Disclaimer: I do not own Xiaolin Showdown or any characters that appear on the show.
Kimiko was fuming as she put the Wu back.
Who does that egotistical, pompous little jerk think he is? Talking to me like I'm second rate just because I am a girl.
Kimiko put the two ton tunic in its draw and slammed it a little too hard.
And if he makes one more comment about my upper body strength…
The Mantis flip coin slipped out of her hand and fell to the bottom of the vault. Kimiko's blood turned cold as she ran down to find it.
"Not again, not again."
She reached the bottom of the vault and spotted the Mantis flip coin. She picked it up and examined it. It was completely unharmed. Kimiko let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the vault wall. No evil earwig coming out tonight. She was brought out of her thoughts when the she was leaning on gave way. She sat up, rubbing the back of her head and looked to see where the wall had gone. Instead she now saw a dark tunnel leading into the darkness. If this had been Tokyo, she probably would have been freaked out but for a place where a she had to clean out a dragons litter box once a week a vanishing wall seemed entirely logical. Kimiko stood up and dusted her self off. She then looked back and forth between the tunnel and the stairway out of here.
Which way to go?
She had no idea where the tunnel lead and the fact that it had until now been hidden did make one wonder. She did know what was waiting up the stairs though; a cocky little monk and a cowboy that had promised to give her his rendition of "Stars and Stripes Forever" in belch major.
Dark, creepy tunnel it is.
Kimiko created a small fire ball in her hand and started walking down the tunnel. She soon came to a chamber. She made her fire ball bigger so that it lit the whole room. To her disappointment, it was empty excepted for a statue of a teen aged boy.
Why would someone go through the trouble of making a statue just to leave it at the bottom of a vault?
She then noticed that it had a spear sticking out of its chest. Kimiko raised an eyebrow, she had heard about people sticking it to art but wasn't this a little too literal? Kimiko walked closer to the statue, she then made the fireball float out of her hand and stay above the statue to offer her better light. First thing she noticed (apart from the fact that he, like nearly everyone else, was taller than her) was the clothes that he had been wearing. It looked a lot like the robes Omi and Clay wore at the temple.
He must have been a Xiaolin Dragon too. I wonder who he was and who he ticked off to have his statue dumped here.
Around his neck hung a medallion, it was reasonably simple; no writing , only a spiral engraved on it. The Statues hair was relatively short but spiked up like it had been mess up by the wind. His eyes were closed and his face looked relaxed, almost as if he was sleeping. He also looked kinda cute, not Omi/puppy cute, more handsome cute. Kimiko's eyes widened as she heard herself.
Cute? Handsome? Kimiko girl you have got to get your self a love life if you're starting to get attracted to a statue, even though this one looks so real.
She stuck out a hand to feel his face, almost expecting it to feel like touching skin. She felt a twinge of disappointment when her hand felt cold stone. Slowly she moved her hand down from his right temple, across his cheek, finally stopping on his lips. Kimiko frowned, for some reason she felt sorry for him; she knew she wouldn't like being left at the bottom of the vault with a spear in her chest.
Well in that case, I can't move you but I can at least try to take out that spear out.
She grabbed the spear and pulled. The spear slid out like it had been greased. Kimiko was surprised that it had come out so easily. She looked for the hole in the statue where the spear had been. She was shocked when she couldn't find one.
What the…?
Kimiko was brought out of her thoughts when she heard someone calling her.
"Whoops, gotta go. See ya round," Kimiko said to the statue.
She ran off; spear still in hand, unaware the statue's eyes had just opened.
Kimiko stepped out of the vault to see Clay and Omi stand in the doorway of the meditation room where the vault was. When Omi saw Kimiko carrying a spear he hid behind Clay.
"Oh there you are," Clay said, "Omi has something he would like to say."
"Perhaps I can say it some other time, like when Kimiko isn't armed!"
"No Omi, say it now."
Fearfully Omi stepped out from behind Clay. He gave a quick bow to Kimiko, seemingly scared to expose his neck to Kimiko for too long.
"I humbly give my apology for what I had said earlier, it was mean and inappropriate."
Kimiko features softened slightly.
"After all you can not help it that you were born a girl."
Kimiko tightened her grip on the spear.
"Not that there is anything wrong with girls," Omi added quickly before giving her a big nervous smile.
Kimiko sighed, it wasn't wait she would call sincere but considering that this was Omi she realised that was probably the best she was going to get from him.
"Ok, apology accepted but next time think before you speak."
"I always think before I speak."
"Next time think harder."
At this Dojo stuck his head out of Clay's hat.
"Is it safe to come out?" he asked.
Kimiko pursed her lips, was she really that scary when she got mad. Instead of answering she decided to use the better light to examine the spear. The spear seemed both simple and strange to her. The staff part of it was a gold metal but was too light to be actual gold. The blade seemed to be made of a blue crystal shaped into the traditional leaf shape. Half way up the staff was a black section; it was hand width and seems to be a handle of some sort. But what use was a handle half way up a spear? She also noticed that this spear didn't have a tassel below the blade like most Qiang (Chinese Spear) did. Like she had said before, it was both simple and strange. She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt a weight resting on her shoulder. She looked to see that it was Dojo.
"You know that spear looks familiar," Dojo said, "Where did you get it?"
"Oh just found it in the bottom of the vault, stuck in a statue that I had found," Kimiko answered.
"Didn't strike me as a type to go for the Valkyrie look," Clay said with a smirk.
Kimiko smiled.
"Nah, not my style, though maybe I'll hang it in my cubical, you know a sort of extreme retro look."
Clay just shook his head, no matter how long he knew the girl he still couldn't understand her sometimes. Omi on the other hand couldn't understand her at all. Dojo seemed to be pondering something.
"A spear…at the bottom of a vault…in a statue…" he muttered to him self.
He suddenly went into panic mood when the pieces fell together in his head.
"GREAT GHOST OF DASHI, THE SPEAR OF DASHI!"
Dojo leapt off of Kimiko and tried to wrench the spear from her fingers. Kimiko held on because she didn't like people yanking things from her.
"We have to put the spear back before he gets loose," Dojo said frantically.
Clay picked Dojo up by his neck.
"Hold up lil buddy," Clay said to the Dragon, "Before who gets out?"
"Whoa how long was I out for? I feel as if it's been a millennium," voice called out.
Dojo ran for cover under Clay's hat while the Wudai warriors turned to the vault, ready to face what ever manner of creature came out. They were disappointed when all that came out was a teen age boy.
"Well that was a bit of a dud," Clay muttered.
Omi as well seemed disappointed that it wasn't some great evil to defeat. Kimiko on the other hand was shocked; it was the statue she had pulled the spear out of, only in human form and in colour. He had brown hair and tan skin. She now also realised that he wasn't a Dragon. While his robes had looked like Omi's and Clay's by design, they were nothing like theirs by colour. The pants were black, as was the base colour of the outer shirt. The ends of the sleeves were dark purple and around his waist was a similar purple sash. Snaking around and down his right sleeve was a green winged serpent and his left upper sleeve sported a purple crow. Visible at the v of the outer shirt was a green inner shirt. As he turned his back, she saw the Chinese symbol for wind written in green on his back. A gold medallion hung around his neck. He let out a big yawn and stretched.
"Man magic induced sleep is refreshing but it really throws you round the bend," he muttered as he started to examine his surroundings.
The Dragons stayed in their fighting positions, expecting him to attack at any moment. They stayed like that until they realised he wasn't attacking. He wasn't even acknowledging that there was anyone there.
"Uh, isn't this the part where he attacks and we fight?" Kimiko asked Clay.
"Maybe he missed that class," Clay answered.
"Then I shall instruct him on proper combat etiquette," Omi said.
Omi walked up to the guy.
"Excuse me perhaps you are unaware of how combat works…" Omi began.
"Be with you in moment tiny, just got to get my bearings," the guy interrupted.
"I am not tiny, I am compact," Omi protested.
"Well 'Compact', mind telling me where I am?"
"You are in the Xiaolin Temple and I …"
"Xiaolin Temple? You mean Dashi finally got round to building it?" the guy interrupted, "when did he do that?"
"Uh, about 1500 years ago," Omi answered.
"1500 years? I really am out of the loop."
"Yes, well as I was saying I am Omi, greatest of the Wudai warriors," Omi said.
The guy looked at Omi, clearly unimpressed. When Omi saw the glares he was getting from Clay and Kimiko he quickly added, "and these are the other Wudai warriors."
The guy seemed disinterested until he saw Kimiko which caused a big smile to develop on his face. He did a singled handed vault off of Omi's head, causing Omi to face plant into the floor and landed in front of her. His face was now very close to hers. She looked into his green eyes and found that they were slit like a cats. It seemed to go well with the predatory grin he now had.
"And does this Wudai warrior have a name to go with that pretty face of hers?" he asked.
Kimiko stepped back, she usually was good at handling come-ons but this guy seemed get her unbalanced, it was probably the eyes. At this Clay stepped in between the two, his big brother instincts seemingly kicking in.
"You know where I come from a fella gives his name first before asking a lady for hers," he said coolly.
"Well I have no idea what a 'fella' is but if I meet one I'll tell them that," the guy answered.
"I was referring to you."
"Oh well in that case I'm…"
Dojo, not comfortable being so close, shot out of Clay's hat ran for the door.
"CLAY HOLD HIM OFF, I'LL GO TELL MASTER FUNG THAT RAI HAS ESCAPED!!" he shouted over his shoulder as he ran out.
"Still the epitome of courage I see," The guy mused before turning back to Clay, "So I take it that you're Clay, the midget already said that he was Omi, as the gecko said my name is Rai. Since all the men are introduced may I now ask the pretty girl for her name?"
"My name is Kimiko," Kimiko answered from behind Clay.
Omi leapt in between Clay and Rai. Feeling a little cramped and now having two guys between him and the pretty girl, Rai stepped back.
"Rai, Rai the demon?" Omi asked, "I have read of you."
"Really? What did it say?" Rai asked.
"That you are Wuya's apprentice."
Kimiko and Clay's eye's widened. Demon? Wuya's apprentice? Rai huffed slightly.
"Is that all the history books are saying bout me, I knew I should has gotten a publisher," he muttered, "oh by the way, someone left this lying around."
Rai pulled out the Mantis Flip coin. The Wudai warriors went bug eyed.
"Give that back, Wuya's apprentice, or face a Xiaolin butting kicking," Omi warned.
Rai smirked.
"Well why don't you come and get it short stuff?"
Angered, Omi leapt at Rai.
"Leopard strike!"
"Wind!"
A strange of gust wind erupted from Rai and sent Omi flying backwards in to a column; he then slid down until he hit the floor, little Omi heads circling around.
"So many Omis, how wondrous," Omi said before passing out.
"Greatest of the Wudai warriors huh?"
"Why you little varmint," Clay snarled before leaping at Rai.
Rai fell on his back and kicked Clay in the stomach with both feet, sending Clay flying into the cauldron. Rai kicked himself back up to his feet.
"So first I'm a 'fella' now I'm a 'varmint'? Please make up your mind."
Kimiko dropped the spear and lit a fire ball in each hand. She was ready to rumble.
"Here you go," Rai suddenly said flipping the coin towards Kimiko.
She extinguished the flames to catch the coin. She looked at it disbelievingly as Rai walked up to her.
"You're just giving it to me," Kimiko asked, "what's the catch?"
Rai shrugged.
"No catch, you must have dropped it when you walked out, I don't want it so why should I keep it?"
"Why beat up my two friends then?"
Rai shrugged again.
"Clay was self defence; Omi was because I couldn't resist a challenge. You on the other hand, I have no need or desire to fight."
At that Rai walked pass Kimiko towards the door.
"I'll see you round, little firefly," he said over his shoulder.
"Wait you're going to walk out just like that?" she asked, not believing what she was seeing.
"Unless you plan to stop me, yes," he answered as he walked through the door.
She just stared as he walked through the door. Her brain suddenly kicked in and she went running after him. He had just attacked her two friends, she couldn't let that stand. She ran through the door and looked; Rai had vanished. Having lost him, Kimiko just leaned against the doorway.
Author's Note: Well here is the first chapter, tell me what you think, those who are reading my Pains of a Dragon story don't worry I'll update it soon. I just wanted to get a start on this story too.
Some notes on the story line that may or may not be obvious. In this universe, there is no such thing as a Xiaolin Dragon of Wind (wind is not a Chinese element anyway). Raimundo's name in this story is going to be to Rai, it is Japanese for thunder so it works (I know this is set in China, but I like his name the way it is). Up until now Clay, Omi and Kimiko have been a fighting evil and finding Wu as a trio, there is no forth dragon (excluding Dojo). Any major gaps in the tv storyline created by this will be filled as the story progresses, I promise.