animeang3l7: hey everyone

Kimiko: hey

aa: well this is another attempt at a raikim. things are not exactly as they seem. theres a lot of OOC and im kinda sorry for that, but theres a reason for that!

Kim: wow you talk a lot, and stop giving everything away! And don't forget the disclaimer!

aa: oh yeah, I don't own Xiaolin showdown, never did and never will.

Kim: done?

aa: yep, so on with the story

Kim: (moans)

Always and Forever, Yours

Chapter 1

Uneasy Feelings

by animeang3l7

Kim's POV

I was on the verge of committing suicide, you would to if you were stuck with Mr. Raimundo Pedrosa! God damn it! He's so annoying. Well, what else could he do besides that. We were stuck in the middle of nowhere, with nothing except from trees. Great.

"Hey Kim? Earth to K-Kim. Miss Toho?" he said. I was just standing there, trying hard not to listen to whatever he was saying. But he was just so hard to ignore.

"Yeah?" I muttered.

"Kim?"

"WHAT!" I screamed.

"Um, never mind..."

"ARGH!" I roared. "What is it! Tell me now or I will strangle you until you lose all consciousness!"

"Well, if you must know I was just gonna say that its getting dark and we should find shelter. God, just calm down dear. Its only a commercial. LOL. HAHA!"

"Whatever. And just shut up about that bloody commercial line, its annoying." I muttered.

I shoved him out of the way and started to look for shelter. I walked up the dusty pathway; Raimundo behind me, staring at the sky; I turned around and looked at him. "What is he doing? Can't he just focus for once?" I thought. BANG. I hit a brick wall. The impact echoed through my ears.

"OW!"

"HEHEHE! SHAME!" Raimundo chuckled. "Good move."

"Shut up." I said wearily, trying to straighten up. " Hey look." I pointed to what I just hit. "Its a cabin."

"Duh..."

"Shut up. We can stay here for the night. Anyways, its startin' to pour so come on."

"Her royal highness is sleeping in a deserted, old, dusty cabin. What a phenomenon."

"Hey, its better than sleeping outside." I defended.

I walked up the wooden step and pulled open the old, creaky door. I walked in. It wasn't that bad, too be honest. True it was ancient, but it still had a couch, a fire place, a table, a candle and a bed. Huh! Rewind. Only one bed? Great. Just great. Things just keep getting better. I went over to the table near the fire place and started contemplating about the bed issue, while Rai was checking the place out, inspecting the how clean and dusty everything was. What a neat freak. He went over to the shelf on the top of the fire place.

"WIND!" he shouted blowing all the dust and cobwebs away, and at me.

"Ahhhh. Get this off me. Ah." I shrieked trying to get all the icky thingies out of my hair while Rai just laughed his head of. "Are you just gonna sit there and laugh, help!"

"Fine." he gave in.

He came over bowling like usual and started to take all of it out. I dropped my arms, looked up at him helpless. I stared at his emerald green eyes they were so deep and mysterious. Tension built up in me. He probably saw me staring from the corner of his eyes and gave a yet unusually casual smile. I blushed then looked round trying to find something else to look at, but all that I could really catch site was Rai's muscles. His defined, toned muscles under his white hoodie sleeve. It just made them stick out even more. I guess that I'd never actually noticed how much bigger, stronger and cool he looked. Wow... he is so... Ewh, yuck. Its Rai for goodness sake Im talking about. He's a friend, just a friend.

"Finish, all gone."

"Thanks a lot." I smiled sweetly. "Well, we should get started on this cabin." I added.

I started to get everything up to tip top shape, while Rai inspected my work. Weirdo. After about an hour i finally sat down to relax on the sofa. While Rai was still looking around. I started to feel a chill. I tried to lock the door but it was kinda rusty and hard to move. At last I finally got it to lock and so I went over to the cracked window. I looked outside at the site of the mountain range, it was so calming. The moon was full, the sky was clear and the stars shone brightly in the dark navy sky. I heard footsteps approaching. I shook out of a calming state and a chill ran down my spine. Things went silent, my heart pounded and filled the void. I froze in fright. I couldn't move. I breathed louder and louder. Voices filled the air around me. Alone. That word ran through my head over and over again. I turned round in a daze and...

"HIYA!" I screamed. I saw Raimundo, thank god. But I noticed him crouched and rub his stomach. I realised that I had kicked Raimundo. Opps.

"Ow. What was that for? Huh?" he shouted back.

"Sorry, it was...I just...that I..."

Rai's POV

It slowly played out in my mind. What happened to her back at Death Valley. Foot steps. I could never forget that. Never.

"Um, its okay." I said while rubbing my bruised belly. God, that girl has a kick that really packs a punch. That doesn't really make any sense. What am I thinking? I looked around trying to find Kim and spotted her sitting on the couch.

"Im really...s" she looked away. I could tell she was still petrified and embarrassed. The sparkle in her eyes had vanished and they were just so icy now.

"Its alright. Just forget about it."

"I'm really freezing now?" she stated, trying to change the subject.

"Yeh, me too. How we gonna light the fire?" I asked

"Um...I'll try to call up my element to light the fire. Kay?"

"You can't do now, you're off focus and plus you still haven't recovered from that fight with Wuya back at Death Valley, it drained all your strength remember?"

"Whatever. I can and I will. See I'll prove it."

Oh boy. Well, it wasn't like that I didn't have any faith in her, come on she's a Xiaolin apprentice now, but still...She stood up and walked up to the fire place.

"FIRE!"

And nothing happened.

"FIRE!"

She screamed again and nothing happened.

"FIRE!"

She screamed again and nothing happened.

"Kim, calm down. Its okay, I'll handle it." I reasoned. I fished out something from my pocket. I got out my lighter.

"He smokes?" Kim thought immediately as soon as she saw the lighter. "YOU SMOKE!" she yelled.

"Calm down dear, its only a commercial." I joked.

"Fuck off!" she screamed again.

"Okay then, if you say so."

"No, wait, I didn't mean that...oh for heavens sake just answer me"

"Okay okay. Yes, I do smoke." I lied. As if I would smoke, I'm only sixteen. I just wanna hear the words: Of course I care about you. Just for fun. "What's it to you? Like you even care?" reassuring myself why I was lying again I sighed once over.

"Of course I care about you..." Haha, there you go...Just wanna hear one more thing which is...

"You're my friend..." she continued. Crap. I just thought she would say... No, snap out of it, its not like she feels the same way.

"You shouldn't be smoking, you're only sixteen for heavens sake. Its really bad for your health. Don't you know that?" she lectured. It went on and on for about what? Half an hour. Blah blah blah blah blah...

"Are you listening?" I looked at her blankly, still kinda disappointed. "Fine then rot your teeth, I'll be laughing when you have golden teeth and you put the sun out of business. Then everyone will be united against you and you will die and rot in hell." she continued.

"Shut up." I said quickly. I was really offended and hurt by her comments. I turned my attention to my watch and saw the time. "It's midnight! Already!"

♥

"Might as well get to sleep." she suggested. She put her little denim satchel down and slowly took of her jumper. She didn't really notice but her shirt kind of lifted up to and you could see her slim tender figure. I couldn't help but stare it like I was transfixed on gazing at an angel. I shivered. I was staring at Miss Kimiko Toho! The most stuck up brat in the whole world not an angel at all. I did kind of have feelings for her but… just as a friend and nothing more, and she's still a stuck up brat. On the contrary, she is a pretty brat. She's really pretty and smart and funny and cool and, I could go on but there's its not enough to describe how great she is and... what am I getting at? This is just a bit too weird for me.

"I think that you've become more than friends now with her," spoke a voice in my head.

"I think I'm going crazy now." I replied to myself.

"Yeh, you would think that wouldn't you."

"Oh well. Anyways on the topic of Kimiko. I think it's more serious now, I feel as if I want to be with her every single second of life; but she more of less didn't even want to stand near me let alone be stuck with me for the whole night."

She turned around and said, "What?" I blushed. "Is there something interesting about me taking of my jumper?"

"Uh, no. Why would it be interesting?" I turned around.

♥

I began to take off my shoes, so did she. I turned around again, we looked at each other while getting them off. I finally got them off and put them to the side.

"Phew, Rai, your feet stink like really bad." she complained as she put her pink high heeled sandals to the other side. "Put your shoes back on, my nose is gonna fall off if you don't." she joked.

"Well I can't really go to bed with my shoes on can I? So live with it."

"Who said you were the one sleeping in the bed?" she asked.

"Me that's who. I say it, I second it and third it." I yelled putting up my fist.

"No, I'm sleeping on it and that's final." she raised hers to. You could see the vein on her head just about to pop. I could've backed down but I didn't want to loose another fight with her.

"No I AM!"

"No, I AM!"

"NO I AM!"

"NO I AM!"

"NO I AM!"

We argued and argued. I really wasn't bothered after the um-teenth no I am, so I finally caved in and said, "Fine then you win."

"Yes" she screamed in joy, then leaping on me. She kind of strangled me but besides that I pretty much enjoyed it.

"Oh, um sorry." she apologised breaking of the hug.

"It's okay."

She went to bed while I stayed on the couch. I got out my blanket from my rucksack and covered myself. I closed my eyes and listened to the silence when I heard a noise get louder and louder. I turned around and found that it was Kimiko shivering. There wasn't any bedcovers for the bed and it was starting to get real cold. I got up roughly almost falling of the couch. I reached out and gave her the blanket.

"Thanks." she said quivering.

"No problem."

"How about you?" she asked.

"What about me?" I replied.

"Won't you be cold?"

"Nah, I can take the cold."

"Okay, if you say so." she turned around and I headed back to the couch.

♥

I just couldn't sleep. All thoughts gathered to that subject about a girl, about Kimiko. Things were getting a little confusing and I had now idea what to do. I liked her as a friend but things just suddenly feel so different, like she's more than a friend. I'm so confused. I looked up at the ceiling and stared into space.

"Rai?" someone called out.

"Yeah?" it was Kim. My body froze, every muscle in me refused to work and let me turn around to see her pale face.

"Aren't you gonna look at me when I'm talking to you? Kind of mean not to."

"Whatever." I sighed and turned around not to face her.

"Fine then I'll just speak to your back, hello Raimundo's back." I didn't answer.

"Rai?" when she spoke my name you could hear the uncertainness from the mumble. The floorboards creaked as a foot landed upon it. Footsteps.