Kimiko stood, meditating on top of a large bamboo stick. She wobbled slightly, now nervous due to spectation. Raimundo, Omi, and Clay stood at the bottom of the pole.
"Hi, Kimiko!" shouted Omi.
"Omi! I'm trying to meditate!" shrieked Kimiko. Unfortunately, looking down threw off her balance unexpectedly. She wobbled once more, waving her arms like windmills. This time, though, her foot slipped and she fell off.
"Kimiko!" cried Raimundo. The fall was too unexpected for Kimiko to do anything to land properly. However, Raimundo was able to run over and catch her in time.
"Oh, thank you," sighed Kimiko, giving Raimundo a brief hug.
"Nice catch, partner." Clay smiled. Kimiko realized she was still in Raimundo's arms. She leapt up hurriedly.
"Like I said, I was trying to focus," she said, walking away and brushing herself off.
"Girls," laughed Omi. "Men are way superior."
"Uggh," groaned Raimundo. "What if girls could be better than us for once?" Omi and Clay blinked.
"What's up Rai?" asked Clay.
Raimundo groaned slightly. "Nevermind." He turned to go, walking away slightly angrily.
--
Kimiko sat on her bed, trying to focus enough to sketch. Her lip wobbled.
'I will not cry,' she thought. But you messed up in front of Omi, Clay, and Raimundo.
'I will not cry.' But you messed up in front of Raimundo.
'I will not cry.' Why are you stopping it? You messed up. You blew it. All in front of Raimundo.
'Who cares?' Kimiko gave up. She let her eyes pool up. Let the tears fall. Let herself turn and sob into her pillow.
"Kimiko?" Kimiko stopped short. Whose voice was that? She couldn't tell.
"Kimiko, you in there?" Kimiko sniffled as she got up. It was safe; Clay stood by the doorway.
"What's up?" she called, her voice shaking.
"What's wrong, Kim?" asked Clay, coming in.
"Nothing," Kimiko replied, wiping her eyes.
"Aw, Kim, don't lie. What's really going on?" Clay repeated.
"Nothing," Kimiko insisted.
"Is it what Omi said?" continued Clay.
"It's noth -" Kimiko stopped. "What did Omi say?"
"Nothing," replied Clay quickly. "Oh, Kim. I know what's up."
"What?" asked Kimiko, worried. What did he know?
"He's not gonna care, Kim," Clay told her. "Rai doesn't care about just taking an accidental tip off a bamboo stick."
"What if he does, Clay? What if he does?" wailed Kimiko.
"Aw, come on! Rai does that all the time!" exclaimed Clay.
"I know, but I don't think he expects that from me," sighed Kimiko.
"You guys just need a little more bonding time, okay?" said Clay patting Kimiko on the shoulder.
"More bonding time?" asked Kimiko. "We see each other every day, every week, every month, every year. We live in the same place! How much more bonding time can we get?"
"Yes, but how often are Omi and myself there?" added Clay. Kimiko didn't answer.
"Clay! Kimiko!" shouted Omi from outside.
"Hang on a second, Omi!" Clay called. He turned back to Kimiko. "I won't tell Rai or Omi anything, alright?"
Kimiko nodded, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "Thank you," she said, giving Clay a hug.
"Anytime, Kim," Clay replied. "Anytime." Kimiko sniffled one more time, then took a deep breath as she went out into the hallway.
"What's up, Omi?" she asked.
"Kimiko?" questioned Omi. "You're eyes are…red."
"It's nothing," Kimiko told him hurriedly. "So…what's up?"
"The sky," replied Omi blankly. Kimiko sighed.
"What's wrong, Omi," she groaned.
"Dojo has sensed another Shen Gong Wu!" Omi exclaimed frantically.
"Should've seen that coming," muttered Kimiko. "Alright, then, let's go."
"Yeah!" Omi grinned, and Kimiko smiled back.
--
In no time at all, they were going back to the temple. Kimiko huddled on Dojo's tail. Once again, they lost the new Shen Gong Wu to Jack Spicer. Kimiko felt it was her fault; she wasn't focused, and therefore, aided in the loss of the new Wu.
Up front, Raimundo looked over his shoulder. Usually Kimiko sat near Dojo's head, with them. Why was she sitting in back? Clay nudged him slightly, and Raimundo turned back. Clay indicated towards Kimiko with his head, and Raimundo immediately got his meaning. Taking in a huge breath, he turned around.
Kimiko noticed Raimundo slowly inching towards her.
'I will not cry.'
"Hey," Raimundo said awkwardly.
"What?" asked Kimiko, a little more harshly than she meant.
'I will not cry.'
"Why are you sitting all alone back here?" Raimundo wondered aloud.
"No reason," replied Kimiko blandly. Her heart pounded.
'I will not cry.'
"We'll get him next time," Raimundo tried reassuring her, sounding a little like a peppy cheerleader. Kimiko finally looked up at him. "We always do," he continued. "Lighten up! Please?"
'Who cares? His opinion of you must be already low by now…'
Kimiko bit her lip, turning her face down. Her shoulders shook as sobs tore from her chest. She finally let loose the onslaught of tears she had been holding back.
"Oh, no," sighed Raimundo, looking to Clay for help desperately. Clay just indicated towards Kimiko again. 'That doesn't help!' Raimundo mouthed frantically. Clay shrugged. "Kimiko," Raimundo said, laying a hand on her shoulder. This seemed to be the wrong thing to do, however, because once he had, Kimiko looked up. The tears streaked down her face, and it seemed so desperate and pathetically small and vulnerable. She turned her face back down, and the sobs that poured out were louder than before.
"Aw, babe," breathed Raimundo, holding Kimiko's hands. Kimiko looked up, bewildered. He stretched out his arms and crushed her to his chest. Kimiko's sobs started slowing, and eventually dissolved into hiccups. She hesitantly put her arms back around him.
"Th-thank you," stammered Kimiko, her tears running into Raimundo's shirt.
"Your hair looks beautiful," Raimundo whispered into Kimiko's hair.
"As does yours," hiccupped Kimiko. Raimundo held her out at arm's length to scrutinize her eyes.
"You sure you're alright?" Raimundo asked suspiciously.
"No," Kimiko sniffled.
"At least you're being honest." Raimundo smiled, bringing Kimiko in for another hug.
"Thank you, Rai," Kimiko sighed into his chest.
"Anytime," Raimundo murmured. "So, next time you'll get your head in the game?"
"Yeah," Kimiko told him, not wanting to let go.
--
The next day, Kimiko groaned audibly. Unfortunately, she got her head in the game so much, she was the one facing off against Jack Spicer in a Xiaolin Showdown. They usually won these. She could do it!
"Ack! Darn it!" shouted Jack from somewhere behind her. As usual, this Showdown placed her in a precarious position; she leapt around on several tipsy rock pillars. She chanced a quick glance behind her, and almost laughed with delight. Jack was still a ways behind her.
"Come on, Kim, you can do it!" Clay cheered her on from his safe spot on a ledge. She looked over and saw Raimundo watching her with a glowing smile. She flashed a thumbs-up. Looking over like that, though, cost her her footing on the next rock. She teetered on the edge, waving her arms. She cursed Jack, with his stupid helicopter-backpack thing. Kimiko fell off the ledge.
"Kimiko!" Raimundo cried. She was able to twist her body around and latch on to the ledge. One hand slipped off painfully, but the other held fast. Jack let out a triumphant cry that Kimiko heard feet away. Kimiko used her free hand to reach into her shirt.
"Wudai Star!" she screamed, pointing the Shen Gong Wu at Jack. He yelped as his elbow caught fire, but that wasn't what she aimed at. The flame engulfed his helicopter blades. It blew him out of the air.
"Yes!" shouted Riamundo. "Come on, Kimiko!"
"I'm trying!" growled Kimiko through clenched teeth. She had fallen behind Jack; however, she shot him down to land on a rock only a few rocks ahead of herself. She swung onto the rock she had fallen off of.
"Go, Kimiko!" yelled Omi. "Almost there!" Kimiko leapt from rock to rock, making sure to land on Jack.
"You idiot!" screeched Wuya. "Get up!"
"Shut up, ya mean witch!" Jack retorted. He tried to leap to the next rock, but accidentally ended up straddling between the two rocks. Wuya groaned androlled her eyes as Jack let loose a fury of pained screams.
"Ooh," groaned Clay as Raimundo winced. "Hate to see that happen." Kimiko laughed as she moved on. Finally, she reached the last rock, and held the Shen Gong Wu over her head. The Showdown world disappeared, and Kimiko stood with the new Wu.
"Yeah, Kimiko!" Omi and Clay ran over to hug Kimiko. She have the Wu to Raimundo as she hugged them back.
"Nice job," Raimundo told Kimiko.
"Thanks," smiled Kimiko, blushing. Suddenly, a metallic claw shot from nowhere and snatched the new Wu from Raimundo's hands.
"Hey!" he yelled furiously, whipping around. Jack held the Wu as Wuya cackled by his head.
"Give that back!" Raimundo roared at Jack. "Kimiko worked hard to get that!"
"Oh boo hoo," whimpered Jack mockingly. "All's fair in love and war. And this is war."
"Not this," hissed Raimundo, leaping onto Jack.
"Raimundo!" Kimiko shrieked. Wuya groaned. Raimundo punched Jack over and over, yet each one was blocked by a special shield. Wuya drifted down and floated through Raimundo's head. Raimundo froze. Jack leapt up and dashed away, the Shen Gong Wu still clutched tightly in his hands.
"Ugh, I'm going to get you guys one day!" yelled Jack, lifting off with spare helicopter-backpack-thing rotor blades. He laughed as malevolently as he could until he crashed into a tree.
Kimiko looked back, smiling slightly at Jack's pain. She noticed the frozen Raimundo begin to collapse.
"Raimundo!" she gasped. He fell on the ground.
"Oh, geez," stated Clay. They ran over to where he lay, shuddering. As Kimiko knelt next to him, she noticed the tears that streaked down his face. The sight caused Kimiko's eyes to fill.
"Kimiko?" asked Raimundo weakly.
"I'm here," Kimiko murmured, as several tears fell from her eyes. She stroked his cheek lightly, and Raimundo held it there.
"I'm sorry," Raimundo whispered hoarsely, tears rolling off both sides of his face.
"For what?" Kimiko inquired gently.
"You worked so hard," Raimundo answered. "And he took it. He stole it from you."
"At least he didn't steal you," Kimiko sighed. She bent over and kissed him. Raimundo kissed her back, laying a hand on her cheek. Their tears merged, rolling off their cheeks. Kimiko broke apart a bit, and her tears dripped onto Raimundo's cheek. She exhaled, with a small smile. Raimundo smiled back, and they laughed at their tears.