Hello all! Don't mind me, just standing outside *in very cold weather*, yelling lines from King Lear with a Scottish accent. Nope, I'm not queer. :P

Carla: Thanks very much! I do apologize though… that bit about migraines that I stuck in there was unnecessary on my part… sleeping did help though, so thanks much! :D

Goldy: Wait no longer! OvQ I'm very glad you have kept reading my fanfiction! *Hugs for you!*

So, I'm leaving tomorrow, and that's why I'm posting today. I won't be here Saturday… being tomorrow. Whoa, it's already Friday?! D: Anyway, I thank all my readers! You guys are awesome, and you all deserve hugs! Really, when I open up my e-mail and I see a new review, new follower, etc., no matter what mood I'm in, I get all happy. (You guys saved my brother from getting yelled at.) Okay, I'll let you read now. Love you all!

Yako woke and noticed there was something different about her position than how she'd fallen asleep. She woke facing Neuro, her arms around his waist and her legs wrapped around one of his. His arms were around her shoulders. Her forehead was on his collar bone. Even after all the times she'd found herself in his arms, she didn't think she'd ever managed to get this close to him. She took in a deep breath, comfortable around this scent and this warmth. Her arms around his waist tightened as she tried to bring herself closer (if that was possible). For some reason, she didn't want this to end. She caught herself hoping he wouldn't wake up just yet, so she could fall asleep in his arms yet again.

Yako heard the beeping sound of her cell phone, indicating she got a text message. Much to her displeasure, it woke Neuro up rather easily. He propped himself up on his elbow but didn't move the other arm. One of Neuro's robotic eye bugs dragged the phone across the floor and up onto the bed.

The moment she saw a faint green glow in his eyes accompanied by a serious look, Yako spoke up. "Neuro, what is it?"

"I told Akane to text us when we got close to the port. It's early, but the timing couldn't be better." He closed the phone and looked at the time. "We slept quite a long time… it's almost dinner. Once that's over, then the other alcohol bars will open up."

"Alcohol bars?"

"Yes. They're the key to this mystery." He explained as he laid back down on his side. He wrapped both of his arms around Yako's shoulders again, and she pushed herself to his chest before she could habitually protest.

'When this is all over… this closeness to Neuro will go away too, won't it?' She thought to herself, trying to bottle up the saddening feelings. She figured she should just enjoy it while she could. Her thoughts started to stray further than she expected. 'When I'm married and have a child… will I remember this moment? Will I remember Neuro?' Her eyes opened as a stray thought crossed her mind. 'Will… I even need to remember him? What if he's there? What if he… what if I'm the one to greet him when he comes home?' Her face went red as soon as she figured out what her own mind was implying. She glanced up at the relaxed face of the two-tone haired demon. Would she even stand a chance? Wasn't she nothing more than a wood louse in his views? But then again… would he hold a wood louse like he was holding her now?

"Yako."

"Huh?" Just the fact that he talked when she was thinking such things startled her. He didn't have a tool for reading minds, right? If he did, then… just the thought of it made Yako nervous.

"Let's go to dinner. I need to set something up and might need you to be a distraction to the others." He said as he pushed himself up. Yako had hoped that moment would have lasted longer.

Neuro was once again a bit displeased with how little she was eating. This time, instead of glancing around the room for hints, he kept watch for Kyoko. He didn't particularly enjoy laying low like this, but it had to be done if he wanted to eat.

The dinner itself was very formal. The guests were asked to wear formal clothing, so Neuro simply wore a black version of his typical blue suit and a white rose in the breast pocket (which he thought looked rather corny). He closed his eyes as he replayed the scene in his head - before they left for dinner. He'd already changed into his suit by then, and he'd waited for Yako to get done changing. He glanced at the door as it opened and his focus was immediately drawn to Yako wearing a cute (sexy) blue and white short dress and a blue flower pin in her hair. She didn't miss Neuro's look of surprise. She wanted to turn around, but her body wouldn't allow it. She turned her head away, hoping he didn't notice the blush on her face. "D-Does it look weird…?" She asked shyly. Neuro simply shook his head in response, pushing away the expression on his face and held his hand out to her. They left the room, and he didn't say a word the whole way to the dining hall.

And here they were, sitting across from each other in silence. Yako's feeling of nervousness helped contribute to her lack of an appetite. Her heart leapt every time their eyes met for a split second. Yako wondered if even getting a dress was a good idea. She and Kanae went shopping the day before the trip and practically let Kanae pick out the dress for her. She didn't even care at that time, but now she sort of wished she had… she didn't know what she'd do different though. As for Neuro, he'd never seen her shoulders before this trip. It made him realize how small her body really was. His thoughts were interrupted as he heard an unpleasantly familiar voice amplified by the speakers. He cautiously turned his head to the stage that was usually ignored on one end of the room. Kyoko stood alone on the stage, holding a microphone. Her sleek black hair was tied up, and she wore a long, fitted purple dress with ruffles to look like flowers down her side.

"Now for the surprise even we've all been waiting for!" She chirped happily into the microphone. Neuro could almost feel the hair on his head stand on end with the coming of the next sentence. Dancing… that was the whole bloody point to dressing up. The crew wanted the guests to dance. Neuro stared at the black haired girl with irritation. This event was most likely planned way before he even got on the ship, but even so, he knew that there was a reason. A diversion? He was almost certain. He'd wondered before when they were planning on setting everything up for the "suicides", and now he knew.

Neuro cursed under his breath before turning back to the orange haired girl across from him. "We need to get to the other end of the room so we can get to the pool."

"Won't it be closed?" Yako asked, slightly confused.

"Yes. We need to hurry so we can get there before it opens." He replied as he stood. Of course the exit had to be on the other side of the room. (By the time they'd got there, the other tables were taken). Neuro concluded that fate decided to throw a curveball at him as he offered his hand to Yako.

She stared up at him in disbelief. Was he… silently asking her to dance? Yako found herself taking his hand and standing up. There was one issue with this whole thing – Yako hand no idea how to dance. Neuro guided her out, joining the many couples that were already awaiting the music to start. Typical human observation gave Neuro a small idea of what to do, but not by a lot. Yako tried copying a nearby couple and put her hand on his shoulder. "S-So…"

"We need to dance our way to the other side of the room. If we just walked, Kyoko would notice." He responded as he put an arm around Yako's waist. The orange haired girl glanced around the room nervously.

The music started, and Neuro guided Yako. Never in her life had she ever imagined she would be dancing with him. She stared at her feet, trying to avoid Neuro's feet. Whatever kind of waltz this was, he seemed to catch on pretty quickly, but Yako was a whole other story.

"Yako." She stared up at him and tripped once more. In a single smooth movement, Neuro slipped his feet under hers. He was letting her stand on his feet? That was uncommon in the girl's views, but then again, a lot of strange things had been happening lately. Neuro's hand moved up to her shoulder blade as he bend down to whisper in her ear. "Learn the steps. Make a diamond pattern." His lips barely brushed her ear, and her face was already bright red. Even so, she tried to focus on the pattern Neuro made. She was so close to him… his lips were still by her ear as he pressed his face to her hair.

Neuro was rethinking his plan as he half focused on Yako's scent. Maybe it would be better to leave her in the dining room to make sure she'd be safe… but with who? A satisfied look crossed his face immediately as the answer appeared right before his eyes. Ishigaki sat at a table relatively close to the exit doors, staring off into space. Almost as if on cue, Yako carefully stepped off of Neuro's feet and tried dancing on her own. He pulled his head back from the girl and watched her as she hesitantly looked up at him. Neuro decided to let time stand still for him. This moment was the peace before the storm. It was untold what would happen, even if he had a good idea of what was to come. Yako had relaxed considerably compared to how tense she was when they'd left the room. Neuro wanted this moment to last a little longer, but much to his displeasure, they were close to Ishigaki's table. The two-tone haired demon stopped for a little while and stared down at his dance partner. Neither of them said anything, so Neuro took the flower from his coat and tucked it behind Yako's ear, being sure to caress away a few stray strands as well. Before he knew it, he'd given her a reassuring smile that ignited her nervous heart.

She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Neuro already had Ishigaki's coat sleeve in his grip. "Enjoy the night!" Neuro chirped in his I'm perfectly human voice and stalked toward the doors. Yako watched him with confusion as she started pulling the similarly confused policeman into the dance. Why was Neuro leaving her behind?

Neuro used the "Staff Only" doors because, as expected, the normal exits were locked. He stormed through the maze of dark halls until he arrived at the swimming pool. He checked the surrounding area and immediately got to work weaving a long rope, tying knots as quickly as he could. He tied one main rope to the rail on the edge of the ship. The moonlight shone through the open area where the "suicides" would jump off the ship. He ran along the rail to the other side and hid behind a fake plant as he tied the other end on the far rail. He studied his work contently until he heard approaching footsteps. Taking a glance, he focused on a small blue and white dress.

"Yako!" His voice was a harsh whisper.

"Neuro…" She quietly made her way over to the demon as he emerged from behind the plant.

"What… why are you here?"

"Why'd you leave without me?" Yako asked in return, her voice still a whisper. Neuro let out a sigh and quickly whipped his head toward the sound of footsteps… the sound of many footsteps approaching. One man he did recognize was walking towards the pool with a group behind him.

"Kyosuke." Neuro whispered, and pulled Yako toward him, looking for a place to hide. They couldn't blend in with the ceiling, and the plants were too small… no choice. The captain could have sworn he'd heard someone's voice… Yako's voice. He glanced around the pool area, seeing no one. There was nothing more than a soothing glow from the moonlight that was cast into the pool water. Once he confirmed no one was there, he turned back to the staff members that walked behind him.

"Get everything ready and remember to turn on the air filters." He murmured. With a "Yes sir", the staff members scattered to their designated job while Kyosuke supervised.

Meanwhile, Neuro and Yako were dangling off the edge of the ship, Neuro's hand grasping the rails. He was glad Kyosuke didn't notice the black gloved hand at the bottom of the rails, but now they had a bigger problem. Yako clung to Neuro like her life depended on it, letting out quiet, high-pitched whimpers as she listened to the waves directly below them. "Yako." Neuro whispered her name, trying to distract her or get her attention. Her fear of being surrounded by water was finally showing through once more. Her heart pounded rapidly as she dangled above what she feared most. Through the eye of his robotic bug, Neuro watched the crew members. Naturally, his least favorite entered the room. Kyoko greeted her father and stared down into the pool, a smirk on her face. Something seemed to catch her attention, and Neuro took a guess at what it was. Of course… she started walking towards the railing. Neuro cursed under his breath and looked down at the terrified girl in his arms. "Yako."

The lithe girl's shoulders merely tensed even more. The demon could feel her shaking.

"Yako…" His lips hovered a little under an inch away from hers, somewhat distracting her. "…Yako, calm down." He pushed her head to his neck. Yako fought him, yet still clung to him. "Yako, don't be scared. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise I'll protect you." He whispered. The sweetly foreign words seemed to taint his tongue, and the paranoia that blossomed in his mind made him glare at the ocean. "…You're going to regret making me say that, louse."

Yako relaxed a bit, but tensed instantly once she felt the effects of gravity. Neuro let go of the rail and the two fell towards the cold sea, the abyss of Yako's nightmares. She instinctively pulled herself into Neuro's chest and felt two strong arms wrap around her. She waited for the cold, suffocating saltwater to surround them, but it never came. She opened her eyes at the sound of Neuro's voice.

"777 tools of the demon world. Evil Blind." He murmured. A green aura surrounded them, along with Neuro's little project. Yako stared up at Kyoko as she looked over the rail. The black haired girl glared at what she didn't see, like she'd expected something to be there, and soon turned around and walked away. Neuro dropped the aura and relaxed for a moment, letting out a relieved sigh. Now was Yako's chance to figure out what was going on. She looked around and noticed… a net? They'd fallen into a huge rope net. Sea spray dappled the two and Neuro attempted to crawl back to the ship without letting go of the girl in his arms. He soon lifted them up and over the rail on the lower level of the ship, (an open area in the hallway for the lower level rooms). He and Yako collapsed on the red carpet floor and attempted to catch their breath. Yako's head rested on Neuro's outstretched arm. You alright?"

Yako nodded. "Yeah. N-Neuro… you were setting up a net?"

"Yes, to catch the suicides that jump off the ship." Yako looked up at him with admiration as he helped her stand. He unbuttoned his coat and draped it over her shoulders. With a hand signal, the aura enveloped the net again and he guided Yako through the dark halls back to their room. He wondered… when he'd learned to say such soft-hearted things. It was getting to be bothersome.