Quick Note: I'm sorry... I fail at FanFiction. D: I just don't have any damn time anymore. But, after not updating in several months, I thought, damnit, screw life, I am going to update something. So, I searched through my folder of fanfiction stuff and found this little oneshot that I'd begun but never finished. Finally got around to completing it, so I hope you'll enjoy. :)

Title: His Embrace
Rating: T
Genre: romance/drama
Word Count: 1472
Summary: It's New Years Eve, and Kimiko is prepping for a party. But doing so brings her thoughts that she'd rather push away.
AN: Well, I started this oneshot back in early spring, but somehow or another it died until I picked it back up about week ago. The writing style was inspired by a novel that I read roughly a year ago, and at the time the idea had quite literally popped out of nowhere. Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy this little snippet of my FanFiction career. ;)

A light snow was falling outside the hotel window, covering the ground with a thin layer of white. The morning was young, the sunlight showering forth, and the rays glinted off the blanket like jewels upon the sand.

Kimiko passed through the hallway, a bouquet of roses in her hands. She walked purposefully, her strides long, her heels clicking on the marble floor. She slowed at the end of the corridor, pausing to push open the door that stood before her. Once inside, she let it closed once more.

The flowers passed from her hands into the crystal vase that stood upon the table before her. She arranged them carefully, making sure that the white ones could be distinguished from the reds. A thin strand of raven black hair fell from her up-do as she worked, and she blew on it lightly, sending it falling to the side.

Once done, she stood up victoriously, admiring her work. She had just finished the last piece of decoration, and the room was now ready for the night.

She turned away then, walking to a velvet couch. There she sat down, breathing in deeply. The fragrance of the roses was wonderfully refreshing, and Kimiko closed her sapphire eyes in a moment of peace. But even then, she could see her work laid out like a painting before her – the marvelous suite with its abundant adornments. Her father had told her to fix it up the best that she could, and Kimiko was positive that she had exceeded his wildest imaginations.

Opening her eyes now, she saw the room as it was.

About the size of a ballroom, it was ornamented with a crystal fountain and koi pond in the middle. To one side were couches and chairs, and to the other, white tables with silver utensils. A crystal chandelier, recently polished, hung suspended from the ceiling. Paintings and statues decorated the walls, and countless flowers completed the image.

She smiled then, incredibly proud with what she saw before her. All was as it should be for the party later that night. For it was New Years Eve, and her father had rented a glitzy hotel for the occasion. Everyone was coming, and by that she meant everyone. Even her old friends from the Xiaolin Temple would be guests at the occasion.

And all would be coming back after four long years apart…

Well, almost everyone… she thought sadly at the mention of her friends.

She stood up abruptly, refusing to dwell upon the matter. What had happened had happened, and she was not about to dwell upon the past.

Because, the hard truth was, she missed everyone dearly. And there was one carefree wind warrior that she missed most of all. And yet it was he who visited the least… wrote the least, called the least. It left her heart empty… a shadow of its former self.

And no matter how Kimiko denied it, she knew that she loved him.

If only she hadn't been so afraid to admit it… if only she'd told him before they all left. Perhaps then things would be different. Perhaps then they'd have seen each other more… been more inclined to keep in touch… Still, that was the past, and Kimiko knew that she couldn't change it. Still, she missed him so much that it actually hurt her to think of him.

If only she could see him again for just a single moment…

She thought back to his last visit, now more than several years ago. They had written letters as well, but those had gradually stopped too.

She guessed that she couldn't blame him – after all, once evil had been defeated, it was time to move on. She had returned to take over the Tohomiko Industry from her father, and Raimundo had returned to Brazil to fulfill whatever obligations he had there.

Still, it wouldn't hurt to see his face every now and again.

Surely, he could have taken several days off to fly to Japan.

Then again, perhaps she shouldn't be judging considering she never thought of flying over to Brazil…

Okay, that was a lie. She'd thought about it countless times. The main problem was that she was now CEO. And being so made vacationing a difficult matter indeed.

She missed the Xiaolin Temple… her friends… Raimundo…

But mostly, she missed how carefree those days were. Free to spend however much time she wanted with her friends, to do what she loved best – kicking evil's butt… as ironic as it sounds, Kimiko found that she actually preferred saving the world as opposed to handling business matters. Sure, the former was more dangerous and therefore hardly as appealing, but the freedom that came with it was a bonus far better than any she would receive as CEO.

She sighed, standing up, refusing to dwell further. She had her obligations, and she knew where her place was. After Papa had retired, it was her turn to step up. And at the age of 22, she was one of the youngest CEOs in the world. Being so was difficult, as she was often belittled, but Kimiko knew her way around the business, and handled everything with perfection.

Still, problems seemed to be rising more and more, and Kimiko found all of her time being consumed by managing the company. She wished she had more time for her friends, rather than the email every week or so. She wanted to see them again, converse with them, laugh with them, live with them.

But, most of all, she wanted Raimundo beside her.

She wanted to feel his touch again, to see his cocky smile and goofy grin. She wanted to sweep her hands through his chocolate hair, and twirl it between her fingers.

She just missed him so much…

So much that her heart ached.

She thought back to when she'd sent the invitations out, by letter and by email. Clay and Omi had responded immediately, as did Master Fung and even Dojo.

But nothing from Raimundo. Not a letter, nor even an email.

She wondered what had gone wrong; what had changed within their relationship. He had proven over and over that he loved all his friends. So even if he didn't think of her that way… she was still a dear friend. He wouldn't just forsake her… he wasn't that kind of person.

Kimiko brushed the thoughts away, turning back towards the door. The room may be done decorating, but there was still lots to do. She still had to look over the catering, check the food and the entertainment. She had no time to sit in misery, and mope about the past.

But as she reached for the door handle, it opened by itself, and Kimiko startled in surprise, stumbling a step back.

A shy head poked in through the doorway; an employee at the hotel. Seeing her caused Kimiko surprise, and she raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Excuse me," Kimiko said politely, "but is there reason that you would need me?"

The woman nodded in agreement, her curls tumbling about her head.

Kimiko sighed, wondering what it was now. "What is it then?" she asked, shifting her position.

"Miss Tohomiko… there's someone here to see you. The desk manager paged me and told me to let you know."

"Wait, what? There's someone downstairs?" Kimiko pursed her lips, knitting her brows in confusion. It couldn't be Papa… he said he'd be unavailable until tonight. And Keiko had told her that she wouldn't come over until noon.

The employee had begun to walk away, but Kimiko called after her.

"Wait… who is it?" she asked, taking a step forward.

The woman turned around, her own confusion evident. "I really don't know. I was only told that you had a visitor."

She continued to walk away, leaving Kimiko to her thoughts. Her whole body was suddenly trembling, and she leaned against the wall.

The thought had crossed her mind just once, but once was all it needed.

It couldn't possibly be him… why now, why today?

Kimiko quickly composed herself, shoving all her thoughts away. It was New Years Eve, a day for celebration. And she was certainly not about to put a pall over this party she had created.

But as she took the elevator down, something trembled along her skin. And when the door opened, it shivered up her spine. She stepped into the foyer, skipping down the steps. The trembling shifted to her heart, and she suddenly began to run.

People were staring, but Kimiko took no notice. Her trembling heart began to race, and then, to soar.

What she believed could never be was, and the joy that had been shut away burst out of her.

"Raimundo! You came back!"

And she leapt into his embrace.

Author's Note: I was originally going to continue this further, and show the interaction between the two of them... but then I thought about it... and realized... that anything I write would just be too damn cheesy. ^^; So, I decided to just end it here, and let you guys have the honor of imagining the rest. :)