Chapitre 2 :: Chapter 2

Publiée: 31-03-05 - Mise à jour: 31-03-05

Commentaires: Enjoy your read!

Chapitre: 1 2 3 4 5

The day looked about to be quite tranquil and tame in the Saeba household. Kaori left early in order to do a hefty dose of shopping and Ryo stayed in bed, awaiting her return.  

»Ryo!« the girl called upon her return.  

»I’m up!« he answered from the kitchen. »I was about to take a refill of coffee. Want some?« he asked, seeing her at the door.  

»No thanks. Frankly, your coffee does lack a certain appeal…« she scrutinized the black, inky liquid in the mug.  

»What do you mean?« he inquired.  

»Oh, nothing, it’s just that it doesn’t look fetching…« she smiled.  

»Oh, if you put it that way, this is the last time I ever offer you anything,« Ryo snapped.  

»Ooh, touchy, are we… Woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?«  

»Laugh all you want, you’re bound to cry in the end.«  

»Whatever. I’m off to my room.«  

Kaori finally left her lair around noon and started making lunch, humming a catchy tune under her breath.  

The afternoon hours were dedicated solely to packing.  

After dinner they moved to the living room. The silence stretching between them was both relaxing and embarrassing.  

»Ryo?« Kaori softly whispered.  

»What’s up…« he was busy looking out the window.  

»Well, I… I wanted to ask you something.« She parked herself on the couch.  

Ryo remained silent.  

»Why has nothing changed?«  

“Here we go. I knew sooner or later she’d pop the question,” he thought.  

»What do you want me to say, Kaori? I have no idea. When I do find out, I’ll make sure to give you a whistle,« he answered coldly.  

»But… I got the message. Sorry, I asked, knowing the answer in advance.« Her eyes filled up with tears. Before he knew it, she said goodnight and ran to her room.  

“Gomen, Kaori… Forgive me...” Ryo thought, knowing he’s been too harsh yet again. “I always manage to blotch everything up with her. Why can’t I just tell her the truth?” He, too, went to bed.  

In the morning they rose early and, after a quick breakfast, gulped down in the most total silence, they drove to the airport. Takehiko Suzuki and his friend were already waiting for them.  

»Hi there. All set? The flight won’t take long. Only about an hour and a half,« Takehiko greeted them. »This is my friend, Ken Mitsumoto.«  

They exchanged the usual pleasantries and, after check-in, they moved towards the boarding gate, when all of a sudden Ryo stopped dead in his track.  

»Ryo? Is everything all right?« Kaori asked.  

»Hell, no. I completely forgot I’m afraid of flying,« he answered, a touch embarrassed.  

»Holly cow, I forgot, too. Not to worry, though. Take these.« She squeezed a small bottle of sleeping pills in his palm.  

»Thanks. You think it’ll work?« he asked uneasily. (A.N.: c’mon, Ryo! Guts, man!!!«)  

»Sure! You won’t feel a thing,« Kaori soothed.  

Ryo let her convince him and took a pill as soon as his behind hit the seat. He fell asleep in a matter of minutes and woke up when they’ve already landed.  

»Where are we?« he asked.  

»We’re on Okinawa. See, it worked,« Kaori smiled.  

»Yeah, thanks partner,« he said, thinking “You’re so cute when you’re smiling.”  

After picking up their luggage, they took a cab to the hotel.  

»Wow!! Fancy stuff!!« Kaori squealed, stepping out of the car.  

»Yeah. God only knows how many fantastic girls are around…« Ryo said, his maniacal face turned on.  

Kaori noticed and quickly smashed a kompeito against his face. (A.N.: awesome, Kaori. You go girl!)  

»Welcome,« the concierge greeted, bowing politely.  

»Thank you. We have two reservations, please. Suzuki and Makimura,« Suzuki said.  

»Yes, two rooms. Here are your keys,« the concierge gave them the keys.  

»I beg your pardon, but what do you mean two rooms?« Kaori asked.  

»Of course, two twin-beds, one for you and one for this gentleman.«  

»WHAT? I have to sleep with this here?« Ryo boomed.  

»I’m really sorry, but the sojourn you won doesn’t have other options and I’m afraid we’re already overbooked as it is.«  

»Ryo? What do you mean ‘this here’? Thank you so very much for appreciating my company.« Kaori, furious, glued him to the wall.  

»Aren’t you guys an item?« Takehiko asked.  

»Are you kidding? Me and this pervert?«  

»Exactly. Besides, who would date a transvestite?« Ryo added and the usual bickering began.  

»C’mon, cut it out, you two. Being in the same room for five days won’t kill you,« Takehiko put in.  

»Fine. Let’s check out this room.« Ryo walked to the elevator.  

Their room was the number 245, on the third floor. Kaori opened the door and a »WOW!« left her mouth.  

The room was absolutely gorgeous, with a king sized bed in the middle and wall of windows, looking over the ocean. The bathroom was stunning, with a huge Jacuzzi.  

Ryo whistled appreciatively. »This is a suite,« he said, closing the door.  

»It’s awesome. And the view is breathtaking!« Kaori left the balcony.  

»Hey, partner, come here a sec.« Ryo pointed at the bed. »How will we manage?«  

»Hmm. I haven’t thought about it… Look, it seems big enough for both of us, but if you’re not into it…« The sentence hung between them.  

»OK, we’ll give it a try, but if it doesn’t work, we’ll have to come up with something.«  

Kaori smiled, more than a little embarrassed at the thought of sleeping with him. “Kaori, be cool… What can happen?” she asked herself, looking at the ocean. (A.N.: Right! What can happen…)  

»Earth to Kaori,« Ryo called.  

»Huh? What…« she stammered.  

»I’ll take a walk. Maybe I’ll even find a girl eager for mokkori!!!« Ryo opened the door.  

»Swine! I hope a lightning strikes you!« Kaori hollered, throwing a hammer that plastered him to the hallway wall.  

“Damn him, he never changes,” she thought, unzipping her duffel. Now she faced the grave problem of choosing the right bathing suit. In the end she opted for a simple black bikini with a silver dragon on the left breast-cup. (A.N.: for those of you who are interested, it’s a Calzedonia design!)  

She grabbed a large beach bag and a towel and left in search of Ryo, meeting Takehiko and Ken in the lobby.  

»Kaori, can I escort you to the beach?« Takehiko asked gallantly.  

»Sure,« Kaori answered pleasantly. She never stopped looking around for Ryo, but it proved in vain until she heard a feminine scream from the beach: »Get away from me, maniac!«  

“Here we go. He’s at it again,” Kaori thought.  

»Kaori, I think you should keep an eye on your friend…« Takehiko suggested.  

»I couldn’t agree more. Excuse me, I’ll go get him.« She ran to Ryo who started hitting on another girl. »Ryo! Jesus, do you wanna be a laughingstock even here?« She dragged him away by his T-shirt.  

The four of them chose to lay in the shade of a giant straw beach umbrella. Due to the heat, Kaori decided to take off her summer dress, but failed to notice the reaction of her company.  

“Holly cow, where did she find that bikini? It looks like it was made for her,” Ryo thought, realizing the other two also looked at her with their mouths hanging open. »So? What’s all this fuss about? Like you have never seen a girl in a bathing suit before.« He dragged Kaori away.  

She asked him, bewildered. »What are you doing?«  

»Is this the way to dress for the beach?« he yelled, his face crimson.  

»What are you talking about? It’s a simple bikini,« she answered, perplexed.  

»Simple? You’re almost naked.« Ryo stopped at the shore.  

»Oh, I get it. You’re jealous, you’re jealous!« she singsonged.  

»Get out of town. Jealous? Me? Don’t make me laugh,« he said, visibly embarrassed.  

“What has gotten into me? Kaori is free to do what she wants… but… if she goes on like this, I don’t know if I’ll be able to resist,” he thought, returning in the shade of the umbrella.  

After lung, the hotel’s owner happily announced that at seven p.m. there would be a huge party in honor of the one-year opening anniversary.  

The afternoon sped by, Kaori writhed under the warm sun, guarded tenaciously by Ryo, who saw red every time a man looked her way.  

Around six p.m. they all decided to retire to their rooms in order to prepare for the party.  

»It’s been a great day, don’t you think?« Kaori asked in the elevator.  

»Yeah. Let’s hope the rest of this holiday will be the same, if not better,« Takehiko agreed.  

»I hope so, too, Takehiko.«  

»Kaori, you can call me Take if you want,« he smiled.  

»Oh, OK, Take!«  

They all decided to meet back at the banquet room by seven.  

»I’ll go take a shower. You can be next,« Ryo said, locking himself in the bathroom.  

Kaori had to wait for at least twenty minutes, before she could finally use the bathroom.  

Ryo waited and waited, but Kaori didn’t seem to get out of the tub. He walked to the door, »Kaori, it’s almost seven. I’ll go take a walk. When you’re ready, join us.«, and left.  

“I thought he’d never leave. I didn’t want to ruin the surprise!” Kaori thought, leaving the bathroom. She pulled a dress from her duffel. »Thank God, it’s not wrinkled,« she said, laying the dress on the bed. It was a simple, black, Chinese-style thingy that reached the top of her knees with a demure décolleté, but cut extremely low down the back.  

She put on a touch of make-up and left for the banquet room.  

»Your friend finally decided to delight us with her presence,« Takehiko said to Ryo, who stood with his back to the door.  

Hearing those words, Ryo turned and saw Kaori make way through the crowd.  

“Finally. Well, at least she’s covered,” he thought, but his stare belied his indifference. (A.N.: eh, eh, eh … Ryo darling, you have no ides what awaits you!!)  

Kaori finally reached them and Takehiko instantly asked her to dance.  

She gladly accepted, while Ryo looked ready to break something. As she turned, he almost dropped his glass.  

“What in the world is she wearing?! I’ve never seen that dress before. Where did she get it?” he thought, his eyes narrowing.  

Kaori and Takehiko danced in the middle of the dance floor, capturing everybody’s attention.  

As soon as they returned, Ryo dragged her away. »Kaori, could you please explain what are you doing?«  

»I don’t know what are you talking about. I wasn’t doing anything wrong. And let go, you’re hurting me,« she shook his grip off.  

»Stop making goo-goo eyes to that guy!« he thundered, enraged.  

»What the… You’re kidding, right? It’s none of your business so stay out of it.«  

Ryo walked to the terrace.  

“What is wrong with me? I can’t be jealous, she’s not my girlfriend…” he said to himself, watching the ocean.  

»Great, let’s find a cute tourist to do some mokkori!« he hooted, returning to the ballroom. But he never did. He couldn’t take his eyes off Kaori, chitchatting merrily with Takehiko..  

“She looks like she’s forgotten about me… I don’t know if I should be happy about this or not…” he thought, walking towards the pair.  

The evening went peacefully bye and it was a little past midnight when they decided to retire for the night.  

The two sweepers were in their room, arguing.  

»Oh, please, Ryo. You can’t sleep in your underwear!«  

»Hah! I sleep in what I want,« he dropped on the bed.  

»Argh, do whatever you want. I’ll go change.« She locked herself in the bathroom.  

Putting on her Pa’s she crawled under the covers, turning her back on him. She was positive she won’t be able to sleep a wink that night, but the fatigue dragged her in an exhausted sleep.  

The one who couldn’t sleep was Ryo. Convinced his partner was in the same condition as he, he turned and softly called her name. He soon realized he was wrong. He silently watched her sleep and murmured: »Gomen nasai, Kaori, I’m sorry.« He, too, was soon captured by the sweet Morpheus, succumbing to a relaxing sleep. 

Chapitre: 1 2 3 4 5