A/N: Hello once again, dear readers! This little oneshot was inspired by a New Girl episode! I think it was episode two? Anyway, it's nothing fancy, I just wanted to get it out of my system, haha! Enjoy!
Kimiko Tohomiko ran her fingers through her neatly combed hair as she glared at the arrangement splayed out in front of her. On her futon, the fashionista had every outfit combination appropriate for the upcoming occasion. One outfit she had considered but it was too childish- she was practically a woman after all. How could an almost-seventeen-year-old wear a dress littered with hearts for an outing such as this? It was practically calling out desperate in her opinion. Even the leather jacket and purple skirt combination seemed too gothic for the restaurant.
No, Kimiko needed something that was casual but not too casual. An outfit that was stunning but not too much to look at. But what exactly would work…?
"Yo, Kimiko! Are you ready for tonight?"
The sound of the Shoku Warrior's voice grabbed the girl away from her thoughts. Looking over her shoulder she could see Raimundo leaning against the wall looking at her expectantly.
She frowned, "Sorry, what?"
The boy rolled his eyes, "Tonight? Movie night? Omi wanted to go see that new movie about martial arts? Seriously, Kimi, have you been paying attention at all this week?"
The Dragon of Fire felt her face heat up as she realized that no, she hadn't been paying attention at all this week. Facing the leader fully she gave a nervous laugh, "Haha, yeah totally! I knew we were going to do that!" She didn't. Kimiko sighed, "It's just… I won't be able to go tonight."
The Dragon of the Wind raised an eyebrow, "What? Why not?"
For some reason, the thought of telling Raimundo what she already had planned sent an uncomfortable feeling throughout her stomach. Technically, she did not need to explain herself. She was almost seventeen after all! But through the years they had known each other, her and the boy- man practically- before her had become stronger in their friendship.
Friendship.
She looked away, "Well-"
"Hey! You two almost ready? Dojo said we better get a move on if we want good seats." The Southern drawl interrupted the already awkward conversation. Clay poked his head into the room followed by Omi.
"Yes, we must put the lead out!" The younger monk said.
Rai sighed, "Get the lead out, Omi." He corrected, then gestured towards the female of the group, "Kimiko said she's not going."
An explosion of disappointed voices filled the air.
"Aw, why not?"
"No! Kimiko, please! You must join us!"
Feeling her head might explode as well, Kimiko shouted, "Because I have a date!" She immediately slapped her hands to her mouth as the boys went silent. They watched her intently for a few agonizing seconds, each one with a different expression on his face.
Clay's mouth formed an 'o' in understanding, Omi gave her a puzzled look, and Raimundo… The girl found it difficult to read his expression. It morphed from shock to… was that disappointment? Then cold.
The cowboy was the first to break the silence, "Well I'll be darned! Good on ya, lil' lady! Who's the lucky guy?"
Recovering from her own shock, Kimiko cleared her throat, "It's… Well, do you remember the guy we saved two weeks ago from being changed into a monkey by Jack?" Her boys nodded, "It's him. His name is Justin, he found my socials and we started chatting back and forth and he asked me out." Embarrassment laced in her words as her voice kept going up as she explained.
Clay tipped his hat, "Well jus' as long as he treats you right, I hope you have fun."
Kimiko smiled at his concern, "Thanks, Clay."
Omi raised his hand, "I do not understand. Where did he ask you to get out from?"
Their leader groaned at the younger's confusion, "No, she means he asked her on a date, Omi."
"On a fruit?"
Kimiko could not help the laugh that escaped as Raimundo rolled his eyes, "A date is when two people get together for an activity." She filled in.
Omi's head tilted to one side, "Oh, so like we do all the time? Then we have indeed gone on many dates!"
Clay chuckled, "Not like that, partner. What Kimiko means is that two people with romantic feelings towards each other go on dates."
The small monk scratched his head, "Oh… I see."
A relieved sigh escaped Kimiko's lips at the calm reaction she had gotten. She was just about to say more when Omi opened his mouth again.
"But why would anyone want to go on a date with Kimiko? She hardly has the qualities of being a good romantic partner."
"WHAT?" Kimiko exploded, launching herself at the little monk. Omi stepped back just as Raimundo grabbed Kimiko by her waist to keep her from shredding their naive friend.
"OKAY!" Clay intervened just as the girl's hand burst into flames. He grabbed Omi by his head and held him up high so Kimiko could not reach him, "Now, hold on there, fellas! Let's just calm down now before this whole place burns down!" Ever the voice of reason, Clay did his best to calm everyone down but the ill-tempered girl growled.
From atop his friend's hand, Omi asked, "What? Kimiko, in all the time that we have known each other, I have not seen you possess the qualities that a female normally has. Anyone with a brain can see that you are too much 'one of the males' as they say."
Raimundo muttered, "I think you mean, 'one of the guys'."
Kimiko gasped and the leader stilled, realizing what Omi had just implied. Raimundo had sisters. He knew that Omi had just screwed up royally.
The shock in the room bled into the air as Kimiko stopped struggling against the leader, roughly pushing his hands away. Each one of the male audience watched her with baited breath as she straightened herself up.
Then she rounded on all of them, "Just because you guys don't see me as a woman doesn't mean other men don't."
"Now hold on, Kimiko-"
"Yeah, we never meant-"
She raised her hand, silencing them. Dusting off her tunic, Kimiko composed herself before speaking, "I am going on this date tonight and it will be fun. I will look amazing and Justin will be amazing and you guys-" She pointed a finger at them, "Are not going to get in the way. Understand?"
The males nodded in unison, "Yes, ma'am." Kimiko waved for them to leave to which Clay and Omi quickly made their exit.
Raimundo however remained behind. Watching as his friend pointedly ignored him while comparing two shirts.
Finally, Kimiko sighed, "What is it, Rai?"
The leader fidgeted on the balls of his feet, "Kim, you know that guy seems like a creep, right?"
"What?" She snapped, whipping around to face him.
Raimundo inwardly flinched. He could have worded that better but he figured he might as well jump into the deep end, "That Justin guy. He seems… off."
She rolled her eyes, "You knew him all of five minutes, Raimundo."
He folded his arms, furrowing his brow, "So? I have a sixth sense about these things. And you've only talked with him on the phone! So you don't know any better either." He argued.
Kimiko snorted, "Whatever. I'm going on this date and there is nothing you can say or do that will stop me." With a flick of her hair, the girl turned her back to the boy and began putting away her outfit choices.
Raimundo snorted, "Whatever." He mumbled before retreating out of her cubicle. Stewing in his anger, he got all the way down the hall and around the corner when he realized someone had been following him
Raimundo looked down at the dragon, "What?" He snapped.
Dojo folded his arms and frowned, "Green is not your color, kid." He commented, moving in front of the boy.
"What's that supposed to mean? I'll have you know that I look great in anything."
The dragon leapt up onto Raimundo's outstretched arm and bonked him on the head a few times, "Hello! I was talking about your jealousy."
The teen scoffed, "Jealous? What do I have to be jealous of?"
Dojo hummed, "Oh I don't know. Maybe because of the fact that our beloved Kimiko is going out with another guy?" The sarcasm dripped from his mouth like Clay's hot sauce.
Raimundo's frown deepened, "Pft! She can go out with whoever she wants! I don't care." He grumbled, stuffing his hands into his pockets and moving past the dragon.
Said dragon placed his hands on his hips and shook his head at the retreating figure, "Some day that boy will learn." He muttered as he slithered along the floor to catch up.
….* *...
Flying down toward the alley between an extravagant restaurant and slick tuxedo store, the Xiaolin dragon landed gracefully. On top of the dragon, the dressed up girl accepted the hand of Raimundo who helped her down. Kimiko smoothed the purple dress down she had decided to wear as she got off of Dojo.
"Have fun, kiddo!" The dragon said, "We'll come back to pick you up at ten o'clock, alright?"
The girl waved to the dragon, "Of course! You boys have fun at the movie!" She called out.
Omi and Clay wished her luck on her date but Raimundo gave her a halfhearted wave as Dojo took off into the sky. Sighing to herself to relieve some of the nerves, Kimiko made her way out of the alley and turned toward the bright restaurant.
A gentleman exiting the establishment held it open for his lady and waited for Kimiko to pass through.
"Thank you!" Kimiko smiled and the man nodded. Entering the restaurant, the young girl felt her upbringing begin to take hold. Many times she had accompanied her father in meetings at lucious restaurants such as the one she was in. The simple decor screamed money and so did its inhabitants.
A smartly dressed man at the entrance addressed her, "Welcome, madam. Do you have a reservation?"
Kimiko nodded and gave her the name it was under. The host nodded, grabbed a couple of menus and showed her to a table that was further into the middle of the room. To her disappointment, Justin was not there but she shook away the feeling and figured it would be alright. Though the table was further away, she was still able to see out the front window. She would be able to see him coming. The host pulled out her chair and she sat down.
"Your waitress, Darcy, will be with you shortly." The host said before leaving.
Eyes wandering around the restaurant, Kimiko could see many couples eating their meals and discussing their affairs. Another wave of nerves coursed through her body.
"Okay, girl. Let's do this!" She whispered to hype herself up.
….* *...
Two waters and three breadsticks later, Kimiko looked around the restaurant once more. It was almost quarter-past seven and there was still no sign of her date. It had been forty-five minutes. She huffed, flying back in her seat with her arms crossed. Part of her was annoyed while the other part was worried.
What if something had happened? What if Jack was up to his no good tricks again and did something to her date? What if traffic was just bad?
"Excuse me," The waitress' voice snapped Kimiko from her thoughts. She looked up at the woman who smiled down at her, "Do you need more time to look at the menu?"
Straightening in her seat and smoothing out her dress, the girl shook her head, "No, I'm still waiting for my date." She smiled back. Her lips twitched however as the waitress' eyes flashed with what Kimiko recognized as pity.
"Of course, ma'am. Just let me know when you're ready." She nodded before walking away to another table.
Kimiko watched her leave. Her eyes caught a couple of onlookers and her face began to flush. Turning back to her menu, she grumbled, "C'mon. What's taking him?" Deciding she had left enough time, she turned around to grab her phone from her purse.
Typing quickly, she sent Justin a text, "Where are you? Is everything okay?"
She stared at the screen for a few seconds… Seconds to a minute… A minute to two… Nothing. No reassuring text that he was on the way or why he was running late. Just… Nothing.
The Dragon Warrior sighed, placing the phone on the table. A saddening thought crossed her mind.
Was she… Getting stood up?
….* *...
In front of the Megaplex Theater, a long line wrapped around the corner of the building where the boys of the Xiaolin Temple stood and talked excitedly about the movie they were about to see.
"I heard they got a major movie star to cameo in it!" Raimundo balled his fists in glee at the idea of who the said star could be.
"I heard there's gonna be more historically accurate mixed martial arts than in any other film!" Clay chimed in.
Omi jumped up and down between his friends with excitement, "Oh, ho, ho! I hope there is a mention of Grand Master Dashi! How wonderful it would be to see the Grand Master receive the recognition he deserves on the gold screen!"
"The 'silver screen'." Raimundo smirked, "And that's referring to old movies, Omi. Not new ones."
The young monk ceased his jumping to look up at his friend, "Old movies? Like the ones Dojo has at the temple?"
Clay chuckled, "Those are soap operas, partner. Not exactly silver screen classics."
Dojo slithered up to the cowboy's shoulder, "Hey! They are classics in my book!" Folding his arms in offense, the dragon turned away from the group. His eyes scanned the crowd behind them and gasped. A familiar face peeked through the sea of people.
"Hey, isn't that the guy Kimiko's on a date with?" Dojo pointed into the crowd.
Following his finger, Raimundo turned to look through the different faces in the crowd until he spotted who the dragon was talking about.
The leader frowned, "Hey, yeah. That does look like the guy. I wonder if Kim-" His mouth shut instantly once he saw who the boy was with. And it definitely wasn't Kimiko. Rai's blood began to boil as Justin wrapped his arms around the new girl. Too comfortable for anyone in the group's liking.
"Why that no good two-timin' snake!" Clay clenched his fists, eyes fixed on the scene before him.
Omi, getting into his fighting stance, said, "That man has made a grave mistake. We must defend Kimiko's honor!"
Rai nodded, pressing forward into the crowded sidewalk, "Oh we'll defend it alright." He marched straight over to the oblivious guy as he twirled the blonde woman's hair between his fingers. The display caused Rai to pick up the pace and shout, "HEY!"
The couple snapped their heads to the approaching boy.
"Um, can I help you?" The girl asked, her brow furrowed in confusion and fear.
Ignoring her, Rai grabbed the guy by his collar and pulled him in close. His voice dangerously low, "You're Justin." He stated.
"Agh! So what?! Get off me, man!" The boy struggled against Xiaolin Dragon's grip.
This only made the warrior grip tighter, "You're supposed to be with Kimiko."
Justin's confused expression made way for one of exasperation, "Oh her? Yeah, I wasn't going to go out with her. She's too much, man!"
"TOO MUCH?!" Shoving the boy away, Rai threw his hands up, "Kimiko is the best girl to ever exist!" He pointed an accusing finger at Justin, "She never should have agreed to go out on a date with someone who doesn't even deserve her attention!" Just as he balled up his fist to punch the guy, a firm hand grabbed his wrist.
"C'mon, Rai. This snake doesn't deserve our time." Clay reasoned.
Sneering still at the cowering boy below him, Rai let the cowboy lower his raised fist, "You're right." Turning his back on the shocked girl and scared Justin, the Xiaolin leader gestured for the others to follow him, "Come on, we gotta go get Kimiko."
….* *...
Kimiko sighed to herself. Nearly an hour and a half and still no show from her date. All that time had allowed her thoughts to spiral out of control. Gently picking at yet another breadstick, she contemplated what was wrong with her. Perhaps Omi had been right. Maybe she was not 'dating' material. But she couldn't let the guys know that! After her outburst, it would absolutely ruin the way the boys saw her.
However, she figured she could not just stay in the restaurant where the waiters and patrons had been sneaking glances at her. Kimiko frowned as she thought about leaving. But her pride made her stay. Pride and embarrassment.
The night was definitely not going the way she had hoped.
"Ma'am," Darcy addressed her, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
Panic settled into Kimiko's stomach.
….* *...
Raimundo frowned as he, Clay, and Omi watched the poor girl through the window. Kimiko sat there looking beautiful as ever which only made his heart hammer with fury at the jerk who dared not even show up.
"Poor Kimiko," Omi sighed, "Being stand up like that."
"Stood up." Rai corrected the phrase automatically. The longer he stared at Kimiko's disappointed face the more he felt the pull to do something. He stood up from the bushes they were crouched behind and began making his way over to the restaurant.
"Rai, what're you doin'?" Clay asked standing up to follow in step with the leader.
Without looking back, the Shoku Warrior responded, "We can't just leave her like that in there. C'mon guys! We're going to fix this."
Walking into the glaringly fancy restaurant, the Xiaolin Dragons realized just how underdressed they were. Sticking out like a sore thumb, the boys got side glances from all the rich snobs enjoying their luxurious meals.
But the disgusted glances did not bother Raimundo as his eyes scanned the room to find his girlfri-
Friend. His friend. Kimiko was his friend.
Fighting down the flush on his cheeks at the thought, Raimundo's eyes finally found the girl he was looking for. A waitress stood at the table Kimiko sat at and judging by the panicked look on Kim's face, Rai gathered that the poor girl must have been waiting a long time to the point where she was being asked to leave.
No time to waste! Pointing in her direction, Rai said, "There she is!" Without glancing behind to see if his fellow monks were following, the leader ran towards the table shouting, "Wait! Wait! We're here!"
Kimiko, the waitress, and all the patrons turned towards the tiny mob of teenagers that ran through the busy restaurant. Dodging waiters, tables, and trays that got in their way to make it to their distraught friend.
Finally reaching the table, Rai, Clay, and Omi halted in front of the waitress breathing heavily.
The waitress placed a hand on her hip, "And who exactly are you?" She asked, annoyance laced in her words.
Moving to stand between the lady and their lady, Rai placed his hands on the table. A smile graced his lips as he caught Kimiko's wide and confused eyes, "We are her date." He declared, loud enough for the entire room to hear.
"You're ALL her dates?" The waitress asked with a skeptical raise of her brow.
Rai flinched, realizing how that sounded but gave a short nod, "We're reverse Mormons." Raimundo improvised.
'Darcy' (Raimundo read on her name tag) frowned and jutted her thumb out pointing to Dojo, "Sorry, no pets."
The leader and Dojo exchanged glances. The reptile shook his head but Raimundo grabbed him and shoved him towards Kimiko, "Oh him? He's our… Emotional support gecko!" He gave a convincing chuckle, "Go on, Dojo. Do your job and support Kimiko emotionally."
Dojo looked between the Fire Warrior, Wind Warrior, and the waitress who had folded her arms giving them an unconvinced look. The dragon reached a hand out and patted Kimiko on the head, "Uh… There, there?"
Luckily this seemed to work because the woman rolled her eyes and walked away mumbling, "I could have been an engineer…"
Satisfied, the leader turned back to the confused girl and frowned, "We saw Justin at the theater with another girl. I'm sorry, Kimiko."
Clay nodded, "That no good two-timing varmin' thought he could get away with that. Nobody walks out on our Kimiko!"
Omi, ever the showman, climbed up onto the table, "I am most sorry, Kimiko. But that no good Justin does not deserve you! He is a foolish man that has no honor."
The girl furrowed her brow. Her lower lip quivered as she looked away defeated at the table, "I thought I could do this. I've never…" She took a deep sigh, "I've never been on a date before. I just got so excited! I guess I'm not the dating type after all."
The sad declaration caused Raimundo to lean forward so as to catch Kimiko's eyes, "Hey. Don't say that about yourself, Kimi. You are the most remarkable woman we've ever met! Sure you're fiery and you scare people easily-" She glared up at him. He quickly added, "But that's not a bad thing! If anything, it's good! You're able to weed out the weak who can't handle you."
"Yeah! Anybody who can't handle that doesn't deserve you." Dojo chimed in atop Clay's hat.
"The lil' feller's right, Kimiko. And just because this didn't work out doesn't mean others won't." Clay smiled softly.
Taking her hand in his, Rai knelt beside her, "You're amazing, Kimiko. Any guy who doesn't see that is not worth your tears, girl. And any guy who treats you badly will have to deal with us." He gestured to himself and the others surrounding the petite girl, "We're here for you, Kim. No matter what."
That seemed to do the trick because her blue eyes started to water up. She sniffled, "Aw, you guys." She flew out of her seat and into Raimundo's arms where he wrapped comforting arms around her. Clay, Omi, and Dojo joined in the hug as well giving Kimiko reassuring pats and affirmations of their love for her.
Giving one last squeeze, Rai regrettably pulled away the other guys following his lead and looking at their fiery girl with fondness. He placed his hands on Kimiko's shoulders affectionately, "What do you say we grab some grub and have a movie night?"
Through a wet smile, Kimiko nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that."
Raimundo smiled warmly, standing up. Holding out his hand for her to take, the young not-couple walked out of the restaurant hand in hand with their friends in tow. But of course before leaving Kimiko paid for her water and left a lovely tip for the inconvenience.
So, the young Dragons went to a nearby theater and instead of watching that martial arts movie, enjoyed a showing of a classic movie. They laughed, they cried, and of course they devoured all the popcorn they could handle. When they finally returned to the temple, Clay, Omi, and Dojo retired for the night.
Kimiko was about to retire as well but pulled Raimundo aside instead.
"Thanks for the save tonight, Rai." She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled, "I don't know what I would have done if you guys hadn't shown up."
The boy rubbed the back of his neck, "You don't have to thank us, Kim. We're friends! We take care of each other." The term 'friends' fell out of his mouth leaving a knot inside his stomach.
The girl nodded, "Still. It means a lot." She turned to leave but feeling bold, Kimiko turned back around and stood on her tiptoes to plant a chaste kiss to Raimundo's cheek. Leaning back, she smiled and chirped, "Goodnight, Rai!" Before turning on her heel to make her way to her cubicle.
Standing stock still, Raimundo could feel his face burning. He reached up and touched the spot she had kissed. A dopey grin formed on his face.
In her cubicle, Kimiko felt her own face heat up. She shook her head, trying to convince herself that the butterflies in her stomach were not because of her growing feelings for one of her best friends and instead were because of the tiredness she felt.
"Yep!" She nodded to herself, "That's what it is."
However, that did not stop her from inwardly thanking Justin for not showing up to their date. The night had not gone the way she had hoped but the young girl would not have traded it for the world.