Jumping

A/n: Something that's been in my head for awhile. Not my usual fic, yet still fluffy. Enjoy. R&R Note: I own Kaeko and Jiro. Minnnne.

Kimiko laughed, giving the brunette next to her a shove.

"I'm serious Rai, it was torture. It's like he was hitting on me and about to kill me at the same time!" Raimundo snickered and returned her shove.

"Spicer isn't so bright." His grin was mischievous. A warm breeze blew past Kimiko's face. She had decided on spending her day off with Raimundo. They were sitting in the middle of the training field eating lunch, laughing to themselves as Kimiko's cell phone went off.

"It's Keiko. One sec." She popped another chip in her mouth as she answered. "Hello?"

"Kimiko? Are you coming today?" The usually quirky girls voice was quiet. Kimiko scrunched up her face.

"What's today?" She asked.

"June 18th, Jumping day," Keiko answered. Kimiko almost dropped her phone.

"Today? Already?" He voice cracked.

"Yeah Kim, it's today, we're meeting on the bridge at five. Jumping at 5:16... You are coming right?" Kimiko glanced at her watch. It was four.

"I'll be there. Wouldn't miss it. Aishiteru."

"Aishiteru."

Kimiko's eyes locked back with Raimundo's.

"What was that all about? You look like someone died," he teased. Kimiko visibly flinched. "Kim? What happened?"

"I have to go to Japan. I have.. A thing to do." She collected herself up from the grounded and headed into the temple. Raimundo quickly followed after.

"Wait! What's going on?" Kimiko stopped and looked at him.

"I have to… go jump. Everyone's jumping.. For.. Kae." She was sobbing. Blue eyes brimming with tears. Raimundo instinctively wrapped his arms around her.

"Jump? Why do you have to jump for Kae? Who's Kae?" He asked

"Kaeko," She breathed back. "Kae." She buried her face into Raimundo's chest.

"Come on, let's go inside. You can tell me the story ok?" He carefully guided her towards their rooms.

"Kaeko," she started as she sat down on Raimundo's mat. "grew up with me and Keiko. We were best friends." She let her eyes wander back to the Brazilian boy sitting next to her.

"Why are you jumping for her?" He asked.

"When we started Jr. High, there was this tradition, coming of age sort of thing. Your first summer in Jr. High you'd go with your friends to Kaeko's bridge… well.. Then it wasn't 'Kaeko's bridge'. It was Kari Bridge. But.. It was just 'the bridge'. Anyways, you'd go with your friends down to the bridge.. And jump into the river. So our year, I went with Keiko and Kaeko down to the bridge. We were going to jump together. Our friend Jiro who had jumped the year before came to watch us. So we counted to three and jumped." Kimiko paused, reliving the jump, the thrill of free-falling fifteen feet off the small bridge into the water. "Keiko was already up when I reached the surface, waving at Jiro. He was waving back. All of a sudden Keiko stopped laughing. She started yelling, 'Kae? Kaeko? Where's Kae?' Jiro jumped off his bike and slid down to the bank." She shuttered. "She got caught in an under current Rai. They found her up stream a little ways. She drown. She-" Kimiko choked on her words.

"So you jump for her every year now." It wasn't a question. It was a statement. Raimundo pulled Kimiko close as she mourned the loss of her friend all over again.

"Jiro, and Keiko, and every year's new kids. And me. I jump with them." She was letting her tears soak into his shirt.

"Then what are we doing still here? Let's go!" He pulled her to her feet.

"You.. You're coming?" Kimiko wiped at her tears. He wasn't seriously going all the way to Japan to jump off a bridge for a girl he never met was he?

"Of course. You shouldn't have to go all alone. Besides. It's a tradition. People remembering Kaeko right?" She nodded.

"Good. Now, Golden Tiger Claws!" He smiled, pulling Kimiko through the gash.

There were twenty people gather on the bridge when Kimiko and Raimundo walked down the path. 'We love you' and 'Always Remembered' was scrawled over the old boards of the bridge in Japanese with white paint.

"Kimmie!" A girl about Kimiko's height, dressed in black shorts and a light blue top nearly tackled her to the ground. "You made it!"

"Hey Kim!" A taller boy with bright green eyes and black hair waved from the bridge.

"Jiro!" She ran and hugged him. "This is Rai. The one I wrote about. He.. Wants to jump with us," Kimiko explained.

"Nice," Keiko smiled. It looked out of place on her tear-stained face. Four very nervous looking pre-teens were sitting in a circle just off the bridge.

"This year's?" Kimiko asked nodding at them. Jiro smiled.

"Yeah."

"5:15!" Someone yelled from the bridge. People started climbing over the railing, some holding hands and looking at the water, some eyes locked on the sky.

"Come on," Raimundo grabbed Kimiko's hand and they walked together. The four stood in the middle of the bridge, two of the new years on either side. Twenty-two voices counted down the minute. At 5:16, they jumped. Kimiko gripped Raimundo's hand as they hit the water, eyes shut tight. When she came up, everyone was swimming towards the bank. All ready to get out of the frigid water. Kimiko made her way as Raimundo pulled her behind him. Jiro tossed them a couple of towels as they got onto the bank. Raimundo wrapped her around her shoulders, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Thank you," She whispered. He rested his head on her shoulder.

"For what?" He asked.

"For everything." Keiko scowled playfully, her normal cheerfulness returning to her.

"Are you going to kiss that boy or not?" She asked. Jiro laughed, nudging the girl.

"Yeah Kim, are you going to kiss the boy or not?" Raimundo teased.

"Rai!" She spun around and faced him, beat red, but laughing. He was smirking, the mischief from earlier back in his eyes.

"Are you going to kiss that girl or not?" Jiro asked. He pulled Kimiko closer, capturing her lips with his. A completely cliché moment, one hundred percent perfect. The others cheered and whistled and Keiko yelled out something along the lines of 'I thought so!' in Japanese. When they finally broke apart, Kimiko was grinning like an idiot.

"I blame Kaeko." Raimundo smirked at the statement.

"Thank you, Kaeko."

A/n Dont forget to drop a review!