Not sure if this is a good idea...I was hoping I could postpone this story until I would have reached at least half way through the plot. Right now is not even a quarter done. The thing is I'll be really busy those few weeks and most likely the whole of august and september. In october I'll be starting college and it'll take a while to get used to the change of city and living on my own and stuff. I'll be trying to get back to writing at the end of this month and talk with my Beta to work things out a bit.

In the end, it's nearly a year since I've finished the first part and I believe I've left you waiting long enough. But, as I said, don't get your hopes up for the next chapter. I'll be busy; even now I should be working on Maths cause my exam is tomorrow and I can't possibly fail it.

Anyway, I'll do my best and hope everything will have a happy ending.

Green Seer out...

The sun revealed itself slowly on the beautifully clear sky. The water sparkled in the distance, merging with the endless dark horizon of the Mediterranean Sea. The waves crashed softly on the silky thin sand and the cold breeze beat gently over the coastline. Kimiko inhaled the salty scent deeply as her feet treaded through the strands of powdered soil, feeling the tickles of the grains as they brushed against her naked legs.

There was no living thing in sight for as far as she could see. She was alone on the beach; behind her the pompous view of the hotel looming gracefully. The breaking of dawn brought a certain lightening to the heavens, and the marvelous small changes – the diminishing stars, the stunning hues of dark blue and azure along with molten gold and crimson red – left the young woman gasping in wonder.

Her pink lips turned into a small smile and she leisurely tucked an unruly lock of scarlet hair behind her ear. She kept on walking aimlessly, her body completely lax under the natural changes of the nature around her. The wind died easily as the rays of sun cast warmth and light over the earth and Kimiko sighed when she began hearing distant voices floating in the air. People were coming down on the beach. With a resigned huff, she started towards the hotel determined to come back tomorrow for another show.

Unfortunately, such a thing would not happen as she would be far away from the city of Barcelona by that time.

-.-

The roar would have resembled a hoard of beasts ready to feast on their defenseless prey if the environment hadn't been the usual steel jungle of a metropolis. The various engines of the planes purred loudly across the airport, spreading continuous vibrations that shook the very foundations of the main building. However, the noise outside couldn't even compare with the level it reached inside with the help of thousands of people running, screaming, dragging or complaining every second of every day.

As the passport control finished with her papers, a pretty blonde walked to pick up her bag and suitcase, sharp clinking heels tuned out by the general mass of bodies surrounding her. The large black sunglasses carefully placed on top of her head revealed mischievous raven eyes and the sly curl of her red lips gave her the appearance of a cat that had just swallowed the canary.

Her slim body easily bent around the crowds, not without drawing the lustful eyes of men as they swooped across the delicate, white sundress up to her chest and then to her sculpted, tanned legs. She inwardly rolled her eyes at the foolish and predictable attention, even though she couldn't deny the pleasure it brought her.

In several elegant strides she was out through the sliding doors and into the morning sun of Barcelona. She sauntered to the nearest taxi and softly knocked on the window. One look at her and she had the driver out of the car and lifting her luggage with a supposedly charming smile which she returned with practiced ease. After giving him the address she leaned back in her seat, crossing her slender legs and inadvertently revealing her thighs as the material of the dress stretched and slipped over her skin. She pretended she didn't notice the look the man was giving her and kept on staring out the window.

Fifteen minutes later, the blonde was bidding the man goodbye. She winked over her shoulder making him grin like a fool and proceeded to enter the lobby of her hotel with a barely noticeable shake of her head. Checking in was over in a few minutes and before she knew it she was alone in her room. Leaving her bags on the floor she stepped on the veranda and pulled out her cell. It rang three times before it was answered.

"I've landed." She stated coldly. "I'll make contact within the next two hours. The final step is at noon. Have your men ready by then." With a click the call ended and the blonde leaned over the balustrade letting the wind ruffle her shoulder length hair. She closed her eyes with a satisfied smirk.

-.-

Life was good for a certain red haired, red eyed genius. At the present moment, he was sprawled in a lounger near the outdoor swimming pool, simply relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet of the morning while it lasted.

It has been two weeks since they had come to Spain and during this time, he, Raimundo and Kimiko, now going by the name of Kia, have been visiting the city and its surroundings, traveled around the coast by boat and it mostly felt like taking a vacation. The first few days had been tense; they almost always expected to see the police barging in on them or something, however they soon found themselves in some sort of routine.

Lately, they each have been doing their own things; Kimiko mostly spent her time in the shopping centers or strolling down the beach, Raimundo would hit the bars, gamble and boost his confidence as he played his adversaries like puppets, or just surf down the shoreline all day long while Jack, himself, would hang around the pool and work on his computer, upgrading it with new info concerning would-be jobs or just improve its features.

His wound healed nicely, but Kimiko insisted to take it easy for the next week or so. He usually wore a shirt as to hide the gauze still wrapped around his shoulder, however that still didn't deter the techno geek from coming out to the pool. If he couldn't take a bath then he could watch the pretty girls coming and going as much as he wanted.

He lightly pushed up his shades to have a better look at the woman that stepped out of the door mere seconds ago. She was chatting animatedly in what he assumed was French with a little girl – her sister? – before putting their stuff on some chairs and jumping into the swimming pool. Slowly, more people trickled out of the hotel and soon enough the whole space was filled with laughter and splashes.

Jack sighed and placed his sunglasses back before he settled on the recliner. He didn't go any further than that as a sudden wave of water sprayed all over him, startling him. The young man shot upright with a high pitched yell and bristled trying to find the culprit despite the dripping water covering the lenses of his glasses.

"Oh, je suis très désolé, Monsieur. I apologize."

Jack felt his jaw drop seeing the same girl from before swimming to recover the ball that landed right beside the spot where he was relaxing. The sight of her in her bathing suit, wet brown hair plastered over her back and neck, her chest and arms, brought a light reddening on Jack's face and he laughed sheepishly.

"Heh, i-it's nothing, really."

The girl smiled warmly at him. "Do you wish to join us for a game?"

Jack blinked before a grin split his face. "It'll be my pleasure." He swiftly grabbed the ball and descended in the mild water, all the while the French woman followed him with her big, pale blue eyes.

She took the ball from him and extended her hand. "My name is Amelia."

"Jack." The red head simply said, taking her smaller, delicate hand in a handshake. "Shall we?" She giggled and they both crossed the pool back to Amelia's sister who was waiting patiently on the other side.

-.-

Raimundo wandered around the patio, easily maneuvering around the people as he scanned the various cafés and terraces for a place to rest after a morning of riding waves. He sighed, thinking about someone who he'd wish to spend the day with, though, in her mind spending the day together meant trips to the mall and him carrying shopping bags.

He shook his head, sending droplets of salty water flying from his wet, dark brown hair and turned his train of thoughts to his best friend. Jack has been particularly bored in the beginning – what with him being still injured and not being able to do much – his genius of a friend isolated himself with his computer. Only in the past week did he manage to convince the red head to go out more, even if it was only around the hotel.

He smiled slightly after finally spotting an empty table at a quiet café. He walked straight towards it, only to have his path cut by a woman who took his seat without a second glance at him. For a moment he stood there and gaped at her before taking a calming breath and shrugging off the whole thing.

'The nerve of some people.' He thought irritated. Huffing and dropping his hands deep in his pockets, Raimundo kept on going not as carefully as he had for another available seat but rather still fuming over the event merely minutes before.

Nonetheless, his hard thinking brought him in the predicament of bumping into an unsuspecting woman, just as she turned around from taking a photo of the beach and sea. The camera dropped with a muted crash and broke into pieces right at their feet causing the blonde to release a choked gasp and Raimundo to stare in stunned silence.

"Merda!" He finally said. "I am so sorry, miss, I wasn't paying any attention, I – " Only to stop as the woman brushed off his apologies with a light chuckle.

"It's alright, you just startled me. It's my fault. I was in the middle of the road taking photos…" She shook her head kneeling and searching the remains of the camera for something. "Should have known better…" Rai crouched down beside her and gathered up the bits that fell off. At the blonde victorious cry, he looked up sharply and saw her holding a rectangular plastic object in between her fingers. "The memory card survived, that's what matters."

Rai snickered and they stood up, the woman chucking the damaged camera in the nearby trashcan. The brunet did the same with what he had gathered and glanced at her sheepishly. "I'm still sorry about that."

The blonde shook her head grinning. "It happens. But if it makes you feel better you can buy me a drink and we'll be cool."

"Deal. I'm Raimundo."

"Ashley." The woman introduced herself taking off the glasses and putting them on top of her head. "Come on, I know a great place."

-.-

Kimiko moaned as a pair of strong hands caressed her back in wide circular motions, stopping from time to time to puncture a certain spot and ease the tense muscles underneath. She sighed as they traveled down her spine, then tickled her waist and hips before coming back to chafe her white shoulders and pinch her backbone with several swift motions. Pausing to apply a bit more oil on his hand, the masseur coated her back in it with ample strokes before starting to work her muscles to relax.

After her stroll on the beach, Kimiko returned to her room. She wanted to go and find Raimundo but remembered he went down at the beach and sincerely doubted he would abandon the attention of the girls staring at him as he conquered the waves in order to go shopping with her. Therefore, she settled on a day at the spa. Afterwards, she hoped to look for Jack and stay at the pool for the rest of the day. Maybe in the evening they would go to a restaurant and have a stylish dinner. She mentally nodded at her plans and left her mind to wonder again when the masseur began a series of jabs and pats over her shoulders and back.

Half an hour later, Kimiko was casually moving back to her room, a dreamy expression crossing her face as she stretched her arms and rolled her neck. "I've forgotten how awesome this sort of thing is. Should listen to Keiko more often." She mumbled to herself.

Pausing in front of her door, she searched for the keycard, ignoring the heavy footsteps coming down the hall. Fishing it out of her pocket, the red head placed the card in the slot beside the door when something huge suddenly smacked into her from behind. Kimiko barely kept herself upright and that was because of the support the wall provided.

Growling slightly she turned around with flaming eyes. "Hey, watch it jerk!"

The mountain of a man merely glanced at her from the corner of his eye before continuing at a more sedate pace. Being dismissed like a meaningless fly could only flare up the woman's temper even more and she gritted her teeth taking a step forward. But before she could spit out another word, the man turned around catching her with a backhand across her face. Taken by surprise, Kimiko was sent sprawling on the floor, the sting of the strike hitting her after several seconds.

"What the hell is - ?" Pressure on her upper arm halted her words and before she knew it, the man forcefully pulled her up and slammed her in the wall and then stuck a syringe in her neck.

"Sweet dreams, princess." His sneering face was the last thing Kimiko saw before her world faded to black.

-.-

His body slammed against the wall and for a moment he had to ask himself how he got into this situation. Seconds later another body pressed against his and small hands crawled on his chest, neck, head, fingers gripping his fierce red hair before a pair of beautiful lips pushed on his mouth in a wild, desperate kiss.

A bit overwhelmed by how the game in the pool turned out, Jack responded to her act, the warm passion growing inside of him as the French woman gave herself to him. Amelia smiled and broke the kiss, breathing heavily on his cheek and pulling harder on his hair. Jack winced slightly but dived right back as he seized her slender neck earning a small gasp from her. He placed soft butterfly kisses, going upwards to her jaw and then her ear before breathing in the aroma of her hair.

His hands, trembling slightly, curled around her naked waist, pulling at the straps of her swimming suit. Amelia buried her face in the crook of his neck, her fingernails scratching the back of his shoulder asking for more than touching. And Jack wanted to obey. He wanted to go along with her, let himself prey to desire and ravage the brunette goddess in his arms.

But a swift pain in his shoulder had him inhale sharply and flinch away from her. Amelia looked up questioningly and Jack felt his arms stiffen around her. He gulped as he was hit full force by big confused pale blue eyes and tried to work his hands away from her hips.

"Um…Amelia…"

The woman understood right away and ripped her hands away from his hair, placing them on his forearms and keeping them in place. "Oh, don't worry Jack. No one is going to see us!" She purred in her thick French accent, batting seductive eyelashes at him.

But Jack shook his head vigorously. "Look…This is really wrong."

The brunette smirked and swooped down for a kiss. Jack finally found feeling in his arms and pulled away from her grip, ducking just in time. "As awesome as this would be…it's too good to be true."

Amelia frowned at her miss but then sneered making Jack back away even more. "Well, that's something you're right about." Without warning, she lunged at him grabbing him by the front of his shirt and drove her knee in his abdomen knocking the breath out of him.

Gasping painfully, Jack crumbled at her feet holding his aching stomach. Above him, Amelia smirked maliciously directing a karate chop down his exposed neck and successfully knocking the red head out.

"How dare you? I've never been refused before."

-.-

The place Ashley led him to, was several streets away from the hotel. It was a nice bistro with special compartments as to allow privacy to their clients and a calm, serene atmosphere. Raimundo liked it. They both ordered a light meal and afterwards a cocktail, all the while discussing about various subjects such as what they do for a living, where they live and why they choose Spain for a vacation.

Ashley, Raimundo found out, was a very carefree person. She was funny and sarcastic and had a certain allure, the same as Kimiko but absolutely different at the same time. She intrigued him. She was a bit mysterious, he realized, having detected several slips in her otherwise perfect façade and that put him somehow on guard. But then again, who doesn't have some skeletons in their closet? He mused. He, himself, wouldn't pour his soul out to some stranger.

The curtain of the booth parted and in came a waitress holding a plate with their drinks. She smiled at them and carefully placed the elaborate glasses down before wishing them a 'Pleasant Day' and leaving.

"This day wasn't how I expected." The blonde laughed quietly.

Rai tilted his head after taking a sip from his drink. "That makes two of us." A beat of comfortable silence passed between them, with both just staring in space as if remembering their coincidental meeting.

"Hey, sorry if this too straightforward, but…do you have a girlfriend?"

Raimundo blinked for a second but recovered immediately. "Yes, I do. How about you? Any partner in your life?"

Ashley shook her head slowly. "Nah, I'm free." She sighed, playing with her fingers over the smooth surface of her glass. "She sure is a lucky girl." Raimundo nodded, feeling a bit lost in their current conversation. "Would you do anything for her?"

"What do you mean?" He frowned. This is where his senses would tell him something is not right and, as on cue, they did. But his mind was, by some means, too slow to process and he suddenly needed to concentrate on the blonde's answer in order to understand it.

"What I wanted to say is, would you go to the extremes if it meant protecting her?" She watched him with such an intense gaze, Raimundo was sure he must have been looking at another woman.

"I…I guess so." He finally managed, placing his blurry sight as a 'not good' sign. "What did you say was in those cocktails?" And through his currently bad vision, he caught a glimpse of a large predatory smile on the woman's face. And then, everything went dark.