2.
Around the mist of midnight, everything seemed to die down. The paparazzi took off. The yelling, the inanimate flying objects, and a painful rude greeting from a fellow companion had passed within all good time. Raimundo sighed deeply as he leaned against the kitchen stove with a piece of frozen pork chop pressed against his left black eye. Even with the unnecessary afflicted pain he received from a certain hothead girl; he can never wipe off the grin that ran across his face.
Hey, even though he was a little bit older than Kimiko, Raimundo was still a growing boy after all.
Anyways, he felt relief that Kimiko was fine.
The whole day seemed like a blur; in the morning, he was in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, just getting ready to perform his infamous act. Raimundo watched intensively as his siblings performed their routine acts with much perfection. Flexing his tensed muscles, he waited patiently for his father to announce his name. Suddenly, a faint change of radio stations caught his attention. He glared at his older brother Paco as he arguably told Raimundo that he wanted to listen to the news. Raimundo absently rolled his eyes and was about to perform when he heard the top story.
Without second thoughts, Raimundo ran out from the tent, took his motorcycle and went straight to the nearest airport.
Raimundo gritted his teeth. The wait for departure was overbearing; his thoughts were driving him nuts. For fifteen years, his last contact from the young Asian girl was from a post-it that laid on her empty mat on her 13th birthday. He does not know what to think. Why did she run away? Why did she betray them like that? Why was Master Fung so cool about Kimiko's absence for all these years? Why did Master Fung refuse to let anyone search for her? Did something happen to her that made her run away? Why she did not tell them about what bothered her?
Raimundo led out a shriek of frustration as he left the airport.
He ran around the block, found a pay phone, and made an important collect call. Within seconds, he was soaring across the endless skies like the good old times. Dojo questioned about the whole Kimiko situation; Raimundo just filled in of his version of the situation. Once they reached to Tokyo, Raimundo told Dojo to inform Clay and Omi about Kimiko. Within a blink of an eye, Dojo nodded and disappeared. Raimundo started to run down the streets of Tokyo, asking anyone who understood him about Kimiko Tohomiko. Most of the people he asked either pushed him away, ignored him or laughed at him. He did not understand why until the moment he stopped and looked down. The loose mossy green pants, the bright orange suspenders, the large shoes and the half clown mask may be the reason. He took off his mask and grabbed a newspaper. He ended up tossing that aside too; how can he read a newspaper if it was written in Japanese?
Sweat drenched his russet locks. His legs were killing him from running around like a lunatic all over Tokyo. All hope of finding his distressed friend diminished within seconds. He stood up and looked for the nearest pay phone. Probably he could get Omi and Clay to help him locate Kimiko . . .
A throng of reporters were rampaging the streets of Tokyo. Raimundo thought it was odd but had a gut feeling that he should follow it. Using his element, he was surfing above the clouds as the reporters and photographers led the way.
The sunset was over the horizon the moment he reached to his destination. Without thinking, he landed on the balcony of the mansion and smashed through the window door. He heard screaming; angry thoughts ran through his mind like wildfire. He busted through the bathroom door and a shadowy creature averted her eyes towards him. A combination of debris and mist covered much of his vision. He, then, irrationally attacked it the moment it escaped. Once everything cleared, he felt like he was going to have a nosebleed.
Afterwards he experienced a beating of a lifetime.
Raimundo was still drenched and worn out. He still wore green pants, orange suspenders, and one shoe (somehow, this adventurous trip made him lost a shoe).
An even-tempered Kimiko reappeared and stared at her childhood friend. If he were fifteen years younger, she would have found this amusing. Raimundo looked up, with one eye covered with raw gushy meat. She rolled her eyes.
"Why can't you wait until I give you an ice pack?"
"If I remembered it correctly," Raimundo snorted, "you're the one who gave me this black eye!"
"Well, duh," Kimiko snapped, "if you weren't so perverted and checked me out when I was in a vulnerable state I wouldn't throw a fit!"
"First of all, I didn't see a thing! Well, maybe a little bit too much---"
"RAIMUNDO!"
"Alright, chill chica! It was an accident! I didn't know you were taking a shower!"
"What are you doing here anyways?"
"Is that how you greet long time friends these days? That is great to know that you cared. After fifteen years, Kimiko, you can at least have a decency to tell me why you ran off like that! Its one thing to betray us like you did---"
"First of all," she gritted her teeth as she faced her friend, "I did not betray anyone! I ran away for a reason,"
"What was the reason you ran away then, huh? We have been friends for God knows how long! You have told me everything; we have been through the best and worse times. Heck, I helped you with your first period! When did you suddenly shut your doors on me?"
"I didn't shut any doors on you Rai! Why can you just drop it? It's my problem and I can handle it!"
"Yea, you're handling your problems perfectly. You locked yourself in a mansion every time someone hunts you down! Yea, that's a great plan there Kimiko."
"I was shot and some weird creature was suddenly after me last night, if you so happened to forget! I could not use my powers because w-well . . . I just can't. The public had their eyes on me the moment I stepped back into Japan. I cannot do anything irrational."
"After fifteen years, you're nothing but an excuse! You're a coward," Raimundo glared at her, "that's what you are. You ran away because of whatever reason. Now that you are so rich and famous, you are just going to keep running away and hide behind your father's wealth---"
Kimiko fought back the tears. She fought even the urge to slap him as Raimundo continued his degrading rant that tore her apart. She shut her eyes and avoided his glare before he even could finish, "I want you out."
"W-what?"
"You heard me." Kimiko sneered as she started pushing him out the kitchen door, "I want you out, now! If you traveled over a thousand miles just to degrade me, then fine you had your fun! I have my life and I don't need you to butt in!"
Raimundo turned swiftly around to pin Kimiko against the door, "I am not going anywhere. I am not one of your butlers or whatever that listened to your every command. I am not letting you go this time. I don't care if you called the police; I am going to just find a way to come back to you!"
Kimiko pushed Raimundo off her and glared at him, "Don't make me remind you again. I want you out the moment the sun rises or else,"
Before Raimundo could even protest, Kimiko slammed the door behind her.
Streaks of sunlight had broken through the windowsills as Kimiko got up and made her way into her walk-in closet. She took a deep breath and stared at her complexion. Tying her long raven hair, she made her way door a flight of stairs and smelled something delicious. Her stomach growled; she does not remember eating anything yesterday. Once she reached to the kitchen, her smile turned immediately into a frown.
"Buenos dias, Kimiko! It is such a beautiful morning! How do you like your eggs done: scrambled or sunny side up? Oh, and I hope you like bacon! I made them extra crispy---"
"I told you to get out!" She attempted to glare at him. After all, how can anyone be mad at him when he wore a flowery apron, a chief hat and rubber ducky boxers?
"How persistent of you," Raimundo grinned.
"You have the count to three and if you are not out afterwards I am going to call security. And with the situation I'm in, they can expect anyone to be a suspect and locked anyone up without questioning!"
"You might as well enjoy breakfast," Raimundo walked passed her without a second glance, "I am not going anywhere---"
Her cell phone started to ring. She answered it and then within seconds her eyes widen. Without uttering a word, Kimiko dragged him from the mansion to the back yard and shoved him into a nearby shed within seconds. Before Raimundo regained his senses and figured out what was going on, she disappeared from sight.
Raimundo pushed the rusty door open and stealth his way towards the front door. He hid behind a trail of rose bushes as he gazed at a tall Asian man in a business suit and another man with the same attire. The Asian man was probably Kimiko father, he thought as he tried to listen to their conversation. His gaze averted towards the man next to Kimiko's father. He was as tanned as he was with gelled back hair.
Raimundo cumulated a plan. As Kimiko's father excused him as took out his cell phone, Raimundo picked up little pebbles from the ground and started to throw them at the tanned being in the suit. The man turned around and ambled further away from Mr. Tohomiko. Once he was close enough to the sly Brazilian, he knocked him out, grabbed him, tied him up, rushed silently towards the shed, shoved the man in the shed, and rushed at Mr. Tohomiko side all within a blink of an eye. Mr. Tohomiko gazed at him oddly, "Nervous much?"
Raimundo started to sweat, "Why would you say that, sir?"
"You're sweating in the middle of October! My daughter maybe hard to handle but with your expertise I am sure that you will do just fine. Come on now,"
"Y-yes sir,"
Kimiko nearly jumped out of her skin the moment she heard her father coming in. She locked the bathroom door and changed into some descent clothes.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't come here any sooner to check on you. How are you feeling, Kimiko?"
"I'm okay I guess." Kimiko weakly grinned as she gave him a hug, "I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the meeting. I know how busy you are---"
"Nonsense, I cancelled all your meetings for today so you can get some rest."
"Are you sure that's wise? I mean, we'll be way behind schedule."
"Kimiko, you needed the rest. Anyways, I have great news."
"What is it?"
"I hired a new personal bodyguard for you."
Kimiko raised a brow, "What's wrong with Tao?"
"Well, he was the reason you were shot. He's now down in the police station being questioned."
Kimiko felt her temper rose within her. Even her own cousin wanted her dead because of greed.
"I want you to meet Mr. Jose Makoto, your new personal bodyguard."
The moment the new bodyguard appeared, Kimiko shrieked. She covered her mouth; her father gave a suspicious look.
"Is anything wrong, Kimiko?"
Kimiko glared at her new personal bodyguard who could not help but to give her a genuine smirk, "N-nothing is wrong, Daddy."
Raimundo grinned as he removed his shades, took Kimiko's hand and lightly pressed it against his lips, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Tohomiko. I promise to do my best to protect you at all times and never leave your side."
Kimiko gritted her teeth once more; she wanted to give him a piece of her mind until her father could not help but the chuckle, "I'm glad you two got along so quickly. Well, Kimiko, I must go. If you need anything, just call me."
Before Kimiko could even say anything, her father was gone. She turned around and glared at Raimundo. He removed the stolen jacket and loosened the black tie. He slipped off his shoes and walked back into the kitchen.
Kimiko followed him and was about to say something.
"Don't worry, I knocked him out cold. He's tied up in your shed," Raimundo uttered as he started making pancakes. "And Kimiko, I am not leaving. You cannot call the cops on me now because I am unofficially your personal bodyguard. Whether you like it or not, I'm here to stay."
Kimiko led out a shriek as she stormed out and slammed her bedroom door.
"Hey, wait Kimiko! What kind of fruit topping you want with your pancakes?"
A shadowy figure gazed at her crystal ball. A rounded man rushed into her lair and uttered, "I think we have a problem,"
"First thing first," The shadowy being glared at her henchman, "take off that ridiculous disguise! You disgust me; you cannot kidnap her even without her powers! And what the hell is the Wudi Dragon of Wind doing here in Tokyo?"
A samurai appeared, "I did not expect him to be here,"
"I will give you one more chance. I want you to kill the boy and bring me that girl. I want that girl alive and healthy." The mysterious figured glared at the crystal ball, "She's been avoiding her contract for years."
The henchman bowed and disappeared from sight. She stood up from her throne and walked towards a large time glass. She gazed at the projected Kimiko arguing with Raimundo in her room.
"Kimiko Tohomiko, how long much you run away from me? You cannot avoid your fate. Soon, time will run out and you will be all mine . . ."
