Yay, another chapter! Ha ha!

I meant to do this yesterday - I started it, but didn't get past the first scene - but I got roped into helping my auntie, who lives across the road, clean out her shed 'cause I was the only one brave enough to go near the two big spiders and get them out. I was really surprised at that, as I'm a wimp; though usually about scary films, I can handle spiders - they're not the worst thing to worry about when you're mucking out a horse's stable - though I don't like them much. And so, my auntie took me to town today to spend some of my babysitting money and for lunch. We went for tea and scones earlier in the day as well. Well, I had tea and a mixed berry scone, she had coffee. Then, for lunch, for the first time, I had tapas! They were delicious! I now love patatas bravas!

Anyway, on with the story!


Chapter Four

"Okay, so what are we gonna do? We've got three guys who may be the reason Kimiko's so unhappy and we've gotta figure out which one it is before tonight 'cause we're all going our separate ways." Neko remarked to the Keiko and Sishi as the three of them sat on Keiko's bed once again. "There's three of us, how about, we each grab a man and interrogate him then swap notes and decide!"

"That won't be necessary, Neko." Keiko stifled a giggle at Neko's anxious composure.

"It's Raimundo." Sishi added, confidently. Keiko nodded in agreement.

"How did you know?"

"It's obvious. He was the only one Kimiko wasn't glad to see and he was really upset by it."

"Also, his behaviour corresponds with hers after they came home."

"Plus he's the only single one." Keiko spoke again after Sishi's interruption. "Clay and Omi both had girlfriends back then and are still with them – well, Omi was only friends with Lilia at the time but the others indicated that it was obvious that they liked each other." Neko and Sishi exchanged glances. They both knew it was Raimundo for another reason.

Keiko suddenly jumped to her feet, eyes widening. "What are we sitting around here for? You guys are supposed to be helping me get ready! And getting ready yourselves! We can't all have the speed Kimiko does." The girls scrambled about frantically. Keiko smiled amidst the chaos. "I'm getting married today!"


Kimiko was rushing around the courtyard, thoughts scattered as she tried to focus on preparing for Keiko's wedding rather than on her past. 'Present, now.' She thought to herself as she remembered the previous night. 'It couldn't have been the Heylin…could it?'

She shook her head to clear it and snapped her head up and whirled to face the group of rowdy boys at the edge of the courtyard. It was Aidan and some of his friends both from Brazil and the new ones he had met in Japan. Her temper flared, fire rising to the surface like it hadn't since she left the temple.

She growled in frustration and yelled to all in the vicinity, "Keiko's going to have an absolutely beautiful wedding, right?" Everyone turned to face her, eyebrows shooting into their hairlines and faces expressing alarm.

This only seemed to frustrate her further. "You're supposed to be helping me!" She beseeched, half-yelling and seeming on the verge of tears at the same time. "And you," Aidan looked slightly scared. "You've got to get ready, go!" Aidan turned and half-ran back to his room.

Kimiko sighed in frustration and headed to the shed to put away her cleaning utensils. As she emerged once again, fingering the medallion around her neck, a voice spoke from behind her. "I see you kept my medallion."

Kimiko turned to see Raimundo, slouching against the wall on the right of the doorway she had just walked through. Glancing at the medallion around her neck, she spoke up, avoiding his eyes. "It's supposed to ward off unwanted visitors. 'Well, really, what else was I supposed to say? I know how much it means to you, so I couldn't destroy it, no matter how mad I was at you? That it was the only link to you I had anymore, so there was no way in hell I was letting go?' She thought to herself bitterly.

"Oh, you don't need a medallion for that." Raimundo retorted with a chuckle.

"What are you doing here, Raimundo?" Kimiko's irritation was rising once more and she narrowed her eyes at him, planting her hands on her hips.

Raimundo raised an eyebrow. "Uh…Keiko and Aidan's wedding…Best Man…Ring any bells?"

Kimiko scoffed. "I meant, what are you doing here now! I'm in the middle of making sure that this wedding is perfect for Keiko and you are holding me up!" They stood staring at each other as if in a trance for a few moments before Kimiko blinked. "Hang on, why am I just standing here?" She muttered to herself in frustration and stalked off, still muttering.

Raimundo stared after the retreating figure of the girl who knew him better than anyone, and him her, with an unfathomable expression on his face. "What happened to us, Kimiko?"


Neko rushed down the steps to the beach. 'Wow,' she mused as she drew near. 'It is so much easier going down!' "Kimiko? Are you he-" she stopped short at the scene before her.

It was Danny, once again flirting with her mother. Sighing, she approached, hearing a snippet of their conversation. "If you'll excuse me, I've got work to do." Her mother sniffed as she tried to escape from the boy.

"Work?"

"A little repair and renovation." Neko couldn't help but smile a little. Her mother always did have a way with words. Repair and renovation – what a way to describe getting ready for a wedding!

"Oh, come on! You don't mess with a masterpiece!" That effectively wiped the smile from her face.

"Oh, don't listen to him, mum." The two turned but Danny didn't seem at all surprised to see her. 'Odd.' "He's all mouth and no trousers." She sniffed disdainfully as the crowd of boys on the beach – all part of Danny's group of friends – jeered. 'That seems more appropriate for if mum had said it.' She thought, her confusion only rising when she saw a flicker of pain flash through Danny's eyes and what she thought was a blush, but she couldn't be sure, rise on his tanned face.


Kimiko's frantic attempts at organising the courtyard only increased as time wore on. She bustled around the tables once they were set out, placing the napkins in a meticulous scheme, about ready to snarl at anyone who was brave enough to interrupt her.

Clay and Omi approached her, ignoring the wide-eyed stares of the others helping to set up for the reception. Kimiko glanced up, sensing the familiar presences, and smiled, causing the on-lookers' eyes to widen further. She hadn't done anything but worry all day. "Hi guys, what are you doing here?"

"We came to give you this." Clay stated, smiling as he handed her a box. Kimiko eyed it before starting to open it. "You left the temple in a bit of a hurry and we thought you might want this, so Omi contacted Dojo and Master Fung and they sent this over with the Golden Tiger Claws."

Kimiko gasped as she saw the contents of the box. She reached in and, almost reverently, pulled out three items: a small brown shoulder bag with the image of a bird on it, a yellow disc with a green circle in the middle and a small star with a ruby in the centre – the Arrow Sparrow, her Wudai Weapon; the Cat's Eye Draco, her elemental Shen Gong Wu and the Star Hinabi, her preferred Shen Gong Wu. "Thank you." She murmured, barely above a whisper, with tears in her eyes.

"We would've given you your robes too, but the temple didn't have them." Clay smiled gently at her.

"Yes, when we left, we brought our robes and Shen Gong Wu as reminders of who we are and for emergencies. I have no idea where yours went, though." Omi added, tilting his head in confusion, a look Kimiko was so accustomed to in her early teenage years, she felt better just seeing it.

"That doesn't matter. Thank you, guys." She enveloped them in a hug. She stepped back after a moment, a beseeching look in her eyes.

"Yeah, we'll help you."

Smiling brightly, Kimiko returned to her work, aided by Clay and Omi, finishing in no time. "Oh, and on the way up, I think I heard Neko looking for you."

Kimiko smiled, picked up the box and ran off in the direction she could feel Neko's life force, calling, "Thank you, guys!" behind her.

Upon arrival at the beach, Kimiko quickly located Neko, sitting sullenly on a beach chair, glaring at the spot where Danny was, flirting with her mother. "You were looking for me?"

Neko jumped and spun around on her chair. "Don't creep up on me like that!" She admonished lightly. Kimiko smiled sheepishly but it vanished when she noticed what Neko was staring at so gloomily. "Yeah, Keiko was having some sort of crisis with the dresses – said she needed your help and expert opinion. Let's go." She stood up and without a glance at Danny and her mother.

"He is an idiot." Kimiko muttered to herself as she caught up with Neko. Neko flashed her a grim smile as they walked. Kimiko looked back at Danny and muttered under her breath, at a volume that was undetectable to Neko's human ears, "But not for the reason everyone thinks…" Recalling his frequent glances at Neko everytime he was with her mother and his thoughts. She allowed herself to crack a small smile. 'If only he would gather up his courage and come clean…'


Please review and let me know what you think! I'm too excited for the next chapter to stop working on this story so I may update again later or early tomorrow, 'cause the wedding is next! Yay!