Wuya had sensed his weakness as she banished his friends into the dungeon. Saw the horror in his eyes as he realized that evil isn't about getting whatever you want. She knew that he wouldn't hold out as a minion, or even as a member of the Heylin.

"So, how do you play this... air hockey?"

She allowed him to teach her the trivial game and once a steady pace of play had been established, she spoke again.

"You seemed distressed about the Xiaolin Dragons' capture." Raimundo flinched and missed the puck, allowing Wuya to score.

"I, well... they were my friends. It's hard to see them like that." He replaced the puck in front of him and sent it zooming towards the witch.

"I see," she swatted the puck into his section, eyes remaining on him. He glanced up and caught her gaze. The puck bounced off of his mallet, hit a wall and drifted lazily back into Wuya's section. "They aren't your friends you know. They didn't try to help you when you tried to protect your Master. They took the glory of defeating Mala Mala Jong and left you out to dry." Wuya caught the puck between her mallet and the table.

"I... No, that's... that's not true. They did the right thing," the former Xiaolin Dragon squirmed. "I was stupid to defy Master Fung's orders."

Wuya frowned. This wasn't going as planned. She removed her mallet from the puck and smacked it into Raimundo's unguarded goal. She rounded the table and put a hand on Raimundo's shoulder.

"I know you must have mixed feelings now, but I can assure you it will get better." Rai brightened at her words.

"Really? You think so?"

He failed to notice her hand beginning to glow bright green.

"Raimundo, my boy, I know so."

XSXSXSXS

The Xiaolin monks flew swiftly towards Wuya's castle, plan in motion and Shen Gong Wu at the ready. Dojo hovered in the air before Raimundo's gaming room. They had expected to find him playing video games, living in the lap of luxury.

They found him instead, sitting cross legged in the center of the room, eyes closed.

"Rai?" Kimiko called out. At the sound of his name, the former Dragon of Wind flinched and opened his eyes.

"You escaped." He said simply, rising to his feet.

"Just be cool and let us go, Rai." Kim said.

"Or be a jerk and come after us," Dojo added with a scowl. Without any warning, Raimundo reared back and punched the air.

"Wind!"

A powerful gust blasted Dojo in the stomach. The warriors leapt off from him and landed neatly in the room. The dragon shrank down to his usual size and fell, writhing in pain on the floor.

"Rai, what in tarnation are you doin'?" Clay demanded.

"Catching the escapees," he threw his former friend a grin before charging at the pair. Clay jumped out to meet him, catching his jaw with a strong right hook. Kimiko froze as she watched the pair brawl. Why was Rai fighting them? He was supposed to chase them, not outright attack them.

"Third Arm Sash- Earth!" The Shen Gong Wu sprang to life, tripling in size and becoming coated in stone. The fist of the Wu swung out, missing Raimundo and destroying a pillar. The brown haired boy jumped onto the arm, running down it's length and kicking Clay square in the face. Raimundo stepped onto his fallen form, pressing down on his chest. Kimiko snapped out of reverie and readied her Shen Gong Wu.

"Star Hanabi- Fire!" The star flew like a shuriken, flames blazing. Raimundo swung his hand out, wind bursting forth to extinguish the fire. The Star Hanabi landed harmlessly at his feet. It was enough of a distraction, though, that Clay managed to lash out, landing a solid blow to Raimundo's stomach. He staggered backwards, tripping over the pile of rubble that was once a pillar. Kimiko approached him, standing over his crumpled body.

"Give up, Rai." Kimiko said. "You're outnumbered."

"But not outmatched." Rai flipped up suddenly, kicking Kimiko into the nearest wall. Before she could recover, he was on her, one hand gripping her jaw and pressing her against the wall. She stared into his eyes and saw no remorse. His normally vibrant eyes were cold and dark.

"Just give up," he hissed. "We've already taken control of the world. There's nowhere for you to run."

For a split second, she believed him. What would happen if the plan failed? If Jack couldn't open the puzzle box? There would be nothing left for them. A life of running and desperate fighting against an almighty witch. The Dragon of Fire began to shake as fear set in. Fear of the future, fear of failure, fear of the boy who held her.

"Kim!"

She heard him shout, but couldn't see him. Raimundo rolled his eyes and snapped the fingers on his free hands. The ground shook and burst open beneath Clay's feet. A rock monster grabbed him with both hands and crawled from the hole. Raimundo turned, twisting Kimiko around and holding her in a headlock.

"Surrender, or my friend here makes Clay into a pancake."

"We're yer friends!" Clay spat. "What's happened to you!?" Raimundo frowned and nodded to the rock creature. In response, the monster squeezed its hands, eliciting and sharp cry from its captive.

"Stop!" Kimiko tried to turn around in his arms. "Make it stop, Rai!"

Clay screamed as the monster tightened its grip, clearly intent on breaking every one of his bones. Kimiko began to tear up, frustration and helplessness breaking her will. She was about to surrender, when she heard a sound. A sound that made the monster go stiff and Raimundo shiver.

Wuya was screaming.

As the sound faded, the castle began to shake. The rock monster disintegrated, half burying Clay in its remains. Kimiko wriggled from Raimundo's grip and ran to her fallen friend. The rocks were relatively small, considering how big the monster had been, and she was able to drag Clay out and up to his feet.

"Are you okay?" She asked, allowing him to lean on her shoulder.

"Not really," Clay wheezed. "Let's get outta here."

Jack Spicer and Omi burst through the enormous doors, dodging and weaving around the great chunks of stone that fell from the ceiling. At the window, Dojo expanded to his full fifty foot length.

"Get on! This place is coming down fast!"

Omi and Jack made it to him first, with Clay and Kimiko hobbling close behind. The boys helped Clay on and scrambled up after him. Kimiko turned around. She spotted Raimundo clinging to the doorway, trying to stay on his feet and avoid being crushed. He looked up and their eyes met.

He was angry. He was actually upset about his plan with Wuya failing. She felt her face grow hot and glared at him, then leapt onto Dojo's back.

"Let's go,"

The ancient dragon fled from the falling castle, twisting to avoid the stray boulders. Omi scooted closed to Clay, inquiring as to what had happened with Raimundo and how he had been injured. Kimiko looked over her shoulder just in time to see the whole stone palace fall into a massive heap of scree. In that moment, her heart stopped. The fury she had felt at Raimundo's betrayal was replaced with horror. He had still been inside. She felt a deep throb in her chest and began to sob.

Raimundo Pedrosa, Xiaolin Dragon of the Wind, was dead.

Jack, who was sitting behind her, reached out and gently touched her shoulder. Omi stopped in his interrogation to watch her cry. Clay rolled over and spotted the castle, or lack thereof, and came to the same realization. He laid back on Dojo and covered his face with his hands.

All around them, the ruined land was coming back to life. They should have been in high spirits, celebrating the fall of a great enemy.

Instead, they mourned the loss of a fallen comrade.

Author's note: Thank you for reading. As you may or may not know, this story was originally posted by ThorBrodinson, a good friend of mine. He and I had been working on the story together. A while ago, Thor told me I could have sole ownership of the story. I have been very busy and dealing with a lot of changes, but I have become a lot more stable, and I have decided to continue work on this story. I hope you'll continue to support our creation, please review with any thoughts or criticisms.