. I'm exactly fourteen years old and have just been promoted to Wudai Warrior by Master Fung. But still I know I can do better. Much better. Yet at the same time, I can't. Because my powers, my potential, are suppressed because of my medallion. But trust me, that's a good thing.

Not many people in this world know this, but there's a story behind my medallion. It's not exactly a long story, or a short one, but somewhere in the middle. It has a strange beginning and the end is yet to happen, but it's my story. It's part of what made me... well, me.

It probably all started when I was ten and I joined the Os Treze Ladrões. That means 'The Thirteen Thieves' in Portuguese. I suppose you could call them a gang, though they were far more than that. They were a family to me. My biological family couldn't be there for me anymore. Simply put, they were dead.

There, I said it. They're Dead. Dead, dead, dead. I'm not going to cry or go all sob story on you. They're dead. I accepted that fact long ago and moved on.

I admit, it was kinda hard living on my own in the beginning. I refused to go to an orphanage. Those places were prisons for kids. But the streets were no place for a ten year old. Especially one that was as naive and trusting as me.

That was when I meant Marcus. He seemed like such a nice guy, acting concerned for my wellbeing. Faker. I know now that he didn't give a care about me. He just wanted to use me...

How could I have been such a fool?

There's something else I should tell you. My family... they didn't just die. They were murdered. By me.

I swear it was an accident. I didn't mean to kill anyone, even less my family! I loved them with all my heart.

But then, that one fateful day, I was just so angry at my brother... I was so mad at him for some stupid reason, and my powers which shouldn't have even developed yet started working up. I couldn't control them. It got out of hand soon enough. I was hurting everyone around me. I had destroyed my family. I had destroyed my house.

I had destroyed my life in a small fit of anger.

And I hated myself because of that.

But I stopped beating myself up long ago. It wasn't worth it, and I knew I should continue my life, even though it was already basically over. My family wouldn't want me to waste my life moping around.

So I took to the streets. And I met Marcus, the man I thought was my friend. He told me that they cared for me, that his group would accept me as one of their own.

I wish every day that I had the sense to walk away right there and then. But I was ten. The man, this angel, was offering me a chance, and I grabbed it.

I wasted two years of my life with Os Treze Ladrões. They taught me how to steal, how to sneak around, how to kill if necessary. And I ate it all up. I liked this life. No rules, no limits. We could do whatever we wanted and you only had to stop if you got caught. We had the Policia running in circles, trying to figure out what was going on.

It was heaven to me. I felt like I actually belonged with them. The fun lasted for two years. Then Marcus started taking an active interest in my emotions and what had happened with my family. I was reluctant to tell him anything, but he was persistent.

Eventually, I told him all about my powers.

That must have been the biggest mistake of my life.

Marcus got this hungry possessive look in his eyes and told me I was exactly what he had been looking for. I was, of course, confused, but I wasn't one to ignore complements.

I felt proud that he thought so well of me.

He told me he had a 'special' mission for me, one that would involve using my 'special' powers. He said he would teach me how to use them properly without losing control.

I never stopped to wonder how he would know the way to teach me how to use my powers. But, after all, this wasn't just some random person, this was Marcus. Why would I have any reason to doubt Marcus?

He taught me how to use my powers to turn invisible, how to fly, how to walk through walls. I was amazed at how much I was able to do, and Marcus was pleased. So I was pleased.

Because it pleased me to see Marcus happy.

A year later, Marcus deemed me ready. He told me where I was to strike, what time, how many guards there would be.

I should have been suspicious. Just a little suspicious about how Marcus knew so much about the place I was going to attack. But I brushed that basically nonexistent tinge of suspicion away. This was Marcus. I just had to keep telling myself that.

I curse myself for tossing that suspicion away now. Because maybe if I had been suspicious, I would have been more observant and less cocky. And if I had been more observant, I would have realized it was a trap...

A million guards came at me from nowhere, from everywhere. They all attacked me at once and even with my wind powers, I was too weak to hold them off. Plus I was too scared to even concentrate. What was going on?

The crime master who I was supposed to be stealing from, stepped out of the shadows smirking. "He looks fit." The man mused. And to my shock, an equally smug Marcus stepped out of the shadows right afterwards.

"He is. And he's dangerous. He'll serve your purposes well." Marcus said. I felt tears brimming at the edge of my eyes, but willed them back. Marcus was here to save me, right? He had to be.

I trusted him...

"But is he obedient?" The crime lord asked, studying me closely. I spat in his face as if to give a nonverbal answer.

"He doesn't have to be. I made this." Marcus pulled out a shinny looking medallion from the inside pocket of his coat. "It serves two purposes. One is a power withholder. It will keep them on a level where he will be able to do no real harm. He'll barely be able to access his powers when wearing this. You'll be able to adjust the level of his power when needed." Marcus said, handing the crime lord the medallion.

"But you've yet to answer my question. Is he obedient?"

"No, but the second use of the necklace is a shock collar. Whenever he disobeys you, simply click this button and the necklace will send a strong electrical shock through his body. After a few times of that torture, he will be at your feet, begging to serve you." Marcus handed the man a small remote and I realized that he truly wasn't here to save me

The crime lord looked pleased, and I felt scared out of my wits. These men were evil. Exploiting a thirteen year old boy for their own gain... sadly, I should have seen it coming.

"Good, good." The crime master said, mainly to himself. "You've done well Marcus. I assume the medallion is magic?"

"Yup. The only person who can take it off is the one who put it on. And now, there's the matter of my price..."

"Yes, yes. You will get all your money, Marcus, in full like we agreed." I was passed angry now. Money? He traded my life for money?

"I trusted you Marcus! I thought you cared!" I yelled, struggling desperately against the guards. Marcus shrugged and smirked.

"That's life kid." I felt all my energy build inside of me and let out an unearthly scream.

"I. TRUSTED. YOU!" I could feel my eyes glowing bright neon green and the power tug at my body, asking for release. Only once did I feel my power build up so much. The time I killed my family.

"Get the medallion on him! NOW!" I heard Marcus yell, but I was passed caring. I wanted revenge against these men. And I was going to get it.

My body turned midnight black, only illuminated by a glow of silver that surrounded my whole figure. I felt the guards near me flee, and the ones holding on to me promptly let go. My whole body flew up into the air, shaking with the raw power inside me.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR YOUR BETRAYAL!" I screamed, the wind amplifying my voice. Gust twisted and swirled around me as I let a small amount of power leak out. Even that small amount was enough to destroy half the building.

Everyone, even the crime lord and Marcus, backed away in fear. But my mind was set. They would pay. They would all pay!

I released all my power and it threw everyone back into walls, holding them there. I sent barrages of wind at anything that moved, and only after I was sure they were all dead, did I stop.

Dead. Just like my family.

I floated closed to Marcus, checking to see if I had really done it.

But he tricked me. Again! He wasn't dead. Yet. He somehow managed to find the strength to pull the medallion from behind his back and force it over my head.

And just like that, I felt all my power drain away from me. It was like I had run a million miles and then some. I felt weak. Weak and helpless.

And alone.

I looked around, surveying the damage I cause, and fled from the warehouse, scared to think of what might happen next. I had killed all those men. I- I hadn't meant to... I was just so mad...

I also killed Marcus. He had been brought to a hospital, and I went to check on him, but they told me he didn't make it.

I was killing everyone who ever got close to me.

Maybe it was a good thing Marcus had gotten this medallion on me. He was the only one who would be able to take it off, and he was dead now. I wouldn't hurt anyone anymore. I was free of this curse called my powers.

I continued on through life, doing the only thing I could think of doing. I mean, what does any kid without a place to go do? He joins the circus! And that's exactly what I did.

I still retained a little of my agility due to my powers, even with the medallion on, and that made me the perfect candidate to be a trapeze artist. I spent the next year of my life at the circus, enjoying every moment of it. I truly belonged here.

The best part was, my powers never worked up again. I never had to worry about hurting someone I cared about, or destroying every building I came near.

I could actually start being a kid again.

Then Master Fung came. He offered me a chance to train at the Xiaolin Temple as the Dragon of the Wind. He told me I would be using my powers for good.

After seeing them used for so much bad, it would be nice to have something to use them productively on.

So I said yes, and that's how I got here today, a Wudai Warrior, one step closer to becoming a Dragon.

And I was happy here. Really, truly, happy. I made friends who had powers just like me, who know what it's like to struggle through them. Sure, Omi can get annoying when he talks about how I'm not as strong as the others which is why I was promoted to Apprentice after everyone else. And Kimiko can be such a girl some times, not to mention how exasperating Clay's Texas sayings can be at times…

But I love it here.

It's my home.

And even though my medallion limits my powers immensely, I know my friends will always be there to help me through it all.

.... So.... I'm not really sure how to end this. Kimiko said it would be fine however I wrote it since it's going to be buried in the ground and not unearthed for at least a hundred years. I don't know why she suddenly got the idea of making a time capsule. Crazy girl.

You really don't have to believe any of this, I know I wouldn't. It sounds crazy, fantastical. But it's true. Master Fung is working on a way to remove the medallion, and so is Master Guan, but no such luck. It's hard to use my powers with such a block in the way.

But I'm learning. Slowly, but surely.

Ahem, well, hope you enjoyed this little story. You can go back to whatever you were doing before you started reading this. Play outside, go on your computers. Whatever floats your boat.

Well, that's it I guess. I don't really know what to say now, so I guess I'll just finish the old fashion way.

Bye!

Sincerely yours,

Raimundo Pedrosa

Dragon of the Wind (in training)

A/N: Again, not a clue where this came from, and not sure if it's any good, but be nice and leave me a review please! If I get some reviews, I may be inspired to write some more chapters on The Academy and The Traders. You can even go ahead and tell me it stinks and should be deleted (if that's your honest opinion) just as long as I can hear what you guys think.

*laughs* I would say I need just one review to continue, but seeing as this is a oneshot, I'll take as many reviews as I can get ;P

Now... time to go to sleep... zzzzz.........