--Chapter XII--


Disclaimers: I do not own Xiaolin Showdown.

A/N: Thank you for the reviews! I bet you all want to know who opened the door in the last chapter… here's where you'll find out. Well, here's Chapter 12. Enjoy!

By the way, I'd like to thank those who reviewed Chapter XI personally. Thanks to Cute Peridot816, justKoolkat, BAM Aesthetic, and Toothpaste. Love you guys! Thank you sooo much for reviewing. You made my day. :)


Kimiko was walking on the road as soon as she finished her late night cocoa. She thought that she needed a walk to clear her thoughts.

That's better, she thought. Now maybe I can get home to the Xiaolin Temple before midnight strikes.

"Are you… Kimiko?" a voice suddenly spoke up. Kimiko looked up, the street light illuminating a blond haired girl with sapphire blue eyes. Her eyes were searching Kimiko's, trying to find some kind of answer.

"Wait… I know you… you're Lucy, right?" Kimiko replied, staring her in the eye.

"Yes… how did you know?"

"I just remembered what you looked like, while Ben was busy talking to you." Kimiko replied, shuffling her feet. She knew that Lucy would get the message, and probably even figure out that she, Kimiko, wasn't speaking to Ben anymore.

Instead of replying quickly, though, Lucy was staring at the sidewalk with downcast eyes. She had a look of regret on her face. "Listen, Kimiko… I know you must have thought… that Ben and I were doing something behind your back. But I assure you, and I swear to God, I never had a part in his plan. It was all him. I'm so, so, sorry. If I only knew that he was dating you, I wouldn't have interfered." She apologized.

Kimiko wasn't sure how to reply. Finally, she said, "It's okay. It's not your fault, Lucy." Kimiko walked towards her. "Lucy, I know I'm asking on such short notice… but can we be friends?"

Lucy stared at her in disbelief. Kimiko could read through her expression that she was shocked that of all people, Kimiko was asking to be her friend.

"Sure, Kimiko…" They shook hands.

"Hey Lucy, why don't you take a walk with me?"

"Okay."

They walked side by side. "So what are you doing here, so late at night?"

"I just felt like I needed a walk to clear my thoughts, and my guilt about the whole thing with Ben." Lucy sighed. "I can't believe he could cheat on the both of us like that. I always thought he was a sweet guy."

"You know, Lucy, I thought so too. I guess we have to put him behind us and move on, don't you think?"

"Yes. But I still can't believe he would do something like that." Lucy paused. "So what are you doing here, Kimiko?"

"Coincidentally, the same as what you're doing. But I thought of getting some cocoa first."

"Oh, I see… have you talked with Ben?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, a while ago… Have you?"

"Not really. I think I'll talk to him about it tomorrow. I have a question, Kimiko…"

"Sure. Go ahead."

"Are you still getting back together with Ben? Or did I screw it all up for you two?"

"Well… no. I'm not even sure if I was attracted to Ben in the first place. Now I think I like someone else."

Lucy flashed a knowing smile. "Well… I wish you luck with that guy, whoever he is, then."

"Thanks, Lucy." Kimiko smiled. Later on, the two newfound friends parted ways, thanking each other for the company the other provided.


"Kimiko! Are you there?" Omi asked, entering the room. He looked around, seeing that Kimiko was not there. "Oh Kimiko! Where are you?"

"Hey, Omi. It's me."

"Raimundo? What are you doing in… Kimiko's room?" Omi asked suspiciously. Raimundo had a guilty look on his face, which meant that he wasn't supposed to be here.

"Yeah, I know, Kim didn't give me permission to enter her room but… I needed to see something." Raimundo said nervously. He knew he was caught in the act. Now he had to make sure that Omi won't tell Kimiko about him being in her room.

"Ah-hah! I caught you, Raimundo." Omi said mischievously.

"Oh come on, Omi. Just this one time, please don't tell her." Raimundo pleaded.

"Hey! What's the commotion here? I was just trying to get some sleep." Clay appeared at the door, beside Omi. Raimundo groaned.

"Oh man! What on earth are you guys doing out of bed at this time?" Raimundo said. He didn't understand it. Why did Omi and Clay choose to be awake at this very hour, and catching him in the act of trespassing in Kimiko's room? Clearly luck wasn't with him today.

"I just wanted to ask Kimiko if I could borrow her laptop! She told me that she would lend it to me sometime." Omi explained.

"And I was going for a glass of water when I heard your voices." Clay explained. "You guys were really noisy. Now what are YOU doing here, Raimundo?"

"He was sneaking around in Kimiko's room!" Omi pointed a finger at Raimundo accusingly.

"All right, all right, I'll explain my side of the story. But you guys have to promise that you won't tell Kimiko; or anyone else." Raimundo surrendered with a sigh.

In a few minutes, he told Omi and Clay about the whole Kimiko and Ben situation, and how he was attracted to Kimiko, and finally, what he had been doing in Kimiko's room.

Omi and Clay's faces turned from surprised to seemingly omniscient smiles. "So you're saying that you like Kimiko, huh? And you kept it from her all this time?" Clay asked.

"Yeah. I can't possibly tell her face-to-face! Ashmond and I had a bet, remember? And he said… the loser gets out of town. I have to win her heart through other means."

"And then you kissed her." Omi and Clay said together, with mischievous smiles.

"I did. But I don't know if it means something to her, or whatever." Raimundo said dejectedly. Come to think of it, Kimiko didn't really show him signs that she liked him back. Or did she…? Raimundo's head began spinning again.

"Hey, look, buddy. She did kiss you back, didn't she? Now that's one sure sign that she does like you." Clay told him.

"Are you sure?"

"Sure as hell, buddy."

The door to the Temple opened and closed. "She's home!" Raimundo said in a stage whisper.

The three friends scrambled to their feet and ran out of Kimiko's room.


Ben sat up, feeling queasy. She didn't call back. Now he would have to call her… He was about to pick up the receiver when the phone rang.

Damn! He thought to himself. Let's hope it's Kim.

"Hello? Ben?"

It was Lucy. "Hi, Lucy. Yeah, it's Ben." Inwardly, he groaned. He didn't want to talk to her right now.

"Ben." Her voice sounded sad and melodic. "I guess you know why I'm calling."

"If you're going to break up with me too, go ahead. I don't care anymore!" Ben burst out.

"As much as there is a need to break up… I don't want to. Don't you understand? I love you, Ben. And just because you cheated on me, I don't think it's a reason why I should stop loving you. I'm one of those people who believe in second chances."

"Then I'm afraid I can't, Lucy. I've realized something very important. And with the fact that I know it's going to hurt you, I won't say it."

"Ben… there are no secrets between us anymore! I offered you my love. My heart. My soul. What more do you want from me?"

"I do not want anything from you! I was talking about Kimiko."

"What about her?"

"You don't understand! I love her, okay? I love her, like I've never loved anyone before."

There was sobbing in the background. He knew that she was crying. "I would give anything to die right now. But I can't. It just hurts, you know?" She said. Ben imagined the tears coursing down her cheeks. "But this is where fate has to stab me with a knife. But they say… if you truly love a person… you'd do anything to make him happy. So Ben… that's what I'm going to do. I have… to let you go."

Ben was struck by the way she told him this. She could let go of him… just because she knew that he loved someone else. He was almost driven to tears because of this.

"If she means so much to you… I'd do anything to see that you two are together."

"But she won't talk to me. She broke up with me, Lucy!"

"Then… I'll arrange for her to meet you… somewhere. If that's what you want."

Ben jumped at the chance. "Would you… would you really do that for me, Lucy?"

"Yes, because it means so much to you."

He was struck by her selflessness and love for him. He wished that he could love a girl like her—but his heart belonged to Kimiko, and no one else. "I don't know how to thank you, Lucy. But I'm grateful to have someone like you." He said. He felt sorry for her.

"Ben… this is the hardest thing I've ever done. I just want to let you know… I'll always love you." She said. And the last thing Ben heard before he hung up the phone was the sound of her crying.


Kimiko opened the door to her room. The Temple was unusually silent. She saw the answering machine flashing its red light in the corner, and her laptop was on.

She had a feeling that someone had just been in her room, but she remembered that the room was exactly the way she left it. She moved towards the answering machine, and played her messages.

"Listen… Kimiko. It's Ben. I know I haven't been the best boyfriend to you, but apologizing is worth the try. I mean, I just can't let you slip away from me without making an effort, right? I want to prove to you that I really, really love you. I mean it, Kim. You're not just some girl to me. You're the one. I know this sounds stupid on the phone, but… Kim, I want us to get back to what we were before. Before I made this huge mistake. And let me tell you, Kim… there's nothing more I regret in this world than that stupid mistake. Call me… I want to explain all of this to you, if you'd give me the chance."

Sympathy struck her for a minute, but after that she rolled her eyes, and pressed the delete button. She didn't need any more of his lies. He had to learn to live without her, and in turn… she would move on.

She thought of starting another entry in her computer journal.

What a long day, she typed. This is one day I will never forget. Ben and I broke up. My friendship with Raimundo is beginning to blossom… and by blossoming, I mean that… we kissed.

Wow. His kiss was different from Ben's, but remarkably… it meant more to me than it should have. I find myself thinking about him more… and more… and more… oh, I'm going crazy about him.

But the way he kissed me… it sort of indicated that we were crossing the friendship line. Do I want that to happen?

How could I love someone, and then break up with him and realize… that the one I really wanted… was here all along? Is that possible?

I forgot to mention that, aside from the kiss… he gave me a gift. He is just so thoughtful. How could I have never seen this before…?

And one more thing… when I looked into his eyes… I felt like I was sinking in the ocean. I felt so helpless, that I couldn't move. Does that mean something? 'Cause I know that when I looked into Ben's eyes… sure, it's green, like Raimundo's… but I didn't feel like sinking in the ocean. I felt chills because I knew… that Ben is cute.

But it's different. Now that my crush on him has faded, and we broke up for real… I think I'm ready to admit that…

All this time, I've been in love with Raimundo…


A/N: Okay, that's a wrap! See ya next time for Chapter thirteen! In the meantime, pleaseeeee review!