Tropical Paradise – Chapter 1

Memories

Hey all! So this is the promised fic I was talking about :) Hope you all enjoy it! Sincerely, Kiravu.

Have you ever thought about how creepy it is that some random person can look through all your shit without even having to open your bag? I have, I mean think about it. You are standing in line with a few hundred other random people you have never seen before, and probably never will see again. Then, you walk up to some big, haunkin machine stick your bag on a conveyer belt and have everything screened.

While your bag is being poked and prodded from every angle, and having its clothes ripped off with someones eyes like some disgusting pervert. You get to walk through a metal detector, after being forced to take off everything metal. What if you have your nipple pierced? Or something else? Oh, excuse me while I take off my shirt to take that out.

Crunching up my nose, I took out a sketch pad and started to absently doodle. I always start with a line, then go from there. No, I don't mean a straight line; that would be boring. You just let your hand go, it can be curvy, zigzag, a simple hill; anything at all. The smallest things can create the most beautiful pictures.

The only down side of today, is my trip to Cuba. The being in Cuba itself, and the tropical island and girls in bikinis – all awesome. The going through an airport followed by sitting in a death trap for hours on end... not so much.

I can't even take anything to try and smooth out my nerves, stupid regulations. I hate flying, despise it, loath it, wish it would curl up and die in a fucking corner. You get the idea. There's something about being unable to do anything if something goes wrong that does not sit well with me. Think about it, if you get in a car wreck you can try and get out of the way or avoid it.

Unless your blindsided, but then you don't really have time to freak the fuck out either. Drowning, you can fight and struggle and work to stay alive. You have hope, you have something to fight. Flying, falling you don't. You can struggle and fight all you want, it won't make a lick of difference. You're dead, it's as simple as that.

"Flight one twenty-four, now boarding for Cuba. Would all passengers that require assistance, flying with small children and need extra time, or are flying first class; please begin boarding now." The stewardess set down the phone she was talking into, and began to smile at the line that was building up. Stupid richies, wasting money on flying in a spot meant for four people.

I sighed mid thought as I felt a hot liquid trickle down through my hair and onto my scalp. Brilliant.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I'm such a clutz!" Slowly, I reached up and wiped the sticky liquid away from my eyes before I felt the said clutz start to pat my head with some form of cloth.

"Sakura, we need to go." A deep voice beckoned, sounding thoroughly annoyed.

"I'm coming!" She replied, tssking as she moved to start wiping my face. "I really am sorry." I smirked, no you will probably forget this happened in an hour. Or you will make it into some funny story about what a clutz you are.

"Don't worry about it." I muttered, blowing a soggy strip of hair out of my face only to look up into fretting, soft green eyes.

"Hey babe, we need to go before we're late-"

"Oh, crap... can I at least give you something for the shirt? It's probably ruined." She asked again, moving to wipe her handkerchief across my neck. Reflexively, I grabbed her wrist to stop the nuisance from continuing any longer.

"Sakura! They are boarding now!" Her partner growled, annoyed.

"Just go, it's fine." I assured her, wiping away the liquid, I assume to be coffee, from my eyes.

"No, please don't go! I'm begging you..."

"Can rows one through five please begin boarding now." That's me I guess, looking up I saw my assailant move out of view; casting one last worried glance over her shoulder as she went.

Shaking my head to clear away unwanted memories, I trudged over to the line up at the podium. Fishing through my pockets I found my passport, tickets and ID; this place is crawling with kids.

"What do you mean you never want kids? You would make a great mother."

"Miss, may I see your passport please?" The attendant asked, looking at me as if she expected something interesting to happen.

"Yeah, sorry." She skimmed the contents, checked my ticket and waved me past before reaching for the next passengers information. I hate loading docks, they feel like they could give out at any moment, always creak and sway.

"If it wasn't safe they wouldn't let hundreds of people walk on them everyday, Tay."

Finding my seat without a word, I slumped down and looked at the empty spot beside me. It won't be filled today, because I hold both tickets. I suppose that's a good thing, even if I could have made a profit selling it. But, I'm not sure I would be able to hold up any form of small talk if I was put with a chatty cathy.

After what seemed like an eternity, the speakers popped to life and announced that we were preparing for take off. Soon after, the flight attendants walked to their positions in the aisles and began to demonstrate what to do in case of an emergency. Somehow, I don't think oxygen masks, a way to make our chairs float or knowing where the exit doors will help if you get into a crash.

Why am I even on this fucking deathtrap? It was her idea not mine...

Heaving a deep sigh, I shut my eyes and leaned to rest my head on the cabin wall. I just need to relax, everything will be fine.

"Do you know what I love about you?"

"How amazing I am in bed?" I watched her giggle and nuzzle into my neck, body emanating contentment. Kissing her forehead, I tried again. "No, what do you love about little old me?"

"Well, for starters I love your lips..." She breathed, planting a quick, flirtatious kiss on my smile. "And I love your neck..." Her lips and teeth travelled down my skin to graze my neck, pausing to nip my collar bone. "And your breasts..." A throaty moan escaped the confines of my chest as her warm tongue washed over my nipple.

"Your g-going to get yourself in trouble, babe." I warned, glancing down at lust reincarnate.

"Me? Trouble?" She accented her point by kissing my belly button. "Never..."

My head slammed against the cabin wall as the place started to rock violently. Cursing, I rubbed the sore spot and looked around at the flurry of activity that was swarming around me.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we seem to be experiencing heavy turbulence; please return to your seats and put on your seat buckles. If you need any assistance one of the flight attendants would be happy to help you."

"Shit, shit, shit, fuck, shit." Fumbling with my buckle, I tried to work the tiny warped piece of metal into its brace. Behind me I heard a small boy start to cry as his mother fretted over him. At the rear of the plane, a baby started to shriek and wail; distressed by the growing tension.

Suddenly, the plane veered to the right before straightening out once more to fight with the violent winds. My hand slipped and the buckle flew out of my grasp.

An elderly man reached out to get the attention of a rushing attendant, motioning to his wife who was unable to tighten the belt that hung loose around her thin frame. The roar of thunder was followed by a crack of lightening; the plane shook violently once again as the cabin lights flicked out and we were enshrouded in darkness.

Another lightening bolt flashed, showing a second of the terror confined within the plane.

"Ladies and Gentleman, d-do n-n-n-n-nooooo" With a hiss of static, the speakers burst and stopped working, leaving me and the other passengers in a state of panic. Gripping my chest, I worked to loosen a shirt that was suddenly too tight; leaning down so my head was between my knees I started to hyperventilate.

"No, no, no! You have to mix the flour with the sugar before you add the butter!"

"What does it matter? It all tastes the same in the end." I smirked, touching the end of her nose with the flour encrusted, wooden spoon.

"I don't know! But that's what the instructions say to do!"

Blind, I reached for the paper-bag that was suppose to be in the back of the seat directly in front of me. Tearing a nail, I found it; retching the contents of my stomach into the recycled paper confines.

My ears popped as an explosion sounded from outside the plane, suddenly the air was filled with screams of terror, accented by the smell of fear. Shaking, I looked out the window to see the engine connected to the main wings on fire; billowing out clouds of black smoke.

Another clash of lightening and the other engine quit, leaving the planes passengers and crew in a spiralling deathtrap heading for the ground with no way to stop it.

"Your work is really beautiful." Tilting my hat back with my thumb, I looked at the girl who had paused to compliment my paintings. She blushed, fair skin lighting up like a painter had applied a brush of colour to a plain canvas.

"Well, the price tags are all on them." I replied nonchalant, I'm sick of streetwalkers who are happy to stop and stare but never bother to show more appreciation then a few kind words. She probably doesn't even know anything about painting, one of the 'oh look, pretty colours types'.

"I wish I could afford this one." Wistfully, she brushed her fingers through the air pretending to dance over the canvas like the brush that had painted the piece she was admiring.

"Why that one? It's not exactly my best." It doesn't even have a tag on it, I never expected to sell something that old.

"Because it has the most heart, the others may be technically better in technique but this one... I don't know, it's like you put your soul into it."

"My soul huh?" I smirked, looking at the old piece before glancing back up at the marvelling woman. "Well, I'll tell you what. You can have it, if you let me take you out for coffee sometime." Her eyes went wide, dashing between her new item and it's creator.

"Are you serious? But I couldn't..." She paused to chew on a glossy pink lip. "At the very least, I should be the one treating you."

"Deal. Pick me up at eight?"

"Sure! Oh, my name is Tenten."

"It's nice to meet you Tenten, my name is Tayuya."

I'm going to die aren't I?

Okay, end chapter one! I know, super short :) For anything who has read my other fic, I would like to thank you for also reading this one! To anyone new, welcome to my insanity!

I am trying something new in this one, shorter chapters. This way, I should be able to update every week to ever other week instead of once a month. And, as long as I keep it around two thousand words, it will work out about the same just with more updates!

Let me know which way you find more enjoyable and engaging to read after a few chapters are posted.

I hope you enjoyed it! Drop a review, it makes my day!

-Kiravu