I was going to wait to put this chapter out till maybe next week but I couldn't resist, I really wanted to put this out. So I'm having fun with this story and I hope that you guys are too. Questions will get answered in time but there is supposed to be a certain amount of mystery involved. If anyone is still really confused let me know and I will work on answering your questions. I can't think of much to say expect thank you to everyone who reviewed so far!! I'm really excited for this story, I can't say that enough so I really want you guys to enjoy it as well. The rating may change at some point in time but unless I get complaints about I probably won't change it.
Anyway….On to the story!!

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'What the hell am I doing?' Raimundo wondered as he navigated the streets of New York City, Kimiko following closely behind him. Here he was, trusting a girl who had walked into his life less then a half an hour before with not only his life but the life of his youngest sister in her hands. 'What have I gotten myself into?' Had he known Kimiko was thinking the exact same thing he might have found some humor in the situation.

'What am I doing?' Kimiko wondered as she followed a man she barely knew through the streets of New York City. All she knew about this man was that his name was Raimundo and he had a sister, and apparently he was a New Yorker since he never stopped to look at street signs or paused on the journey back to his apartment. 'Not his apartment,' Kimiko amended, 'the apartment of his friend Omi whom he was staying with. Then that means he's not from New York?' Kimiko shoot her head and focused on following Raimundo. They were heading to Omi's apartment so that Raimundo could grab a few things and they could have a quiet place to analyze and study the clue that Kimiko had been given. 'I'm following a strange man back to his apartment,' Kimiko repeated again. 'Wasn't that one of the first things we covered in "what not to do 101"?' But she had no choice at the moment though because her father's life was on the line apparently along with Raimundo's youngest sister. She was curious what Raimundo had to do with any of this, why he'd been dragged into this mess but she kept it to herself. They didn't need anymore questions at this point in time, not with the massive amount they already had to process.

Kimiko watched Raimundo's back as they moved through the crowd and thought, not for the first time, that he really was attractive. He was at least a head taller then she was and had broad shoulders and a well toned body. Well, she guessed it was well toned, judging not only by his grip but by how nicely his two layer shirt hugged his body. He wasn't trying to show off, Kimiko decided, but he certainly wasn't hiding the fact that he was fit, very fit. Suddenly he stopped and Kimiko nearly slammed into his back. He turned to her and noticed how close she was. 'Focus,' Kimiko scolded herself.

"We're here," Rai told her as he keyed in. Kimiko nodded mostly to herself and followed him when the door unlocked.

"Nice," Kimiko admired as they entered the marbled lobby. Rai smiled at her.

"I'll have to tell Omi you think so," Rai said leading them to the elevator.

"Is he a good friend?" Kimiko asked trying to keep the conversation going.

"Omi? Yeah, we're close," Rai told her.

"Close?" Kimiko questioned.

"He's my best friend," Raimundo said watching the numbers change as they rose. "Well one of them. I've known him since I was a kid."

"That's nice," Kimiko replied thinking of Jermaine and her best friend back in Tokyo. She hadn't seen Keiko in a long time, hell they hadn't even talked in a long time. Rai seemed to notice her expression change because he put a comforting hand on her shoulder making Kimiko look up at him with a start. She opened her mouth to say something but the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Rai guided her out and led her to another door. Unlocking it he held it open and motioned her in. Despite the niceness of the lobby they'd walked into Omi's apartment was close to Spartan, not having much more then the necessities. Rai noticed her study the room and smiled as he passed her.

"Omi lives a pretty simple life," he explained. "We used to joke that he lived more like a monk then a New Yorker." Kimiko didn't respond, just watched as Raimundo disappeared into another room. She hesitated and then moved in and sat on the couch, pulling out the large envelope again. She searched through it until she found what she wanted and pulled a specific piece of stapled papers with a cover sheet that had 'start' printed across the front. She was about to flip it open but then hesitated, thinking that maybe she should wait for Raimundo, after all he was apart of this all too.

Inside the guest room Raimundo worked swiftly, opening up a bag he hadn't touched since he came to the city over a month ago. He pulled out his badge along with his gun, mace, and a few other goodies that would deter a bad guy if they got too close. He was planning on giving Kimiko the mace but paused, remembering how she'd flipped Danny. Shaking his head Raimundo decided that it was better to be safe then sorry and resolved to slip it into the bag she was carrying. He considered the bullet proof vest he'd also brought with him but decided against its bulk but wondered if he could persuade Kimiko to wear it. He smirked guessing that would probably be a lost battle. Truthfully he didn't even know why he was taking all of these precautions, he didn't even know if the enemy, whoever they were, posed enough danger to warrant all of his preparations.

He glanced around the doorjamb and spotted Kimiko sitting on the couch, her brow wrinkled as she considered something. Damned if she wasn't cute. 'Stop that,' he commanded himself. It was natural to be attracted to a girl, no woman, such as Kimiko Tomney. He wanted to know more about her then her age and name but that was all he had so far. But, at the same time he knew that he didn't need to know any personal details about the girl one room over. Raimundo let out a breath and straightened so he could concentrate on concealing his weapons, hooking one gun into the back of his waistband, making sure his shirt would cover it, and another into an ankle holster. He considered the two throwing knives he liked to carry and hid them as well and shoved a swiss army knife into his pocket for good measure. His mind went back to Kimiko and he wondered if she had any sort of protection. Only one way to find out.

"Hey Kimiko?" he asked walking back into the living room.

"Let's get started on this," Kimko said not even looking up as he entered.

"I just want to know if you have any sort of protection on you?" he asked. Kimiko sat up straight like a shot had gone off. She looked at him, face inflamed before morphing into one of indignity.

"Excuse me?" she blinked at him. Rai wondered what he'd done to offend her and his eyebrows shot up when he realized what he'd asked.

"God no!" he exclaimed. "I just wanted to know if you had anything to defend yourself. You know, like a stun gun or mace or something." Kimiko's face glowed with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," she apologized uncomfortably. What the hell was going on in her mind if the first thing she thought when he asked if she had protection meant sexual protection? Rai seemed as uncomfortable as her.

"Just forget about it," he assured her and then cleared his throat. "So do you?" Kimiko shook her head, still not able to look at him.

"No," she said, "I hate stuff like that."

"Maybe you should," Rai told her.

"Maybe we should get to work on this clue," she said finally looking at him, her eyes scrutinizing him. "And why do you think I need protection?"

"I'm just preparing for anything," Rai told her sitting next to her. "I probably couldn't convince you to wear a bulletproof vest?" Kimiko's eyes widened at his suggestion.

"No you couldn't," she told him. "Do you think we're up against something that requires a bulletproof vest?" Raimundo shrugged.

"We're dealing with people that have no problem kidnapping your father and a little girl, as well as threaten your and their lives. What do you think we're dealing with?" Kimiko conceded.

"Ok, you're right," she admitted. "It's just hard to get my head around something like that." Rai watched her thinking that it would be good if she could get her head wrapped around that as soon as possible. He didn't want to scare her but he couldn't have her taking this lightly either.

"I'm not trying to scare you here Kimiko," he assured her, "but I need you to be prepared for anything and everything." Kimiko looked at him and for the first time since they'd met he saw her confidence waver slightly.

"I'm not used to dealing with stuff like this," her eyes narrowed slightly, "but you seem to be." Rai shifted uncomfortably.

"I was in law enforcement," he admitted.

"Was?"

"I'm thinking about a career shift," he told her. It wasn't a lie but it certainly wasn't the truth. Kimiko seemed to accept that and nodded her head, motioning back to the stapled paper.

"First clue," she told him. Rai took a breath and reached for it, plucking it from her hands.

"Shall we?"

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"I don't think things like this come out of thin air," Clay was telling his immediate superior who looked annoyed. Clay had only been under the middle aged man's command for about a month and the two kept bumping heads.

"What makes you think that?" Staller, Clay's boss asked.

"Because its common sense," Clay lamented. "Ask anyone that's watched a mob movie. A crime syndicates like the Heylin doesn't open itself up over night and not over something so petty as an arms deal. This has been going on for a long time and there is something bigger here then just the transfer of some guns."

"And what do you think is going on?"

"I haven't got the faintest clue but its common sense. The Heylin Organization would not put their heads on the chopping block for something so small as a gun deal. It's a cover, there is something bigger going on here. Trust me on this," Clay insisted.

"You need to get me some proof before I call off this strike," Staller told Clay with a shake of his head.

"If I wasn't chained to a desk maybe I could," Clay growled.

"You're benched until you get medical clearance, you know that," Staller said annoyed over the same old conversation.

"Please think," Clay practically pleaded, "if you have your focus on this gun deal that means that something else can be going on right under your noses."

"Again Agent Bailey," Staller told him, "get me some proof that this gun deal isn't the main event and then we can talk." With that Staller turned and stalked off leaving an annoyed and frustrated Clay behind. Clay stifled a groan and shuffled back to his desk. He checked his message and found them still devoid of any life. He knew, just knew, that the gun deal was practically being advertised to keep the division that focused on the Heylin Crime Organization, normal just called the Heylin, away from what was really going on. 'Must be something big,' Clay mused logging onto his computer again. Before the incident that bound him to a desk, Clay and Raimundo had been neck deep in the pursuit to take down the Heylin. Smaller levels of the organization popped up often and were usually taken out eventually but it was the mysterious head, or heads, of the Heylin that were the main focus. Raimundo had been deeply involved in the take out of a high up member of the Heylin. She could have even been a second in command, but had gotten away on a technicality, but not before Raimundo did his fair share of damage to the woman's reputation. It was a risk but at the same time the woman never knew his real identity. Clay sighed and started to get to work looking for some sort of hit that would prove his hunch thinking it would be a lot easier if Raimundo were there.

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"I'm no good at this kind of stuff," Kimiko told Raimundo as she leaned back on the couch. When Raimundo didn't answer Kimiko looked back at him and caught his profile as he studied the paper in his hand.

"Can I see the other stuff?" he asked suddenly as if sensing her eyes on him.

"What stuff?" Kimiko asked.

"The rest of the stuff in the envelope," Rai told her looking in her direction. He watched her hesitate and then reach out and grab the envelope, dumping the contents in her lap before tucking the empty envelope away. Rai didn't question her but noted her behavior as he accepted the papers from her. He shuffled through the paperwork and they were basically what Kimiko had told him earlier; rules and instructions, the ultimatum, as well as instructions on how to find him and what to do to get him involved. "And this was it?" Rai asked her after studying the contents again and again.

"Yeah," Kimiko said suddenly depressed. At first it had seemed like so much but now Kimiko realized they had very little to go on.

"So basically," Raimundo said, "your father and my sister have been kidnapped." He glanced over to make sure she was following him and continued on when she nodded. "And to ensure their safety, and yours, we need to solve these clues like a scavenger hunt."

"Sounds like it."

"And in the meantime we have to figure out who is behind this." Kimiko raised an eyebrow to his last comment.

"It doesn't say anything about finding the bad guys," Kimiko replied wondering if she missed something.

"I'm adding that to our check list," Rai answered.

"Right now I just want to find my father and make sure he's ok," Kimiko sighed. Rai felt sorry for her. He remembered her mentioning that her father was all the family she had left. He came from a huge family but that didn't make his sister any less important, but still it seemed that Kimiko had even more on the line then he did. Also her life had been threatened, though, for some odd reason his hadn't. The only ultimatium he had was his sister's life. Had whoever done all this known that would be all it would take? But that didn't make sense because Kimiko didn't seem like the kind who wouldn't act unless her life was particularly at risk. Then why? Raimundo wasn't sure so he chased it from his mind and decided to focus on something he was suppose to be able to solve- the first clue.

"Well then we should get started on this first clue," Rai told her and she sat back up, sliding even closer to him.

"I've never been good at riddles," Kimiko said crinkling her nose.

"Reading it aloud sometimes helps with these things," Raimundo suggested and Kimiko silently urged him forward. "Here goes," he said.

Welcome to the start of our little game

Ready to put in all On the Line?

Find the thirteenth floor

Though its far from home

There you'll get your first command

"Well I've still got nothing," Kimiko mumbled when he finished.

"We need to take this apart piece by piece," Raimundo said softly, more to himself then to her.

"There are no parameters to this search! We have no idea where even to start. Nothing to go on," Kimiko lamented.

"That's not true," Rai said after a moment of silence.

"You know something I don't?" Kimiko asked.

"This is familiar for some reason," Raimundo said staring off into space.

"The clue?" Kimiko pressed but Rai only shook his head, obviously thinking so Kimiko let him be.

"I can't put my finger on it," Raimundo told her a little while later, "but the whole format of this game is familiar. Like I've heard of it before."

"You said it before," Kimiko told him, "you called it a scavenger hunt. Except the prize at the end are people's lives." Rai couldn't help a small grin that grew on his face.

"Extreme scavenger hunt," he said pleased when she too smiled.

"The ultimate game," Kimiko replied and then blinked in surprise. "I've heard of something like this too."

"Where?" Raimundo asked eagerly.

"It was a short story I read in some lit class," she struggled for a name and came up empty. "Basically a guy rescued people who got shipwrecked near his island, he rigged it somehow, and after they were fed and healed he'd set him loose on his private island and," she swallowed hard looking at him, "he'd hunt them."

"Do you think we're being hunted?" Raimundo asked her quietly.

"It would certainly add something more to the mix," Kimiko said grimly. The two looked away from one another, both lost in their own thoughts.

"I don't think this is the first clue," Raimundo said out of thin air.

"Why not?" Kimiko wondered.

"Well it says 'start' on it for one thing," he started.

"Well don't you usually start at the first clue?" Kimiko questioned.

"Yeah but I think this is the starter. Think about it," Rai turned toward her. "There was no way to tell when you got this packet, or when you got to me."

"Unless they were watching," Kimiko said with a shudder.

"Yeah but these guys are playing serious, and," he added standing up and looking around but came up empty. "Damn, I forgot Omi doesn't have a computer."

"You need a computer?" Kimiko perked up.

"I wanted to look something up," he explained sitting back down, this time on the floor near the coffee table. "Not that important though I guess. I could just call somebody."

"I've got a computer," Kimiko told him as she pulled the machine out.

"I'm pretty positive that if Omi doesn't have a computer he doesn't have the internet," Rai told her with a grin.

"Never heard of Wifi?" Kimiko questioned with her own grin. She saw him open his mouth to argue but Kimiko beat him to it. "It's called an air card. I've got internet access anywhere and everywhere."

"Impressive," Rai admitted as the computer booted up and sure enough Kimiko was easily able to log onto the internet. She passed the computer over to him and watched him punch in the address for google.

"Google?" Kimiko asked as he punched in a search.

"There was some news article I read a while back," he told her as he started to filter through the results, "something that happened over in Hong Kong." He paused and clicked on one link that seemed to have caught his attention. "And here we are," he told her and placed the computer on the table so they could both could see. Rai couldn't help but inhale her scent as she leaned closer to him to get a better look at the screen. 'Casablancas,' he recognized the scent of a flower his grandmother enjoyed.

"Two years ago," Kimiko said as her eyes scanned the article and Raimundo brought his attention back to the screen, "two people were killed sniper style. Police couldn't find a link between the two. Only that they had met the previous day and several witnesses said they were on some sort of," she swallowed hard, "scavenger hunt." Rai let out a heavy breath.

"Seems like we do have a hunter." Kimiko also let out a heavy breath.

"Then we should get to work on the first clue," she said in a determined tone.

"Starter clue," Raimundo corrected her. "I still believe that this is a starter clue that will lead us to the first clue and that will signal the start of the game." Kimiko pursed her lips.

"This thing started the moment they went after my father," as she spoke her eyes narrowed.

"Agreed," Raimundo said with a nod. "Either way," he tapped the paper that was on the table, "we need to get going on this." Kimiko nodded but didn't do anything else. "So?" Raimundo prodded.

"So what?" Kimiko snapped back irritably. Rai held his hands up in defense.

"Just wanted to know what you thought about the clue," he explained.

"I already told you that I'm no good with stuff like this," Kimiko lamented.

"Think it through," Raimundo prodded.

"You think it through," she said sarcastically.

"I'm working on it," he grinned smugly, "let's just take it apart piece by piece."

"Ok then," Kimiko said, "first line. A pleasant greeting."

"Obviously," Raimundo agreed though there was some sarcasm in his voice.

"That second line though," Kimiko narrowed her eyes. "It's written oddly."

"How so?" Rai asked.

"Look here," she pointed at two words, "On and Line are capitalized in odd spots."

"Good eyes," Rai told her and the got a grin out of her.

"One of my jobs all through college was editing peoples' papers. I got good at seeing stuff like that."

"Are you still in college?" he asked surprising her.

"First year grad student," Kimiko replied. "Why?"

"Just curious," Rai shrugged, "but we're getting off topic. I think you're right about those two words. It really draws the focus onto them."

"Like the word in between doesn't matter," Kimiko said smiling. "And combined those two words make online! Like the internet!"

"That wasn't so hard now was it," Rai teased her and Kimiko rolled her eyes as she slid onto the floor next to him so she could operate the laptop.

"I feel like that one was pretty easy," Kimiko told him as she punched in an address.

"Where are you going?" Rai asked curious.

"The thirteenth floor," she told him and Raimundo nodded in understanding.

"I should have seen that one coming," he chided himself, "makes sense since there are no thirteenth floors in buildings." Kimiko grinned wickedly as she waited for the page to load.

"Don't worry if you're a little slow," she teased, "I'm sure you would have caught on eventually." Rai was about to respond but Kimiko cursing caught his attention instead. "The page didn't load."

"Could it be the connection?" Rai asked and got a glare that clearly asked how dare he doubt her computer. "Try something else," he suggested, "like dot net or dot org." Kimiko nodded and punched the keys on her computer, swearing as both came up with nothing.

"What else could we try?" she asked suddenly discouraged. Maybe she was wrong about the clue. Raimundo seemed to ready her thoughts and shook his head.

"You're right about this," he assured her, "we're just missing something. What about the other line of the clue?"

"Far from home?" Kimiko's eyes narrowed. "I've got nothing."

"Home," Rai mused. "Where is your home?"

"Here in New York I guess," she shrugged.

"We need details here Kimiko," he pressed her. She sighed and conceded.

"I'm originally from Tokyo but moved here for school."

"Really?" Rai asked surprised, her English was flawless.

"What about you?" she turned the tables.

"Moved to New York from Rio when I was twelve," he told her but didn't elaborate. "I've been in DC the past couple of years though."

"Outside of New York there isn't a lot in common there," Kimiko sighed.

"Stay with what we know," Rai encouraged her. He could practically see the wheels turning in her head.

"Homepage!" she gasped so suddenly that it took Rai by surprise. "Far from home," she told him eagerly, "homepage."

"Way to go girl!" he said and both paused slightly having no idea where the endearment had come from. "Um," he cleared his throat, "so what's your homepage?" Kimiko pulled up a fresh page that showed off the NYU homepage. "So what's far from the NYU homepage?"

"And has to do with the thirteenth floor?" Kimiko added and then groaned. "I'm even more confused then before."

"I'm not sure, but," Rai trailed off and pulled the computer toward him as Kimiko watched curiously. He punched an address into the address bar on the top of the screen and hesitated before hitting enter. If this didn't work he was out of ideas. Kimiko seemed to sense this and placed her hand over his in a sign of encouragement. Rai couldn't help but smile at the gesture and hit the enter key. Both waited with baited breath to see if the page would load or not. A moment later both gasped.

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"The tracker has gone active," a winded lackey told his two leaders.

"Good," the male said and then turned away. It was sign of dismissal that the lackey jumped at and disappeared.

"Took them long enough," the woman complained.

"You're the one who set up this game," the man told her, "you have no right to complain about it now." The woman stretched luxuriously in her seat before standing and walking toward the man. She wrapped long slim arms around him.

"You can't admit this isn't fun Chase," she whispered to him.

"If any harm comes to her then my part in this is worthless," Chase Young practically growled out. "If your personal vengeance gets in the way of my plans Wuya," he warned her.

"This goes beyond vengeance," Wuya hissed. "That Raimundo Pedrosa made a fool of me. He needs to pay the price and this game is the perfect way. I'm playing with him emotionally, physically, and mentally. And Kimiko gets delivered straight to you." Chase didn't respond and Wuya pulled back, walking into his eyesight.

"You try my patients," he snapped when she blocked his view of the computer screen. Wuya raised an eyebrow and made no move to get out his way.

"And you scold me for making this personal," she challenged.

"This is business," Chase told her looking annoyed. He was beginning to regret ever having some sort of alliance with Wuya. In the months that she'd been gone Chase had staged a hostile takeover of the Heylin Organization, not that it had been hard. It had been easy to take over; Chase had always had a commanding presence that demanded respect and the ability to back it up. But this wasn't the life he wanted. His time with the Heylin was merely another stage in his ultimate plan. But since Wuya's return things had been complicated. The woman did have power, Chase had to admit that, and he'd decided to use it to his advantage. Having Wuya under this thumb had its advantages but now he'd been sucked into her wants for revenge. Chase wanted his own revenge, but not like this, not so hasty. His plan required time and finesse but other things had come into play. He did need to keep the Organization running and that cost a certain amount.

"What worries you Chase?" Wuya practically cooed. He sent a cold smirk in her direction.

"Nothing that concerns you," he told her.

"I can see it in your eyes," she told him, "you're keeping something from me."

"Why would think that Wuya?"

"Because you don't trust me."

"That is true," he admitted. "But we need one another at the moment. Isn't that trust enough?"

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"A clock?" Kimiko questioned after the page loaded. Raimundo had typed in the thirteenth floor website but instead of US address he'd used a Chinese, deciding to take a chance on Hong Kong having something to do with this. "What the hell is that suppose to mean?"

"It's our timer," Raimundo swallowed hard. Kimiko turned her head to him quickly.

"Twenty four hours? That's all we have to figure this all? One day?" she asked in a slightly panicked tone.

"Starting the moment we got on this webpage," Rai said tapping the screen. "But where do we go from here?"

"I can't do this Raimundo," Kimiko suddenly said catching Raimundo by surprise. She was cradling her head in her hands and looking completely defeated.

"Hey," he told her in a strong voice. "I don't want to hear that." When she didn't respond he got up and moved so he could crouch in front of her. "Kimiko Tomney," he said catching her chin in his hand and lifting it so their eyes met. "You can't think like that. You've got to think positively through this or else we won't be able to get this done and I know that we are capable of getting this done." Kimiko sniffed, fighting back uncharacteristic tears.

"How can you say that?" she asked. "You don't know me at all and you make these assumptions that I'm some strong person. For all you know I could be the weakest person in the whole world and you're saddled with me for some unknown reason. Why are you so confident?"

"Because you came and you found me and flipped a complete stranger when they tried to hit on you." That got a laugh out of her and made Raimundo smile. "Walking out the door this morning and facing this head on takes more guts then most people have. You're strong I can tell." Kimiko stared at him wondering how he could sound so sure and so confident, but whatever the reason, it was contagious and Kimiko felt confidence rising up in her.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, "I don't know what came over me." Rai gave her another winning smile.

"You were due," he told her. Kimiko frowned at that.

"I'm not some weak female that needs to break down or cry on a schedule to feel good," she told him, surprised when he smiled back at her as he stood, releasing her chin.

"Well I'm due for one too if that makes you feel any better." Kimiko cocked her head to the side and smiled.

"It kinda does."

"Good," Raimundo said happy to see her smiling again in spite of everything. "Now let's get back to work. There is no way that this clue lead us to this website just to show us a clock. There is something else going on here."

"Maybe there is a link somewhere on the page," Kimiko suggested.

"Good idea," Raimundo agreed but frowned when he looked back at the screen which was blank expect for the green and yellow clock.

"Sometimes they're hidden," Kimiko told him and began to sweep the mouse methodically across the expanse of the page. Raimundo was beginning to think that maybe she was wrong when the mouse lit something up in the bottom right hand corner. Kimiko eagerly clicked on it and a new window popped up on the screen. "Another clue," Kimiko said grimly.

Congratulations, you've made it to the start

Here begins the fun part

To save your loved ones you'll have to search

Through all the history and all the dirt

Activate the key there

And a new window will appear.

"Whoever came up with these rhymes needs some serious help," Kimiko moaned.

"Agreed," Raimundo said and then surprised her by saying, "come on. We have to move."

"What? Why?" Kimiko questioned.

"I'm not saying we need to rush or anything but I want to get going," Raimundo told her standing up. He walked to the kitchen and Kimiko followed.

"Can you answer me why?" she asked and watched him pull two bottles of water from the refrigerator before searching through the cabinets. Rai looked back her, slightly annoyed.

"Come on, turn off your laptop and pack up your stuff."

"Explanation first," Kimiko said folding her arms over her chest.

"I don't want to be in one place for too long," Raimundo explained, "not if we have some sort of 'hunter' on our tails." Kimiko looked sheepish after he explained and then hurried to do what he said. Rai followed her a minute later with the food and water he'd collected. "Can I put these in your bag?" he asked. Kimiko nodded and then hesitated.

"I'm worried about turning off the computer," she told him, "I don't want to loose these web pages." Raimundo didn't think they needed to worry about that but decided that it was better safe then sorry.

"Write the riddle and the web addresses down," he suggested and began to collect the paper work that had been pulled out. He was sliding them back into the original manila envelope when something caught his eye. He had noticed the printing on the envelope earlier but hadn't paid it any mind but now he noticed that the name under Kimiko's clearly wasn't Tomney.

"You ready to go?" Kimiko asked snatching the envelope from his hand and adding the sheet she'd just written on.

"Yeah," he said nonchalantly scooping up her laptop and depositing it in her bag. Kimiko noticed he'd wrapped the water bottles in a plastic bag to prevent them from accidentally spilling on the papers inside.

"You're good," she told him but thought to herself 'he's too good. Who the heck is this guy?' He offered to take her bag but Kimiko slung it over her shoulder and looked indifferent. Raimundo shrugged.

"You're going to get tired of lugging that laptop around all day," Raimundo warned her and Kimiko shot him a look.

"Good thing I've got a big strong man to help me," Kimiko said sarcastically as she headed toward the door. Raimundo shook his head as he followed her out.

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"Where are we going?" Kimiko asked once they were on the street. Raimundo shrugged.

"You've got just as much a clue as I do," he told her and watched the frustration grow on her face.

"You are extremely aggravating," she said in a controlled voice and Rai could tell she was trying to keep her temper in check. For some reason he found it extremely amusing to push her buttons. 'No reason not to try and lighten the mood,' he thought.

"I think that a big breakfast might be in order," he said looking sincere. He hadn't been expecting her to haul off and hit him, or for it to hurt so much. He gave a yelp of pain and surprise that turned a few heads as they past. "What was that for?" he asked rubbing his shoulder where Kimiko had struck him. He watched her take a big calming breath, hand still fisted.

"Breakfast sounds good," she surprisingly agreed as she turned on her heel. Raimundo watched her go in shock. "Come on," she said calling over her shoulder as she went, "I know a good place a few blocks over."

"And you say I'm aggravating," he told her as when he caught up.

"I've been called worse," Kimiko told him with a roll of the eyes, never breaking stride. Raimundo found himself wanting to find and seriously hurt whoever had called her worse then aggravating. "Now think," she commanded snapping him out of his stupor, "what does this next clue mean?"

"Food and sitting down," Raimundo told her, "then thinking."

"Typical male," Kimiko answered in a sing song voice.

"You are far from the typical female," he informed her.

"Should I be insulted?" Kimiko asked sending him a sharp glance when they stopped at a crosswalk. Raimundo looked at her sincerely.

"No, you shouldn't," he told her seriously. Kimiko fought down a blush, thinking she was doing that a lot, as she turned her attention back to the traffic.

"You pass a lot of judgments for barely even knowing me."

"I've always been a good judge of character," he told her when they started walking again, "and I've been trained to quickly analyze a situation. And I do know about you. You're name is Kimiko Tomney, you're from Tokyo, you're a graduate student-I'm assuming at NYU due to your homepage."

"Good job Sherlock," she grinned and then stopped. "We're here," she told him pointing toward a tiny hole in the wall restaurant. Kimiko didn't wait for him to response but instead pushed her way past him and inside and Raimundo followed her automatically. A waitress told them to seat themselves and Kimiko went to but Raimundo directed her towards the back.

"We can see the whole restaurant here," he told her as they sat and Kimiko nodded in understanding. "Also," he advised, "wherever we go from now on be observant. Take note of who is around and remember them. Find distinctive features and remember them. Don't think it is a coincidence if you see the same person more then once. Be on guard."

"You're going cop on me," Kimiko warned as she scanned over the menu. Raimundo stiffened considerably.

"What makes you think I'm a cop?" The question seemed to catch Kimiko by surprise.

"You said you were in law enforcement and I just assumed," she trailed off.

"Sorry," Raimundo apologized, "I just didn't remember mentioning it." Kimiko seemed to accept that answer and started out the window next to their booth.

"I feel guilty sitting here about to order breakfast. Who knows where my father is, and your sister, and what condition they are in."

"We can't do them any good if we don't take care of ourselves as well," he assured her. "We'll eat something while we work out this clue. We're still working here." Kimiko nodded and looked like she wanted to say something but the waitress appeared at that moment. Raimundo was about to order for both of them but Kimiko beat him to it.

"Two of Jimmy's Omelets," she told the waitress, "and I'll have an orange juice and a tea. You want coffee Rai?"

"Sounds good," Rai agreed, "I'll have a juice too." The waitress nodded and walked off.

"Sorry," Kimiko apologized but she was smiling, "but Jimmy's omelets are the best." Her face suddenly fell. "You don't mind do you? Do you even like omelets?"

"Love them," he assured her. "You like tea?"

"Yeah, never really got into coffee," she shrugged, "but you seem like a coffee kind of guy."

"I didn't know coffee guys had a look."

"I worked in a coffee house for four years," she smiled, "I can read that in people."

"Oh really?" he asked. "So what kind of coffee person am I?" Her eyes narrowed as she studied him.

"You'll settle for just plain black," she told him, "for the everyday thing. But I bet in the morning you take something stronger, richer. Maybe something like a French roast."

"Impressive," Raimundo admitted.

"And you like sugar," she continued on, "no milk or cream." That caught Raimundo's attention.

"Now I'm really impressed," he told her surprised when her face fell slightly.

"That's how my father likes it," she said softly. Raimundo didn't know how to respond to that so he didn't. The waitress came with their drinks and then left, leaving them with more silence.

"What's her name?" Kimiko asked suddenly.

"Who's?" Raimundo asked back.

"Your sister's. The one who you gave the necklace to." Raimundo sighed but didn't see any harm in telling her.

"Amelia."

"Pretty name," Kimiko whispered. "You said she was your youngest sister, how young?"

"Just nine," Rai said grimly. Kimiko's eyes widened slightly at that.

"That's a big age gap."

"How old do you think I am?" Rai asked her.

"Not much older then me a think," she looked thoughtful. "Twenty six, maybe twenty seven."

"Twenty five," Rai answered. Kimiko shrugged.

"Close enough. But now we need to focus," she told him and pulled the clue back out. Raimundo reread it and furrowed his brow.

"Search through the history and the dirt," he repeated. Kimko wrinkled her nose.

"Sounds appealing," she said dryly and then looked thoughtful. "History and the dirt," she mused before sighing. "Who knows?"

"You did pretty damn well on the first clue," Rai told her, "we'll get this one." The waitress reappeared with their food and gave Rai a bit more of a smile then was necessary. Rai glanced at his plate and noticed hash browns had been added. Looking at the check that had also been delivered with the food and Raimundo grinned. "Hash browns seem to be free of charge," he told her. Kimiko rolled her eyes and speared a potato on her fork.

"Good to know you're good for something," she told him.

"I knew my good looks would come in hand someday," Rai grinned and dug into his omelet.

"Focus Pedrosa," Kimiko told him resisting the urge to knock him upside the head and wondering how she'd managed to get so familiar with a man she had just met less then two hours before.

"Ok," he conceded and then added with a smile, "You were right. These omelets are the best."

"It talks about activating a key and another window will appear. I'm going out on a limb here but if we are keeping with a computer theme then they probably mean a new window on a computer."

"I agree," Raimundo told her as he took a sip of coffee.

"So maybe the searching through history and dirt also has something to do with computes and the internet," Kimiko wondered but Raimundo was already shaking his head in disagreement.

"I highly doubt that this, this game isn't solely something that happens on a computer. There has to be some physical aspect to it as well."

"You sound sure," Kimiko said with a frown.

"We're pretty sure we've got a hunter on our tails and you're convinced that this whole scheme is set up to torment you, and I agree with you," he added before going on. "It wouldn't be much amusement to anyone if we were hold up in some room trying to figure these things out."

"You think like the criminal mind," Kimiko commented trying to get the foreboding feeling out of her chest. Raimundo seemed to be too good at predicting each move. Raimundo shrugged.

"It's what I've been trained to do and have been doing since college," he told her. He could see some doubt growing in his eyes and wondered what the source was. "I think," Raimundo pressed on, "that we need to start looking for patterns. The first line of the first clue didn't have anything to do with the actual clue. You said it yourself. It was a pleasant greeting. So maybe we can think the same thing on this clue."

"You're right," Kimiko agreed, "it doesn't seem to mean much. So onto the second line, here begins the fun part. That's not cryptic at all."

"What are you studying at school," Raimundo asked so suddenly and eagerly that it took Kimiko a moment to process.

"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked slightly annoyed by his sudden change in focus.

"One, I'm curious," he told her, "and two I'm trying to understand the way your mind works."

"I graduated in May, a double major in American Lit and British Lit, and a minor in general world history."

"You don't think much like the lit majors I know," Rai commented and Kimiko wondered what experience he had with Lit students.

"Meaning?" she questioned.

"Well most people who sit around and analyze other peoples writing are so analytical that they can see what's on the surface. But you don't seem to function like that."

"Critical analysis is ok to an extent," Kimiko shrugged, "but it was never my thing. One professor really got me into criticism and theory when I was a freshman but I began to think that it was all the same after a while and I got sick of having to over analyze things to death. I started trying to take things at face value as well as read between the lines. That's the problem with most people in my major. They quickly dive into nothing but analysis and don't try to read a piece for the enjoyment of a piece which, I'll argue this forever, is the main point of writing and reading fiction." She paused and blushed slightly. "I'm sorry," she apologized, "I got going on a rant."

"It's interesting," Raimundo assured her.

"But totally irrelevant," Kimiko said with a shake of her head. Raimundo would have liked to keep talking about this but knew she was right. "You talk about taking things literally," Kimiko continued on, "so let's take the clue literally."

"So we have to find some place that we can search through history and dirt," Raimundo processed. "That's easy then all we have to do is find an archeological dig." Kimiko's eyes widened at that suggestion.

"You might be onto something there," she told him eagerly.

"I was being sarcastic," Raimundo admitted but suddenly thought that it wasn't that far fetched. Kimiko pulled out her laptop and booted it up, waiting eagerly for it to finish loading. Rai glanced at her plate and noticed it almost completely untouched. He reached across the table and plucked the laptop from her hands ignoring her protests. "I'll do the search and you get some food in you," he told her. Kimiko looked doubtful so he went on to assure her. "I know how to work the internet Kimiko and I promise that if I can't get anything I'll turn the computer back over to you. Now eat." She pouted and Raimundo added another item to his list of things that are cute about Kimiko Tomney. He fought to hide a frown as he wondered if that was her real name, remembering what he saw printed on the outside the envelope he now realized she was trying to keep him from seeing.

"Anything?" Kimiko asked breaking into his thoughts.

"Doing a search on archeological digs in New York City and most of it is pretty random and outdated. But I've got something else to try real quick," he told her. Raimundo punched another search in adding the word 'fun' to his previous searches. "Bingo."

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Half way edited, I usually just reread what I've written and look for glaring mistakes but I was pretty sleepy when I edited this. So yeah, things starting to make a bit more sense now? It will become more and more clear as time goes by. This chapter is still generally slow but things will really pick up next chapter. I'm trying to stay at least one chapter ahead on this story so I need to finish chapter four before I put out chapter three. Let me know what you guys think! Thanks to all that have reviewed so far!