Wind Blows Fire Away

Chapter 23...Staying Strong Pays Off pt 1

Kimiko sat up sleepily in bed rubbing her eyes. She knew that Omi would like her idea of picking up training, so she got up and went to take a shower. After she got out she put her hair in a braid to one side coming infront of her shoulder, and put on a white and light blue skirt that went to just about her knees, and a shirt that on one side was a tank top and on the other was a half length sleeve and black flip flops.

Surprisingly, when she went downstairs Omi wasn't there, so she went to get Clay, but when she finally got the door open, no one was in there, except of course Raimundo. She went over to his bed and smiled, wondering what was going on in his head.

With Raimundo (Oh I bet you couldn't guess that!)...

Raimundo walked down the streets of Tokyo. He had the Tiger Claws to go where he needed, but he just decided to walk for a bit first. As he passed the people rushing to different places and going every which way, he saw a small girl. She was standing with her back facing him, but her hair. Raimundo reconized it almost instantly.

"Kimiko!"

Kimiko turned slowly, but didn't know the voice. After she saw the tall Brazilian she turned back forward and began walking, taking out her cell phone and pretending to talk.

"Kimiko, wait!"

She kept walking. Obviously, he didn't fall for the cell phone trick. Soon she found herself running, weaving through the people, and as she glanced over her shoulder she soon ran faster. 'This kid must be in a sport! He's really fast!' She ran faster yet, but still he kept closing the gap between them. Suddenly, after looking backwards, she looked forwards to find her best friend. She tried to skid to a halt, but it didn't work and they both fell over.

Kimiko paniced to get up and run, but her friend (Kieko) kept her still.

"Kimiko? What's the deal?"

Kimiko pointed fiercly to Raimundo who was now around ten feet from them.

"He's following me, he knows my name!" Kimiko whispered.

"You're lucky! He's cute!"

For the first time Kimiko actually looked at who the kid was. He was tall, tan, looked brazilian from the looks of it, he had ruffled and pure brown hair, and emerald green eyes. But Kimiko shook her head. "It's creeping me out, now coming let's go he's like really close!"

Raimundo heard Kimiko speak and also reconized her voice, but she took off running again. He groaned and began to follow.

Kimiko had to drag Kieko with her so she wouldn't stop, but the kid kept following. 'Who is this!' Kimiko thought as she rounded a corner. Then she thought about her shoes. 'Man, did I pick a day to wear my skate shoes or what?'

"Kieko, hop on my back!"

"Ohh it's like a piggy back ride!" Kieko giggled.

"Yeah...sure, just get on!"

Kieko hopped on and Kimiko pressed the botton on her shoes. Soon she was going quite a bit faster than Raimundo, until he did something she didn't know anyone in the world could do.

"Wind!" Suddenly, Raimundo was just about in reach of Kieko.

Kimiko screamed in horror and frustration. Skating as hard as she could, she started to feel weight being pulled off of her shoulders. She then realized Kieko had either jumped off or was taken off. She slammed her feet to one side, haulting completely. She watched as Raimundo talked to her, then Kieko nodded.

Kieko ran up to Kimiko. "Come on Kimi, just talk to him, he's really nice!" she said that pretty loud but then she spoke in a whisper full of laughter, "And he's got the most charming smile!"

Kimiko sigh and walked over to Raimundo, but when she got there, he immidiatly hugged her. Kimiko, shocked, confused and scared pushed away, and tears started to fill her eyes. "What the heck do you want? If you want money, I can get you some, just leave me and my friend alone!"

"Kim?" Raimundo was taken back. Kimiko was always a fighter, usually pushing people away and yelling. He never expected her to just give in.

"Just leave me alone! How do you even know me!" she was screaming in fear, and people stopped to look. To Raimundo's surprise, Kieko didn't look at all surprised, and now, her eyes were angry. She walked over to Raimundo, and he tried to speak.

"You wanted to talk to her? More like scare her to death! Just listen to her and leave her alone!" She turned to Kimiko who was now crying in her hands, and walked with her, glancing back one more time with evil eyes.

Raimundo was dumbstruck. Kimiko was a hothead, and she was never scared. Why, if Raimundo posed so much of a threat, did Kimiko not use her element? He soon walked the other way, and sat on a bench to think. He sat for a long time before it struck him. 'Cassidy's father said SHE was sent to the temple. That means...' Raimundo never finished the thought, he just sat and stared blankly forward. He was right. Cassidy was the one with the elemental power, she was sent the the temple, she was the one who was dating Raimundo...so Kimiko was a totally different person than she was in the real world. He shook his head and thought about how different the two Kimiko's really were. HIS Kimiko was a hothead, sweet, didn't cry unless she really had to, cared a lot about him, and never backed down. This Kimiko was a scared little girl who didn't know about him let alone care about him, probably because she was scared a lot, cried a lot and most likely didn't get mad very easily.

As he looked forward, he strangly saw the same girl who had cried at his mercy a little earlier, already giggling and gliding down the street with her friend being pulled behind her.

He shook his head sadly, knowing he wouldn't be able to talk to this Kimiko and expect the message to go to his Kimiko's head.

He stood up, pulling on the Golden Tiger Claws. "Golden Tiger Claws!" he jumped through the gash that had just formed and soon tumbled out to where he least wanted to be...The temple. He must have been consintrating on getting back, instead of a place no one knew him at. There infront of him, stood a very angry Cassidy, and behind her a worried Clay and Omi.

Back With Kimiko...

Kimiko scrambled down the street of Rio, trying to remember where Raimundo had said Nick lived. She then started thinking it was a horrible day to wear flip flops. As she wonder the streets quickly, she stumbled across Sam. And the moment Sam saw Kimiko she went after her. Without Katie to stop her, she would kill Kimiko for ruining her outfit.

'Oh great!' Kimiko mentaly kicked herself. 'She needs a seriously good slapping right now!' Kimiko's lips then turned into a smile. She immidiatly stopped, and stepped the side. Sam didn't notice until she couldn't stop herself, and she flew forward into a table. They were at a resterant by the beach. Kimiko giggled and went inside, so Sam didn't know where she went.

Inside Kimiko reconized it to be the place Nick took her and Omi the previous night. She let out the breathe she didn't know she was holding when she saw Katie and Nick. Not daring to interrupt, she turned to leave, but then someone called her name. She turned back around and saw both Nick and Katie motioning her to go sit with them. She took one last glance at the door, than walked over casualy to the two.

"Hey Kim, what brings you out here?"

"Umm, I'm horribly sorry to interrupt, but-"

"KIMIKO!" A scream came from the door, from a girl with what looked like a bit of frosting on her face, and soup all over her clothes.

Everyone burst out laughing, even Katie. "Kimiko, I'm going to kill you! I swear it!" The girl who was now figured out to be Sam stomped over to her.

"Sam! What happened!" Katie tried to sound sorry for her friend, but it didn't work as a chuckle came out when she said it.

"Katie! Shut the flip up!"

Katie was taken back, but Nick stepped in.

"Hey! Don't you dare tell her what to do!"

"Oh shut up you peabrain! I can do what I want to!"

"You shut up Klutzilla, she can do what she wants to! And I know Katie! She wouldn't take orders from someone covered in soup and cake!"

"It was Kimiko's fault!"

"Sam, don't blame Kimiko, I'm sure she didn't push you! She's way to nice!"

"You don't even know her Katie! So I'd take my order and shut up!"

"Don't you mean advice?" Nick chuckled, but he still spoke in an angry tone.

"No I don't! Because It wasn't advice! It was an order! We all know I'm the better of us two! She even knows it! Why do you think she's my pet and does everything I want her to do! It's because she's scared! She has no other friends, and she just wants to keep me, because then she wouldn't fade into the shadows and just be Katie! With me, she's popular! With me she's who she is now! I made her like this, and I intend on keeping her that way!" Sam took a breathe, but let it back out again because Kimiko spoke up.

"EVERYONE BE QUIET, AND DO NOT TALK!" She screamed, and engulfed her hands with flame. A couple of people from the resterant gasped, but they didn't do anything. "IF YOU DARE TO SPEAK, BE READY FOR A THIRD-DEGREE BURN!"

Everyone fell silent, as the flames vanished from Kimiko's hands, and the same hands were put around the shaking shoulders of Katie. Katie's face was burried in her hands and she was crying loudly. Nick walked over and immidiatly Katie switched from her hands to Nick's chest. Kimiko growled in anger at Sam. For a few minutes, everyone sat still, watching the poor girl cry after what her supposive best friend said.

Only a few sniffles of Katie's crying remained, and for the first time, she looked up. Her bloodshot eyes made Sam a bit guilty, but everything she said...she thought was true.

"I can't believe you Sam. You were only popular when you were going out with Raimundo. Then after you broke up with him, all the girl's hated you, and every guy thought you were a real slut!"

Katie's words struck Sam hard. She had never heard Katie say something like that before. (I don't usually either, but she's really upset, so I guess I gotta put something in there...sorry again!)

"I was doing everything for you because you were my friend! I could have had other friends, and truly, I didn't care about being popular! I thought you liked me because of who I was when we became friends." Her eyes once again filled with tears, but Nick and Kimiko put a hand on both of her shoulders to tell her that they were supporting her all the way. "And Sam..." Sam looked her straight in the eyes, with no expression. "You didn't make me like this...I made myself the person who I am now. And I was never you're pet...I never will be. I stayed with you because you were my friend. You need me...otherwhise YOU would fade into the shadows." With that she walked passed her and walked out.

Sam was dumbstruck, she didn't even notice when Nick and Kimiko left.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

After Katie went home Nick and Kimiko decided to walk and talk for a bit.

"So, what did bring you to the resterant?" Nick asked after a moment of silence.

"Oh my god! I totally forgot! Omi wasn't in the room when I woke up this morning! Niether was Clay, and come to think of it, I didn't hear anything from Dojo! Oh my god! I forgot, I was going to look for you, I was panicing!"

Kimiko started to run, and Nick ran after her. Soon they found themselve at the hotel, and Kimiko burst through the doors. Stumbling up the stairs she practicly broke the door off, swinging it open fiercly. She stopped her hurry and gaped at what she saw in front of her. Her gaze was so horror struck whoever looked into it might have gotten two wholes burned through them.

There infront of her...

With Clay, Omi and Dojo...

"I really hope Kimiko isn't awake yet. She'd really freak out if she knew we were gone!" Clay wondered as they were flying back to Brazil.

"Indeed. She would be moost worried!"

"I wonder if she really did wake up." Dojo thought outloud.

As they all pondered their thoughts to fill the tight silence, they flew into Rio. Soon the hotel came into view, but there was something wrong...It seemed...quiet. All of Rio infact.

When they landed the saw Sam walking down the street with tear filled eyes, cake in her hair and soup stains on her clothes. She was walking as though her mind was a million miles away, but her body was right there and wanting to go somewhere. They then saw Katie rushing towards the hotel, and Nick fly out of the door to hug her happily. Then he spotted them.

"Clay! Dojo, Omi! We have great news! Kimiko discovered it this morning! I'll tell you the whole story before we go up there!"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"And the rest you're going to have to see for yourself, but you might want to wait for maybe about five more minutes."

"Okay!" They all agreed.

With Kimiko (already wow, was there really a point for the cliff hanger?)...

...There infront of her...

was Raimundo...sitting up in the bed, looking very, very confused!

Kimiko squealed as Nick came up behind her! "Nick! He's awake, he's awake!" she was bubbled over in happiness. She had that addiction fufilled of his emerald green eyes. But...they didn't look normal. They had lost their spark, but at the time...No one really seemed to notice.

Nick called up Katie, and told her to get over there as soon as she could, and went outside to get her while Kimiko stayed up in Raimundo's room.

She went slowly to the bed, giddy all over. She couldn't help but smile.

"Raimundo?" Kimiko looked a little confused.

Kimiko wasn't stupid, but when it came to Raimundo's actions right at that moment, she didn't know what was going on. He was just staring forward with a confused expression on his face.

"Rai!"

Clay and Omi came bursting through the door, and Dojo was curled around Clay's hat.

"Oh my god! He's awake!" Clay didn't even care about cracking a metaphore.

"No...he's not..." Kimiko started to cry.

"Wha-what?" Omi asked confused.

"He's in state of shock...he's not really awake." she said after about two minutes of crying.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Wow, two chapters, one night! I'm so proud of myself! I truly Am! I know a lot didn't happen in that chapter either, just some fluffy detail, but it all adds up in the next chapter, and the title will make more sense too. Well please review! I know I didn't get a lot of feedback from the like six hours I was apart from the other chapter, but thanks 'Spinningisfun' for your review! And others, thanks for reading, I'm glad I still have some more people reading:) I got to get to bed, I'm really tired, 2:30am. Lol anyways, talk to you next chapter...ending:P Oh and once again, please review!

P.S.!

Foreign exchange will NOT be updated right after the chapters of this fanfiction anymore. I already have a couple good ideas for a new one, but I would like to finish this one up first. Unfortunatly, it's coming to an end :(

That will be all, thank you!