Chapter 9: It's a Crush.
"You
take the floor." Raimundo mumbled. "I'm not going to let you sleep in
MY bed! Besides, I think the floor is softer!" she persisted.
That was partly true. But, a high born Prince would think both places filthy.
"Okay then, you stay on the bed, and I'll stay on the floor."
He knew the guilt would effect Kimiko some time during the night, so he waited.
"Aren't you going to sit down on the ground yet?" asked Kimiko.
"You have got to let me sleep on the bed! The floor is all grimy and-"
"Fine,
go ahead and go, but don't come crawling back to me!" She dangled her
feet off the bed, and kicked him in the face on purpose.
"What did you do that for!"
"Just go to sleep." Kimiko replied.
Raimundo clambered into the bed, while she lay down on the floor.
The funny this was; that the bed was harder than the ground.
"I think you should sleep in the bed this time Kimiko."
Kimiko remained silent, laughing inwardly at her crush. Crush? She shook her head furiously and settled down after a while.
"Don't you change into something else when you go to sleep?" she asked.
"I
do, but I still remember that bet. I'm not going to change my clothes.
Anyways, you can't even survive four months Kimiko!" Raimundo taunted.
"Hm, I don't think you could survive even more than an hour."
So they bickered back and forth, for about fifteen minutes until he gave up.
He had to admit, this was much more... Relaxing than at the castle. "Is this fun?"
"What do you mean? Just sitting here and talking?" Kimiko asked. Raimundo didn't know why he thought this was nice.
That little nagging feeling in his heart was starting to seem like a crush.
"Can you stop talking to me? I need my beauty sleep!" Kimiko complained.
Well sorry! You're already pretty enough."
Awkward silence.
"Did you say I was pretty?"
"No I didn't, you must be hearing things. Let's go sleep shall we?"
Raimundo talked rather quickly, and his voice was a higher pitch than usual.
"You did say something about me being pretty! What's so pretty about me then?" prodded Kimiko.
Oddly enough, Kimiko liked having Raimundo talk to her in such a kind way.
"Do you want me to name all of them or the major ones?" he asked.
"All
of them please, even though I don't see myself as a beauty, I want to
know why you think so." Kimiko giggled to herself when he turned
slightly red.
"Maybe it's your raven black hair that blends in with
the night, the pearly white color of you skin, the crystal color of
your eyes, or the slim body..." Raimundo muttered, hating to admit
everything that he had just said.
"I'm flattered, truly. I didn't
know I had amazing blue eyes, I always thought them as a dull, boring
blue." Kimiko sighed contently as she ran her fingers through her hair.
Silky, the way Raimundo thought it as. "If you think I'm pretty, then you're a little handsome yourself."
Since they were half asleep, words coming from their mouths didn't make much sense.
All their thoughts of the day were just flowing out of their minds.
"I
didn't really mean to find you near the Temple, you were just stomping
around and I figured that I could come and take you to the Temple,
because there wasn't anywhere else you could stay."
Kimiko stifled a yawn, not aware of the other words that were perched on the tip of her tongue.
I didn't want to go back. I wanted to stay with you... Sometimes I even think about you at the palace." he remarked.
"Really?
And I thought you were going to ask about my past. I mean, no one has
ever asked me that before, and I think I could trust you..." Raimundo
suddenly seemed fully awake.
Hello!
She was talking about her past! "Please do go on Kimiko." Raimundo faltered.
"As
I was saying, I did get hurt in the past. With that stupid boy. I'm not
going to say his name, but he was a nice person at first, and then he
ended up breaking my heart and everything, then I was shipped to
Xiaolin because something bad happened to my parents, but I don't
remember what... It's probably nothing." Kimiko whispered.
"I didn't know that Kimiko. Kimiko?"
She was almost all the way asleep.
"Kimiko?"
Raimundo poked her on the shoulder. "What? Did something bad happen?"
He opened his mouth to speak but she kept talking. "Mom, where are you
going? Can I come along too?" Kimiko was dreaming, but speaking her
words."Why not? Do you not want me anymore? Hey! Let go of me! Dad! Mom! Why are these people taking me?"
She thrashed around on the ground while Raimundo watched with mild interest, she wasn't going to get hurt or anything.
"Don't make me do this... Mom! Do you promise I'll see you again? Mom? NO!"
Raimundo gasped when Kimiko got up from the floor, and she staggered over to the mirror.
"You didn't tell me the truth! You didn't say anything about Xiaolin! Why must I go? What is a mage? I'm so confused!"
Kimiko shuddered again and picked up a knife from her table.
"It's all my fault! It all my fault!" She lifted up the knife.
"Kimiko! Wake up!" Raimundo grabbed her wrist and her eyes shot open.
But, the blade had already scraped across Raimundo's skin, leaving a nasty mark.
"Raimundo? What are you doing? Did you lift me up to the mirror? Mother... I mean, put me back down."
Kimiko pushed away from him and wiped her eyes.
"What did I say?" Kimiko cried.
"Where did you get that gash? I need to put some medicine on it!" Kimiko hurriedly wiped her eyes again and grabbed a bottle.
"This might sting."
"Kimiko, who is your mother?" Raimundo asked.
"No
one! My mother isn't here! In fact, I think she's alive and thriving
somewhere, now don't ask questions at this time of day! You need your
rest! This isn't good for you health!" Kimiko smiled weakly and
continued dabbing a clear substance on his wound.
"It's okay Kimiko. I'll handle the cut. But can you please tell me what you were mumbling in your sleep?"
Kimiko
shifted her eyes and retorted "I didn't mumbled anything! Off to bed
you go, I'll tell you in the morning, something like that. I need my
beauty sleep, so stop talking and don't look at my eyes!" Kimiko
stuttered.
"Can't you tell me right now? You almost sliced my skin
off and now you don't even explain? Please Kimiko, as the Prince I am
begging you." Raimundo pleaded.
"I can't tell you. I can't tell anyone, maybe sometimes later, because I still don't trust you"
Ouch.
"You
have to tell someone, or else the problem will effect you somehow! Like
you could start... Cutting yourself!" Raimundo stated.
"Stop it. I'm going to sleep." Her voice was stern and sharp.
"Sorry Kimiko." he apologized. After a few moments, Kimiko knew he was going to sleep.
Now it was okay to cry openly.
She
felt the tears forming in her eyes. Kimiko let out a shaky breath and
got into the most comfortable position you can get in when you're on
the floor.
"What does she mean by I don't trust you yet? I'm the most trustworthy person around! I mean look at me!" Raimundo thought."She doesn't even tell me what's going on,..
"Kimiko was
moving again, shivering, even though it wasn't cold in April.Raimundo
couldn't touch her, Kimiko would snap back and keep crying. How did
Keiko deal with this girl?
Constantly crying over her parents wasn't going to get her anywhere.
"I'm going out for a walk Kim." She didn't nod, or even say anything.
Raimundo took this as a yes.
He soundlessly got up from her bed and opened the window.
"Um... Don't dare follow me." Raimundo commanded.
"Why would I anyways?" Kimiko whispered, barely audible.
"I'll be back, but in the meantime get some sleep." He pointed his finger at the window, and it shot up again.
It was time from some personal thinking, without being bothered by a sniffling Temple commoner.
The cool night air comforted Raimundo, one of the reasons he loved walking around in the wind and rain.
"What's wrong with her? You can't ask a question about her past or she'll explode... Or cry." Raimundo spoke out loud.
Clouds blocked the moon, but Raimundo could still see the silvery outline.
"I wish she would tell me and trust me one day."
As if on cue, some clouds moved out of the way, and the moon shone brightly.
This starry sky kind of reminded him of the cheery blue color of her eyes.
When she was sad they were kind of a moody blue color.
How could Raimundo even know what her eye color was?
He almost didn't remember what the hell Sophia looked like. Kimiko had her own little beauty...
Raimundo went back into the Temple like he promised, but he was greeted by a horrifying surprise. Kimiko was drenched in blood, and she lay on the ground... In a pool of her own blood.
"KIMIKO!" He ran to her aid, and felt for any pulse, there was one, but it was weak.
She groaned a little, and grasped around for something.
Raimundo glanced at the floor, there was a knife; covered with blood, and more sticky red blood.
"Don't worry Kim!"
He took the bottle she had put on the table to clean his wound and hastily looked for whatever was bleeding.
In
a couple of seconds, he realized something. Maybe most of the cuts were
under he clothes... "Sorry Kimiko, but I have to do this."
He unbuttoned her dress from the back, his eyes avoiding her black bra.
"Rai." Again, she slowly moved her hand.
Eventually, he found the source.
Blood was gushing out of a cut on her stomach, just like on her legs.
"I'll save you Kimiko, just wait!" Raimundo put medicine on her stomach, and bandaged it up.
"Can you hear me Kimiko?" She nodded a little, and then slipped into unconsciousness.
He scooped her limp body in his arms and set her down on the bed.
Now where would he sleep? Kimiko, still in her bra and panties, didn't move at all.
This was mocking Raimundo.
With nothing else to do, he scooted into the bed with Kimiko, and put his arms protectively around her.