Raimundo? Gone?

To the Heylin Side?

He betrayed the Xiaolin.

He betrayed his friends.

He betrayed me.

These thoughts lingered in Kimiko's mind ever since Raimundo had turned to the Heylin side. He was gone. He chose the side of evil, where instead of being Kimiko's friend, he was now her foe. The thought of having to fight against Raimundo was more than she could bear. Though she didn't show it half the time, which she only now regretted, Raimundo meant a lot to her. Kimiko could dare say that he was the closest friend she had out of the group of four monks.

Master Fung knew that she, along with Clay and Omi, were saddened by Raimundo's betrayal. How could he blame them? Even he felt a sting of disappointment. After all, he had seen potential in Raimundo. It was just a matter of him being patient, and earning his place along his friends at Apprentice level. The sensei had given the best advice he could to the three remaining warriors. Clay and Omi had tried their best to take his advice, but Kimiko was still having a hard time coping.

Kimiko was sitting alone inside the scroll room. No video games or cellphone to keep her occupied. At this point, nothing could brighten her spirits. Not even chatting with Keiko on her phone, or playing Goo Zombies.

She sat staring out the window, gazing out onto the temple grounds with an almost emotionless face. There was a smidgen of hope inside the Dragon of Fire. She felt maybe Raimundo would return to the side of good. In her mind, Kimiko imagined him walking through the temple entrance, smiling with his arms opened wide, admitting that he was sorry for turning against her and would like to return. He would return to being a Xiaolin warrior, and more importantly, return to her. Kimiko imagined herself leaping into his arms, burying her face in his shoulder, telling him how much she missed him and how much she cared for him.

This played through her mind as she continued to stare out the window, until she heard a light knock. Slowly turning, she saw one of her companions.

Clay stood in the doorway with a candle in his hand, a look of concern on his face. "Kimiko? You alright?"

Kimiko slowly shook her head, then turned her attention to the window.

The cowboy sighed, hanging his head. He missed Raimundo too. Sure, they had their ups and downs. Most of the time, Clay was the butt of Raimundo's jokes. Yet, there were also times when they had each other's backs. They were able to joke with each other, and have some conversations on women. Like Kimiko, Clay also considered Raimundo to be the person he was closest to. Just like with his siblings resenting him, now Clay lost a dear friend.

Kimiko seemed saddened by all this the most, which really broke Clay's heart. The only girl on the team usually tried to remain optimistic, but that side of her wasn't present here. He wanted to comfort her, as any gentleman should, but felt that maybe he would just be wasting his time. After all, it was Raimundo she wanted right now. Kimiko was his friend, though, and he couldn't walk away from a friend in need. Not attempting to comfort Kimiko just wouldn't feel right to him. He had to try.

The cowboy sat close to Kimiko. He glanced at her, only to see her still staring out the window. The two sat in silence for a few moments. Clay absolutely had no idea as to what he should to say to her. He certainly couldn't tell her that Raimundo was coming back and everything would be happily ever after. He just couldn't get her hopes up like that. Even Clay felt that Raimundo wasn't coming back, as much as he didn't want to admit it.

After clearing his throat, Clay quietly said, "Kim?"

The girl continued staring, not saying a word.

"Kimiko, please, will ya just look at me for a second?"

She turned to face Clay. It was obvious that she had been crying. Her sapphire eyes were red, as well as her pale cheeks. Tear stains were also apparent on her reddened cheeks.

The cowboy could feel his heart split more. He had never seen his friend so depressed. "Gosh Kimiko, ya look so down in the dumps. Still upset 'bout Rai?"

Kimiko replied with a slow nod.

"I thought as much..." Clay bit his lower lip as he scooted closer to her. "I-I'm awful sorry that this is still gettin' to ya. I miss him too, y'know."

Kimiko nodded once more, her bottom lip quivering. She turned her attention back to the window, not wanting Clay to see her on the verge of crying. Her eyes glistened as tears formed, and her body shook as she attempted to hold back her sadness.

Clay turned to the window as well, tilting his head slightly. He tried to see why Kimiko was so focused on looking outside. Nothing out of the ordinary could be seen, so it was hard for the cowboy to chew over what kept Kimiko so interested in looking out that window. "Kim, can ya tell me why you're starin' out that there window so much?"

No response came from her. She only sighed shakily and continued staring.

Perhaps there wasn't anything Clay could do for her. Maybe leaving her alone would actually help. After all, Master Fung was already checking on her frequently, as was Omi. Kimiko hasn't really had much space. Clay thought it best to give her the space she must have needed. As he was about to leave, however, the sound of her voice caught him dead in his tracks.

"Just in case."

Clay glanced at her, cocking an eyebrow. "In case of what?"

"In case...Raimundo comes back."

The cowboy's face dropped, and his heart officially ripped in two. This was why she kept staring out the window? To see if Raimundo would come back? Oh sweet Lord. This poor girl.

"Kim..."

Before Clay could continue, he saw tears roll down his friend's face. She buried her face in her hands, and began to sob softly. Clay's immediate instinct was to take the crying girl into his arms. As he held her, Kimiko began burying her face into his shoulder. "T-This is my fault! I never appreciated him! I never showed him how much I care about him!"

Clay started rubbing Kimiko's back and pulled her closer to him. Never had he felt more sympathetic towards anyone until now. At that moment, he also never felt so content. Having her in his arms just felt so right.

No. How could he think about that right now? Such selfish thoughts weren't appropriate. He had to focus on Kimiko, not himself. Clay was still rather tongue tied over what he should say. He was nervous over saying the wrong sort of thing, or giving her false hopes. All he could do was give her a gentle squeeze, and close his eyes.

Kimiko rested her head on his shoulder, her sobs becoming more quiet. Being in Clay's arms somehow took away some of her sadness. She felt safe, warm, comfortable. When was the last time she felt so secure? Kimiko couldn't remember, but she knew one thing for sure. In this depressing time, she didn't want to let go of that secure feeling. She didn't want him to let go.

Finally, some words managed to come from the cowboy. "Y'know, Kim, if ya ever need a shoulder to cry on from now on, I'll be more than happy to lend ya mine," Clay offered, smiling softly.

"Thanks Clay. I-I'm actually starting to feel better, thanks to you," she said as she wiped some stray tears away, sniffling.

"I'm mighty glad to hear that."

As Clay started to pull away, Kimiko hurriedly said, "W-Wait! Can you...uh...hold me again? I still could use that shoulder." She sent a nervous smile his way.

"Oh! Uh, sure thing, lil' lady," he chuckled. Clay wrapped his muscular arms around Kimiko, holding her close to him once more. He could feel his freckled cheeks burn.

Kimiko started to feel a warm, tingly feeling in her heart as she was pressed against Clay. She rested her head on his shoulder, sighing. "I...I really like it when you hold me," she said before biting her lip, her cheeks turning bright pink.

As Clay's eyes began to close, they immediately snapped open. "Y-You do?"

"Yeah." Kimiko pulled away slightly, holding his arms as she gazed up at him. "You make me feel so safe, Clay. You've always been there to catch me with these arms of yours. Your arms are the safest place for me to be in, and I wouldn't want to leave them for a second."

Where did this come from? All this time, Clay had thought Kimiko had feelings for Raimundo. They seemed so close. Clay, on the other hand, always thought Kimiko was beautiful, and admired her for how independent she was. Could someone as lovely as her really fall for a simple guy like himself?

One question just had to be answered. "W-What about Rai?"

Kimiko paused, realizing that she had completely forgotten about Raimundo the moment Clay took her into his arms. Her thoughts had suddenly been focused around Clay, the one who always caught her when she fell. The one who usually complimented on her looks when no one else did. The one she suddenly realized was there for her all along, and she was too blinded by Raimundo to see it. In her heart, she also realized that the chances of Raimundo returning to the Xiaolin side weren't likely to happen anytime soon. Why waste her tears over him?

Realizing this, Kimiko held Clay tightly, while burying her face into his shoulder. "He's where he wants to be now, just like I'm where I want to be. With you."

Clay's eyes widened. He felt his face burn harder. Biting his lip, he gently cupped Kimiko's cheek, wiping away a tear with his thumb. "I wouldn't want ya anywhere else," he whispered softly.

A soft smile curled over Kimiko's lips. She placed her much smaller hand over his, and slowly leaned up toward him. The cowboy slowly leaned forward, closing his eyes. Within moments, their lips met. Clay kept his hand on Kimiko's cheek, while the other rested on her waist. Kimiko's arms draped around his broad shoulders as she deepened their first kiss.

They were once again in each others' arms, which was exactly where they wanted to be.