"What do you think?" Asked Amber.
"Yeah that's great," Said Kimiko, not looking up from her hand held computer, attempting to track the video message.
"Kimiko!" Said Amber impatiently, "Please look before you decide."
Kimiko blinked and looked up. What she saw before her was a mountain of white frill making it look like a giant shapeless pile of whipped cream.
"On second thoughts chuck it away!" She said, leaning back slightly in disgust.
"Well you have to decide on one of these dresses soon." Said Amber, "The wedding is only days away!"
"I know, it's just I've been getting weird emails and I want to find out who's been sending them." Said Kimiko.
"It might just be someone pulling pranks." Said Amber, "How about this one?"
She was holding up a white strapless dress.
"Too boring." Said Kimiko, "It's got to look pretty, but not like an ice-cream."
"I suppose you only get married once with any luck. It's got to be special." Said Amber.
"What was your dress like?" Asked Kimiko, quickly changing the subject.
"As many frills as I could fit onto one dress. I liked 'over the top'." Said Amber, grinning.
"Do they have any that aren't boring or too frilly?" Asked Kimiko.
Amber nodded slightly and walked across the shop. When she returned, in her hands she was holding a snowy- white kimono with silver embroidery which when you looked carefully, formed beautiful oriental dragons that shimmered whenever the dress moved. Her mouth remained slightly open and Amber looked up at her to see her reaction.
"I'm guessing this one will do?" She asked, smiling.
"Kimiko likes …" gasped Kimiko.
Amber gestured to the sails assistant.
"She'll like to try this one on." She said and Kimiko continued to stare at the dress.
"You've got to wear a tux." Said Raimundo.
"But they suck!" whined Jack, "Why can't I just wear what I want to wear?"
"It's not the way it's done," Said Clay.
Raimundo, Clay and Omi had all decided to go with Jack and help him prepare, just to make things easier on Kimiko, but Raimundo kept thinking about what Jack had said to the parents and this helped him keep his temper with him. He was trying to look at it from Kimiko's point of view and Raimundo had to respect that.
"I hate this!" whined Jack for the millionth time that day, "I don't think this is going to work."
"That's why you're getting divorced." Said Raimundo.
Clay and Omi went to look for other suits, leaving them to discuss this again.
"Besides I thought that you wanted Kimiko?" Said Raimundo.
"But she doesn't want me," said Jack, "And I'm not intending to inflict myself upon her for any longer than I have to."
"Never stopped you before," Said Raimundo.
"I mean apart from my battle for world conquest." Said Jack.
"So this won't stop you being evil?" Asked Raimundo.
"Oh please," Said Jack, "Nothing can stop me from being evil!"
"Don't you actually have to become evil before you can stay evil?" Said Clay.
"Don't go there!" Said Jack.
Kimiko turned around in the mirror. The dress was tight fitting and looked great. She loved it and she almost felt guilty that she was using it for a fake wedding, but she could always use it for her real wedding one day. However, that seemed slightly cheap.
"So?" She turned to Amber, "What do you think?"
Amber put a hand to her mouth and her eyes filled with tears as she gazed upon Kimiko.
"It's not that bad is it?" Asked Kimiko.
"No it's not that …" She sighed, "You look beautiful."
Kimiko smiled and looked back in the mirror. She couldn't wait to show her friends, but she'd have to.
"Kimiko, I was wondering …"
Kimiko turned and looked at Amber.
"Did you and Jack have a fight before you went back to the temple?" Asked Amber concernedly.
"I … um … why?" Asked Kimiko, not wanting to answer.
"It's just that Jack seemed so down and was getting angry over the slightest things. He actually yelled at us when we told him that everything was ready." Said Amber, "I'm just a little worried."
"It was probably just nerves," Said Kimiko in a 'would-be-casual' voice.
"I suppose …" Amber sat down sadly, "He's not my little boy anymore … he never will be."
"But he'll still be your son," Said Kimiko, "no one can take that away."
"No, but … I am going to miss him. He's grown up so much recently. It's amazing …" She suddenly gasped, "You haven't slept with him yet have you?"
"What!" Shouted Kimiko, suddenly, "No! No-no! NO!"
"You're a good girl," said Amber, "I know how some of these teenagers can be and when I heard you live with three boys …"
"Well I'm not like that!" Said Kimiko suddenly, "Never, with none of them, ever! Not with Jack either!"
"So you're going to wait until after the wedding?" Asked Amber.
"Um … yeah … I don't want to mess things up before the wedding," said Kimiko, hardly believing what she was talking about.
There was an awkward silence.
"I'm gonna go get changed." Said Kimiko, walking away, feeling like she was about to pass out from embarrassment.
"So what now?" Said Jack as they left the suit store.
"We go back to the hotel and wait for the 'joyous' day." Said Omi with a bitter streak none of them had ever heard him use.
There was complete silence after this statement except for the tapping of their shoes on the pathway. Once again, none of them wanted to break the stony silence. This was becoming a pattern with them. A pattern they would have to break before they got to the hotel, Jack's father, after all, thought that they had volunteered to go with him so they could make friends with Kimiko's 'boyfriend'.
As they walked through the doors and spotted the parents all of them broke into fake laughter. Mr Spicer and Tohomiko turned as they entered and smiled at the almost seamless delight on their faces, having just apparently made new friends.
"Did you have a good time?" asked James.
"It was great," Said Jack, "Trying on expensive suits, making fun of nothing in particular."
"Just the way to have a good time!" Said Raimundo.
"I'm glad." Said Mr Tohomiko, "Have you seen Kimiko and Mrs Spicer?"
"No," said Omi, "We have not seen them all day."
"I was just wondering," Said Mr Tohomiko.
Kimiko shifted uncomfortably in her seat as they drove back to the hotel. The previous conversation was still fresh in her mind. The thought wasn't enough to gross her out after all they had been through, but she had told Jack that she didn't love him and it was difficult to think of them entering into any sort of … relationship like that after she had said that. Damn parents, they mess everything up.
"Are you alright Kimiko?" Asked Amber timidly.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Said Kimiko quickly. A little too quickly.
"You've been very quiet." Said Amber.
"I'm just a little tired after flying over from China," said Kimiko as her excuse.
They pulled up outside the hotel and get out of the car. Amber helped her pull out the large bag concealing her wedding dress. As they entered, Amber walked straight up the stairs and put the dress away. The wedding was going to be held in the large gardens out the back of the hotel and so everything was being sent straight there.
"I'm guessing you got one," Said Clay.
Kimiko nodded, thinking of the beautiful dress hidden upstairs.
"Looking forward to the big day," Said Jack sarcastically from where he was slumped in his chair.
"At least put a little effort in," Said Raimundo, "you've got to make this look good."
"In theory," Said Kimiko, "But it doesn't really matter. We're going to disappear straight afterwards so no one will be able to question us about our actions anyway. Right?" She added, looking at Jack.
"Sure, whatever," Said Jack, waving his hand unconcernedly.
"Someone's in a bad mood," Said Omi.
"He's not the only one," Said Raimundo.
"Just a couple more days," Said Kimiko.
"Yeah, just a couple more days," Said Jack, standing up and walking towards the window.
"Have you figured out who the nail-file belongs to?" Asked Clay.
"I haven't even had time to think about it. I know it's going to be so obvious when I figure it out, but right now I just can't." Said Kimiko.
They all sat in silence, considering the clues they have so far. Kimiko had it on the tip of her tongue she just couldn't think of it with everything else going on in her head. Katonapp2020, Cat-call300, napping-the-kat-1800 and a nail file. Kat, cat, kat … cats … nail file … Katna …
"Kimiko!" Said her father, walking through the door, "You're back!"
Kimiko's chain of thought was suddenly completely broken; she couldn't even remember what she had been thinking about.
"What is it papa?" Asked Kimiko, smiling gently.
"I need you help me organise the seating! You too Jack," Said her father.
"But I thought we were leaving straight away?" Said Kimiko.
"But the guests will want to speak with you!" Said her father.
"We'll help you organise it around us," Said Jack, sighing as he approached the door.
Katnappe smiled to herself, thinking about everything she had done. These fools hadn't even made the connection yet. She had been hoping that Kimiko and the others would be too shaken by all her videos flying around the notice that they were more or less the same address over and over again, not to mention how distracted they would be with all the wedding plans. This was way too fun, but what should she do next? Maybe just running the wedding would be enough.
She wondered how much Kimiko would feel towards Jack after she found out what he had done. There was no way she was letting that slide. She couldn't wait to get there and announce it in front of everyone and of course, Amber Spicer would find out that her perfect little son wasn't everything he claimed to be. That whiny little runt would have a wedding day he would never forget.
(A/N) Sorry it's shorter than normal. Just for the record, I have no idea what Jack's done yet. I've got a couple of ideas, but it might turn out not to be anything that drastic and she's just over reacting or it could be something that some people would be really offended by and others would just find funny.
Anyway, I hope you're enjoying this. Lots of luv Becky.