A/N: Greetings and Salutations! LoL! Ignore that...I dunno where it came from. I sometimes say strange things when I'm sick! Anyway, here is the next chapter for ya...chapter 28...whew! This is one long story, and it's nice to know that you peoples are enjoying it! 300+ reviews! O.O I can't believe it! And it's all thanks to you faithful readers/reviewers out there...*gives everybody a big hug*...that's my gift to you! (Not much eh!) Anyway, I labeled this chapter as Pt.1, cause it's only the first half of the Fiesta. The second half will be in Chapter 29, so you're just gonna have to be patient!
Oh, and once again I must apologize for the HUGE spaces! Stupid new computer!!! Well, until I figure it out this is the way the chapters are gonna look...*shrugz*...oh well, I figure it's better to have a new chapter with giganto spaces than to wait a month or so till I figure it out, right? Anyway, thanks Leina for the help...but sadly I don't have Word Processor installed...yet! ^-^
Chapter 28: A Moment Like This- Pt.1
The sun slowly began to set within the sky, its bright orange and yellow rays streaking it's final light across the earth. The sunset was absolutely stunning in Mexico, and even though the bright orb vanished from the sky, the warmth that came with it during the day was still around. Small lanterns suddenly began to illuminate in all sorts of colors- reds, blues, greens, and yellows as they danced across the darkening sky. Booths were beginning to open up, selling all sorts of unique merchandise and souvenirs; while a large area was sectioned off for dancing. The much-anticipated Fiesta was getting under way, and people of all ages began filing towards the entertainment.
"Wow! Just look at all the people down there!" Mariah exclaimed, her face plastered against the glass pane as her golden eyes scanned across the crowds of people below. "This is going to be soooooo much fun! Don't you think so Jade?" She paused, waiting for an answer from her red haired friend, but turned around instantly when she didn't receive one. "Jade...helloooo?" Bringing her voice up into a sing-song voice she skipped over to the bathroom, pressing her ear against the white oak door.
"Jade? Are you alive in there?!" Mariah asked, rolling her hand into a fist as she began pounding on the door.
"Would you cut it out...I'm fine!" Jade suddenly shot back, her voice slightly muffled from behind the door. Mariah giggled and began knocking in rhythematic patterns, enjoying the fact that she was bugging the girl inside. "Stop it Ria!"
"Awww, come on Jade! Have a little fun!" Mariah called back, stopping the pestering knocking as she instead began jiggling the doorknob. "Come on out already...you've been in there for 30 minutes!?" Cocking an eyebrow in curiosity, she tilted her head to the side. "I thought you didn't care about how you looked for the Fiesta."
"You're absolutely right...I don't care!" Jade yelled back, her tone full of irritation. "I was done changing 28 minutes ago, I just decided to stay in here for the rest of the night!"
"WHAT!? Jade, you can't do that!" Mariah practically screamed, resuming her pounding against the door. "You promised me at the store that you would come along no matter what. After all, isn't that why you bought that new dress?"
"First of all, you bought the dress for me..." Mariah blinked, and smiled sheepishly. She had completely forgotten about that small detail, she did buy the dress for Jade. "And second of all, I will stay in this bathroom all night...you just watch me!"
Mariah clenched her teeth in annoyance...why did Jade have to be so un-cooperative? "Listen Jade Tomei, you may be stubborn. But let me assure you, I am far more stubborn than you can even imagine! I will win this fight!" Mariah nodded, reassuring herself about the statement as she walked over to her bag- tipping it over as all the contents rushed out. Scanning over everything carefully she finally found what she was looking for, a bobby pin. Grasping it within her fingers she carefully pried it apart, making sure that it was one, long wire. Jumping from off the carpet, she dashed over to the bathroom door and shoved the small pin into the doorknob hole.
"This...should...do the..." With one final turn she heard a small 'click.' "Trick!" Turning the handle quickly she flung open the door, to a very surprised Jade. "Told you I would win!" Mariah laughed, sending a playful wink towards the red haired girl. "Jade...oh my god you look amazing!"
"I hate this." Jade muttered, her arms hanging with defeat upon either side of her body. The one dress that she actually had some liking to was now clinging tightly to her body, the silvery swirls flashing brilliantly in the bathroom light. The two black sashes were tied tightly around her wrists, and they flowed lightly to just above her ankles. She had her normal hairstyle of two buns pulled up on the back of her head, as she hung her chin down against her chest. "I don't like." She stated simply, shaking her head in disapproval.
"Are you crazy!? It's so adorable...I'd wear it!"
"It's all yours!" Jade exclaimed, earning herself a stern look from Mariah. "Look at it Ria...its, well...short! Too short!" Jade glanced down at the dress, its bottom ending at about her mid-thigh.
"It's not too short, its perfect!" Mariah's face drew up into a wide smile, her small fangs glistening with anticipation and excitement. "You'll be the star of the Fiesta!"
"Oh great, just what I've always wanted to be." Jade replied, her tone full of sarcasm as she finally walked out of the compact bathroom. Plopping herself down on the double sized bed, she closed her eyes lightly. 'I wonder if the guys are having as much fun as I am!'
Kai scrunched his nose at the sight of the outfit hanging before him. "Forget it!" He finally answered, shaking his head vigorously in distaste. "I am not wearing that!" Rei and Max sighed in defeat, glancing at each other for ideas on what to do next.
"Aw, come on Kai...it's not that bad." Max insisted, looking over the outfit with his own eyes. "I mean, there's nothing to it."
"Exactly! There isn't anything to it...I think they ran out of material when they were making it!" Kai shot back, jamming his arms across his chest. Rei smiled a bit, knowing exactly what Kai was getting at. The outfit was simple, consisting of a dark red vest and a pair of slightly baggy black pants. The part about it that Kai didn't seem too thrilled about was the fact that the vest had no way to fasten up.
"I think it was made to look like that." Max informed, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.
"No shit Sherlock!" Kai snapped, shaking his head with annoyance at the two boys. Rei blinked in surprise, while Max chuckled a little- finding it to be of no offence at all.
"Well Kai, you need to wear something...that fits in with the Fiesta decor." Rei declared, taking the outfit from Max as he held it back out towards Kai. "This is your only option...take it or leave it."
"Well you already know my answer then don't you...I'm leaving it!"
The hot, humid air swept over the three teens as they pushed their way through the lobby doors onto the street. It was now pitch black outside, while the only light available was the decorative lanterns, hanging from the street lamps. Everybody turned around at the sound of the swinging door as Max, Rei, and Kai stood before them.
"Quarter after seven," Lee declared, shaking his head in disapproval. "I believe we agreed to meet out here at seven o'clock...on the dot! I'm ashamed." Everybody laughed at Lee's choice of words, knowing all to well that he was simply being sarcastic.
"For once I wasn't the late one!" Tyson declared, holding his head high as though he felt proud of himself or accomplished something important.
"Don't flatter yourself Tyson, the only reason you weren't late is because room service wouldn't allow you to order anymore food." Kenny stated, looking over at his food attic friend as Tyson hung his head down dejectedly.
"Gee, you sure know how to make a guy feel bad." He muttered, his dark navy bangs shadowing out his facial features. It didn't last long however as he caught sight of Kai, a snicker suddenly forming upon his lips. "Hey Kai...that's a pretty nice outfit you got there!" Obviously Max and Rei had done something, for Kai was now standing, wearing the black pants and the red vest. The vest fit around his upper body in close comfort, while it flapped open in the front- allowing his chest to remain bare. His usual arm guards were taken off, and were instead placed with two black bands, wrapped tightly around his elbows.
"Ummm, Tyson...I think you should talk about something else. Like, oh...say, the Fiesta." Bruce suggested, noticing the anger sweeping across Kai's body as he narrowed his eyes.
"That is a good idea Bruce!" Mariah exclaimed, shouting overtop of everybody as she jammed her hands against her hips. "I say we forget about the outfits, cause I don't know about you...but I would like to get to the Fiesta, before it's over!" The boys quickly nodded in agreement, while Jade giggled- oh the power of being female.
"Yeah, let's go...my stomach is calling out for food." Tyson declared, earning himself a nod of agreement from Gary as the two of them suddenly took off down the street- as though they were racing for a million dollars. Which, in their case...they were.
"Perhaps we should warn somebody," Kenny declared, scratching the back of his head in thought. "Before those two eat the entire food supply of Mexico." Everybody else either nodded in agreement or laughed- knowing that there wouldn't be any food left once Gary and Tyson got a hold of it.
"So...Mariah..." Rei began, his cheeks beginning to flush as the large group began heading down the street. He kept a slower pace next to Mariah, the two of them dragging along at the back of the group.
"Yes Rei?" She questioned, tilting her head softly up as she met his eyes. They faltered slightly, while a few of his loose bangs fluttered gently before them. "Is everything Ok?"
"Yeah, everything's fine...I just ummm, well..." Scratching the back of his head nervously he paused, gently taking a hold of Mariah's arm as she came to a stop next to him. The rest of the group didn't even seem to acknowledge the two teens, or at least they appeared as though they didn't. Rei's eyes shifted across Mariah's body, looking her slowly up and down- careful so that he didn't miss a single detail on her body. She looked absolutely amazing, her light pink hair fluttering gently in the calm breeze as it framed her beautiful face. The clothing upon her body only added to the beauty, the baby pink dress clinging tightly to her every curve. The material from which it was made caused it to shimmer endlessly in the light, while the silver locket still hung from her neck. "Y-yo-you look...beautiful." He finally whispered, running a finger across Mariah's soft cheek.
"Oh, why thank you Rei." Mariah whispered back, her cheeks blushing furiously. Her heart beat intensely, almost as though she was in the middle of a race as she noticed Rei moving closer into her. She didn't know what to do, her mind coming up completely blank. This is what she had dreamed of for the longest time, being held tightly in Rei's arms...forever. The next thing she felt was Rei's lips, pressed gently up against her own, his hand cupped gently underneath her left cheek. The world around her completely disappeared and all she could think about was Rei.
The music grew louder and louder as the large group- now consisting of eight, entered the main entertainment area. Everything looked absolutely stunning and the waft of fresh cooking food could be smelled, roasting on the grill. There was loads of entertainment around every corner- from street magicians to live musicians! Lee stepped off the sidewalk curb as a group of young children rushed past him, nearly knocking him off his feet.
"Warning: Stay clear of the bambino's!" Jade laughed, sending Lee a playful wink as he quickly jumped back upon the sidewalk next to her. He sighed in disbelief, while his eyes trailed off after the kids. "Are you traumatized for life now?"
Lee smiled, glancing over at her as he nodded his head. "They should really put up some signs around here. 'Look for young children before crossing' would be an essential one." Jade giggled, noticing another group of kids rushing by.
"Their just kids!" Kevin stated, shrugging at the mere thought of it. "They can't do anything, all you have to do is push them and they'll go crying home to their 'mommies!'" He snickered, just thinking about how great it would be to see some kid break out in tears.
"Good luck with that shorty." Kai shot out, glancing down at Kevin- who glared back up at him. "Half those kids are taller than you...they'll probably push you over!" Kevin snorted, rolling his eyes at the taller blue haired boy as he resumed his walk on the street.
"Just watch me, I'll show them a thing or two!" Kevin insisted, planting himself on the ground as he waited for the next batch of eager children. Rubbing his hands together with eagerness, he smiled mischievously, noticing two young boys running towards him. "AHA! My first victims!"
"Kevin, maybe you shouldn't d..."
"Can it, I don't need any advice from you guys!" He yelled, cutting off Kenny in the middle of his sentence. "Really, what can they do? Bite me?" His tone was full of sarcasm as he approached the two oncoming boys, yelling something out at them- trying to look and act tough.
"That's exactly what they can do!" Bruce laughed as one of the boys dug his teeth into Kevin's bare skin arm. "Ouch...that has got to hurt!" Everybody else broke into a fit of laughter- while Kai allowed a small smirk to appear across his lips. One of the boys yelled out something about 'strangers', before kicking Kevin in the leg and taking off after his other friend.
"I'm afraid I must give the victory point to those poor, defenseless kids!" Lee laughed, earning himself a glare from Kevin. He grumbled a few words then began trudging down the street, hands jammed into his pockets.
"Hey, come on Kev...don't be such a poor loser!" Bruce called after him, resuming his pace- along with Max, after the angry green haired boy. Lee, Kenny, and Jade soon followed in pursuit, still laughing at the whole event.
"That...was priceless!" Jade smiled, her crystal eyes shimmering slightly in the dim light. Lee nodded, kicking a small stone as he caught a glimpse of a street magician- about to begin his 'spectacular' magic show.
"Hey, why don't we check the guy out." Lee suggested, motioning his head for the others to look.
"A magician! Hey...that sounds like fun!" Max exclaimed, his blue eyes lighting up with amusement. "Maybe he'll even use me as his special helper!" Without saying another word he dashed off towards the crowd of people, weaving his way in and out so as to get the best view.
"Perhaps a magic show is a good idea." Kenny nodded, soon following after Max as Lee took a small step forward. Turning his head he noticed Jade had turned her back on him, and was now facing the opposite direction.
"Jade, you coming?" Lee questioned, cocking one of his dark eyebrows in curiosity. She slowly glanced over her shoulder, shaking her head as she met up with Lee's dark eyes.
"Not right now. I'll uh, meet you later...at the dance festivities, k?" Lee nodded, before heading over to the magician as he took a position next to Kenny. Max had obviously made it to the front of the crowd, as he was now waving excitedly from the stage, while the magician handed him a set of cards. Jade smiled at the amused blonde, then turned her head back around and began walking towards the direction in which they came. Everybody had followed after the unimpressed Kevin, everybody except for Kai that is. The others didn't seem all too bothered when they didn't see him following, deciding that he probably wanted to be left alone anyway. Jade on the other hand was curious as to why the blue haired teen didn't follow, and she kept telling herself to go talk to him. Shifting her eyes back and forth she found that she couldn't find Kai anywhere, it was like he disappeared.
"That's funny, this is the last place that we stopped." Jade thought, remembering the last location where Kevin got attacked. Hanging her head a bit in disappointment, her ears suddenly picked up the sound of music. It was actually a nice beat and Jade felt herself being comforted by it, as she headed towards the large square. A group of five men were playing a variety of instruments, allowing the music to sound very Mexican in its beat. There were tons of people dancing within the massive square, each one enjoying the music to the fullest. Around the square were millions of small tables, seating four people at the most, while food stands were squeezed in between. She couldn't help but laugh, figuring that Gary and Tyson had probably already put most of them out of business by now. Lanterns were lit all around, while the ocean could be seen, flowing gently upon the sand.
"Looking for someone?" A voice cut through Jade's ear, causing her to snap out of her awe. Turning her head abruptly she noticed Kai, standing but a few inches behind her, his dark maroon eyes staring down at her.
"No!" She quickly answered, shaking her head at the obviousness of her sudden reply. "I mean, who would I be looking for?" Kai shrugged, taking a step forwards as he stood near her side.
"I'm not sure, you just looked like you were...searching." He stated, his eyes focused upon the ocean in the background. Jade glanced up at him slowly, while she clasped her hands together. "So you weren't looking for anyone then?" Kai suddenly re-focused his attention back on Jade as she quickly whipped her gaze away, feeling her cheeks burn slightly. The music died down, while the crowds began clapping with their approval and gratitude.
"Nope, no one." She answered, tilting her head down so that her chin rested lightly against her chest. Kai watched as she fiddled with her fingers, almost as though she was contemplating something. The music picked up again, this time playing a slower, softer tune. Gently fluttering her eyes closed she absorbed the music, smiling at how wonderful it sounded. It reminded her of a song that her mother used to sing to her when she was a child. Kai watched the sudden change of emotion play across Jade's face, his own curiosity taking over- wondering what she was thinking about. He watched as the light from the lanterns streaked across Jade's body, causing her soft flesh to almost glow with a soothing aura. A piece of hair fell lightly against Jade's cheeks, and Kai could feel himself reaching up his hand to wipe it away.
"Do you like the music?" Jade asked, opening up her eyes as Kai whipped back his hand and shrugged.
"I could really care less about the music."
"Oh...that's too bad." Jade replied, her voice trailing off as she sighed heavily. She couldn't believe how bored she was just standing around, doing absolutely nothing. Why had she gone looking for Kai in the first place? She knew he wouldn't be doing anything fun, and yet she couldn't leave him. As much as she wanted to go out and look for the others, she found that her feet wouldn't move. They stayed firmly planted, right next to Kai. The crowds broke out into another round of applause, while one of the musicians announced that they were going to take a short break.
"You know, you really shouldn't be wandering around here alone." Kai announced, finally breaking the silence that had crept up between the two. Jade was quite startled at the remark, realizing that Kai sounded somewhat...well, worried about her.
"I'm fine aren't I? Besides, nothing's going to happen to me. I mean, Kevin is out there wandering on his own...and if I were you, I'd be more worried about him." Jade suggested, smiling a bit at the thought of the green haired boy. "Some five year olds might want to pick a fight with him." She watched as a slight smile drew from the corner of Kai's lips, his dark eyes lightening up for a few seconds.
"You may be right, but a person can never tell." Kai stated, his mind wandering off slightly. Ever since things became clear about his grandfather, he found himself worrying over Jade's protection.
"You're right, a person never can tell." Jade agreed, crossing her arms over her chest. "So tell me Kai, why are you out wandering the streets on your own?"
"I think I know how to take care of myself." Kai answered, smirking at the expression that was forming over Jade's face.
"Oh, and you don't think I can take care of myself?!" The question shot from her mouth with slight anger, while her crystal eyes took direct focus upon him. Kai simply ignored her penetrating stare as he ran his hand down his side, resting it against his right pocket. He could feel an object protruding from it and he knew exactly what it was. It was the black choker that he had bought down at the market, and he could feel his mind trying to decide whether or not he should give it to her.
"Now we're not talking." Jade sighed, shaking her head at the sudden silence brought forth by Kai. "All right then, I'm going to look for the others...your welcome to come if you'd like." Jade suggested, turning to the side as she took a small step. Immediately she could feel a firm handgrip tightly around her arm, holding her back from taking any further steps.
"Come with me," Kai stated simply, tightening his grip. Jade tilted her head in confusion, while red streaks began taking form upon her cheeks yet again.
"Go with you...where?" She questioned, not to sure on what to think about this awkward situation. Even though Kai's hand was tightly clenched to her arm, she could feel no pain coming from it. He wasn't trying to be intimidating or demanding, he was more or less asking her to follow him.
"Just come." Kai insisted, while Jade nodded her head slowly- indicating that she would follow. Jade could feel his hand sliding further down her arm as a shiver shot down her spine. He finally settled it against her own hand, weaving his fingers into a mesh with hers. Jade instinctively did the same, allowing their fingers to lock into a tighter grip. Before she had a change to say anything else, she felt her feet moving forward again as Kai led her away from the Fiesta...towards the sandy shores of the ocean.
A/N: Well...what do you think? Yes, I know that there wasn't a great deal of romance...but it's the start! And the good news is, the little Kai/Jade romance will be continued in the next chapter. At least you got your fill of romance...*winkz*...Rei and Mariah! Anyway, I haven't decided whether or not I should post the next chapter soon, or make you guys wait! Mwuahahahahah! LoL! I'm such a tease! ^-^
