Chapter 16: A Quest For Love, Shen Gong Wu, and Hope?
This wasn't good. This helmet like thing was glowing, and Omi was standing right in the way.
"I told you not to touch it Raimundo!"
"Well move then!" Whatever was going to happen next was going to happen to Omi."WUSHAN GEYSER!" Raimundo was unable to stop himself from yelling those words. Something was swirling around Omi, and Raimundo slumped onto the ground, exhausted from the power he used. After the mist cleared away, Raimundo had enough strenght to talk.
"Omi, you alright?" Raimundo asked, panting. Omi stared at Raimundo, then glanced around him.
"What am I doing right here? I don't remember going anywhere."
Crap.
Omi must have been a victim of this weapon already... So that's why he
forget everything that happened a couple of days ago!
"Omi, do you know anything about a prisoner in the dungeons?" asked Raimundo, confused.
"No. I don't know what I am doing right here Raimundo, but I do think it is time for your breakfast."
"It's past the afternoon Omi." Being with Raimundo was starting to mess with Omi's brain. Who ate breakfast during the afternoon?
"Anyways,
what do you think of escaping this palace? The Queen is..." He had to
make a fib, Omi would follow Raimundo's orders, now that he didn't
remember anything.
"The Queen is going to kill you, and we need to find Jack Spicer, so let's go."
Omi frowned but nodded.
"Was that what we were doing a while ago?"
"Er...
Yep. That's what was happening. Lead the way Omi, and-" Raimundo
stopped and thought for a moment. He couldn't leave Kimiko behind,
where ever she was.
"Never mind Omi, we need to find someone
first..." With the Wushan Geyser in Raimundo's hand, he made his way
over to the dungeons, but maybe Kimiko was already captured... Maybe
she was dead.
Secretly, Kimiko was watching Raimundo
and Omi walk into the dungeons. She had been hiding under the stairwell
for quite a few moments, catching her breath.Now she couldn't go out in
the open, guards were posted around the throne area, and they may have
already heard her gasp when Raimundo touched the Wushan Geyser.
But they had there memory erased too, so Kimiko was safe. At least for a while.
Kimiko had picked up a hand bag which she found on the staircase, it was good enough for her.
There
was room for her Star Hanabi to fit in, and the pouch was very light,
and easy to carry. (It was made of a very poor fabric, and it was a
dark shade of brown)
"How to get away from the guards..." Kimiko mumbled to herself. "I could go make some sort of distraction with something..."
Stealthily, she took out her Star.
"This has to work... STAR HANABI, FIRE!" Oops. She set part of the castle on fire, but that was a nice diversion.
Not wasting a moment, Kimiko quickly hopped up the marble stairs, without anyone noticing her, at all.
"Now the easy part."
Kimiko was going sneak past Sophia's room, and then go into Raimundo's room.
"Simple." She was used to herself mumbling these things, but it helped her concentrate.
Hm... There wasn't anyone in Sophia's room.
Kimiko smirked and tip toed into the room.
No
one would suspect a thing, especially because Sophia was trying on her
Wedding dress in some other room, but Kimiko didn't know that. Quietly
shuffling around, Kimiko stifled her giggle.
There was a picture of
Raimundo on Sophia's wall, and he was wearing a very grumpy frown.
Kimiko stopped laughing and opened Sophia's vanity drawer.
It was
just full of pins, and... A weird comb. Finally noticing someone was
just outside the door watching, Kimiko took the comb in her hands and
frowned.
Kimiko smiled and said,"Hi Sophia, I didn't think you used such weird combs."
Sophia stood at the doorway, kind of scared at the fact that Kimiko could actually hold the comb that was... Magic. "How are you holding that, twit! Get out of my room too! Or shall I make you?"
Kimiko looked at the comb. Nothing was wrong with it, and it seemed to look like it was glowing.
"I don't know what you're talking about Sophia, but I have a feeling something bad is starting to happen to you."
Knowing something was terribly wrong, Sophia ducked.
"Use your focus Kimiko, then you shall succeed." That voice in Kimiko's head... Kimiko closed her eyes and tried to maintain focus.
Something clicked. She had perfect focus...
"Tangle Web Comb!" Even though Kimiko knew this was something like her Star Hanabi; she was still frightened.
"AH!" Sophia let out her Oh-my-gosh-save-me-or-I'll-scream-louder shriek.
Kimiko opened her eyes and smiled at her excellent job. Sophia was all tangled up.
"Sorry Sophia, but that was for your own good."
Kimiko gave her a smug smirk while Sophia gave her a dirty look. "You can't talk either, well; that's good."
"I-I can to..." Surprising.
"And did you know, Kimiko... Raimundo is getting married to me soon."
Kimiko didn't hear that part. What? How could Kimiko bear this news? Kimiko wasn't even there when Lucia was talking to Raimundo.
So this was new information.''You lie. He wouldn't marry you so soon, and if he did, he wouldn't except it."
"Then why do you think he's still in the palace, he could have escaped." Kimiko turned on her heel to face the door.
"He's looking for me..." Kimiko whispered, her voice cracking.
Sophia,
knowing she hit a nerve, laughed. "Don't forget to come to Raimundo's
Wedding. Also, we won't forget to come and see you. Did I mention
you're getting your head chopped off?"
Kimiko kicked Sophia in the face and she ran out of the room. It was time to get away from this palace, and away from Raimundo.
Tears
blurred Kimiko's vision, but she knew where she was going. To the
nearest window, any exit. And that happened to be Raimundo's room.
Kimiko opened his door, and slammed it behind her.
If anyone did hear her, then they would think it was Raimundo, the other door slammer.
She knocked over table, and eventually, she fell on the floor, sobbing.
"If Raimundo loved you, then he would know you wouldn't been in the dungeons." Sophia's voice was haunting her now.
Everything was so complicated. "How can I even love him? He was with Sophia anyways, and why would he want a poor Temple girl?"
"Because
I love you." Kimiko was crying so loudly she didn't hear Raimundo open
the door and shut it behind him.Wiping her eyes, Kimiko stood up and
stormed over to the window, it was raining now.
"Raimundo... Why didn't you tell me you were getting married so soon?"
asked Kimiko.
Raimundo turned and locked the door before slowly walking toward her.
"I thought you would know that I wouldn't marry her, no matter what."
Not believing him, Kimiko opened the window, letting the water pelt against her face, and the wind ruffle her hair.
She looked amazingly beautiful to Raimundo, but he knew he couldn't touch her. Kimiko was being her stubborn self again.
"I don't know Raimundo. Do you even love me? If you did, then why are you still here, at the palace?"
Sighing, Raimundo went over to the book case and took out a book.
The bookshelves shifted, and there was a door.
"Care to join me?" asked Raimundo. Kimiko wiped away her tears and nodded a little.
Raimundo
pushed the door so that both of them could walk out. "No one can hear
us out here, Kimiko. No one can see us either." Butterflies went off in
Kimiko's stomach, but still; she listened intently.
"So... I always loved you. I was looking for you." Raimundo explained, softly.
"I
heard mostly everything the Queen was saying, except the part when she
was talking about you marrying Sophia... There's a new rule now, it's
there?" Kimiko murmured.
They were on a balcony, there's wasn't a roof or anything, so water poured down on them.
"A
new rule. You have to obey the rules of the King, or else of with you
head," Kimiko added, "I do think we should follow the rules. And if I
do follow those rules, then I have to leave Xiaolin forever."
"You can't go, and I know you don't want to go, so they can't make you. If you leave then I'm coming too."
Kimiko shook her head, and leaned over the balcony, letting the water drip down her face, mixing with her tears.
"I might go." she stated.
"No...
I won't let you." Raimundo took her arm and looked into her eyes. "Why
won't you listen? I'm staying with you, forever. If you didn't hear, I
would want to marry you instead of Sophia."
Kimiko brushed strands of his thick dark brown hair away from his eyes and gazed back at him.
"If
I did marry you, I would want it to be official. I wouldn't want anyone
disapproving of it. I would want to be with you forever."
Somewhere in his eye's green depths, she saw realization flicker in his eyes.
"I
understand Kimiko. Once everything is perfect, then we can do
something..." Raimundo trailed off, he was beginning to get lost in
Kimiko's azure eyes.
"Everything is close to perfect now, but I want
the world to be perfect as well." Kimiko let his wet bangs drop back
over his forehead, and she made a move him.
Raimundo wrapped his arms behind her back, feeling his heart beat faster in his chest.
There was this warmth that radiated from Kimiko's body, which made Raimundo blush.
"I'll be with you, and I won't turn back."
Kimiko leaned in toward his face, not crying anymore. Finally, their lips met in a gentle kiss.
Kimiko
pushed Raimundo's back to the wall; making sure he wouldn't let go. Her
hands played with his hair, while his roamed her body, creating a spark
of passion between them. Kimiko stopped kissing him and pulled away.
"Are you sure you want me to do this?"
"I've been waiting a while for this Kimiko, so go ahead!" Again, she
leaned in, but Raimundo stopped her. "Wait, this time I'm going to love
you; without being a Prince." Raimundo took off his crown, and he threw
it carelessly on the ground.
"Much better." Kimiko said, running her fingers through his untamed hair. They both resumed kissing, in the rain.
Not being watched by anyone, this time.
Taking a chance, Raimundo licked her bottom lip. Kimiko nodded and opened her mouth, allowing Raimundo's tongue to slide into her mouth. Raimundo pulled her closer to his body, letting the warmth flow over him once more.
Kimiko broke away, breathless. "I didn't know you could hold your breath that long, Raimundo."Still blushing, Raimundo leaned on the railing of the balcony and sighed.
"Are you still leaving?" he asked.
"Raimundo, I'm not sure yet. I want to leave this castle, but I don't want to leave you."
He lowered his gaze to the floor and smiled weakly at her.
"If
you must leave Kimiko, then I need to tell you this: You did open my
eyes a little, but if you still stay with me then I think I'll see that
everything is beautiful."
Kimiko flushed and whispered, "Right now, I need to go back to the Temple, do you have any idea how I can get back?"
"I think I have an idea." Raimundo felt a breeze, and he took her in his arms.
"Hang
on tight Kimiko, this is my first time flying." Before Kimiko could
question him, he took off. She shut her eyes tightly, afraid she would
fall. "I won't let you go Kimiko, flying is something I could get used
to."
Kimiko opened her eyes and laughed when she saw the treetops
below her. "Raimundo, I might change my mind. Maybe I should stay in
Xiaolin, because I could get used to you being there, by my side." She
kissed him on the lips, and together they soared through the sky.