Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Castaways ❯ Unrequited Love, Forbidden Passion ( Chapter 5 )

I hope you all are enjoying the story so far. I get a small case of writer's block sometimes because I don't know how to put my ideas into words at a few intervals, so don't be surprised if I don't show my face for a while...well, you can't see it anyway, but you get the point.

Disclaimer: I own a heart attack and some skittles, but no digimon.

Daisuke didn't know how long he slept for. He woke up to find that his patch of sun was replaced by shade from a nearby group of ferns. He stood up, brushing dirt and grass off of his body and out of his hair.

"Must be high noon," he said to himself, looking up at the sun peeping through the brush. He stretched his limbs, cracking his neck as he did so. He picked up his goggles from the ground, dusted them off, and readjusted them on his head. "I needed that nap. I'd better go see how Hikari's doing before I look anywhere else on this island." He back tracked his way through the thick undergrowth, heading back towards the deep glade. As he emerged from the bushes surrounding the area, he startled a large deer that was grazing near the spot. He watched it as it bounded off into the woods opposite of the way he was going to go.

"So there are animals on this island," he said. "Wonder how they got here?" He figured he would find out later. Right now, he had to get back to Hikari.

'But what about her ankle?' he thought. 'That sock will only hold but for so long, and it's not strong enough to support her.' He looked around the clearing, spotting some large, elephant ear-shaped leaves off to the side.

"That'll do!" he exclaimed, jogging over to them. He inspected the leaves, finding them to be the right size for her small ankle, and plucked two of them off at the base of their stems. "Now I just have to wash them." He looked over at the glade. The waterfall was too far for him to reach, so that was out of the question. He looked down at the water, slightly amazed at how clear it was.

"Wow," he said. "I figured it would be a little brown, considering it came from the sea." He got on his hands and knees, peering over the edge for anything that will help him get down to the water without falling in, also to use to climb out should he fall in. He looked over towards the rock formation that held the waterfall. The cliffside next to the smooth rock wall was littered with large rocks in various places. Cocking his head to the side, he got up and made his way over to them.

'They look sturdy enough,' he thought, gingerly patting the topmost one with his foot. He prodded it a bit harder, making sure it can support his weight. Once he was satisfied, he carefully slid onto it. Crouching on the rock, he examined the other ones. Each one was about a foot below each other at separate intervals, either on the cliff, or the wall, and they varied in size.

'This is where my limber side shows,' Daisuke thought, smirking. Carefully judging his steps, he leaped from rock to rock, moving effortlessly down the maze until he reached the considerably large boulder sitting right behind and to the side of the waterfall. He looked up towards the cliff with a grin of triumph, which faded quickly when he realized how far down he was.

"Whoa," he said. "I must be about thirty feet down right now. Maybe even more." He turned away from the cliff, and proceeded with his task. Unfortunately, the boulder's edge was a few inches too high from the water, and the waterfall was STILL too far to reach.

"I'll be a monkey's uncle," he said, placing his fists on his hips. "This might be a little hard." He got down into a prone position and peered down into the water.

'This must go down for miles,' he thought. 'I can't even see the bottom.' He took the two plants and reached them down towards the water, only to find that he was mere inches from touching the surface. Making a face of annoyance, he scooted up a little. The leaves barely scraped the water. He scooted up a bit more, and before he could stop himself-

"WAAAHHH!!!"

KABLOOSH!

He fell into the water with a splash. He swam up to the surface, grabbing his goggles before they sunk past him. He broke the surface, and immediately slipped his goggles over his head onto his neck.

"From now on, I'm wearing them just like this," he said. He held up the plants. "At least these got washed, and me along with them." He began swimming his way back to the boulder to climb out.
******************
"Man, what a nap," Hikari said, sitting up and stretching. "Unfortunately, I'm still on this island with Daisuke." She looked around. "Speaking of which, where is he? He's been gone for a while, now." She tried to stand, but forgot she had a hurt ankle. She yelped in pain, grabbing at it as she sat down again.

"This is so embarrassing, and no one's even around to witness it," she said. A rustle in the woods caught her attention.

"Who's there?!" she shrieked, grabbing a nearby rock and holding it in a throwing position.

"Relax, it's just me," Daisuke said, emerging from the woods holding the plants. She lowered the rock.

"What in the world happened to you?" Hikari asked, noticing how drenched he was.

"I had a run in with a large pond. What were you doing with a rock?"

"I was just being cautious."

"As if that would do any damage. I've an upgrade for your ankle." He held up the two leaves. "These should be sturdy enough to help you get around some. They won't last very long, but it's better than nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. It was part of my survival class." He moved over to her and knelt in front of her. "Besides, there's no point of leaving you lying on the ground with a hurt ankle." He set to work on her ankle, untying her sock and setting it aside. He broke the stem from the leaves, and wrapped the leaves vertically around her ankle. Holding them with one hand, he took one stem and wrapped it around the leaves, tying it off at the front. He let go and did the same with the other one. Since the stems were skinny enough, and since they were already wet, he was able to put them in knots to hold the there.

The whole time he was doing this, Hikari couldn't help but notice his muscles protruding from his damp shirt. Every move he made caused his muscles to flex unintentionally.

'He's got a nice build,' she thought. 'I wonder why I never noticed before?'

"Hikari, did you hear me?" Daisuke said, breaking her out of her trance.

"Huh?" Hikari looked up sharply with a surprised expression on her face.

"What in the world had you in such a daze? I was asking you how does your ankle feel?"

"Oh, uh..." she moved it a bit. "It feels a bit better."

"Great. Let's see if you can stand up." Daisuke stood and offered Hikari his hand. She grabbed it, and slowly stood up, using her good foot for support. Daisuke helped her by placing his hand on the small of her back. Unbeknownst to him, that happened to be one of her hot spots, and she automatically let out a coo when she felt his surprisingly smooth hand there.

"You okay?" Daisuke asked, thinking she was feeling a little pain in her foot.

It took Hikari a few seconds to get her bearings about her. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine," she said. 'I never thought his hands were that smooth! It almost felt as if he was massaging me. What am I thinking?! This is Daisuke! I can't be thinking these things about him!'

Willing to change the debate that was going through her mind, she asked him, "Where did you go that you had to get wet?"

"I already told you, a pond," he said. "Though not intentionally. I had to wash the leaves, and I fell in."

"Just how deep was this pond?"

"Well, to be more accurate, it's a large forest glade. Picture a giant hole with water in it. I'll have to show it to you when we get the chance, and believe me, it's pretty deep."

"I'm surprised you didn't drown."

"You sound like you wanted me to."

"The thought crossed my mind."

Daisuke snorted at her. "I also got your shoe wet. I forgot I had it in my pocket." He fished the shoe out of his pocket and emptied the excess water out of it. He handed it to Hikari who made a face.

"It needs to dry anyway," Daisuke said, shrugging and setting the shoe on the ground. "So do my feet." He quickly took off his shoes and socks, placing them beside each other so they could dry out.

"That feels great," he said, wriggling his toes. He looked at Hikari. "I just got an idea. Wait here." Before Hikari could say anything, Daisuke ran over to the woods, searching the ground for something. He came across a large stick that came up to his waist.

'This should work,' he thought, banging it against his hand a few times to test its sturdiness. He jogged back over to Hikari and handed her the stick.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Hikari asked, taking the stick.

"Use it as a cane," Daisuke said. "It's a lot better than hobbling around, don't you think?"

"Yeah, problem is, I don't know how to use a cane. I've never had to use one, mind you."

"I'll show you. I had to use one once due to a soccer injury." He took the cane from her. "When you walk with the cane, you should have it on the opposite side of your hurt foot. In your case, since it's your right foot, you'll hold it in your left hand. You move your hurt foot at the same time you move the cane, like so," He demonstrated the movements a few times, then handed her back the stick. "You try it."

Hikari placed the stick in her left hand, and took one step forward, moving her foot and the stick at the same time.

"I feel like an old woman," Hikari said, sarcastically. After a few more slow rounds, she got used to walking with it. "I think I got the hang of it."

"Great, young grasshopper. Now we can go check out something I saw a while back along the western coast."

"What was it?"

"Might have been a ship, I'm not sure."

"If it is, I hope it has a radio on it so we can contact someone."

"Well, standing here talking about it won't do any justice. Let's go." He turned to leave.

"Wait, what about your shoes?"

"They still need to dry. They'll be fine. Besides, being barefoot is pretty comfy."

"Alright, if you say so," Hikari said, following Dausike as they walked towards the beach.
****************
People on the ship were starting to get restless. It was enough that two people were missing, but having to stay on the boat all day was pretty aggravating. Go felt that it wasn't right for them to stay on the yacht like that, so after talking to the managers of some nearby hotels, restaurants, and stores that he owns, and giving each passenger a V.I.P card, he let them off.

"There's no word on Hikari and Daisuke yet," he told the concerned destined. "We're still looking for them. I'm pretty sure something will turn up."

"Thank you," said Ken. He was still a little down about Daisuke missing, but Miyako and the others were able to cheer him up. Takeru, on the other hand, was still pretty miffed.

"How can they think about having fun when my fiancee is missing?" he asked vehemently, watching as people walked off the yacht hastily.

"Because you're the only one who's worried about her," Saki said.

"We're all worried about her, and Daisuke," Iori said. "But that doesn't mean we have to wallow in our sorrows. The best thing we can do now is relax and enjoy ourselves until something happens."

"That's right," Miyako said. "Besides, Go has things under control. I'm sure he'll be able to find them. We just have to be patient. Now, who's ready?"

"Me!" everyone chorused, except Takeru.

"I'll stay here," he said, turning to leave.

"Why?" Rosa asked.

"I just don't feel like going anywhere."

"Well, you have to do something besides mope around the whole time," Saki said. "That's not going to get Hikari back any faster, and it isn't healthy."

"What are you, a health inspector now?" Takeru asked, turning towards her.

"Nope, just a concerned friend."

"And since when were we friends?"

"Since now. And as your friend, I'm going to help you loosen up." She linked an arm with Takeru's and pulled him towards the dock.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Takeru protested as he tried to pull away from her grip, which to his surprise, was quite strong.

"You're going to have a good time, even if I have to force you!"

"Oh yeah. Now I see the resemblance," Miyako said, watching the fiasco.

"Resemblance to what?" asked Ken.

"To her and Daisuke. They've been friends since first grade, and they have a lot in common."

"So why didn't he just get with her?"

"Simply put, they didn't want to."

"Weird."

"Yeah. Anyway, let's catch up to them before we lose them."

"Hey, Miyako?" Rosa asked.

"Yeah?"

"Can I talk to you in private for a sec?"

"Uh, okay. Iori, Ken, why don't you two go on up ahead. We'll catch up to you."

Ken and Iori looked at each other, shrugged, and walked off the yacht.

"What's up?" Miyako asked when they were alone.

"Well," Rosa started, scratching the back of her head and looking down. "I don't know how to ask the question that's on my mind."

"Then just ask it," Miyako said. She noticed a slight blush on Rosa's cheeks.

"It's about...sex."

Miyako blinked at her. "That's something you learn about in school. You need a refresher course or something?"

"No! I mean...well, you know."

"Ah, I get it. This is your first time, and you want to know what to do."

"Well, yeah, pretty much." The redness of her cheeks deepened.

"Does Iori feel the same way?"

"I don't know. He never said anything about it."

"Naturally. Boys tend to lead girls on, making them think that they aren't worried about sex. It would be best to beat them to the punch."

"What do you suggest?"

Miyako chuckled. "What I'm about to tell you will take a while, so pay close attention. This is Miyako's class on How To Seduce A Man Before He Seduces You."
*************
"What do you think, Takeru?" Saki asked him, holding a slim, blue qipao close to her body. They were at a clothing store looking at some clothes.

"I think that I should be back on the boat right now," he said.

Saki lowered the dress, looking at him deadpanned. "Takeru, kill the mully-grub act. It's really starting to become annoying."

"I'm sorry. It just doesn't feel right that I'm out here enjoying myself while Hikari's lost somewhere."

"Well, worrying your mind out isn't going to help anything! What would she think if she was to come home and you had patches of hair missing on your head?"

"She would probably slap me."

"Exactly. Now, what do you think about this dress?"

"It's okay, I guess."

"You guess?"

Takeru shrugged. Saki let out a sigh.

"Wait here," she said, stepping into a nearby dressing stall.

'I shouldn't be here,' Takeru thought, pacing outside the stall. 'I should be trying to find a way to save Hikari. What if Mr. Hibiki doesn't find her? One thing's for sure, Daisuke had better keep his hands off of her if they're alive somewhere. Man, this is so frustrating!'

"Hey Takeru! We should find the others after we get out of here," Saki said, breaking through his train of thought.

"Uh, yeah."

"They're probably trying to find us now." She came out of the stall. "How's this?"

Takeru wasn't prepared for what he saw when he turned around. The qipao had fit Saki's shapely body perfectly, giving a good view of her nice, slender legs, the thick, tight curves of her body, and her perfectly round, supple breasts that loomed in the fabric. She held out her arms and turned in a slow circle, giving Takeru a good look at her nice, round butt, which for some reason made him want to grab her and start ramming her from behind right in the store. He quickly banished the thought as she turned back around to face him.

"So, how do I look?" she asked.

"Like a redhead...Japanese...Chun-Li," he replied, still trying to clear his mind. Saki giggled and gave him a smile that nearly made him melt.

"I'll take that as a compliment," she said, stepping back into the stall. "I think I'll buy this." She closed the door and started changing back into her regular clothes. Takeru stood there for a moment, looking at the stall door as she changed.

'Man, she looks hot in that thing,' he thought. 'Wait a minute! What am I thinking? I shouldn't be looking at her like that! I can't believe I let her drag me into this!'

"Where do you want to go when we find Miyako and the others?" Saki asked, coming out of the stall with the dress draped over her arm.

"Why are you asking me? I don't know my way around here."

"Which is exactly why we have a map." She pulled the map out of her pocket and handed it to Takeru. Takeru reluctantly took it.

"You know, I really don't want to do this," he said.

"Well, you have no choice now. So pick a place."

Takeru sighed. "Uh, dinner and a movie. I don't know."

"Gravy! Let's pay for this and find the others." They made their way to the checkout counter.

"You sure you have enough money to pay for that?" Takeru asked. "It looks to be a bit expensive."

"I should. If not, I'll have you help me."

"How would you know if I have the money to help you with?"

"That ring you gave Hikari didn't come from a toy machine." They reached the counter, and Saki laid the dress on top. The cashier looked up at her.

"Are you part of Mr. Hibiki's guests?" she asked.

"...Yes?" Saki said cautiously. The cashier nodded.

"Your V.I.P Card, please." Saki handed the card to her, not sure what the cashier was going to do with it. The cashier swiped the card through the credit card machine, and handed it back to Saki. Saki looked at her in bewilderment.

"Uh," she started.

"Thank you for your purchase, and have a great day," the cashier said. "And in case you're wondering, yes it's a credit card as well. Mr. Hibiki's rich enough to do that. I'm not sure how much he's put on the cards he gave you, but it's more than enough to have fun on."

"Where does he get his money from?" Takeru asked.

"No one knows," the cashier said. "Nor do any of us care, just so as long as we get paid."

"Fair enough," Saki said. "Let's go,Takeru."
*************
"Do you have any idea where Takeru and Saki went?" Ken asked, scanning around the crowds.

"Not a clue," Iori said. "After all these years, I still can't see over the top of anyone's head."

"Don't count it as a total loss. At least you don't have to worry about bullets hitting you."

Iori made a face at Ken as he laughed. "What do you think the girls were talking about?" he asked.

"Girl stuff probably," Ken said. They started walking through the crowds. "Mind if I ask you a question, Iori?"

"What's up?"

"Are you a virgin?"

Iori looked at him sharply. "Come again?"

"Are you a virgin?" Ken repeated.

"What kind of question is that?"

"A question I'm curious about. So, what's your answer?"

"None of your business!"

"So that's a yes. I thought as much."

"How can you be so sure?"

Ken looked at him. "Iori, come on now. You're about the most obvious, easy-to-read person I know. Don't think I don't know that you're a virgin."

"Okay, so what if I am? Is that a bad thing?"

"I'm not saying anything. Though I am curious as to when you and Rosa will give it up to each other."

Iori huffed. "I don't know, whenever she wants, I guess."

"I guess I can't argue with that."

"When did you and Miyako first have sex?"

"On our first date."

Iori's eyes widened. "That fast?!"

"Long story. But back to you. How long have you guys been together?"

"For a good while now."

"What's a good while? A few months? A year?"

"Since tenth grade."

Ken gawked at him. "Wow," he said. "I guess it was a good thing that you waited then. But you're old enough now, so nothing should hold you back."

"Except..."

"Except what?"

"I...don't know the first thing about sex."

"You didn't pay attention in health class?"

"Not that! I mean having sex!"

"Oh." He reached into his pocket, drawing out his wallet and opening it. "First and foremost, you'll need this." He handed Iori a blue, square packet.

"Then what?" Iori asked, tucking the condom away in his pocket.

"Then, I'm going to teach you a few things on how to please a woman, so pay attention."
********************
"Wow," Hikari breathed, looking at the large ship looming in the distance on the beach. "I wonder how it got stranded here?"

"If I had to guess, It would have to be from the cove back there. Look," Daisuke pointed towards a large hole in the side of the ship. "I'm supposing that it strayed off course somewhere along the line, and ended up passing through the cove, and considering how large the rocks are, it must have struck them and created that hole, then the tide carried it here to its final resting place."

"What do you think happened to the crew?"

"Died from lack of food and water, I suppose. Depending on how long this thing's been here." He began walking towards the ship.

"Don't tell me you're about to go on that thing!"

"Why not? It might have a few things that we need. You said it yourself that it might have a radio on it. What better way to find out than to go on board?"

"I'm starting to have second thoughts. It looks a bit creepy."

"Stay out here if you want." He turned and began walking towards the ship again.

"Wait up!" Hikari called, hobbling after him. Daisuke waited for her to catch up.

"Change your mind?" he asked.

"Someone has to keep you from hurting yourself."

Daisuke looked at her ankle, then back up at her. "Are you sure it's me that needs to be looked after?"

"Well, aside from the obvious!" Hikari said, shoving him lightly. Daisuke smirked and shook his head as they began walking towards the ship. They got to the ship, examining the large hole that was big enough to fit them both. Some large, red kana-like characters were just off to the side of the hole, halfway blotted out by it.  They weren't Japanese, Daisuke could tell, and though he had a general knowledge of Mandarin and Cantonese, they seemed to be a different dialect than either of the main Chinese languages.

'This was obviously the name of the ship,' Daisuke thought. 'Though I'm not sure what it is.'

"What now?" Hikari asked.

"We go inside," Daisuke said.

"Are you sure we should go this way?"

"Do you see any other way in?"

"I guess not."

"Then here we go."

They went inside, immediately noticing they were in the boiler room. There was something dim and misty about it that didn't fit right with either of them. They found their way up the stairs easily enough, and emerged onto a second floor that was littered with empty cages from various shapes and sizes. They held their noses as an acrid stench assaulted them.

"Ech, whad is dat sbell?" Hikari asked.

"Sbells like de elephant section ad de zoo," Daisuke said in the same manner. They made their way through the aisle of cages, noticing as they did the lack of signs on them.

'Hmm,' Daisuke thought.

"What do you think this all means?" Hikari asked, covering her mouth and nose with her hand.

"Not a clue," Daisuke said. "Let's get going before we suffocate." They found their way out of the room and found more stairs. The third deck was a bit more cleaner, aside from the fact that it needed to be dusted. Daisuke sneezed as a few particles drifted past his nose.

"Man, how long has this ship been here?" he asked, more to himself than to Hikari.

"To tell you the truth, I don't want to stick around long enough to find out," Hikari said.

"At any rate, a ship like this is bound to have some medical supplies," Daisuke said. "There might be a brace or something here for your ankle." They began walking down the hall, searching each door through the dim light that shown through the portholes for any sign that could mean medical. Finally they came across a door that had a large red cross on it.

"Looks like we found it," Hikari said.

"Looks like," Daisuke said, testing the door handle. The handle gave way, but the door didn't budge.

"Must be rusted shut," Hikari guessed.

"Probably so. Stand back," Daisuke said, moving back from the door a few paces.

"What are you about to do?"

"The obvious. Kick down the door."

Hikari looked at him skeptically. "Daisuke, stop trying to prove to me how strong you think you are," she said. "We both know you won't be able to break down that door. If anything, you'll end up hurting your foot and we'll both be at a loss."

Daisuke's expression didn't change. "Like I said before," he said, looking at her. "There's a lot about me that you don't know about." He turned back to the door, taking a deep breath and blowing it out while shaking his limbs.

'I wonder if I should be showing her this,' he thought, getting into a Jeet Kun Do stance. 'But then again, she doesn't believe me, so oh well.'

Hikari furrowed her eyebrows in puzzlement. 'Who does he think he is, Bruce Lee?' she thought. 'I still don't think he'll be able to break down the door.' If she was able to second guess her thought, she would have, for suddenly Daisuke stepped forward, pivoting on his right foot, and slammed his left foot into the door in a mighty roundhouse kick. The door immediately flew open, bending forward slightly and nearly flying off of its hinges as it swung inward. Hikari stood there, gawking as Daisuke put his foot down.

"Any more doubts?" he asked her, suppressing the grin that threatened the corners of his mouth when he noticed her expression.

"..." Hikari was speechless for a few seconds.

Daisuke couldn't help but smile. "Hey," he said, snapping his fingers in her face. "Come back to reality now. Let's see what they have for your foot." He stepped inside, followed by Hikari.

"Where did you learn to do something like that?!" she asked him in bewilderment.

"I've known how to do that for a long time," he said, fishing through the cabinets for any kind of brace of some sort. He came across a one-size-fits-all ankle brace that he knew would fit Hikari's ankle. "I took Jeet Kun Do in twelfth grade, and became a black belt in it after graduation. Get on the bed."

"Why didn't you tell any of us?" Hikari asked, clamboring onto the bed, but having slight trouble. Daisuke helped her onto the bed.

"Would you have cared?" he asked her. He took the leaves off her ankle and slipped the brace onto it. It was just the right fit for her ankle, and was pretty comfortable. Hikari looked behind the broken door and noticed a three legged cane standing behind it.

"You think that would be a better cane than this one?" she asked, pointing towards it. Daisuke looked in the direction she was pointing.

"Most definitely," he said, grabbing it and handing it to her. He helped her down off the bed carefully. "You know what, we should take some of this stuff. It might come in handy in the future."

"Yeah, but what will we carry it with?" Hikari asked.

Daisuke looked around the room. His eyes settled on a large duffel bag hanging on the wall that had a red cross on it just like the one on the door. "Here we go," he said, grabbing it. He began putting medical items into it: bandages, ointment, wraps, bandaids, and a few other things that he thought would be helpful. He zipped up the bag and slung it on his shoulder.

"Let's see what else this derelict has," he said. He and Hikari left the room.

"Daisuke, I have a question," Hikari said.  Something about Daisuke had been bothering her for a while, and she needed to get it off her chest.

"You seem to have a lot of them," Daisuke said. Hikari glared at the back of his head. "What's your question?"

"Are you still in love with me?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because I want to know."

"Why?"

"Daisuke!"

"Seriously. Why?"

"I just want to know, that's all."

"That's not a very accurate answer." They turned down another hall that led to more stairs.

"It's the answer I'm giving you, now answer my question."

"No."

Hikari felt a pang of despair rush through her. "You mean, no as in you're not in love with me anymore?" she asked, trying to hide the sadness in her voice.

"I mean no as in I'm not going to answer your question." They arrived onto the third deck, where each wall was lined with rooms that had numbers on it. A light stench plagued the halls, but they didn't take notice to it.

"And just why won't you answer me?" Hikari asked, sobering up quickly when she heard his explanation.

"Because I don't want to. The sooner you give me an accurate reason, I just might think about answering you."

"That's not fair!"

"Neither are your actions, but you don't see me crying about it."

"What?"

"Hikari, don't play dumb," he said, turning to her. "You know well enough what you did, so don't try me like that."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"You know what I mean, Hikari. Obviously, you've seemed to have forgotten what we meant to each other. What you meant to me!"

"Daisuke, we didn't mean a thing to each other, and you know it!"

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah! You haven't done anything for me to even consider liking you, so don't even try the guilt trip on me!"

"Well, gee. I seem to recall a certain someone that was getting harassed by a group of boys years ago back when we first met, and someone else coming to her rescue! But that must have been my imagination I suppose."

Hikari opened her mouth to say something, but didn't as she realized he was right. Now she knew that it definitely wasn't a dream.

"Huh? What? Why aren't you saying anything? Could it be because I'm right? Wow, isn't that something!"

"Daisuke, you didn't have do that," she said, emotionally hurt.

Daisuke balled up his fists. "Hikari. Do not sit there and try to play Miss Innocent with me. You hurt me in more ways than one, and you didn't even think to stop and consider how I felt, have you?"

"You never told anyone what you were feeling, so how were we supposed to know?"

"I did tell you. I told all of you. You just didn't pay attention, and thought I was joking around because you've never noticed my serious side. The only people that were able to see it were Ken and Saki. At least they had enough humanity about them to take notice."

The mention of Saki's name made Hikari's blood boil. "Yow know what? I really don't like that girl," she said, vehemently.

"Oh, now we're getting mad at my friend?" he asked, his eyebrows rising. "You've only met her for the first time yesterday morning, and you're already hating her."

"She has eyes for Takeru, why shouldn't I be mad?"

"And I wouldn't be surprised if she gets him, either. She's liked him since she first laid eyes on him, but she was too scared to talk to him. I believe she's a lot more confident now."

"She'd better not touch him!"

"What are you going to do about it? You're stuck here, and she's over there. Even if she wanted to, she wouldn't because like me, she has something called respect."

"Respect?" She scoffed at him.  "What do you know about respect?"

"I know that I have respect for other people's property, which is more than what I can say for some people around here."

"I'm not anyone's property!"

"Maybe not yet, but soon to be." He referred to the ring on her finger.

"This doesn't mean anything!" she yelled, holding up her hand with the ring on it. "You're just mad because I'm getting married to Takeru instead of you!"

"To be honest, I'm not even mad about that. That's something I don't even care about. I'm just wondering what happened to the sweet, caring Hikari that I first met back in fourth grade. I'm also wondering if you know that this is what you want. Have you ever considered that?"

"It is what I want."

"Is it? From what I can see, neither of you have a clue of what you're doing. You're walking into this thing blindly, only aware of the fact that you're getting married. You yourself aren't even sure if you want to marry him, yet you're walking into this headlong with no sense of direction."

"How would you know what I want?!"

"Because I can see it in your eyes, Hikari, think about what you're doing!" Daisuke said with compassion in his voice. "How do you know if you're ready for this? You don't even know why he wants to marry you. I don't know either, but I get the feeling that it's not for the right reasons. I don't care if you don't believe me. I'm not asking you to. I just want you to trust me!"

"Why should you be concerned about me?!"

"BECAUSE I CARE FOR YOU HIKARI!!!"

That did it. Hikari looked at Daisuke, apparently stunned. Daisuke looked back at her with much the same look, trying to come to terms with what he just said.

"What...did you just say?" Hikari slowly asked. Daisuke looked away.

"I care for you," he said, looking at her again. "I've always cared for you. In truth, I've never stopped loving you. I only stopped chasing after you because I wanted you to have your space, but I've never stopped loving you. Hikari, I've always wanted the chance to give you what you deserved. A good, caring relationship filled with love and compassion! You just never gave me the chance to do that. Even though you're going to be getting married, I'll never stop loving you."

"Why?" she whispered.

"Why what?"

"Why do you care for me?"

Those words stung him in the heart. "You're asking me why do I care for you?" he asked. "Lady, something like that doesn't need an explanation. You should know why I care for you. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out." He turned from her. "Let's just hurry up and get off this ship." He walked away from her.

Hikari stood there for a few seconds. 'Why does he care for me?' she thought.
*****************
"Who's idea was it to see that boring movie?" Ken asked outside the movie theater. He, Miyako, Iori, and Rosa caught up to Takeru and Saki outside the clothing store, where Saki told them of their plans for a dinner and movie, or more precisely, movie and dinner.

"See what happened was..." Saki started.

"Save it," Ken said.

"Well, it looked interesting enough," Saki said, trying to defend herself. She looked over at Takeru. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm still trying to wake up from my nap in the theater," he said.

"Okay! I get it! So the movie was boring. You don't have to run a guilt trip on me." Everyone shared a laugh, even Takeru chuckled a bit.

"Nice to see you smiling again," Miyako said. "For a while there, I thought you were about to shrivel up from grief."

"Well, I am still a bit sad, but I guess I can't do anything right now," he said.

"That's the spirit!" Ken said, slapping him heartily on the back.

"Yeowch! That hurt!" Takeru exclaimed, holding his back.

"Sorry," said Ken. "What now?"

"It's time for eats!" Miyako said, pumping her fist in the air. Silence followed her exclaimation followed by the sound of crickets.

"Not sure that was necessary, but where should we go eat?" Rosa asked.

"Any place that has sushi," Saki said.

Takeru looked at her. "I was just getting ready to say that," he said. "I didn't know you liked sushi."

"About as much as anyone. Do you like the raw fish or the seaweed?"

"Both."

"So do I."

"You're not just saying that, are you?"

"No, I'm serious. That restaurant by the college has some great sushi."

"You noticed too? Wow!"

"Hey! Are you two going to stand there and talk the whole time?!" Miyako shouted from up ahead. "Let's get going!"

"Wait up, will you?!" they shouted, running towards them.
************
"This place looks great," Rosa said, looking around the restaurant. "I've always wondered how Chinese food and Japanese food differed from each other."

"There's nothing that different about it," Iori explained. "They both serve egg rolls."

"Nice, they have saki on the menu," said Miyako, looking at the menu.

"I'm on there? Cool," said Saki, glancing at her menu. "Spelled the same way and everything."

"You were named after rice wine?" Takeru asked. "Why?"

"Ask my parents. They can explain it better."

"...Okay..."

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," greeted a waiter. "On behalf of Mr. Go Hibiki, I would like to welcome you to our finest restaurant. My name Min Cho, and I'll be your waiter for this evening. What would you like to drink this evening?"

Miyako, Ken, and Saki looked at each other. "Saki," they said together, smiling.

"Make that six," Saki said. Takeru, Rosa, and Iori looked at her in bewilderment.

"Six orders of saki. Got it," he said. "I'll go and get your drinks, and take your time in ordering." He turned and sauntered off.

"Six orders?!" Iori said. "What are you thinking?"

"I was thinking about all of us. Besides, Takeru needs it, and you two are hanging with the big crowd now. It's time for you to enjoy yourselves."

"Yeah, but...don't you think we're a little young for it?" Rosa asked.

"Just think of it as being prepared for the future," Ken said. "What better time than now to start practicing?"

A few minutes later the saki was brought out, and everyone placed their orders. Rosa and Iori gagged on their first sip, since they didn't pay heed to the warning of not gulping it so quickly. Saki was surprised that Takeru didn't choke on the strong drink. He mentioned that he drank a little back in high school without his mom knowing. After a few more shots and the food being brought out, Rosa and Iori were starting to get slightly tipsy.

"Um, wow," Iori said. "My grandpa would probably kill me for this."

"Well, you don't have to worry about it for now," Miyako said. She, Ken, Takeru, and Saki were still pretty level.

"If anything, he'll have something to worry about later," Rosa said, grinning at him seductively.

"Wonder what it is?" Iori asked in like manner.

"I think you guys had enough," Ken said, taking their glasses fom them as they cuddled their faces against each other. He turned to Takeru. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm doing fine," Takeru said. "Thanks for doing this."

"That's what we're here for."

"It was getting to be a real pain watching you torture yourself," said Miyako.

"Sorry, I guess I got a little carried a...way..." He noticed Saki staring at him out of the corner of his eye. "Um, is...there a reason that you're staring at me?"

"I just like looking at you," Saki said. Takeru wasn't prepared for that answer, and he started blushing madly as he turned away from her.

'I'm not sure I like where this is going,' Ken thought, pouring some saki into his cup.

"So, uh, how's your food, Takeru?" Miyako asked, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, it's great," he said, his voice breaking a bit. He felt uncomfortable under Saki's gaze. "The sushi's pretty good too, not to mention the fried rice..."

"Do you masturbate, Takeru?" Saki suddenly asked. Ken spit up his drink, Miyako slapped her hand over her face, and Iori and Rosa looked at Saki in shock. Takeru stared at her in complete bewilderment for a second.

"I'm sorry?" he said.

"Do you masturbate?" Saki repeated.

"I'm not sure that's something to be talking about now," he said nervously. He looked at Ken, who immediately put his head down, but was shaking with laughter.

"Why not? I think it's a good subject. I do it."

"Um, I'm sure that's good to know, but I really don't want to talk about that just now."

"Maybe some other time, then?"

"Uh, well," he grabbed the bottle of saki and poured himself another shot. Saki grinned at him.

"Don't worry, I was just picking with you," she said. She grinned at Ken, who still had his head down, and was now snorting from laughing so hard. Everyone couldn't help but laugh, even Takeru.

After the restaurant, the gang decided to head back to the ship, except Iori and Rosa. They decided to check into a hotel for the night. Miyako and Ken decided at the last minute to walk around the town and explore, which left Saki with the task of helping a really tipsy Takeru back to the ship. The street lights illuminated the road leading to the dock, and the night breeze was warm and welcoming. Along the way, as she stumbled around trying to keep Takeru steady, he kept saying things like how beautiful she was, or how he wanted to kiss her. Saki knew he was drunk, but at the same time, she couldn't help but blush. They finally reached the ship, and made their way to Takeru's room. Luckily, it was on the first deck on the opposite side of hers.

"Well, here we are," she said.

"Huh?" Takeru took a few seconds to get his bearings and see that they were at his room. "Oh, right." He dug in his pocket for his keys, and dropped them as soon as he got them out. He groaned as he stooped to pick them up, but kept missing them as he tried to plant his hand on them. Saki grabbed the keys from the ground and helped him stand back up.

"Here we go," she said as she unlocked the door. She helped him inside, grabbing the keys from the lock and closing the door.

"Um, where's the bed?" Takeru asked.

"Open your eyes and you'll see," Saki said, turning on the light and guiding him towards his bed.

"Oh, right," Takeru said. As soon as he opened his eyes, he forgot where he was stepping, and tripped up on Saki's leg, which resulted in both of them falling onto each other with a yelp, and Takeru landing on top of her. They stayed in that position, looking at each other.

"Sorry," Takeru said.

"Um, no biggie," Saki said, not making much of an effort to move. They stared into each other's eyes, unaware that their faces were getting closer.

'Man, she feels amazing,' Takeru thought. 'Wait a minute!'

"Um, well, I think I'd better get up," he said, slightly dissappointed that he didn't kiss her. He tried to get up, but quickly fell back down again as dizziness overtook him.

"Here, let me help you," Saki said, grabbing him by the arm and hauling him up. She guided him to the bed, and he flopped on it.

"Th-thanks," he said, his eyes half way closed.

"No problem," Saki said, positioning him on the bed so he wasn't dangling half off. She started taking off his shoes.

"Daisuke's lucky to have a friend like you," Takeru said, tiredly.

"Thanks," Saki said, taking off his other shoe and setting them at the foot of the bed. "And you're-" She didn't finish the sentence as she heard him snoring lightly. She stood up and noticed that he was fast asleep. She grinned, noticing how peaceful he looked. She moved to where his head was, and leaned down.

"Goodnight, sweet prince," she whispered, kissing him on the cheek. "See you tomorrow." She got a little bold, and kissed him on the lips, and was none too surprised when he started kissing her back. She pressed her lips harder onto his, and he lifted his hand and started caressing her neck, but suddenly stopped as he fell back to sleep. Though Saki was a bit dissappointed that the kiss ended, she wasn't sad. She got up and left the room, taking one last look at his sleeping form, before turning out the light and closing the door.
***************
Iori and Rosa checked into the nearest hotel. The saki started to lose its affect on them so they were aware of their surroundings, but were still a bit drunk. As a side effect, they were both aroused, and along the way they kept teasing each other with touches, gropes, and "accidents", in which case Rosa would sometimes bend down slowly to tie her shoe, sticking her rear out as she did so, and Iori would act like he wasn't watching where he was going and bump into her, grabbing her butt as he did so. People would look at them strangely, but they didn't care. All they knew was that they were having fun with each other. Iori and Rosa finally made it to the hotel, stumbling up to the front desk. The clerk looked at them, slightly puzzled.

"Let me guess," said the clerk. "You want a room?"

"Yes ma'am," Iori said, doing his best to stand up straight. He failed miserably, and he and Rosa burst out laughing. The clerk sighed, checking the computer for available rooms.

"You're part of Go's guests, right?"

"Yes we are," Rosa said.

"I have a suite open if you want it. All I need is your V.I.P card."

Iori and Rosa looked at each other and grinned. "That would be great," they said together, which resulted in them laughing more. The clerk shook her head, taking Iori's card and swiping it through the credit card machine. She handed it back to him with a key card.

"You're all set," she said. "You're room is on the top floor, room #1120. Breakfast is from five-thirty a.m. until six-thirty. Make sure to return the card to the front desk before leaving the hotel."

"Thank you very much," Iori said in a fake polite voice. Rosa pushed him towards the elevator while planting her lips on his cheek. The clerk looked after them as they stumbled into the elevator locked in a kiss.

"Kids," she said to herself.

Iori and Rosa had a little fun in the elevator, despite someone else being in there with them. They stood towards the back of the elevator, leaning against the wall. They kissed and teased each other, slipping their hands under each other's shirts and moaning to each other's touch. The guy in there with them stood towards the front of the elevator, doing his best to ignore them. He felt ashamed that he was getting aroused just by listening to them.

'Why can't me and my wife be like that?' he thought.

The elevator finally reached the top floor, and the three passengers got off. The man hurried to his room, although he knew that his wife wouldn't be willing to do anything with him. Iori and Rosa made their way to the room, in which Rosa nabbed the key from Iori and ran down the hallway, and Iori chased her until they arrived at the room.

"What do you think is inside?" Iori asked.

"We won't know until we go in, now will we?" Rosa answered, slipping the key card into the door slot and opening the door. Cutting on the lights, they looked around the grand room. Iori gave a low whistle.

"This place is huge," he said.

"And clean," said Rosa. While it wasn't the largest suite the hotel had, it was big enough for the both of them. A large bath/jacuzzi tub with steps that led up to it sat in one portion of the room, while a king size bed and a stereo with a remote sat in the other portion. The middle portion was decorated with a widescreen TV, two couches, a table with a bowl of fruit on it, and a large wardrobe. Rosa went to explore this while Iori went over to the jacuzzi.

"This is cool," Iori said. "How many people you think could fit in here?"

"All it needs is just me and you," Rosa said, inspecting a red satin robe that she found inside the wardrobe.

'Now what idiot would leave this here?' she thought. She looked inside to see if there was a name written on it, but there wasn't any. Instead, she found a tag that read:

Compliments Of Shanghai Hotels
Please Enjoy Your Stay