Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Castaways ❯ Stormy Seas ( Chapter 3 )

I got my first flame. Cool.

Disclaimer: You know it, I don't own it.

The next day, the ferry port was a seething mass of high school graduates, all anxious to get on the boat and be on their way. Among them were the family and friends they were given permission to bring along, and since it was only for the seniors, no one under the age of eighteen could come, with the exception of those that were under-age graduates. The parents weren't able to come either, which lead to a bit of a protest, but the owner of the boat reassured them they will be in the utmost care with the security he has on board. Everyone had at least three or four bags full of personal items and clothes with them, which meant security check was sure to be a bit of a hassle.

"Anyone see Iori anywhere?" Takeru asked, looking around the crowd.

"I can't see a thing with all of these heads in the way," Miyako said, slightly annoyed. "Ken, do you see him?"

"Do you want to know the answer to that question?" Ken asked.

"Where's Daisuke?" Hikari asked.

"Late, as usual," Takeru said.

"That's probably the only other thing that hasn't changed about him," Miyako said.

"What hasn't changed about me?" a voice asked behind them. They turned around to see Daisuke walking up with Iori and Rosa. "Took you guys long enough to get here. I thought you would have gotten lost."

"Daisuke how long have you been here?" Ken asked.

"Since 8:15," Daisuke replied, smiling. "I came here with Iori and Rosa."

"Wow, for the first time in his life, Daisuke is on time for something other than a soccer game," Miyako teased.

"Shut up, meathead-AAAH!!!" Daisuke was cut off as a strong punch found its way to his ribs, doubling him over.

"You knuckle brain, you tried to leave me!" said a slender, readhead girl.

"I nearly got away with it too," Daisuke croaked out, standing up while holding his ribs. "That wasn't necessary."

"You'll be alright."

Daisuke glared at the girl. "Guys, this is Saki. Saki, guys," he introduced quickly.

"Uh, nice to meet you," Miyako said, slightly stunned.

"Likewise," Saki said, grinning. She turned to Takeru, who was staring at her. "Hey, Takeru."

"Huh? Oh, um, hi," Takeru stammered, breaking from the trance he was in. "How do you know my name?"

"High school. You may not remember me, but I remember you quite well."

Hikari didn't like the way Saki was talking to Takeru, and for some odd reason she couldn't explain, she didn't like the way she hit Daisuke. Hikari felt a tinge of jealousy run through her. The funny thing was, even though it was over Takeru, her jealousy leaned more over to Daisuke.

"How do you know Daisuke?" Hikari asked, doing her best to keep her voice calm.

"We've known each other since first grade," Saki replied, draping an arm around Daisuke's neck. Hikari felt another sting of jealousy run through her.

"So are you two uh..." Rosa asked, sweeping her fingers at them.

"No, no, no," they said, separating from each other and shaking their heads.

"No, we're just friends," Daisuke said. Hikari felt herself relax a bit, although she was still mad over the way she talked to Takeru, as if she knew him all her life. What's more, Takeru was STARING at her! This was a matter that she would have to address later.

'Wait a minute, why am I getting apprehensive over Daisuke?' Hikari thought to herself.

"MAY I HAVE EVERYONE'S ATTENTION, PLEASE," someone said on a megaphone. Everyone turned towards the front of the port.

"GOOD MORNING, GRADUATING SENIORS OF ODAIBA HIGH SCHOOL," said the speaker, getting a bit of feedback from the megaphone. A few people snickered. "AS YOU ALL KNOW, THIS TRIP IS A GRADUATING PRESENT FOR MY SON, DAN HIBIKI. THE BOAT YOU SEE BEHIND ME IS MY YACHT THAT I HAD BUILT TWO YEARS AGO."
 
 Everyone looked up at the massive vessel, amazed by its size.  "That's a big-ass yachit," Saki muttered.

"Looks more like a cruise ship," Daisuke said in kind.
 
"THIS LOOKS LIKE A CRUISE SHIP, BUT A BIT SMALLER THAN A REGULAR ONE, AND IS CAPABLE OF FITTING YOU ALL ON IT. I WASN'T SURE HOW MANY STUDENTS WERE IN MY SON'S GRADUATING CLASS, SO I BUILT MORE ROOMS THAN EXPECTED, WHICH IS WHY I SAID YOU COULD BRING AS MANY FRIENDS AS YOU WANT. I HAVE TAKEN THE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS TO ENSURE THAT YOU WILL HAVE A SAFE TRIP, SO YOU WON'T HAVE TO WORRY. THERE WILL BE NO DRINKING ON MY YACHT, SO I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THE PUNCH BEING SPIKED AT THE GRADUATION PARTY LATER ON TONIGHT."

A few groans, followed by more snickering could be heard in a small section of the crowd. "Make sure you double check them," Mr. Hibiki told one of his security guards, pointing towards them. "AS YOU GO ON BOARD, MY SECURITY WILL BE CHECKING YOU FOR ANYTHING ILLEGAL. THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE POCKET KNIVES, THOUGH THEY WILL BE CONFISCATED IF USED IMPROPERLY. YOUR LUGGAGE WILL ALSO BE SCANNED FOR ANYTHING AS WELL. WE SET SAIL AT NOON, SO PLEASE COOPERATE, SO WE CAN GET THROUGH THIS AS QUICKLY AND AS PAINLESS AS POSSIBLE. THANK YOU."

"I think he's more anxious to go on the ship than we are," Iori said.

"It's his ship, of course he's going to be anxious," Daisuke said. "Mimi would probably die for something like this."

"Assuming that Koushiro hasn't already got it for her," Hikari said.

"As much money as he's got, I wouldn't be surprised," Ken said.

"Oh, Ken..." Miyako sang, grinning at him.

"Don't even think about it."
***********************
The security check went well, aside from the bickering of a few troublemakers. As everyone boarded the yacht, they couldn't help but gaze at how grand it was. Fully ten stories high, one-hundred-eighty feet wide and more than four hundred feet long, it fell just a few hundred feet short of a regular cruise ship, but it was the perfect size for everyone on board. It had three decks: The main one at the bottom, the second one above the third floor, and the top one on the sixth floor. There were a total of six hundred rooms, one hundred on each floor, which was enough to fit the three hundred or so graduates, plus their friends, which came out to a total of four hundred fifty. The sixth floor was mainly comprised of the ship's bridge, the control deck, and the captain's quarters. He even had a weather watcher station built on the same floor to track the weather. Each deck had benches and lawn chairs parked here and there so people could relax. Below decks was comprised of lots of activity rooms. There was a lounge room that contanied a pool table and a big screen TV with lots of movies, an indoor pool and sauna which got heat from the engine room, juice bar, gym, arcade room, dining hall, and much more, all absolutely free. Mr. Hibiki took the liberty of bolting everything down to the floor to prevent them from sliding all over the place should anything happen. Any items that weren't stationary, like the weights and drinks, were put in special cases that prevented them from being tossed around when not in use. All in all, there wasn't any boredom to be had on the trip.

It was around noon when everything was set up. Everyone was ready to start sailing, but no one could have been more happier than Mr. Hibiki. He chuckled to himself excitedly as he felt the engines rev up from down below.

"Purring like a kitten," he said, looking out the window of the ship's bridge. He tilted his Admiral's hat up and stuck his pipe in his mouth.

"I thought you didn't smoke?" one of his officers asked.

"I don't," he said. "I just wanted something to chew on. Besides, it makes me look dashing, does it not?"

"You look dashing enough," said his wife, walking up behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist. "You don't need anything that pertains to something that will give you cancer."

"After all these years, you still know how to make me blush," Mr. Hibiki said, feeling his face heat up slightly.

"Just doing my duty as a wife," Mrs. Hibiki said, looking up at him and smiling. He smiled back at her.

"Are we ready to go?" he asked his crew.

"Yes sir!" they all said in unison.

"Raise the ramp!" he commanded a crewman.

"Aye, Cap'n!"

The sound of a rotor could be heard as the automatic ramp rose up to a close.

"Status report!" he commanded another.

"Everything is in working order, cap'n."

"What's the weather like?"

"Skies are all clear. Perfect sunny day."

"What about tonight?"

"No report yet."

"Hmm. We'll just have to tough it out and wait until then. Alright! Full speed ahead! Let's get this thing on the open sea!"

A loud, deep-bass horn was heard over the noise of the crowd as the "yacht" slowly took off from the port. The graduates waved goodbye to their parents who, in some cases, were somewhat glad to see them go, for reasons that weren't very innocent. As the ship got under way, things started settling down. Everyone picked their own room; some, two to a room, others by themselves, and after they settled down and unpacked their stuff, they went about the deck and below deck to check things out. Some went to the lounge area to play pool, or watch movies on the big screen TV, others were in the considerably large indoor pool, swimming and relaxing. There was a medium sized dance room that opted for a club, and a large group of people were there now, dancing to some rave music. Daisuke was in the gym, inside a small room with padded squares everywhere. He had his training gear on- a white karate uniform with a black belt tied around his waist- and was practicing Ba Gua. Takeru was on the basketball court with a few of his friends, showing off his skills. Ken and Miyako were enjoying a walk around the deck, observing the grad party setup for that night. Iori was in the arcade room, where a challenge to Soul Calibur III was being held, and Rosa and Hikari were at the juice bar, talking about...whatever.

"So how have things been with you and Iori?" Hikari asked.

"It's been fun, so far," Rosa said. "No complaints at least."

"How long have you two been together?"

"Since about...I believe tenth grade now. He's gotten so handsome from when I first saw him. Remember that bowl cut he always had in his head?"

"Yeah," Hikari chuckled. "It made his head look bigger than it was supposed to!" They laughed for a little bit.

"How are you and Takeru doing?"

"We're doing just fine, aside from how strange he's been acting these past few days."

"What do you mean?"

"He keeps acting like he wants to tell me something, but doesn't. When I ask him about it, he changes the subject. Sometimes he would leave all afternoon without telling me where he went. Doesn't that seem kinda strange to you?"

"...I suppose," Rosa said, wanting to change the subject before she accidentally told Hikari the truth. "What do you think about Saki?"

"Who, that girl that hit Daisuke?"

"Yeah."

Hikari stared at her juice glass with a dark look on her face. "I don't trust her," she said.

"Why not?" Rosa asked, rasing an eyebrow.

"Did you hear the way she was talking to Takeru?"

"All she said was hi."

"Yeah, but she said it in a seductive way! Not only that, Takeru was looking at her like a hound dog."

"He was probably just wondering who she was."

"With that kind of look? Come on!"

"I don't see the big deal in it."

"Oh sure! You don't see YOUR boyfriend oogling some other girl, do you?"

"I wouldn't really have to worry about it. Iori told me his grandfather taught him a lot when he was young. Being a man was one thing."

"Hmph. All I'm saying is that Daisuke had better keep his 'friend' on a leash. Because the next time I catch her looking at Takeru, I'm gonna-"

"What?" said a voice behind them. Both girls turned around to see Saki standing behind them, grinning lightly.

"Oh, hi Saki," Rosa said, sweatdropping.

"Hiya," Saki said, waving at her. She turned back to Hikari. "What was it that you were planning to do to me if I were to stare at your boyfriend again?"

"You want to find out?" Hikari asked in a low tone.

"Not really," Saki said, still grinning. "I have other things to worry about."

"Like who's the next guy you're going to steal?"

"Okay, that was low."

"How long were you standing behind us?"

"Long enough."

"So...are you enjoying the trip so far?" Rosa cut in, trying to prevent things from escalating.

"I'd enjoy it more if I had a dildo and a magazine. Other than that, it's going okay."

Hikari and Rosa looked at her wide-eyed. "Why are you talking like that?!" Hikari asked her, standing up abruptly.

"Like what?"

"Do you really like pointing out that stuff?"

"What? Masturbation?"

"See? You're doing it again! That's stuff that you talk about in private, not when people are around!"

"I'm sorry, your virgin ears can't handle things like that, can they?" Saki cooed.

Rosa started chuckling, but sobered up when Hikari glared at her.

"I am not a virgin!" Hikari yelled.

"Well, you sure do act like one."

"I DO NOT!!"

Everyone at the juice bar turned to stare at Hikari. Hikari turned red from embarrassment. "Sorry," she said as everyone returned to what they were doing.

"Someone should warn Takeru about your temper," Saki said, laughing lightly.

"You'd better stay away from him," Hikari said vehemently, pointing a finger in Saki's face.

"You know, normally when someone puts their finger in my face, they end up on the ground. But I like you, so I won't do it."

"I'd like to see you try," Hikari said darkly, getting in her face.

"Don't push your luck," Saki said, grinning. She stepped around Hikari and went up to the bar. "Besides, this is neither the time or place. Can I have a wildberry smoothie to go, please?" The bartender fixed her drink and handed it to her. "Thank you," she said, getting a straw. "See you girls later." She waved back at them as she left the bar. Hikari stood there for a moment, fuming. After a few seconds she turned back to the bar and sat down with a huff. Rosa stared at her for a minute.

"Uh, you okay?" she asked carefully.

"I'M FINE!" Hikari screamed. Everyone looked at her again. "STOP STARING AT ME!" She got up and stomped out of the bar.

"It's been a long day," Rosa said to everyone, following her out the door.
*********************
"Well, that passed the time," Daisuke said, walking out of the gym. It was around 3:00, and they still had about three or four hours before the party was to begin. Daisuke had just finished sparring with someone who thought he was Mr. Get Bad. Daisuke made him tap out five times in Judo before he gave up. "Now I'm all stinky. Oh well." He went up the stairs leading to the first deck, stopping when he got there to let the cool sea breeze play against his skin. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

'Never knew how nice sea air felt,' he thought, opening his eye again. 'I should try to enjoy this more.' He began walking towards his room, which was on the second deck. As he was heading towards the stairs, he happened to pass Saki's room.

'I haven't seen her all day,' he thought. 'Wonder what she's up to?' He walked up to her door to knock on it, but as he got close, he thought he heard someone moaning, and a faint, distinct, buzzing sound.

'Oh, you have got to be kidding me,' he thought. He leaned his ear on the door. Sure enough, he heard the moaning and the buzzing clearly. He turned away from the door, laughing silently.

'No way!' he thought. 'How did she manage to sneak that on board?' He looked back at the door, contemplating whether he should end her fun or not. 'Why not?'

"Mmm..." Saki moaned as she rubbed the silver vibrator against her opening and pinched her clit with her fingers. She slowly pushed the vibrator in, moving her hips at the same pace. Her breathing pace quickened and she bit her lip as she came close to her climax.

WHAM! Something slammed hard into the door. Saki fell off the bed with a yelp, and the vibrator went skidding across the floor.

"Ow," she groaned, getting up off the floor while holding her head. "Whoever this is, is going to wish they were never born!" She snatched up her shorts and underwear from the floor, pulled them on, and stormed up to the door. "Whoever you are, you're about to get-" she opened the door to reveal Daisuke laughing his head off. "Daisuke?! What in the world are you doing?!"

"Did you make him say your name?" Daisuke asked, still laughing.

"I ought to kick your-" she said, throwing playful punches at him, which he blocked. "Why did you do that?"

"Think of it as payback for hitting me in the ribs this morning."

"That's not fair! You could have got me back another way."

"Ah, you'll be alright."

"Whatever. Where are you coming from?"

"The gym."

"Good grief, you stay in the gym."

Daisuke shrugged. "It's relaxing," he said.

"I don't know if I can count a gym full of sweaty, overconfident muscleheads relaxing, but, to each his own I guess."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing. Mind if I ask you a question?"

"What's up?"

"Is Hikari always that temperamental?"

"What did you tell her?" Daisuke asked in an exasperated tone.

"I didn't tell her anything. I just happend to walk in on her and that spanish chick talking about me looking at Takeru. She threatened me, saying if I was to look at her boyfriend again, she would do something to me."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing; I said she was a virgin, and she got mad at me."

"You have to admit, that was pretty low."

"Hey, she was talking to me like I was some whore. If you ask me, that was pretty low itself. Personally, I don't know what you see in her."

"It's a lot of things about her that I love. I guess I understand her better than you do."

"Well, that's pretty obvious. Was Takeru really staring at me?"

"I don't know. I wasn't paying attention."

"Oh. Where are you headed off to right now?"

"Take a shower and get ready for tonight."

"Can I join you?"

"No!"

"Relax, I was just joking. I have to get ready myself, anyway."

"Okay. I'll see you later tonight."

"Uh-huh," Saki said, closing the door. Daisuke waited by the door, leaning his ear on it. After a minute, he heard the buzzing sound again.

'Hoo boy,' he thought as he left her door.
*****************
Around 7:00 everyone was at the back of the ship. The decorations for the party was finished, and the party was in full swing. The stage, which was sort of a makeshift due to lack of space, stood about five feet off the ground, measured twenty-five feet in length, and was made of metal with a green covering on top. The awning overhead had a banner attatched to it that said: CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF '10. The band that was currently on stage was playing a song called Scotty Doesn't Know, which happened to become a popular song all over the world. In the back, behind everyone, was a long table that had snacks and drinks set on it. Lights were strewn everywhere, lighting up the whole deck. Daisuke was at the snack table, leaning up against it with a shotglass of punch in his hand. He bobbed his head to the music and watched as people danced around like maniacs.

"Why aren't you out there?" Saki asked, walking up next to him.  She had changed into a pair of dark green cargo pants, matching camouflage shirt, and black shoes.

"There's no point of me being out there and making a fool of myself," he said. "I think I've done that enough already."

"So you're donning on the Mr. Calm, Cool, Collected persona now?"

"Not really. I just don't feel like dancing."

"Well, you do whatever you want. I'm gonna go have fun." With that, she jumped into the dancing crowd with a whoop of joy. Daisuke watched as she melted easily into the throng of party goers.

'Weirdo,' he thought, grinning. He looked down at his glass. 'Why in the world did he give us shotglasses anyway?'

"Takeru, I'm serious. You've been acting strange for these past few days, and I want to know why!" Hikari exclaimed to Takeru as they walked towards the party.

"Don't worry, Hikari. I'll tell you tonight."

"I want to know now!"

"Now's not a good time. Wait until we get to the party."

"Takeru, this had better not be about Saki, because if it is-"

"Whoa, wait a minute! Why would I have anything to do with her?"

"You were eyeballing her earlier," Hikari said, crossing her arms.

"She just surprised me, that's all. I didn't expect her to come out and hit Daisuke like that."

Hikari grunted in frustration and crossed her arms tighter to her chest. Takeru stared at his girlfriend.

'What's gotten her so uptight?' he thought. 'What I'm going to tell her tonight will cheer her up.' They got to the party just as the song ended.

'Perfect,' Takeru thought. He grabbed Hikari's hand, surprising her out of her frustration, and dragged her towards the stage.

"Takeru, where are we going?!" Hikari asked.

"You'll see," he said, pulling her onto the stage.

"I'm sorry, but can I borrow the microphone right quick? I just want to say something," Takeru asked the band leader.

"Uh, sure," he said, moving out of the way.

"GOOD EVENING, LADIES AND GENTS, UM...MY NAME IS TAKERU TAKAISHI. MOST OF YOU KNOW ME, A LOT OF YOU DON'T."

A chorus of snickers came up from the crowd. Daisuke looked up sharply from his glass.

'You have got to be kidding me,' he thought.

"I'M SURE YOU KNOW MY GIRLFRIEND HIKARI YAGAMI, WE'VE BEEN TOGETHER SINCE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION. SAY HI TO EVERYONE."

Hikari, who was blushing like mad the whole time, produced only a small wave and a squeak. She looked past everyone and noticed Daisuke standing next to the snack table, staring at them expressionless.

'Why's he looking like that?' she thought to herself.

"I BROUGHT HER UP HERE ON STAGE BECAUSE THERE'S SOMETHING I WANT TO TELL HER." He turned to Hikari and took both her hands in his. Hikari met his gaze with her own startled one.

"HIKARI, WE'VE KNOWN EACH OTHER SINCE WE WERE LITTLE. WE'VE GROWN UP TOGETHER, AND NOW WE'VE BEEN DATING FOR A WHILE NOW, AND I'VE LOVED YOU EVER SINCE."

*Bull!* someone coughed out in the audience. Takeru ignored him.

"WHICH BRINGS ME TO SAY THIS." He slowly got down on one knee, digging his hand in his pocket at the same time.

'No,' Daisuke thought, his hand tightening around the glass and his expression deepening slightly.

There was a loud cheering from the crowd as Takeru opened the black box he pulled from his pocket to reveal the ring and, although they couldn't hear him since his mouth left the microphone, he asked Hikari the question. And though Hikari couldn't hear him over the noise, she knew what he asked her. Her breathing pace quickened, and her eyes welled up with tears.

"YES!" she shouted, pouncing on him and planting kisses all over his face "Yes! Yes! Oh God, yes!" she said between kisses. The crowd went wild, and through it all, no one noticed Daisuke behind them as he crushed the shotglass in his hand and walked away briskly.

'Well, that's the end of that,' Saki thought, stuffing her hands in her pockets and making her way out of the cheering crowd. 'I hope Daisuke didn't take it too-' She made her way to the table and noticed Daisuke wasn't there. Small bits of glass littered the spot where he stood. 'Nevermind,' she thought. She looked to her right and noticed Daisuke walking towards the front of the boat, and silently followed him.
***************
"Honey, how old were we when we got married?" Mr. Hibiki asked his wife while he gazed down at the crowd from the sixth floor.

"We were around the same age, I believe," Mrs. Hibiki answered, hanging onto his arm.

"Ah, marriage. What a wonderful thing," said one of the weather reporters, coming up behind them.

"Aren't you supposed to be monitoring the weather?" Mr. Hibiki asked, turning towards him.

"Dear, be easy on him," Mrs. Hibiki said, patting him lightly on his arm. "Wonder what's wrong with him?" She pointed to a spiky brunette haired boy leaving the snack table.

"Hmm. He looks mad about something. I'll go talk to him." He gave his wife a kiss on the cheek and headed downstairs towards the first deck.

Daisuke walked towards the front of the ship where there were a few people scattered around, obviously some of the lesser party-goers that didn't like getting caught up in crowds. He rested his elbows on the railing overlooking the water, and rested his nose on his arms, sighing.

'What do I care?' he thought. 'It's not my problem, so it shouldn't matter to me.' He put his forehead on his arms and closed his eyes, trying to keep from crying. 'It really shouldn't.'

"Daisuke?"

Daisuke looked behind him to see Saki walking up. He turned back to the water and rested his chin on his arms again.

"You okay?" she asked.

"I don't know. Maybe," he said.

Saki leaned on the rail next to him, resting on her elbows and crossing her forearms. "I'm sorry, man," she said.

"For?" Daisuke asked, not looking at her.

"I mean, you had to see that happen, so, you know..."

"That's not something for you to be sorry about. It's not your fault that they're getting married."

"You still love her, don't you?"

Daisuke turned his head away from her. Saki grinned a little. "You're doing it again," she said.

"Am I that obvious?" Daisuke asked, turning towards her.

"Extremely."

Daisuke sighed, dropping his head slightly. "Yeah, I do. Of course I do. I've always had, and I always will." He looked up a Saki. "She means the world to me, Saki. Everything about her is so...unique. I spend almost every waking moment thinking about her. But now, I don't know what to do anymore." He went back to looking at the water.

"I don't know if this'll make you feel any better, but I feel the same way about Takeru. I don't know everything about him, but I know enough to where I just want to be with him, you know? I've never really felt this way about a man before, but Takeru is special. He doesn't notice because he's never paid any attention to me before, and that was partly due to the fact because I was shy back then, but he makes me feel confident about myself. I was really wishing that was me on that stage, and not Hikari."

"Hold fast to dreams," someone said behind them. They turned around to see Mr. Hibiki walking up behind them.

"Mr. Hibiki," they said together.

"Please, call me Go," Mr. Hibiki said.

"That you're first name?" Saki asked. Go nodded.

"What was that you just said?" Daisuke asked.

"Hold fast to dreams. It comes from a poem I read some time ago. I forget the words, but that sentence has a lot of meaning to it, especially in this particular setting. So, you both lost a love that you were pining for, right?"

Both nodded their heads miserably.

"I take it that it had something to do with the couple back there?"

They nodded their heads again.

"Bah, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Someone will come along and cheer you both up. Either that, or the both of you can get together."

"That's a no-go," Daisuke said, shaking his head.

"Why not?"

"You'll have to understand the history between us," Saki said. "We're both one personality that shares two bodies."

"That's a little weird."

"Tell me about it. His mom keeps wanting to adopt me."

Go chuckled. "How long have you known each other?"

"Since grade school. He's the one who turned me into a tomboy."

"How did you do that, young man?"

Daisuke didn't say anything. He was staring at the sky.

"Daisuke?" Saki asked, shaking him a little. "What's wrong?"

"Where are the stars?" he asked. Saki and Go looked up and noticed a large dark mass blotting out the stars, which kept growing bigger.

"That can't be good," Go said.

"Where did it come from?" Daisuke asked.

"Think that could contribute to it?" Saki asked, looking ahead. Daisuke and Go looked in that direction and gasped. Ahead of them, swirling and twisting with flashes of light darting through it, was a seething mass of dark cloud. The waters below it was already stirring up something terrible, and every now and again a lightning bolt would strike it.
*********************
DEET! DEET! DEET! DEET! DEET!

The monitor on the computer inside the weather room had been beeping like crazy. A weather watchman heard it and went to investigate. He picked up the readout that was flowing out of the printing machine, and after reading one line, came running out of the room past two other officers that were lingering about.

"It's coming!" he told them as he passed. They peered inside the room at the computer to see what he was talking about. The watchman tore down the stairs, looking for Go.

"Captain!" he screamed as he got to the bottom of the stairs. "Captain! It's coming! It's headed right for us!"

Go looked up. "It's already here," he said. "Get everybody below decks now!"

The people that were around them made a mad rush for the stairs leading below. Go grabbed his radio from his belt and ordered the security to help with getting everyone saely below before the storm hit them full force. As he was doing this, rain started falling on the ship. The people at the party were oblivious to the whole affair, and when it started raining, they started partying even more. Go ran towards the stage, picking his way through the crowd, and hopped on stage, stopping the music. People started groaning in protest.

"EVERYONE, LISTEN UP. I WANT YOU ALL, IN AN ORDERLY FASHION, TO MAKE YOUR WAY DOWN BELOW DECKS. A HURRICANE IS APPROACHING-"

He never got to finish his sentence. The storm was upon them all too quickly, and a lightning bolt struck the antenna at the very top of the boat, kocking out the power. Panic broke out among them as they madly made their way towards the stairs, tripping over each other in an attempt to reach them. The wind picked up around them, causing the waves to slam into the boat and rock it wildly and causing people to fall down.

"TAKERU!" Hikari screamed, struggling to get up.

"HIKARI! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Takeru moved against the crowd and found her, grabbing her by the wrist. As he did this, a particularly nasty wave hit the boat, causing everyone to fall again and spraying them with water. Takeru groped around for Hikari's hand again, and thinking he found it, began making his way towards the stairs.

"Don't worry, we're almost there," he said.

"What are you doing?! Let me go!"

"Huh?" He turned around to face a girl with long dark hair. He immediately let her go and began looking around for Hikari.

Hikari, meanwhile, was stumbling through everyone trying to get away. Someone from behind her slammed into her, knocking her to the ground again. As she tried to get up, more people trampled over her.

"Look out!" someone screamed. Hikari looked up just in time to see a large wall of water hovering over the ship. Suddenly, everything was in slow motion. It was too late to run. Too late to dodge. Hikari stared at the oncoming wave, and although her mind was telling her to move, fright kept her pinned on the spot. Takeru could only watch as the wave came crashing down on top of his fiancee, a few other people, and someone who jumped from the crowd towards Hikari.

"HIKARIIIIIII!!!!!!" Takeru screamed, pressing against the crowd, trying to get to where he last saw her. Someone grabbed him by the wrist and began pulling him down the stairs.

"Let me go!" Takeru screamed, struggling against the person's surprisingly strong grip.

"Takeru, don't! You'll get washed away too!" exclaimed the redhead girl as she pulled him below deck. She wrapped her arms around Takeru's torso, pinning his arms by his sides as she pulled him along. She looked around the crowd of crying people. 'I don't see Daisuke anywhere,' she thought.
****************
"How far are we from the nearest port?!" Go shouted to his officers in the ship's bridge. He held on to the steering wheel as the ship gave another violent shove.

"We're about twenty miles northwest of Shanghai!"

"Then that's where we're going!" Go gave the wheel a mighty spin to the right, pointing them towards Shanghai.

"Turn up the engines, full power!"

"Aye, Cap'n!"

The engines revved up, and the boat shot off through the water. It took about five minutes to get out of the storm. They did eventually, and when everything was calm, people started coming back up from below to look around. Takeru pushed past everyone else, trying to get up top first, followed by Saki. They emerged out onto the deck, and Takeru immediately ran over to where there were a few distraught people who were hit by the wave.

"Hikari?" he began calling her name, checking people to see if either one was her. "Have you seen Hikari?" he asked a guy, grabbing him by the shirt.

"Huh?" said the guy, still disoriented. Takeru let him go and began searching again, calling her name. Saki and a few security guards joined that side of the deck a few seconds later. Saki stopped and looked around, while the security guards went to tend to the people strewn about to deck.

'Where's Daisuke?' she thought. 'I didn't see him when the storm hit, and I didn't see him down below, either.' She looked towards the water. 'No,' she thought, her eyes widening.

Takeru looked in her direction. "Hey, have you seen Hikari?" he asked, running up to her. Saki slowly shook her head, still staring out at the water. Takeru looked out at the water, and the worst possible fear came to his mind. "No," he said, sinking to his knees. His eyes started welling up with tears. "No...can't be...Hikari..."
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