1Bonjour! Ca va? ("Hello! How are you?") Welcome to chapter 2! I'm so surprised that I got this many reviews already! Without further ado, thanks so much to all the readers, even the "shadow readers"! Now, for the review responses (I'm not sure if we're still allowed to do this, but others are, so, what the heck):

animeang317:Thanx for being the 1st reviewer! I know, I can be obsessively descriptive in my writing, it's like a curse! I thought the latest chapter of your fic Always and Forever, Yours was hilarious too!

Blue Brittney: Merci beaucoup! Domo arigato!

JuJu17:You are fantabulous! Thanx for the encouragement.

Anonymous reviewer: Thanx for liking this fic enough to review! You made my day!

Dark Miroku: Thanks for your helpful suggestion about the Japaguese translations. I wonder why I didn't think of that? Anyway, I'll try my best to remember that in the future!

dArkliTe-sPirit: LOL! Are you OK? I hope you didn't hit the floor too hard when you passed out! Thanks for making me laugh!

Chaseforever: Thanx for your review! Wow, you already know Japanese? That's so cool! If you haven't already guessed, speaking and writing in different languages is kind of my "thing." My goal is to become fluent (or at least competent) in as many languages as possible, then travel around the world! Paris, here I come!

Chapter 2: Feels Like Flying

A tired, disgruntled groan arose from the lump wrapped up inside a spacious bed, enveloped in a mountain of sheets, blankets, and pillows. Suddenly, the blankets were swiftly flung into the air, fluttering gently to rest upon the floor, and revealing Kimiko as the exhausted lump. Propping herself up from where she lay huddled, and rubbing her eyes blearily, she cast a glance over at her laptop, sitting comfortably atop a nearby night stand. The luminescent glinting screen showed her the exact time: 4:31 AM. This only caused her to grumble even more profusely, collapsing face first onto the cushiony luxuriousness of her pillow.

"Why did I have to wake up so damn early!" she groaned, her voice muffled by the fluffy pillow. This should have been no surprise to her, though; after many months at the Xiaolin temple, she had eventually trained herself to wake up at this exact time, since Master Fung had often required them to rise early and begin their training during the hours when most others were merely awakening. Kimiko had always been accustomed to waking up at least two hours before the guys, after all, she needed extra time to color and style her hair, take a shower, and perform other various beauty needs.

She reluctantly and groggily pried her face from the depths of the pillow, and practically rolled out of the bed, landing gracefully on the rock hard floor with a resounding thump. She grimaced and rubbed her shoulder, which was sore and bruised from wrestling with Raimundo yesterday after he had sprayed sand all over her.

(Flashback)

An infuriated scream was heard across the California coast:"RAIMUNDO!"

"Heh, heh, heh...Desculpe, Kimiko! I...must not have seen you there..." Raimundo chuckled momentarily, then averted his eyes upward in a gesture of innocence, a wry smile upon his face that completely ruined the effect. Kimiko arose to her feet with a deadly silence, as grains of sand cascaded from her hair and face in torrents. The atmosphere suddenly increased tenfold in humidity and temperature, silent fury and tension radiating throughout the air. Kimiko was glaring at him so fiercely and so intensely that it seemed like she was trying to bore holes through him with her eyes.

Finally she spoke, breaking the eternity of silence, "Don't play innocent with me, baka!" she spat with vehemence, her eyes becoming sheer pinpoints of blazing fury. Raimundo merely sweated from the fiery humidity in the atmosphere and locked gazes with her, unfazed by her glare.

"Bem, bem...I said I was sorry!" he replied apologetically, holding the palms of his hands out in front of him as if to shield himself from the heat of her fury, but still with a cocky, smug grin on his face. Kimiko wanted to wipe that grin right off his face; he would pay dearly for interrupting her relaxing moment of peace, and, most of all, for ruining her hair!

"Sore wa taihen desu ne!(1)"she thundered, promptly pouncing vigorously as if she was a wildcat and tackling Raimundo with a force equivalent to that of an NFL football player. His expression was frozen in a mixture of shock and amusement as she effectively pinned him down by his limbs onto the sand. She stared down at him with a wicked grin and a challenging gleam flashing in the depths of her crystal blue eyes.

"Qual!(2) If that's how you want to play, then bring it on!" he smirked with determination. Suddenly, with a nearly invisible movement from Raimundo, their positions were somehow reversed; this time she was being crushed underneath him, and gaping up at him in startled shock and silent fury. Mustering up her strength to evade his firm grasp, she...

"Kimiko! Raimundo! Take it apart!" Omi pleaded frustratedly, running towards them with his arms flailing in the air.

"It's break it up, Omi, not 'take it apart,'" Raimundo corrected immediately, rising quickly up to his feet and freeing Kimiko in the process. She begrudgingly accepted Raimundo's proffered hand to help her up, now coated with more sand than she ever was before. Her seething expression spoke for itself; you could almost see the flames of anger and irritation radiating from her in shimmering waves.

"Woo-wee!" a familiar Texan-accented holler floated through the air from behind them,"Who stuck the burr under your saddle, Kimiko? And why're ya covered in sand?"

"I'm taking a shower," she muttered grumpily, stomping moodily off towards a picturesque beach house that had been rented specially for their vacation.

"Was it somethin' I said?" Clay puzzled, rubbing his forehead in confusion.

(End of flashback)

Kimiko lethargically stumbled towards the bathroom, somehow making it into the shower just in time before she was tempted to nestle back inside those warm, cozy, comfortable blankets and drift away again to dreamland. She groped confusedly at the shower knobs, and gave a startled shriek as a burst of freezing cold water suddenly spurted forth from the shower head and over her face without warning. At least this will wake me up, she thought to herself.

Approximately an hour later, she was adjusting the finishing touches on her hair, which was, as of now, dyed a pretty golden blonde, flowing around her in smooth, elegant waves, framing her heart-shaped face, and cascading down from her shoulders to her slender waist. Rebellious golden tendrils broke free from the blonde waves of her hair and rested tranquilly against the side of her face, curving gently against her porcelain cheek. Satisfied with the results, she gave her reflection a radiant, dazzling smile and headed silently past Clay, Omi, and Raimundo's rooms towards the front door. She giggled quietly to herself as she creaked the front door open; she could hear Clay's rumbling snores echoing throughout the room. Then she emerged out into the wondrous beach sunrise...

A few minutes had passed during which Kimiko had contented herself with merely wandering aimlessly down the beach, tuning out all other thoughts and distractions; it felt nice to not be fighting over Shen-Gong-Wu in showdowns, saving the world from certain destruction, or kicking evil's ass for another day. She felt strangely compelled to pause at a particularly gorgeous stretch of the beach cove, tracing her toes languidly through the clear, crystalline waves as they stroked against her ankles tenderly and soothingly, sending sharp tingling sensations up her legs. Her golden hair danced wildly with the wind, caressing her cheek with a light, soft touch, and flying back behind her like a flowing cape as she hugged her arms around herself even tighter. She sighed contentedly; this was nirvana, heaven, ecstasy... it was the most wonderful feeling in the world. She stared out at the ocean waves, foaming and crashing poetically, telling an ancient tale of love and loss through their frothing, sweeping movements.

In the far off distance, she suddenly spotted an unusually gigantic wave gliding steadily towards the shore. This wasn't what intrigued her, however; she was more surprised by the sight of a masculine figure surfing atop the very peak of the wave, with his strong, tanned arms stretched out as far as humanly possible, giving him the appearance of flying majestically astride the gigantic wave. As the figure flew closer, she recognized him immediately without a doubt; it was Raimundo, using his wind element to forcefully guide the waves along their path and propel himself rapidly forward. Finally, the wave's power and the wind's energy slowly dwindled, and she was left practically face to face with a tan, buff, shirtless, dripping wet Dragon of the Wind, as he returned back down to earth, making a smooth landing.

OMG... she thought, Raimundo is so...so...hot! I wonder why I didn't notice that before? Suddenly realizing the thoughts that were coursing through her mind, she inwardly scolded herself, Warui, (3) Kimiko, Warui! Apparently, he didn't recognize her at first; maybe it was because of his sodden chocolate colored locks that were clinging to his forehead, seeping saltwater, and obstructing his vision, or maybe it was because she had changed her hair color from raven black to blonde. Either way, momentarily after coming to land merely a few feet away from her, he swiped his soaked bangs away from his forehead, and emerald eyes met sapphire.

"Kimiko? Is that you?" he uttered, staring at her with mild confusion mixed with slight shock and awe.

"Ohayo gozaimasu,(4) to you too, Rai," she retorted sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest, and quirking a slender, elegant eyebrow in curiosity. Raimundo was giving her an indescribable look that she had never seen from him before, and couldn't quite figure out. He had a far off, misty look in his forest green eyes, caused from some unknown inner turmoil or conflicting emotion that was stirring in the depths of his soul. Those eyes...they poured into her, transfixing her from where she stood frozen, as if trapped in a solid block of ice that was impossible to melt; it felt like he was searching the deepest, darkest chasms of her heart and soul with those eyes, like he already knew all her deepest and most yearned for desires, her hopes and her dreams, it felt like...

His whisper interrupted her thoughts, jerking her back to reality and breaking their eyes' connection. "Your hair..." she heard him voice softly aloud, so that she could barely perceive what he was saying, she was too wrapped up in her own tangled web of thoughts. She simply looked back up at him with a curious, questioning look upon her face.

"You changed it, again...It looks...belissima."(5) he answered with confidence. Kimiko understood, and shifted her gaze slowly, so that the brilliant beams of the morning sunrise reflected in bright, glittering streaks of sunlight across her rosy cheeks.

"Domo arigato..."(6) she replied, with a smile rivaling even the brilliance of the sunrise. In the moments that followed, she could sense even without casting a quick glance over her shoulder, that he had also shifted to be beside her and join in gazing out at the sunrise; it was almost like she could feel his presence, his aura...She supposed it was because Raimundo, Omi, Clay and she were all bound firmly together as the elements of wind, water, earth, and fire. Occasionally, she could sense the auras of the other three elements, as if they had some unspoken, invisible connection which each other, that could never be broken.

As she drifted away from her pondering, she felt compelled for some reason to say, "Rai? How long have you been surfing?"

He started, as if he had been deeply entangled in his own thoughts, and launched off his answer with apparent enthusiasm. "Practically my whole life. I remember I used to go to the beach all the time when I was a little kid. There was a beach down by my old house in Rio called the Crystal Cove that I always surfed at. And when I wasn't at the beach, I was always dreaming about being there..."

At this point, Kimiko chanced a glance over at him; his emerald eyes were sparkling, glistening in the sunlight, deep with memory, thoughtfulness, and some other emotion she couldn't quite grasp...was it fondness, perhaps hope? His eyes misted over again with that far off look, as if he was imagining himself being somewhere else entirely. He whispered, "I love surfing...it feels like flying..."

Feels like flying...she pondered silently, then averted her gaze towards the limitless painting of cloudless, perfect azure and dazzling gold, the never-ending expanse of the heavens.

"Have you ever wanted to fly, Kimiko?" voiced Raimundo, his eyes soaking in the same spectacular array of sights as she was.

"Hai." she spoke simply; no further answer was needed, they were both in perfect understanding, perfect synchronisation.

"Then, what are we waiting for?" he urged her with enthusiasm, suddenly stepping in front of her and gently holding out the palm of his hand.

Now this surprised her. "Nani?" she exclaimed gently, almost quietly. Was he really doing what he appeared to be doing? What happened to the cocky, boisterous, sarcastic, smart-ass Raimundo, who literally threw caution to the wind, and was the worst prankster she had ever known? Was this his "other personality," the other side of Raimundo behind that outwardly bold, fearless, and extroverted front, hidden from the rest of the world by invisible walls that he fortified around himself? She couldn't care less at that moment; she liked this "new" Raimundo, whoever he was.

"Come on, Kimi," he reassured her, with that daring, cocky trademark smile of his, beams of sunlight radiating from behind him, framing his handsome face, as if his hair was crowned by a holy angel's halo. How could she possibly resist that? Not like she was planning to, anyway... She gave a dazzling, glowing smile and immediately placed her delicate, fragile-looking palm over his own strong, warm, welcoming one. He curled his fingers firmly around hers, enveloping and grasping her hand steadfastly, as if she was his only lifeline, and shouted, "WIND!" with unwavering determination.

Faster than in the blink of an eye, he had summoned a surprisingly powerful breeze, and they were both suddenly, unmistakably airborne, levitating in the air and floating gently upon a softly whirling wind current. Kimiko unexpectedly realized that she was clinging desperately to his hand, but didn't release her unwavering grip; somehow, for some unknown reason, it just felt right, she felt secure in his grasp... He didn't seem to mind however, he merely flashed her an adventurous smile as they momentarily plunged upward into the sky, soaring over the azure ocean in its unfaltering and unpredictable rhythm of rushing, crashing waves.

As they surged higher upward among the wispy, fluffy clouds, she felt literally as light as air as Raimundo effortlessly held her afloat upon a breeze. She stretched her arms as far out as possible as they flew, feeling the wind's passionate embrace as it stroked tenderly against her cheeks and whipped powerfully through her golden tresses, which lashed out behind her from the forceful velocity of the wind. Within those precious, fleeting moments, Kimiko memorized every feeling, every emotion and sensation, binding the moment in her mind forever, for eternity. She savored every minuscule detail; from Raimundo and her hand's conjoined as one, to a sensation similar to that of electricity sparking and surging through her veins, to the delicate brushing of the breeze against her fingertips that caused her heartbeat to race wildly, pounding rapidly in her chest. Kimiko absorbed the perfect sunrise that enveloped them with her sapphire eyes, flooding with pools of light, reflecting the magnificent ambience of the sky.

There were no words worthy enough or even sufficient to describe the feelings coursing through her heart and soul; nothing could ever compare to it. She finally felt really, truly free, like she was a phoenix released from its torturous cage after an endless eternity of imprisonment, like she had unleashed her genuine soul and allowed her heart and mind to hope, dream, imagine, wonder...the possibilities seemed absolutely limitless. She felt that she could achieve anything she desired, she could dare to dream, to hope; she felt that her heart would burst from mirthful joy. She wanted to laugh out loud, to dance wildly and uninhibited, to sing for the whole world to hear; the feeling of flight, being suspended softly in midair was so intoxicating, so empowering...Kimiko was rendered breathless as they rose even further upward, becoming one with the golden sunlight, distant silhouettes against the brilliant sunrise.

A/N Wow. That was sappier than a maple tree! My imagination went a little wild on this chapter. Oh well, what's done is done...Anyway, pardon-moi for taking soooo long to update. I have several good reasons why it took forever, but I won't burden you all with excuses. Chapter 3 is going to be better, hopefully...this chapter wasn't really the best I can do...at least I think so. OK, I'll stop blabbering now...I could ramble on and on forever and ever and ever...

Translations

1)Sore wa taihen desu ne! Too bad!

2)Qual! What!

3)Warui, Kimiko, Warui! Bad, Kimiko, bad!

4)Ohayo gozaimasu Good morning

5)belissima beautiful

6)Domo arigato thank you very much

Au revoir! A bientot! (Goodbye! See you soon!)