This one is mainly on Kimiko after they left the temple.

I've decided that this story is gonna be really, really long, and I'm going to continue it as long as possible. Basically, it's kind of like there's no real plot yet, I'll just make it up as I go along since that seems like the way I've been doing it for this story. I hope you like that. And I know that their friendship isn't over, but that's just what Rai thinks.

So…I'll shut up and let you guys read Amaranthine Chapter 3, Stuck Home.

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Kimiko sighed at the long day that had passed while staring out the window from the car. First she had endured many painstaking hours of going to a Japanese business place, which her father apologized to her for since it was so long. He had explained with a guilty expression on his face that he had to take her along since the businessman wanted to meet the rest of his family, so Kimiko had grudgingly come along for her father's sake. When she got there…well, she regretted the decision immediately and had to endure watching her father sign papers all morning and all afternoon. She was starving as well. She saw a big white and beige house… oh, that was her house. She yawned.

She practically slammed into her red-sheeted bed as she got home. "Why did I even think about going to that convention or meeting or whatever?"

She had been obsessively checking her mail during the past few days for any letter from Raimundo. It occurred to her that she hadn't checked yet today, and she hurried to the mailbox and opened it.

There was a package and some letters for her father. She wasn't interested in those, although she would give them to her father later. But… who was that package addressed to? She couldn't see very well as the dim light of the sunset faded more and more every minute. She ran into her house and turned on the light of the lamp, reading the messy black handwriting on the beige packet.

"To Kim from Rai," she read excitedly. "Yes! This is what I've been waiting for!"

She ripped open the package, although careful not to ruin any of its contents. There was something heavy she felt as she tore open the paper… a box. She jumbled it around and there was a noise like hard but not necessarily heavy objects scraping against the walls of the box. She figured she'd just have to read the letter to find out what was inside.

She excitedly opened the creased letter and read:

Hi Kim,

I really missed you too. I sent you a box of candy in the package, that's why it was a package. I really don't know what you like, so I figured a box of candy would be good enough. :) Anyways, it's been okay in Brazil but totally, totally boring. There's nobody around here that really has the kind of sense you and Omi and Clay had, you know? So I'm not having fun and definitely not having too much fun.

Hey, thanks so much for the awesome Rai-bot, and the Kim-bot too. They're awesome. And I could never forget you, ever. Oh, btw, in the candy box I have a picture of me that my mom took just a day ago. It's okay but I look kind of grumpy. Oh well, I know you wouldn't care about that. That's why you're such a great friend. The day after I left I was so sad because I thought our friendship was over and we would never see or talk to each other again, but I guess I realize that it's not true, what I thought. I can always send you pictures of me and I can always call you or mail you or email you. And Clay's phone number is 642-8813, since you want to know. Just don't call him while he's having dinner, I already learned that about calling Clay. I think Clay always has chicken dinner, I called him three times by now and every time he's had chicken dinner. Partly, I call when he's having dinner to annoy him, and also I wanted to know what he eats. But wow… Clay's a special person, obviously, but chicken dinner every night? That is just plain freak and weird.

So what's up? Anything interesting happened yet? Not here in Brazil, so far nothing is really worthy of notice. Next time Omi comes, can you tell him I said hi? Thanks. So anyways, I still don't have any friends here yet. You basically can't make friends except from school, you know? And school hasn't started just yet. I haven't been to a regular school for four years, which is kind of a scary thought, but oh well. It's not like I ever wanted to, because I have to say that the Xiaolin Temple was probably like the best thing that ever happened to me. Who cares about normal school when you have elemental school where you learn cool fighting stuff?

And you were calling your letter long? This is like nearly the whole page. Ok, since it's getting way too long, I guess I'll just see you around sometime. If not, you can always call me or send me another letter. I'll be calling sometime soon. I know you're not going to receive this as soon as I send it, so I'm guessing it'll take around five or six days. Oh well, I'll call you around then. Maybe while you're having dinner so I can check what you're eating, too. Jk. :)

Love, Rai

Kimiko read the letter ten times, savoring the words that Raimundo had written in his loose and sloppy handwriting. She smiled, kissing the paper as if she were trying to suck everything out of it. It contained Rai's touch, and that was what she wanted. It was so hard, the long-distance relationship. She had never realized that until now, but she knew that she and Rai could pull through no matter what happened.

Raimundo had matured a lot since that first year with Wuya and Mala Mala Jong. He had grown up to not go spotting pretty girls and attempting to flirt, and he had learned the hard way what it was like to be on the Heylin side. He had grown up so much in four years of time, Kimiko was beginning to wonder if she had even changed at all. She looked different and she was a lot taller than before, she didn't do her hair as much and she wasn't so fashionable anymore. But there wasn't really much difference in her personality, except that she now loved Rai to the bottom of her heart and she got angry less often now. But she knew that if this was enough to make Rai love her, she could grow to like herself the way she was now. She didn't need to change.

She looked at the letter again and began to cry, sobbing into the paper with big, sloppy tears. Raimundo cared about her so much and he had even bothered to get it delivered by fast mail, even though he wasn't a rich person like her. He had done so many sweet things for her, and she had never returned them. Would she get the chance, one day, to live up to Rai's kindness? She looked at the box of candy and smiled again. She opened it lightly and took out the picture of Raimundo. It was a little blurred and Raimundo's hair was a little messy, but to Kimiko it was the most beautiful thing in the world. She held onto it, hugging it, and smiled. She would always save this picture and never let it get wet or anything like that, because it was like a reminder to her of her one true love, and that was the most important thing in the world.

Her father walked over to her. "Sweetie, I'm sorry," he said, giving her a nice smile. Kimiko smiled back at her father. He had taken care of her for so long, and she was grateful for everything that he did for her.

"That's all right, Papa," she said, wiping the tears. But her father saw them and gave her a big hug. "What's wrong, Kimiko?"

"N-nothing," Kimiko said, mortified. She wondered what he would do if he found out.

"It's all right, sweetie. You can tell me anything," her father said, patting her on the back.

"Well… see, I really miss the Xiaolin temple and my friends, and my friend Rai wrote me a letter. I just miss him, that's all." Kimiko looked at her father to see his reaction. He was giving her an encouraging smile. "That's great that you care so much about your friends. Why don't you give him a nice surprise? I'll help you, Kim."

"Oh, Papa," Kimiko said, squeezing her father's waist tightly. "Thanks so much."

"That's no problem," Kimiko's father said, smiling. "I always want to tell you something. Keiko invited you to her birthday party for tomorrow. Do you want to go?"

"Oh, sure," Kimiko said lightly. "What should I give her?"

"I don't know her very well," her father said, walking over towards the kitchen. "But you do. I'm sure you'll think of something nice."

"All right," Kimiko said, wondering what she would bring for Keiko. Keiko had been one of her good friends before the Xiaolin training, but she hadn't kept in contact with her for a while… still, it was worth a try. Her father winked and gave her a bag with $15 inside and went to cook something for her. Kimiko smiled and walked to the closest store in Tokyo, a general store with plenty of items known as Kawaii Tokyo, meaning cute. It sold a lot of animal-shaped items.

She went in and felt the cool atmosphere, sighing and feeling good. It had been hot outside and she was glad that there was air-conditioning inside Kawaii Tokyo. After spending half an hour, she finally decided on a cute pair of fluffy bunny slippers and ran back home to wrap her gift.

After wrapping the gift, she put it in her room on a shelf near her bed so she wouldn't forget and went downstairs to eat dinner, which consisted of sushi and rice. After she was done, she went to take a short ten-minute shower and went to sleep exhausted. It felt good being back in her bed again, as the day was so tiring and boring except for Raimundo's letter, which she had placed carefully in a drawer in one of her many cabinets.

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Ugh, that took a really long time. My eyes hurt. Please R&R.