I'm on a role here! Well I have decided have a go at writing a chaptered story. I'll try to update at least once a week but I cant gaurentee aything, at least for the next two weeks or so but I'll try my best. I plan for this to be pretty steamy but we'll see. I've been toying with the idea of a lemon but I've never written one before so if I do write one it will probably be pretty awful. Ah well everyone sucks the first time right? Lol

Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 1

Kimiko yawned tiredly. She glanced around the room from her table, sizing up the guests. They were clustered in groups, talking animatedly. A man shook hands with another cheerily. A woman constantly fawned over another's dress, throwing out complements as if she were tossing rice at a wedding. Nothing but smiles were exchanged and only honey dripped from their mouths. The room was bright and big, the white and lilac color scheme making the lavish ballroom look twice its grand size. Designer dresses twirled about the dance floor and expensive champagne went down throats encased in diamonds and platinum. Light music flitted through the room, a waltz perfectly suited for the occasion. Such was the life of carless grandeur that the wealthy lived in.

It was a mask, really. Just a mask to hide grotesque monsters. It isn't obvious at a glance. It looks wonderfully inviting but Kimiko knew the truth. This was nothing but folly. The man was shaking hands with the one whose business he had purposefully caused to fail. It left room for his own company to buy it out, making millions in the process. The other doesn't know this yet but he will get the news tonight. A phone call will be made at the hotel where he is languishing with his mistress and he will go home to his trophy wife and lonely children to tell them that their lives have ended. He wife will leave him to live with her boyfriend, the children will despise him, and his mistress will have no reason to stay. By the end of the month he will have put a gun in his mouth and died a lonely death in a shabby apartment downtown, a bankrupt man with four lines in the newspaper for remembrance.

That woman is sleeping with the man married to the woman whose dress she is extolling enthusiastically. The poor thing has no idea that the reason her husband will not be at the house when she gets home is not because of an unexpectedly longer business meeting, but rather because he is enthusiastically ravishing the flesh of the new friend she has just made. Kimiko pitied the woman. Anna was her name. She was married to Richard Warden, the young suave CEO of Warren co., a very powerful oil company based in the United Kingdom. Kimiko was sort of friends with Anna. The woman was new to this world and was completely oblivious to the grime. Richie, as she liked to call him, had swept her out of her waitress apron, literally. The man had managed to coerce her into the back alley of the restaurant to have his way with her. That would have been the end of that had she not wound up with child. The two had been married within months. Anna had gushed to her about now much Richard loved her enough to marry her and embrace his new and unexpected family. Anna called it love at first sight but Kimiko called saving face for an old and prominent family, after all their child was barely a month od and he was already seducing others to the alley.

She should probably be making an attempt to be social, for her father's sake at least. He was the only reason she still went to these things after all. His company was very prominent in high society so the man was hard pressed to keep up a good image, hence the reason why he was hosting this charity banquet. Naturally he begged Kimiko to attend. He should have known that she wouldn't refuse. She attends every important function her family is invited to when she can. In fact, she is the only one out of the four monks who is allowed such freedom to leave China when she pleases. Fung had said that ones devotion to their family is one of the most important virtues a person can have and helping the family business was included in that. The boys were slightly jealous, she knew, of the fact that they were forced to stay and work while she got to go to fun exciting parties of glamour.

'Fun indeed,' she thought with a wry smile as she spied another middle-aged woman trying to seduce the bartender. Her father had insisted on an open bar and the poor young man manning the counter looked completely at a loss on how to deal with the overzealous females who had been hounding him all night. Kimiko briefly considered going to help the poor boy out of his predicament. She was a Xiaolin monk after all and helping the innocent from the claws of misfortune was part of the job, even if the evildoers were just enthusiastic cougars. Plus, it would relieve the incessant boredom that had been plaguing her all night. This plan was ruined, however, when she spotted a figure quickly approaching her. Kimiko froze and resisted the urge to flee form the table when the young man stopped in front of her with what she assumed was supposed to be a seductive smile. He placed his arm on the back of her chair before leaning down above her.

" Ohayo, Kimi-Chan," he said in probably the most cheesy, clichéd seductive tone she had ever heard in her life. Kimiko nearly gagged at the foreigner's sad attempt to speak in her native tongue and the informal way in which he greeted her.

"Konichiwa, Neely-San," she replied with annoyance. Mr. Neely gave her an expression of mock affront.

"Why, Kimiko I thought we were on a first name basis long ago, why greet me with such formality? I must insist you call me Ed."

Kimiko forced a strained smile to spread across her face. She had to remain calm because Tim's father was one of her father's top investors, second only to another in financial aid. They were already on shaky ground with the Neely's after the marriage ordeal. When she was little her father had wanted to secure his budding company's investments. The best way to do this would have been to have Kimiko join the family of one of his investors through marriage. His top investor, single and with no family to give Kimiko trouble, would have been perfect but the man had respectively declined the offer on the gounds of the wide age gap that would be between them when Kimiko came of age. The next best choice was Edward Neely, whose father owned the most prominent banking company in America, and who was only three years older than Kimiko. The two children had met and gotten along well enough and both families heartily agreed with the match, so the arrangement was made. Unfortunately, when Kimiko turned thirteen she had been invited to the Xiaolin temple as the new dragon of fire. Her father, after learning the importance of her duty to the world, agreed to allow her to leave. Monks could not marry so naturally the arranged marriage made barely five years ago was canceled.

Needless to say, the Neely's were not pleased and the canceled marriage was quite the scandal. Many people simply could not understand why she would leave her obligations to devote herself to a life of service and poverty. They looked down on her and she could hear the whispers of "temple urchin" and "kung foo monkey" to this day. Surprisingly, Edward's father did not back out of his investment saying that the business worth of Mr. Tohomiko's company was simply greater than a failed engagement. Unfortunately for Kimiko, Edward simply refused to leave her alone. He was determined to marry her and become the heir of the company. They may have been good friends as children but his attitude completely soured. He was handsome enough, with golden blond hair and baby blue eyes, but in all her twenty years Kimiko had never met anyone so obnoxiously awful. And to think, had she not gone to the temple she would probably be married to this bastard by now.

"I'm sorry if I offend you Mr. Neely," Kimiko replied with the most demure tone she could muster, "but I am simply not comfortable with such familiarity, we don't have that kind of relationship anymore you see."

Edward leaned in closer and she could smell the garlic from the overpriced pasta that had been served for dinner.

"I hope that changes very soon." He replied barely above a whisper, his garlic breath fanning across her face. He bent his head down to kiss her neck, exposed by her elaborate up-do, before she lightly pushed him away politely.

"Mr. Neely," she said after he reached his full height again with a frown, "You must know that my situation prevents such a thing."

She stood up and faced Edward, her cherry red gown billowing around her legs.

"I really must be going. It was lovely speaking with you." She said, turning to leave him.

A hand tightly grasping her forearm prevented her from doing so. She turned back to see Edward wearing a charming smile once again. He gestured to the ballroom floor where the last song was finishing up.

"I must insist on a dance before you go." He said with a gleam in his eyes that she didn't particularly care for.

"I'm sorry but I must decline, I have a prior engagement." She replied trying her hardest not to rip her arm out of his grasp and dislocate his shoulder in the process.

"I insist." He replied, beginning to tug her towards the dance floor.

He was practically dragging her to the point where Kimiko decided to be assertive. She tugged her arm out of his hand with the least amount of strength she could and frowned at up at him. He loomed over her, being over six feet tall, but she was undaunted.

"I appreciate the offer Mr. Neely, I really do but I need to be somewhere." She said with urgency, desperate to avoid him.

He looked unconvinced.

"Where do you have to be?" he asked with a frown as if he knew she was avoiding him on purpose. "Perhaps," he added slyly, "I could escort you there."

Kimiko desperately racked her brain for an excuse that would not require his presence. She heard a waltz, slow and romantic starting and she realized she was running out of time. Then, suddenly, she spied a couple walking onto the dance floor and was struck with an idea.

"I have a dance." She said.

"A dance?"

"Yes, I promised someone a dance."

He looked unconvinced and eyed her skeptically.

"Really?" he said, "With whom?"

Kimiko froze and Edward gave her a triumphant look. She searched around desperately but already knew it was futile.

"Yes, I do." she said nervously.

He looked like a predator that had just trapped his prey.

"With who, Kimiko?" He pressed. He moved to grab her arm again but a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks.

"With me."

Edward angrily turned his head to look at the offender. Kimiko froze, her face going pale. Standing there, wearing a tux and an equally sexy smirk was Chase Young.

Chapter One: Complete!

In case anyone is confused about the japanese part: Tim greeted Kimiko with Ohayo. THis is a very informal greeting reserved for friends so it was very rude for Tim to greet Kimiko in such a manner since they are only acquaintances. Thats why she was so insulted. The suffix -chan is rude for a similar reason. Kimiko greets him with the proper degree of formality. -San is the proper suffix for Tim. It is the polite equivalent of Mr. in english. Just clearing that up.

Love it? Hate it? Leave a review and let me know. THey brighten up my day considerably.

Untill next time!