a/n Not your usual kind of fic, trust me.
disclaimer I don't own Xiaolin Showdown, or the song Fake Tales of San Francisco by the Artic Monkeys.
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'So all that's left is the proof that love's not only blind but deaf.'
She shouldn't have been so frightened, really.
He'd just fought Chase Young over another Shen Gong Wu, which had been activating themselves like crazy the past few months that she sometimes forgot what they were for, and even what they were called. Omi became more humble and willing to pass up some showdowns since Raimundo became leader, and though the sad look on his face when that happened was pitiful, she knew it had all been for the best.
When he finally won, bearing the symbols of triumph in his hands, Chase stood off to one corner with a peculiar expression. A mix between surprise and malicious intent, and just as she was about to point it out to her team mates he vanished into a cloud of smoke. She was worried a bit; she and the other didn't really get to watch the entirety of the fight because they were too busy avoiding the destruction caused by it, and she wondered vaguely if the villain was planning something again.
Once they boarded Dojo, she sat in front of him, like always.
"Hey Rai," she heard the quietness in her tone and tried to make it more upbeat. "You were great back there."
His eyes twinkled as he replied, thought there was a sadness in them she might have missed.
"Thanks, Kimi. That means a lot to me."
Suddenly, terrible hacking coughs overcame him, violently shaking his frame even as he tried to suppress it and covered his mouth with his hand.
"What's wrong, partner?" Clay asked; the coughing continued, so as not to be helpless he started to tap the Wind Dragon's back, supporting his shoulder.
The coughs were getting worse, and even Omi peeked under her arm anxiously.
Then they stopped; Raimundo turned away to wipe at his face with the back of his palm, and he faced them with a weak grin.
"Sorry for that, guys. Just a little tired from the showdown." Which astonished her; he almost never admitted weakness, not even to them.
"Raimundo… if something is a-mister, you should leak the peas to us," Omi spoke cautiously.
Raimundo smirked, seemingly back to his old self. "I think you mean 'if something is amiss,' and there isn't; and 'spill the beans,' if there was anything to spill."
Omi shook it off, nonchalant now. "Suit yourself."
When the tension had died down, Kimiko turned to him again.
"You sure you're okay?"
"Positive."
But what was that smear of red on the corner of his mouth?
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Because his room was right next to hers, the walls weren't to be trusted and secrets would interchange in the course of the night.
Nevertheless, she heard that awful coughing sound again, and this time the concern was more solid.
She stepped out of her room and walked the small distance to his door. She was about to knock when she decided against it. Hesitantly, she inched open his sliding door and peered inside.
He lay next to the opposite wall, farthest from the entrance, a blanket draped over him but not hiding the intensity of his fits. He was facing away from her, but the coughs had disappeared abruptly again and in its place was an airy, almost-nonexistent sound. Like gasping.
He made an about-face and she was about to shut the door when she noticed his eyes were firmly closed, and he was trembling as he held his chest and wheezed.
He was in pain, clearly, but what can she do? She wasn't even supposed to be here; she knew he'd feel degraded if he found out that she was checking on him.
With confusion jumbling her thoughts, she tentatively went back to her room, to his cries, and to a night without sleep.
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When he wasn't with them at breakfast, she knew something was not right. They ate in silence, often glancing at the empty spot at the table where he should have been; all of them wondering, but not one having the guts to say it aloud.
It was Dojo who brought it up when he slithered in.
"Where's the kid?" He motioned to Raimundo's place.
They all shrugged simultaneously.
Before Dojo could respond, Master Fung came in with a grave demeanor.
"My dragons… I have something important to tell you."
"What is it, Master Fung?" Omi chirped, brightening at the prospect of gaining back his supposedly wounded pride. "Another quest? A new Shen Gong Wu? A great villain that must be stopped?"
"No, Omi." He said with slight impatience and urgency. "It is about your leader, Raimundo."
"Oh." The yellow-skinned boy withdrew. "Is something the matter with our friend?" It was certain their minds were all on the incident yesterday.
Their teacher's seriousness scared them. "Yes. I'm afraid there is."
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They stood by him, hovering at his bedside, staring in shock at his trembling body, unable to fully comprehend.
"Come, this way."
Master Fung led them to the corridors of the temple and soon they arrived outside Raimundo's room.
"There is something we have not told you about Raimundo," he began. No one dared interrupt. The old monk rubbed the bridge of his nose, an excuse to avoid their eyes.
"He has been suffering from a severe illness, even before he was recruited to the temple. This was before he met you, before I even knew he was a Chosen One."
Their gazes were blank, unknowing.
"I had been uncertain about taking him in, because I knew in due season his body would not be able to handle the… lifestyle of a Xiaolin Dragon. But he… he pleaded with me to let him stay, because even if… his health might deteriorate, at least he might have done something worthwhile with his time. That was how I figured out he was meant to be a true dragon; his overwhelming desire to help others."
'In due time? His health might deteriorate? Worthwhile with his time? What is he getting at?' She thought, wary of the answer.
"You see…" Master Fung looked above them, at a distance, ruefully. "Raimundo has a cancer of the lungs, and has only weeks to live."
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a/n There will be a couple more chapters to this, so if you want to see more, do
REVIEW!