Title: Tree House of Rumors
Fandom: Xaiolin Showdown
Characters: Rai, Kim
Prompt: 017:Brown
Word Count: 1,844
Rating: PG
Summary: AURaimundo and Kimiko sitting in a tree, you know the rest.
Author's Note: I had a huge craving to do a fluffy AU. So you got this. Enjoy (beware the corny ending). :D

She sat up in the spot. The one haven she knew she could escape to when she was feeling low. In her younger years, her and her best friend would spend everyday up there. Playing their little games of tag and Miss Mary Mack. Now a days, it was small, weathered, and could barely hold anymore weight. But she could always manage getting in and out without breaking her neck. But why was she up there with the feeling she has right now? Simple really, she missed her best friend.

It seems he'd rather spend all his time with his other friends and the girls he has met than with her. Barely making time for her. Sure she has friends too, but none of them were as special as he was. It broke her heart to see him with those other girls. She didn't know why, but every time she sees him with them her blood begins to boil.

The one person he has known his whole life. Nobody knew him like she did and that made her a little angry. How could he do such a low thing? He was never like this when they were kids. Hell he'd even beat up a couple of bullies because they were making fun of her.

Her eyes welled up as she thought back to those days. Back when he was truly her number one priority. A day where he only thought of her and no one else. As she took one more look around the tree house, an overwhelming feeling came over her as she remembered him and her building it (with the help of their fathers of course.) She folded her legs up against her chest, placed her arms on top of her knees and began to cry in them. Hiccuping every so often when he came to mind.

"Kim? Are you up there?" Her head jerked up and thought that maybe she just imagined his voice calling up to her. "Kim?" She fiercely wiped away her tears. Knowing full well that it was him.

"Go away!" she yelled, failing to hide her high pitch voice from the crying she did. Which she came to realize to be a big mistake as she heard him going up the ladder and popping his head out of the space on the floor.

"Kim?" he asked with concern clearly heard as his eyes widened when he saw her form was completely un-Kimiko like. He rushed in and knelt in front of her. "Are you OK?" She looked up at him and he looked like he was ready to punch the person that made her this upset. For that, she sent him an angry glare.

"What do you care?" she said with that anger mixed with the sadness. His eyes widened in surprise but then confusion set in. Why was she acting like this?

"What's up with you?" he asked, clearly having no idea what was going on with her.

"Nothing." She averted her eyes away from his while her anger didn't cease. He readjusted himself to a comfortable position as his eyes stayed on her.

"C'mon, Kim. You know you can tell me."

"Can I?" she muttered to herself but, unfortunately, he heard her. Having the idea of who this is targeting to.

"Are you mad at me, Kim?" She scoffed at him. "Why? I thought we were best friends," he said, clearly hurt from her manner. It was then that she turned back to him with that angry face.

"You think we're best friends? After the way you were acting towards me? It seems like we're hardly friends at all!" she shouted and his surprise continued to grow.

"What? Of course we're friends. Who else, besides my family, know about Ninja Fred? Or that scar you got when we were six?" She continued to scoff at him as tears started welling up again.

"Please. When was the last time we actually hung out?" He opened his mouth to answer but found that he couldn't. He shifted his eyes as if to search in his memory and the answer still didn't come. "That's what I thought." Her eyes averted back to the floor but his went back to her. Now guilt over swept him as he ran his hand through his hair. She got on her knees and proceeded to crawl to the space on the floor but she was blocked by his arm placed firmly in front of her.

"What are you doing?" she asked while giving off that 'get out of my way' look in her eyes.

"I know I've been an idiot, but let me make it up to you." She lifted an eyebrow.

"How?"

"Uh what're we doing right now?" he asked with a bit of sarcasm. Clearly not the answer she wanted, she continued to move forward as the anger didn't dissipate. But his body lurched forward, pinning her to the wall.

"Rai, what're you doing?" she asked in a demanding voice and yet fearful of the fact that the tree house may buckle.

"Just hear me out." She remained silent as she waited for him. "I'm sorry that I've been ignoring you. But lately... Some things just... came up." She lifted an eyebrow.

"Do you think I'm stupid enough to believe that?"

"No! Of course not. It's just that... there have been... well... rumors..." he finally finished with an added blush. She gave that look that clearly said 'are you kidding me?'

"Rumors?" she questioned.

"Yeah y'know... about... you... and me... together..." Both her eyes widened. She blushed as she remembered that dumb rumor back in Freshman year. Since she was spending all of her time with him, people were bound to notice and make accusations toward the two. It was then that he started drifting from her and going their separate ways. But then she shook her head back to reality to see he was an inch in front of her face.

"So... you don't want to be friends because of a rumor?" she asked completely deadpan. His eyes widened at her question.

"No! I do want to be friends with you... but..." he trailed off. Thinking how on Earth he was going to word out his next thought. When he was around her, it always seemed that every word he said would either be the wrong thing to say or coming out in scrambled phrases. For the longest time he had one idea why that may be, but he knew that he couldn't prolong it anymore.

"But what?" She had to ask. If only she knew what was going through his head right now.

"But... I don't think I know how." Her face shown both surprise, confusion, and sarcasm.

"That's stupid," she simply responded.

"It's true though. Ever since I heard that rumor, I started thinking what it might be like and... to be honest... I kinda liked it." If possible, her eyes widened even more. "And that's what scared me. If you and I started... y'know... than that would've changed our relationship forever and I didn't want to lose you. So, the best way I knew how was to distant myself. But even that didn't help with what I was feeling. Now I'm starting to think that might've been the wrong course of action."

You think? She thought. But she remained silent. Unable to find a way to respond to him. Other than the fact that deep down, she liked the idea too. Her friends have always teased about her and Raimundo for years. Singing that stupid song with a tree and... what's being done inside. She blushed at that thought and came to realize where they were at this present moment. Inside a tree house, a hormonal teenage boy pinning an equally hormonal teenage girl to the wall. Faces an inch from each other and a feeling entered her chest. One that was screaming for her to do something while her head told her that he was right about ruining the friendship she had with him. Unfortunately for her, the feeling in her chest won.

She leaned into him and kissed him. She could feel him shocked at first, but she was surprised to find him kissing her back. Sinking heavily into her while she found her hands on his chest, moving slowly to wrap around his neck. He deepened the kiss and she gladly accepted his tongue. She felt his hand on her waist as it moved to the small of her back. Pushing gently closer to him. Sending chills throughout her entire body that cause the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end.

They were like that for what felt like an eternity (but was more like two minutes) when he pulled away and already she missed his lips. He leaned his forehead against hers with his eyes closed. Taking in breaths from the lack of oxygen. Basking in the moment as she slid her hand to rest on his cheek. He mumbled something and she didn't catch what he said.

"What?" she breathed. His eyes opening to meet hers.

"Forgive me?" he asked.

"For what?" Her head completely dazed.

"Ignoring you for so long." She blinked and then let on a smile. She nodded numbly as she watched him smile back. "Would it be weird if I kiss you again?" She let out a giggle and he couldn't help but feel joy to hear her laugh again.

"Not really considering I want to kiss you too." He let out a laugh as well and dove in again. Kissing her just as passionately as the last. Only difference being was that he wanted her to know that he wasn't going anywhere through his lips. As if trying to make up for lost time and this is the only way he knew how.

She gently pushed him away as to let another breath of oxygen in. Face flushed from the session and he got that she needed time to recuperate (he needed the time as well). He then readjusted himself again so he was sitting next to her. She let out a protesting squeak but was silenced when he grabbed her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. She continued to stare at him as the happiness swelled with the feeling his skin on her very own.

"This feels right," he commented. She smiled and agreed silently with him.

"Yeah. It really does."

"I guess everybody is right than." She cocked her eyebrow.

"About what?"

"About us. Together." Her smile came back.

"Yeah. They are. Raimundo?" He turned his head to her. "I'm glad that I have my best friend back... and got something more." She blushed as he flashed her his famous smile. He pulled her arm before she could even react and kissed her again. This time only a short one as he pulled away. He pried himself from her fingers and draped his arm around her shoulders. Hugging her close as she rested her head on his shoulder.