A/N: Well, here is chapter 25. Thanks for the feedback! I just want to say, google translate is my best friend so I get all of the different languages from there. This chapter is very odd but you will understand in a few chapters time why I did what I have done. Anyway!
R&R!
-Anna x
"Well, I'll be darned." Clay smiled. "I thought he'd never ask."
"Shh." Taylor had a glass against the door with her ear placed against that.
"I can't hear anything!" Ashley looked at the group.
"She's not saying anything." Jack looked concerned.
"That's never a good sign." Zach looked up.
"Omi, what are you doing?" Anastasia had turned to see Omi meditating.
"I'm trying to embody myself in the water that I placed in the vase I put in their room." He continued with his meditation.
"Will they see you?" Ana asked.
"No, they shouldn't sense my presence." Omi finally cracked it.
"Kimi, please say something." Rai asked.
"There's someone else in this room." Kimiko turned and scorched the water so it evaporated. Her eyes glowed and her palm radiated heat. She had never done it before that Rai was aware of.
"Omi, are you okay?" Ana was immediately by his side, stroking down his face.
"She noticed my presence." He croaked out, rubbing his burnt face.
Anastasia bent down and kissed Omi gently.
"I thought I heard talking." Taylor said.
"Kimiko, please say something." Rai repeated.
"I don't know. I need to think." She stood up.
"It's not sounding too good." Jack bit his lip.
"What's there to think about?" Rai asked.
"Well, what about the group dynamic. It'll change if we get together." She replied.
"They won't mind if we're together. We're professional, you know that." He looked at her.
"What if you change your mind and you don't want to be with me? We'd have to see each other every day." She bit her lip.
"If you don't want to be with me then just say." He was quiet and looked down.
"It's not that…" She started but couldn't finish.
"I'm done." He walked out and slammed the door behind him.
Kimiko sat on the bed. She just wanted it to go back to how it was. Before she had slept with him, they fought but at least they managed.
"I'll go talk to him." Clay got up to go.
"I'll go with you." Zach walked over to Clay and they scuttled down the corridor to find Rai.
"I'll talk to her." Taylor went to walk in.
"I don't think this is where Rodeo Barbie steps in. I think I'll go first." Ashley tried to stand with the huge bump.
"At least I'm not Pregnant Barbie." Taylor replied.
The bickering began and Anastasia managed to snake past and into the room unnoticed.
"Get out." Kimiko didn't look up from her lap.
Anastasia laughed.
"Get out." Kimiko held up a hand from her lap.
"You don't scare me, Kimiko. Even if you tried, you wouldn't scare me." Anastasia folded her arms.
"What do you want?" Kimiko placed her hand on her knees. Her other hand started to aggressively rub her other hand. It began to leave red marks.
"That doesn't make me pity you." Anastasia said.
"Anastasia, what do you want?" Kimiko finally looked at her.
"There we go. What are you doing with your life?" Anastasia asked straight.
"Get out." Kimiko repeated.
"You didn't reject just anyone. You rejected your best friend and lover. You quite clearly have feelings for him and you just really hurt him." Anastasia spat.
"He will make me weak." Kimiko frowned.
"What?"
"He'll be my weakness. When, not if, we go into battle, he'll be my weakness. I can't have weakness." She looked at the floor.
"Is that really what you think? You think being in love makes you weak? So I'm weak? Omi has never been my weakness." Anastasia was genuinely offended.
"That's not what I meant." Before Kimiko could continue, Anastasia began again.
"You saw how Twila and Zach worked together, they were stronger together. Look at how broken he is without her, he could never be like that with her."
"I meant-" Kimiko was once again cut off.
"Are you saying Jack and Ashley are weak? She wouldn't function without him. They fight constantly but that doesn't mean they're weak. It means they argue. He saved her. She saved him. They saved us."
"I didn't think like that."
"No, you didn't. You didn't think at all, in fact." Anastasia stormed out and slammed the door behind her.
"Pitaniye." Veronica shouted up to everyone.
"Food." Valery and Viktor echoed so everyone would know.
The talk at dinner was minimal. Silence was a virtue as, if it were not silent, an argument would break out.
After, they all resided to the lounge.
"So, when did you get those tattoos?" Valery asked Kimiko.
"A few days ago." She smiled.
"They're beautiful." Viktor traced the markings on Kimiko's face, enchanted by them.
"Thank you." She blushed.
"Weakling." Anastasia muttered under breath.
Kimiko's head spun round and she narrowed her eyes.
"Where's Taylor?" Jack asked.
"Where's Clay?" Zach asked.
"You look mighty fine, Taylor." Clay sat on the bed as she showed him some of her dresses she wore at pageants.
"Why thank you, Clay! I was ever so proud of my dresses." She smiled.
"There was something I wanted to ask you." He looked as his cowboy boots.
"Oh really?" She asked, turning into her bathroom to change again.
"Yes, I've been meaning to ask for a while but I never knew when would be a good time." He rubbed his hands together.
She entered back into the room. Clay looked up to see her wearing an emerald gown, the same colour as her eyes used to shine. He always thought she wore green for earth; for him.
"I never got to wear this one." She looked sad.
"You look beautiful." Clay was practically speechless. She wasn't overly heavy on her chest or hips but this dress accentuated all the curves of her hourglass figure and it was gathered at the right hip as a pattern.
Taylor stayed silent.
"I wanted to ask if you would do me the honour of being my girlfriend." Clay was calm.
"I don't know what to say." Her eyes glazed over slightly.
"Well, I was kinda hoping for a yes." He blushed under his hat.
"Of course I will."
He pulled her in for a hug and she placed a chaste kiss on his lips before hugging herself into his chest.
"Clay? Taylor? Are you in there?" Zach called through the door.
Taylor motioned to stay silent until his footsteps could be heard down the hall.
She changed into a pair of jeans and a checked shirt. Pulling on her own cowgirl boots, she smiled about how she was with someone who meant so much to her. Clay had become her base, her home and, most importantly, her rock.
"Let's go down and socialise, Tay." He pulled on a pigtail and they walked down, wrapped in each other's arms.
"Well you two look cosy." Ashley winked.
"Yeah." They smiled, looking at each other.
"Wait did you two…?" Rai motioned for them to continue.
"Oh my god! You finally asked her!" Kimiko was endeared.
"I did, Kimiko. Thank you for your advice." Clay thanked.
"We're officially together." Taylor explained to everyone else.
"You two look wonderful together." Valery smiled.
"Thanks." Taylor blushed, looking up at to the only stability in her life. Clay was the only man to walk into her life and make sense. She could see a future with him. She could see herself happy with him. And, most importantly, she could see a life with him.
A/N: How adorable is that then? I am rather proud and I found myself quite witty when Taylor called Clay her rock because earth, rock... I'll stop there... Anyway!
R&R!
-Anna x