Sara: I have to say, I don't know whether or not these intros would be complete without dear old Rane. He's lovely, isn't he?

Rane: You bet I'm fucking lovely.

Sara: By the way, I'd like to inform you readers that since I'm older, I'm a lot more lenient when it comes to profanity.

Rane: A lot more lenient.

Sara: They get it.

Rane: I mean like, she can shoot out streams of curses a mile a minute, and you sometimes don't even mind the presence of your teachers –

Sara: They get it.

Rane: Italicizing it doesn't make it any more intense.

Sara: Fuck you.

Rane: Do you want to start the story?

Sara: Do you want to start the story?

Rane: You're the author, you tell me.

Sara: Yeah, yeah. I'm going to try to wrap up this story, kay guys? This is probably going to be the last chapter.

Rane: Lazy.

Sara: You shut up.

ooooooooooooooooooo

Kimiko wrapped her hand around Josh's as they strolled through the streets, carefully treading the icy sidewalk. Some thread from her wool mittens got caught in the sleeve of his jacket, leaving traces of pink against his navy blue coat. Josh accepted her hand and squeezed it, and he looked down at her warmly and smiled. Raimundo lumbered behind them slowly, grasping benches and door knobs frequently to catch his fall when he slipped on the ice.

Josh turned around and shot his friend a look of pity. "You alright back there, Raimundo?" He asked worriedly. Raimundo looked up at his friend and shook his head, raising his hand and shaking it as if to say he's going to be fine. Josh grinned and turned back around, pressing Kimiko closer to him. Raimundo glared at the couple enviously, and decided it wasn't really worth it to stay with them.

"Hey!" He called ahead, and both teenagers turned their heads. "I'm going to head back home," he said, releasing himself from the hunched position he's been in for the last couple of minutes. "You guy's go on ahead and have fun, 'kay?" He shoved his hands in his pockets and braced the wind that whipped at his face.

Kimiko frowned and glanced up at Josh. "You sure, Rai?" she asked. Raimundo nodded and smiled, turning around and heading home. Josh whispered something to Kimiko, and she sighed and walked on.

Raimundo reverted back to his hunched position and shoved his hands in his pockets, walking back to the temple sullenly. As he walked, he spotted the teddy bear he bought for Kimiko lying alone on the bench, already wet and frozen from the weather. He picked it up and grimaced, but clung onto it for the rest of the walk home. The ice that formed between the teddy bears fibers began to melt, and the water soaked through Raimundo's mitten. He picked up the pace.

The trees outside were frozen and bare, and swayed gracefully as Raimundo passed. They sat outside the temple, and reminded him of the summer, of a place he sat to read when he wasn't busy. On occasion Kimiko would sometimes walk by and smile down at him, then sit next to him and read also. He always tried to work up the courage to slip his fingers through hers and watch her blush, and turn her head to glance at him. And they would laugh and smile, and lean their heads against each others and continue to read their books in a wonderful kind of silence.

But he never worked up the courage to do such a thing. Although, it was later now, he wasn't as afraid anymore. He liked to think he knew Kimiko more than anybody else, and that if she were to be with anybody, it should be him. He realized how stupid he was, how he practically shoved Josh into this relationship, as if he didn't care at all. As if he was just trying to prove how much he didn't care.

But he did care. And it hurt. He grasped the hand of the teddy bear tighter, and he charged through the gates of the temple. Dojo glanced up at him as he entered, and watched him make his way quickly through his home and to his room. He followed the teenager with his eyes, but decided against it to inquire about anything.

Raimundo slammed the door to his room and dropped his jacket on the floor. He threw the bear onto his bed and paced all around his room. He smirked and continued to pace, wandering his eyes all over his surroundings. His walls, his bed, the teddy bear. Raimundo stopped and picked up the bear, now completely melted. He stepped out of his room and left it by the heater to dry.

Raimundo wandered into Kimiko's room and found what he was looking for. He unplugged it and grunted as he lifted it up and carried it to his room. She probably wouldn't even notice it was gone; she would be to busy thinking about Josh. He let out a sigh as he set it on his bedside tab and plugged it in. He swiped his jacket off the floor and slipped into it as he made his way out of the temple, as quickly as he entered.

He tried to rush as he scanned the multitude of shops that lined the streets. Being the day before Christmas Eve, many people were out shopping for their last-minute gifts; Raimundo wasn't any exception. A small bell tinkled as he stepped into a small shop. Candles reached the far end of the room, filling the store with scents of vanilla and cinnamon. The woman at the counter smiled graciously, and Raimundo couldn't help but smile back. He looked out the display window and saw that it had started to snow outside. He began to browse through the shop.

The aisles were small, and filled with various knickknacks and ornaments. He dusted off a snow globe and shook it gently, and watched the snow inside whirl around two handcrafted little people. They looked porcelain, and both figures had shiny painted hair and heavy winter coats. Little trees loomed over them, but they stayed close together, hand in hand, oblivious to the world around them. The tinier figure was dressed in pink.

Raimundo put the snow globe back on the shelf and spotted something else that caught his interest, a delicate little rose sitting quietly next to several picture frames, sprinkled with golden sparkles and carefully hand painted. The rose had miniature thorns jutting out of the dark green stem, and Raimundo couldn't help taking off his glove and picking it up, bringing it close to his eyes. The golden sparkles reflected off the deep red of the rose, and Raimundo kept the rose in his hand and again walked through the aisles.

At the other end of the store was craft supplies, and he picked up a glue gun and several colors of thread. He also happened upon a little black top hat that he thought would be cute to get. He brought his findings to the counter and paid the cashier, who just grinned as she packed up all his things into a small, green bag. Raimundo wore the hat home.

As he closed the door to his room, he heard Josh and Kimiko come back from their walk. He quickly shut the door and locked it, and sat down at his desk, laying out all his materials in front of him. He switched on his light and shone it down on the rose, and watched it glitter, and Raimundo's eyes sparkled. He reached over to the teddy bear he had earlier retrieved from the heater, which was surprisingly already very warm. He placed it next to what he had taken from Kimiko's room, but paused, and pushed it away, deciding that he wouldn't use it. Instead he stole a needle from the set and took a spool of red thread, and he cautiously pricked the teddy bear.

That night he worked slowly, and didn't get much done. Instead he kept listening beside his door, waiting for Kimiko to go to sleep. He glanced at the clock often, and once it was around two in the morning, he unlocked his door and unplugged the machine. Kimiko's door was carelessly left open, and Raimundo tip-toed inside and set it on the table, where he plugged it back in. Suddenly, before he could tip-toe out, the outlet burst into flames. Alarmed, Raimundo quickly set it out with a gust of wind, but a moment later it was again on fire. Curiously, he blew it out once more. He sat there for a couple moments, waiting for it to catch fire yet again, but it never did. He sighed softly in relief and hurriedly left the room, catching traces of a chuckle from Kimiko's bedside.

It was too early for them to have gone to that idiotic seafood restaurant Josh invited her to. Raimundo figured they would be going tomorrow, so she would be gone for most of the evening. He locked his door as he stepped back into his room, and left his unfinished project on the table. He slipped into bed and tucked himself in, steadily falling asleep.

The next morning Raimundo groggily dragged himself out of bed and unlocked his door, pressing against the walls as he squinted at the bright light out in the hallway. He entered the bathroom and unintentionally slammed the door. The young man spit into the sink and looked up at himself in the mirror, frowning at the bags under his eyes and the barely noticeable, but noticeable nevertheless, shadow of small hairs that framed his face. He took his razor from the counter and twisted a knob on the sink, wetting the blades under the downpour of cool water. He applied the shaving gel lazily, and winced every time he nicked his skin and a wonderful new dot of blood appeared on his face.

He finished within several minutes, and ripped up some toilet paper to stick to his cuts. He washed his face and hands and hobbled out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. The rest of his teammates were having breakfast, and Clay smirked when he saw him. "How'd the shavin' work out, partner?" He grinned, and tipped his hat.

Raimundo climbed onto a stool and poured his cereal. "Fine," he mumbled, retrieving a spoon from the drawer next to him. He yawned loudly, and a couple of seconds later he saw Kimiko from across the room yawn also. The ends of his lips perked up, and he let the milk splash onto the cereal.

Raimundo watched Kimiko carefully that day, waiting for her to leave the house. Eventually he left the house on his own, and set out into town again, busier than it was yesterday. He realized that although he began to adore that little shop he came upon the other day, there were other shops to hit. He scowled at this mindset; it made him feel like a girl.

He strayed away from the larger shops, and stuck to the smaller, cozier ones. He didn't like people hustling and bustling around him, shoving him into things and annoying him to death. He wandered into another shop, a comfy boutique that carried children's clothing. He browsed around after shooting a quick smile at the shop owner, and slowly ambled across the several racks of clothing.

He sifted through the tiny shirts, the small trousers, and many adorable pieces of jewelry designed for little girls. He thought back to the many things he saw, and wandered back to the same racks several times. He knew he wasn't looking for anything specific, but he didn't want to walk away empty handed. He remembered a sweater that he'd liked, and found it again. It was a dark shade of red, and it had intricate green stitching at the collar and the cuffs. He picked it up, and debated whether or not to get a pair of little red boots. He decided against it, and just bought the sweater.

He saw a bakery from across the street and stepped into it, buying a warm apple turnover before he stepped out again into the cold weather. He remembered the hat he bought the day before and decided he wanted a different hat. He raced back into the shop and bought a deep red flat cap that matched the shirt, and dropped it into the plastic bag. One more shop, he thought. The snow from the day before had stayed, and it was getting more bothersome by the minute. A couple shops down was another one that caught his attention, and the same little chimed sounded as he stepped into it.

It was a book store. He'd been in here once before with Kimiko, a trip that lasted hours. All around the store was various types of chairs and couches, tempting you to sit down and read the books that you couldn't resist trying. They'd spent forever picking out the ones they wanted, Kimiko always commenting how she would have never suspected he liked to read as much as she did. And honestly, he would have never suspected either. But they didn't have anything in common, and Raimundo thought he would give it a try. He asked to borrow a couple of books from her private library, and although some of them he abandoned without a second thought, others he loved, and allowed him to have conversations with Kimiko he didn't think he'd ever have.

Their conversations had always been lighthearted and flirty, and never serious. When they discussed the books they've read, she would always tell him how she could relate to them, what she thought, how she felt. He had gotten closer to her, and he often was eager to delve deeper into her thoughts and know more about her. He'd never known another girl this way, but Kimiko had actually changed him in a way he didn't even notice, a way that she didn't even mean to. But she liked Raimundo more when he opened up to her, and Raimundo knew she liked it. He wanted them to know everything about each other, something he had yet to accomplish with even his best friend.

Raimundo spent his time in the bookstore mindlessly looking through the books, from time to time actually glancing at the book jacket and flipping through it. But he kept his mind on Kimiko, who he wondered if was still home. It didn't matter. He would be in his room all day.

Raimundo didn't buy anything from the book shop. Instead he went straight home and into his room, and he put the sweat and cap on the table, along with all his other materials. With just the needle and the several spools of thread, he spent the night sewing a message to Kimiko he hoped she wouldn't take too lightly.

Not quite the expert at sewing, Raimundo let his perfectionism get the best of him and worked through the rest afternoon, locking his door so he wouldn't be disturbed. Only running on the breakfast he had that morning and the turnover he had soon after, he couldn't help feel hungry when Omi knocked on his door and told him dinner was ready.

Raimundo got up from his work station and unlocked his door, and he walked with Omi to the dining room. Kimiko was absent. "Where's Kim?" he asked, his eyes searching the seats a third time.

"Out with Josh," Dojo responded half-heartedly, clicking his chop sticks before slurping up his noodles without them. Raimundo looked hurt for a couple seconds, but he had expected it. He ate his noodles quietly and thanked whoever prepared the meal, and went back to his room and bolted the door. He turned back to the table and eyed the teddy bear with determination. Raimundo didn't go to sleep until one that Christmas morning.

A loud knocking woke him up, and Raimundo glared harshly at his door before opening it. "Rai," Kimiko smiled brightly at her teammate and snatched his hand. "Come on, let's go meet up with everybody else." Raimundo smiled back at her as she led him into the main room, where everybody was seated next to a large tree, giving shade to several wrapped presents.

Omi bounced in his seat, and eyed the presents hungrily, outstretching his arms toward the tree. "Omi!" Master Fung scolded, slapping Omi's greedy hand away. "Wait until everybody is here and seated," he said quietly, and Omi pouted and left the presents alone. Raimundo and Kimiko arrived and sat down next to one another, and Master Fung nodded at Omi, who dove at the presents.

Kimiko smiled and reached for something that had her name on it, as did Raimundo. Clay called over to Dojo and handed him a small, wrapped gift. "For me?" Dojo asked, fluttering his eyelashes and blushing a deep red mockingly. He opened it and stared at it for a moment before looking at Clay. "A fork," he stated. "You got me a fork."

"I thought you could use one after dinner last night, partner," Clay grinned.

Dojo laughed wildly, slamming his fists on the floor and trembling with laughter. He abruptly stopped and said in monotone, "Oh, you're so funny." Clay laughed and Dojo rolled his eyes. "You, my friend, are a child," he chided. Clay ignored him.

Raimundo ripped open a present of his, labeled, "From Kimiko," and beamed when he saw the video game lying inside. "Josh said you would like it," she smiled, hugging him from behind. "Merry Christmas, Rai."

Raimundo held one of her hands that were wrapped around him. "Merry Christmas, Kimiko," he whispered. They stayed like that for a couple of moments before she finally let go, and he spun his head around just in time to see the blush fade away from her cheeks. He looked down and smiled, not letting her know how much he enjoyed it when she went red. Red. That reminded him. "Stay here, Kimi," he told her, and nearly slipped on the floor as he jogged to his room.

The project he had worked on all that night was still there, perfect and ready. He held it behind his back as he approached Kimiko, who, now that he saw the whole of her from far away, was more perfect than his gift could even hope to be. She sat there patiently, staring at his as he dropped back down on his knees and smiled. She smiled back and tried to look around him to see what he was holding, but he brought it out before she did. He enjoyed her reaction very much.

"Oh, Raimundo!" She gasped, her hand clasped over her mouth. "Did you make this? You made this?" She asked in clear disbelief. Raimundo nodded proudly, and Kimiko gently took what he held from him. She ran her fingers along the porcelain rose glued to the bears paw, and admired the flawless lettering that ran across its chest. "Kimiko," she read out loud. The word was a green that matched the stitching on the shirt, and took minutes simply staring at the bear, feeling it and its cute little hat, and the rose that it held. She took off the cap and widened her eyes when she noticed the words that said, "Merry Christmas," sewn on the inside of the cap in gold. "Wow," she whispered, and looked up at Raimundo, who was glowing. "Do you like it?" he mouthed to her silently. "What do you think?" she mouthed back.

After all the gifts were exchanged, everybody spent some time with each other, sitting in a circle and thanking one another. Eventually they all went back to their rooms, satisfied with what they had received and how the day had played out.

Kimiko had noticed the comma next to her name, sewn with a red that matched the sweater. She had looked all over the bear and thought that the "Merry Christmas," was what was to come after, but just didn't feel happy with that. It occurred to her at that moment, while she was alone in her room, to look under the bear's shirt.

Everything she had been thinking at that moment flew from her mind as she read the silvery lettering sewn into the bear's stomach. She didn't know what to think, or what to do, or especially what she should say now that she's discovered it. Kimiko waited until night fell to walk out into the hall way and knock on Raimundo's door. It wasn't locked.

"Raimundo?" She called softly, opening the door to peek in. Raimundo lied on his bed face up, throwing a small beanie bag into the air. He heard her, and the beanie bag hit the side of his face harshly. He let it slide off his cheek and leaped off his bed, to Kimiko.

"Hey," he said through the crack. Kimiko looked down at the floor, and then back up at him. He opened the door further and let her in, revealing that she held the bear. She wrapped her hand around his and led him out of his room, and outside into the snow. "Kimiko?" he asked, raising his voice above the storm.

She led him to the trees, the spot where they read together in the summer. The bear was still in her hand, Raimundo in the other. "Rai," she said. Raimundo looked at her eagerly, and she inched closer to him, closing the distance between them.

"Yeah?" He asked loudly. He let out a grunt as she hugged him tightly, and he hesitantly bent down so she could rest her head on his shoulder.

"I found it," she whispered quietly. Raimundo sat there nervously, not expecting her to find the message until later. "I found what you wrote me, under the shirt," she told him again, and released him from her hug. He looked at her apprehensively, staring into her large blue eyes, begging her with his own to say something.

The snow fell all around them, the wind whipping it harshly at the couple. They sat there and stared at each other, holding hands, oblivious to whatever happened around them. Raimundo squeezed her hand tighter in anticipation. Kimiko suddenly smiled brightly, happier than he had ever seen her.

"Rai," she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I love you, too." And before he could say anything she kissed him, and they stayed like that for as long as their icy lips could stay together. Heat encased their bodies, and electricity cackled through their veins. The kiss got more passionate the more they realized how they've been waiting for each other so long, especially since that Christmas party three days ago, since that fateful kiss they would both remember for the rest of their lives.

ooooooooooooooo

Sara: And it's finished, finally.

Rane: Took you seven hours to count how many days this story lasted.

Sara: It got confusing, okay? I don't know what I was thinking when I was 12. It was long ago.

Rane: You probably made all the readers think this chapter was going to be full of the characters cursing each other out.

Sara: I think the only people who cursed were us two.

Rane: Good job there.

Sara: Shut up. And that's the end of that, guys. Have a wonderful summer.

Rane: This is so awkward how it's summer and this was during Christmas.

Sara: It's not awkward.

Rane: You're awkward.

Sara: Yeah, okay. Review, if you could. It's been two years, I don't even know if the people who read this are still alive anymore. But yeah guys, Review!