Chapter 25: Um... Yep. About That...
Taking a tiny nap wasn't going to hurt anyone. Raimundo needed to catch up on all the sleep he had been missing. In the palace, he at least got some peace and quiet while Omi wasn't bursting into his dorm. Otherwise, the palace was a pleasant place to rest dreary eyes. Raimundo shifted his body and got rid of the fact that he was in the place; right on the balcony. Where Sophia was. Damn her.
At the mention of her name, Raimundo finally got the guts to get up and open his eyes. Today was the day.
Kimiko
was staring right at him, which looked a bit odd. Her sapphire eyes
seemed to bore into him; she didn't even blink when he moved. One thing
Raimundo hated to admit was that Kimiko always was like this now. Ever
since they broke up... Nothing seemed the same. Kimiko always acted as
if she were in space. Did she have something on her mind? Raimundo did
see her close her eyes a few times. She did too much thinking, and that
was something Raimundo didn't want to do all day. Anyways, he had a
Wedding to trash, and Kimiko wasn't that important right now. He
boosted himself up from the floor, scattering dirt everywhere. Kimiko
broke out of her trance and looked up to him.
"You didn't have to do that."
Raimundo
shrugged and didn't take any notice of the slight waver in her voice.
Something was wrong, but Raimundo couldn't find a trance of it in her
voice; because he was too eager for destroying his Wedding. Kimiko
sighed and got up, brushing as much dust as she could from her skirt.
"Where
shall we be going now? The Wedding? I don't understand why you're so up
to it." Kimiko said, still having a down casted look.
"It's going
to be exciting," said Raimundo," You never know what's going to happen.
Sophia is going to be there, and I would like you to know that I'm not
going to be caught by the authorities."
He gave her a sincere look
while he sang this. So he was too carefree and hard headed to know what
was going on... "Shall we be going then? I don't think they're waiting
for us though."
"They will be waiting, I'm the Prince; and who
would miss an event like that? I promise we'll get to do something evil
to Sophia,"
A weak smile played at Kimiko's lips, while she slid over to the secret passage back to his room.
"Well I guess we take the route less traveled. Nothing will bother you there."
Notice the words 'you.'
Raimundo kissed her on the cheek and took her hand in his.
"You're
so clever. Come on, we'll miss it!" Kimiko nodded solemnly and allowed
him to drag her through the passage. And yet; the crowd was still
waiting for their Prince. But what would they do with the spare damsel?
Sneaking around was Raimundo's thing. He knew all the hallways by heart; although every single hall had the same royal red tapestry on the wall. Kimiko did marvel at the extravagance though.
The wall paper was also crimson, and gold was placed everywhere, like it was something common to have. A stiff, but fluffy carpet lay on the ground, and Kimiko didn't know what to do. Her shoes were leaving small specks of mud everywhere, which took away all the beauty. Taking in a deep breath, she fixed her gaze to Raimundo.
He was watching for people. No one would be inside now. All outside for the Wedding of Raimundo and the bitch. Averting her eyes again, she finally noticed the oaken doors; recently polished, were embellished. Carvings were in the door. Now finding Sophia's was easy.
There was a mermaid, dipping her tail fins into the water. Her face was covered by her hair, but Kimiko thought she knew that mermaid. But from where?
Finally, Raimundo's steps halted.
"Do you hear that scuffling on the other side of the door? That's the servant's room. It's the only place we can hide. I think..."
She
tried to find the door carving, but there was none. So the King and
Queen didn't care for the people in lower place. "Someone is there.
Hide behind the door, and I'll knock. No one knows me if I don't have
my crown on." Kimiko closed her eyes and sauntered over to the place,
her heart drooping. He knocked. The sound inside stopped.
Raimundo froze, and stared intently at where the person's head was supposed to be.
The door creaked open, and he was looking into the air.
"...RAIMUNDO?"
He moved his eyes downward, and Omi was standing there, with his mouth gaping.
"I thought you would never return! You should see..." Omi was cut off by Raimundo's sharp look.
"Keep it down. You can't let anyone know we're here. I'm talking about Kimiko, she's here."
His hand took her by the arm, and Kimiko effortlessly was pulled toward him. She almost stumbled to the floor.
"I
see. You must come a see though. If you put on these... You don't have
your crown on? Not to worry then! Not even the King or Queen will
recognize you!"
Kimiko shook her head, but didn't argue. Surely
everyone would be more observant of that their Prince looked like? But
Kimiko still didn't protest. Hiding her frown behind her hair, she
nodded along. There was no plan. Raimundo just wanted to spoil the
Wedding and take off. Would it be that easy now? The King and Queen
wouldn't notice.
But what about Sophia?
Kimiko didn't have anything to think about while she was yanked around and ushered into filthy corners.One
thing kept popping into her mind. Who was that boy who kept pestering
her while she was a child? That lad... His name. Whenever Kimiko
thought of his name, her thoughts led back to Raimundo protecting her.
Why was she thinking about this now? She could live a bounteous life with Raimundo; somewhere.
Kimiko again was pushed into the corner.
Raimundo
and Omi were busy peering out the window, trying to get a glimpse of
the people. It seemed like he was wanting to see Sophia. Kimiko
shrugged to herself, acting like it was nothing. Something just wasn't
right here. This was like moping over something stupid. You know it's
pointless, but you still do it; to spite someone. Kimiko bit her lower
lip and thought this over about fifteen times before Omi tapped her
roughly on the shoulder.
"We must go now! Sophia is there, and I
plan to use the Orb of Tournami on her." Kimiko got up from the ground;
and again shook the dust off her clothes.
All the fun of torturing
Sophia seemed dull now. And no one even cared. "You're slowing us down
Kimiko!" Raimundo's hand grasped her shoulder, and they were off again.
Down a few wooden steps, and through a hole in the wall. Queen Lucia
didn't care for the peasant quarters at all. Even Kimiko's Temple room
was better than this! Squeezing in, Kimiko ended up outside, where
Raimundo and Omi were waiting. Tapping their feet impatiently...
"This is next to the castle. On our left should be the mote, where the crowd is."
Raimundo
grinned and gave Kimiko a side glance. She didn't do anything in
return. Mayhap her sadness was seeping through her fake smile, for
Raimundo's grin lessened a bit. Oh well...
"Today is the day! You
stay here, and Omi and I will go see what's going on from the roof."
Kimiko again nodded along. Raimundo raised his eyebrows and gave her a
sweet kiss on the lips. Kimiko didn't do anything. She didn't savor it;
all she did was sit on the ground, and wait for him to break away. He
did rather quickly.
"We'll be back soon! Don't let anyone see you
though. They might make you join the crowd, but I don't think the Queen
or King will know you. So long!" How could he be so unobservant?
A
gust of air hit her in the face, which meant Raimundo was flying away
with Omi. Didn't he mention Sophia? That girl was supposed to know what
Kimiko looked like. She was beaten up many times by Kimiko, and she did
see her in the palace once. But she could have forgotten. Yes, wasn't
she a dumb blond? Or was she an intelligent one? Nothing did matter. If
they found Kimiko she probably wouldn't even notice.
The name she
was trying to remember wouldn't come to her. If only she had told
Raimundo... But he wouldn't care. She was lost inside, and no one could
help Kimiko out now. She had to think for herself. His name... Bob...
Wasn't it? Or Fred. Or Bill. Or... All this effort to guess was
hopeless.