IMPORTANTA/N- Hey Fanfictioners! This is Taylor back with yet another Kickin' It Story! Don't worry, of course I'm still continuing Writers Wanted—by the way thank you all SO MUCH for all the reviews! I read each and every one, even with them not being in my account, and they are amazing! Thank you all, so glad you love the story!

OKAY, about this story…you see I've been hit with a lot of inspiration, so I just HAD to write it. It all started in Social Studies…we were talking about Ancient China, and they're dynasties, and the history of their swords. Then, the next day we played this little scavenger hunt during class, looking for a plastic sword she bought in (yeah, my SS teacher is actually quite fun!). So that's when it hit me! I had to write this…and obviously this is going to be more intense! Not a lot of mystery, but definitely a lot of ADVENTURE, DRAMA, SUSPENSE, HUMOR, and of course…romance. This story is called The Hunt, and I hope you all love it! Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!

PS- No one is co-writing this story with me…this one's all me ;) hahahah

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN KICKIN' IT! Although I wish I did…

KIM

3…2…1…

"BRING!"

With a chorused shriek of joy, papers flew into the air, like giant confetti with the screams of kids reverberating around the entire school. With huge grins plastered on our faces, we sprinted out of the classrooms, spreading our arms out in the air like we were free birds. I honestly was unable to wipe the grin off my face…I was too exhilarated at the moment to even keep a straight face. But when I saw Grace Miller, my best friend, looking for her car, my enthusiastic smile, turned into a sad frown. I went over to Grace, wrapping my arms around her body, with a tear trickling down my face. She hugged me back, squeezing me tight as if she was never able to let go.

"Oh Grace, I'm going to miss you so much!" I said. She squeezed me tighter, reassuringly.

"I'm going to miss you too, Kim." She said with a shake in her voice. "Don't worry, I promise to call you every day for the rest of the summer, and pretty much for the rest of my life." I laughed a bit. I couldn't seem to let go. To me, this felt like the last embrace we would ever share…before she moves away to Miami, Florida. She finally let go, and gave me a smile, rubbing my shoulder comfortingly, as I quickly wiped a dribble of a tear that still remained on my pale face.

"I'll call you at the airport, okay?" She said, with that sweet voice of hers calmly soothing my ears. I nodded and gave her a smile.

"Bye!" I waved, and with a last quick hug, she ran off, out of Seaford High for the last time. I know that the last day of school wasn't a time to necessarily cry, but celebrate and be happy…hence the essays and homework paper confetti that was being flung to the air just moments ago. But how could I not help but allow tears to run down my face? The only "girl-friend" I had was now gone, off to Florida, and never coming back. Visions of meeting her when I was three whirred back to life, replaying in my head like a movie. I lurched my tote bag to my shoulders, and with my head facing to the ground, started walking out of Seaford High…ready to endure an entire summer vacation without my best "girl" friend.

When I felt a hand squeeze my shoulder.

Grace?

I quickly spun my body around, in the hopes of seeing Grace with her beautiful pin-straight brunette locks that flew over her shoulders, her smile curved just in the right way, and her eyes twinkling no matter what light she stands in.

But it wasn't Grace.

What I saw in front of me was yet another brunette…tall, a bit muscular, deep chocolate eyes that can make a girl melt to the floor and a smile that flashes so bright. It was none other than Jack, giving me that affectionate look of his, as if he knew everything just by looking me in the eye. I gave him a small smile, and quickly felt my face, ensuring that there weren't any dry tears still smeared on my rosy cheeks.

"You okay, Kim?" Jack asked. The proximity between me and him was so close that I could feel him breathing on me. I took a small, subtle step back in anxiousness, but still conveying a smile and nod.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said, with a crack of a smile.

"I know it's sad that Grace moved away now, and I know how much it hurts you," He said. "But don't worry about it. She said she'll visit."

"But things are still never going to be the same." I sighed. "I've known Grace my whole life. Don't you think it's a bit weird she just had to leave to Miami just out of the blue? She told me just a few days ago that she's moving, and that it was all of a sudden. Isn't that just…odd?"

"I guess," Jack shrugged. "She probably didn't know how to tell you, that's all. Don't worry Kim…I'm going to make your summer the best summer ever."

I smiled, and laughed. "Oh, so is that a promise?"

He laughed. "Shoosh, yeah! I can and I will make your summer the best one you've ever had…I can prove to you that you don't need Grace, and that you can handle two months…and the rest of your life…without her." He held out a hand for me to shake. "Deal?"

I laughed, and wrapped my fingers around his. "Deal. Let's see how far this fail of a promise goes."

"Oh, you're on." He said, chuckling. For a moment, I stared at the handshake that remained idle, not moving a muscle. It was as if we were holding hands in an odd position. I stared at my hand that was entwined in his, and then stared at him, looking at me with those rich brown, profound eyes. I didn't want to get into a "staring contest" so I simply broke free from the metaphoric chain between my eyes and his, and abruptly released my hand. I didn't want to create any of these "Do I like him or not?" moments. Honestly, it drives me insane…it's like a little bug that sticks in your mind forever, never getting out…never allowing itself to be free; unless we give it the answer it wants.

And honestly…I don't know the answer.

But I do know I can say one thing…Jack is a good friend. It seems like every time he's around, I feel safe, I feel secure, and I feel better. Every time he shows up to me, flaunting off that smile of his, for some reason, my mood turns cheerful. This is something I'll never be able to comprehend…how the teenage mind actually works. How we actually feel about someone. How there's just some of those people in life that makes you feel so happy just with their presence…

Don't get in the moment Kim; don't get in the moment Kim….

Before Jack could say anything (and I'm sure he wasn't, considering how awkward the moment was) Jerry and Eddie swooped by with goofy grins on their face, while Milton and Julie walked towards us, hand in hand looking like those happy couples you see in the old movies (have you seen what Julie wears?).

"Hey, look at the two love birds, having fun, talking it out!" Jerry said high-fiving Eddie. I gritted my teeth.

"It's the last day of school, so I will not kill you," I said slowly, flashing on a fake smile to Jerry, still clenching my teeth and fists. "But watch what you say…or you'll never wish you born…kay?" I said, with the last word coming out like a squeak from a little girl. He nodded his head fiercely.

"Crystal clear." Jerry said.

"Good." I confirmed, smirking.

"Ah, it's so funny how Kim is the one scaring Jerry…when Jerry's the one that scares all of us." Milton said, glaring at him. I laughed.

"Okay, so we got nothing to do today… so I say we watch that new movie that's showing tonight at the theatre!" Eddie said, as we walked out of the school building for the last time. He paused for dramatic effect. "The Paranoid Game."

I shook my head vigorously. Okay, here are some rules I think you'd like to know about Kim Crawford. You can ask me to go and ride King Da Ka. You can ask me to put on a bikini. You can even ask me to stay up for 24 hours straight. And sometimes if you're lucky, you can force me, and I say yes. But you cannot ask me to see or do anything with the "scary" or "haunted" themes in it. By the way…watching Horror Movies fall into this category…

"Aw, is Kim scared for the first time?" Jerry said pouting my lip. I gave him a cold-stone look in the eye.

"I…am…not…scared…" I said firmly. Although, I'm sure judging by the anxiety and pitch in my voice accelerating, they could tell I was lying. You also must be wondering why the oh-so-tough Kim Crawford is afraid of watching scary movies or going to see a Haunted House. Well there's a bit of a history behind that. I'll get into that later on.

"I don't blame her." I heard Julie say, her voice shaking. "I don't want to go either! Milty, you know how I'm scared of scary movies!" She said pouting her lip at Milton. He gave her a caring, geeky smile.

"Don't worry, sweetie you can always cover your eyes and lean on me." Milton smiled. I rolled my eyes. Nerd Love. You just gotta love it.

"Moving swiftly on," Eddie said. "So who wants to see it?"

"Sounds like fun," Jack said. I glared at him.

"Jack! I don't want to see—"

"Hey, part of having 'The Best Summer Ever' is taking risks. And I think for you, this is a risk. C'mon, I'll be next to you the whole time…in case you need a chest to cover your eyes in." Jack said smiling at me, challengingly. I thought about that. The thought of having Jack snuggling up next to me did sound a big nice…but no. Kim Crawford doesn't need anything…she can take risks all by herself. Even though, I'm going to regret this decision for the rest of my life, I hate to admit Jack had a point…if you want to take your mind of things, you have to take risks. Hey, at least I got Jack…and the others of course!

"I'm going to show you that I don't need a chest and that I'm going to watch every moment of it!" I said, smiling jokingly. I turned to Eddie. "I'm in!"

"Count me in! I'm so bringing a girl with me!" Jerry said, running up to girls that were still remaining on the streets to ask them to the movies.

"If Milton's in," Julie said, giving him a flirty smile. "Then I'm in."

"Okay, let's give it a try, my little chemical concoction!" Milton said flirtatiously. I could see the guys' grossed out expressions, which just made me laugh.

"Alright, I'm going to get a date too! I need someone to snuggle up with! And then I'll get the tickets…see you guys in a bit!" Eddie said, running off. Milton and Julie gave us a wave.

"See you in an hour guys! I think you guys need some time alone!" Julie said, giggling a bit. They both sauntered off in the San Jose afternoon, hand in hand as the sun glistened brightly in the sky. I looked at Jack, and he just looked down shyly.

"So," Jack said, covering up the awkward silence. "Since everyone else is getting dates, do you think we should…?"

"Well, don't you think it would be…?"

"Yeah you're probably right it could be—"

"But maybe it won't..."

"Why don't we go as friends?"

I looked up at him, thankful that he finally finished his sentence, rather than trailing off, and making me say answers. But for some reason, I could feel myself slightly growing a bit depressed when he said to go as friends. Did I want this to be a date? Did I want to snuggle up with him? A part of me saying "no of course not" but another part of me saying "yes of course"! I looked up and gave him a smile.

"Yeah…just friends. Why not?" I said, spreading out a feeble smile. He smiled back, seeming to have bought it…although it seemed like his expression had slightly fell. He cleared his throat and faced me with a casual expression.

"So, want to go to the dojo? Let's see if you can beat me today," He said smiling.

"You're on." I said, smiling. With a last glance of the Seaford High campus, we walked to the Bayview strip mall, where the Bobby Wasabi dojo was. At first, Jack and I didn't say anything…all we did was walk in pure silence.

Until my cellphone rang. I stopped walking, and took it out of my pocket and looked at the Caller ID.

Rudy.

"Why is he calling? Wasn't he supposed to have a really important meeting with Bobby or something?" Jack asked. I shrugged, and picked up the phone, confused, wondering why Rudy should call us today of all days.

"Rudy?" I said over the phone.

"Kim!" I heard Rudy's voice slightly shaking. "You, Jack and the rest get over here…now! It's an emergency!"

"Wait, why? Are we in trouble or something? Well, don't look at me, we didn't throw another party." I said, still in the same confusing state of mind.

"You're not in trouble! Just get over here, stat! Make sure you bring everyone!"

"Okay, we were on our way to the dojo anyway…we'll just see you there."

"Bring the guys too! Okay, now I got to go…Tip-Tip thinks that Bobby's beard is a ball of yarn. No Tip-Tip don't…!" And the line went dead. Bewildered, I hung up the phone and looked at Jack at utter confusion.

"What happened?"

"Well, Tip-Tip thinks that Bobby Wasabi's beard is yarn, and now we have to go meet him at the dojo."

"Why?"

"Well if you think about it, Bobby's hair is kind of—"

"No, I mean why did he tell us to meet him there?" Jack laughed at the misunderstanding. "Although, that does make sense. That guy needs to brush his hair."

I laughed. "I don't know…he didn't say. But from the tone of Rudy's voice, it doesn't imply good."

"Well, we better go then…I'll tell the guys." Jack said punching numbers on his phone.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Jack…I've never heard Rudy this…panicked before." I said, recollecting the conversation. Rudy was talking as if the end of the world may be upon us any moment. Possibilities lit up in my head, wondering why Rudy wanted to see us. Is he sick? Are we relocating? Are we having a really big competition or something?

"Kim, I'm sure everything is going to be fine…Rudy's just being the melodramatic guy he is that's all. It's going to be okay." He said, patting my shoulder comfortingly. As he started spreading the word to Milton, Jerry and Eddie and as we started walking to the dojo… the biggest, most fearsome question rang in my head like a fire alarm.

Is our dojo done…for good?

"Glad you all could make it!" Rudy said amiably, theatrically spreading his hands out in the air, with that unconfident laugh of his. We all could tell that he was instantly lying. I let myself spread a half-hearted grin, as we all started walking inside now looking at Rudy's panicked face, and Bobby's stern face. We all exchanged looks of confusion.

"Well? Come on guys, make it quick! We have a movie to get to in an hour! I got myself a pretty hot girl, and I am not going to bail on this date!" Jerry said.

"Rudy, just tell us! What's wrong? Don't get all dramatic…I've already got two hours of drama to sustain later when see 'The Paranoid Game'." Milton said.

"I don't even know…but Bobby told me…" And Rudy made us lean closer. "That it's bad." He hissed. We all rolled our eyes.

"Get it together, man!" Eddie said.

"Bobby what's wrong? And please don't go all dramatic, just spit it out!" Jack said, clearly fed up of this.

"Well, I have actually had a proposal for you all." Bobby began. "You see…I'm awesome." He began, spreading his arms out. We all exchanged looks, of confusion…and idiocy.

"Um," I said. "How does that help exactly?"

"Look, thanks to my awesomeness, I got my agent back, after…endless hours of constant arguing." He said. "So, that means I could finally rise to my fame again! I'm dancing in my pajamas, thinking I'm the most awesome guy in the world…and then I get news…bad news."

"And the bad news is…?" Jack said impatiently.

"My priceless Miao Dao sword has been stolen! It was used in the Ming Dynasty and it had the Wasabi Code engraved on it…In Chinese!"

"In Chinese?" Rudy wailed.

"Yes!" Bobby said. "Then I went to my agent, and he said he knew where it was…but he wouldn't tell me. Instead, he wants to get my career back by putting on a contest."

A contest? The thought of that sounded a bit intriguing. It would be an elating, spine-tingling, uplifting summer adventure…but I couldn't possibly yes to this. I'd rather just relax at home, flip through the pictures of me and Grace, eat pints of cookie-dough ice cream, and cry. I know with Jack, Milton, Jerry and Eddie I feel somewhat cheerful…but not even 300 Jacks could make me forget about my best friend. But…would this contest help?

"A contest to find your Me-Ow Da-o sword?" Jerry said, snapping me out of my train of thought. I almost laughed at his attempt on a Chinese word.

"Yes." Bobby said. "A competition against the other Bobby Wasabi dojos…in search of the Wasabi Miao Dao sword. You have 21 days to find me that sword. The winning dojo will receive a grand check for fifty thousand dollars and the chance to visit any destination around the world for one week. The question is up to you…and the answer must all be unanimously yes. Then I can give you the envelope to the first clue. Now…take your time to decide there is no rush."

"Oh!" Rudy sighed in relief. "That's good, because we're going to need—"

"I was just being kind. You gotta decide now!" Bobby said. "I'm depending on you guys. The fate of that priceless ancient Chinese artifact lies in your hands. And once you're in…you're in." I gave an annoyed look at Bobby. Rudy pulled us aside, and faced us with an apprehensive look.

"So, do you guys agree to help find the Miao Dao sword?" Rudy asked. "I'll only say yes if you guys do. This is all on you."

"Of course I'll do it!" Milton said. "The Ming Dynasty was the most imperative dynasty in all of Ancient China, with one of the most—"

"I'm taking that a yes!" Rudy yelled, beckoning him to shut up. "Jerry, Eddie what about you?"

"Well, I think this little scavenger hunt could be pretty exciting!" Eddie said. "We get to travel around, eat new food, meet new girls, and eat new food—"

"Jerry, what about you?" Rudy interrupted again.

"Count me in! Finding priceless artifacts…totally swag." Jerry said, obviously trying too hard to be nonchalant about this. But I could tell from Jerry's juxtaposed expression, it was hard to tell if he was either really excited, or really fretful. I turned to Rudy who showed held up three of his fingers.

"Alright Jack…what about you?" Rudy fixed his pulsating eyes on Jack, eagerly waiting for his response. Of course Jack gave a confirmed, solid nod, causing Rudy to jump up and down like a little, sticking up on more fingers. I almost rolled his eyes…it was the typical thing Jack would do. He's the "never-say-never" boy that sometimes makes you smile. I can't believe I just said that.

"If it means finding an antique that's important to Bobby Wasabi…then I'm in." He said. Now Rudy fixed those same vivid eyes on me.

"What about you, Kim? It's all on you." Rudy said. I opened my mouth, trying to say something but no words came out. I dreaded this moment. How I wish this was a majority-rules rather than a solid, unanimous answer. I wanted to say no. I wanted to say that I'd rather keep things simple, and have an average teenage-girl summer vacation. In other words, and I know, this even sounds selfish to me but…I wanted to let Bobby down.

Jack stepped in and gingerly pulled me aside. "Come on Kim, we can do this. We can figure out these clues, and get that sword…together. I promised you The Best Summer Ever…and that's what I'm going to give you." He said, closer to me than ever. I looked into those effervescent, genuine brown eyes…

That's what made me give in.

I sighed and went back to Rudy. He waited eagerly for my response, as did the rest of the guys. I let out a deep, slow breath, mentally scanning if I'm going to make the right decision when saying yes. Was I? Is this what I want to do this summer? Go on an intense scavenger hunt, and find something that existed before Christ? Something that, if in the wrong hands, could be the most perilous? I looked at Jack once more, and all he did was give me pleading nod. Now I know…

I'm doing the right thing.

I nodded firmly, letting a huge smile spread across my face. "I'm in!"

The guys cheered, and Jack smiled, throwing his arms around me quickly, which made me laugh. Milton, Jerry and Eddie also gave me a huge bear hug…they seemed to be thankful just by me saying two words…I'm in. So far, I'm not regretting this decision.

Hopefully that continues.

Bobby came in, giving us a smile…although there was something in that smile that didn't seem right. The way it awkwardly curved on his slightly wrinkled face, and the way his eyes twinkled didn't look good. There was a twinge of…angst, or guilt that soaked on his lips, as he gave us that desultory smile. As if that I made the wrong decision.

What you did was good, Kim…don't start regretting it. Jack hugged you for crying it loud! It should be worth it!

"Alright, so it's settled." Bobby said, spreading his hands out in the air. "You have officially entered the Miao Dao Scavenger Hunt! Now…the first clue will be delivered to you by hand tomorrow during the first gathering. The contest officially starts tomorrow morning at 3 P.M. You are the last dojo of mine I have approached, so all the other dojos have gotten the news already."

"How many dojos are competing with us?" Milton asked.

"I believe...twenty? Yes twenty dojos, out of the forty!" He said. "The rest are whimps."

"So, when do we have to be at the first meeting?" I asked.

"Oh, that starts at 11. You'll get to know who you're up against, and then the race begins from there. And don't worry lunch is on us.

"YES!" Eddie yelled with glee.

"Ooh, this is going to be exciting!" Bobby said, adjusting his beard. "I can almost taste the fear…or that could be some of the leftover sauce that's still in my mustache from my hoagie."

"Uh guys," Jerry said, his eyes slightly widening as he looked at his watch. "The movie, remember? It starts in fifteen minutes! We gotta pick up our dates! See ya Bobby!" And with that, Milton, Jerry and Eddie bursted out the door, running in different directions in search of the girls that I know are going to end up dumping them by the end of the movie. I shook my head playfully in discontent.

"Alright then…I'm assuming you two should be heading off. Movie dates are the most romantic after all. I would know when I acted in that movie of mine…." –He paused for dramatic effect here—"The Theatre Wars."

"Oh, we aren't going on a date," Jack said, shaking his head. I shook my head vigorously as well.

"Just friends." I confirmed. "Who have total platonic feelings for eachother, and have nothing going on." I started laughing uneasily after that, when Jack nudged my arm.

"Dial it down." He hissed. I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, well I'll see you all tomorrow at The First Meeting! May the force be with you!" He said, and with a flip of his hair sauntered off the dojo. Rudy seemed to have been taken aback.

"Nobody rips off from Star Wars, while I'm in the room!" Rudy wailed. "I'll show him the force!" Jack and I rushed towards him as Rudy began charging to Bobby Wasabi.

"Rudy, Rudy it's okay, calm down!" I said, tightly gripping my hands on his shoulders. "Stop freaking out!"

"Sorry," He said apologetically. He sighed. "I mean, pfft, you know I'm a big Star Wars fan. I even have Star Wars underpants. Wanna see?"

"Uh!" Jack said, holding Rudy's wrists tight so he couldn't move it. "Pass, but thanks! C'mon Kim, let's go to the movies."

"See you tomorrow Rudy," I waved. "And, we're going to win this Scavenger Hunt, don't worry about it."

"I know you will, because you never let me down!" Rudy said smiling. I smiled back, pleased at the good amount of trust he had towards us…for once.

"Aw, thanks Rudy that means—"

"So don't let me down, got it?" Rudy yelled, eyeballing me.

"Crystal?" I said questioningly. With that, I ran off to catch up with Jack.

"What was that all about?" He asked, laughing. I laughed along with him.

"Oh, just plain old Rudy, you know, the same mood he's in after he gets some kind of proposal from Bobby Wasabi…a little mood I'd like to call being a creepy idiot."

Jack laughed. "Well, speaking of creepiness, ready to endure more creepiness when we watch 'The Paranoid Game'."

"No, but considering I was about to see Rudy's Star Wars boxers, I think I'll be able to watch a scary movie." I said, smiling at Jack, as we started walking to the theatre. I could faintly see Milton and Julie, Jerry and a girl I couldn't make out, and Eddie…also with an unfamiliar girl.

"Don't worry…if the oh-so-tough Crawford ever gets scared, she can always snuggle up with me." Jack said. I shoved him playfully.

"Yeah, right." I said, laughing unceasingly. However, judging by what we Wasabi Warriors have got ourselves into, I can still unfortunately picture myself crying or whimpering in chest. I hated to admit...but that's the truth.

Let's put it this way:

About 3 things I was absolutely positive on.

1. Based on the tingles that run down my spine every time I see Jack, I think I might or possibly could have very little feelings towards him.

2. We just got entered in a deadly game of a Scavenger Hunt.

3. This summer was probably going to be the biggest one I've ever faced.

A/N- Ta Da! Hahahah! Loll, hope you guys liked the story! As you can see I'm trying really hard to get rid of the clichés! I'm sorry if there are still some of those! Please review, and tell me what you think! And btw…once you're hooked on this story…just like the scavenger hunt…there's no going back.

Oooo.

Haha! That's the new motto for this story, LOLL! Please REVIEW! Thank you guys so much for reading! Got a lot planned for y'all! I'll be starting an Austin and Ally fanfic really soon, and the sequel for Halloween Thief (if you guys still want it).

Peace. Love. Happiness.

-Taylor